Sunday, December 4, 2022

I’m still managing the Timberlane Facebook page; imagine my surprise at seeing this quilt finished. The blocks are from my Block-a-Day calendar and they were pieced at some point during the first phase of Covid. Pat deserves some credit for helping me place the various blocks into a top. I took it to one of the Guild’s Community Quilt days to get it sandwiched but that was the last I saw of it. Someone else took it home and did the quilting on it.

I’ve finished my Diamond Dots picture. It was a lot of fun to do and I have another one stashed away in my stitching table; it came from our time at Krazy Binz in Saskatoon. It was the perfect craft to be working on while I recovered from surgery and I expect the other one will be what I work on between chemo treatments.

I looked out the window just now and noticed crowds of people heading down the hill. I had forgotten it was Santa Claus Parade day here. Although we won’t be attending the Parade or the Tree Lighting, we did put up a few decorations today.

December 3, 2022

I spent the longest time in a stylist’s chair this morning. My hair was on the longer side but my stylist is a student and she was being very careful. Rikki is Pat’s guitar student and her Mum owns the salon and does Pat’s nails. They are only doing cuts for friends and family – I snuck in because of Pat.

I was surprisingly emotional when the scissors made the first few cuts. I don’t think of myself as committed to my hair, in fact some days I didn’t even bother brushing it. In the back of my mind though was the next cut I’ll be getting – it will be a #2 buzz cut from the information I’ve read online. I have no idea how long before my hair starts to fall out but, when it does, it will be less messy to lose short strands than long.

So, after almost two hours of cutting this is how I’ve ended up. I can assure you there will be no photos after the next one!

December 2, 2022

It has been a crazy two days. Yesterday was my first consultation with the Vancouver Cancer Clinic. So much information – Pat and I were both scrambling to make notes as he gave us the information. I have a long road ahead of me – a year to 14 months. There will be three series of chemo treatments; the first will be every 2 weeks for four cycles, then a second series every three weeks for four cycles, and finally another one every three weeks for thirteen cycles. These will be followed, or interrupted, by radiation for an unknown number of treatments.

Obviously there are side effects. I’ll lose my hair after only a few weeks of treatment but it will grow back. I will experience fatigue and nausea (usually no vomiting) but I’ll take anti-nausea drugs to help with that. The other thing I’ve heard about is “chemo brain” and after today I think I might have early onset.

We thought I needed the echocardiogram before I could start treatments but when I talked to the hospital this morning it doesn’t need to be in place until the start of the second series of chemo so there is a chance I can start treatments next week, or at least very soon. The echocardiogram was to have been done locally but the technician here is away so now I’ll have to go to Comox for that.

I have my bone scan appointment set up for Monday in Comox and I’m trying to get the echocardiogram for the same day. No one is answering the phone or returning my call – so I wait and hope it doesn’t mean another trip across to the Island on another day. Fortunately Pat remembered we needed the TAP (Travel Assistance) form for our free ferry trip; we had to get it from Oncology before they closed at 2:15. And then I realized that the 12 Days packages wouldn’t get out until Tuesday unless they went out today so Pat made another trip to take them to the Post Office. It has been snowing all day but fortunately the roads are clear.

I also got a call from the hospital to set up an appointment for my X-Ray. What X-Ray? I explained that I thought I was to have a CT scan, not an X-Ray, so she had to check back with Oncology to see what the mix-up was. Again I’m waiting to hear from somebody about this. 

The appointment in Vancouver in mid-January is with the radiologist regarding the radiation treatments. Pat and I are hoping we can do this by teleconference but we’ve heard nothing yet. I think we made a good case – 5 hours down and 5 hours back, and possible issues with two ferries, all for a one hour appointment.

There isn’t much I can do but wait for someone else to do what they need to do. But I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow; our thought is that when it starts to fall out it will be less mess if it is shorter. I’m not quite ready yet for the buzz cut that will come later.