Month: April 2022

Dogs, Enzymes, and a Conspiracy Theorist

Posted in Treatment12 Comments

For the three weeks after my second immunology treatment, things were going pretty well. With few side effects, my dog-sitting sister and I decided I could probably try having my furry friends back home. For the past two months I’d wanted to be able to focus on my own health (as a reminder, Jazz has diabetes which requires insulin shots twice a day and has cataracts making her almost blind.)  But of course, I missed them so on Wednesday evening, March 17th they were chauffeured back home from Pickering. They were certainly as excited to see/smell me as I was to have them back for cuddles!

This was the day after treatment number 3 and on Friday I went for the usual blood lab check and doctor consultation to make sure everything was as it should be.  But of course, it wasn’t!

“I’m sorry to tell you that your liver enzymes have skyrocketed and we’ll need to admit you to the hospital immediately so we can give you intravenous steroids to start bringing the enzymes down. I’ll be right back but I’m afraid you’ll need to make arrangements for your dogs again.”

I’d mentioned the dogs coming home to him at my Monday appointment earlier in the week and he remembered LOL. Luckily Sue made it clear that if for any reason keeping them was an issue, they’d be happy to have them back so after less than 48 hours they were back in Pickering and I’d been admitted as an inpatient to Toronto General. I did get taken from Princess Margaret to TGH via the tunnel under University Ave which was kinda cool.

Looking East from my TGH room at night.

I didn’t actually have any real side effects at this point so after getting pumped with the steroid each morning, I’d go for a walk in the afternoon if the weather was nice. One day around hospital row, another day up to the University of Toronto, and another down to my old – and no longer going to be new – office at 400 University Avenue. There Emma, Ian and some others were struggling to get the space ready for the division’s “return to work” future. Was certainly nice to chat with some familiar faces.

Being able to get out and about also allowed me to get some respite from “conspiracy theorist guy” (CTG). In a room that eventually had five beds filled (things were still pretty tight in the hospital for both beds and staff) I was lucky enough to get a window that even had a reasonable view.  But of course, the beds are only separated by thin curtains and for four of the five days I was there, CTG was on his phone explaining global child sacrifices being made by the world’s elite, Trudeau wanting to murder everyone, Hilary Clinton’s pedophile ring in the basement of a pizza place, chips in the vaccine and all the forces against him in making some hemp business succeed.

Oh and all the people that were helping him cure his cancer with treatments that were clearly outside anything that was generally accepted by the medical world at the moment. I mean I suppose it’s not completely impossible my oncologists were purposely leading me astray because of big pharma…but I really wasn’t convinced.  That’s despite listening to him about 18 hours a day on his cell phone – even my earbuds couldn’t block him out 😦

When they figured I was ready to just take an oral dose of the steroid, they were ready to send me home but on my last day, they also scheduled a CT scan. The results were pretty positive. All the tumours and lesions had shrunk – some as much as 50% – so it proved that so far at least, the radiation and three combination immunotherapy doses had been doing what they were supposed to. And although I have to be weaned off the steroid before we can do any more treatments, the earlier treatments will continue to have an effect on the cancer cells while that happens.  So getting that news was definitely worth 4 days of listening to CTG.

The steroid is slowly bringing down the liver enzymes but the side effects of fatigue and weakness and swollen feet are definitely more pronounced. So they gave me another med to counter the side effects of the steroid – we’ll see how that works out <chuckle>. And now that the weather is nicer – well at least above freezing most days – it’s harder to find an excuse NOT to go for walk I guess LOL.

Lastly, this past weekend my sisters were again kind enough to both take me to and from Brighton to visit my parents. They were going anyway but still had to go out of their way to my place. And the dogs went too so I did get another two days of cuddle therapy which can never be a bad thing! And when I got dropped off at home again, and as much as they are very well cared for by my sister’s family, I’m pretty sure they wanted to come in and stay with me 😉

Out and About

Posted in Uncategorized10 Comments

Previous Post: Discharged and Re-Diagnosed

My last post was pretty busy with medical updates and may not have been completely reflective of my day-to-day life.

I’ve mentioned previously that the doctor told me I’m not to be driving which was – and still is to some extent – a psychological blow that I’m still struggling with. I can certainly do all the essentials in my neighbourhood, via the subway (an 8-minute walk from my apartment), or using the very general UBER gift certificate I received from my work colleagues! But the option to jump in my car (my year old Corolla Hybrid!!) and go for a road trip to wherever on a nice day will probably only get more frustrating as the weather improves…

Niagara Roadtrip

So it was great when two of my sisters offered to take me on a road trip of my choosing on February 6th. Perhaps oddly to some, I chose Niagara Region as my choice. It turned out to be a beautiful cold but sunny day – perfect for a winter drive.  I offered my car to help save on gas and we headed off to Betty’s Restaurant in Chippawa – south-east of Niagara Falls – for lunch. The owner had gone to university with one of my sisters and we were treated to a great lunch in our own private dining area. I was also inspired by stories of his daughter who had died of cancer after being an enthusiastic and highly successful fundraiser for Princess Margaret Hospital where of course I’m receiving my treatment.

With my sister Lynn at Table Rock, Niagara Falls, February 2022.

After lunch, we headed back up the Niagara Parkway to Niagara Falls. I feel I need to provide a disclaimer about ever visiting the falls without bringing a visiting tourist along LOL. Certainly in the summer, I do my best to avoid the town completely. But a winter visit every few years reminds me of the magical side of the falls as the spray freezes on the railings and trees along the canyon sides. And despite the amazingly powerful flow of the Niagara River, ice forms around the falls as well and forms a new pair of clothes for the season. Like many of the other visitors – a fraction of those there in the summer – we stopped at Table Rock and while it was sunny but very cold, the views were spectacular.

While we didn’t have time or tickets to visit, I’d highly recommend visiting the recently renovated Niagara Power Station for a tour. Definitely on my to-do list!

“Explore the first major power plant on the Canadian side of the Niagara River with immersive exhibits, restored artifacts and interactive storytelling. And at night, feel the once-dormant power station come to life in a breathtaking interactive experience you’ll never forget.”

View looking down the Niagara River from Queenston Heights

Back in the car, we continued along the Niagara Parkway, passing the mostly closed Niagara Parks Commission attractions. As we approached Queenston Heights I reminded my (younger) sisters that we sometimes would bring my grandparents on a road trip and stop beside Brock’s Monument to have a picnic lunch. That of course led to my best efforts at concisely explaining the War of 1812, General Brock, and why he had a monument in the first place LOL.  As we descended the Parkway down to the village of Queenston, many of you will know the pull off lookout where it’s impossible to resist a photograph down the Niagara River toward Lake Ontario no matter the season 🙂 And of course, as we passed through Queenston, I couldn’t resist pointing out the Laura Secord Homestead.

As we continue along the Parkway, I’m always impressed with how  “park-like” and non-commercial the Niagara Parks Commission keeps the drive between Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. Clearly, all the fruit stands and most of the wineries (luckily I’m not drinking these days anyway) were closed for the season but even in the busy summer, it’s a generally very peaceful drive.

We reached, Niagara on the Lake, found a parking space, and headed out up one side of the main street and back along the other. There were still piles of snow along the street and holiday decorations did give it a Disney-like atmosphere but as at the Falls, there were far fewer people walking the streets than any other season!  I did of course have a secret goal for visiting NOTL and that was to pick up a slab of maple cream fudge from one of a number of candy store options. 😉 Okay I ended up with TWO slabs but who knows when I’d get back to pick up more!

Fudge in hand, sightseeing complete, it was time to head back to Toronto with the sun still shining. Hard to thank my two sisters enough for taking the day to get me out and about!

Brighton

Luckily my sister Anne and her husband who live on the edge of downtown Toronto, have been renovating a home north of Belleville over the past several months and most Saturdays head down to do some work. This means they pass Brighton (about an hour and a half from Toronto) where my 89-year-old parents live.  On two occasions they have kindly picked me up and then dropped me in Brighton for the day, and collected me on their way home. Not only was it great to spend time with my parents but on one trip we stopped to pick up my dogs from my sister in Pickering for a cuddly doggy day trip.  On the other visit, the same sister surprised us by showing up in Brighton with the dogs again – oh yeah and with my niece LOL. Again great chances to just get a change of scenery from my quaint but quiet neighbourhood. Who knew I’d ever be this thankful for having three younger sisters?!? 😉

ROM

The first week of March I was feeling pretty good so decided to visit the Royal Ontario Museum’s special whale exhibit. I picked mid-day on a Friday so it was not particularly busy and it’s only four subway stops away. The exhibit was awesome (I’d expect no less from the ROM) and I also took in the special Wildlife Photography exhibit as well. I wrapped it all up with lunch in the basement deli which was also a good way to rest before heading home.

Next on to my do-to list is an embarrassingly late visit to the Aga Khan Museum in Don Mills 😦 But soon!!

Pub Dinners with Friends

On three occasions I joined some church friends for late Friday night pub dinners. Although I’ve messaged online with all these friends over the past few months, it was great to meet once again in person. The cancer treatments do make me immunocompromised so, despite the lifting of restrictions in Ontario, I did have t chat with my oncologist about what risk level I still have to consider.  The first night the pub was still under capacity restrictions and I felt comfortable – the next two after restrictions were lifted, not so much so I decided it made most sense not to join them for future dinners.

Meanwhile, I’m doing my best to get out and walk through the neighbourhood when the weather allows and certainly that should get easier as spring is finally sprung!

Next post: Dogs, Enzymes, and a Conspiracy Theorist