Chemo round three (and CLOR might have scored something)

The neupogen is doing its job and my white count is up to 2. I still have to do the 10 injections this round (Clemons is loving this) to be sure. Actually, Clemons told me it was Hazel that was pushing for me to continue with ten to be sure that I don't drop back again b/c the drop after round 1 was so fast and dramatic. Sometimes the cold hearted bitch who is really on your side delivers bad news. (Take note clients!)

I'm really rocking the bald "thang". I'm getting more and more comfortable with it and the hats and scarves I use only for warmth. Mother and I made a run to Ogedensberg to pick up a parcel on Thursday. (Doesn't it burn you that companies that sell products all over Canada, in this case SimpleHuman, don't ship replacement parts to Canada? I couldn't even order it on-line to ship to Canada b/c I don't have a billing State) Anyway, as neither mom nor I had any commitments in the afternoon, we went to a pub in Ogdensberg for lunch. I was wearing one of the quite beautiful head scarves that I got at Kelly's so that I would be warm enough in the car without sweating a few pounds off mom with added heat on the drive. When I went in, everyone took a good long look at it. The thing about the head scarves is that everyone knows - there is a person with cancer who is bald. So, why not just be bald? Apparently I have an awesome head. It's kinda small (who knew?) and nicely shaped. And if I don't have a scarf I get to sit and play with the little bits of stubble that are still left.

As I was sitting in the waiting room yesterday, playing Text Twist on my phone (I'm totally addicted), I felt a tap on my knee. I looked up to see a woman in leaning over in front of me. "I just wanted to let you know," she whispered, "that you look beautiful. I saw you as soon as I came into the reception and I thought you were stunning. I wanted to tell you." Oh my gosh (or "OMG" for all of you who know who you are). I almost started to tear up. "Thanks so much for telling me that. That's really wonderful." Her name is Paule and she was there with a daughter who looked about 17 and this was her first treatment and she was nervous. Not to worry. I reassured her about all the wonderful care she would be receiving and to ask any questions she had and with the baldness, to go with it, have a little fun with it, and wear whatever she wanted to. She had no head scarves so I pointed her to Kelly's where their selection is extraordinary. I wanted to find her when chemo was done just to say goodbye but things took all morning for me and I had to meet LT for lunch so I left in a hurry. I hope she is feeling okay.

The chemo nurses were wonderful as usual. The sun was bright and warm shining in the windows and as I was the second in that pod I got to pick a bed at the end with full sunshine. It was toasty.

I had to put on my earphones and plug myself in for the first time as a rather cranky lady eventually took the bed beside mine. Good thing I like my music rather loud. I didn't even know it when the nurse came at the end to pinch the tube to make the last of the poison enter my PICC.

I have a pharmacology student assigned to me. She is very cute but I cannot remember her name. She checks on me everytime I'm in the pod and then phones to follow up. She is very concerned about my continuuing headaches. I spoke with Clemons about them when we met b/c my Ibuprofen intake is high. He said he was okay with the amount I was taking. He also said that I could take pot to see if that helped. Then he asked, "Are you a habitual marijuana user?" I'm putting that question down to the bald head and the tatt! He warned me, as I am not a habitual user, to be careful as too much can actually make you feel quite sick. Sort of like a booze hangover I take it. I told Clemons that my preferred ingestion method would be via cookie - and he seemed to think that was a good idea! Does anyone have a good marijuana macaroon recipe they could share?

They had nursing students on the pod observing and taking vitals. Because of my PICC they have to do my blood pressure manually and the poor student that was doing mine had a heck of a time with the cuff. I think they spend most of their time with the autmoated ones! I had to help her a little. Glad to report that I had good pressure, and they even found my heart.

Renee had a lovely lunch with LT. It was the first time that Renee has been out since the day she came home with us. Sydny made the reservations for us and she asked me who would be going and when I told her that Renee was that's whose name she used:) LT delivered a bag full of books that I'm already working my way through.

In my continuing bid for unimpeded access to my driveway, I have found a by-law that prohibits parking on city streets less than six metres in width. Logan and I measured Rosedale and came up with less than six metres - but it is very difficult with all the snow - so it just might turn out to meet the threshold. This week I have worn him down to the point where he sent me a brief message: "What resolution would you like to see?" That's when I hit him with the six metre by-law and asked him to check it out. I don't want to prohibit parking the length of the street. A no parking sign at the end of my drive to the laneway (which might add about three feet to the no parking near the laneway by-law) is all that I really want - but I do want something. I have been bugging the lovely operators at 311 all week - sometimes mulitple times a day to have cars parked at the end of the drive ticketed for being too close to the laneway. The parking by-law officers come, albeit hours later, and have been ticketing - so hopefully people are getting the message that parking there is not cool. I'll start again Monday:)

Granny and Grandpa took four grandkids, including Sydny, skiing on Friday for the PD day. They had such a great time that they came back hours after aniticipated. Brother Bill and I joined them for grandpa's birthday supper. We only put decade candles on the cake though in a prudent fire prevention move.

Heading back to bed now for a little nap before Logan and I head off to chiro. This will be my first chiro adjustment since before the surgery and I've been spending so much time on my back that I am in desperate need of it. Maybe they can even help with the headaches. Bye for now.