Archive: October 2004

A new day, and a new month. Hopefully this is my last full month at home, and I can go back to work next month.

Sure was a chilly morning. Definitely had some frost. The afternoon was nice enough for a walk to Vincent's place, first time in many months, but I have to start getting my strength back.

ARLS Annual Fall Lily Bulb Sale at Muttart Conservatory. I was planning to go, but just did not feel up to it. Greetings from Lynnette W. to the gang...

Weather was nice enough for a little fall cleaning in the garden. Also caught a mouse...

Staying in my PJ's today. It's lousy weather outside, so I'm listening to a radio station via iTunes.

Watching the Discovery Health Channel about the prevention of breast cancer by radical mastectomy of both breasts. This is for women who have been tested for the breast cancer gene and have a family history of breast cancer. What a shame for a 23-year old girl to have both breasts removed. Yet it may save her life. One quote, "we are not dying, we are living."

Five months since the operation...

Did some more fall cleaning this afternoon. 20°C today, and 24°C tomorrow. I like it.

Set up a BLOG so the readers of this diary can provide feedback, ask questions, etc. Check it out...

Had an accident this evening. As I was changing the pouch, diarrhea hit and made a mess all over the bathroom.

Gorgeous day, definitely Indian summer...

Two people I know are not doing well. One, an elderly woman, was admitted to the hospital with a ruptured bowel. The doctors won't operate, so her life is pretty much over. Only a matter of days. The other person had an angina attack and needs tests to find the problem before he develops more serious heart problems.

Diarrhea was back this evening. Chemo side effects staying a bit longer.

The woman I mentioned yesterday, with the ruptured bowel, passed away early this morning. Now she can be at peace.

All my Christmas cacti are blooming: red, pink, orange, yellow, white...

Lovely weather today, great for getting out and doing some more garden work. Got up to 18 degrees, but windy. Yet very nice to be outside. Filled up two garbage bags of non-compostable material.

No diarrhea last night, but very sore muscles on one side of the butt. Ibuprofen did not do the job, but Tylenol-3 did. Slept a pretty much solid 8 hours, had breakfast and then another 2 hours of sleep.

Diarrhea was back this afternoon, just before Paul came to visit.

Nice weather, but not very sunny. Still got some clean-up done in the garden.

Edmonton is celebrating its 100th birthday. Quite young when compared to my home city of over 700 years old.

Cold and cloudy today. Was in the garden only for about half an hour.

Had coffee with Wes K. That's always a good time.

Vincent, Angela and Jayden were over for supper today, after which we watched the Black Stallion together. It's an old movie but good for a 3-year old.

It was Jayden's birthday yesterday, but I wasn't up to a kids party... 

Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. How about you folks out there?

Did some clean-up in the front garden, since it was sunny. A bit cool, but not too bad.

Starting to get a cold. Cecile came home with it first, so now it's my turn.

Through my diary/blog I have made many new friends. One of those friends is being operated on today. If you're a praying person, please pray for Helen.

Went to visit Northlands today, to talk about going back to work. As soon as the doctor gives me a note that I can go back to work, I'll be back part time, probably after November 15th. Got a flu shot while visiting and found out that cancer patients and their close relatives can get free flu shots.

Great news! Helen's operation was successful and the cancer had not spread. We'll continue to pray for a quick recovery.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a must see documentary for all voting Americans.

Starting to get rid of the cold I've had for a few days.

Looks like winter is just about here. Temps will be around the freezing mark the next week or so.

With the end of chemo, there is also a time to start reducing the amount of posts in the diary. So if you start seeing gaps, don't worry.

End of chemo cycle 4. To clarify, a cycle includes 1 week (5 days) of injections, then 3 weeks of recovery.

Today is the last day of the final chemo cycle. I would feel better if diarrhea did not rear its ugly head last night. Again, Imodium to the rescue.

Woke up to a snow storm yesterday which lasted for 24 hours. Today it wasn't snowing, but very windy. Wind chill factor was about -10°C...

Today is municipal voting day, so Edmontonians, cast your vote. Don't let the snow stop you!

Still feeling crappy (no pun intended)...

Some good news. Friends of ours are grandparents again of a baby girl. Congratulations!!!

And a concern about another friend, Paul. His PSA levels are elevated so he needs to go for a prostate biopsy. Good thing he went for a check-up. As they say in the commercial, "check up or check out."

Well, we have a new mayor, but most of city council are back.

Had lunch with Paul today. I figured I'd try a salad today as I need to start thinking about losing weight again. When I was getting cancer treatments, I was told to go for protein and carbs to help restore my body. As a result, I've put on 20 pounds since my surgery.

It's been snowing off and on since last Saturday and no sun. There are the optimists that think the snow will melt yet, but my garden faces north. I have a feeling it will be March or April next year before all my snow is gone.

Had a bit of a setback this morning, having my breakfast hit the toilet prematurely. Goes to show I'm not my old self yet, I guess.

I think I may have misjudged how quickly I would recover from the chemo damage to my body. I have not seen as much progress this last week as I thought there would have been. Just have to keep on keeping on...

Did some tree watering yesterday. With the snow on the ground, the soil has not frozen yet despite the below-zero temperatures we've had the past week. Yesterday was above zero during the day, so I just set up the sprinkler and let it rip.

Wasn't up to the lily society meeting, but I'm on the list for lily judging class in January or February. That ought to be a real treat.

I just found out that Irene's husband passed away last Saturday of lung cancer. My deepest condolences to Irene, her children, and family. My prayers are with all of you.

Visited some more with Paul today. My hat off to you, Paul, you have a great attitude. Stay positive. A month is a long wait, but it gives you a chance to come to terms with your feelings and those of your family. And whatever happens, you have many people to support you!

Slept till noon today. That need for sleep is my clue that my body is still rebuilding itself...

As part of our family's commitment to a healthier lifestyle, Cecile had her first colonoscopy check-up today. Preliminary results are that everything is "normal."

Tonight we're going back to Mountain Standard Time (MST). Tomorrow it will be dark at 5PM. Really depressing if you ask me...

It was a balmy 8 degrees Celsius today and some snow was melting, even in the shade. I helped things along with the hose... The extra water is good for the trees, but what about the lilies?

I'm starting to feel a bit better, I think, unless I have relapses. I'm slowly going to go back to my pre-treatment diet so I can lose some weight. Got about 20 pounds to lose...