Dancing with the Red Devil

Chemotherapy round one is done - only seven more to go.  I'm not going to lie - it is brutal.  It is like having the worst hangover of your life for 48 to 72 hours.  

One of the drugs in my chemo cocktail is not-so-affectionally nicknamed the "red devil".  It is one of the most aggressive cancer drugs available and comes complete with some less-than-desirable side effects. It is bright red in colour and looks like grenadine syrup, although I don't think anyone would want to put this is their Shirly Temple.  

All I can envision as I lie here with severe nausea, shakes, fatigue, etc., is a fleet of little red devils with pointy tails, pitch forks and capes embossed with a "Super-Drug" crest coursing through my veins looking for and blowing up any remnants of Toby and the Minions, and thereby ensuring that I get to see my granddaughters grow up.  And really, that is what this all about.  Short-term pain for long-term gain.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their support, be it far or near.  It means more to me and Dave than you will ever know.  I also want to share the final donation total from my Pink Ribbon Cup Cozy fund raiser.  I made 170 cup cozies and donated a total of $1,520 to the Juravinski Cancer Center in Hamilton, which far exceeded my expectations. 

Next up:  appointment with oncologist November 9 and then Chemo round 2 on November 11.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lucas the Mucus Tumor

Image
So, Toby has met a new friend: Lucas the Mucus Tumor.  Lucas lives in the country next door, aka Dave. Lucas was discovered during routine follow-up scanning for Dave’s pulmonary fibrosis, resulting in another biopsy in April. The pathology came back showing malignancy.  Needless to say, this was NOT expected, and a bit of a surprise for everyone. It doesn't appear that the two diseases are related in any way.  It is just bad luck. Off we went to the Juravinski Cancer Centre once again. Ugh. Definitely not one of my top ten favourite places to be.   The technical name for Lucas is Mucinous Adenocarcinoma.   According to Google AI, it is “a type of cancer where the tumor cells produce a large amount of mucin, a gel-like substance, which can be found in various organs. It's a subtype of adenocarcinoma, a cancer that originates in glandular cells.”   Doesn’t that sound lovely?   I can assure you that it is not. Here is the nitty-gr...
Read more

Dear Facebook: Thanks for the Reminder

Image
  With Dave’s recent move to “retirement” (aka long-term disability), the continued progression of his idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and the extreme stress of trying to sell our house amid an uncertain geo-political environment, I have lost sight of myself and as a result, I have been living with a perpetual black cloud above my head and the weight of the world on my shoulders.   That’s where Facebook comes in – daily memories of life past.   These days, FB has been serving up plenty of memories from that turbulent time three years ago.   This photograph was taken March 13, 2022 at one of our favourite local restaurants.   It was our first night out since the previous October. I was nine days away from starting 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments, and very happy to be out of the house and someplace other than the cancer centre.   I thought I looked pretty good here, thinking that no one would know that I was in the middle of battling cancer.   H...
Read more

And That's a Wrap!

Image
 After 6 months and 10 days, 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 30 radiation sessions, I am very happy to report that the active treatment phase of my recovery plan has concluded!  My final radiation session was today.  I will continue to "cook" for the next couple of weeks, and my skin to continue to burn and blister.  The related fatigue will also get worse before it gets better.  I have a couple of pretty bad radiation burns on my neck, one under my arm and another under my breast. They are rather uncomfortable, akin to a severe second degree burn, and they hurt on the skin surface and on the inside. Doesn't matter, though - I am FINALLY done! While this doesn't hold true for everyone, for me I can say that the cure is worse than the disease.  I did not feel sick at all - only a little bit tired - when I discovered Toby.  The three phases of my recovery plan (surgery, chemo, radiation), left me scarred, burned and fatigued with lingering neuropathy in my ...
Read more