Monthly Mom Messages\n
My mom and I touch base by e-mail every morning. I decided to \"mine\" these e-mails for notes that can provide a record of happenings, and state of mind. Here's September 2024:\n\n- Sept 1: If everything goes according to schedule I will have my last chemotherapy before the end of this month, so I’m excited that it’s September.\n
- Sept 2: Brent and I are going camping out at Wabamun for a couple of days.\nWe'll leave this afternoon and come back on Wednesday. There is weak\ninternet out there so I'll still be able to check in with you, but I\nwill probably only check e-mails once/day.\n
- Sept 3: Brent and I are out camping at Wabamun. It’s beautiful. I got us a really nice private site. Camping doesn’t stop me waking up at 4am though. Sigh. \n
- Sept 4: Brent and I are still out camping at Wabamun. We’ll go home this afternoon. My next round of chemo starts tomorrow plus I have to get a new drain put in since my seroma just keeps on coming back. I’m not looking forward to having a drain again. Yuk. \n
- Sept 5: Today is a day of medical stuff for me. The usual pre-chemo stuff - bloodwork and oncology consult, and then I have to go get a new drain put in. I’m not looking forward to having a drain again but if it helps my seroma stop coming back it will be good. \n
- Sept 6: Today was supposed to be my chemo day, but it got postponed because I\ngot a new drain put in yesterday and my oncology nurse wanted to give\nmy incision a couple of extra days to heal before my immune system\ngets knocked out by the chemo.\n
- Sept 7: Since my chemo was postponed from yesterday to Monday I’m having a bonus weekend of feeling good. We don’t have any plans though so it feels like kind of a waste. Things with my new drain are going well. Maybe my seroma will finally go away. That would be great. \n
- Sept 8: Brent and I went to see Beetlejuice in a 4DX theater yesterday. 4DX means the chairs vibrate and bounce around as things happen during the movie, and they have wind machines and other effects that go with the movie as well. Sadly, that was not our bag. Especially the bouncy chairs - they were just annoying. We won’t go to a 4DX again. \n
- Sept 9: Today is chemo day but not until 2pm so Brent and I are going for Vietnamese lunch before chemo. \n
- Sept 10: I had my chemo yesterday, and so far I feel ok. If today goes well and I feel ok we will come visit tomorrow and bring your fancy scammer filtering phones. I’ll keep you posted. \n
- Sept 11: I'm really sorry but Brent and I are not going to be able to come to Red Deer today. I'm very fatigued from my chemo, and he hurt his back really badly so I don't feel that either one of us is safe to do highway driving today. Can we try again tomorrow or Friday?\n
- Sept 12: Well, yesterday was another write-off for me because of my chemo fatigue. It's a good thing we didn't come to visit. Brent's back was sore but he also had fever all day, we think from a shingles vaccination he got on Tuesday. I hope we're both well enough to come tomorrow. We're running out of time - Brent goes to Vancouver on Sunday.\n
- Sept 13: I've had three really bad days from the chemotherapy, but I think today I'm going to start feeling a little better. Not well enough to come to Red Deer, though, I'm sorry. \n
- Sept 14: Today is my last day with Brent before he goes to Vancouver. He’ll be gone right up until the time for my next chemo. I’m a little nervous about it because he’s been doing so much for me with my being weak from chemo but he’s gotten me through the bad week and I should be ok without him now. \n
- Sept 15: Well, today Brent will go to Vancouver for ten days. I’m too weak and light headed from the chemo to drive him to the airport so he’ll have to take a taxi. I don’t have to be anywhere until Thursday (doctors appointment) so hopefully I’ll be able to drive by then but our friend, Nancy, is available to take me if necessary. \n
- Sept 16: Today I'm feeling a little stronger. Still not up to driving, but that's fine. I can take care of myself in the house and lay low. I have my \"chauffeurs\" lined up for my appointments on Thursday and Friday.\n
- Sept 17: I'm feeling a little stronger again, which is good, but I'm glad I\nplanned ahead to have friends drive me to my appointments later in the\nweek. I don't think I'm really safe on the road. I'm so weak and\nlight-headed. Ugh.\n
- Sept 18: I think I'm going to have to cancel my plans for tomorrow (dr. appointment) and Friday (friends). I'm having endless diarrhea and I don't think I can get it under control well enough to leave the house. I hope I can get it resolved soon, but I'm not taking chances over the next couple of days.\n
- Sept 19: I am so relieved this morning. I feel like I’m finally turning a corner and I’ll start feeling a little better now. At least until my next chemo. My next chemo is also supposed to be my last chemo and I’m going to ask if I can skip it because I don’t know if I can go through this again. \n
- Sept 20: I got my drain out yesterday which is nice but I’m also a little worried that the seroma will come back now. Wish me luck that it doesn’t. I am going to run a couple of errands today and high will involve some short driving - I think I’m strong enough for that now. That will be my exciting day. \n
- Sept 21: I'm feeling a little better for the second day in a row now. What a relief. I don't have any plans for the day today, though. I'm not really strong enough for plans yet.\n
- Sept 22: I'm finally starting to feel a little human. I was able to eat pretty normally yesterday, I went for a ten-minute walk, and did a little work around the house in prep for Brent coming home on Wednesday.\n
- Sept 23: This morning I am going to the cancer hospital to have my first meeting with the doctor in charge of giving me radiation. As much as I'm looking forward to being finished with chemo, I am not looking forward to getting radiation. I expect it will be several weeks in between so they might start me on that in December or maybe January. I guess I'll find out today.\n
- Sept 24: Today is my last full day alone before Brent comes home tomorrow. I've missed him a lot. I'm going to go see a movie today with our neighbor, Shannon. \n
- Sept 25: So far my seroma is not coming back and Brent comes home today, so a great day all around. I have to go in to the cancer hospital for some radiation planning but that shouldn’t be too bad.\n
- Sept 26: I'm going in this morning for the bloodwork and consult for my final chemo. I am dreading chemo tomorrow, but at least it will be the last time.\n
- Sept 27: I am disappointed that my chemo for today was postponed because it messes up my schedule for October, but hey, at least it means Brent and I can come down and see you today, so that's a good thing about it.\n
- Sept 28: Brent and I were so happy to have a visit with you yesterday, finally. We'll be going through Red Deer on our way to Calgary on the 16th. Can you put us on your calendar for a visit that day?\n
- Sept 29: Aside from some fatigue I'm feeling not bad these days. I hope the extra week in between chemos works for rebuilding my hemoglobin. Today I think Brent and I are going to go to a junior hockey game just for a fun and different thing to do.\n
- Sept 30: Brent and I went to a junior hockey game yesterday afternoon. It was fun and only cost $5 to get in. I don't know what, if anything, we'll do today. I feel like I should take advantage of my \"strong\" days after chemo, but the weather is too crappy for us to go camping, which is what I wanted to do. Maybe we'll try to get out for a walk or something.\n
Monthly Gratitude Posts:\n\n- Sept 1: I’m grateful that it’s September. If everything goes according to plan, I will have my last chemotherapy before the end of the month.\n
- Sept 2: I'm grateful for second chances to go camping. Heading out to Wabamun today. Wish me luck!\n
- Sept 3: I’m grateful for blue jays and chickadees\n
- Sept 4: I’m grateful for this big secluded campsite out at Wabamun (and grateful that I didn’t have to bail on camping at 2am this time). We’re having such a peaceful time.\n
- Sept 5: I'm grateful that I get to meet with Lovely NP today instead of Obnoxious D\n
- Sept 6: I'm grateful for AHS Connect Care where I'm able to check information for upcoming appointments, lab results, etc.\n
- Sept 7: I'm grateful for the new drain I had put in on Thursday, and hopeful that it will take care of my persistent seroma.\n
- Sept 8: I’m grateful that not every theatre is a 4DX and I never have to go to a 4DX again. Made the mistake of seeing Beetlejuice in 4DX yesterday. The movie was fun. The chairs were… not our bag.\n
- Sept 9: I’m grateful for days that I have both a working immune system and a healthy appetite. In the last few days Brent and I have been out to our favorite Indian buffet and our favorite sushi mom-and-pop spot. since my chemo is late today we'll go for Vietnamese lunch in Old Strathcona before heading to the Cross.\n
- Sept 10: I’m grateful to be through round five of six chemos. I can’t wait to be finished the last one and move on to the next stage of my treatment.\n
- Sept 11: I'm grateful that I only have one more \"first day after chemo\" to get through.\n
- Sept 12: Today I'm just grateful to be through another day. \n
- Sept 13: I'm grateful to be through the worst of it for this round. Hopefully up and moving around a little today.\n
- Sept 14: I’m grateful to feel a glimmer of my inner Chumbawumba. I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down. \n
- Sept 15: I’m grateful to Brent for getting me through the bad week before going to Vancouver. I hope he has a really great break from my problems. He deserves it.\n
- Sept 16: I'm grateful for readily-available bland comfort food. Apparently chemo \"round 5\" is the canned cream of mushroom soup round. \n
- Sept 17: I'm grateful for the new drain that seems to be working at getting rid of my seroma. Wish me luck.\n
- Sept 18: I’m grateful to movie theatres for selling huge pop cups, which I use to keep a nice big dose of water nearby.\n
- Sept 19: After nine days of absolute hell, I’m grateful to finally feel like I’m turning a corner. I think I might even be able to tolerate a meal today.\n
- Sept 20: I’m grateful to Nancy for chauffeuring me yesterday to see my surgeon at the Sturgeon. The surgeon took out my drain. Wish me luck that the seroma stays away now.\n
- Sept 21: I'm grateful to be digesting food again. I managed to eat and retain a Mozza Burger yesterday. My body has adopted a \"one and done\" approach to food this round, as in, \"today I feel like a Mozza Burger and nothing else. OK, I had a Mozza Burger and now I never want to eat another Mozza Burger again\". It's happening with every food except for the cream of mushroom soup, which my body has decided is the only acceptable thing for breakfast. So weird.\n
- Sept 22: I'm grateful to have the energy to finally stand up off the couch and do some light housework and go for a ten-minute walk. Thanks to Don for the protein drinks and short walk yesterday.\n
- Sept 23: I'm grateful that Mexico exists and is patiently waiting for me to come back and visit someday, even if I can't make it this coming winter.\n
- Sept 24: I'm grateful that chemo has not made me diabetic. I've worked hard to prevent it since I was told I'm pre-diabetic, and with some early help and advice from Michel I've done a pretty decent job. Obnoxious D actually yelled at me for being worried about becoming diabetic (because he doesn't think I should be worried about anything except cancer). But I'm almost through chemo now and my sugars are slightly worse than when I started but still manageable.\n
- Sept 25: I’m grateful that Brent comes home today. Yay!!\n
- Sept 26: As I head in this morning for the regular pre-chemo bloodwork and consult I'm grateful that this will be the final chemo.\n
- Sept 27: I'm grateful that the rescheduled chemo doesn't mess with my apartment-selling schedule for October too badly. Looks like it's still all going to work out, including Last MAN Standing on the 19th. \n
- Sept 28: I'm grateful to have felt well enough to go to Red Deer yesterday to see mom, and grateful to Brent for doing the driving (fatigue, vision changes and brain fog make it so I should not be doing a lot of driving these days).\n
- Sept 29: I'm grateful for dollar store reading glasses. My vision is different every day right now, and I'm even using reading glasses for distance, which is bizarre.\n
- Sept 30: I'm grateful for cheap entertainment in the Edmonton area. Brent and I went to a junior hockey game yesterday afternoon, which is as much fun (for me) as going to a major league game, but only costs $5 to get in. It was interesting, engaging, and... pungent.\n
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