Ok, this time it's been even longer than a week since I last posted and the funny thing is... I was going to post MORE often, not LESS often... how did this happen?? :) Let's see if I can make up for it!
For starters, before I get blabbing, I just have to share this adorable video... any pet owners will love it :)
Ok... moving on after that touching little pug... where I last left off, I had come down with a nasty, nasty intestinal flu bug and on the same day, a bronchial bug. Trust me on this one when I say, this did NOT make for a pleasant few weeks. On top of that, the decision was to go ahead with Chemo #10 two weeks ago... so I had a system fighting bronchitis. In the short term... it was probably one of the most miserable couple of weeks I've had to go through in a long, long time. In the big picture, it just goes to show how amazing my system is. Here it was fighting two nasty viral bugs, bugs that antibiotics would not be able to help because they were viral and not bacterial ... and at the same time, my system was dealing with the chemo killing off the good cells that normally would be fighting these bugs. Go figure, eh?? Kind of expecting and asking my system to do the impossible. But it did come through. The intestinal nasty flu bug lasted 48 hours, which is pretty standard for anyone who gets it... the most horrid 48 hours but once it's run it's course it's over. The bronchal bug is a little different... back in the old days when I smoked, I would get bronchitis that could last upwards fo 6-8 weeks. Well, I'm pretty much over it now and so it took 3 weeks... half the time it used to take and I wasn't on chemo back then! Before I was given the chemo, I had to do blood lab work to see if my system could tolerate the chemo... sure enough, my blood work was excellent... showed that all the red/white blood cells had been replenished, even with these two bugs.
Ok... that was two weeks ago. For the past two weeks, I have to admit, I was much tireder, especially during the second week which is the week I usually get back to normal. Of course, was this the bugs that were keeping me down or the chemo? My oncologist said that I'm doing a phenomenal job because the accumulation of the chemo over 10 sessions is enough to bring the strongest person down, so she is not surprised at all that I am more tired. She, again, reminded me of what is going on in my body. My GP keeps reminding me, but I guess it hasn't really sunk in and I keep comparing my energy levels to that of how I was before the journey began.
Ok... so in this two weeks, one of the things I did was go to Steve Oben's parents for a family Birthday celebration (birthdays in Sept/Oct). I just have to share some pictures here... not that most of you will know any of the people but I am still playing with my NEW iMac (Mac Molly) that I just love!! I really am getting to quite like the new version of iPhoto that comes with the new Macs. Here are some of the pictures and little Stephanie does NOT like getting her picture taken, so I had to be sneaky and would tell someone else at the table to smile while pointing the camera at her... and she thought I was taking a picture of the person I told to smile. Gotta love child psychology!! :)
Isn't she adorable?? 3 years old and talks up a storm... she just doesn't like getting her picture taken 
Hehehe.. this is the one that is priceless. I was telling Don to smile, so Stephanie didn't realize I was actually taking her picture. Of course, Don didn't clue in and asked, "Why do you want me to smile, you aren't even looking at me??" 
Here are the birthday kids!! On the left, Elise who turned 12, Sandra, her mom (who didn't reveal her age) and Don, who had his 40th birthday.
This is a picture of Steve, which I turned into a B&W. Steve is one of my best friends and definitely head caregiver/organizer when I needed it... and if I were to need organizing/caregiving again.
Isn't this sweet?? Bridget and Elise were in the family room, away from the noisy crowd and watching TV. It's this picture that I realize how badly Bridget needs a haircut... her head looks bigger than Elise's... and really, under all that hair, Bridget has a tiny head!Ok... moving on. This past weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving. I did not make any plans this year because I really didn't know how I was going to be feeling, or how far from home I could go. Not to mention, I had no idea if I was going to be able to shake the two bugs I had. Well, the weekend came very quickly and when I decided that I was feeling ok, I had no plans... and most everyone had left town! Yikes!! But, Greg and Jo and I got together and went out for dinner... and I did have some quality time at home with friends and neighbours in the 'hood. But it did take me by surprise!!
The forecast for the Thanksgiving was suppose to be rain, rain and more rain. So what a pleasant surprise when Thanksgiving Day was a beautiful sunny Autumn day. Bridget and I went out for a walkie, just in the immediate neighbourhood since the feet have started acting up again. Hahaha.. so here are a couple of pictures of my little diva who soooo needs a haircut!!
Hehehe... two things that I think are funny about these pictures of Bridget. Notice her droopy ear?? The hair is weighing it down more than usual!! Usually just the tip droops, but now the whole ear is drooping!! Also, look at the second picture... she is balancing on the very corner of the water fountain... she cracks me up!
So, fast forward to today... I guess I better type fast because Bridget is talking to the door handle, telling the door to open up, she wants to go out for her nightly quick-quick in the back lane, and then go to bed :)
Today I was at the Cancer Agency just before 10:30am for Chemo Session #11. I asked which chemo room my friend, Rita Wong was in... but she was in a different room than I was scheduled for. Not only that, our favourite chemo nurse, Leanne, was in a different room. So, since I was early, I went to Rita's room to say Hi. We were yakking and her nurse said that she would see if she could get me changed to her room. Rather than redoing the paper work, the nurse I would have had (Franciska) came down to the new room and hooked me up... then she kept coming back to rehook the new bags then hook up the chemo pump that I'd take home.
When I was finished, Rita said, "Is an hour up already??" Actually, it was about an hour and 20 mins. but it sure went fast. We had a lot to talk about, even though we had only met 2 weeks ago. We have been keeping in touch in email :)
As expected, I've got a doozy of a headache. When I came home, I did have a nap this afternoon, but the headache is still there. Of course, that is not new... it happens every session. It's the med Odansteron, which is used to make sure I don't get the ugly nausea, etc. It works great for that... so I'm not complaining.
BUT, someone IS complaining right now!! Bridget is now really yodeling at the door, so this is her telling me she wants to go out now. She is such a stickler to routine... she knows she has to be taken out before she can go to bed for the night... so out we go!!
Ciao for now!!
Cheryl
