One More Sleep...

 
Hello All!
Things are looking up! Had a great mani/pedi yesterday and the good news is that I feel like a Girly-girl again! Yay! Thanks to Nancy for surprising me with a pedicure - on her - for my birthday. What a Sweetheart. Nothing makes me feel prettier than a french mani/pedi, well....except newly highlighted hair, but I can get over that.

The not-so-good news is that by the time I got home I was so sick I could barely walk, I had such bad abdominal and back pain that I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Not sure what that was about, bot the traveling-pharmacy I call my carry-on JUST got a little heavier. The Tylenol wasn't cutting it so I took an Ondansatron (steroid) and Tim convinced me to take some Ibuprophen (which I wasn't able to take the whole time I was on Avastin due to the risk of internal bleeding) and then I was right as rain. Yikes, hope that doesn't happen again in the next 9 days.

I'm looking forward to tonight - having dinner with the Miniches and the Sharratts and the opportunity to watch GSP defend his title on UFC. I'm nervous already.

We have the kids today until noon and a few little errands and final packing to do - then heading into Toronto about 4p our time. I hope you all have a fantastic week... 

The upcoming weather forecast for Jamaica:
Not to rub it in or anything.

Long Term Forecast Updated:Saturday, March 16, 2013, 3:05

• Day
• Night

	Sunday March 17	Monday March 18	Tuesday March 19	Wednesday March 20	Thursday March 21	Friday March 22
Conditions 6am - 6pm
	Isolated showers	Isolated showers	Isolated showers	Isolated showers	Isolated showers	Isolated showers
P.O.P.	40 %	40 %	40 %	40 %	40 %	40 %
High	29 °C	29 °C	30 °C	31 °C	31 °C	30 °C
Feels Like	37	38	38	39	38	38
Low	22 °C	21 °C	19 °C	19 °C	19 °C	20 °C
Wind	E  10 km/h	E  10 km/h	E  10 km/h	E  5 km/h	E  10 km/h	SE  15 km/h
24-Hr Rain	close to 1 mm	close to 1 mm	1-3 mm	close to 1 mm	less than 1 mm	less than 1 mm

Chemo News and Other Stuff

Well Folks,
I went to the Cambridge Hospital yesterday, had my arm poked and found out that everything was good EXCEPT my liver enzymes. They are still elevated, which could be a result of the new chemo regimine or some other negative implications that I would rather not get into right now. (Although Tim says I look better these days than he can remember - says my color is good and my onc always says that is a good indicator of what is going on inside.) This means that my oncologist elected to give me a chemo break, for as long as I am in Jamaica to see if the enzymes will calm the hell down and come back into line. I am scheduled for blood work the Monday after I get back and if they have decreased, we will proceed with chemo the next day. If not, it will be time to do a CT scan to figure out what is going on. In that case, and at that time I will definitely be contacting and planning a trip to the Mexican Ocnolgy Clinic that I have researched in order to start adding in additional therapies. SO, this means that I should be feeling better than otherwise would have while in Jamaica - which can be nothing but good. I even got the green light to have a few drinks everyday. 

Tim and I are doing our best to look at this as a positive thing. Lots of people who go through extended chemo treatments tend to have delays at one point or another, whether it's due to platelets, hemoglobin, liver enzymes or any host of other issues. This is just part of the ride and HAPPENS to be happening right before my trip. Maybe the universe is cutting me a damn break for once?  

Ok, so onto the non-canser news. Tim and I have found a new favorite restaurant in Cambridge. It is called the Zen Garden and specializes in vegetarian Asian dishes. The food is incredible and the ambience is amazing - very calming and well....zen!  Check out the tea we got this week - flowering rose tea. Beautiful, but second on our list of teas - last time it was a fresh fruit tea that was indescribably good.

We NEED to get one of these pots - I find it just gives the tea a different feel.

I had a couple of great chats last night with Chantelle who has just arrived home from her trip to Hawaii and Nancy who is preparing to head off to Mexico the week after Tim and I leave for Jamaica. It was so good to reconnect with those two - they make me howl BUT:

You know what I'm talking about...

One last thing - I think I bought my wedding shoes yesterday. I know, I know - I've said that before but it turned out that the color of the other shoes weren't quite right so, check out these bad boys....

Seriously? I am in luuuuuurve. They are Love Fury Nine Wests that depending on the light, look either silver or gold. And they sparkle. And I got them at half price!! HELLOOOOOO DARLIN'! My work here is done.

Some Sad News

First and foremost and the reason I am up at 4:30am, just got word from my sister that the oldest remaining matriarch in our family, my Grandma Freda passed away a couple of hours ago. She was one of the sweetest souls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving. She was 93 years young and unfortunately spent the last several years in long term care due to her frailty and failing health. She made the best Easter dinners I can remember, she was known far and wide for her peanut-butter marshmallow squares, her ambrosia salad, her love of animals and her larger than life giggle. I was not her biological grand-daughter, but she never ever once made me feel like any less a grandchild to her than my siblings. As sad as it makes me to know she is no longer with us, I can't help but feel the last years of her life were very hard and lonely for her and it was her time. 
I love ya' Gran.

Christmas 2002

At Pam's wedding - 2005

The Countdown is Officially ON!

Wow, seems like there is a lot going on right now. First of all, a reminder to all my friends and family out west - Daylight Savings Time means that I am now 2 hours ahead of you all - so please act accordingly. ;-) That means I will be typically crawling into my bed while you guys are doing after-dinner-dishes. It also means that I will be available for chats with you early-birds who may find yourselves trying to stay awake on the road to hospital displays or appointments, breast feeding your babies, or just stewing in your own boredom in the wee hours of a frosty Prairie morning.

It is also the beginning of March break, which means the kiddies are home all week. We have Avers and Riley the last half of the week so that we get to spend some quality time with them before our trip. Which reminds me.....7 days and counting! Yay! It was a beautiful day in Ontari-ari-o today - +12 degrees. So nice that the kids spent the afternoon on their bikes and scooters and we were out in bunny-hugs.

I am enjoying actually feeling like myself again - not going to lie, this new "more tolerable" treatment has kicked my ass the past few weeks. Hoping I am just in the process of getting used to it and that the next one will be better. That's IF I get chemo this week. I say that because two weeks ago my liver enzymes were elevated, not enough to suspend treatment, but enough that my doc wants to keep an eye on it. Of course, my mind went to the worst place and I asked him if this was the result of my tumor markers increasing, which (probably) means more tumors and a reduction in liver function. He said not necessarily, it could be that my liver is irritated by the new drug regime. SO, IF my liver function has improved, we will go ahead with #31 on Wednesday, and if not, he will suspend treatment until I get back from Jamaica. In fact, he offered to give me a break, but that seems counter-intuitive to me. Call me crazy, but every opportunity to fry those little buggers seems like a good idea. That being said, I won't be heart-broken if he decides to hold off a week - I would love to be "Fun Barbie" for Tim while we are on holidays. 

Happy Birthday wishes going out to my dear friends Michelle and Keats - hope you had a great time this weekend and were celebrated as you deserve by those you love. Hugs and much love to you both.

 

Saskatoon Shines!

Check this out....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAOsSzCecKQ 


I LOVE IT!
BJ

Just Like Riding a Bike...????

K, 
Today at lunch time Tim and I zipped into Toys R' Us to buy a new bike for Avery, and so ensued a blow to my pride like I haven't experienced since I fell off the bed 6 months ago. Let me preface this story by saying that the neuropathy in my hands has extended up to my wrists and in my feet up to about mid-thigh. (Excuses, excuses.) Since there were such good sales on, Tim and I decided we should get me a new bike as well, since I want to be able to go on family bike rides this spring. Although, after what happened today, I'm not sure that will be such a good idea. Picture it....Sicily, 1943...kidding. Toys R' Us, Kitchener....bike aisle, surrounded by Monster High and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bikes and helmets everywhere. Tim pulls down a 26 inch frame ladies bike for me, I proceed to throw my right leg over the bike and....collapse onto the bike display case. Awesome. Tim STARTS laughing and then quickly realizes I am on the edge of tears and has to pardon the pun, change gears IMMEDIATELY. Honestly, my balance is completely buggered!

How I wanted to look...

My excuse...

How I really looked...

As you know, Tim and I are leaving for Jamaica next week (cross your damn fingers nothing happens between now and then - like oh...say...falling off a bike and breaking an ankle?) so I have been doing a fair bit of shopping for summer clothes. But I ask you, how does one cover something like this in 25 degree heat...?

Pretty, huh?

That little number is NOT in fact a result of my lack of grace, but from the shot of Atropine they give me before chemo now. Jeepers, and that's 8 days after the shot!  You should have seen it last week - the lump underneath made me look like I was growing another limb. I am hoping I can convince them to give it to me in the arse next week, inside the bikini lines. Not sure if they will go for it though...will keep yo posted on the health of my derriere.

Getting Ready for Some R&R....

Well Folks,
Today is Day 7 and I am looking forward to feeling better today. Day 5 and 6 were exhausting and I am thanking my lucky stars they are behind me. The main symptoms this time have been fatigue, raw throat and lots of nose bleeds. Awesome. The hand and foot neuropathy hasn't let up yet either, in fact it comes back with a vengence typically on Day 5. As a result, I almost fell down the stairs yesterday and have decided to put a moratorium on stair-travel as much as possible for the next 11 days. The LAST thing I need is to break a leg or an ankle before our trip to Jamaica! Yay! We leave in 11 days...and we are having trouble focusing on anything other than the sun and the sand.

I have rarely seen a more secluded beach...cannot wait!

Look at that water!

Today I am just spending another day on the sofa trying to recover. Yikes, I hope the next chemo is better - don't want to be a dud on the beach...