January Blahs.... Passed quickly thankfully!

It has been awhile since I've posted.  Sorry about that....

We had our department Christmas get together on January15th at our V.P.'s home and it was a great time.  Having a social get together before Christmas is difficult with everyone being so busy so this year it was decided to be in January and I think it is best.  Also, most of my social activities centre around the family so having an evening with my colleagues, who are friends as well, is really nice.     The gals played a game after dinner called 'things'.  Basically you had to write down a phrase in answer to a question such as 'What should you not do in your backyard?'  Then all the answers were placed in a bucket and one person had to read them all out loud.  Then one by one each person had to try and guess who wrote them.  You can imagine some of the answers and who might have written them.  Great fun!  It was wonderful to see everyone and their spouses too!

On the 25th we went to London to see the gynecological oncologist, Dr. Monique Bertrand.  She is head of the Gynecologic Oncology department and teaches at University of Western Ontario.  Through my treatment in London during initial diagnosis and during the surgery there were many residents on her team that probably learned a thing or two about my condition.  They all were kind and had great bedside manner.  Any and all of our questions were answered fully and thoughtfully.  I knew all along I was in good hands.

Anyway... back to our appointment with Dr. Bertrand.  She examined me physically and determined all was healing very well as far as my surgery was concerned.  Therefore it was OK for me to resume physical activity in a gradual manner.  Which of course makes sense.  I was not about to drop and do 50 push ups or something.  What we mostly talked about was my prognosis for the future.  I asked for numbers and her response was that any stats that she could provide, and they are on the Internet, is based on large populations of women and it doesn't mean that it applies to my situation.  Naturally my specific situation is different when one considers my age, physical condition, lifestyle, attitude, support systems, etc.  There is no way to give a definitive answer in terms of the possibility of recurrence.  Nor can anyone say for certain the cancer is completely gone and recovery is 100%.  Emotionally this is what I want but logically I know this is not possible.

I will be checked every 3 months for the next 2 or 3 years.  Check ups will be alternated between London and Kitchener.  Check ups include a physical examination and a chat regarding how I feel.  There is no diagnostic test for ovarian cancer.  I need to pay attention to my abdomen and if something is awry and persistent then I pick up the phone.  We are not talking about some bit of indigestion or bloating but persistent symptoms that don't seem to go away.

5th Chemo

Second to last treatment was last Tuesday on the 18th!  One more to go!

This last session went well.  First time I've attended the Chemo Lounge in the late morning.  Most of my appointments have been early morning.  So instead of a recliner I had to rest in a bed.  No big deal but I had the bed lowered to a slight incline so I could sleep when I started to feel drowsy and I started to snore.  Not just a snore but a loud disruptive snore!  David nor the nurse could wake me!  I was right out of it!  Nurse was a bit concerned and she finally woke me up to take vitals.  Next time David will have to remember to lower the bed and then turn me or something. 

Our appointment with the surgeon is next Tuesday on the 25th.  We will  be hearing about the pathology report and hearing about next steps.  I will be asking about recurrance rates and what she can tell me about that.

I also expect she will be letting me know how much activitiy I can start adding back into my life.

Looks like it will be a Packers/Steelers Super Bowl. 

Happy 2011 NFL Playoffs!

It's already the middle of January....  Where does the time go? 

I have not been particularly busy as I am spending most of my time just relaxing and recovering from surgery.  At 4 weeks post surgery I am feeling much better physically and can help out with some household chores.  I still have some pain at the incision site but this gets less annoying day by day.  The post-operative orders to avoid lifting anything over 10 lbs makes it difficult to do much.  Not that I want to.  Think about a stack of dishes or a basket full of laundry.  No vacuuming either...Not that I am complaining.....My 6 week check up with gynecological oncologist is on the 25th in London.  She will have the pathology results at that time as well.  Hopefully, she will give me the go ahead to resume some physical activities, at least slowly at first.


So Yummy.....

Earlier in the month (3rd) we celebrated David's birthday.  We had several low key family dinners for the old guy and I also baked him a decadent chocolate cake.  After all the treats at Christmas we waited a week to have cake.  Just too much as usual at Christmas.


Have you ever had homemade sausage?  We made some last weekend with my parents.  Some of you of Italian extraction know that there are certain things we make from scratch.... canning our own tomatoes, making wine and sausage.  Is this the holy trinity?.... I guess it is in our household! 

This sausage making event was initiated because of the sale price of whole pork legs at our local grocery store.  At 0.79 cents per pound and using 3 whole legs we obtained about 50 lbs of sausage.  In terms of labour it took about 4 hours for my parents and David to do the job.  I wasn't much help due to the presence of raw meat and weight restrictions (can't lift anything) but assisted as much as I could with small jobs like recording the recipe, preparing the garlic, adding the seasonings, fetching stuff, etc.

On Friday the 14th we celebrated my mother's birthday by having a family dinner at our house.  Unfortunately, Pat and Suzanne couldn't make it so we will have another dinner on the 23rd with them.  Corina and I made Cordon Bleu for the first time and it turned out pretty well.  Also had a lovely salad made with fennel and blood oranges.  For dessert a low fat apple cake which was very good.

I also can do some of the cooking which I enjoy as long as I pace myself and have a rest when I need to.  I just have to get David to stop shooing me out of the kitchen.... 

Next chemo is this Tuesday on the 18th.  Second to last treatment.   After that I do not know...We will be discussing with doctor on the 25th.  Wish me luck!

Happy New Year

Hope your New Year's Eve was spent in an enjoyable manner with family and friends!  David and I had a quiet dinner at my Mom and Dad's house.  We had some pasta con vongole and quails.  It was very good.  Not a long night though.... this is day 3 after chemo and I feel like I have a flu and just want to sleep.  We were home before 10:00 am and I promptly went to bed leaving David with Ryan Seacrest at Times Square!   ( I don't really think he actually watched this...) 

Happy New Year to all!  May 2011 bring you much good health, joy and happiness! 

xoxoxoxo

Chemo #4 December 28th

Chemo went without a hitch today even though we didn't know if I was able to have it.  Let me back up a bit.  Last Thursday on December 23 I had the usual  pre chemo blood work  and then an appointment with the doctor.  They were running way behind due to Christmas but I don't mind so much usually but I was feeling pretty rough due to surgery and just wanted to go home to my couch and blankie. 

Doctor informed me that my liver functions were not up to par and I may not be able to get the chemo treatment on December 28.  We discussed the situation and decided the best route was to come in anyway and get more blood work done to determine if the liver functioning had improved enough for me to accept at least 75 % of the normal dose.  If not, I would be sent home and retry next week. 

Then there was the question of my staples.  I was hoping they could remove them but with their delays that was out of the question.  They suggested I try my family doctor.  This worked out and she saw me the very next day on Christmas Eve after the office was closed at noon.  Her receptionist had already left.  I was quite surprised she would see me but she is very kind hearted.  In about 1/2 hour she removed about 30 staples.  I bet you are feeling some shivers in your belly.... :)

Well today my blood work showed almost normal liver functioning so I was cleared to get 100% dosage.  Long day though.... we weren't home until 4:30 pm.

The Holidays

Hope everyone had some great holidays!  We spent time at my Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve as is the yearly tradition.  Calamari and seafood soup are our traditional dishes.  Ham, Pat's potato casserole and David's vegee melange rounded out the meal.  For dessert we had an assortment of Christmas cookies and fruit. 

We had a different crowd this year.  David's Mom and Dad were there as well as Suzanne's Mom - Phyllis.  My Uncle Marty and Aunt Ginger were not able to make it due to sickness.  Aunt Ginger was not feeling well and thought it best not to attend on my account.  I am appreciative of this and missed them too!


One of our newer traditions consists of having a secret Santa draw.  The gifts must be purchased from the dollar store.  We do not exchange gifts anymore between the adults.  We think it is more important to get together and spend some time.  Back to the draw..... this is an enjoyable game and it is amazing what people can find at the dollar store. 

Here are some pictures but I warn you they are kind of lame.  We are not great picture takers. 



Suzanne, David and Pat



Dad, David and half of Mom's head



By this time it was nearly time to go home.  I was pretty exhausted.  It was only one week since surgery.....but I had a lovely time.  Next year I will be hosting Christmas Eve, God willing!

The next day we headed back to my Mom's place to have our traditional ravioli lunch.  Homemade that is.....  they very enjoyable.  After a couple of hours we headed home to rest, at least I did as were expected at George and Helen's for 4:00 ish.  All the gang was there - Elaine and her girls, Amanda and Katrina, Andrew and his daughter Mackenzie and Andrew's girlfriend Becky and her daughter Logan.  Of course David's parents -George and Helen.  This year they were gracious enough to host Christmas dinner which is much appreciated by us.  Next year it will be at our house!

Dinner was a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and the fixin's complete with Christmas cracker.  Afterward we were treated with a huge amount of desserts.  Couldn't try them all but they were great!  The evening was lovely! 



Corina and Dylan



Hamish and Helen









Post Surgery

I have been home from hospital for 2 days now.  I spent 4 days there and am very glad to be home.  All went well.  Surgery was a little more than 3 hours and I spent another 3 or 4 in recovery.  I guess I didn't want to wake up too quickly!  Poor David was waiting all this time and he could not see me.  The next morning the surgical residents made their rounds.  They look like high school students!  Anyway.... both ovaries were enlarged and had evidence of cancer.  The uterus had some cancer as well on the underside.  Other than that there was little other cancer on the peritoneum or omentum.  That was all removed as well.

So now it's recovery time and it's almost Christmas!  I am not much help in this department but David has it under control. 

Have a great holiday!