In my last post from Warren, Illinois I said I would be in Edmonton for radiation consult etc on August 27. Yes, that happened and as a result we stayed in Edmonton for another couple of weeks while various things happened. I had my first Pain Management Team (PMT) consult on Aug 29 which was four hours, very thorough, resulting in my present prescription of morphine pills now 2 x 5mg every 6 to 8 hours. I had radiation on that sacrum tumour for four treatments Sep 2 - 6, another consult on the 6th and my first of the Nivolumab immunotherapy treatments on the 7th. A fair amount of anxiety pain in my chest as well which I control with extra strength Tylenol. I had a follow-up PMT consult on the 10th of September before we could finally return to Inuvik.
As a happy interlude to all this cancer stuff I was invited to read my Battle of Britain dream poem at a special Battle of Britain memorial at the Legion in Inuvik on September 15. I consider that an honour. I am to read it again on Remembrance Day November 11. You can read it where I published it on a war poetry site at http://www.poetsandwar.com/fear-is-a-ghost-in-the-night-sky/. You will have to copy and paste the link into your browser. The poem site also has a bit of background for the poem.
Then everything broke loose. Frantic calls on Tuesday morning the 17th (my 79 birthday by the way - my cousin Violet Farmer turned 80 on the very same day) I receive a call saying I am to have a CT Scan the very next day in Yellowknife, September 18 at 2 pm. So Sandra and I (after I found her at work) had to pack and leave that same day by air for Yellowknife. The problem that arose was there was only ONE room left in Yellowknife and that was in Anderson Thompson Towers and only for one night. This kinda posed a problem because when I arrived at Stanton Hospital at 2 pm on the 18th I was greeted with "You missed your appointment". It was to start at 12 noon with contrast given etc for the scan at 2 pm. So that threw everything into a whirl which I am still recovering from. Stanton Hospital managed to squeeze me in anyway BUT the actual scan didn't start until 4 pm and we had to be on a plane for Edmonton for my next immunotherapy treatment on the 20th leaving Yellowknife at 5:25 pm. Why? Because there was no room available to stay another night in Yellowknife. The plane had fully boarded and we had not yet gone through security. By the time we were on the plane we were both crying from the anxiety and stress. I had to leave my car at the airport for my friend Anson to deal with because of no time at all to return the car.
So on the 20th another Nivolumab (shortened to Nivo) consult and another PMT meeting. The PMT meeting was disconcerting, because the PMT doctor spent some time giving me end of life counselling. I was a bit angry about that. It was as though I was now waiting for Death in his long black hooded cloak to swing that sickle and cut off my head.
Well, now back in Inuvik trying to write and get back to normal. I ain't dead yet folks - not by a long shot. I am still going to use natural healing to live a while yet!! And, I am excited to report that I am taking an on-line writing course from Hay House Publishing, which will not only improve my writing skills but give me to put in a book proposal for my cancer recovery book Choose-Hope-Survive publication to Hay House without an agent. Wow, what an opportunity!
So I am busy taking the course for the next 6 weeks, and writing when I can, interspersed with calls to hospitals, clinics, cancer navigator, medical daycare staff, and Cross Cancer oncologists.
Quite a ride! Talk to you next time
