Catching up - other stuff

So with all that health stuff going on my world still turned - some good, some bad as life seems to hand us all.

Starting with the good - I have a new roommie! Let me introduce you to Lulu - my beautiful Seal Point Himalayan cat!

She seems to have a bit of a princess look in this pic... which is not surprising.. it's so wonderful to have a new buddy to hang out with & talk to & I just love her!

A lot of Callanish Writing has happened since my May posting. We finished up our 6th series and a new book is on the way. It was tough to write this last series without the inspiration and guidance of Kirsten but she has left us an amazing legacy and I honour her with every word I write because I know that without Kirsten's vision of Callanish Writes I would have never put pen to paper. How I wish Kirsten could have been at our summer sessions too - she would have loved it! Right here at my home - on my deck - once in July and once in August - we love our decks!! Thanks to all who made the unpredictable trip both ways thru the tunnel and left such positive energy behind for me to wallow in.

We have new baby in the family - beautiful London Brielle (Mills) MacLellan arrived July 17th - London's mama's 3rd child and only girl, Big Bro's 8th grandchild (and him barely an adult himself!) and my 11th great-niece/nephew! Sadly London was born with a severe heart defect called Ebstein's Anomoly and although the first week of her little life was very precarious, she is doing remarkably well now at just over 6 weeks old. London's cardiologist says 'she keeps proving me wrong', uses terms like 'amazing' and she is the rock-star of Children's Hospital cardio unit! She will have to have a heart transplant but for now she is home, gaining weight, smiling, laughing and doing all the things a normal baby would do including be loved and catered to by her parents & very proud big brothers.

Such a cutie-pie!

There's been dinners and lunches, manicure and pedicures, shopping and spending, visits and quiet time, phone calls and emails, books read and movies watched, tears shed and laughter laughed - your general garden variety life! Nothing earth-shattering or devastating with the exception of London's diagnosis - but we will stay in the here and now and enjoy every day with her.

Other good news is that the police arrested and charged the 19-year old who killed Marilyn. Ten counts altogether. While I'm glad to know he will be held responsible and accountable, I can't help but feel some compassion for such a young man who will never have the life he could have had or would have had. Such a waste - on both sides. Lives changed forever for what...

Other good news - my darling Danielle is engaged - congratulations to you & Geoff my sweet!

And as always within my communities there have been losses these last few months. My friends, my supporters, my buddies , my heros.

Rest easy Judith
Rest easy Yan
Rest easy Wayne
Rest easy Caio

And a candle for Mona..



Stay well my friends.

Catching Up - the health stuff

Bad blogger - that's what I am! I was determined to post at least once before the end of the summer - can't get much closer than August 31st...

Hard to believe 3 months have passed since I last wrote. It's been a rough few months healthwise but am definitely feeling better the last 2-3 weeks. Without going into a lot of detail I had the nephrostomy tube removed - the pain wasn't worth the gain. Too many procedures, too many trips to the health unit, too many bladder infections, too many yeast infections, too many weeks on antibiotics and one great big old skin infection from too many bandages which I'm still trying to get rid of. At the end of the day, the diagnosis is still the same - unable to determine wether or not there is cancer in the ureter as it is so compressed they are unable to pass anything thru it, which also means that a stent can't be inserted to alleviate the kidney condition. My right kidney is likely not functioning well regardless and so will eventually atrophy and do nothing... my left kidney is just fine so that's not a huge worry and my oncologist will keep an eye on the kidney condition. Other assorted and miscellaneous conditions and symptons related to the above have come and mostly gone so I don't see any need to bore you with those details.

So now September approaches.. which is gearing up to be a pretty busy medical month - seems all my new best friends have an MD of some sort after their name. I have another bone scan coming up - I've been having some light pain in my lower back and left flank - close enough to the tumours on my 'iliac' to warrant another test. 1/4'ly CT scan also coming up in a couple of weeks. Then my monthly treatment and my monthly visit with my oncologist to see if I get to stay on this 'chemo light' or move on to something more effective. Tumour markers have been slowly rising the last couple of months and while not sky-rocketing, still a source of concern. After much thought and trepidation I've made the decision to have a port-a-cath (port) inserted. I simply have very few cooperative veins left and given that I get way too many needles between blood work, procedures and IV's and the nurses run the other way when they see me coming it seems a logical step to take. The procedure involves day surgury so I'm waiting to hear on that - would be nice to have that done before I have to have the bone scan, CT scan and my Sept treatment - no bruising, no anxiety - that would be a nice change! As always my major and ongoing grievance is fatigue - worn out, worn down and depleted!

It's a full time job this cancer thing - but I'm still in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in!!

Stay well my friends.