Auntie Susu's Cancer Journey

Previous Next Merry Christmas to our family and friends!! This year is very different from many years before...mostly due to this stupid Covid19 pandemic that refuses to disappear, and is forcing us into a province and nationwide lockdown over the 2020 Christmas holidays and beyond.   However, it may not have changed much for me... only because I'm on a personal lockdown to fight off a weaken immune system due to the cancer treatments.  Although there are days where I feel strong and ready, there are also the days where I feel tired and weepy.  It is worse when looking at the dull days of winter through the window, knowing that my energy level is no where it should be to prepare for christmas, and even though somewhat pretty snow falling and christmas movies should envoke holiday spirit and cheer... it's hard to find this year; since my diagnosis, since my dad's passing, since enduring radiation and chemo treatments.  Knowing that christmas will be small, at lea...

I am excited to be doing my last 4 chemo treatments close to home at the Temiskaming Hospital.  My first of these treatments was scheduled for Monday, December 14th.  Although close to home, it is a new hospital to discover and find out where the lab is, where the chemo suite is... and who am I suppose to see once I get to those locations. First, I have to pass the covid19 screening at the front door of the hospital.  I get my temperature taken and a new mask given to me.  So far in my roaming between hospitals, the Temiskaming Hospital is the only hospital that gives out masks at the covid19 screening before you enter the building.  I think that is a good practice.   Next I get registered and directed to the lab area to wait for my turn to do bloodwork.  I gave my registration papers to the nurse who will draw blood, and I recognize her family name so ask a few questions... I find out I went to school with her mom and dad!!  Yes, it is a sma...

Friday, December 4th finished my 5th week radiation at Health Sciences North Sudbury, which also concludes my outside radiation treatments.  25 times to keep the bowel empty and fill the bladder, over and done with!!  Yahoo!!  I was so happy for the last day to come.  I know both Michael and I were glad to be giving up the dorm lifestyle, sleeping on the hard hospital bed, and closing the door to Room 208.  We both said "BYE ROOM!!"  As much as I appreciate having a place to call home while doing these treatments, I know I will leave this memory behind me for more favourable ones to come!   The one memory that I bring with me from this time period will be the wonderful people I have met here in Sudbury.  The hospital staff, hospital volunteers, doctors, nurses, and radiation therapists - they have all been so awesome!!  Kind, courteous, respectful, and a friendly face to a dark time in someone's life.  I would try to remember their names, and there were many!!  I made sur...

With cancer treatments, it is fairly well-known that the cancer patient will experience some kind of hair loss during the treatment, but the degree of hair loss is as individual as the cancer patient and the cancer treatment itself.  Originally, I was told that I would probably not  lose my hair, but then my chemo doctor said it will grow back.  Confused... I started to talk with other cancer patients about their hair loss experience.  Some patients lost their hair immediately, and had a smooth, shiny bald head.  Others didn't lose their head hair, but lost it everywhere else.  One man joked that he didn't have to shave his legs now... so there might be a silver-lining here!  A breast cancer patient said her hair started coming out in clumps after the second chemo treatment.  Armed with this various information, I was seeing that my long hair was starting to come out in strands prior to my second chemo treatment.  No more than seasonal hair loss,  but I was expecting to have si...