Checking in on Amy

***UPDATE*** Original post below. Due to a covid cancelation my surgery will be tomorrow (Sept 30). *** Yesterday I met with radiation oncologist and had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon. Rick and I had both been feeling nervous about the pathology results. Unfortunately the results were not what we had hoped.  In the tissue removed from my original tumour site there was a small tumour remaining, which was expected. There were also some cancer cells in the surrounding tissue they removed, and in one spot those cells extended all the way to the edge of the tissue. (Imagine a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a tiny bit of chocolate ripple peeking out in one spot. We were hoping to NOT see anything peeking!) Since the cancer cells were present right up to the edge we can't be sure that there isn't still some cancer remaining, so I will have a 'revision' surgery to remove more tissue. Even though I knew this was a possibility, it SUCKS to be told this news. On the bri...

Way back in March I met my surgeon and I really liked her. On Wednesday (7th) I finally met with her again, and was thrilled that Rick could come with me so that he could meet her too; I knew he would like her as much as I did. My surgery is going to be next Wednesday (Sept 14th) and I am VERY excited about it. I can't wait to check another part of my treatment off the list. To me, this one seems easier than chemotherapy because it will happen quickly and not drag out across many months. My surgeon specializes in breast surgery, which is nice! Since my tumour had gotten quite large before I started chemo, the area she will remove from my breast is significant relative to the size of the breast. This means that my lumpectomy would leave me quite deformed without a bit of a rebuild. After surgery I will have a new, smaller, 'redesigned' right boob. We discussed operating on my left breast at the same time to make it match, but had to put this plan aside because of my still-no...

The last time I missed the first day of school was in 2008. I was at home with nearly-2-year-old Lucy waiting for baby Miriam to arrive. I recall how strange it was to watch kids walking by our house on their way to school and not have anywhere I needed to be. This makes sense; today a friend pointed out that I've been going to school for 40 years!  This morning we all woke up bright and early. With both kiddos in high school everyone else was out of the house by 7:20. Martha was quite put out by this, but an invitation to stroll in the woods with Lisa (and dog Lola!) helped her out of her funk. I am glad that the school year has arrived as our fairly busy summer days have had me missing my time alone at home.  I spoke with my surgeon's office today and I will be seeing the surgeon tomorrow afternoon with surgery to follow next week. I met my surgeon way back in March when this whole journey began. She has a wonderful manner - warm and confident and full of positivity. I'll...

  Many things have happened in the week since my last post, so I am breaking this one up to help me organize my thoughts. Side Effect Report Treatment went well last week, and my side effects are consistent with what I have experienced with previous chemo treatment. If anything, I was a little bit less tired on the weekend than I have been previously, perhaps thanks to the extra recovery week. My sense of taste is the worst it has ever been, though, so that has been really annoying. Textures and flavours are all not quite right, and I have had to give myself little pep talks in order to eat properly this week. My finger numbness feels about the same. My feet feel more numb than last time, but better when I move more. It feels like my brain fog has been worse this time around, but it is difficult to know for sure as this has not been a normal week. We have been busy, and that makes it feel like I can't keep up. Grade 8 Graduation Our family has officially graduated from Codrington S...

Well, any of you who know me will understand that I don't like failing tests! Today I went for my pre-chemo bloodwork and my platelet level was lower than my oncologist would have liked. This means that tomorrow's treatment is postponed until next week. I find this annoying more than anything. I don't like changes in my schedule and I also dislike the thought of my treatment taking longer than I imagined.  The silver lining (because I am good at finding those) is that I get another week of feeling AMAZING. More walks, more fun, increased enjoyment of food...I'll take it! Even though I don't have a choice. :)  Also, more time to MAKE THINGS. This week I finished my latest embroidery sampler. It helped us learn 6 different 'filler' stitches and though it took a long time I love the different textures and colours. I'm thinking my nurses would dig it! Our visit with our Peterborough friends earlier this week was great. Like balm for my soul. We walked and pl...

I think this is the longest I've gone without writing a post. This week has flown by. I did lots of walking in the beautiful spring weather and have averaged about 10 km each day. Monday was the first day that I wasn't totally exhausted after a walk, and I am determined to walk as much as I can while I'm feeling well. The numbness in my hands and feet seeems to have improved a bit (or else just seems better since I feel better?) and my taste buds have definitely recovered a little bit, though they are still not at their full tasting potential. On Tuesday I attended an online 'Look Good Feel Better' workshop about skincare during cancer treatment. It was fun, despite being online, and I feel more prepared to deal with losing my eyebrows if that ever happens. :) It was nice to see a bunch of bald heads in the Zoom call and the people who ran the workshop were kind and knowledgeable. My skin has been VERY dry, and I am very sensitive to the sun these days so I have to ...

This weekend Rick and I are up at the cottage and our kids are not! We have never been up here alone except when doing big jobs like installing kitchen cabinets, so it's kind of weird but also VERY NICE. We are so thankful to our chosen Barrie family for kidnapping our kiddos and taking them camping this weekend. It's cool this weekend - single digits at night - but beautiful and sunny. These beauties were blooming at the point and I could not resist taking a picture: I'm definitely more tired this week than I was 3 weeks ago. We just got back from a post-dinner dog walk and I can feel how tired I am even though it wasn't far or fast. My taste buds continue to be dull and I'm noticing more of a metallic taste in my mouth this week. Sensations of being hungry or full are not normal either, so the desire to eat or not eat isn't normal. No nausea though, so I'll continue to be grateful for that. Thank you to Fiona for another wonderful walk in the w...

I just got home from Chemo #2 and, like last time, so far so good. Mom is here and she was my chauffeur today! During our neighbour dog walk this morning the topic of Mother's Day came up, specifically that it is happening this weekend. I was so sure it was next weekend, as it often occurs at the start of the Canada Wide Science Fair. So, I am thankful for Mother's Day I get to be with my mom. 💜 My treatment took just about exactly 3 hours today. I'm grateful it's not longer; some others are there for much longer, and still others go home hooked up to a bottle of chemo. Here is a picture of my in my comfy chemo chair - they are sweet recliners and VERY comfortable. I mentioned in a much earlier post that I received a really amazing gift from my friend Deb. She had a cancer diagnosis in 2017 (I think!) and did a beautiful job sharing her story at that time which I was grateful for. Her honest sharing helped inspire me to do the same, and I have found it to b...

Yesterday I had made plans to do a couple of fun things. I went shopping in the morning with some gift cards that had been burning a hole in my pocket since June - goodbye gifts from my Eastview Science family. I'm not much of a shopper, but it was nice to get out and buy myself a couple of nice, comfy things. A student I hadn't seen in years was working in one of the stores I visited, and it was really great to see her and speak with her. After my little shopping excursion I had the great pleasure of visiting my hair stylist/magician/whisperer Kendra. She very generously made space for me when I let her know what was going on with my health. Most of you know that my hair has been quite long for a while AND that I have had very, very short hair a few times in the past. Having had short hair before made it really easy to decide to chop it all off this week. I know that if hair loss is one of the side effects of my chemo (I don't know this for sure yet but I know it is very l...

Last week I received little gestures of caring from so many people. So far I have been able (and eager) to respond to everyone's messages. A wise friend reminded me that I may reach a point when I don't have much energy to write replies, and that I shouldn't think twice about NOT replying when that time comes. Know that I will always receive your messages with gratitude even if I don't reply. Other things that have arrived on my doorstep this week: a warm beverage; surprise lunch; a plant; food for the freezer. All of the deliveries made me smile but only one made me laugh out loud . That one was a GIANT delivery of cookies and butter tarts and cupcakes and edible cookie dough that I was sure was a mistake (since it was enough for a really big party) but was not a mistake. We shared some of these treats and ate some of them and stashed the rest in the freezer. Treats for weeks! Thanks, brother. ;) Among the kind messages I have received was an email from one of ...