I know it has been awhile since my last post, but it has been a busy few weeks. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to see my good friend and very trusted Saskatoon dog-sitter, Myra. She was in Brampton, visiting her best friend Jean. They have been best friends for about 65 years, which I think is absolutely incredible. It was a great chance to meet Jean, who has been following my story and sending me inspirational messages for months. And it also allowed me to take Bailey to visit Myra again - they have missed each other since Bailey has become an Ontario dog. They took me to the head office location of the Mandarin - which was absolutely beautiful and like no other restaurant I have ever seen. Thanks so much for the lovely afternoon Ladies - it was so good to see you.
 |
| Myra and Bailey |
 |
| Jean, Rudy, Myra and Bailey - Rudy is a very "amorous" pooch and he wanted to love Bailey in the worst way, but she'd have none of it... |
Last weekend, Tim and I took a walk downtown. Now for those of you who aren't from around here, Cambridge is split up into 3 areas - Hespeler (which is where we are right now), Galt and Preston. Below are pictures of the river-view in downtown Galt. It is absolutely beautiful.
 |
| Bridge and weir in downtown Cambridge |
 |
 |
| For those of you from Saskatoon, this area feels very much like the downtown bridge areas out there, just on a smaller scale. |
I have been feeling as good as can be expected, I guess. Again, the neuropathy could piss off, and I am a little weary of the daily nosebleeds but it is what it is. I have been finding that my gums are bleeding quite a lot as well and I have been having minor, but constant nagging pains in my back, tail bone and upper abdominal area. It makes the mind go to crazy places about the possibility of the "c" spreading further, but luckily I have a CT scan booked for next week so that will (hopefully) clear up my concerns.
That's it for now, other than to give a big shout out to Chantelle. She has been going through some significant life changes recently and I think of her constantly. She has been a rock for me this past year (and the last decade really), and I know that she will land on her feet, in a much better place where she will be very much appreciated and able to use her talents in a creative way. Good luck Telly - can't wait to see what happens next!
Hi Barb! Nice to see your smiling face!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your myriad aches and pains. While chemo is gloriously killing nasty "c-cells", it is unfortunately killing too many of your good cells, too. I remember having all kinds of strange aches and pains (for no logical reason) during chemo and for long time after it was finished. I had a spot at the back of my head slightly to the left that was almost always painful and every now and then (even 2 years after I finished chemo) I would wake up feeling like someone had hit me over the head with a bat and it would take about a week before that feeling would go down to just it's usual "hurts-when-touched" kind of pain. ! At it's worst, it felt like there should be a giant goose-egg or bruise, but there never was. I found it most unnerving and yes, my mind often went to crazy places I didn't want it to go. WHY that particular spot? WHAT did it mean? Had the cancer spread? Did I have a new cancer? All kinds of awful thoughts. I would get similar phamtom pains at places on my legs and over my ribs ... the kind of pain that makes you expect to see a bruise but there was never a bruise. Nothing. Just bruise-type pain. Again, I would have "scary thoughts". I have never understood the what and why of those aches and pains but now, almost 3 years post chemo, I can say those aches and pains have slowly diminished to the point that now if I feel a pain I can, at last, determine a logical source ... like my bumping into something.
So, what I'm saying is I understand how your mind is working and I'm glad to report that even thought our minds go to scary places, it doesn't mean there's something bad happening. I found controlling my mind one of the most difficult challenges of going through the "canser-experience". I still do, in fact, but it's easier when not feeling phantom aches and pains. It helps to get tests done and have them give the "all-clear". It helps A LOT!
Hang in there, Barb. You might feel a bit battle-worn, but you LOOK GREAT!