December 2005

September 2010

Hi folks,

5 years ago at this time we were driving from Red Deer to Medicine Hat trying to sort out the news we just heard: Callum has cancer. 

In reflection of that time, I thought it would be interesting to look at some numbers that tell part of the story of the last 5 years (all #’s approx):

53 – doctor visits
82 – chemo treatments
124 – total days of chemo
40 – days of radiation
17 – CT scans
14 – MRI’s
1 – bone scan
2 – Gamma Knife surgeries
1 – echocardiogram
2 – PET/CT scans

1 - PICC line
2 – port insertions
3 – colonoscopies
1 – sigmoidoscopy
2 – cystoscopies
2 – surgeries
3 – biopsies
9 – x-rays
3 – ultrasounds
6 – blood transfusions
Countless blood tests, medications and supplements
----

2- trips to Scotland
5 – anniversaries
1 - trip to Ireland
1 – trip to Dominican Republic
1 – our daughter’s wedding
1 - parents’ 50th Anniversary
1 – parent 80th birthday
1 – birth and 1st birthday of Cade, our Grandson (yeah!!!)
3 – trips to Mexico
1 – Lorna’s hole in one
1 – trip to Las Vegas
10 – concerts – major acts

Countless visits with family and friends!

George Bernard Shaw:
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

TTFN
Lorna

A LIVESTRONG Day Event | LIVESTRONG Day 2010 | LIVESTRONG.org

Wear Yellow on October 2!!

A LIVESTRONG Day Event | LIVESTRONG Day 2010 | LIVESTRONG.org

Happy Anniversary to us!

It has been a such a busy month!  I am on the downswing, of sorts, at work. Tomorrow is one of the last major events for a while, and then we just have LIVESTRONG Day next weekend. It will be a bit scaled down as our group is a bit small right at the moment. But we have some good things happening and I know it will be a wonderful day!

Wednesday, the 22nd, was our 31st wedding anniversary.  We have spent some time reflecting on 31 years of marriage - what a time we have had! I would hazard to guess there was not really likely one person, other than us, who believed we could do it. As the song says "It goes to show, you never can tell!"  Since Callum is on chemo this week, we celebrated on Monday by going to Carver's, our favourite nice dining place in Saskatoon. We had a lot of fun with Jayce (the sommelier) and Trent, our waiter. It pays to be a frequent visitor!

Callum is doing quite fine. We are slowly getting used to the different side effects of the FOLFIRI regimen.   It seems to be taking a bit longer for him to get back to "normal".  Mostly he is just a bit more tired for a couple of extra days. He just keeps going! His leg is not causing much pain at the moment which is really nice for him. He is able to get out of the house more often - I don't know how he handled staring at the walls inside of our house for so long! His parents were up to visit while I headed out to Emma Lake for a work retreat for art educators.  I think it was nice for him to get a break from me, have some time with his parents, and it was good for me to be able to focus on making sure the retreat ran smoothly.  Callum has a CT scan (abdomen, chest and pelvis) on Sept 29, and an MRI (brain) on Oct 2. Then an oncologist visit on Oct 5 and a visit to the neurosurgeon on Oct 7. By Thanksgiving we should have a good idea of how things are going and where we go from there. Hopefully it is just more of the same!

We have had a couple of visits from the Palliative Care nurse, but with Callum doing OK right now there isn't much for them to do. I have worked in human services enough to know, though, that it is all about building that relationship, and best to do it before there is a crisis. I know we will be thankful for her visits.

We were  disappointed to hear that they have changed around the nurses at the Cancer Centre and our trusted, favourite nurse is now working with the patients of another doctor. Now I have to break in another nurse! I don't understand, sometimes. I know we are not totally unique, but most people who go for treatment do it for a shorter time - not usually 2 1/2 years. I am sure they have to go through this, but it seems so hard when we build up a relationship with someone and then have to start over. And Callum's situation gets so complicated. I am not sure I have enough patience to do this again - I feel sorry for the poor nurse! Hopefully she surprises me and makes me eat my words.

We are having a visit from Callum's brother and his wife for a few days coming up. It will be so nice to have them here, we enjoy having them.

Next week we have another anniversary to acknowledge and celebrate. September 30 will be the 5th anniversary of Callum's diagnosis of cancer.  It is a milestone, that's for sure, and one that I am sure will give cause for reflection.

My challenge to you, let me know - what have been your highlights of the last five years?  Have you done any random acts of kindness?  Have you taken any action in the fight against cancer?

There's your food for thought for the night....

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."         James Levin

TTFN

time for an update, I suppose

I am just sitting here working on burning some CD's for our son, J.  It's wonderful that we have the technology, I just wish it worked faster!

We are very happy he came to visit this week - it was an unexpected, but extremely wonderful surprise.  He has had to endure a lot of sitting around, but he has helped out quite a bit. Some things may seem easy and not a big deal to some, but having someone go out and pick up 6 things at the grocery store while I am at work makes a huge difference! And it gets Callum out, too. A double win for us. And we appreciate it so much.

My mom's 80th Birthday party was a huge success. My mom looked so beautiful in her new dress - something she deserves as she rarely treats herself to such things. The tea was really well attended - we even had to set up more tables! The family dinner was enjoyed by 38 of us. It was a very busy weekend, but well worth every minute.

Callum was pretty good for the weekend, except for a bit of a nasty day on the Saturday. He seemed to run a bit of a fever and was very fatigued. He spent from about 9 pm Friday night until Sunday morning in bed. Tylenol helped the fever and by Sunday he was  new man! Thankfully he was able to go to the birthday party.

Things are getting a bit better with the leg. Callum has less pain in it now, although he is still not permitted to weight bear. That is such a hard adjustment for both of us! He still takes pain meds at night, but daytime seems to be much better. It is nice because he can get back to driving and getting out when his is feeling up to it.

We are kind of in a holding pattern with things. His oncologist is continuing with the FOLFIRI treatment for now. We will see what the CT scan and MRI show when they are done. The MRI is scheduled for Oct 2, and we are still waiting for CT date. He seems to be tolerating the FOLFIRI OK even with the different side effects. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will stabilize the disease once more.

As we continue on with the journey, we must also start thinking about the issues that will come up when the disease can't be stabilized. We are wanting to spend more time in Medicine Hat in the coming months. That delightful little grandson of ours is just too hard to stay away from!  I am working for an amazing board of directors and support whatever I need to take for time from work. It is nice to have such a nice, open relationship and their support. It helps us prepare in advance for when I may not be at work.  Most likely we will plan to stay in Medicine Hat more often when we have exhausted all treatment options.  We will have some other details to work out, but as time goes on we both are feeling the pull of being closer to family (right Cal?). We have also had many offers of help from people. Be ready folks, we will be starting to make a list! There are certainly things to do around here and times that help will be welcome, we just have to sort out priorities and also be sure to keep some time for ourselves.

Lots of days are up and down like a rollercoaster - it is often hard to keep up with my ever changing thoughts! This has been such a great week with J. here, that I am feeling like I have caught my breath a bit. September is such a busy time at work so the month will fly by.  The scans will be done by early October and then we will reassess at that time and decide where the journey will take us.

The beauty of empowering others is that your own power is not diminished in the process. Barbara Coloroso

TTFN

A LIVESTRONG Day Event | LIVESTRONG Day 2010 | LIVESTRONG.org

A LIVESTRONG Day Event | LIVESTRONG Day 2010 | LIVESTRONG.org