151. Chemo Round 6

I just started chemo round 6.  This means that I am also on steroids for a couple of days which will help keep the nausea at bay.  And when on steroids, I have this irrepressible urge to blog, usually! 😄 

My bloodwork was good generally speaking.  The levels that are good stay good and the not-so-good ones are heading mostly in the right direction, albeit slowly!  Normally my CEA level gets checked also, but that wasn't called for at this time.  This time 2 different kinds of blood tumor markers were ordered.  I'm not sure why, but I intend to find out.  I am happy to mention that the levels of these 2 unusual tests were good, in the normal range even!  Yeah! 

I have requested a postponement of the liver biopsy till the end of June because we have planned a trip to Montreal for our 40th wedding anniversary.  Our son took care of all the arrangements and will join us there.  Hopefully WestJet will not be on strike around that time!?  We are sooo looking forward to this trip!  I would hate for it to be cancelled!!!  And since we are flying I really should get a "doctor's note" so there won't be any problems at the airport by setting off the security alarm! 😄

P.S.  The tests that were ordered were an LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) test and CA 15-3.  The results seem normal but I haven't had a chance to discuss it with my oncologist yet.  The reason for it is because my liver enzymes are still far from being normal.  There is some concern about that.

Back in a bit.  Take care!  SanTeh! 😎 

150. Chemo Oh what a Night: on Air Quality! Global Warming AnyOne?

I was distracted yesterday and did not read the extreme weather warning on my phone till midnight.  Since we don't have air conditioning, we had opened the windows after supper and open they stayed till really late.  Being still awake, I noticed a peculiar smell beginning to penetrate the house.  My first thought was that the neighbors must be barbecuing.  But at this hour??  Then I thought that some farmer must be spraying his field.  But in the middle of the night? Finally it dawned on me that this must be the smoke from the 27 wild fires that are burning in the northern part of the province.  By the time I closed the windows the smell in the house was horrific.  I don't know how the people that still reside in the affected areas  manage to cope.  Dave shut down the fresh air intake and we had the range hood over the stove cranked up for a couple of hours.  That helped a bit.

When we were young and still living in Europe our family used to go camping to France or Spain in summer.  A long drive!!  My father would load us 5 kids and our mother plus all necessary items into the station wagon and way we went.  Oh the camping was generally fine.  It was the journey there and back that nearly killed us.  You see, my father was a heavy duty smoker and we were all forced to breath in the fumes.  And did I mention that it was a long drive, especially with the windows rolled up!  Maybe he wanted to teach us a lesson to stay away from cigarettes because all of us non-smokers looked quite pale and were near-vomiting upon arrival.  But none of us are smokers now!  We remember these trips all too well!

149. Chemo Heading for Another Liver Biopsy

A panel of professionals reviewed and discussed my case last week, in particular the imaging on the latest MRI.  They can not agree, or can not confirm, whether the lesions that were showing up on the 2 MRIs since I had the Nanoknife surgery, are cancerous or not.  So I am being referred to undergo a second liver biopsy (first one was just before the Nanoknife procedure).  In the meantime I am staying on chemo and the CEA and liver enzyme levels keep heading in the right direction! Yes! 😊 But the waiting continues... 😒

Back in a while.  Now that the weather is good, yard work is waiting!😎  Be good!  SanTeh!

148. Chemo Gordon Lightfoot

The 84 year old Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot passed away last night.  His health had been deteriorating.  Still it is hard to imagine our musical scene without him: he is Canadian Musical Royalty.  The very first concert in Canada I went to was his.  I may not recall much about it, but have little difficulty remembering and singing along to his songs.  My husband asked which of his songs is my favorite.  A hard question to answer: I like so many of them!  Canadian Railroad Trilogy perhaps?  This work always evokes memories of when I first arrived as a new immigrant: the awesomeness and promise of it all! (And toil also, yes! 😊)