Crazy 8

Good day, dear reader.  You’ll have to excuse me if I gush, but gush I might.  CHEMO IS DONE, CHEMO IS DONE, CHEMO IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!  End of gushing.  For now.

That’s right, dear reader, Dianne is officially finished with Chemotherapy.  25 weeks ago, she started the long journey down chemo road, and with a few twists in the road, she made it to the end of this stage of the race.  Most of say that the 25 weeks went very quickly, and I believe that everyone it did.  Everyone except Dianne, that is.  For her, it was a long, arduous process.   I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again “Dianne, I love you and you are amazing!!”

Now, why the title Crazy 8?  Isn’t that a card game?  Well, dear reader, the reason I chose this as my title is because chemo #8 was a crazy ride.  The administration of the chemo went according to plan, but the time we spend at the CCI was crazy.  Let me explain.

Normally, when we get to the CCI, we go in, they tell us where to sit, and then the nurse comes along and hooks everything up, and all is well.   Dianne usually reads or dozes off, and I will either read or play on the laptop.  So, we were all prepared for much of the same when we went in.  We were soon to learn that it was not to be.  We were not the first ones in the room that morning.  Chris and his brother Jim were first.  Chris has lung cancer, and his treatment started a bit earlier than Dianne’s.  As we headed towards her assigned seat, Chris bellowed out a hearty welcome.  It was the kind of greeting that made you think of loud mouth schnooks and goombas.  Needless to say, we were a bit concerned.

As we got to talking with Chris and Jim, we realized that they were just trying to make the best of a bad situation.  Having fun, trying to lighten the mood kind of stuff.  Very quickly, we started to have fun.  As more people entered our area and took a seat, they were greeted heartily and made to feel welcome (or not, depending on how they like us).  Soon, the room was full, the room was loud, we were all laughing (well, most of us were laughing).  Dianne and I did not get a chance to read or play on the laptop.

Some very interesting and bizarre conversations happened that day.  The one about the twitching kids (honestly dear reader, you don’t want to know….but if I ever see a kid twitch I am going to laugh my a$$ off and think of Chris and Jim), the one about salads.  One of the patients actually had to read part of her book out loud to us…it was something about what kids don’t learn in school.  We asked her not to read to us anymore LOL.

Everyone in the room knew it was Dianne’s last treatment (mainly because Chris bellowed it out to everyone who walked in).  So towards the end, it became a really big deal.  The process was this:  when the chemo drip was 20 minutes away from being done, Dianne had to put a hot pack over the PICC line (which was about to be removed) so that it would slide out nice and easy.  Once the PICC line was out, she had to wait around for 20 minutes with a compression bandage on it to make sure she didn’t bleed all over the place.
So, here we are….20 minutes left in the drip.  The process has started.  The heat pack is in place, and Chris is bellowing that Dianne is almost done.  The drip is now done (that’s officially it for chemo, but still a bit of work to do).  I turn the other way because I know that the nurse is about to pull the PICC line out.  Dear reader, I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to see a tube being pulled out of a vein in someone’s arm.  Watching the operation channel on TV (is that even on anymore?) is one thing, but seeing this stuff live makes my mini-wheats come back to haunt me.  The PICC line came out really smooth.  Dianne said it didn’t hurt, but just felt really weird.  20 minutes left.

The countdown was on, and became a verbal countdown at around 10 minutes.  I would bellow out the amount of time left in small intervals, at which point conversation would briefly stop.  At one minute left, everyone in the room was watching and listening to me do my count.  At 10 seconds I counted every second…..10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…..DONE!!!!  Dear reader, it was a heady experience when I said 0…the whole room burst out into cheers and clapping!!  The nurse broke into a rousing rendition of ‘Happy last chemo day’ to the tune of Happy Birthday (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).  And with that, we picked up our stuff, said goodbye to everyone…..and left.

So much more went on this day during the treatment, but I honestly can’t remember it all.  I can tell you that the first 7 treatment days were quiet….and the 8th one was crazy in a fun sort of way.  We left the CCI with smiles on our faces, and a warm fuzzy feeling in our hearts.

Now what, you ask?  Well, now we wait.  Dianne has 3 or 4 weeks to recover from this chemo, and then it’s surgery.  We should find out this week what the exact day surgery will be.  And yes, dear reader, Dianne has decided to have a double mastectomy.  We talked a lot about the options, we got different opinions from different people, we consulted with the Dr. at the CCI….and decided on the double.  I won’t go into all the details of why we decided this, but rest assured that Dianne is very comfortable with this decision.

And that dear reader, was crazy 8th chemo day.  I probably did a lousy job of conveying how much fun we actually had, but that’s all I got.  I’d like to give a shout out to Chris….if you ever read this, Chris, I hope and pray that all goes well with you!!  A very special thank you goes out to the chemo nurses at the CCI….you ladies are brilliant, and we appreciate everything you’ve all done for us.  You’ll still see us, though…every 3 weeks for the next year for the Herceptin treatment.  (Dear reader, the Herceptin is the drug to counter Dianne’s HER2+ disease, which is what is making her cancer so aggressive….).  Thanks again to Laura for giving Dianne her last Neulasta injection.  Thanks to Andy and Darren for watching the kids.  And thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers…we appreciate it more than words can say.

On a final note, dear reader:  CHEMO IS DONE.  D-U-N….DONE!!!!

Cheers.

RK

Ok, now to play ketchup.

Wow.  I’m thinking that I have some work to do here.  My last entry was on June 29, and it is now July 29.  So, let’s begin.

Disclaimer:  If you don’t have lots of time, please don’t start reading this.  Put it off until later.  Even if the kids are on the computer, kick them off and come back to read this.  It might be a bit wordy.  /end disclaimer.

Good afternoon, dear reader.  Welcome back to my blog.  Although, it should be me who is welcomed back, as I’m the one who disappeared.  So, welcome back, dear writer!!  Ok…deep breath.  Where am I at?  I left you last with 6 chemo’s done and a rough plan of what lies ahead for my dear wife.  That was the end of June.  Amazingly enough, things have changed.

Between the 29th of June and the 17th of July, not much happened.  Our holiday plans were changed.  Originally, the kids were going to go camping with my family for 4 days, after which I would join them for 4 days.  We changed that.  We decided that the kids and I would go camping for 8 days, and Dianne would have a holiday at home…no kids, no hubby, no worries.  We did this because during the time we wanted to be camping, she had to have a consultation and possibly a chemo treatment.  We figured that this would work out well.  So, on Monday the 13th, the kids and I headed off to Coaldale, and then to Kikomun Creek Provincial Park (Surveyors Lake) in BC on Tuesday.  We enjoyed our time their immensely, although I can honestly say that Dianne was sorely missed by the kids and by me (being Mom and Dad on a camping trip is not all it’s cracked up to be.)  I actually forgot to feed the kids lunch on the first two days.  And this whole changing of clothes thing is hogwash.  But hey, it saves on laundry when we got home, right?

So, all this begs the question:  What did Dianne do whilst we were camping?  Well, she rested.  From everything she’s told me, she enjoyed it quite a bit.  On Thursday, July 16, Dianne went in to the CCI for her consultation.  Her blood counts were up!!  The good Dr. measured the tumor (which in his estimation used to be the size of a watermelon (and anyone who knows Dianne will laugh hysterically at that), and decided that it now measured 4cm x 4cm.  This down from 5cm x 3cm from the last measurement.  Excellent!!!  (/insert Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure guitar riff).  He also said that the tumor is softer and seems to be caving in on itself (I call it an implosion).  This too is very good news.  This means that the tumor is shrinking in size from outward edge to inward edge (nipple to chest), and is breaking up slightly.  Chemo on the 18th is a go!!!!

As a side note, Dr. Joy’s new intern apparently has warm hands (which makes Dianne very happy) and he likes the Calgary Flames (which automatically adds to the respect level I have for him).

Dianne emailed me at 3:10PM on Friday, July 17 to let me know that the chemo treatment went well.  (Thank you Henrietta for taking Dianne to the consultation on Thursday and to the chemo appointment of Friday!!)  She had a good nurse, which always makes the process better.  She also had a guy eating ice beside her for the last half hour.  Just so you know….when Dianne sees ice, hears ice tinkle in a glass, thinks of ice or eats ice, it brings back nasty chemo memories.  It is not pleasant for her.  So that last 1/2 hour must have been real crappy for her.  (not to mention that it is now very hard for me to make a Mojito, margurita or daquiri without making her sick).  Only 1 chemo left!!!!

ONLY ONE CHEMO LEFT!!!!  For me, it seems not too long ago that we were facing the daunting journey of 8 chemo treatments and all the hellish side effects thereof.  (For Dianne, it seems a long time ago, but time is moving different for her.)  And now, she has one left.  Wow.  We are both really looking forward to the end of the leg of the trip.

On July 20th, Dianne received a phone call from the surgeons office requesting that she come in at 10:15 the next morning.  This is an important meeting we figured, because this is where the mastectomy decision is most likely to be made (single or double).  Thank you Andy for driving Dianne to this appointment.

What transpired at the meeting with the surgeon?  Well, it has been decided that surgery will take place at the end of August or beginning of September (usually  or 4 weeks after the last chemo).  Dianne’s blood counts have to be up before surgery can proceed.  The surgeon prefers to do a single mastectomy now, and if Dianne would like to, the second one can be removed in a years time.  The surgeon feels this reduces the risk of infection.  However, Dianne has the final say as to what happens.  She has signed a consent form for both a single and a double….now she needs to make that decision.  Dianne and I have talked about it, and are still gathering some more information before we decide.  We have to let the surgeon know at the beginning of August what will happen.  Dianne will need to stay in the hospital for one night after surgery, and if there are no complications, she can go home the next day.  I will be home for 2 weeks following the surgery in order to do everything that Dianne would normally do (feeding kids is an important one, as I learned on the camping trip!!).

And that, dear reader, brings you up to date.  Dianne’s next consultation is next Thursday (a week from tomorrow).  The final chemo is approaching!!  The tune to The Final Countdown by Europe suddenly popped into my head for some reason.  Ah, this is going to be an important landmark in this journey.  I am looking forward to being able to tell you that chemo is done.  And, the Lord willing, I will be able to do that next weekend.

Again, I must thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and for all the other support given.  Thanks again Henrietta for being such an awesome sister!!  And Andy, thanks for being a great brother-in-law!!  And Laura, many thanks for once again injecting the Neulasta into Dianne on the Saturday after chemo (can we call you one more time next weekend?).

Dear reader…..cheers.

RK

8 is enough

Hello again, dear reader.  Again, it is time for an update on Dianne.  So without further ado, let’s go.  And I promise I will not make any ‘Michael Jackson is dead!!’ references.  You’d probably tell me to beat it.  Or start calling me Billie Jean.  Or tell me to mind my own ABC’s.  Well I tell you, I’m struggling with the man in the mirror, and not everything is black or white.  Ok, enough of that…it’s been a real thriller.

Now, for the update.  This past Thursday, Dianne had her consultation with the oncologist.  He was thrilled because the tumors have shrunk to 5 x 4 cm.  Based on that, he is going to go ahead with the full run of chemotherapy, meaning that Dianne had 3 left as of Thursday.  Also, her blood counts came back to normal, which meant that chemo was a go for the next day.

And with that, the chemo was administered, along with all the steroids that come with it.  The steroids cause insomnia, so Dianne did not get much sleep over the weekend.  The administration of the chemo went real well.  This is the 2nd round of the 2nd type of chemo, and with this one comes a drug called Herceptin.  The Herceptin is used because Dianne is HER2 positive.  With the first dose of Herceptin, it took 90 minutes to IV it into her, and with the second one it was 60 minutes.  I believe that 3 and 4 will take only 30 minutes to get it in.  The actual chemo (Taxetere) is administered after the Herceptin.  So, we were at the CCI for about 3 1/2 hours this time around.

The side effects of the Taxetere don’t kick in usually until Monday.  These effects consist of muscle pain, joint pain and bone pain.  Thankfully there has been no nausea associated with the chemo so far.  The pain can be controlled with Tylenol, although there are risks with that too (it masks fever).  Is this all repeat?  Have I mentioned any of this before?  If I have, please accept my apologies.  If I haven’t then there is no need for apologies LOL.

So, where are we and what is ahead?  Right now, Dianne is done 6 out of 8 chemo treatments.  Following chemo is surgery, followed by radiation followed by more surgery (reconstructive).  And today is Monday, tomorrow is Tuesday….we’ll deal with Tuesday when it comes.  That’s how we live…day by day.

This week, Dianne and the kids are at her mom and dad’s in Camp Creek.  Hopefully they have a great time there, and hopefully Dianne feels well enough to enjoy it.

A very special thanks goes to Laura P. for injecting the Neulasta into Dianne on Saturday.   And thanks to Rita G. for being available if Laura couldn’t do it.  Thanks also to everyone who’s supporting us through prayers and good wishes.  We appreciate it all!!!

Cheers,

RK

The Latest…..

Dear Reader

Really, truly and honestly…..there is nothing new.  Everything is good right now.  Thursday will be another consultation to find out how Dianne’s blood counts are, when the next chemo will be and if there has been any change in the tumours. 

So, check up here again on Thursday or Friday.

Until then….cheers.

RK

Finally…an update

Greetings, dear reader.  Finally I am getting around to publishing an update.  Again, laziness has struck, and I find myself sitting on the couch not blogging more often than not.  My evenings are spent with Dianne, with the kids…and once they’re in bed I sit here with a glass of wine and play some video games.  Really, I need to make time to keep all of you updated.

 At last update, we discussed how Dianne’s 5th treatment was delayed.  Well, a one week reprieve is all she needed for her blood counts to come back to normal.  And so, the treatment was administered.  During the week off, we had visits from our Pastor and his intern, plus a visit from two elders from our church.  These evenings were very enjoyable…it was more proof that there is a tremendous amount of support for us.

 So.  The treatment.  It went well.  I wasn’t present for this one…I went to David’s sports day in Neerlandia (Rebecca came along as well), and so Henrietta went to ‘chemo day’ with Dianne.  For those of you who followed along with my Facebook status updates, you’ll kind of have an idea how the weekend went.  Dianne has been able to eat and drink with no repercussions at all.  This is really a ‘new’ experience for us…the past treatments have drastically her ability to keep food and drink in for about 3 days following.

 Now, don’t get me wrong.  She has not felt all that great following the treatment, but it could have been so much worse.  The muscle aches and pains showed up on Monday evening.  Thankfully, by then the insomnia was starting to disappear (she was done taking the round of steroids).  As of this writing, the aches and pains are still there, and we’re unsure of how long this lasts.

 On Monday, Dianne and I went for a consultation with the radiologist.  We discussed the pro’s and con’s of radiation.  You’re probably wondering why we would have this consultation now.  After all, radiation won’t happen until after surgery.  Well, the radiologist needs time to plan out the treatments, and also needs to get herself familiar with Dianne and her situation.  It was a very good consult, and we feel very comfortable with radiation as another treatment.   Radiation will take place at least 4 weeks after surgery, depending on how well Dianne is healing.  She will go for at least 20 treatments….5 per week for 4 weeks.

 Dear reader, I think that brings you up to date.  I might have forgotten something, but that should not surprise anyone who knows me.    I know it’s been said before, but I must say it again…thank you all very much for your thoughts and prayers, and for every other form of support you’ve given.  Words cannot express how deeply we appreciate it.

 A quick shout out to Dana….you go girl!!!  Only one chemo left for you!!!  God bless, my friend!!!!

 Cheers.

 RK