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.

The Annual Chrissymas Party

Some traditions are important and the annual Chrissymas Party is one of them.  Once again we trimmed our tree with special ornaments from our trips as well as our sand dollars from The Bahamas.

The party would not be complete without the gum drop tree.  This tradition goes back to my family Christmases in Clinton.   No one likes to be the first to eat a gum drop on the tree; however once someone starts it usually begins a feeding frenzy!?!

Our friend Gayle was a big help to me in preparing for the party.   Thanks to all of you who brought goodies to share.  I couldn't have done it without everyone's help.

The table looked very inviting with its delicious holiday spread of goodies.

And a good time was had by all.   It was a lovely day surrounded by laughter and the love of good friends.

Such a Beautiful Province and Friendly Alpacas Too

Having a chat with a local on the west coast.  The alpacas are raised for their wool.

I guess he wasn't too impressed with me; however I did buy some nice warm socks, a pair of gloves and a toque!?!

Everywhere we turned the scenery was lovely.  We boon docked along this beach and had an ocean front view for the night.

The south coast of Newfoundland is different again.

Quaint fishing villages dot the coast line.

We did some hiking on a trail that had some great views.

Imagine being rescued by this wooden dinghy in huge ocean swells?  This display was dedicated to a family that had saved many lives from ship wrecks off a very inhospitable southern coast.

When you have driven as far east as the southern coastal road takes you, you arrive at the Rose Blanche Lighthouse.  This light house was lovingly restored over many years and is now a tourist stop.

Life as a light house keeper and family would have been challenging in this remote area.

This barren rock landscape was the daily view of the light house keeper and his family.  Newfoundland isn't called the rock for nothing. 

The pitcher plant is the provincial flower of Newfoundland and can be found on both the western and southern coasts.  It is similar to a Venus Fly Trap and attracts live insects to its open flower.  The insects get stuck and  drowned in an acid bath inside the petals.    An interesting choice for a provincial flower?

Western Brook Wonders

Western Brook is the name given to a magnificent fiord like body of water in Gros Morne National Park.  It is a tourist must do while visiting Gros Morne.  Occasionally they have to cancel the trip due to poor weather; however the forecast seemed encouraging and  two boats were fully loaded and ready for spectacular scenery and photographic opportunities.

Soon after leaving  the dock we realized that our day might not  be splendid sunshine and fine photos.  That being said it is always interesting to get dramatic photos when the weather is changing.

The further in to the journey and the darker the skies became.

This photo shows the other boat that was following us.  It gives you a better idea of how large these cliffs  really are.

Gratefully being sailors we had prepared for wet and cold weather....including long undies which were gratefully appreciated by the time the trip was over.

Once again you can see the sheer size of this body of water and its surrounding rock.

In between the showers we were able to see some other colours than gray.

By the time our boat was on its way back to the dock everyone was huddled and desperately trying to stay warm and as dry as they possibly could.  Unfortunately the boat had limited shelter so the hardy stayed above decks and saw what Western Brook looked like in sleet, fog and driving rain.
Once back in eLVie we found just what we needed to thaw us out....hot chocolate and a wee shot of rum.

eLVie's Gets A Tow

This is what happens when your eyes are on ice bergs and not on the road.  We learned that Newfoundlanders will try just about anything to help a person out.  This fellow actuallly thought he could pull eLVvie out of the ditch with his four wheeler.  eLVie moved but not enough.  Just when we thought it was time to call Good Sam along came another willing Newfoundlander and this time with a big truck.

This time eLVie made it to the road just as the tow rope broke.  We were very grateful for the help and eLVie was no worse for wear.

This is the siren ice berg that had lured us off the road and subsequently in to the ditch!!??

The Vikings were the first people to arrive in Newfoundland about 1000 years ago.  L'Anse Aux Meadows is a World Heritage Site and is situated north of St. Anthony at the northernmost part of the province.

I can't imagine crossing an ice filled ocean in a boat like this?  It is thought that the Vikings sailed down from Iceland looking for new lands.   

Some of our boon docking stops along the north west coast.

The Provincial and National Campgrounds that we stayed in were all but empty and we could have our pick of ocean view sites.

These formations were called thrombolites and were living creatures millions of years ago.