Killer?

About once a week Carly's kindergarten class meets up with a grade three class at her school. Each of the kindergarten students gets paired up with a grade three student. I think the idea is for the kindergarten kids to have a mentor, someone to help them with stories or art or whatever they're doing on that particular day. On the first day it happened, Carly came home and told us all about it. When we asked what her grade three buddies name was she paused for a moment, got a confused look on her face and then said "Killer??". Of course we didn't believe her but the more we questioned her on it, the more certain she was that she had the right name. So we asked her that the next time she meets up with her grade three buddy could she please ask what her name was because Killer didn't seem like a good name for an 8 year old girl. Sure enough, a few days later she came home with a big smile on her face and told us that she had met up with her buddy again and asked her name and this time she was sure that her name was in fact Killer. "You know mom, Killer. Like someone who shoots deer!". Still not believing that someone would name their daughter Killer, Penny wrote a note to Carly's teacher explaining what had happened and that we were a little concerned that there was a communication breakdown somewhere in this process. Carly's teacher wrote back the same day saying that her grade three buddy was named Hunter, not Killer. I guess this speaks to the way a five-year-olds mind works. We laugh all the time now about that story.

Emend is wonderful

My new anti-nausea drug Emend is awesome. It has thus far prevented any vomiting and has cut the nausea down to a 2 out of 10. It does make me a little dizzy and light headed but that is a small price to pay not throwing up all over the place. It's expensive (~$50/pill) but I guess that's what a good medical plan is for (thanks EnCana/Manulife!).

In the drain department all is still well. I have absolutely no drain pain (I'm living in contented disbelief) and will probably be able to come off the antibiotics tomorrow. This is the best round of chemo I think I've ever had. I hope the rest are just as good.

Drain RELIEF!

Yesterday I went to the Hospital for my standard pre-chemo appointment with my oncologist. We had a few things to discuss including going back to work (more on that later this week), anti-nausea medications and my stupid painful drain. On the going back to work front, my doctor said she would fully support me going back. I guess it's not something I have discussed here on the blog but it's definitely something I've been considering for some time now. I need something interesting to do that gets me out of the house and provides a week-to-week focus for myself and the family that is NOT cancer related. Right now our lives seem to be focused around chemo days and good weeks and bad weeks. It would be nice to think of those days as work days and non-work days instead.

On the anti-nausea front I was able to get a prescription for another anti-nausea drug called Emend. It is supposed to work wonders and was recommended to me by Daryl. I guess he had good success with it and never suffered any nausea. I hope I have similar success.

On the drain front we had a major breakthrough yesterday. As you know I have been having tremendous trouble with my drain at the site where it enters my skin. Up until now it has been stitched in place using a very coarse fishing-line-like suture. In my layman's opinion, the pain is caused by the rubbing of these sutures on my raw flesh. The chemotherapy I'm on slows healing and so the sutures cut through the skin which can't heal and results in constant pain. Every medical professional I've talked to thus far has been hesitant to remove the stitches for two reasons: 1) JP drains are always stitched to the skin to hold them in place and 2) if you take the stitches out, what will hold the drain in place? Well I went to visit my ET (ostomy) nurse yesterday and she had a solution. Her office is on the 10th floor and she deals a lot with drains. Unlike the doctors who just put drains in and never have to deal with problems or issues over the long haul, the nurses on unit 102 deal with drains day in and day out and have real hands on experience on dealing with all the problems associated with them. So Julie (my ostomy nurse) suggested we take the stitches out right then and there and try a specially designed adhesive drain anchor to hold the drain in place. She said they are rarely used for JP drains but that's most likely because JP drains usually only stay in for a week or 10 days, not 5 months like mine. So we took the stitches out and put the anchor in place. It required some adjustment but 24 hours later I can report absolutely no pain! It's a tremendous relief to be able to walk and bend without pain. I'm even contemplating getting out for a run (obviously I will wait a few days to make sure that the new anchor can hold the drain in place adequately). Yahoo!

So, thanks Julie for making my day and taking away the pain. Solving the problem with practical solutions is always more effective than throwing medication at it and covering it up.

Today is chemo day so that sucks but I'm keen to see if my new anti-nausea drug works. Stay tuned.

Attention CLR

Hi Cheryl,

So many questions for you. Could you please email me

dantutt@telus.net

Daryl Gourlay - Obituary

From today's Herald:

GOURLAY, Daryl John Beloved husband of Jan Gourlay of Calgary, passed away after a valiant battle with cancer at home, surrounded by his family on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at the age of 53 years. Daryl will be lovingly remembered by his wife and four sons: Aaron, Adam, Devin and Brayden, all of Calgary. He is also survived by his loving parents Willis and Doris Gourlay of Arnprior, ON, and his sister Susan Berberick (Mike) of Hamilton, ON. Also left to grieve, are many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Daryl graduated from Erindale High School in Mississauga, ON and then earned a BSc Honours Geo/Geog degree from McMaster University in 1982. He worked his entire career of twenty-eight years with Encana, thus fulfilling his lifelong passion in oil and gas. Daryl has touched many people over the years. He was dedicated to everything he did, whether it was work, trying to win the hockey pool, catching a line drive or supporting his family. He had a very optimistic attitude combined with a sense of humour and determination. He never forgot his roots and this gave him great integrity to all he did throughout his life. Daryl was an inspiration to many, including his four sons, of which his legacy will live on in them. A Celebration of Daryl's Life will be held at The Calgary Winter Club, 4611 - 14 Street N.W., Calgary, AB on Friday, October 15, 2010 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. If so desired, a memorial tribute may be made in Daryl's name directly to the Canadian Cancer Society (Unit 200, 325 Manning Road N.E., Calgary, AB, T2E 2P5), or Colorectal Cancer Research (204 - 5915 Leslie Street, Toronto, ON, M2H 1J8). To e-mail expressions of sympathy: mountainview@arbormemorial.com. Subject heading: Daryl Gourlay. Arrangements entrusted to MOUNTAIN VIEW FUNERAL HOME and CEMETERY, 1605 - 100 Street S.E. (17 Avenue S.E. at Garden Road), Calgary, AB, T1X 0L4. Telephone: 403-272-5555. www.mountainviewmemorial.ca .

Eye of the Tiger

A cool picture of Tiger duffing an iron shot. The photographer must have had nerves of steel to snap this one and then take a ball off his face/camera. My favourite parts of this picture are 1) the periscope on the left and 2) the psycho looking dude with the cigar on the right. It's good to know even Tiger misses the odd shot.

Daryl Gourlay

When I was diagnosed with cancer a little over two years ago, a co-worker of mine at EnCana was diagnosed at almost exactly the same time with the same disease. I didn't know Daryl, or his wife Jan or any of their boys at the time, but we became good friends over the course of our individual battles. Jan actually stopped me at the hospital one day and introduced herself. She knew me from my blog and we had a great conversation for an hour outside the Tom Baker centre. Daryl and I also spent some time in the hospital together. Some days he would totter up to visit me on my unit and others I would venture down to the ER or to his unit, IV pole in tow, gown flapping in the wind, to visit and share war stories about the "Chateau Foothills". Penny and I continue to draw on their strength and humour and are still in awe at how they managed to keep up with 4 boys, all of which were at one time or another playing hockey.

It is therefore with great sadness that I announce that Daryl passed away last night with his family at his side. I don't know what to say or what to write. What can you say? Nothing seems to quite cut it at a time like this. It's just a sad day.