As many of you know, my girlfriend Chantelle was laid off by her company last week and as much as these things are never easy - it couldn't have come at a better time for ME! It has given her the time, opportunity and privilege to act as my all-day limo service the past two days. Ok, she knows I am joking - and you should too. She really has been absolutely incredible - picking my up before 8 and driving me from appointment to appointment to appointment - both days totaling 20+ hours of her life. Don't know what I would do without her. Below, I am going to give you a very detailed description of the past few days, for the purpose of illustrating how very much work goes into being a canser survivor and how very much we rely on the giving nature of those who love us and are fighting shoulder to shoulder against this stupid disease. Whether it's Chantelle or Tim or Kristie, my Dad, Mar, Parch or Mike - someone ALWAYS manages to be there when I need them. And I couldn't appreciate it more.
So, Monday morning she picked me up for breakfast, then we headed to the canser clinic for blood work. It was (as always on a Monday morning) absolute mayhem at the phlebotomy clinic and we were lined up around two corners. This gave me the opportunity to head of the the "Release of Medical Records" department to drop off some medical forms that need to be filled out by my oncologist for insurance purposes. After blood work, we went to the pharmacy in RUH to pick up my anti-nausea meds and to grab a Starbucks. Then we headed over to my compounding pharmacy to pick up the LDN that I am taking. Afterwards, we headed to an appointment with my surgeon - just a surgical follow-up - no news there. Next Chantelle drove me to my grocery store pharmacy to pick up all my other prescriptions, to the bank to score some dough and then home for the noon hour so she could have a farewell lunch with her colleagues. As I was fasting for my afternoon CT Scan, it was a good chance to rest my eyes for an hour. She came back to get me, so we could drive BACK to the hospital for the scan. It took for-bloody-ever and we have decided that the system at admitting and diagnostic imaging couldn't be any less efficient if they tried. You stand in line to give them your health card. Then you sit and wait for them to call you to give you a hospital bracelet and your medical orders. you take those to Imaging, check in (with an incredibly grumpy nurse), who then tells you to go to the CT window. The nurse at this window is obviously having a better day or just has a better disposition and very kindly asks you to take a seat and she will you shortly. Great, more waiting. Then she calls your name, gives you your forms and sends you the the CT Waiting room. Seriously? Luckily the CT nurse and technician were AWESOME! However, my pain thresh-hold was not-so-awesome yesterday, and if you've ever had a CT you will know that the IV needles they use to infuse the (radioactive, might I add?) contrast into you are of a size one can only imagine a large animal vet would use on horses or cattle or some other much larger creatures with much thicker skin like maybe rhinos or hippos. Needless to say, the nurse told me next time Chantelle is in charge of holding me down. I'm not sure I can really describe the feeling of laying in a CT machine, with a breast shield on to protect you from the radiation, the feeling of the contrast spreading throughout your body (yes, you can totally feel it) and the terror you experience when you once again remember that THIS is your reality. It tends to put stuff in perspective pretty damn quickly. After more than 2 hours at the hospital, Chantelle and I decided to pop into one of our favourite clinics (Willow Grove Med), so she could notify the docs and head nurse Aafke (who is also a great support to me in this journey and a friend to both of us) that she had been downsized. It was also a good opportunity for me to touch base with them - and SO good for my soul - the surprise at how healthy I look, the words of encouragement and the hugs made my day. Thanks again Aafke, you are one of the good ones. Then Telly took me to Subway for a late 4pm lunch before dropping me at my place for a few hours of relaxation because we then had dinner plans with my girlfriend and former colleague from Janssen, Jackie who was in for work from Winnipeg. Now I ask you, how is THAT for a full day? And it was only the first of three....
Today, she again picked me up before 8am, drove us to Tim Horton's to grab an on-the-go breakfast so we could be at the canser clinic for 8:30am. As weird as this sounds, it was actually good to be back at the clinic - everyone there is so great, from front-line reception to the nurses, pharmacists, doctors and volunteers. Everyone seems to know me and my story and they all want to check in on my progress. The first few hours were uneventful, giving Chantelle and I a great opportunity to just relax and talk. Then Mike popped in for a couple of hours to bring us (our very complicated Starbucks) coffees and visit. Unbeknownst to him, I came prepared with a STACK of MORE forms to fill out for my insurance company so that he could wade through them and explain EXACTLY what I needed to do and where to send them. It really is handy when one of your best friends is also your financial planner. Two birds - one stone I always say! My oncologist popped in to check in on me and when I asked When I could expect the results from my scan, he basically told that he wouldn't call unless there was a problem (i.e. evidence that the chemo has ceased being effective and the tumors are no longer shrinking) requiring a change to my current treatment regime. Awesome. SO not ideal. Near the tail-end of chemo, Jackie showed up and after stopping AGAIN at the hospital pharmacy for more meds, we headed over to Earl's for lunch. I managed to scarf down an entire Santa Fe Chicken salad and 75% of Chantelle's punkin ;-) pie. How is that Nance? Later Chantelle took me to see my good buddy Dwayne at Haarley's Salon for a trim, and then to my chiropractor appointment. I really do think Yancy Orchard is a genius - I was complaining about tailbone and back pain (which is scary for someone with a suspected met shadow on their spine) and he immediately linked it to the scar tissue that has developed under and around my surgical scar. This takes me to 4:30 today when telly and I drove to her house to pick up some stuff for her 5 o'clock meeting for her volunteer work at the CIBC Breast Canser - Run for the Cure. Did I happen to mention she is the run-director this year? The leader. The boss. One might call her the grand-pubah. So while she was in her meeting, I sat in the car and chatted with Nance in Winnipeg who is JUST back to work after winning her year-long battle with breast canser. Then we hit the grocery store and Subway on the way home, which marked the end of our day together @ 7pm. I got a great chance today to catch up (by chance) in the grocery store with some old friends and colleagues - Ernie Miles and Glenn Gizen in the produce department. Then I spent my ENTIRE evening on the phone with Tim and the Nistor Twister. Overall - a good day and here I am, still up at almost 1am working on the blog. (Sorry Nance) Dumb. I could be pretty cranky tomorrow...but that's ok - I deserve it.
More soon...
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