Tag Archives: medical

R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health Oshawa

Health, Life and Times, Northumberland Hills, Personal, Technology Here and Now, , , , , , , ,

A few rough days since my last treatment three days ago.  I have been feeling a bit tired and woke on day six with a very sore throat and difficulty swallowing. But, all in all I’m doing very well and a couple of Tylenol with rest and I am right as rain. Life is good.

I wanted mention the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health Oshawa for taking such good care of me and for being so helpful in making sure I understood how they would manage my treatment. To think a week ago I was diagnosed and sent on the radiation journey within a day is truly remarkable. Initially, I was so unsure about the radiation treatment, having received massage doses my first time around in the 70`s for Hodgkin’s disease. So to say I was intimidated to have to undergo this treatment again is an understatement, but with so little time to think about it, it was onward and forward. Today, I can only say wow… the Radiation Oncologist, technicians and nurses at the center are angels in disguise and helped make my experience an easy process to go through.

As I am somewhat of a tech junkie, I was fascinated with the progressive technology and applications that were being used to administrator the treatment and even manage patient intake. From the form fitting mask that molded over my head and  face  which initially looked like the top of a flat tennis racket grid pattern and made of a hard plastic to the technicians during setup who hovered over me in the center of this hi-tech wood paneled room, calling out facts and numbers, just like pilots do in the jets during pre-flight take offs. What kind of mathematical genius are these medical technicians? It took several hours (for me over two hours) to calculate out where and how to point those lasers through the grid mask. Amazing… For anyone interested I have linked to an actual treatment very similar to the one I was in and this is a picture of my actual face mask. 100_6546It’s a reminder  for me of how the world  has changed in this age of technology and folks it is not all bad.

For everyone and anyone who has to travel this road know that the health care professionals involved in the care of cancer patients are very special people and I believe truly have a sensitivity to our needs that goes beyond just their jobs. My journey is not over, but knowing that supporting me is a whole host of amazing medical professionals gives me the drive to do my part by staying positive, getting the rest I need, eating properly and give my friends and family the love and encouragement that I am here for them as they are for me and will continue the fight.

Every day, I can write is a very good day…

Kiddie Germ

Health, Life and Times, Personal, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Went to the pharmacy today to pickup a prescription and my friends and family would classify me as a true blue (or green) germ phobia somewhat like Howie Mandel.  Checkout Howie has a house behind his house.   I justify it by saying that I am dealing with some serious health issues at the moment and one of my meds is very clear about not being exposed to viruses in order to avoid serious side effects.  I have survived several cancers, heart surgery and a few other issues and seriously want to stick around, I’ve got lots to do.  So, yeah I’m a little uptight about being around sick people. You know the type, the ones that are coughing without covering their mouths, sneezing, and just generally looking yucky.  So on this day I was very annoyed when this mother who was in the pharmacy with a child about seven obviously picking up medicine for this kid that was coughing so hard you could hear the wheeze in her chest, and she’s telling her mom the she can’t get the stuff out of her throat.  So, to say the child was not well would be an understatement.

What was frustrating was this kid was all over the small pharmacy picking up and touching everything.  The candy, the jewelry on the counter, picking up the display items even the back scratches which she grabbed opened up and then put back.  She must have touched every cane and walking stick, pulling them out and putting them back in until she caught her mom’s eye.  To top it off for what ever reason she zoomed in on me.  I tried to avoid her and went to sit in the chairs on the far side and as soon as I sat down, she came to sit beside me, so I moved and walked around the back of store and came back around the front and sat by the blood pressure machine.  Then she came over there, so I got up and went back to the chairs and sure enough here she came again, so I moved again.  In my mind she was like the demon kid from hell, I couldn’t shake.

Finally, their prescription was ready and they left the store and I avoided touching everything but my med package and my wallet.  So, moms with sick kids out there please have a little concern for the other folks coming into the pharmacy and try to restrict your flu and coughing kids from touching all the tempting goodies and passing on their bad germs.  We baby-boomers have a hard time fighting off those nasty bugs and need all the help we can get.