Mistletoe And Other Things Of Interest

Mistletoe, originally uploaded by DPC Tutt.

We got out for two long walks today. It seems to be one of the recurring themes here along with lots of fruit, lots of salads, lots of treatments and lots of relaxation. We met a new couple here yesterday. This is his third time coming for full body hyperthermia. They live on the road up to Sun Peaks just outside of Kamloops. He and his wife were/are both teachers and are very interesting people. That also seems to a theme here, interesting and diverse people. I suppose that arises from cancer being the great equalizer. It affects young and old, rich and poor and everyone in between. We've met lots of other patients here and it's been like one big support group. The carcer people talk and share stories and the support people comfort each other and provide some perspective on the cancer battle. It's been all around a great experience: people, food, doctors, nurses, treatments, the town, the country.

I'm scheduled for my whole body hyperthermia treatment on Monday. In talking with other patients here who have already undergone treatment we've learned a lot. The whole procedure takes about 5 hours. Two hours to get up to temperature (41.7 degrees C), one hour to cook at full temperature, and two hours to cool down. While you have the treatment they give you a sugar solution via IV (to get the cancer cells active and open up the metabolic pathways so the chemo gets absorbed efficiently) and chemotherapy. In my case they will be giving one chemo drug during treatment and one or two drugs in the two days and nights that follow treatment. During the entire procedure you are asleep, not under general anesthetic, but just heavily sedated. I'm hoping they will let Penny into the room with the camera so we can get a shot of the apparatus. I'm looking forward to it and am hoping it will do it's job on the nasty bits in my lungs.

My only complaint thus far is the reccurring pain I get associated with my drain. The doctors here did a culture of my drain fluid and found that the antibiotics I've been on won't kill all the bugs in there so they are switching me to another antibiotic in the hope that it will kill the bugs and help with the pain. Fingers crossed.

Apparently the bunches of green up in the oak tree pictured above are mistletoe. The birds carry the seeds up into the trees and "deposit" them up there where the mistletoe grows happily. When you get up close you can even see the little white berries. I had no idea this was how mistletoe grows.

What's the deal with Charlie Sheen?