Things We Take For Granted TToT

By Matthew Bowden [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

It’s been an eventful week for me as far as being thankful, ending a long wait for a medical procedure, and taking the time to stop and think about the simple things that normally I take for granted.

A friend of mine, +Martie Coetser Pozyn  who lives in South Africa, had the misfortune of her pipes freezing this past week and was without running water. This made me stop and think of going through the same thing here at different times throughout the years. The first one coming to mind was the blackout we had during the hot summer of 2003.  That would have to be the number one time in my life where I was thinking about and being thankful for the many things we take for granted. I was so thankful during that time that we were fortunate enough to have a generator to enable us to run our refrigerator.  (I absolutely hate having to waste food) Driving to the bank though to line up outside only to find out that the bank machines were down is something that always sticks in my mind. No access to money, therefore no access to gas to fuel the generator. Again I didn't know at the time that the gas stations were closed due to the blackout.

The things I take for granted and am thankful for are; heat, hydro, running water, and fresh clean air. I don't think most of us think about these things until we are without them.

You can't see the rain all that well
 in this picture but trust me it was
 there and coming down like cats and dogs.

Tuesday, Claire, my mother in law and I were out for a walk downtown. It looked like it might rain but we had an umbrella and it wasn't like we were going to melt. What’s a little rain right ….. On the way home we not only got wet ….. We were drenched to the bone.  If there had of been a wet entire clothing contest, we would have won it. Later on that night hubby said to us, don’t you ever watch the weather forecast; we were expecting over 40 mil of rain this afternoon. Once we dried off and warmed up we were thankful to be home and out of the rain.

Wednesday was chemo day and I was thankful that it only took one poke to get my I.V. started that day compared to the 4 times the previous treatment.

Thursday morning I had a power port or Port-a-Cath installed in my chest as my veins are pouched and too damaged to receive further chemo. Now anytime I need chemo, a CAT scan, MRI, or blood work, it can all be done through the port. I’m thankful that it is now installed and ready to go.

When I first learned that I was going to be awake for the surgical procedure to have the port installed I was nervous. I’d never been awake for something like this before and normally I’m pretty squeamish about such things. They gave me a mild sedative to relax me and froze the area really well where they had to cut and install. There was this huge monitor in front of me where the surgeon could see everything going on. I asked where I could get a monitor that size for my laptop. I’m sure it was close to 100 inches. I was thankful to be awake just to experience an operating room while being awake.

As I am everyday of my life, I'm thankful for my family, friends and pets.

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A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Wakefield Doctrine

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Mini Cancer Update Now Waiting on a Port

As I’m sitting having chemo pumped through my veins I hear clapping and cheering

I listen and curiously wonder why on earth would people be acting this way in a cancer centre?

Then this past Wednesday I’m sitting beside a woman who has just had her I.V. taken out and I see nurses gathering about.

 “Hip, Hip, Hurrah” starts ….   “Hip, Hip, Hurrah”, the “Hip, Hip, Hurrah”. Then hugs, lots of hugs and congratulations of, " you've done it" … your very last chemo treatment. As I look on I see one of the nurses hand this very happy looking woman a diploma. How nice I think to myself, for her. She is one of the lucky ones that may never have to have chemo ever again in her life.

I’m at a friend’s blog reading about her 20th chemo treatment.  Her and I are on a quite similar journey as far as chemo goes. It will probably never end for us. As the little beaver (Justin Bieber) says “Never Say Never”, as more than likely it will end when our bodies can no longer take any more chemicals being into our bodies.

Outside of the chemo centre in the waiting room where I go now every three weeks, there’s a ships bell that people ring when it is their last treatment. I have watched and seen people ring the bell as they’re leaving. Usually a couple of loud clangs and an, “I’m outta here!” Silently I sit and wish that were me.

Yesterday when I read +Lisa Thompson's I was inspired to write this piece. I was going to try and make it poetic. But after I started writing it the poetry would not flow from my mind, through my fingers, to my keyboard.

Even though I know for me the chemo won’t end until my body says no more or the doctors say no more, I will still fight and not give into the cancer that lingers in my body. For right now this Pemetrexed is shrinking the nodules in my lung, with no new nodules showing. They are still there in my chest hanging in close to my left lung, but can no longer be seen in the left lung.

(I spoke with a new oncology nurse this week and she was very informative when I asked her various questions about what all my reports had said)

The port I was to have put in this past March had to be cancelled due to depression. Now I’m waiting for them to re-book the insertion of the port as I was a human pin cushion this past week. Even once the I.V. team nurse was called in to insert the I.V. this week it took her several attempts to find a vein. I’m hoping that the port is in before my next chemo treatment in three weeks from now. 

To all of us that are fighting cancer let's try really hard and keep fighting the fight even though we have blips in the way and some days want to throw in the towel and say to hell with it. Don't give in and please don't ever give up. Miracles do still happen.........

For my complete cancer journey please click here.