Hello:

Thursday I went to London with my friend for a follow up on the radiation I had in July. It was something I probably could have done over the phone. The doctor wanted to know if the radiation helped - my back does feel much better since the radiation, it doesn't hurt as quickly as it used to. They want me to come back in January for another follow up. We did get to the Mandarin again though!!
On Friday I went to Owen Sound and had a breathing test done. I had to sit in this "plastic bubble" - it reminded me of a mini helicopter cockpit. I thought of all the astronauts practising for space! I had to put my mouth around this big air tube and have a clothespin on my nose and than they shut the door on me. Through the speaker the tech would tell me how to breath. First I had to breath normal and suddenly take a deep breath in and right away blow out as hard and fast as I could. The second set I had to pant like a dog and resistance would build up in the tube so I couldn't breath anymore. The third set they put oxygen through and I had to breath it in and do what I did in the first set but just normal paced. Than it was all done. I also had to do blood work. After blood work I went to the van and I noticed the inside of my elbow where I had the needle was all swollen in a big cone shape bubble and was blue. I went back to the lab and asked the tech that took my blood what she thought of it - maybe an air bubble? She said it wasn't an air bubble, but it would probably bruise (as I'm looking at my blue arm). I asked if I should worry about it and she said no. The kids were quite impressed when I picked them up but also a little grossed out. The next morning the bubble was gone and a few new colours joined in with the blue shades.
Saturday I ended up with a migraine and threw up in Shopper's Drug Mart (an employee managed to get me to the bathroom just in time). What a proud moment. The headache lasted through till Monday.
This morning I went to the Owen Sound hospital for my monthly 2hr IV which every time gets better results. The calcium floating around in my blood is starting to stick to my bones. The oncologist was behind today so I saw the nurse who said I was doing really good with all my tests results so far and monthly check ups. This afternoon I had a muga test - which is a test that checks the blood pumping through my heart. I had a needle (in the other arm!) which had a drug that sticks to my blood cells. Twenty minutes later the tech gave me another needle with a nuclear drug that would stick itself onto the first drug. Than they brought me to the same room that I had my bone scan in and lay me back on that skinny bed that they strap you onto so you don't fall off. The tech put patches on my chest and stomach with wires to monitor my heart while they took three pictures -five minutes per picture. The camera is the big monitor screen that they lay a centimeter from your chest. It's kinda claustrophobic and I couldn't nap like I usually do through all my tests.
Tomorrow I go to my family doctor and there won't be anything to say about that visit. On the 23rd is the visit to London for the rest of the tests. So far so good. Anyway, that's all for now. I still tire easily, but since the kids have gone to school I don't get mentally tired as quickly.
Thanks to you all for remembering our family and we'll see when the next blog is.

Goodnight,
Love Pete, Sharon, Natasha, Heather & Shaun.