It's a sunny Saturday...strange not to be on the ski hill now that the chair has opened and there's more snow to push around. I managed to be "one lucky girl" according to the Smithers hospital x-ray unit and get squeezed in for the echo cardiogram yesterday. The tech, Val and I are now on first name terms and spend some of our time laughing and catching up. She was so surprised to see me back in her hands after being the one helping to monitor the left breast lump these past two years. "And they found cancer in the right one?" I assured her it was so small that it took an MRI to detect it, but still, the news hung in the air like a bad smell. She hadn't been the one to find it. Had she missed something?
The good news is that my heart, like my lungs, has passed all the tests. There has been no damage done to any vitals. No infections settled in and so I get the green light for more chemo. We are waiting to hear from the Kelowna oncologist on what they will be giving me next. All the tests seem to point to the conclusion it was the Docetaxel that caused the shortness of breath. I'll either get a smaller dose or get switched to something less harmful on my system. Ha! Drano Light!
Today I went for a 30 minute walk- that was enough and notice I am no longer wheezing from walking up the stairs. I am breathing hard, but not sounding like an Olympic finish line. I see some light at the end of this tunnel- enough to think maybe some swimming on Monday? Ever, ever hopeful.
I opened a Christmas gift this morning from the in-laws. A small rebounder mini-trampoline to help with the lymph node drainage. It has been building pressure under my arm since the swimming stopped a week ago. Ten minutes of light bouncing supposedly drains the area and I don't have to do the manual stroking which tires my good arm out. B's Mom,Kathy, after an arduous search, found the mini-trampoline at Canadian Tire. I have to use it in the freezer room as every other room has a ceiling too low for bouncing a 5'7" woman around. Ha. Kerchief's are flying.
I feel bad that the timing for the chemo is what it will be. It's rotten the kids will be seeing me at my worst. There's only so much fake smiling one can do on this stuff. Maybe if I can convince the cancer unit to wait and give me the chemo on December 24th, nine days late, I will be good enough for our annual seafood fondue on the 24th, for opening gifts Christmas morning and for the turkey dinner. I usually get very sick, tired and suffer the worst on Days 3-5. Dec. 26-30. Hmmm. This is sounding better all the time.
Oh Santa, I have another wish. Santa? Hey, don't run away from me! Santa, wait up, we have to talk!