Happy Seventh Anniversary .....Is it the 7 Year Itch or a Drug Reaction?

Despite not feeling the best I wanted to get in to my wedding dress to celebrate our 7 years together.  It had been part of our day in the past....out for a light lunch and then back to the cottage for munchies and champagne.  Unfortunately we had to change our back to the cottage plans but we wanted to get dressed up for a small celebration.  We had a light appetizer at The Black Dog and that did us for the day.  Last year we had been hiking the Skyline Trail in Newfoundland so that had been the only year we had missed getting in to  our wedding duds.  How the time goes by.

Who wouldn't choose this handsome man to marry?  It is not often that we see Rob in this many clothes but he sure looks good.

It was good to feel special for a few hours.  It was also good to have some things to celebrate. We enjoyed our day and finished it off by watching our wedding  video and looking at our book. It doesn't hurt to hear those wedding vows every once in awhile.  Here is to the next seven!

eLVie's Algonquin Park Adventure in Pictures

Farewell to Nova Scotia and the East Coast

Before we left the east coast we had to see some more moose and sure enough on one our hikes in Cape Breton we spotted a mother and her calf.  I think that made the total moose sightings on our trip 14.  For sure Newfoundland is the place to travel if you want to see moose up close and personal.

Finding a boon docking site is sometimes quite challenging.  We had quite the drive around the Bay of Fundy area looking for a spot by the water.  What we learned was that all the farmer's land goes out to the water and there are few parks or public areas that reach the sea.  Never daunted by a challenge eLVie never gave up and found us a real hideaway complete with Bay of Fundy fog and bog.

It was a little chilly showering outside; however it was very private!?!?

The Bay of Fundy has the largest tides in the world.  This is a small inlet where the local fishermen bring their boats.  It is hard to imagine it filled with seawater but with tides of close to 50 feet this little harbour would look quite different.
From Nova Scotia the trip home was quite the blur as we were driving long days in order to be home for my oncology appointment in London.   We enjoyed the hospitality of several Camp Walmarts and made it to London in time for a lovely dinner with Bob and Jan and a night in the McGuffin Suite.  It was a long way to travel for the time that we had; however we were glad that we had chosen to do our Newfoundland trip despite the time constraints and distance.   We hope to return to The Rock again someday.

eLVie Does The Famous Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Island

We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary (June 23rd) hiking the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton.

It is one of the most spectacular hikes in the park and we had a beautiful day for it.

Beautiful scenery as far as the eye could see.  We sat on the upper deck of the trail and watched for whale spouts but didn't see any but there were humpbacks in the waters around Nova Scotia.

This was an aerial poster view of the Cabot Trail.

It is a spectacular drive but if you are in good shape and wish some excitement there are those who choose to bicycle the trail.  It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The park places red chairs in remote areas for the tourists to happen upon at the end of  a long drive or hike.  As you can see it did not take Rob long to make himself at home in this one.

Ten Radiation Treatments and Still Standing

After a long couple of weeks  I finished my ten fractions of full brain radiation.   I must say I have never been so fatigued in my life;  however it is understandable since the radiation fatigue has just been added to post craniotomy recovery and the constant fatigue from the immunotherapy drug.  It was with great relief I hit the gong signifying the end of treatment with both my mask and the gong stick.  I got quite the applause after my performance.
The next month will be slow recovery with lots of rest needed with a return to see my trio of doctors in mid April. 

I kept my goalie mask as a souvenir.  Perhaps it will become part of the bonker tree at the cottage?  A face like that should be able to ward off evil spirits???

While in London Rob and  I took the opportunity to go to a store specializing in head covers for women losing their hair.  I bought a couple of cute scarves and turbans and tried on some wigs for fun.  It will be awhile before my head is ready for a wig but it is important to come to terms with losing one's hair and being prepared.  I was able to attend the Look Good Feel Good Workshop at Wellspring this week.   Not only is the workshop informative it is hands on and you come away with a treasure trove of make up products that have been donated to the program. 

Hope Springs Eternal

It has now been five weeks since my craniotomy to remove a 6 cm tumour from my right cerebral cortex.  I am still very sore and I have learned from my reading that my head won't feel the same for years after all the damage that has been done to the nerves and the bone.  The steroids keep my face swollen and for now are helping to keep the swelling down during my radiation treatments.  In preparation for losing my hair I have picked up several turbans and I am trying to get used to life without bangs.  Unlike chemotherapy hair loss from radiation sometimes does not grow back in but I won't know for many months after treatment what my hair will do.  Despite being accepting of these side effects I know that I will shed some tears the day my hair falls out.

Upon arriving at our home away from home at the The Residence Inn Marriot we were welcomed with the cheeriest of bouquets of flowers.  Bob and Jan wanted to make us smile and believe me you can not look at this arrangement with out feeling that hope springs eternal.

This is one of 8 machines at the London Regional Cancer Centre that can provide radiation treatment for any part of the human body. Evidently close to 400 hundred people are treated daily here.   Since I am getting full brain radiation I am holding a mask that was especially made for my treatment.  The mask was molded to my face so that markers could be put on it for directing the radiation rays.  Years ago you would be tattooed if you were receiving radiation.  Obviously it is critical that the rays are in the precise area set by the radiation oncologist.  The down side is that the mask is bolted over your face and you can't move during your treatment and many people find it very claustrophobic.  My first 10 minute treatment seemed like the longest 10 minutes of my life.  I have had 3 treatments so far and I am very fatigued but gratefully no other side effects.  Radiation side effects are cumulative so it will get harder next week but I have to keep telling myself that the benefits outweigh the risks.  We will see my oncologist at the end of the week to review my case.

It isn't a hockey mask or something out of Silence of The Lambs???

Hope is BEAUTIFUL

One of the programs at the cancer centre is a two hour workshop for women to learn to cope with their scars and hair loss and it is called Hope is Beautiful.  In the workshop they spend time teaching about both skin care and make up.  Both chemotherapy and radiation can cause hair loss so there are plenty of people who need help with their self image.  Even though one knows it will grow back in it is a constant reminder of what your body is dealing with so it is a physical, emotional and mental part of one's ability to heal. 
As for me I am ever so grateful to be home from the hospital.  The shiner that Rob wrote about is not nearly as puffy; however my whole face feels like it is two inches away from my bones.

 The top of my head doesn't even feel like it belongs to the rest of me and the almost 50 staples scream at me from time to time.  The staples don't come out for another week so I had better get used to the sensations.  Last night I slept for the first time since being in the hospital .....no torture devices, flashlights in the face and no list of twenty questions every hour on the hour.   That being said I can not say enough good about the care that I was given by everyone at the hospital.  Rob and I were thinking that my surgical day probably involved 100 people .......from imaging staff to cleaners.....it takes a small village to do such a big operation.
I don't see my neurosurgeon for a follow up until later in March. The good news is that we know that the post CT scan looked clear and that the tumour is gone; however I will still have to have radiation.    I  have a couple of weeks at home to recuperate and then the radiation treatments will be daily for two weeks in London.  We will stay at the The Residence Inn during that time.  The Canadian Cancer Society sponsors rooms for out of town cancer patients and their families.  The hotel provides a shuttle to the Cancer Program as well.  After the radiation treatments it will be time for scans to see if the Yervoy is working on the other tumours.  For now I am very grateful that my surgery went well and I will spend the next couple of weeks healing and preparing for the next challenges of this cancer journey.  Sometimes when I get feeling sorry for myself or the pain gets me down I don't much feel like my Bad Ass Melanoma Warrior self; however then I remind myself that Hope is Beautiful.

 

ELVie Goes to Nova Scotia.....More Blog Updates from June 2013

Here we are on the MV Puttees planning our attack on Nova Scotia.  This huge ferry carries about 900 passengers with 8 lanes for cars, trucks, and campers on three huge decks.   It is like being on a mini cruise ship with several food choices, different lounges and a restaurant.  We quite enjoyed our early dinner while watching for whales.  The trip takes about 6 hours and this ship runs all year round.  The longer ferry takes 14 hours and travels between Halifax and the Avalon Penninsula but only during the busy and calmer summer season.  We can well imagine what the ocean can kick up with all that water moving in to the St. Lawrence area between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.  They have special ties that they use to tie down the vehicles in rough weather.....it must be quite the ride?

It had been a quick survey of the western, northwestern and southwestern coasts of Newfoundland in our all too short adventure to The Rock; however it has wet our whistle for more travel when we have more time to explore.  We knew it would be a long way but it just didn't seem right not to go after being given a window of time before my next doctor's appointment.  As fate would have it we hurried home for the appointment just to be told that the testing hadn't been done and to make things worse they had to do another biopsy on me and things were delayed again.  There are both good things and bad things about our medical system and gratefully things have run more smoothly since that frustratingly slow early diagnosis period. 

Once back in Nova Scotia we had planned to do a little sight seeing on the way home.  One of the tours offered great bird watching and a pleasant boat ride to a puffin colony.  Not only did we see lots of these sea birds which rarely come to land but plenty of other birds as well as dozens of seals both in the water and on land.  It was just like being on a National Geographic Safari as the captain was ever so knowledgeable and entertaining. 

It was quite the thing to see all of these seals up close and personal.

Everywhere you go you will see lobster boats plying the waters around Nova Scotia.

Puffins are not as open to having their pictures taken as some of the other wild life.

All in all our Puffin Trip had been both entertaining and educational and besides we were on the water.

Our next plan was to drive the famous Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Island.  We wished once again that we had had more time but enjoyed our drive nonetheless.  The views are spectacular and you could stop and take pictures around every corner.  Many choose to the do the trail by bike and camp along the way.  If you weren't in shape before the trip you certainly would be after the 160 kilometres ....very little of it on flat ground!?  The next blog entry will feature The Cabot Trail.