Snowmageddon and more

February 9/13.

I had so many other things planned for Friday (usually my fave day of the week), till the massive snowfall hit, forcing changes galore.

Instead of doing what we WANTED to do, it was all hands on deck to dig our way out!

Spent most of the day shovelling, salting and scraping. The snow just kept on coming!

Every time we thought the shovelling was finished,

more snow arrived.

And just as it looked as though things were settling down and the sidewalks were passable,

the plows came by and PILED tons of hard-packed snow up against the curb,

all along our street!

Sam managed to cut out a small walkway from the street to the house, (before emailing members of city council to complain).

The sidewalks are a mess.  Luckily, the forecast seems to be for milder temps soon, 

so we may see some melting. Let's hope so anyway.

Meanwhile, I'm taking a break inside, where it's warm!

Our other recent problem has been our poor 15-year-old Devon Rex cat, Tru, - suffering from an eye infection. (the eye that looks red in this picture is from camera red-eye - it's actually the OTHER eye that has the infection).

Travelling vet, Dr. Musson, came to see Tru, examined her and prescribed several medications, an eyedrop, eye ointment, eardrops and a pain med. I've been busy administering all these things on a regular basis to try and keep her comfortable and hopefully, end the infection. If not, she has to be seen by an opthamologist. The poor cat has been wandering from room to room, yowling, very restless and uncomfortable.

In between snow and cat emergencies, lots of other things on the go too. My sister Carrie dropped by for a quick visit one evening with her son, Lee (centre) to give my son, Max (right), a couple of belated birthday gifts. He got a new denim-y t-shirt and two gift cards - one for Tim Hortons and the other for iTunes, all of which made him very happy! Lee has been busy applying to five different college programs (mostly for health and fitness) and has already been accepted at a couple of them! He also just got his G1! Congrats Lee!

I'm always so glad to see Carrie. Her schedule of jobs is very full, and we can't get together as often as we'd like. We're planning a dinner out to The Friendly Greek soon to catch up on everything. Carrie just survived a miserable problem with her car. Canadian Tire fixed the battery in the middle of the snowstorm. Five minutes after leaving the premises, the car broke down! Turns out, it wasn't the battery at all, but the alternator! She was stuck, freezing to death at Lawrence and Keele at rush hour for ages, until her boyfriend, Paul, came to her rescue. Carrie picked up the car at CT yesterday after putting out a pile of cash. To their credit, Canadian Tire knocked off the charge for the battery repair. Good move!

One night, Kate was invited to attend a winter evening beach party. She got all dressed up and looked gorgeous, but later, after starting the walk, she turned around and came home. It was just TOO cold for a beach bash!

It's also been a busy few weeks of follow-up appointments at Princess Margaret Hospital for me. Every six months, I have a series of visits to doctors, just to make sure all is well. It's been exactly two years since I discovered the lump in my right breast. Hard to believe that much time has gone by and so much has happened.

I wore my cancer-pink hoodie for one visit to see Dr.Koch, (radiation oncologist). She confirmed the mammogram looked good and that I'll be back for another MRI in June.

Also went to see the medical oncologist I nicknamed "The Nutty Professor" (because he reminds me of Jerry Lewis in the old sixties movie I love so much). I heard his voice out in the hall, but ended up seeing Dr. Amir's associate, a lovely lady doctor, instead. She answered all my questions and arranged a visit to the nutritionist (again) to try and get my weight up. After the appointment, and all the talk of food, headed for Druxys in the lobby for a grilled cheese sandwich and a tea,

before going to my favourite flower shop on Broadview at Danforth to get something pretty. The doctors tell me everything has to work together to keep you well - mind, body and soul. Flowers are good for the soul, especially in the bleak mid-winter!

One day, Sam and I went for Dim Sum at Pearl Court Restaurant on Gerrard. Haven't done that in SO long.

The food is delish. We had lots of shrimp and scallops.

Then grocery shopping at Loblaws. (what else is new?)

Seems I spend half my life at No Frills or Loblaws to keep the house stocked with food. Always lots of meals to cook. The tropical balloons in the background made me want to take off for a warmer climate! 

One of these days, I'm heading for Greece! Always wanted to go there.

On February 6th, dropped by the just-renovated Urban Nails for a new shellac job with Tom, the master! (you can see him snapping the pic in the mirror!) This time, they tried a different method to remove the old shellac. Usually, you dip your nails in a bowl of Acetone before having the polish scraped off.

Instead, Tom wrapped each nail in cotton, drenched with Acetone and then covered them with tin foil. They say it works better and faster to disintegrate the old shellac. What weird looking fingernails!

In the end, I was happy with the results, as always. I never knew how relaxing it is to have a manicure until I finally stopped biting my nails!

Wonder what in tarnation lies in store for NEXT week? (No more snow, OK)?

The apprehension game

May 27/11

Waiting for results is really tough. Hate it. Meanwhile, the appointments are piling up. I'm sittin' here (NOT by the dock of the bay - only wish!), writing down the full list of upcoming visits to Princess Margaret Hospital (so far).

Got word today that I'll learn the results of the $5,000 Oncotype DX diagnostic test at an appointment with Dr. Amir (Medical Oncologist) on June 14th at 11:30 a.m. Gee, only 18 days to bite my nails. (if I had any).

Good God, do I ever need a haircut! Insanity reigns! (or is it, "Serenity NOW!?!")

From what I've read, the Doc will receive a report that includes my Recurrence Score. An R.S. lower than 18 suggests a low risk of recurrence and that the benefit of chemotherapy is likely to be small and will not outweigh the risks (and horrible side effects).

An R.S. between 18 and 31 indicates intermediate risk of recurrence.
Information seems unclear as to whether the benefits of chemotherapy outweigh the risks of side effects.

An R.S. greater than 31 indicates a high risk of recurrence, and the benefits of chemotherapy are likely to be greater than the risks of side effects.

Apparently, some women who have had the Oncotype DX, later learned it was a "failure" or "incomplete" because there wasn't enough sample left from their tumour to actually carry out the test! How disappointing and frustrating would THAT be?

At any rate, all I can do is wait it out. So, in the meantime, here's a pic of my daughter, Kate, and her boyfriend, Damian. Took it while I was outside writing notes.

Cute, eh?
On the same day I meet with Dr. Amir, I also have an appointment at the "Survivorship Clinic." As I've quickly learned, cancer is a life-altering experience in many ways. Princess Margaret Hospital staffers say it's important that patients have a sense of courage, (me, courage??), confidence and control to assist them in knowing, navigating and negotiating their journey, so survivorship consults are offered.

A few weeks ago, a longtime friend of mine told me if I feel I need help with my fears and emotions, not to be afraid to seek professional help.

I thought I was doing OK, (sort of), till learning of this long wait before finding out about chemo, - and then was handed brochures about the joys of radiation therapy. At that moment, I met Shahnaz Bassiri, an oncology nurse with a true gift for kindness and compassion. Next thing I knew, I was crying in her sympathetic aura and telling her I'd like to see a therapist to talk things through. (Never been to one in my life, but guess now's the time). She quickly arranged a referral. So, seems I'll be meeting with someone (I believe a psychosocial oncology representative) on June 22nd. I'd better remember to bring Kleenex.

More results

May 24/11.

Big day. Big news. Most of it good.

In the end, decided against that "As Seen On TV" shirt. (I was really only kidding anyway). I'm constantly finding scribbled notes for the blog all over the house. Discovered a scrap of paper last night on which I'd scrawled, "I REFUSE to go into oncology in black, grey or brown! It HAS to be my favourite colour - MAUVE."

So, out came the feminine new Mexx mauve shirt to lift my spirits, paired with the Hue jeans.

Ready go hear the news!
Half an hour before I had to leave for the appointment with the Medical Oncologist I lost the nerve to go alone and asked my daughter, Kate, if she'd come with me and take notes. Thankfully, she was available and said yes. (after all the years of accompanying MUM on appointments, I can't believe the tables have turned!)

Made it to the Princess Margaret Breast Clinic by 1:30, just in time to be escorted in for a prep meeting with a nurse and the oncologist's "fellow."

They asked a lot of questions and told me things looked pretty good as far as they could see. Then, they left us for a few nail-biting minutes to wait for Dr. Amir, the Medical Oncologist.

My heart was racing while waiting word on the treatment
Dr. Amir spent a long time with me, explaining the case and the risks. He wrote it out for me.

Age - 55 - average - no risk

Tumour size (removed) - 1.5 cm. - (small) - no risk

Grade - (How aggressive the behaviour) - I - (low grade) - no risk

Stage - I

Lymph nodes - Negative - no risk

Receptors - (Proteins on cancer that tell it to grow)
2 Hormones
Estrogen receptor (ER) - 99 percent - Good
Progesterone receptor (PR) - 10 percent - Good

HER 2 - Negative - Good

Can't say I understand every word of the above, but I was informed that it's the best news and it's unlikely I'll need chemo. (which is what I've been SO hoping to hear). However, there is one more test called Oncotype DX. It is very expensive, (but government funded), and involves sending some of the tissue removed during my surgery to a lab in Redwood City, California, (one of the only places this test is being done). It would then take about three weeks to receive results. The test can help define whether chemotherapy should or should not be added to the anti-hormone treatment. I originally turned the test down, but after discussing it with family members, changed my mind and have now asked the doctor to go ahead with it. Better to be safe than sorry.

I've also been given a prescription for Tamoxifen, but won't fill it till after I meet with the radiation oncologist tomorrow afternoon and find out about the schedule, (which probably won't start until June). Also found out about the side effects of Tamoxifen. The biggest one is hot flashes! (Now, I ask you, do I really need any help with that? - I'm hot enough!)