A Year in the Life of a Cancer Patient / Survivor

 Well, here we are.  Good riddance to 2022 and hello to 2023.

2022 was a year full of tremendous highs and devastating lows.  I thought it might be interesting to reflect back on the year, and see where my journey has taken me.  So buckle your seat belts and hang onto your hats, boys and girls – and join me on this trip back through 2022.

January:  The year started with my sixth round of chemo on January 5.  It was my second infusion of the Taxol chemo drug.  Not sure which chemo cocktail was worse – the red devil that made me feel like I had the worst hangover ever or the Taxol that made my bones and joints hurt so bad I couldn’t sleep, eat, move or basically function.  Two weeks later, after just recovering from No. 6, it was time for No. 7.  It was the worst one yet, with pain so bad I nearly asked Dave to take me to the hospital.  On top of this already difficult situation, January also brought the devasting news that my aunt and confidant passed away from this horrific disease.  2022 was not off to a good start. 

February:  Chemo finished up on February 2, and I got to ring the bell.  It was a top ten day.  And I didn’t need to have the injection two days after chemo to boost my white blood cells, so the bone and joint pain was more manageable with this last treatment.  I also started my five-years of endocrine therapy in February (hello, menopause!).  The fatigue was still pretty brutal at this point, and I was basically non-operational.  I also looked like a big bald baby – no hair, eyebrows or eyelashes!  Chemo brain was in full swing, and much of the month was just a blur – I just don’t remember too much.  I did, however, finally get to see my granddaughters in-person for the first time since November 2021.  All in all, February had room for improvement, but it was much better than January. 

March:  After resting up for a few weeks, it was time to start the radiation process:  daily visits to the Cancer Centre to get dosed with something that causes cancer but at the same time cures it.  Weird – not sure how that works but it does.  The process was terrifying but at least it didn’t make me feel as sick as chemo had – mostly just a bone-numbing fatigue and very sore skin with open sores (see below – yuck!).  Dave and I also enjoyed our first dinner out since October.  It felt good to be out with the people again.  There was a dim pinpoint of light at the end of the long treatment tunnel at this point.

April: Just chugging along with the radiation grind for most of this month.  I was starting to get out a little bit more when I had the energy and see more of the family – Easter was lovely!  And my hair was finally starting to grow back.  April also brought the news that my employer had granted me one of five annual volunteer awards for the second year in a row.  The award was granted based on my pink ribbon cup cozy campaign I had put together for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2021.  It was a significant amount, and was directed to the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, of course.  This also gave me an added boost of positivity at a time when the daily drudgery of radiation was starting to get me down. 

May: Radiation finished up on May 5, and I rang the bell for a second time.  It was very emotional – it signified the end of the active treatment phase of my journey.  I was left with a couple of severe radiation burns on my neck, and a really nice hefty “sunburn” on one side of my chest.  I was completely unprepared for how tired I continued to be – it was very frustrating!  And chemo brain was still taking a toll on me, too.  Despite my lagging energy, we had our granddaughters for their first sleepover sans parents since July 2021.  Unfortunately, the little one felt that it was a good idea to share whatever non-covid virus she was harbouring at the time.  The end of May saw me in the ER with a fever and severe flu symptoms – which opened a whole other can of worms!  We also connected with my cousin-in-law, who was out in Ontario for a business trip.  It was sooooo nice to get together and catch up!

June: Part of the fall-out from my trip to the ER was follow-up care at the hospital’s ambulatory clinic.  The attending doctor was very thorough and sent me for an MRI on my spine to try and determine the cause of some pain in my left knee.  That MRI showed a tiny bright spot on my pelvis.  Well, that news sent all of us into a tizzy!  I ended up with a bone scan, which was clear.  This was very welcome news and a follow-up MRI was scheduled for November.  In midst of this bump in the road, my eldest granddaughter performed in her first ballet recital, and my daughter and son-in-law were finally able to celebrate with a covid-delayed wedding reception held on their second anniversary.  A major household project also started in June:  new siding.  Despite the scare of metastasis, June was full of great memories!

July:  Every day my energy increased just a little bit and the chemo brain was starting to slowly subside.  Breast Cancer Canada featured my story on their Facebook page, and we were able to get out and enjoy some activities that we hadn’t been able to:  wineries, backyard parties, shopping, more sleepovers.  My hair was a mass of tight curls at this point.  Overall, July was a pretty good month.

August: Over the municipal long weekend, we welcome another member into our family and drove up to Barrie to pick-up Jinger – a 5-month-old Great Dane puppy.  Crazy, I know, but we really felt that Jorah needed a friend to play with as Copper was slowing down and getting rather crotchety.  Jinger proved to be a very positive thing for all of us.  August also saw the start of my 3-month gradual return to work.  It was very tough at first, but as with everything else, it slowly got better bit by bit. 

September:  Early in the month, we were able to see some great friends from Thunder Bay, and enjoyed a wonderful evening out.  The re-siding of our house was finally finished, too.  September 8 was the one-year anniversary of Toby and I parting ways.  Hard to believe that it was a year already.  Unfortunately, I had a recurrence of some troublesome radiation side effects, and had to dial back my working hours for a couple of weeks to give myself a little extra time to rest and heal.  Overall, September was a month of adjustment.

October:  This was another challenging month, but not from a health perspective.  My 100-year-old Grandmother passed away, and we made an unexpected trip out to Alberta over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Although it was great to see family and friends, the reason for us being in Alberta was a bummer.  At least there was no drama!  Dave’s Mom also got to finally meet her great-granddaughters, which was a precious moment.  A good friend of ours stepped up to help us out with dog care over the long weekend, for which we will forever be grateful.  Unfortunately, a few weeks after we got back, we had to say goodbye to Copper, our redbone coonhound.  It was time, but still upsetting. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and our niece participated in a fundraising run, which she dedicated to me. That gesture meant more to me than she will ever know and I still get misty-eyed thinking about it. October did have some good moments and bright lights, but overall, it was rather dismal.

November:  November was full of my six-month imaging and follow-up appointments.  Due to increasing pain in my bones and joints, I had worked myself up to anticipating the worst-case scenario.  The good news is that I was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease) at the end of the month.  I also got my first hair cut – one year to the day Nichole shaved it all off.  Work-wise, my 3-month gradual return to work ended and I was reinstated to full-time hours on November 7.  But the best thing that happened in November was being featured in the Juravinski Cancer Centre holiday fund raiser!  The mailer went out to all of the supporters of the JCC, and was also featured on their social media platforms.  I am honoured to have been selected to have my story shared. 

December: The first weekend in December was my first craft show in three years, and it was also the most successful one to date!  As the season wore on, I saw everything through a different lens, and I appreciated every moment of it!  Even little things like walking through the PATH on my way to the office and seeing the holiday lights and décor -  to baking, wrapping parcels, shopping, holiday parties and luncheons, Elaine’s Christmas ballet recital – all of it!  It left like I was making up for lost time.  However, the second Christmas Day was over, COVID reared its ugly head.  I tested positive on December 26, spiked a 102F fever, and got to go for a ride in an ambulance to the ER.  After something to settle my stomach, something to bring down the fever, 8 tubes of blood drawn, and a prescription for Paxlovid in hand, I was sent back home with strict instructions to come back if I get short of breath.  So, after two years of a pandemic and a year of dealing with cancer, I finish up 2022 with COVID.  I just hope that I am not becoming the person who catches everything and gets it twice as bad.  Fingers crossed that my immune system comes fully back online in 2023!

And that’s a wrap!  Congrats if you made it all the way to the end of this rather long post.  My next round of medical appointments is in May, so unless something comes up in the meantime, I will catch you all then!  Cheers – Pam.

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