Feeling Better

Time seems to have slipped through my fingers. I had my last Chemo treatment on Dec 2 and my body is slowly getting back to normal, well as normal as it will ever be. I did ask if there was another Chemo drug that I could have but was told that the one I was receiving was the only one that would be appropriate. So I cancelled all treatments. I have lost the feeling in one side of my right foot, my eyesight and my hearing have been damaged by the Chemo and I still get tired very quickly. But I am feeling so much better than I was so that is a very good thing and it reassures me that I have made the right decision.

Thanks to everyone who sent encouraging messages, gifts and support. I really do appreciate it.

Welcome 2018

Well it has been a while since I have visited this site. December was not a good month, more reactions to the chemo and these were much more severe than during the previous cycle. Fortunately I was feeling a bit better by Christmas so we had our traditional Christmas dinner, turkey and all the trimmings. We had our meal cooked by mid afternoon so we ate when the food was ready. Just as well as the power went our for 12 hours at 4:30 p.m. And then we didn't have phone for four days and we were also without Internet for five days. Everything was restored and working well when another storm blew through in early Jan and we lost power again for another 12 hours or so. No damage done to either our place or the neighbours so all we suffered was a little inconvenience.

I have a doctor's appointment (I have no idea who it is with) on Tuesday and after that I will know more about what the future holds. I will post an update with the results/decisions that come out of that appointment.

Thank you to everyone for your support and concern, I do appreciate the warm wishes and the encouragement.

Second Chemo Treatment and Various Other Things

Wednesday, Dec. 6 was my second Chemo treatment. It was another long day from 8:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. During the treatment I added two more health care providers to my team, bringing to total now to 21. That is way too many people for me to keep straight, especially since I have never been very good at remembering names. I am starting to see some patterns that are reoccurring during the treatment cycles. For example, the nights immediately following the treatments I get very little sleep, which is one of the side effects. The anti-nausea pills that I have been given are not as effective this time, the nausea has already started and this is only Friday. Well maybe that means it will end quicker. Fingers crossed on that one.

I was feeling a bit at a loss about who to turn to with questions, there are so many who want to give me answers and information, but I have only seen some of them for five or ten minutes and I can’t remember their names. The best solution seemed to be to make an appointment with Renate Bennett, the Nurse Practitioner in North Queens Medical Centre. She was the principal care giver that I went to when I started down this medical journey and she was understanding, supportive and she treated me like a person and she is a familiar face AND I can remember her name. What more recommendation did she need? My appointment was on Thursday, Dec. 7 and that may have been the smartest thing I have done so far to help myself through this. She listened, she answered questions and she asked if I would like to have a monthly meeting with her while this whole mess is going on. She got me a copy of my pathology report and she explained some of the scarier facts about the report. She is a keeper.

I am not ready to share much info about the report at this point, but I will say that the cancer cells that have invaded my body are aggressive and they have been there for a while. Enough said on that.

My hair is getting very thin so when I go out in public I am wearing either a hat or one of my stylish wigs. Frank and I are meeting a very good friend for lunch next week, I wonder if she will recognize me. Well, Frank is just as good-looking as ever, so I guess she will find us okay.

I think this is enough from me for today. But please stay tuned I will be back in the next couple of days with my thoughts on what not to say to someone who says they have cancer. My thoughts only as each of us is different and we all handle things differently and we all expect different things.

New Looks Revealed

Okay, here are the pictures, before my haircut, after the haircut with what hair I have left and two with my new locks/looks. These pictures may turn out to be your giggle for today.

One of my new looks. Not something that I would have chosen without some help from the hairdresser at the Journey Room. 

The other new look. Funny though the wigs don't make the double chins or the turkey neck go away. 

After my haircut. Short. And it looks like I don't have any grey hair but oh yeah they are still there. 

The old original before all this started. 

My Hair Hurts

My Hair Hurts

Several decades ago when I was in my early teens my tonsils would become inflamed and I would have a fever and be generally miserable for three or four days, recover, and then my tonsils would make themselves known again. During this time I remember that even my scalp was sensitive and tender and it did feel like my hair hurt.

Well my hair hurt earlier this week. It was getting long (for me) and when I brushed it, it hurt. Not only that but it was falling out, not in large clumps but several strands at a time and certainly more than normal. I decided to be proactive and get my hair cut very short and see about alternate head coverings for the upcoming chilly months. My surgeon told me that I would definitely lose my hair and I believed him so I was mentally ready.

Frieda, a volunteer at the Journey Room at the South Shore Regional Hospital, is a hairdresser who volunteers her time to help cancer patients cope with this particular aspect of their Chemo treatments. She quickly snipped my hair to about an inch in length. She recommended leaving it at that length and as it continued to fall out I could consider a head shaving if I wanted to. She then (very patiently) showed me a selection of wigs that I could borrow for the duration of my baldness. She also had turbans, scarves and toques in a variety of colours that were available on loan. She had a lot of patience and was very compassionate without being sappy and emotional, just the right balance for someone dealing with people who are acting and reacting in a very challenging situation.

I came home with two wigs that I never would have thought of wearing without her gentle encouragement. And I am happy with my selections and with my new looks for the upcoming months. Today I bought several cheap toques in colours that normally I wouldn't wear because they are too flashy or too goofy looking. I am not upset about losing my hair, there is more at stake here.

You know it felt good to take control and get my hair cut and to select my head coverings for the next few months. For someone who is a control freak the lose of control over my body and this whole process has been one of the hardest things for me to cope with so for me reasserting myself in this way feels good.

Over the next few days look for some pictures of me in my new locks. I'm interested in what you think of my new dos.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out via messages and emails. I appreciate the encouragement and support.

The Process

A visit to my Nurse Practitioner, tests, referrals and finally the results...I needed to have a hysterectomy. A surprise when I was feeling just fine, thank you very much. No pain or discomfort, just a discharge that wasn't normal.

On October 4, 2017 I was gutted like a fish and stapled back together and sent home to recover and to wait for the results of the pathology report which would take approximately three weeks. By late October I received a phone call from my surgeon telling me he was arranging a face-to-face with me to discuss the results and the next steps which would include Chemo and Radiation. Up until that point I kept hoping that this was all a mistake, that my records had been mixed up with someone else's, that I would wake up and by some magic this would all go away.

During the time from mid July when the craziness started and Nov. 16 when my first cycle of Chemo started I was on an emotional roller coaster. I avoided talking to people and told maybe a dozen people in total what was happening. Three of them were safely out of province so I wouldn't see them or have to talk to them face-to-face. I found that I started crying at the most insignificant things and that most of the people I had told had no idea of what to say or do. I have come to realize that I needed to provide them with some idea of what I needed from them, but then I have always had trouble asking for help. Hell, I can't even accept help when it is offered.

So far in this journey I have a health care team of 19 people which includes doctors, my nurse practitioner, nurses, residents, and administrative support people who will direct inquiries and probably make sure that information is flowing as needed. I have at least 2 1/2 inches of paper on the effects and side effects of Chemo and radiation, each piece of information more overwhelming and scary.

Since the Chemo started I have settled down emotionally, in fact yesterday I realized that my husband and I were actually laughing out loud at some silliness. Laughter hasn't been heard much in our little house for the last several months.

I am going to continue to write about, and share my experiences, because hopefully my ramblings will help someone else. I hope a few people will read my posts and share this journey with me. And please if you know someone who may be going through their own personal hell maybe share this with them.

More summer

Our last two weeks haven't been as planned or organized but they have been fun. Last week for the first time in years we went to a movie in Bridgewater. We enjoyed our night out, and since we had a gift card we had a free evening of entertainment. We have revisited a couple of our favourite drives along the shore both east and west. Yesterday we had a day trip to the Noel shore in NS. We saw a couple of lighthouses that we didn't know were there, Walton and Burncoat Head. We are really enjoying our visits to the many lighthouses in the province. Who knows how long some of them will be able to survive now that the federal government has announced they will no longer maintain them. Another piece of history lost.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Cheverie and my little camera got a few pictures which I will share below.

In addition to our staycations we have also done a little bit of work at home...emphasize little. We replaced a few of the board in our deck which had some rot in them, and we have started piling the dreaded wood for the winter. There is still a lot to do but all work and no play does spoil life.

Card Lake Provincial Park on Hwy 14  Beautiful spot

Card Lake

Lookoff at Cheverie.  The land in the far distance is across Cobequid Bay towards Parrsboro

Taken at Cheverie

Lighthouse in Walton

Lighthouse in Burncoat Head. 

Well another week, and another month gone. I am really finding that the time is going by very quickly. We did have a few out and abouts this week, last Sunday was a family reunion, then a trip to Lockport to see the wharf, the old houses build by descendants of Locke, another jaunt into Lunenburg and area, this time to see the Bounty and finally a trip to Digby and home via Yarmouth and the South Shore. Not much wonder my housework isn't getting done.

I have become fascinated with ships, fishing boats and wharves. I love the colours and the textures and I am enjoying my amateur attempts at photography. The pictures that turn out well are my skill, the ones that are blurry and have sloping horizons are the fault of my cheap digital camera, either way I have it covered. Although the best pictures are the ones that Frank takes with that same cheap camera.

The following information was taken from the Bounty website at http://www.tallshipbounty.org.

The HMS Bounty is one of the most famous ships in the world. Known for the storied mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789 on board the British transport vessel, the current Bounty, a replica, has survived to tell the tale. Built for the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Marlon Brando, HMS Bounty sails the country offering dockside tours in which one can learn about the history and details of sailing vessels from a lost and romanticized time in maritime history. Since her debut in “Mutiny on the Bounty”, HMS Bounty has appeared in many documentaries and featured films such as the Edinburgh Trader in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest with Johnny Depp.

HMS Bounty ~ World Traveler! In 2010 Bounty sailed through all 5 Great Lakes as part of the Tall Ships America Challenge. During the winter months Bounty was docked in Old San Juan Puerto Rico and for our 2011 sailing season we visited Europe. In 2012 we are back on the U.S. East Coast.

The replica of the original Bounty was built in Lunenburg NS. How great is that? And she is in port this week in Lunenburg, leaving later today or tomorrow.

Below are a few pictures from this week's staycations.  

Love water scenes, this one on the road to Blue Rocks

Looking for supper? This was taken on the Second Peninsula Road

Digby...Beautiful town on a hot summer day

Love the colours of summer, this was taken at the wharf in Digby

Gilber Cove lighthouse, didn't know there was a lighthouse there.

Another lighthouse...second peninsula road

The Bounty visiting Lunenburg, tied at the Museum wharf. Didn't see her in full sail but this is pretty neat.

Is volunteering a staycation?

On July 25th and 26th Lunenburg hosted eight of the tall ships that are visiting Nova Scotia. When I heard they were looking for volunteers to help during the two day visit I thought it would be a great idea if my husband and I volunteered...in fact I volunteered us both. What a great experience. We only worked for half of the day until 1:00 pm. The skies were blue and the crowds were wonderful. People from all over North America and a few from Europe were there enjoying the moment. And Lunenburg rolled out the welcome mat as they do so very well. The town is a tourist destination and it boasts a very high reputation for ship building for the past 250 years. Put all of that together with the crews from the eight ships visiting the area for the first time and you have everything needed for a very successful festival.

I'm not sure if others would call this a staycation, but I certainly do. I had fun, I learned a lot, I enjoyed meeting new people and I got to share a little bit of the South Shore with others. What more could you ask for? My husband had a similar experience. He was working with the security folks for most of day one and he was assisting at one of the gates on day two. He got to meet new people and learn about their reasons for visiting and their expectation...he also helped to make those expectations reality.

Below are a few pictures that will give you a small hint of the atmosphere. Enjoy. If you are in Nova Scotia and have not yet seen any of the tall ships, they are in Shelburne on the 28th and 29th. There are also tall ships in Pugwash and Pictou on July 28th and 29th.

Two of the visiting tall ships

Welcome to the visitors

A visitor to the wharf and the tall ships

Another visitor

More of the Tall Ships tied at the wharf

Good will ambassador to answer questions and help the visitors.

StayCation July 21, 2012

Wow I am really liking this trial retirement...it may become permanent...time will tell. Today was another one day staycation trip, this time to Wolfville, Windsor and some places in between.

 We left home at about 8:00 am and took our trusty dog with us. That meant that we wouldn't be leaving him for very long in the car by himself...minutes only. That dictates where and how long we visit.

Our first stop in the valley was the Wolfville Farmers' Market. They have over 70 vendors, although I didn't take the time to count them. There was everything there, veggies of course, fish chowder, artisans, wine, art, honey, candles, and live music. Most of the vendors are inside but there are a few outside tents. I visited the market while my husband and our dog went for a walk around the surrounding area. I have a few pictures of the market and the hustle and bustle. If anyone is a farmers'market fan, this is definitely a must see and do. They are open on Wednesday evenings and on Saturday mornings, and they are a year round market. Pretty impressive for a small community like Wolfville,

Our next stop was a wonderful fabric shop in Avondale. I always like to pick up a "few things" when I am there. Quilting supplies and patterns, and they also carry knitting supplies and other fabric art/craft supplies. Another must see if you are into fabric arts.

On to Windsor. We had picked two or three things we wanted to do and decided to return another day for more fun stuff. In Windsor at Kings/Edgehill there was a British car display as well as a cricket match and other "British" related activities. It was the cars that drew us and we were really surprised at the number of cars on display, one from Washington State, some from Ontario and of course all of the Maritime provinces.

We then backtracked to Blomidon lookoff and then to Halls Harbour. Both of these are beautiful and allowed us to walk freely with our dog. He always was a perfect gentleman as he visited all those beautiful cars in Windsor.

We decided that we had had a great day, filled with both the unexpected and the expected and neither disappointed. We learned that there was also a "Big Rig" display at the Windsor Exhibition grounds. While this wasn't something that we were particularly interested in, it looked to be of interest to several people, at least as we drove past to the highway.

Another great day. July has been a beautiful month so far, great experiences and fun, and a great dinner at the Galley restaurant for our anniversary.

Blomidon Lookoff

Car Show in Windsor

Halls Harbour

Statue of Howard Dill in Windsor

Anniversary Dinner

Frank and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary yesterday. Wow. For our anniversary dinner we chose the Galley Restaurant and Lounge at the boat club just west of Chester, NS. The food was fantastic. My cup of Galley Chowder was thick and rich, full of lobster, scallops, haddock, clams and potatoes and leeks and the list goes on. Delicious! I chose the Buttermilk Baked Haddock with curry sauce for my main course. And if possible it was even better than the chowder. Frank chose the Pan Seared Fresh Tuna which he thoroughly enjoyed. Relaxing atmosphere, beautiful view, great service and wonderful food...what more can you ask for?

For the details of hours of operation and menus visit  http://galleyrestaurant.ca/

A couple of the pictures of the great view.

Warm Summer day on the South Shore of NS

Beautiful warm summer day on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. A few of the beautiful beaches were almost empty, what a great chance for beach lovers. A few of our pictures from today's drive along the shore line, a stop at Medway River Lighthouse, pictures of Beach Meadows, and a few pictures of wild flowers in full bloom.

Wild Roses at Port Medway Lighthouse

Port Medway Lighthouse

Wharf at Port Medway

Picnic Shelter at Port Medway

Beach Meadows in Queens County

Beautiful beach at Beach Meadows

Hardly any visitors to this beautiful beach on a hot sunny July day

Staycation or Nearcation

This summer my husband and I are planning to explore our own province, Nova Scotia, and maybe visit our neighbours, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I have recently learned that a staycation is often a day trip and a nearcation is an overnighter or longer but still within your own province. I'm not sure if this definition is correct but I am going to use it as my guide as I post through the summer months about our adventures near our home.  

We have just returned from a nearcation trip to Cape Breton Island. The first night was spent in New Glasgow visiting with a friend and planning our next couple of days in CB. We have "done" the Cabot Trail several times, so this trip was going to be a bit different. We would travel up the shoreline to Port Hood, Mabou and then turn inland to Baddeck and then on to Sydney. We would visit gift shops and local tourist attractions on our way and if we saw something interesting we would stop. 

One gem that we discovered was the little day park in Port Hood. Easy access, great signage and a well maintained boardwalk, sandy beach (practically deserted) picnic tables and a beautiful view of the water. A wonderful breather, a peaceful place to stop and stretch your legs.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Glenora Distillery while listening to genuine Cape Breton music provided by a musical duo, one planning the guitar and the other the fiddle.I highly recommend the Maritime Seafood Chowder on the Distillery's lunch time menu, a generous sized serving with a flaky homemade biscuit. Scallops, fish and potatoes all hot and flavourful. 

And of course the charming community of Baddeck and the surrounding area also is a delight for the senses. The skies were overcast for most of the second and third day and we only had a couple of heavy rain showers...one when we were inside a restaurant looking out and another on our way into the hotel.

We were a little disappointed about a couple of our planned stops, we couldn't find them. They may have gone out of business or maybe the problem was poor signage. Just a note to anyone trying to sell things, if people can't find you...

The following pictures are a few of our memories of the trip. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed the experiences. 

Ship loading at the quarry at the Causeway

Port Hood Day Park, a nice surprise

Port Hood Day Park, tables and broadwalk

Port Hood Day Park, great chance for a long walk

We arrived in time for a very tasty lunch and the early afternoon music. Tours are available. Beautiful grounds and friendly people.

Just outside Baddeck

Although a cloudy day, the rain held off

From the top of the mountain looking down to where we will be crossing.  Winding road...good brakes are a must.

Orangedale museum

Inside the dormer train depot at Orangedale

Orangedale Museum. A must see for railway buffs.

Approaching the causeway on our way home. Fog hugging the mountain tops.