Highland Line No. 56
14 May 2008 (for 1 May)
Lynn's Health Update
I have been set up for 6 to 8 rounds of a chemo regimen called TaxolCarbo. I will report to Ninewell's chemotherapy unit at 9:30 next Monday morning, the 19th. The drugs will be administered intravenously for a 5-hour period. By the end of the day, I will be finished but I'll stay in hospital overnight (my choice as this is my first ever chemo). The good news is that the drug cocktail will take care of the remaining tumors regardless of what type they are.
Each 5-hour round will be separated by a 3-week rest period. I probably will do the others as a day patient. See the CancerBackup link from the May 9 Highland Line for information on the drugs and so forth.
Don has begun slowing down just a little bit, but for the most part, you'd never know it. Still no ill effects from his second round of chemo except that his hair is departing his head fairly rapidly. (He will see his hairdresser on Friday.) I am still lacking in energy but manage to get things done. On Monday I planted bedding plants in our front flowerbed. Yesterday I planted 3 window boxes. I still have plants I need to do something with and some weeding to do.
Yesterday we spent a few hours at The Maggie's Centre, the cancer support centre at Ninewell's Hospital. We had signed up for touch therapy. As yesterday was Don's birthday, and as he had done 3 hours of weeding in the morning, he went first. Both of our sessions were blissful. I left for the ride home feeling a great sense of well-being.
Since my head has been shaved, I've been trying to wear my wig when I go out of the house but I seem to be constantly tugging it this way and that, in which case I might as well have a tag hanging off of it saying "This is a wig!". I'd much rather wear a cap or scarf but these don't always look very good. At Maggie's they had a rack of caps to try on. I found one that I really liked, that was light-weight, and stylish. They gave it to me!
Volunteers at Maggie's make you coffee or tea and chat with you as well as provide programs and inform you of upcoming events. On the 10th of June we will attend a nutrition workshop where healthy food preparation is demonstrated and then we all sit down and eat it. I'm signed up for a Look Good…Feel Good makeup session on August 4th, which I'm looking forward to.
14 May 2008 (for 1 May)
Lynn's Health Update
I have been set up for 6 to 8 rounds of a chemo regimen called TaxolCarbo. I will report to Ninewell's chemotherapy unit at 9:30 next Monday morning, the 19th. The drugs will be administered intravenously for a 5-hour period. By the end of the day, I will be finished but I'll stay in hospital overnight (my choice as this is my first ever chemo). The good news is that the drug cocktail will take care of the remaining tumors regardless of what type they are.
Each 5-hour round will be separated by a 3-week rest period. I probably will do the others as a day patient. See the CancerBackup link from the May 9 Highland Line for information on the drugs and so forth.
Don has begun slowing down just a little bit, but for the most part, you'd never know it. Still no ill effects from his second round of chemo except that his hair is departing his head fairly rapidly. (He will see his hairdresser on Friday.) I am still lacking in energy but manage to get things done. On Monday I planted bedding plants in our front flowerbed. Yesterday I planted 3 window boxes. I still have plants I need to do something with and some weeding to do.
Yesterday we spent a few hours at The Maggie's Centre, the cancer support centre at Ninewell's Hospital. We had signed up for touch therapy. As yesterday was Don's birthday, and as he had done 3 hours of weeding in the morning, he went first. Both of our sessions were blissful. I left for the ride home feeling a great sense of well-being.
Since my head has been shaved, I've been trying to wear my wig when I go out of the house but I seem to be constantly tugging it this way and that, in which case I might as well have a tag hanging off of it saying "This is a wig!". I'd much rather wear a cap or scarf but these don't always look very good. At Maggie's they had a rack of caps to try on. I found one that I really liked, that was light-weight, and stylish. They gave it to me!
Volunteers at Maggie's make you coffee or tea and chat with you as well as provide programs and inform you of upcoming events. On the 10th of June we will attend a nutrition workshop where healthy food preparation is demonstrated and then we all sit down and eat it. I'm signed up for a Look Good…Feel Good makeup session on August 4th, which I'm looking forward to.
Maggie's is a wonderful resource for informational pamphlets, books, and so forth. Out behind the building, they are constructing a labyrinth and doing a lot of landscaping. In future, it will provide many opportunities for enlightenment, meditation, and tranquility. From the upper deck of the building, one looks out across the River Tay to the Wee Kingdom of Fife, a gorgeous view.
Last night I took Don to the Deil's Cauldron restaurant in Comrie to celebrate his birthday. We had a superb meal and a good time. Just as we were leaving, a party of 7 men came into the dining room where we were. We chatted with them for a while. They come up from the Scottish Borders at this time each year to play golf. They invited Don to join them this morning to round out their numbers, so he is at St. Fillans right now playing with them. He managed to play 18 holes with them!
This evening we are invited round to our friend Catherine Brown's flat for a vegetarian meal. She is our food writer friend, a patchworker, and an all around delightful woman. We're looking forward to spending the evening with her.
So you can see that we continue to perk along, doing the best we can, staying involved and connected in the community, and in general, remaining optimistic and hopeful about our treatment plan, highly confident in our medical professionals, and grateful for the excellent facilities at our fingertips.
Last night I took Don to the Deil's Cauldron restaurant in Comrie to celebrate his birthday. We had a superb meal and a good time. Just as we were leaving, a party of 7 men came into the dining room where we were. We chatted with them for a while. They come up from the Scottish Borders at this time each year to play golf. They invited Don to join them this morning to round out their numbers, so he is at St. Fillans right now playing with them. He managed to play 18 holes with them!
This evening we are invited round to our friend Catherine Brown's flat for a vegetarian meal. She is our food writer friend, a patchworker, and an all around delightful woman. We're looking forward to spending the evening with her.
So you can see that we continue to perk along, doing the best we can, staying involved and connected in the community, and in general, remaining optimistic and hopeful about our treatment plan, highly confident in our medical professionals, and grateful for the excellent facilities at our fingertips.
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