Episode 6: Update

Irony: For 20 years, I kept my hair short trying to maintain professional looking well-kept styles. It doesn't work for me so two years ago I gave up and went back to the ponytail look. I haven't cut my hair since. Haha, this year it won't matter anymore. Go figure.

So, not a whole lot to share. Today, I got a CT scan and a Bone Density scan. Very easy procedures but I spent the evening feeling quite ill, most likely due to the lack of caffeine and an over-abundance of water in my system. I kept thinking how tired I am of all this and we can quit now. The thrill of the adventure has worn off. We can all go home.

Yesterday, my very sweet neighbour and friend gave me a brand new quilt that she had made. She called it my chemo-comforter for those days when I don't feel like getting off the sofa. What a beautiful gift.

I have become very aware that most likely it is my husband who is hurting the most through all this. He has always been so devoted to me and I know that if I were the one watching him feel sick, I wouldn't be coping very well. But not only does he have to watch me feel ill, he also has to keep moving forward, paying the bills, running the household, supporting the kids. I get to lie in bed and let people care for me but he has to soldier on.

Yesterday, we met with my family physician. She was very encouraging but also very straight-up. She said that because of my young age for this, the cancer will be treated very aggressively. I think that's the nice way of saying that my best hope for recovery is, "do it now and do it fast" and also that I'm strong enough (as opposed to an older person) to withstand the rigueur. She told me that I should take a year off from work and that I can expect to feel horrible. She also said that everyone's different and some people breeze through quite quickly and others take a little longer. And that the gains or strides in cancer treatment in the past five years have been huge. She also told us that the province's health insurance does cover everything so that was good news. As a supply teacher, I have no health plan or benefits so we were looking into buying a plan but looks like we won't need to worry about it for this. And I do have insurance on my credit cards, so that'll take a load off.

London has declined to the reconstructive surgery immediately. As long as there is a possibility that I might need radiation they would rather wait because radiation can damage implants and then further surgery would be required to fix things, so it's better just to wait until after. Fine with me. Hah, let me tell you about London. I got a copy of their report today and they made a mistake. And it hurts my honour so tomorrow I must make a phone call. I am not a drinker of alcoholic beverages. Once a year, if someone has a bottle of wine for their birthday, is about the extent of my drinking. And even at that, it's likely not that often. It's just not a habit we need to encourage in ourselves or our children. Anyway, on my questionaire, I wrote down "once a year". The young resident who wrote the report accidently typed in "one drink a day". That's a little bit different! And, to top it off, I'm already on daily medication which does not mix with alcohol. Do I look stupid enough to mix the two on a daily basis? I think not. So, there's a lesson learned: read your medical reports.

That reminds me, when I was expecting our second child I was scheduled for a C-section. When I checked in at the hospital, they gave me the wrong identification card. I didn't notice until the nurse came running up to me and asked to switch. I looked at the card and it was for a man. The poor guy! What they might have done to him looking for a baby ...

Goodnight all.