Archive: September 2004

A little more than six weeks of treatment left. Then we'll have to see how long it takes to get my strength and stamina back.

Not feeling too bad today. Had lunch with Ed to discuss next year's budgets.

After that, did some more work on the new lily bed, but then I was pooped...

Took it easy today, pretty low on energy... Yesterday I made pasta sauce from tomatoes bought last week, and today made tomato juice with the rest. Spaghetti tasted good today.

Today is the first time I lost my breakfast since I started chemo.

I have put together a summary page that captures diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, etc. for those who haven't read all the monthly pages.

Kind of a shitty day today, I mean diarrhea...

Put the fish into a tub, so I could clean out the half-barrel. I'm not over-wintering fish or plants this year, so everything is going to a new home.

Last of the fishies went to their new home, along with my last water lily.

Spent a lot of time putzing in the garden, getting ready to plant lilies. Totally wore me out...

Started moving some lilies around to the new bed. The martagon bulbs are huge...

I was so tired, that I went to bed at 8:30pm. Tired, but happy that I made some good progress.

Another fine gardening day, although we had some rain after supper. I guess I won't be as tired today...

What's up with the snow forecast tomorrow?

Cold, miserable weather kept me out of the garden.

Went camera shopping with Vincent. Another Nikon Coolpix 8700 owner...

SNOW... 2am finds me moving my tomato plant to protect it from snow. Yuck!

Power outage took all my computers down, including the web server.

Surprised the team at work by showing up at the staff meeting this morning. No way I'm getting into the garden anyway. Was pooped by lunch time, but it was good to see everybody.

Thanks, Deb, for the reminder how much I owe you/Northlands. Will have to work that into my budget.

Got a furry rat (squirrel) in the backyard, looking for (food) bulbs for his winter supply, no doubt. Now where is my shotgun?...

What a sham about putting a thief in jail for 7 years (Nick Lysyk, who has admitted to defrauding the Bank of Montreal of $16 million) when killing babies (abortion) is legal. Where are society's morals going?

Interesting observation was sent to me: Put the Glass Down. Worth reading!

A teacher was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"

The students' answers ranged from 2 ounces to a half pound.

His reply was, "It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, because the burden becomes too heavy."

"You have to put the glass down, and rest for a while before holding it up again. We have to put our burdens down periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on. So before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow."

"Whatever burden you have now on your shoulders, let it down for a while if you can. Pick it up again later when you have rested..."

Rest and relax.

Life is short, enjoy it!

It's supposed to be 20°C today, but at noon we're only at 7°C...

Better start working on my lily web sites.

Nice weather this afternoon. Did some lily planting in the front, and found one of my neighbours fixing the fence, so I helped a bit putting boards back on and staining new boards. Made me feel useful...

Watching a program called "med students", very interesting. I've met a lot of students during my surgery time in May, but also at the cancer institute. I much more appreciate these students as they are future doctors and nurses, potentially looking after myself or my family.

Appointment with Dr. Stewart (surgeon) at 11:15am. Great news! The bottom hole has closed up! Now new tissue needs to grow and finish the healing process. Next check-up is in two months.

I feel great about my visit with Dr. Stewart this morning. I guess all those prayers DO help...

Kinda nice having coffee in the backyard in the sun. This is my "good" week (chemo again next week), so I take advantage as I can. Also did some more lily transplanting this afternoon, getting ready for the big planting job tomorrow.

If you live in Alberta, and want to join the fight against cancer, consider buying a ticket in the Cash & Cars lottery. $1,000,000 grand prize...

Out for a drive to Parkland Perennials this afternoon to pick up some new lilies. I have now added Baronesse, Delta, Haidee, Latvia, Navone, Neon Lights, Pretender, and Sorbet. Also planted some tulips, so now I'm pooped...

Good to see Canada winning the world cup of hockey!   Mario Lemieux, team captain, is also a cancer survivor.

Attended the kick-off lunch for the United Way, held at Northlands AgriCom. Afterward I met with my boss, Opal,  and my colleague and acting manager, Ed, to discuss next year's budget.

My granddaughter Jayden was over today, but when I got home I was much too pooped to do much with her. Before she went home, she came and snuggled with me for a while. She's such a sweetheart.

9:00am - blood test - blood count too low...

10:00am - exam - Dr. Pedersen - we'll do another blood test on Monday, if still too low, the chemo will be postponed a week.

I thought I was doing great, so the low blood count was disappointing. Perhaps that's because of the activities the last few days, or maybe the fact that the blood test was 4 days early. Who knows, but I'm taking it easy until Monday.

Hmmm, just noticed I don't have a driver for Tuesday yet...

Are you an Alberta resident? Have you filled out Ralph's survey "it's your future" yet? Albertans have until September 24^th to respond.

I'm watching "Rage Against the Darkness", a CBC documentary about seniors in nursing homes. What a contrast between Gertrude, a spirited 102-year old lady and senile, introverted persons. I hope I can look after myself until I die, or have Gertrude's zest of life.

Taking it easy today. Slept from 10pm last night to 10am, had breakfast and promptly up-chucked it.

In the afternoon I went for a walk in Rundle Park to take in some of the fall colours. Fall has that pungent smell, that I really like.

Ellerslie Gift and Garden Centre hosted an ARLS bulb sale. What a zoo to get in there. Very limited parking. Got some bulbs from my friend Marilyn, and bought two more white ones for myself, and a pink martagon for Darm in Hay River.

Joined Duncan and Monica at Japanese Village for supper, to celebrate Duncan's 27^th birthday. Very enjoyable.

8:30am - blood test - BLOOD COUNT IS GOOD! I am so relieved that my blood count is good today.

9:30am - exam - Dr. Pedersen lined up some tests for December 15, and a follow-up visit for December 23. He also indicated that after this cycle my blood count will recover slower still. Confirms my feeling of the chemo's cumulative effect.

11:30am - chemo treatment cycle 4 of 4 (last cycle for now) - 5FU at 750 (was at 850 for first cycle) - driver: Cecile

While at the Cross, saw Dennis, a radiation technician who I saw a lot of last February and March.

3:15pm - chemo treatment cycle 4 of 4 - driver: Cecile

Despite a 2-hour nap yesterday afternoon, still slept over 9 hours.

I guess Indian Summer is here... Nice weather, nice enough to have tea in the backyard.

After today's chemo I was a bit woozy. That's why the CCI recommends having a driver. Half an hour later I was fine.

4:00pm - chemo treatment cycle 4 of 4 - driver: Angela Danen

Harvested 21 lily seedpods today. Very nice weather for the first day of fall, 20°C on my thermometer...

Just noticed that although I'm not going bald, I am losing hair. Oh well, we're almost done with the chemo.

Felt nauseous after chemo today. That's not supposed to happen until next week!

3:15pm - chemo treatment cycle 4 of 4 - driver: Opal Blackstock

Nausea persists, and so does diarrhea. For chemo they had to poke me three times before they hit a good vein. They left the needle in my arm, so they don't have to poke me tomorrow.

My physical state is deteriorating. Chemo this time around is taking a heavier toll than before. But, on the up side, only one more time... :-)

My red orchid cactus opened a bloom today. This is likely the last one for the season. It's surprising that it blooms this late (normal bloom time is May), but my Christmas cacti are blooming too.

3:30pm - chemo treatment cycle 4 of 4 - driver: Phil Henry

Last chemo treatment!!! I'm happy. I won't miss the chemo, but I'll miss the nurses in the chemo areas. These are great people, concerned and caring, but also encouraging. Ladies, thank you for your care!

Now that chemo is over, I can start to rebuild my life. It's a wonderful feeling. Although I still have to deal with the side effects for a while, at least I won't get poked anymore, and the poison will slowly get removed from my body.

Just an example of the chemo effects, nausea, and how it is treated. Normally I get one or two Maxaran tablets at the time of chemo injections. This week, nausea was stronger than during the previous cycles. So I was given a Zofran prescription at a cost of $24.75. Per tablet... And I'm to take two per day...

The weather was mixed clouds with occasional sunshine. Vincent and I went to Elk Island Park to take pictures of the fall colours and bison.

Met up with Phil, who was painting by the side of the road. This trip was a great diversion to feeling crappy.

After breakfast I went back to bed for a few hours. Duncan, Monica, and Alicia were coming for supper, so I had to be fit to visit.

Gorgeous sunny weather was a bonus.

My Valley K lily order came today. Last lily order for this year. There were only 3 bulbs to plant, so it did not take much time. Left me some time to go for a walk in Rundle Park. Too bad it's windy, most of the autumn leaves have dropped off already.

Received a peace-inspiring poem today. Thanks, Helen, and may God give you peace in your life's journey.

Indian Summer continues, so I did a bit of cleaning up in the garden. Cleared the annuals from the shade planter and added some compost to a few low spots.

Diarrhea was right on schedule. Oh well... Still very tired. I'm pretty much useless in the mornings.

Got up at 8am, had breakfast, and went back to bed until 11:30am.

Got some herb seeds to grow indoors. I'll plant those tomorrow, after the potting soil warms up. I keep the soil outside, and it's only 10°C today.

34th Anniversary today. Kids don't remember so I bought us some flowers. Due to limited finances and my condition, we did not do anything special this year, just a dinner at the Korean Beauty restaurant. Highly recommended. Small place, great food, and low prices.

For tonight there's a frost warning, and it's been blowing hard all morning, so the fall colours will be gone soon, I expect.