Category: My Cancer Journey

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Telling the doctors the whole truth…

rbspecht

My son-in-law is a ex-footballer… having played Canadian-style football in one of those men’s house leagues for the guys who could never dedicate their lives to the game, but still had enough talent to make the provincial all-stars, or something similar. (Sidebar: the son-in-law used to play with one of the members of Kevin Martin’s gold medal winning curling squad, who was the backup quarterback on their team!) As such, he had his fair share of injuries. One of them, the ubiquitous knee injury, has come back to haunt him. He recently had a MRI to work out the final … Continue reading Telling the doctors the whole truth…

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Avoid Dehydration — Drink!

rbspecht

I must admit that I am probably the last person who should be talking about dehydration… I do not keep my fluid levels topped up properly at the best of times. During my cancer treatments I was even worse at it. In fact, while I was doing the combined radiation and chemo therapies the lead of my oncology team, Dr. Jha, finally got so frustrated with my inadequate fluid intake that he made taking two x one litre bags of fluid intravenously daily a mandatory requirement for the last two weeks of my radiation treatments. Now that was a bit … Continue reading Avoid Dehydration — Drink!

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Another CT Scan

rbspecht

We’re now twenty-seven months out from the original cancer surgery. We’ve quietly slipped by the 2nd anniversary for the start of the courses of radiation and chemotherapy.This morning I had a CT scan of my neck and chest, complete with the dye injection, and a standard chest x-ray. This really doesn’t have that much to do with my cancer history directly, but rather it is a reaction to an ongoing problem that I seem to have developed. I am suffering from a form of gastroesophageal reflux, which is when the contents of your stomach rise back up your esophagus at … Continue reading Another CT Scan

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Yesterday’s lab tests…

rbspecht

This is another one of those posts where all I’m really trying to say is that I am so lucky to be looked after by the Canadian health care system in Alberta.Yesterday at noon I managed to get out of the office, get to a local lab where I had made an appointment, had my blood taken, walked across the parking lot to the medical imaging clinic, and, without an appointment, had the x-rays of my right thigh done. I was back online, working, within one hour. And it cost me nothing more than my monthly healthcare premiums and time. … Continue reading Yesterday’s lab tests…

Akabutu's Mouthwash, carboplatin, DAVFs, My Cancer Journey3 Comments

Akabutu’s Mouthwash

rbspecht

As part of my resolve to reinvigorate this blog, I’ve been probing the access logs to find out who has been reading the material while it (the blog) has remained static. It doesn’t actually tell me the ‘who’ part, but does give me an indication of the geographic origin of the connection, and the search term used to find the blog. For instance, I can tell you that someone in Singapore was studying the forearm flap photos on Jan. 10, 2010, and that someone in Belgium was having a look at my comments on the effects of Cisplatin on tinnitus. … Continue reading Akabutu’s Mouthwash

carotid, Holter, My Cancer Journey, ultrasoundLeave a comment

Cancer Treatment Update

rbspecht

I got distracted from blogging in June of 2009… just prior to my next round of appointments to check on the state of my health. I had a series of appointments and tests in August/September. The two year anniversary of the surgery to remove the tumor was November 26, 2009. And I had an appointment with Dr. Williams, oncological surgeon extraordinaire on January 28, 2010. Okay, so where are we? In mid June I did the obligatory blood test to ensure that the thyroid meds were actually being effective. The previous tests had been in late April after the checkup … Continue reading Cancer Treatment Update

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The real impact was from…

rbspecht

Yesterday I was reviewing all I’ve been through in the last 18 months, mentally forming the time line into a glass sphere, like a Caithness paperweight, and holding it up to the light, twisting and turning it to look at it from all angles and I found a view that startled me.  Caithness Glass The cancer was a threat, there is no question about it. But the effects that I am still feeling and will carry with me for life are a direct result of the treatments and NOT the actual cancer. The scale of the trauma to my body to … Continue reading The real impact was from…

hypothyroidism, My Cancer JourneyLeave a comment

Hypothyrodism confirmed

rbspecht

Damn. I’ve received confirmation that the radiation therapy has affected my thyroid, leaving me with a mild case of hypothyroidism.In discussion with my doctor (David Williams) when he called me at 8:00 PM (interesting office hours) he mentioned that 10 years ago the levels of TSH in my system would have been within accepted tolerances. Its only within that 10 years that the medical profession has determined a finer scale for measurement, and have determined a finer scale for treatment. My levels were a ‘5’ when they should have been a ‘4’, if that makes any sense to anyone. I … Continue reading Hypothyrodism confirmed

My Cancer Journey, surgery prep1 Comment

Getting ready for it… part II

rbspecht

And continuing the same thoughts, but for the surgery part of the question…Depending on the surgical solution chosen, there are slightly different approaches to getting ready aligned along common themes.Talk with the surgeon about what you’re eating, drinking and taking as supplements to ensure that you, and he, understand the implications to your coagulation factors. If you won’t be seeing him well before the surgery, put a call through to your GP. If he can’t see you, talk to the nice folks at HealthLink. And if all else fails, call the Cross.Put on weight. ‘Bulking up’ will serve you well … Continue reading Getting ready for it… part II

My Cancer Journey, quadroscopy, surgery prepLeave a comment

Getting ready for it…

rbspecht

Recently I’ve started a bit of a correspondence with someone out there who is just getting onto the treatment treadmill after having received a ‘qualified’ diagnosis of a stage 4 Metastatic Spindle Cell Squamous Carcinoma. I’m not entirely sure where it sits in his throat. This is not the same person who is dealing with the tumour around their thyroid…In any event, one of the questions asked was about what one “should do to physically or mentally prepare for the quadroscopy or with the surgery when that time comes?.”Right off the bat I can give one suggestion that the surgeon … Continue reading Getting ready for it…