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!

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!

153. Chemo I, Tina

Tina Turner passed away recently.  Although I don't consider myself a die-hard fan, I liked her music, but liked her energy and spunk even more.  My friend Myriam however is a huge fan and can, at the ripe old age of 65, still pull off some mean Tina Turner-style dance moves.  When we were teenagers we had plans to go see our idol in a Brussels concert.  She was with Ike then still.  But we never made it due to lack of funds.  I rediscovered the "Ike and Tina Turner, Nutbush City Limits, 18 great hits" CD among my stash and meant to send it to my friend.  Thank goodness I  listened to it first.  Is it  my imagination or do Tina's raw emotions convey desperation and genuine heartache?  I didn't think it was very enjoyable.  It made me sad even.  Good for her that after 20 years of abuse (I'm generalizing here), she finally dumped Ike and ventured out on her own!  And what a career she had then!  Wow!  Incredible!!  The only good thing  Ike did for her in my opinion (other than the children), was to provide her with a very appropriate stage name.  What a courageous lady!

Hope to be back tomorrow with Dr. Li.

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! 😊)

102. Chemo A-Sailing We Will Go

We grew up close to the North Sea, closer to a river ending up in the North Sea, closest to a canal ending up in the river that ends up in the North Sea.  But even though ships of all makes and sizes were all around us, we never actually set foot on one: we were landlubbers.  Even so, sea faring made a lasting impression.  For my sister that meant marrying a maritimer from Nova Scotia; for me that meant taking sailing lessons at age 44, quite some time ago.  

It was a week-long beginners sailing course at Last Mountain Lake, under the tutelage of Harry S., a local teacher and sailing afictionado.  The first and last 2 days are a blur to me, but the Wednesday sticks out like a wet herring.  Monday and Tuesday were spent learning "exhilarating" stuff such as: tying knots and ropes, blowing a whistle, etc.  Wednesday we finally got down to brass tacks and were teamed up, 2 beginners, myself and this other girl in an actual small sail boat!  Oh the excitement!   Now I know what you are thinking:  What were they thinking?, "they" being the instructors.  But we, the beginners did not foresee any problems at all because we were so gung-ho to finally get out onto the lake!  Setting out tacking was no problem, in fact it was heaven!  We felt like old pros.  Piece of cake!  We even congratulated ourselves on managing to turn the boat around.  "High 5!"  But then came a huge gust of wind up from behind and all of a sudden the tide turned so to speak and we were out of control, with sails, ropes, beams, arms and legs all over the place!  You guessed it: we ended up in the water, the boat overturned with the tip of the mast stuck into the silty bottom.  Try as we might the other girl and I could not upright the boat, so we had no choice but to blow our whistles with all our might.  Good thing we had been practicing that for 2 days!  Eventually, and luckily before hypothermia set in, a couple of instructor assistants came to the rescue.  The other girl managed to hoist herself into the boat with the grace of a sea otter.  I: not so much.  With nothing but water underneath my feet I did not have the strength to launch myself and had to be hauled in like a wet oversized cod.  I did stay for the remainder of the course, but the thrill was gone.

On my way home, I stopped to pick up some groceries.  Other shoppers gave me curious looks probably thinking I was a battered wife because I was bruised from neck to toe.

I have not taken any more sailing lessons since.  Mind you, I did buy a paddleboard a few years ago.  No sails to worry about for one.  And I have been trying to make a contraption to enable myself to climb back on should I fall into deep waters. Hmmm...😓 Best not to fall!!! 😎

I waited 2 days in Halifax once for a chance to go sailing on the Bluenose.  I would get up really early every morning so I would not miss out.  After 2 days' waiting for the fog to lift, I gave up.  Oh well!  This week labs for the month are due.  Back when the results are in. Fingers crossed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5CNZwbY9Uo   Abc wals = Dutch sea chanty; link may not work on computer; works on phone though!   

96. Chemo Back from the Brink?

Last week was full of medical appointments, but the week turned out much better than I had ever hoped!  On Tuesday I had lab work done so the results would be available for the Thursday appointment with my oncologist.  If you go early enough in the day, the results will be available on-line by supper time.  Nifty or what?  Apart from a couple of still worrisome numbers, the rest were fine, and it seems that the CEA level is trending downward, which is most encouraging of all! Wednesday we drove up to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon for a PET/CT scan, the ultimate in scans.  I was a bit apprehensive about the ordeal.  The prep time takes the longest however, and the scan itself lasts roughly 20 minutes.  That's do-able if you are claustrophobic like me.  I was worried that I might have to wait a long time for the results of the PET/CT scan, but my oncologist had the report in hand the next day already.  I was impressed.  Even more impressive were the results.  No active cancer was found (at the moment), so I am cautiously optimistic 🙏 🙏🙏YEAH!!!  Perhaps you recall that I had an ultrasound in preparation for a liver radiofrequency ablation procedure not long ago.  And that the radiologist could not find the tumor.  Nothing showed up on the ultrasound in the location where it was supposed to be.  Maybe that's why?

I will be monitored for a while yet: at the end of July, I will have another ultrasound and an MRI later on.  I may be back from the brink...I think.  Let's stay optimistic anyway! 😊

Song:  "I'm a survivor" by Lacy J. Dalton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmIl0-QaPw

95. Chemo Going to Wanuskewin

For the year-end field trip I decided what better plan than to take the students back to their roots -  "We are going to Wanuskewin!" - in part because it was befitting the culture and the curriculum and maybe more so because I had never been there and wanted to experience it for myself! 😆  When I suggested it to the class they all rolled their eyes but agreed on the condition that a stop at Ruckers, the amusement place, should be included.  I had no problem with that.  The trip was to be an overnighter; we would have to take sleeping bags and other gear.  "Oh, and by the way, the teacher is usually also the driver."  "Great!"  Gulp!

So the day came and we set out in the vehicle: 12 students, an adult "antie-chaperone" and myself.  Before leaving the reserve, I thought it prudent, since we were allotted an older van, to fill up with gas and get everything checked by an attendant.  The trip to Saskatoon was uneventful.  I can't remember why we ended up on Spadina Avenue but there we were, almost right in front of the old chateau-style hotel when the van stalled and I could not get for life nor money, the motor started again.  Traffic began to accumulate behind us and I was fearing an upcoming mutiny by the students because we had not been to Ruckers yet.  So the boys scrambled out of the van, and because we were on the top of a slight incline, pushed the van "downhill" with the help of some bystanders and, miracle of miracles, the motor started up again!  By now the sweat was pouring out of me and I hightailed it straight to a garage where a mechanic's head disappeared under the hood and found a cap that was not screwed into place.  Thankfully we had no more mishaps with the vehicle after that!

Ruckers was enjoyed by all.  Then on to Wanuskewin where a guide toured us around, had a bannock supper prepared, told stories by the fire and made sure we were all comfortably tucked into our sleeping bags in the big tipi, our sleeping accommodation for the night.  The guide would be back in the morning to make breakfast.

Just before daybreak I woke up and had this eerie feeling.  The fire had long gone out, the temperature was near freezing and some of the tipi flaps were rattling in the wind.  I was stone cold.  I looked around and to my astonishment realized that I was indeed all alone in the big tipi: my companions had abandoned me, God only knows how long already.  I found them settled in the van where it was cozy warm, the windows dripping with condensation.  Once inside myself, it took me 2 to 3 hours to regain my normal body heat, but without question I had a superb front seat to a magnificent sunrise!

Back at the school, people wanted to know how the students had enjoyed their field trip.  Their general response was: "Ruckers was good!"  😏😄 

Back tomorrow with an update on my situation.  SanTeh!

Song by Buffy Saint Marie:  Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjgaF3KqqiM

76. Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake

 

Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake

Good for a quick 1 or 2 small portions!  😋 I like simple recipes!!😄

Ingredients:

• ·       3 Tbsp milk with 2 TBsp sugar added
• ·       3 TBsp einkorn flour, 2 Tbsp unsweetened cacao powder, nothing added
• ·       1/8 tsp baking powder
• ·       1 to 2 Tbsp Greek yochurt, regular kind, not non fat

Equipment:

• ·       Microwave
• ·       2 microwaveable bowls

Put milk and sugar in a bowl.  Microwave till hot so the sugar can easily dissolve.  Mix well.  Set aside to cool.   Mix einkorn flour, cacao powder and baking powder in another bowl.  Flatten any lumps.  Mix well.  Add dry bowl mix to wet or reverse.  It does not seem to make much difference.  Mix till it is like batter.  Then add the Greek yochurt.  Mix some more.  Microwave cake mixture for about 1 minute.  Take out of microwave and let cool.  If you find this too dry, top with table or other cream.    I usually put the cake mixture in 5 ½” bowls but I have used smaller bowls, pried out the cake, cut it lengthwise in half and added cherries and whipped cream to be like miniature Black Forest Cakes!   (Recipe adapted from a women's magazine.)

The einkorn flour and the unsweetened cacao powder was bought at the health food store.  Now what the heck is einkorn?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrZ314PbSzU   Carole King: Bitter with the Sweet

52. Chemo A Youth-Full Chilean Prank

 Did you get pranked yesterday?  Or did you prank someone? 😄

Hotels are an entry point of employment for new Canadians, and the hotel my sister and I worked in was no exception.  In the late 70s, a group of freshly arrived Chileans flocked in, among them a handsome young man by the name of Nelson, who was a favorite with all the female staff.  In addition to having little knowledge of English, the man was shy however, extremely shy.  It so happened we also had a freshly divorced cougar on staff, named Shelly-Ann.  She was desperately looking for some action and focused all her attempts on poor Nelson.  It was painfully obvious to everyone but Shelley-Ann that he was not in the least bit interested.  This hopeless situation went on for a while till my sister and I decided to do something about it.  We asked coworker Dalal, also Chilean, how to say some words in Spanish, then promptly taught this to Shelley-Ann, which we assured her would endear her to him.  At the right moment (we did not want to miss this special occasion) we brought the two lovebirds together.  As per our instructions, Shelley-Ann snuggled up really close to Nelson and blurted out:  "Tengo dos tetitas como dos manzanitas."  Loosely translated as : "I have two small breasts like two little apples."  Nelson did not say a word but his eyebrows shot up to the ceiling.  Then he slowly spun around on his heels and walked out the door,...  walked right into a much more lucrative job in construction!  Shelley-Ann was furious at us.  But her anger soon vanished when a couple of weeks later a contingent of Vietnamese boat people arrived.  Lucky for her, we made no attempt at learning Vietnamese.

Have a listen to the local band called Andino Suns off-spring of the Chilean immigrants that settled here in the 70s: Cantando el pajaro

Back tomorrow with 1 more Chilean story  Till then!

40. Chemo Courage

I'll be honest.  After I got my diagnosis, I lost it and caved in like a house of cards.  I wish I had known then about the response to their cancer diagnoses of the following two awesome ladies: Karen D. and Peggy O.  It might have made all the difference to me!

I have known Karen for a number of years and had heard that she had been treated for cancer some time back.  This winter I ran into her and we renewed contact.  She was in my shoes a number of years ago and has been doing well for about 3 years now.  She is a great resource and inspiration to me.  Here is how she reacted to her cancer diagnosis:  "I don't have time for this!"   Her doctor sat there stunned and did not know how to respond!  A great, no a terrific reply!!!

I met Peggy at the cancer clinic.  Going by all outward appearances you'd be easily fooled:  she is petite, quiet and seems frail.  But make no mistake about it, she is a powerhouse!  She was diagnosed as having "3 months to live".  That was 6 to 7 years ago!  Her reaction to her diagnosis:  "That is NOT going to work for me!"  Oncologist: "What do you mean?"  Peggy: "I have grandchildren that I am going to see grow up!"  Peggy has 5 grandchildren that were quite young at the time.   WOW!!!  What a lady!

Now that is Courage with a capital C!  Not that these ladies were in denial.  They were just not going to let the disease define nor slow them down.  Kudos to them! 

I think this song is tailor-made for them: Let 'em talk  by Rosie and the Riveters:    exactly that!

Back in a couple of days with some musings on spring, finally! 😉  Take care!

 

34. Chemo Neuropathy/Nerve Damage

I have been asked about the side effects with chemo.  No, thankfully, I do not suffer from nausea, vomiting or heartburn!  I take medication for that.  The worst side effects are caused by neuropathy in my hands and face.  Not much in my feet thus far.  This is what neuropathy in my hands and fingers looks like:

This is what it feels like: notice that my fingertips are red and "prunish".  Imagine soaking your hands and fingers in a bath of lye for a long time.  Then try  to hold objects, especially cold objects or even worse, cold metal objects like utensils, etc.  Definitely Not Pleasant!  My palms feel like I have been holding on to a sisal rope for the better part of the day, chafed like. I constantly wear mittens and gloves in the house.  The neuropathy in my face: a really, really cold tip of the nose, some difficulty chewing (it hurts initially, then slowly diminishes) and swallowing and it is painful to cry, so I don't.  There is medication for neuropathy.  But for the time being I am holding off till I find out if it helps or not.

In the meantime, I am doing better as far as nerve damage is concerned because my oncologist finally agreed to reduce the oxaliplatin dose in an attempt to prevent long-term side effects.  Youhou!!! And it seems to make a bit of a difference already!! 

In all, I have had a good week!  Take it away Justin Timberlake with:  Can't stop the feeling    very uplifting, gives a real boost

 Back in a day or two!  Take care!

30. Treatment number 8

 So far, so Good!

Monday morning my treatment week number 8 began.  Like usual, I went to my home-care nurse Lani at the local small hospital for bloodwork, which she did before starting her regular shift.  She is a Gem!  Monday evenings I take a laxative, which I will take every evening this week.  No one phoned this time about a Covid screening.  They are short staffed.

Tuesday morning we awoke to another snow storm, but Dave drove slowly and managed to get us into the city without hitting the ditch.  We were hoping that because of the weather, there would have been patient cancellations, but all the chairs were filled already.  It was very busy.  They found a spot for me in a cubicle, all by myself.  The only company was my attending nurse who popped in off and on when needed.  Luckily I had a good book stashed away in my chemo bag and my husband had made me lunch and a snack.  So I was set.  I had to wait for the chemo drugs to be made up however.  The pharmacy does not prepare them till you get there, in case there is a cancellation.  It is just too expensive I am told; thousands of dollars per treatment.  My particular treatment is called FOLFOX and is given as first-line treatment for colorectal cancer.  It consists of oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil.  The first 2 drugs I receive intravenously at the clinic and I get sent home with the infusor-bottle of fluorouracil dripping into me for 2 more days, replacing a further 2 day hospital-stay.  During treatments 1 through 7, I have been receiving the maximum dose for my body weight and mass.  Luckily I was finally able to have a personal visit with my oncologist last week (haven't seen her since chemo begun) and we mutually decided to reduce the oxaliplatin dose one notch, so that I would have fewer side effects in the long run.  What a relief!  I have been nagging about this to the chemo nurse since after Christmas!  We also decided to keep the same original dose of fluorouracil as long as my heart will tolerate it.  So, so far, so good!  I have had a good treatment nr 8.  2/3 done!!! I am happy, happy, happy.  Thank You for all your good wishes, prayers and good vibes!!!    I'll get by with a little help from my friends by the Beatles; says it all!  Oh, and Lani got rid of my infusor bottle this morning.  Double, triple YEAH!!!

15. Chemo Thing 1 and Thing 2

Just when I thought I had a fairly decent grip on Thing 1, sure enough,  along came Thing 2.    Diagnosed with having atrial fibrillation (rapid and irregular heartbeat) after an Electrocardiogram (ECG), I ended up having to go to Emergency, where thankfully, I got admitted very quickly.  The staff injected me time after time and had me swallow pills and more pills, you name it, for 2 days to no avail.  Then finally, yesterday, the cardiologist decided that if my situation hadn't improved by this very morning, they were going to use the paddles on me and "let 'r rip." 💥😟 Needless to say  I was a teeny bit worried last night and cried.  But lo and behold, somehow during the night, miraculously, the meds kicked in and I awoke feeling refreshed and relieved with a heart that was beating like normal again. 💓 Apart from the health scare, I enjoyed my all-inclusive stay-cation courtesy of the Regina General Hospital:  the staff was wonderful and the food was honestly great!  Given a choice however, I would prefer to dip my tootsies into warm, beachy sand with a cerveza in one hand.  Now, can anyone tell me if there is such a thing as Thing 3?

When I am down I like to listen to  Dieu  / God (where are you?) by "Boom" Desjardins: beautiful, haunting song for when you want to have a good cry You can't beat those natural painkillers! 

13. Chemo Valentine's Day

Our grandson's Valentine's Day card arrived by snail mail last week.  What a nice surprise!  So I wanted to post something about the day but did not know what.  Then a most unusual Valentine's Day from the past came to mind.

Before being a French Immersion teacher I updated my language skills by taking an Intensive French immersion course at the U of S.  It was about this time of the year. The course ended on Valentine's Day.  One of the class mates was non other than Peter MacKinnon, who was president of the U of S at the time.  All throughout the 2 week-long course Peter had been his sober, reserved, composed lawyerly self.  To wrap up the course we had been practicing the energetic French love song "Je t'aime comme un fou" / I love you like a fool (but you don't give a ....) by Robert Charlebois.  Toward the end of our last class, and without provocation, all of a sudden Peter jumped up and began to dance and twirl around the classroom like a possessed wind-up toy while belting out the song at full volume.  We were all stunned at this spontaneous outburst, but quickly jumped in as well.  A joyous end to a pleasant, but challenging educational session! 

So, I propose you grab your partner, your hamster or a broomstick and dance to    Je t'aime comme un fou / I love you like a fool (but you don't give a ...hoot?) by Robert Charlebois  A verry peppy tune.  Don't let the language scare you off 😊 Happy Valentine's Day!!!  💗

9. Chemo Hair

It was inevitable: I am losing my hair.  Constantly.  So what is a girl to do?  Some options are:  1.  Shave off what remains, and sport the Jean-Luc Picard style.  Not right now.  It is too cold outside and I am not going to the hairdresser due to Covid.    2. Wear a wig.   A new wig will set you back anywhere from $250-400.  Now I do have a health plan that would cover the cost. (lucky, and grateful me!)  But what if you are short on cash and have no plan?  Then what?  Well, you can loan a cleaned, repurposed wig through the Volunteer Coordinator at the Cancer Clinic.  You do have to phone and set up an appointment with them.  The wigs, new or used, are made with synthetic fibers.  Not an option for me either.   3. Wear a hat, tuque or other head gear.  I am so fortunate.  You see, my sister is handy with needle and thread.  She supplied me with several hats which I embellished a bit.  So I am wearing her hats, or a tuque, when I go out.

Further on the topic

Wouldn't you know it. Good grief! My 5 year driver's licence with photo ID is up for renewal.  I always have to take off my glasses for the photo.  But what about being allowed to wear a hat, pretty please with sugar on it?  I do not want to look like a half-plucked chicken. Nope!  However, there is what you call a medical exemption.  If you can provide the necessary documents from your physician, or in my case my Cancer Clinic ID, SGI can renew the 5 year driver's licence reusing my previous, pre-cancer photo.  And that is just what they did.  Hurrah!  What a relief!!!

Hair  (from the musical) by the Cowsills: You don't know what you've got till its gone!.....

                    Us girls have to stick together!

5. Chemo Playlist

 Life is a Highway  by Tom Cochrane:  the perfect song to start a new journey!

Gracias a la Vida / Thank you to Life Sung by Mercedes Sosa with English translation

Precious by Annie Lennox (for the birth of our grandson)

Hair  (from the musical) by the Cowsills: You don't know what you've got till its gone!.....

Je t'aime comme un fou / I love you like a fool (but you don't give a ...hoot?) by Robert Charlebois  A verry peppy tune.  Don't let the language scare you off 😊

Dieu  / God (where are you?) by "Boom" Desjardins: beautiful, haunting song for when you want to have a good cry

I'll get by with a little help from my friends by the Beatles; says it all!

Can't stop the feeling by Justin Timberlake   very uplifting, gives a real boost

Let 'em talk  by Rosie and the Riveters:    exactly that!