Tag: My Cancer Journey

Moving through the world, Retirement2 Comments

Hitting the creative wall in retirement

rbspecht

The creator part of me has hit a wall in retirement. It may be more of a speedbump than a wall. I just need to figure out how to move forward. Got any solutions for hitting the creative wall in retirement? I’ve got a lot of ideas, I just can’t get them done. There’s a lot of reasons for it. Its not inertia. I’m overwhelmed and it shows up as procrastination. I have an active retirement. Some activities are are driven by family and friends, and the necessities of a new retirement career. Some activiites are leftovers from my working … Continue reading Hitting the creative wall in retirement

Effects of stroke, Heart and Stroke, Moving through the world, Observations, Stroke Recovery and Background, Stroke TimelineLeave a comment

Stroke Recovery Distress

rbspecht

The most emotionally devastating emotional pivotal point in stroke recovery is the moment when you discover what’s been truly lost and the realization that its not coming back. For family and friends this is a heartbreaking ‘call to action’ that so many are not equipped to answer. For the stroke victim this is a devastating epiphany. Things will never be the same again. A simple truth, yes, however, becoming aware of it and knowing it to be true shapes the future. Continue reading Stroke Recovery Distress

cancer, Moving through the worldLeave a comment

Swimming Upstream…?

rbspecht

Today it feels like I’m swimming upstream, moving against the current of my life, fighting just to stay in place and not appearing to be making any headway  on my journey.  My retirement plans, my writing and my painting are all on hold. My darling wife has had an odd cardiac incident;  Takotsubo Syndrome, also known as ‘broken heart syndrome’.  There will be more on this in a new post. I have developed an abscess on the right side of my neck.  My ontological head and neck surgeon had a look, did a needle biopsy and ordered a CT scan.  … Continue reading Swimming Upstream…?

My Cancer Journey, teethLeave a comment

10+ years on

rbspecht

  Here’s the latest panoramic x-ray of my jaw, taken in early May of 2017 by my current dentist.   its not a great illustration of everything that has happened in my mouth, but it works for what he needs at the moment. Highlights; that glow in the centre of the image is part of the x-ray apparatus.  It’s a bit disconcerting on first blush, isn’t it? to the left of the glow is the plate that was used to bolt my lower jaw back together, after they split it. starting on the right side of the image and trailing along … Continue reading 10+ years on

Akabutu's Mouthwash, magic mouthwash, My Cancer Journey, oral cancer4 Comments

Akabutu’s Mouthwash

rbspecht

One of the most important weapons in my arsenal when it came to finding comfort during the post surgical application of radiation/chemo combo therapy was the use of Akabutu’s mouthwash.  This mouthwash or oral rinse was developed by Dr. John Akabutu while working at the University of Alberta Hospital and the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is my understanding that this isn’t always easy to come by outside of the Alberta cancer community, so for those of you who don’t have easy access, here is one variation on the recipe; From what I’ve been able to discover through … Continue reading Akabutu’s Mouthwash

Eat Well, Move With Purpose, My Cancer Journey, Sleep Well, Stroke Recovery and BackgroundLeave a comment

Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move With Purpose

rbspecht

In my experience, looking forward and behind me from where I now find myself, trying to understand the different paths my various journeys have taken me along, I’ve come to believe that the road to recovery, and the maintenance of whatever balance you need to find with your body and your mind is predicated on a simple mantra that can be applied to how you live your life at every stage; Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move with Purpose. Yes, I know its been said before in many different ways. The one phrasing that comes to mind and is closest to the … Continue reading Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move With Purpose

Akabutu's Mouthwash, My Cancer JourneyLeave a comment

More on Akabutu’s Mouthwash

rbspecht

An anonymous reader of my blog has provided a few more details on the composition of Akabutu’s Mouthwash: For a 240 ml Bottle: Glycerin Cortef 10 mg (cortesone) Ratio-Nystatin susp 100,00 U/ML (anti fungal) PMS-Lidocaine viscous 2% 100ml Lens Plus 360ml (saline solution) which contains salt 0.9% Notes on preparing the solution. I hope that is helpful to some of you. Please note, however, that I have no real idea of the validity of this recipe and that using it is at your own risk. I also must caution you that I also have no understanding of copyright/patent infringements that … Continue reading More on Akabutu’s Mouthwash

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Eight months later…

rbspecht

I was just sitting here counting on my fingers and realized that it has been eight months since I posted anything here… notice that I say ‘posted’: I have written some stuff, but it just seemed a so trite and pointless that I let it languish in a digital limbo, and sort of lost interest in the whole ‘blogging’ experience. And the loss of interest could be construed as a bit odd given some of the events that have affected me and mine… It seems about time to get back on track. ‘Got a lot of things to comment on… … Continue reading Eight months later…