Colour Therapy

This has been a good week.  First of all, chemo went ahead yesterday with my neutrofils at 1.7.  My blood work continues to show a downward (meaning good) trend in my liver numbers.  Since January they have fallen significantly and are close enough to within normal range that I can say I have hope of being off chemo again at some point soon.  I haven’t heard that officially from my doctor yet but that was the plan so I’ll see what she wants to do after this cycle of treatment.

I always have a nap when I come home from chemo and yesterday was no exception.  I’m feeling quite well today though.  At 3pm I went for a routine CT scan at the General Hospital.  All went well; no fainting!  There is also an MRI coming up to check out my skeletal health.  In Newfoundland the hospital used the very descriptive “Bone Scan” which involved being injected with a radioactive fluid that a specialized XRay type scanner would detect if there were bones with active cancer growth or  damage (ie. broken/fractured).  In Ottawa though, they use MRI.  It gives much more detailed information.  Being able to use MRI is a nice bonus of being in Ontario – more machines available.  Some people don’t like the machines because they are a rather confined space and can be exceptionally noisy.  I don’t mind it though.  All the noise reminds me of some Rave/Techno type music that I like.  Ok, you have to use your imagination there a little – but thinking that way makes all the sounds more tolerable.  No date for that test yet but it should be soon.  I usually have a bone scan about once a year so I am due, but my doctor also wants one done because I have had some tingling in my middle back that should be looked into.  Fortunately I’m not in pain nor have any complications like numbness in my hands or feet but it’s best to have it looked into in case there is something troublesome starting up.

The other reason it has been a good week is that J and I paid to have a painting team re-do the interior of the house.  What a difference!  The entire house was an icy blue-ish white and now it has a warm Arizona colour theme.  Here a few photos to show off the difference that adding some colour and art work can make.

The dining room before and after.

The family room, before and after.

Kitchen breakfast nook, before and after.

I feel so much more comfortable in our house now, and J likes it too.  It’s very welcoming.  This colour theme reminds of the trip J and I took in 2013 to the SouthWestern US which was my best year since being diagnosed, having been stable all that time.

Signs of spring continue to appear.  The snow has melted enough that I can see we have a garden at the end of the driveway.  The came not long after moving in so the yard will be a bit of surprise the snow melts.  This morning I heard a robin in the trees out back and the cardinals are singing all over town claiming their turf.

Some places I see are still in deep winter… hang in there!  It may seem miserable but remember to be thankful for the good things.  A warm cuppa, a house/apt with heat, good friends… Good things are out there if you take the time to find them.

Record Year

Yesterday was another treatment day, and another one on-schedule.  That’s 6 in a row (3 cycles)!  I have one more cycle in my calendar for March 25th and April 1st.  At my meeting with Dr.Dent on Feb.17th she mentioned that I would have a CT scan towards the end of March but no update on when that might be exactly. I’m feeling well so I’m not too concerned.  My blood test also shows that all systems are doing their job. My neutrophils were at 1.4 yesterday so aside from being careful to avoid crowds and people with colds I don’t really need to do anything differently.

For any CIS-Gem people who may be reading this I do have one side-effect: insanely dry skin.  I’ve always had dry skin but it’s gone into overdrive in the last couple of months.  Think Pigpen from Charlie Brown.  Well, ok, not ‘that’ bad but worse than ever in my life.  Part of this is due to winter in Ottawa but never had I had my feet turn red and almost painful before.  Sorry for the details but other cancer people like to read these things if they’re looking for info about drugs.  The solution?  Aveeno lotion (with oatmeal and shea butter) 2 or 3 times a day.  I tried some other brands (ie. Vaseline Intensive Care, Nivea, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula, Burt’s Bees) and generic versions that have very similar ingredients but the Aveeno cleared up the dryness better than anything else.

Switching from chemo-mode, and speaking of dryness, a new home decor look I’m trying is to grow cactus and succulents.  I picked up several a few weeks ago and, after letting them acclimatize to the house, repotted them yesterday.  J likes the look. He says it reminds of his time in Arizona.    They are all supposed to flower, eventualy, except the aloe-like one so maybe in a few years I’ll find out what colour I bought.

My little cactus garden

Segueing nicely with the idea of slow-growth/movement is turtles.  Years ago I measured Buster’s shell and created a sculpture which I glazed with an oxide wash.  The sculpture turned out well but the oxide came out darker than I meant.  Recently I undertook to paint over the wash with some acrylic paint to make it look more life-like.  Buster hasn’t met the now much smaller twin but it is a decent like-ness.

Buster’s smaller clay twin

A friend here in Ottawa who, like me, doesn’t work during the day has found a ceramics studio where you choose an item to decorate/paint and then the studio glazes and fires them for you.  I have enjoyed going because I can do the painting without having to actually work with wet clay, which can be very drying on your hands.

A vase I decorated

Knowing that I like turtles so much this same friend bought me a ceramic planter that needed painting.  As a thank-you for the planter and a way to pay my friend back I am making her a blanket.  The cost of the yarn, an acrylic on sale, worked out to almost exactly what she spent on the planter so we’re calling it even.  Of course now I have to actually crochet the blanket but I won’t charge for the labour – no one would be able to afford anything I make!  There is another ceramics painting studio we want to try so maybe my friend and I will work out some kind of barter deal.

The sweater for a friend’s little boy that I had been working on since November turned out well and he looks adorable!  I don’t know the rules on publishing images of kids on-line so you’ll have to take my word for it that he is very cute and settle for a view of the sweater.  The big buttons were a hit!

A little man’s sweater

Now to finish something for one of my nephews and maybe set something in the mail for Easter too.

With spring melt approaching J and I have made a few more forays onto the canal for a skate.  On Feb.28th we started out near Lansdowne Park and headed south to Dow’s Lake and Hartwell locks.  We always start-off into the headwind so that the way back feels easy.  On the way north the tail wind was great and then the snow clearing equipment came out immediately ahead of us so we had beautifully brushed ice to skate on.  The trucks set a nice pace and continued clearing until the canal narrows and there were too many skaters to plough safely.  We dutifully skated right to the end at the Mackenzie King Bridge and then took a leisurely pace back to Lansdowne – which means we skated the entire length of the skateway!

Skating on the canal Feb.28th; J following the snow-clearing equipment with me a close 2nd.

March 7th was a gorgeous day so we set out for another skate.  Again, we started from near Lansdowne and headed south.  We covered Dow’s Lake and on to the locks by Carelton University.  Having had treatment on Wednesday I didn’t think I quite had it in me to skate all the way to the other end but we did cover another 10 or 11km so I was happy.  Turns out that was the last skate of the season as the canal officially closed on Monday having had a record breaking year for number of days open.  We chose a good year to come back!

On the canal Mar.7, 2015.

 

This week’s update

Chemo went ahead yesterday with my neutrophils at 1.5.  I’m feeling well but resting in the afternoon both yesterday (for 4 hours!) and today (time to be determined).

I’ll give a more informative, regarding chemo, and more interesting post in the next few days about some activities I’ve been up to lately.

Can you believe it’s March already?  I saw four Robins on the weekend and there are signs that the canal is beginning to thaw… Spring is on the way!  Can’t wait!