Puzzling Times

At the beginning of my treatment, I had an exciting thought that óoh I could do a jigsaw puzzzzzle!', as the 'doing' or completing of a puzzle is a far distant fantasy :) We don't really have the space... though thanks to the packaging of Tom's fancy up/down desk, I used a large piece of cardboard and took over the foot rest thing (freebie from the end of someone's drive). 

So a few weeks into my treatment, my Dad's lady (my step-mum) came round and gave me flowers, a puzzle of a garden (I can still hear my Dad saying how he'd told her it would be too hard etc etc.) and probably other lovely goodies! I set it up briefly on the up/down desk prior to the computer being finished (HG bought the PC part by part over a few months and taught me how to install each piece. Fantastic experience and post-chemo activity!), using the felt roll-up 'mat' which step-Mum had also given me. However I wasn't applying the time and so I put it away in the spare room, during a tidy up.

Around the end of chemotherapy, I started the puzzle. I had 2 weeks before radiation treatment started. I actually started it twice, as the cat jumped up and flipped it onto the floor!

HG began to help, but found it too tedious.
My Mum came over from England in February for 8 days and applied many hours to the puzzle!
We had fun with our shared challenge though!

Question!!
What technique do you use when 'puzzling'?
I try (especially with this confusion of a masterpiece) to browse or work with one or two and match the pieces using their colours, shapes, individuality...
Mum seemed to like searching for one piece in all the pieces! 😋

I probably should have written this once I'd completed it!
Thinking about gluing it into position & framing it!

Ok breaky time! 10:15!
HG is off this week and we've had a glorious couple of nights away.
It's nice to be chiiiill. Especially when work has been stressing him.
I usually pass out on the sofa but the puzzle has been keeping me occupied! I didn't sleep enough last night however. :P

TTFN

PS
My point was that puzzles require patience like cancer does... 😏

Happy New Hair?

Wow time has passed.
My penultimate chemo (number seven) was 2 days ago - New Year's Eve/

HG woke me from my sofa slumber at 11:15pm to make sure I didn't miss the welcoming of 2019! 🎉

Overall, I've been very lucky during chemotherapy and haven't suffered too much. At the change of drug (treatments five to eight), I felt anxious. Not knowing how the effects of the Taxol would affect me was like being back at the beginning of chemo. I was worried that the 10 steriod pills (5 at 6pm & 5 at 10pm) the night before chemo would keep me up all night. I slept okay and the only major effects I experienced were swollen, sore hands for a couple of days - possibly from the overlap in chemo drugs, because I thankfully haven't had it happen again. Other side effects include neuropathy (tingly hands/feet), which I've been affected by minimally.I have started having hot flushes at night though.Interesting & strange... I haven't had a period since the first few weeks of chemo and we've hardly had sex (whaaaah!).

I have been taking Grastofil, which is a brand name for Filagrastim. "Filgrastim belongs to the family of medications known as granulocyte colony stimulating factors (G-CSF). It helps the bone marrow produce white blood cells, which help the body fight infection." (Thanks, Google). So I initially injected my stomach (alternating sides) 11 times, starting 48hrs after my last chemo had ended. They live in the fridge so going out for a day/afternoon takes pre-planning! There is also an injection which can be taken once per chemo round, however this seems to be for those with "better" insurance than us, but also seems to cause more intense side effects - bone pain. 

My white blood cell count (WBC) was initially very high; beginning at 13.6 (4-11 is normal), after the second blood test showed my WBCs had reached 28.4, my oncologist reduced me to 8 jabs. I've mostly been taking 8 and this seemed ok for the first chemo treatments, but my levels rocketed (changed to 6 jabs) then have crashed down to 3.3 so I've been put back up to 8 jabs.

Neutrophils are the infection-fighting white blood cells, and a friend had mentioned keeping an eye on mine.
Last  Friday, mine were 1.3 - with the minimum they usually like being 1.5. I'm a really bad germophobe, but have been attempting to stay away from crowds, watching out for coughs & colds etc.

I spend a lot of my time at home these days; looking after myself! I've had lots of visitors, packages and messages of love.

I cannot believe there is only more more chemo treatment to go! I've become quite happy in my chemo hibernation cave!

Following the final treatment - number eight - I will have my usual 2 weeks 'recovery', jabs etc. then a couple more weeks until radiation treatment ('therapy') begins. This will be closer to my Dad's, so the plan is that I'll stay with him & my stepmum a few nights a week (this could help keep me healthier & munching less but we'll see!).

My stepmum is on the keto diet and my Dad is a pescatarian. A friend has mentioned the Blood Type Diet recently (anyone have any info?) and I'm also being nudged towards a naturopath (Tom is very anti), who will most likely want to sell me more appointments, expensive blood tests and numerous supplements. I recently asked a fellow breast cancer survivor friend, who said she was now a 'nutritarian'. I think mostly plant-based suits me/my body - as much as HG raves about animal protein being the best/quickest. I'm avoiding red meat as much as possible and chicken (I had unofficially given up turkey) unless it's hormone free/organic. I'm still eating fish here and there.

I think this is long enough! I'll add some pics! 😃

I've been editing my eyebrows to help emphasise them!

We are very lucky and received some cool gifts & vouchers for Crimbo!

Day before chemo #7
Bass lake Provincial Park

Testing hats in the Oncology waiting room!

Testing all the vital signs... 31/12/18

Crussssshing it!

New Years Day 2019 - Laughlin Falls

Bass Lake 1st Jan 2019

Playful Puss!

Kitty love this morning! 2nd Jan

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Falling Up Hill

I'm not one for wishing my life away.

Chemo #1 was a week ago (tomorrow). Yesterday and today are Tom's days off. It was so nice to have him in bed with me & around after 4 days of him having to work. I cried, scared for our sex life... it's such a huge connecting part of us - brings us back together whenever we're off kilter and after 12yrs, it's still amazing. Sorry - TMI. WTF. IDGaS. My blog. 😝

There are so many ins and outs with cancer/chemotherapthy. It's invasive and intrusive.

Knocks you off guard and tests every part of you - no matter how deep.
I'm sure I have not even begun to experience how testing it it going to be for the next few months.

Cancer itself is... whatever - it is our own body performing, growing cells, as it believes it should.
But it doesn't know the cells are attacking our own life source. It's a head fuck.

Chemotherapy (and to follow, radiation & hormone treatment) is the method of treatment that humans/science have found which best treats our cells. By killing fast growing cells, they eliminate the cancer, but also any good cells.  Different drugs cause various symptoms and side effects.  The anti-sickness drugs create other side effects. Which aren't fun, but certainly beat puking until dehydration.

 

I keep realising that... I won't need my hair bands/ties/clips... these thing seem small and silly.

It's more the growing back part of the hair loss that may bug me. My friend had breast cancer/chemo 2 years ago and messaged me this morning with a photo of her cute bob, growing back beautifully.
I'm otherwise semi-excited about losing hair from other parts of my body! 😜



Speaking of which, I haven't managed to find any explicit details on sex during chemo. Because I have been technically pumped with poison, my fluids are potentially dangerous (queue lots of loo cleaning) and also, due to my "compromised immune system", I must also practice being more of a germophobe.

So condoms are a requirement, but it's the oral/foreplay/relaxed nature of our love that we will need to tweak. 


Ever feel like you're living someone else's life?

In other news, we are LOVING autumn/fall! 🍁

   

  

 

Chemo? Sweet...

I checked out the chemo suite today... it's two rooms, adjoining and there's a calm atmosphere. It's at the top of the hospital which gives a lovely view of roofs & trees. 🌲

I was there to have my portacath re-dressed. It was implanted (under my skin on left side, below collar bone) on 25th September; 8 days ago under local anesthetic and I was excited(?) to get to see it! All healing well, chemo will commence in 6 days time!

A portacath is a round device with a valve, attached to a line/catheter that is threaded into a vein and goes down into the heart. It can be used to give IV fluids, blood transfusions, chemotherapy & other drugs; it can also be used to take blood. It can stay in as long as is needed (must be used or flushed monthly).

I met the 3 Oncology Nurses and they happily answered my questions. Every single one of the workers - Volunteers, Nurses, Doctors etc etc. have been totally lovely actually. 💖

I learnt that I am currently "Chemo Niave", or as I like to say, a Chemo Virgin 😜, as my blood is still pure (lol) and hasn't yet been affected by chemotherapy (or as I like to call it, poison).

So here's my port after insertion and today... 

  

At the weekend, I joined a 5km walk called Race for the Cure; raising awareness & money for breast cancer etc. I knew I'd be with HG, Dad & his lady but wasn't aware 3 of their friends would be joining and then, once walking, was handed a phone to speak to Dad's Lady's son, daughter & their partners & pup - who were also walking in their town, Winnipeg!! Wowzer. Such love & support!

Here is my crew, warming up!!

  

Here is my boi & me on a delicious rainy walk. 💚
  

 

I'm feeling good - as good as I can be, with chemo approaching.

I was invited for a run this evening... I do feel like I need to do something before Tuesday, but don't want to disrupt the port either. I plan to get outside before every chemo treatment and be as active as I can during. Fingers crossed! ✌👍👌

Take care peeps xx

PS I couldn't wash my hair after the port op so I eventually went to the hairdresser... whilst there, I she gave me an undercut & snipped off 4 inches! :)

I've attended a Chemo Class and also a Look Good, Feel Better workshop.
So lucky!