Team James,
Yesterday was a relatively long day of travel. I left the condo around 8:30am in the morning, drove to the airport, flew back to Saskatoon where I had lunch with Chantelle and Shardelle before going grocery shoppping for our golf trip. Then I spent the afternoon on the couch resting up for today, and man, was I bored. I can't even explain the difference in my lifestyle in Cambridge and my lifestyle here. In Cambridge, it is hard to sit still long enough to feel sorry for myself or have any negative thoughts - so my mood is typically much better. Plus, it feels great having a family around thtat is counting on you for certain things - so spending the day in my pj's playing FreeCell is no longer an option. (Thank Goodness, because my Win/Loss ratio was terrible.)
The evening afforded me some time to talk to my Auntie Margaret and the NIstor \Twister, which was great but I was tucked into my little bed by 8:30pm and out by 9. Man, I am SUCH a wild-child - not sure the girls are going to be able to keep up with me the next three days at the lake.
I am still having serious difficulty with these fingers and toes, and it seems to be getting worse. I am avoiding text messaging at all costs and even having a hard time with the computer keyboard. Not sure how this will affect my golf game, but at least I will have an excuse if I have a bad round.
I also now know what it`s like for Tim when he comes in this direction to see me - asleep by 9 and awake a 5am. Yeesh. Now what to do to kill 5 hours until the girls get here...
Monday, 30 July 2012
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Mission Accomplished!
I did it! I FINALLY did it! I cracked the nut that is Riley Bender! Ever since Tim and I started dating, Avers has been all over me like white on rice - and yesterday Riley finally gave in and came to ME to get him ready for bed, for snuggles and for a little love. HA! I win! Oddly enough, last night was also the first night Bailey chose NOT to sleep in our room. She rarely, if ever went to bed without me in Saskatoon, but here she heads upstairs usually right after her evening walk, which normally happens right after the kids go to bed. Last night when I went up to bed at 10pm, she was no where to be found in our room. In fact, she was sleeping at the foot of Riley's bed - which is funny because she is usually nervous of him. I guess this means everything is coming together!
It has been a very busy couple of days. We are preparing for our vacation week with the kids, so put up the tent in the backyard a few evenings ago to test it out and make sure there is enough room for all of us + Bailey.
All looks good - we are planning on taking them camping for a few days. to the Toronto Zoo, the Butterfly Conservatory and maybe another trip to the African Lion Safari.
We bought some bright red Muskoka chairs, put them together and now have a great place on the front porch to drink a coffee, read the paper and watch the kids on the front yard. How amazingly relaxing.
We have soccer at noon, then I will spend the day doing laundry and getting ready for tomorrow's flight back to Saskatoon, where Chantelle, Shardelle, Kristie and I will be heading up to Candle Lake for three days of golfing and hopefully, fun in the sun. I will be driving myself to the airport for the first time, and to be honest, am a little nervous. The fact that I have chemo brain may make it a bit more challenging than it otherwise would be, but luckily it will be first thing Sunday morning so the traffic should be light. Wish me luck!
On the Canser side of things, I have been feeling okay since chemo, with the worst side effect this time definitely being the finger and toe neuropathy - worse than it's ever been before and making even the simplest tasks almost impossible. We popped by the driving range yesterday and it turns out it's not easy to swing a club when you have very little feeling in your hands. Bah. Whatever. I just hope the worst of the side effects don't set in right when I get to Candle, I am so looking forward to this time with my girls.
Have a good day everyone.
It has been a very busy couple of days. We are preparing for our vacation week with the kids, so put up the tent in the backyard a few evenings ago to test it out and make sure there is enough room for all of us + Bailey.
All looks good - we are planning on taking them camping for a few days. to the Toronto Zoo, the Butterfly Conservatory and maybe another trip to the African Lion Safari.
We bought some bright red Muskoka chairs, put them together and now have a great place on the front porch to drink a coffee, read the paper and watch the kids on the front yard. How amazingly relaxing.
We have soccer at noon, then I will spend the day doing laundry and getting ready for tomorrow's flight back to Saskatoon, where Chantelle, Shardelle, Kristie and I will be heading up to Candle Lake for three days of golfing and hopefully, fun in the sun. I will be driving myself to the airport for the first time, and to be honest, am a little nervous. The fact that I have chemo brain may make it a bit more challenging than it otherwise would be, but luckily it will be first thing Sunday morning so the traffic should be light. Wish me luck!
On the Canser side of things, I have been feeling okay since chemo, with the worst side effect this time definitely being the finger and toe neuropathy - worse than it's ever been before and making even the simplest tasks almost impossible. We popped by the driving range yesterday and it turns out it's not easy to swing a club when you have very little feeling in your hands. Bah. Whatever. I just hope the worst of the side effects don't set in right when I get to Candle, I am so looking forward to this time with my girls.
Have a good day everyone.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Chemo #15
Okay, so no pictures from today, because I look the same as I did two weeks ago (only a few ponds heavier :-)) and honestly - I just didn't feel like doing it today. Chantelle has been on holidays and taking me to all my appointments and on all my errands - not an overly exciting way to spend your vacation Telly, but I appreciate it more than I can say.
The above is so true and going through this ordeal has taught me alot about my friends. This quote applies to a good number of you, you know who you are and please know that I will always cherish you for your friendship, love and caring.
Chemo was good, commiserated with the nurses and some other patients, and Telly of course. One topic that came up was how quickly this new way of life starts seeming normal...
Once again, my good friend Jason came through for me and provided me with a lovely supper that I have been munching on all night. Thanks Jay and Dinner at Your Door...you have been a godsend for me.
I apologize to anyone who has tried to email me today on my new account, I added onto my Blackberry and have had nothing but problems ever since. Bah! Sometimes I hate technology!
Although Chantelle has been keeping me very busy, I have been missing Tim and the kids and Bailey like crazy and can't wait to get there. This will however be my first flight while still being infused, meaning I still have the 5-FU bottle attached to my arm. I spoke to the pharmacists at the canser clinic and they assured me it is totally safe to fly this way, as well as to airport security a couple of weeks ago to confirm that they would let me fly with it and I was told it should be no problem as long as I have a doctor's note. So, barring any issues with security or the device itself while at 40,000 feet (I have a vision in my head of the damn thing exploding and not knowing what to do.... hmm...maybe should have asked my nurses about that), I should be back on Ontario soil by mid-day tomorrow. It will also be interesting because the kids are going to see my arm bandaged up and the bottle for the first time ever, so I know there are going to be lots of questions. Ugh.
Better hit the sheets, I have to be up at 3:30 am to get to the airport for 5am. The good news is that I tend to sleep like a baby on these early morning flights.
Take care everybody!
Monday, 23 July 2012
Back with the Girls
Hey Everyone,
I flew back to Saskatoon last night - was late getting in due to bad weather in Toronto. Chantelle and Mar picked me up from the airport and then we went for a late dinner at Las Palapas (Sorry Tim - his favorite Saskatoon restaurant). It was so good to be sitting on a patio with them, catching up on everything that has been going on in our lives the past two weeks. We had a lot of giggles, all of which I would love to share with you but unfortunately, they are all wildly inappropriate and it'sprobably best to keep them to myself.
Tim and I had a lovely weekend - we went to St. Jacob's farmer's market on Saturday morning and wow, it is incredible! I wouldn't be surprised if it was 50 times bigger than the Saskatoon farmer's market.
There is also an outlet mall across the street that we did some damage in - I have to say, I was like a kid in a candy store at Oxford Mills - a great home decor store with amazing prices. We spent the rest of the day shopping and although we had planned a "Date Night" for Saturday, we were so exhausted at the end of the day that we just grabbed a bucket of KFC (thanks Dave for the idea), went home and fell asleep on the sofa.
Chantelle took me to the canser clinic this morning for bloodwork and a chemo update with my oncologist. He was thrilled to at my weight gain (2 lbs!) and was very positive about my last CT scan results. Tomorrow is Chemo #15 and then I fly back to Toronto on Wednesday morning.
FYI everyone, I just switched my internet provider and my new address is bjames7@sasktel.net. Please change it in your contact list. Thanks!
I flew back to Saskatoon last night - was late getting in due to bad weather in Toronto. Chantelle and Mar picked me up from the airport and then we went for a late dinner at Las Palapas (Sorry Tim - his favorite Saskatoon restaurant). It was so good to be sitting on a patio with them, catching up on everything that has been going on in our lives the past two weeks. We had a lot of giggles, all of which I would love to share with you but unfortunately, they are all wildly inappropriate and it'sprobably best to keep them to myself.
Tim and I had a lovely weekend - we went to St. Jacob's farmer's market on Saturday morning and wow, it is incredible! I wouldn't be surprised if it was 50 times bigger than the Saskatoon farmer's market.
There is also an outlet mall across the street that we did some damage in - I have to say, I was like a kid in a candy store at Oxford Mills - a great home decor store with amazing prices. We spent the rest of the day shopping and although we had planned a "Date Night" for Saturday, we were so exhausted at the end of the day that we just grabbed a bucket of KFC (thanks Dave for the idea), went home and fell asleep on the sofa.
Chantelle took me to the canser clinic this morning for bloodwork and a chemo update with my oncologist. He was thrilled to at my weight gain (2 lbs!) and was very positive about my last CT scan results. Tomorrow is Chemo #15 and then I fly back to Toronto on Wednesday morning.
FYI everyone, I just switched my internet provider and my new address is bjames7@sasktel.net. Please change it in your contact list. Thanks!
Friday, 20 July 2012
WARNING: The Content of this Post may be Offensive to Some Viewers
If Laughter is the Best Medicine...then I should be the very picture of health, thanks to Riley Bender. He has been the source of a tonne of giggles the past few days. He is at an incredibly fun age right now.
Exhibit A:
Picture it. Tim on the front step making a business call to his boss (in an attempt to find a quiet spot to chat). I am on the living room floor playing with the kids and Riley gets up and disappears outside. I check once to make sure he is being quiet while Tim is on the phone. All seemed kosher. Wrong. What happened next is one of those stories that Dad's covet, if only to use as a source of embarrassment when their sons bring home their first girlfriend.
I need to preface this with the fact that Riley JUST started using the potty last week. So, Riley pops his head out the door quietly to check on Daddy, then sneaks out on the front porch with him. Tim said that Riley was nice and quiet and he was able to focus his attention on the call that he was making and kind of forgot Riley was out there for a little bit. THEN, he turns around just in time to see Riley drop trow on the front lawn in an age old rite of passage that all young men go through. Daddy couldn't have been prouder, although stifling his laughter at the site of this first time event wasn't easy. Wait. It gets better. Still on the phone with his boss, Tim does his best to hide his laughter (and his pride, I'm sure) and turns away for a bit as he talks. He then turns back to Riles just in time to see that he is still standing there with his shorts around his ankles, only now he is tilted a little forward, at approximately a 30 degree angle. I think you know where I am going with this. Tim notices the grimace of determination on his little guy's face. Uh oh! He knows that look from changing hundreds of diapers. Sure enough, Riles follows #1 with a #2, all while standing, all while on the front lawn, all while Tim is still on the phone. With his BOSS. As Daddy races over to survey the damage, he notices that said #2 has defied gravity and become lodged in his butt cheeks. He is now grabbing the little man by the butt cheeks (cellphone squeezed between his cheek and his shoulder), prying them apart and vigorously shaking the little fella to try and shake loose his new "tail". Mission accomplished. But THAT'S when Riley loses his balance for a second and steps back directly into the "pile". Unfortunately, I heard this all second-hand. All I saw was Tim coming through the front door with Riley under one arm, underwear still down around his ankles, making a bee-line for the bathroom, shaking his head.
Exhibit B:
After dinner last night, we all decided to go out and play some soccer in the backyard. It was a pretty warm and humid night, and before you know it both Avery and Riley pull off their shirts to cool down. About 5 minutes later, Riley comes up to me and says in the most earnest voice, "Bawbie, you can take your sweater and shirt off too, if you want." Of course I thanked him, but declined.
I will endeavour to keep you posted on any new "Riley Capers."
Today has been a FANTASTIC day. I woke up feeling well-rested and rejuvenated. After work, Tim and I headed to the Savannah Golf Course to get in a round before I leave on Sunday. It is a beautiful course and if I do say so myself, I had an incredible back nine with my new clubs. The story of the day though came when Tim scored an eagle by holing out from 100 yards. It was a thing of beauty. And so cool to see the ball land on the green....and then disappear. Of course, it would have been MORE fun had it been my shot, but whatever.
Exhibit A:
Picture it. Tim on the front step making a business call to his boss (in an attempt to find a quiet spot to chat). I am on the living room floor playing with the kids and Riley gets up and disappears outside. I check once to make sure he is being quiet while Tim is on the phone. All seemed kosher. Wrong. What happened next is one of those stories that Dad's covet, if only to use as a source of embarrassment when their sons bring home their first girlfriend.
I need to preface this with the fact that Riley JUST started using the potty last week. So, Riley pops his head out the door quietly to check on Daddy, then sneaks out on the front porch with him. Tim said that Riley was nice and quiet and he was able to focus his attention on the call that he was making and kind of forgot Riley was out there for a little bit. THEN, he turns around just in time to see Riley drop trow on the front lawn in an age old rite of passage that all young men go through. Daddy couldn't have been prouder, although stifling his laughter at the site of this first time event wasn't easy. Wait. It gets better. Still on the phone with his boss, Tim does his best to hide his laughter (and his pride, I'm sure) and turns away for a bit as he talks. He then turns back to Riles just in time to see that he is still standing there with his shorts around his ankles, only now he is tilted a little forward, at approximately a 30 degree angle. I think you know where I am going with this. Tim notices the grimace of determination on his little guy's face. Uh oh! He knows that look from changing hundreds of diapers. Sure enough, Riles follows #1 with a #2, all while standing, all while on the front lawn, all while Tim is still on the phone. With his BOSS. As Daddy races over to survey the damage, he notices that said #2 has defied gravity and become lodged in his butt cheeks. He is now grabbing the little man by the butt cheeks (cellphone squeezed between his cheek and his shoulder), prying them apart and vigorously shaking the little fella to try and shake loose his new "tail". Mission accomplished. But THAT'S when Riley loses his balance for a second and steps back directly into the "pile". Unfortunately, I heard this all second-hand. All I saw was Tim coming through the front door with Riley under one arm, underwear still down around his ankles, making a bee-line for the bathroom, shaking his head.
 |
| What a guy! |
Exhibit B:
After dinner last night, we all decided to go out and play some soccer in the backyard. It was a pretty warm and humid night, and before you know it both Avery and Riley pull off their shirts to cool down. About 5 minutes later, Riley comes up to me and says in the most earnest voice, "Bawbie, you can take your sweater and shirt off too, if you want." Of course I thanked him, but declined.
I will endeavour to keep you posted on any new "Riley Capers."
Today has been a FANTASTIC day. I woke up feeling well-rested and rejuvenated. After work, Tim and I headed to the Savannah Golf Course to get in a round before I leave on Sunday. It is a beautiful course and if I do say so myself, I had an incredible back nine with my new clubs. The story of the day though came when Tim scored an eagle by holing out from 100 yards. It was a thing of beauty. And so cool to see the ball land on the green....and then disappear. Of course, it would have been MORE fun had it been my shot, but whatever.
Thursday, 19 July 2012
The New Digs...
Hey there Rider fans! Writing this is as I watch the Rider game in Calgary - not too much to report other than it was another fantastic day. I thought I would post a picture of the condo so my girls can see where I am spending my days:
We had a fantastic evening with the kids - did some shopping for new clothes with them and then spent almost an hour in the backyard playing soccer. It was a hoot but wow, am I pooped! And despite my best intentions, I once again forgot to take pictures - bah.
Bailey is still getting used to a house full of kids. In fact, when I came downstairs this evening, this is what I found:
I haven't been feeling great tonight to be honest - sore throat, new cold sore and lots of flank pain. I'm feeling much better now, thank you Tylenol and Mr. Getzlaf.
Very quickly, a HUGE shout out to Heather - thank you my dear for the email. It never ceases to amaze me how you type the very things that I am thinking and feeling.
We had a fantastic evening with the kids - did some shopping for new clothes with them and then spent almost an hour in the backyard playing soccer. It was a hoot but wow, am I pooped! And despite my best intentions, I once again forgot to take pictures - bah.
Bailey is still getting used to a house full of kids. In fact, when I came downstairs this evening, this is what I found:
I haven't been feeling great tonight to be honest - sore throat, new cold sore and lots of flank pain. I'm feeling much better now, thank you Tylenol and Mr. Getzlaf.
Very quickly, a HUGE shout out to Heather - thank you my dear for the email. It never ceases to amaze me how you type the very things that I am thinking and feeling.
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Only I Could Hurt Myself While Eating a Salad
That's right everybody, poked myself in the lip with my fork today...once again - Tim howled. Nothing like sympathy from the one you love...
32 degrees and it feels like 40! Bailey did NOT sign up for this. Tim and I took her for a walk first thing this morning before work, thinking that it would be cool enough for her and man oh man, were we wrong! She was frothing at the mouth about half an hour in - to the point where Tim took pity on her and carried her for about 10 minutes. Now, had I picked her up, I would have absolutely taken it on the chin from Tim - but his response to me was "It's okay if I do it." Needless to say, there will be no more walks for Goober today.
She is getting used to the condo now. She has found her "new" spots - namely under our bed, on the leather recliner and on the sofa right between Tim and me. She is still having trouble with the stairs because they are hardwood and slippery - she can get up but once she's there, she's stranded, so our next purchase will be a runner for the stairs.
I spent the day unpacking and cleaning the house. After work, Tim spent a very *warm* couple of hours cleaning out the garage and making room for my car. Thank goodness because there is a severe thunderstorm watch out for the area tonight.
Speaking of which, check out the photo that Barb sent me of a lightning show in Saskatoon last week:
As for the whole "canser thing", my side effects this time around have been pretty manageable. Some serious fatigue on the way to Cambridge, some chest/back pain last night, a series of nosebleeds this morning and once again my mouth is absolutely raw and I have had what I think is a cold sore for almost two weeks. THAT is getting a little old. The other thing is that the tingling in my hands and feet is driving me nuts. It has never been this bad before and has usually come and gone - now it seems to be a constant thing. Again, I know it could be worse...
One more thing...I am having some serious trouble with my email account since leaving Saskatoon - I have lost my entire contact list so please email me at bjames7@hotmail.com so I can add your addresses. Thanks so much.
32 degrees and it feels like 40! Bailey did NOT sign up for this. Tim and I took her for a walk first thing this morning before work, thinking that it would be cool enough for her and man oh man, were we wrong! She was frothing at the mouth about half an hour in - to the point where Tim took pity on her and carried her for about 10 minutes. Now, had I picked her up, I would have absolutely taken it on the chin from Tim - but his response to me was "It's okay if I do it." Needless to say, there will be no more walks for Goober today.
She is getting used to the condo now. She has found her "new" spots - namely under our bed, on the leather recliner and on the sofa right between Tim and me. She is still having trouble with the stairs because they are hardwood and slippery - she can get up but once she's there, she's stranded, so our next purchase will be a runner for the stairs.
I spent the day unpacking and cleaning the house. After work, Tim spent a very *warm* couple of hours cleaning out the garage and making room for my car. Thank goodness because there is a severe thunderstorm watch out for the area tonight.
Speaking of which, check out the photo that Barb sent me of a lightning show in Saskatoon last week:
As for the whole "canser thing", my side effects this time around have been pretty manageable. Some serious fatigue on the way to Cambridge, some chest/back pain last night, a series of nosebleeds this morning and once again my mouth is absolutely raw and I have had what I think is a cold sore for almost two weeks. THAT is getting a little old. The other thing is that the tingling in my hands and feet is driving me nuts. It has never been this bad before and has usually come and gone - now it seems to be a constant thing. Again, I know it could be worse...
One more thing...I am having some serious trouble with my email account since leaving Saskatoon - I have lost my entire contact list so please email me at bjames7@hotmail.com so I can add your addresses. Thanks so much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)