We just learned this weekend that a friend of the family has been diagnosed with cancer. To that person I would like to say that our thoughts are with you in this difficult time. I found that, following my diagnosis the more doctors I spoke with and the more reading I did, the more at ease I felt. It will never be like it was, but you will develop a new 'normal'. Keep fighting the good fight!
On a happier note, its Halloween this week and everyone seems to be excited. It will be a week of dressing up for Carly the witch as she has to wear her costume to school, music, the hospital on Friday for my radiation treatment (everyone dresses up and lots of the units in the TBCC hand out candy!) and of course she'll go out on Friday night in our neighborhood to rake in the loot. Andrew will be a pumpkin this year and, although he's too young to eat the candy, he will be collecting it for mum and dad to "inspect". I think our neighborhood will be a great place to go trick-or-treating. There are lots of kids and the houses are close together so even the rookie trick-or-treater should be able to rake in a fair amount of candy with minimal work.
Side effects of the chemo and radiation are getting steadily worse but are still totally manageable. I was in at the TBCC today for a double whammy of chemo and radiation. Both departments were running ahead of schedule so I got treated quickly. I didn't even get a chance to work on the puzzles! I should explain that in the chemo waiting room and outside all the radiation treatment areas there are jig-saw puzzles set up in various stages of completion. The idea being that while you're waiting, if you don't feel like reading you can put your brain to work on a puzzle. It turns out that you can also judge the efficiency of the chemo and radiation teams by the turnover in puzzle completion. For example, I often have to wait in chemo (as does almost everyone) so when I sit in the waiting room there is a new puzzle there everyday (because there is always someone waiting that finishes it). But in radiation the same puzzle has been sitting there in almost the same state of half completion for 2 weeks. That goes to show you that my radiation team (Bridget, Shannon, Emanuel, and Kate) are almost always on time.
That's all for now. I'm off to take my parents to catch their "Mr Westjet".
4 comments:
Hi Dan - hope that the continuing treatment is still manageable. Loved the photos you posted of the kids - could Carly's eyes be any bigger!? As for Andrew's pumpkin suit! We will be with Jeremy and Mandy next w.e for a wedding nr Wellington.Our election day as well so no doubt there will be interruptions to the proceedings as resutls come in - rather a shame actually.
My nephew,Al Preston -Los Angeles- wife and two little girls in Nz at the mo and coming to Omaha for two nights on Mon.
Keep up the good work and hope you respond well to all that damn treatment.
Liz and Phil - NZ
Ah yes the puzzles...I spent many days working on those - don't think we ever finished one even with the help of the others in the waiting rooms.
You will find a new 'normal' in time and it will be a great 'normal'
Thinking of you all often,
Nisha
I love to read your stories and the photos you have posted of your kids... you guys should be proud of having such a beautiful little angels in your life... they are incredible cute!
Hope everything goes well with your treatments... you are half way now of finishing with your radiation, that's good news!
Cheers!
Dan... You probaby guessed who wrote your last comment, but just in case.. :)
Dariela D.
Post a Comment