So ... there's this thing called chemo

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think" - Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

The holidays were a really nice break - no radiation, no trips to the hospital, no tests, no needles, no intrustive questions. However, Mom was quite anxious to get back at it once the holidays were over, and she didn't have to wait long.

She met with the medical oncologist (chemo doctor) on January 3. To be completely honest, there was some trepidation about this appointment, as we had not met with any of the chemo doctors before, and there is always some worry about what new news new doctors will come with. Also, most of the questions we came up with after the diagnosis were for this appointment to be answered by this doctor and his fellow.

At Cancer Care, everyone is very caring, and I'm sure there is a reason they make you go through things several times, but when you are anxious, it can be a bit trying. Mom had to answer questions and listen to a spiel from three different medical personnel that day, but she was patient and attentive, even though I could sense a bit of unease.

We had a million questions, but the most pressing for Mom was if she could have her chemo at a hospital closer to home, and thankfully, she could. After getting that answer, Mom was ready to hear the rest of what the doctors had to say. And there was a lot they had to say.

To boil it down to the nitty-gritty: Mom's condition is not curable, meaning that the cancer she has will never completely go away. However, and this is a big however, the whole point of the chemo is to get the cancer down to a manageable size so that it is not impacting Mom's daily life in a substantial way, and there is always the hope - obviously a big hope on our part - that the cancer will go into remission.

Mom is receiving two drugs in her "chemo cocktail" - a "C" drug and a "G" drug. We were given a lot of information about those drugs, but the bottom line is that these drugs were chosen specifically for Mom and her type and stage of cancer.

Chemo started on January 9. It takes quite a while to administer the medication, so thank goodness Mom is a pro with her iPad! She keeps herself busy. She finds that after the chemo she is quite tired, so she goes straight from the hospital home to her chair for a nap. She has now finished her first cycle of chemo. She starts her next one in 3 weeks. So between now and then, she has to keep her strength up, and go for some more scans, tests and other sundry appointments.

She had the most pleasant surprise today when she showed up for the last chemo appointment of Cycle 1 - a balloon bouquet in the chemo room from her dear friends.

What a nice surprise when I walked into the chemo room!

Floor-to-ceiling love, courtesy of the best friends a girl could have

 

The bright balloons waiting for her at the hospital made Mom's day. It brought colour into a dreary day and love into a difficult place. You couldn't ask for better friends!

 

The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone informed, so I feel it is important to note that Mom's life is not consumed by cancer. Far from it, in fact. She "fiddle-dee-dee'd" the notion that she would miss the world premiere of Gone With the Wind at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. She was front and centre to see Scarlett O'Hara take the stage. Her smile was radiant, and her and Colleen could be heard giggling and saying the lines along with Scarlett, their favourite heroine.

 

The Gone With the Wind gang at MTC

 

More appointments await, as well as more updates from Mom's team of doctors. This blog will be updated fast and furious in the days to come. Thank you all for your thoughtful messages to Mom. It truly puts a smile on her face everytime someone leaves her a post or an email.

A shout out needs to be given to the Seel cousins as well as Pam and Wade for stocking Mom's freezer after the post about soup. Mom has been thoroughly enjoying all the tasty treats you so kindly made for her. Every time she heats up one of these packaged-with-love dinners, she is reminded how treasured she is.

Keep well.