Turning tides

May 24th - my grandma Gunn's birthday if she were still here with us.  She would have been so totally annoyed by this latest chapter in my cancer journey but incredibly happy that I am done chemo.  She also would have been thrilled that I am heading to her favourite Hawaiian island in 2 weeks.  She travelled there herself to stay with friends long after she joined us on my first trip there back in 1986.  If she was still around I'd have had her join us.

The past few days  I have enjoyed feeling better than I have in a long time.  Instead of getting chemo Tuesday, I had an appointment at wound care (to monitor my feet issues and neck wound) and then had herceptin infusion (every three weeks - 10 to go).  During Herceptin I chatted with a nurse who had cared for me the first weekend I was diagnosed with leukemia back in 1997.  We chatted about memories from "back in the day" so the IV time (only 1/2 hour) flew by. I see Dr. Stewart tomorrow when the results of my bone density test will determine what medication I'll have to take and how long for - it's really to reduce the risk of recurrence related to estrogen trigger as my tumour was slightly "ER positive".  Outside of that, my next few weeks includes some treatment to try to help my feet neuropathy issues and just exercise to get my heart health back up.  Very small stuff.  Back to maintenance phase.  Surgery for reconstruction is still in consulting mode but moving forward and won't be for a while if it happens.

Overall I had a pretty smooth exit from the grey of round 6 - got my week at work done and lots of awesome visits with family and friends - new and old.   I also got to take in the energy of the "C of Red" at the (sadly) last home Flames playoff game - pretty remarkable thanks to Yvette and her fiancee Andrew for giving me a seat at that.

Tuesday night I decided because Thursday I had no appointments (!) I would see if mom wanted to head to Banff Wednesday night and stay a night at the Rimrock to celebrate my birthday - Dad would babysit Lucy to make it happen! I hadn't been to Banff in the summer for a couple years and the forecast was for true summer weather.  It didn't disappoint.  We had a great time walking, shopping, eating and just staring at the view from our room (the pic that looks like a postcard below).  Also took a rare selfie of mom and I in front of Bow Falls.

Thursday evening I enjoyed a barbeque birthday dinner with Brandon, Jacqui and the boys, with a Facetime call with my goddaughter Mireya and family to celebrate as it is our "joint birthday";)   That was followed by a custom birthday dessert with Tasha, Talyn, Tasha's boyfriend Andrew, and his kids Brodie and Ruby - the five of them managed to create three of my favourite desserts into one delicious combo.  So 41 has started on a high note - hard to imagine the wonderful party mom and dad threw for me was a year ago.  I have hope that my 41st year will bring less excitement than the 40th - of the cancer kind anyway.  As a good friend texted me on Thursday "Tricia's tides are turning."

Cheers

Red energy, rollercoasters and bright spots - Round 6 is in.

Round 6 is done - uneventful except for a welcome visit from Dr. Brown to just chat during infusion.  Quite cool.  It was the "light" version again (no Carboplatin) but the very good news was the Heart MRI last week showed improvement from the previous one - enough that my cardiologist took me off the heart med and next MRI will be in three months.  Hard to say how much, but I certainly know that all the "red energy" I received from all of you definitely helped.  I also think the Calgary Flames' success in Round 1 of the playoffs added a nice spoonful too ;)

The go forward health plan is not as toxic as it has been but certainly not quiet.  I continue Herceptin IV infusions every three weeks for the rest of the calendar year to reduce the risk of recurrence given my tumour was HER2 positive.  As well, I'll start some pill form hormone treatment in a month for up to 5 years, determined by the results of a bone density test that I wil do in the coming weeks.  Neither of those should give me much trouble side effect wise, but I will see as I often seem to discover the rare and unusual ;) I will revisit wound care next week a couple of times too to have them look at my feet issues as well as my never-endingly open neck wound.  The neck will be a factor in my appointment next Friday when I see the plastics doctor again to see what plan if any he suggests for reconstruction.  Tomorrow I see my eye specialist about some vision changes I've had in past weeks -probably related to the various meds, and hopefully reversible once they go away but of course you never know.  So combined with the known grey days coming up the calendar actually looks pretty full!  But the upside is I know once the grey starts to lift it won't be just for a couple weeks, it will continue to a brighter fuller state :)

The other very very bright things to focus on happen in June and July - two incredibly generous friends and collegues of mine who own a house in Maui offered me some time in June when they aren't there, so (start the car!) I will be heading back to continue my vacation in between my Herceptin infusions.  Mom will accompany me and then Dad will join us after about a week. And to fully recover my annual vacations that I missed from the chemo schedule, Colleen is able to join Mom and I for the first week and we'll do Vegas Maui style.  Take that chemo! Compliments of Shannon, Laura and their families.  July will include my return to previous 4 day work (been doing the every three week routine) which makes me feel more normal again, but the real perk of July will be possession of my new condo which has been being built since I purchased last summer!  Yvette and her dogs Monty and Isaac have truly been wonderful roommates (and friends) over this unexpected fourth cancer journey, but just as they will be moving into new digs in July, I am very excited about my new place having seen it again over the past few weeks.

So with the June and July light to look forward to, combined with lots of visits and great time with friends and family during the good days of round 5,  as well as the VIP care I get at mom and dad's, I am ready to get the next week or so overwith (watching playoff hockey will also help that go by!) and will deal with the next phase of stuff as it comes. I even think a game of golf might happen soon as well.  It was 27 degrees and sunny today - almost 6 months since I found out about this unwelcome turn in the life rollercoaster - so I take it as a sign of things to come. As always cancer throws a spotlight on things in a different way, and I come out a little different - maybe stronger, maybe older, mayber wiser - each time. Just like everyone does with all challenges, in whatever form and unexpected time they come in.

As always I know that my ability to ride these turns and loops of the rollercoaster without throwing up every time or falling out entirely is due to the love and energy I am so fortunate to have around me from people far and wide.  And specifically in the past few weeks, the red love and energy.  Never able to say how much it all means to me, but Mahalo for now ;)

Tricia

Photos include love from Lucy in grey days, checking out my new condo progress and the last infusion of Taxotere this morning