Sorry for being away

Two weeks is too long for me to leave my blog in limbo - I am beginning to get worried messages from friends all over the globe, so am shaking myself into action to put your minds at rest and let you know what I have been up to lately.

We had a wonderful week of family get-together that came about by accident, with my older brother from England and his wife, two of his children and his daughter's boyfriend, my younger brother from Alabama, Miriam and her partner and partner's mother, and Eric. Normally three house guests at a time were all that we felt we could handle, but this was the little week that grew and grew, and it turned out to be one of the most satisfying weeks of the year - the first time in so many years that my two brothers and I were together at the same time. At our most crowded we were 12, but everyone pitched in with cooking and cleaning, and we celebrated American Thanksgiving two weeks early with turkey, dressing and all the fixings! I don't know if it was the good fellowship, but I felt very comfortable all week, and it was with some sadness that we said goodbye to all our visitors. Now the house is back to normal, and I am back to my normal up and down days.

My medication has been changed to a long-lasting narcotic painkiller that I only have to take twice daily, so am able to live now without one eye on the clock. I have completed two rounds of my new chemo Caelyx, and we are hoping that it will prove successful in fighting some of my symptoms, such as ascites. Time will tell, but in the meantime I am having weekly taps to belly and thorax that typically take out from 2-3 liters of liquid, and make me feel much easier. I've had my nephrostomy tubes replaced once, and today had a doppler ultra sound test on my left leg to check for possible deep blood clots.

Friends continue to shower me with cards, flowers, good wishes and sweet surprises, so I am feeling very blessed. Autumn is here for sure, and most leaves have fallen from the trees. Winter is around the corner, and it is looking more and more as if we will be spending Christmas here in Toronto - I just don't feel secure enough to absent myself from Toronto for long periods, and a long drive or airline flight is not realistic for me at this time.

Back to NYGH

This past week went by slowly. I was very uncomfortable with a build up of fluid in my chest and abdomen that my oncologist didn't seem to want me to have dealt with (risk of infection, not really enough build up - what did she want? an explosion??). I had to push her to recommend me back to North York Gen Hospital, which she declined to do, saying that perhaps my GP would do this for me. I called my GP, and she, very kindly, did just that. Friday we drove to NYG where I met lots of the staff that I knew from last March, and they tapped the left side of my chest and drew off 600 ccs of the vile liquid. Then they tapped my abdomen high up on the right side and removed another 2.9 liters of liquid that had been compressing my lung and stomach and caused my ribs to ache and all sorts of other discomforts. In less than an hour I had lost another 7-8 pounds of excess liquid, and I went home walking upright and with an appointment for next Friday, in case the ascites returns. I am still on pain killers for other reasons, but at least I have ruled a new tumor out of the swelling on my right side.

Today I have been letting my insides sort out where they should be, and hopefully tomorrow will be a more comfortable day for me. It better be - I need to be a little more active to help my men get the house ready for our family to arrive from Alabama, Montreal, France and England for an early Thanksgiving gathering, US style. There will be 12 of us at our most numerous, and a great week of feasting and fellowship is on order.