Tag Archives: Radiation

Cycle One Complete

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

Well cycle one of my chemo is now complete and I’m just coming off my no chemo week heading into cycle two.  Outside of a couple of off days I managed to weather the effects.  Mostly, it was the sore throat which salt water gargles helped a lot and then there was the fatigue which seemed to be worse on some days but not others.  So for those days I just laid low watched TV and napped with my little fur ball angels.

Julie Roberts in similar neck brace
Julie Roberts in similar neck brace …

The best news though was from the Neurosurgeon at St. Michael’s in Toronto Dr. Das.  Who after several hours and a number of x-rays and an MRI informed me that my neck which had the stage 4 cell and which caused a collapse in my neck and required five doses of radiation was healing aligned and that the neck brace could come off, only to be used while driving and when my neck got tired because of lack of muscle tone after three months in the brace.  The neck will still require an additional 4-6 weeks to have the bone totally healed over, plus the chemo I’m receiving will hopefully stop any further growth and best of all no neck surgery required.  Lucky girl I am…

So, off for my blood work tomorrow and then Wednesday take my seat in the big blue chair and enjoy the company of all the other blue chair folks swapping stories and sharing the experience and the support and I will keep remembering that I got through the neck crisis and now I can totally focus on healing my lungs with no further distractions and maybe enjoy another bowl of chicken noodle soup on Wednesday…

Stage Two – Chemotherapy

Health, Life and Times, Northumberland Hills, Personal, , , , , , , , , , ,

Time is shortening. But every day that I challenge this cancer and survive is a victory for me.    Ingrid Bergman

I have now had my five radiation treatments since that unexpected day four weeks ago at Northumberland Hills Hospital where the discovery of the cancer cells in my neck brought me literally to a neck brace and bed. I survived the treatment with minimal side effects a couple of weeks of very raw sore throat, a few lesions in my mouth and a few sore teeth and tired. But, following the maintenance protocols, eating and getting rest when needed has certainly helped. The hardest adjustment has been not being able to drive and having to rely on others to get me to appointments or shop. But, I do not complain because I am so fortunate to have the support of my family and friends that have driven these past few weeks. I just pretend I’m Miss Daisy, in “Driving Miss Daisy” one of my favourite movies.

Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy

One of my drivers has been my daughter she’s home for her graduation and reading week. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to spend real quality time and I know I drove her crazy about her driving, but the truth is she is just like her mom and likes to drive fast and is a good driver and will become a very good driver with time. During our drives, she was able to acknowledge and thank me for all the driving over the years, taking her to music, friends, and school. I loved it.

Now I get ready for the next stage of this fight which is the chemotherapy.  As I’ve mentioned previously having received chemotherapy over 35 years ago, I still have very strong negative feelings about this treatment. Back then all I had to do was walk into the hospital smell alcohol and I would start to throw up. They were shooting massive doses of chemo directly into my veins without the refined knowledge of the science behind chemo that they do today. So, I must admit my mental health strength is going to be tested over the next few months but I am ready. As with every other health fight this past six years I am my own miracle and against all odds I am a survivor. So, I’m putting on my amour and preparing to do battle and will go forth with love, support and strength of all those around me and kick some serious cancer butt.

You can be a victim of cancer, or a survivor of cancer. It’s a mindset.
Dave Pelzer