Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hello,

It's been awhile since my last blog - my apologies but I'm not always up to typing. I went to Toronto with Pete and a friend to see the doctor there. We had to wait awhile but once you are in the office the doctor really takes the time to see you. We were told that another transplant wasn't a good option. If I was to have one I should have done it before starting any other kind of treatment. Now my body is used to the new chemo and if we tried a transplant again my body would probably say "we've done this before, it won't work again". Also I would be getting a stem cell transplant from a sibling which my body would see as foreign and therefore probably try to reject it. The mortality rate for this procedure is 1 in 5 and those who do survive it don't have the greatest quality of life for the first year. It didn't sound that great. Now the doctor's try to treat the cancer with drugs because they can be controlled and combinations can be made. It sounds like the safer more stable way to go. This cocktail of chemo that I'm on right now should hopefully give me a year. Even if I hit remission I'll be staying on the drug. Once my body becomes immune to this treatment I'll go on to another drug until that one runs it's course etc. It could possibly get to the point where I would be trying drugs that have never been used before on people, but by that time I would be willing to try anything. The results would also help for other cancer patients. The good news is the doctor said I could cut back o my steroids - instead of every other day, I only have to take them twice a week.

Pete and I celebrated our 15th anniversary the other week. I asked my doctor in Owen Sound when a good time to take a trip would be. She said this week (Thanksgiving) or the next week. So we booked a trip to BC and took the kids with us. We had an awesome time. It was great to get away from doctors, hospitals, drugs, school and just life here for awhile. We visited my brother and his family and then stayed at Whistler Mountain. What a beautiful place!! It was like being in a bowl with all the majestic mountains surrounding you. It didn't matter which way you looked the mountains were there - what an amazing sight. At night the full moon shone above the mountains, the colours were still on the trees and we had beautiful sunny weather! One day we took a jeep tour to the top of Blackcomb Mountain which was very interesting. We went in the afternoon and by the time we came down the sun was setting - it was gorgeous! We also had a snowball fight at the top of the mountain. The next day we went on a zip line tour through the rain forest. We were all harnessed up and had on helmets - we almost looked professional. The tour was through the treetops that were connected by suspension bridges and walkways. The views over the rocky river below was beautiful. The creation was incredible and you couldn't help but feel God's presence around you - I felt alive!! We had five zip lines to cross and three of them were over the river. On the last one we had the option of going over the river upside down! I took pictures of my family going over one by one upside down. I went last and asked the guide to take my picture when I went over. I think I surprised the family when I came across with my head over the river and my legs in the air!! When would I ever get the chance to try something like that again. It was a rush! It was hard to leave to come home. I would have loved to stay longer. I was starting to feel like myself again (I had been off my drugs for two weeks already) and had a zest for life. I knew coming home meant starting all the chemo and steroids up again. The trip was a great escape for all of us and I would love to go back one day if possible.

We came back from BC on a Saturday night late. Monday I had an all day chemo/calcium treatment at the hospital. Today I went back to get a port -a-cath put into my chest. I was awake for the procedure and the doctor talked me through it. I told him that freezing takes a bit longer to set in in my body. I felt the freezing needle go in and he right away asked for the scalpel. I could feel a lot of the work being done. When the freezing took, it was just a lot of tugging and pulling. I had a quarter size (looks like a small dental floss) piece put in with a tube attached to it on my left side. This tube runs through the vein and goes across my chest to a valve off/beside my heart. This unit will stay in forever. The nurses were having a hard time getting into my veins with an IV and the lab was having a hard time getting through all the scar tissue in my arm to get blood. I've been doing blood work for 15 years now and the scar tissue had finally built up. It was easier for everyone if I just had a port-a-cath. Right now the freezing it staring to thaw and I'm feeling the wounds a bit. I have nine stitches and six staples holding everything closed. Next Friday the staples come out and the stitches will dissolve. I also have to carry around a medical alert card in my wallet now.

I think that updates everything here. There is much to be thankful for - for the most part things are well.

Take care,
Sharon