163. Chemo Second Liver Biopsy Results

The results of my recent liver biopsy were positive for cancer, i.o.w.: last fall's Nanoknife surgery did not get rid of it and may have made things worse.  Now I'm waiting on the decision of the surgeon whether or not I will get liver surgery.  Meanwhile the chemo treatments continue.  I'm on round 10 so far.  On the Up Side: I feel fine and am enjoying summer.  I don't think I will be posting much till I hear from the surgeon.  SanTeh! 

162. Chemo On Cold Capping

A couple of months ago I didn't even know it existed, but during my latest visit to the Cancer Clinic I witnessed a Cold Capping treatment.  Cold Capping is a cold treatment applied to the scalp during and after chemo treatment so that your hair won't fall out.  It works on the principle that freezing the hair follicles will prevent the treatment from affecting the growth of your crowning glory.

During my latest chemo session I was sitting across 2 female cancer patients in their 30s.  While these 2 women were of the same age, they could not have possibly been more different from each other.  The first one  was finishing up treatment and getting ready to head out the door.  She was trim and slim, without being gaunt, with short, dark stubbles covering her scalp.  She seemed to have a lot of spunk because she bounced out of her chair.  Before she left, I commented on how well her "hair style" suited her.  She smiled and said that she often gets sideways glances from people wondering whether her hair is short due to chemo or whether she shaved it like that on purpose.  It was obvious that she felt very comfortable with it.

The second young woman on the other hand, had long wavy reddish-brown hair, looked pale and frail, and gave the impression she wanted to be left alone.  She stared ahead vacantly. Her husband was at her side.  He could not have been more attentive to her.  Eventually I noticed that she was wearing an unusual hat with a strap around her chin and that maybe, because of this contraption, it might be nearly impossible for her to open her mouth, let alone carry on a conversation.  Oh no! brain cancer, I thought, but then remembered the radio feature on Cold Capping a while back and my curiosity got the better of me.  So I quizzed the husband.  He confirmed it was indeed a cold cap and asked if I had any experience with this.  No I did not.  He said they had ordered all the necessary supplies from the States.  In front of him was a large hamper, containing, I assume, a cooling mechanism, a certain amount of hats and other paraphernalia. Every 20 minutes or so a cold hat was dug out of the container and was carefully and snugly strapped to the wife's head after the previous one was removed and returned to the hamper.  In addition, the woman had some kind of "visor" on her forehead.  It occurred to me that the treatment might not be too pleasant and joked she might end up with "brain freeze", to which the lady solemnly nodded.  Since this was her second treatment I couldn't help but think: Poor girl you have a hard road ahead of you.  But obviously her husband was just the perfect  man who would be able to help her through her ordeal.

I'm scheduled for the long-awaited Post-NanoKnife Liver Biopsy tomorrow morning.  I don't expect to have a report on the results till the end of the week.  If the results are unfavorable, I will need some time to absorb this.  Keep well!  SanTeh!

161. Chemo A Song with Scandalous Sound Effects

Jane Birkin passed away a few days ago.  Being a former French Immersion Teacher and music lover, I payed attention to such an event.  Naturally it got me thinking of the 1969 song "Je t'aime moi non plus" that she is famous for, duetting with it's creator Serge Gainsbourg, who wrote the song for, and at the request of, French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot.  I was only 13 then, but remember said song for a couple of reasons: it caused an uproar when first released, and, whenever DJs would play it in dance halls in Belgium, the floors would fill up fast and furious with couples dancing very slowly and extremely close and personal. 😉  I'm not sure if in North America any of this would have been tolerated.  I may be wrong of course.  While the French tend to have a reputation for eroticism, the Americans on the other hand tend to prefer other forms of action.  At great peril of alienating the only two U.S. people who read my blog, most movies originating south of us invariably contain the obligatory car chases, explosions and roll-overs and of course gun violence as well.  Different strokes for different folks!  Now hold on a minute:  "Age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the US are 13 times greater than they are in France", taken from healthdata.org.  Both are some examples of each country's culture and what is deemed important I guess.  Jane Birkin: Rest In Peace!

Feel free to blame my ranting on the steroids and accompanying insomnia due to the 9th chemo treatment.  Although a bit of social commentary is healthy in my opinion.  Maybe the above comparison is a bit harsh toward the Americans.  After all in 1969 they were fighting their own battles with the Vietnam War.  Still to date the country is an outlier as far as gun violence is concerned.  

In a few days a post on Cold Capping.  Stay Tuned!  Good Night or rather Good Morning already!

160. Chemo The Waiting Game Continues...

We went camping with our son and grandson.  It was so nice to be together and take a break from the worries about cancer and the treatments!!  Now it's back to reality unfortunately.

Not much new showed up on the CT scan.  The part of my liver was virtually skimmed over in the report on the results, so I did not get any usable info on it.  I am scheduled for the long-anticipated liver biopsy on July 24th.  This coming Monday, July 17th,  an appointment with my oncologist is taking place.  Hopefully she can explain a bit more.  As usual, bloodwork is coming up this weekend, just before my next chemo treatment.  I am considering whether or not to continue with chemo.  

I may not post anything for a week or so, possibly till after the biopsy.  Keep Well!  SanTeh! 

159. Chemo CT scan tomorrow

I'm scheduled for a CT scan tomorrow morning.  Fingers crossed!  I suspect that the liver biopsy will soon follow, pending on the results of tomorrow's scan.  No date for the biopsy has been set yet.  I had the first liver biopsy in August 2022, not quite one year ago.  I am still living, breathing and enjoying summer, taking it one step at a time, two years after having been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer!  I am grateful for the time !  😄 😅 😎 

158. Chemo Swift Current Kite Festival

So for my "maiden car camping trip" I chose to go to the Swift Current Kite Festival.  In truth, it is actually a music festival with the added bonus of a Kite and Children's Festival attached.  The people flying the kites are professionals constructing their own kites.  It has international representation.  Would I go every year?  Probably not.  I did not purchase tickets for the music festival this time.  The kite festival is free to the public however.  It was well attended!  Some of the kites are bigger than trucks!

Back within a week.  Keep cool! 😎   SanTeh!