16 Two more medications

31 October 2016

Luckily I went to Ottawa today with Hilary,  my hot-tub owning  pharmacist friend. I started to feel ill on the drive and I got to see the nurse after the radiation session.  I had a fever and my BP was elevated so she contacted Dr. Colin Brown and he ordered a chest x-ray.  We were greeted by an empty X-ray waiting room so were seen immediately. We met with Colin few minutes later and he said that there had been a faint shadow on the lungs before but it had become much more prominent. He gave me a prescription for antibiotic as well as a re-order of steroids. My guardian angel Hilary managed to get a dose of both medications into me before we even left Ottawa. So, now I am resting lots and will see Colin again on Wednesday. Not a great start to my last week but as Cheryl pointed out, it will get better.

15 Re-cycling

30 October 2016

The routine now reminds me of those days before retirement when we would look forward to the weekends as a rest from work. Now my regular weekday visits to the hospital make me appreciate again the total freedom on the weekends. Our delightful neighbours Steve & Sandi still work full time and they joined us for morning coffee today.

After my morning caffeine shot I was able to get out for a proper bike ride for the first time in 7 weeks. It was only a half hour ride but it felt so good to be on a real bike again. The cold weather was a shock and I usually have a gradual acclimatization period during the Fall but this was a rude awakening. I was so chilled after the ride that I headed over to Hillary's hot-tub for a warm up and then came home for a nap.
        

You can see from the photo that I have been neglecting my chores and the ground is littered with huge numbers of these orange things. Luckily I have a machine in the garage that will blow them away but I have to wait for them to dry out. I don't feel my usual enthusiasm to do the Fall clean up chores. and I have a strong urge to use my limited energy to keep in close touch with friends and relatives. The only exception is that I will be cleaning up a small section of the garage so it is ready to receive the new resident (FJ09)

14 Feast

29 October 2016

I always seem to feel well in the morning so it must be true about the medical staff saying there is need for lots of rest. Early this morning I had managed to do a full half hour on the real bike trainer so I think that an outside ride is coming as soon as the weather warms up later in the week.

I was feeling so good this morning that I invited Cheryl out for brunch. One of my favourite restaurants in Long Sault is the Waterview. It's the kind of local restaurant where the waitresses don't bring you a menu because they know that you know the menu by heart. We were lucky to get a seat at 11:00am and I was very excited about the prospect of eating real food in a real restaurant. I carefully chose 2 eggs with hash browns and whole wheat toast. When this feast arrived I proceeded to chew thoroughly and use the grease and butter to slowly ease the mixture down my narrowed and sore throat – heavenly!!! It is amazing how much pleasure can be had from the simplest of experiences. 

I spent much of the afternoon recuperating from the morning excitement and exercise. I also had the brilliant idea of adding mushrooms to the order next time we have the Brunch. So many exciting possibilities are out there waiting! The picture is a happy memory from 2004 of me cooking eggs on Christmas morning.

13 Last Lap

28 October 2016

Completing the treatment session today felt good because of the coming weekend and now there is only one more week (and a day) of treatment left. I am still able to eat some solid food but I have finished with the Steroids so I might be back on liquids.

Today was a big recovery milestone because in the early morning I rode my regular bike on the trainer downstairs for 30 minutes without my left shoulder hurting. It felt so good to be back on a real bike even though it was still indoors. In the past few years I have ridden outside in every month of the year. It really isn't that hard since you dress the same as for cross country skiing. The only problem is that your friends think you are insane! I didn't go very fast this morning but I was sweating and very tired after the short ride So, what they say about training is true - "Use It Or Lose It".

Cheryl drove me to Ottawa today and on the return trip I had another episode of radiation induced extreme jaw pain like a severe toothache. Luckily I had my ice-packs with me and much of the pain had left before the evening. Cheryl has been incredibly supportive and I feel sorry for anyone going through this kind of treatment without the benefit of a loving partner. The pain medications cause a lot of confusion and just getting the basic necessities of life organized is a big task. I think the support of friends is also critical for surviving these difficult times. So, to all of you -thanks!

12 Snow

27 October 2016

Today I was the first patient in the radiation machine at 8:00am and was greeted by Elianne and Benoit who are two of the regular ray gunners. Despite all the nasty streams of radiation they are showering on me we have become friends after meeting daily for the past five weeks. I was lucky to be first because one of the machines had broken down so later patients would have a long wait. Hilary, our neighbour and long time friend drove me to Ottawa today and the depth of her friendship is clear because she scooped me up at 6:30am in the pre-dawn dark.

Several of our friends have left for the South and more are leaving this weekend. They are spending the warm end of Summer in Florida and they will be happy to escape the snow here today. It's 4:30 and I just came from soaking in Hilary's hot Tub on the deck and we were watching the huge white flakes drift down against the grey sky. They didn't seem too threatening while the clouds of steam rose around us. But Winter is coming.

Earlier this afternoon I hitched a ride into town with Cheryl and while she was at her doctors I had a visit with Brian. I made friends with Brian many years ago when we both worked at the school board. He has developed a degenerative and un-treatable vision loss and is now almost completely blind. Despite this massive handicap he does volunteer work with elderly people. He also hikes mountains, and takes me cross country skiing but I insist on doing the driving! His quiet courage in living a very full life despite such difficulty is a great inspiration to me and whenever I start to feel upset about my troubles I think of his great courage. I also feel great inspiration from his excellent cellar of craft beers!

11 A Picture is worth a thousand words

26 October 2016

With today's radiation treatment I also had a meeting with the nutritionist and the oncologist. They were happy that I hadn't lost any more weight. The meetings were early so we were home by noon and the afternoon is for a nap and then visitors.

I had an email exchange with my university supervisor, mentor and long time friend Ray Meddis. He had been on a recent tour of Scotland and he sent me the image below. Photography has been one of my hobbies since a I was a teenager. I eventually learned to develop and print my black & white photos and now I have a vast digital archive of over 33,000 images dating as far back as 1914. But in all my photos I can't think of a better one that reflects my feelings at the moment. The landscape is dark and forbidding but the Sun is breaking out just around the corner bringing blue skies, warmth and hope.

My day started out with sunshine but the clouds rolled in for a stormy evening. Quite randomly after the radiation I have acute jaw pain like toothache and this afternoon it returned so the friend visits had to be postponed. My best friend right now is an ice pack! The important thing to remember is that nothing lasts and the sun will come again.

10 Sleeping, Eating and Friends

 25 October 2016

Last night I had trouble getting to sleep despite a tiring day. The steroids create a kind of nervous energy in me so I wasn't able to annoy Cheryl like I usually do by falling asleep within 10 seconds of laying my head upon the pillow. It was a bit embarrassing really since an ex-sleep researcher should know all the solutions for insomnia!  I tried reading, yoga, counting forwards, counting backwards and trying to stay awake but nothing worked. Since it was probably medication induced insomnia I tried a Valium and that did the trick. One more medication to bring the list to 12.

This morning I rode my indoor bike for 40 minutes and had a quiet morning. My Ottawa radiation  session was at 2pm and this afternoon I woke from my post treatment nap to the exquisite smell of  Lean Cuisine Thai Peanut Chicken. Cheryl had taken advantage of my sleep to avoid tempting me with the smell and sight of real food but I couldn't resist the wonderful fragrance and snared a small bowl of noodles in peanut sauce from her dinner plate. It was incredibly delicious after daily boxes of vanilla flavoured engine oil. It inspired me to continue to search for real foods that can glide down my sore throat without irritation.

My Blog has been very useful in easily letting my concerned friends know my progress. I thank you all for your wonderful and supportive email responses. It gives me a great feeling that I am not alone in facing this illness. It feels like a whole army of well wishers has gathered around and is cheering for my progress. There are many times during illness that pain can surface and the one thing that helps the emotions the most is the closeness of loved ones. Morphine is pretty helpful too!

9 Can I go to sleep now?

 24 October 2016

Today was busy with morning visits to my E.N.T. surgeon in Cornwall, my family doctor and then the pharmacy.

After lunch (Joke), Bill with the fast V.W. car ferried me to Ottawa for my 2.00pm radiation session. So, I was home by 3.00pm which gave me time for a nap before a visit from friend Moe.

Sounds like an easy day but the radiation certainly causes fatigue. It isn't painful and I usually doze off in the 10 comfortable minutes it takes for the machine to do its thing. The body must go into emergency repair mode after the silent assault and all I want to do is rest. Having the radiation sessions in the early morning is easier for me because I am somewhat recovered by evening and can keep my eyes open through the mandatory Netflix evening movie with Cheryl. I think tonight's movie will have to be from the action category!

8 Rain leaves and wind

23 October2016

Rain and leaves blowin in the wind - lots to entertain me on this Sunday.

We also had a visit from Richard & Christiane (our friends from Ottawa). We have had many great camping trips with them and they are heading South in a few days so it was hard saying goodbye this time.
The steroids seem to be helping the throat and giving me more energy. The trick is to continue to rest and not use that extra energy. It's hard when all those leaves need to be raked and all the remaining Fall chores call to me. I keep telling myself that it's OK to ignore those calls! 

 It was tough walking through the grocery store today with Cheryl and seeing all those wonderful foods that I can't eat. Here is a picture of my dinner menu (also breakfast & lunch). The Resource is a complete diet (minus the pleasure) and is almost 500 calories in a small drink box. The glass with the spoon is my appetizer. It's just some Resource with my liquid and powdered medications added. That red fluid isn't wine, it's water with a thickening agent and some strawberry/banana flavour. I wonder if it's possible to find some wine or beer flavouring!  I did find a rum flavouring but  It didn't help much. So,  all of you out there - enjoy your dry white toast! Does anyone know the "dry white toast" movie reference? Actually it's too easy; just Google it and enjoy!

7 A week of Steroids

23 October 2016


It's Sunday morning and last night I started to feel the energy returning. Steroids are amazing although fraught with danger. I didn't sleep as well but this morning my throat is less sore and swallowing is easier. Yesterday I wasn't able to treat the thrush with liquid Nystatin as it irritated my throat when swallowed but my family doctor put me on Fluconazole (a systemic anti-fungal pill) .

I seem to feel OK if I am doing the best I can given the limitations of the situation. I do identify very strongly with the character Orr who was Yossarian's tent-mate in the movie "Catch-22". Nobody wanted to fly with Orr because he crash landed on every bombing mission. But, there was a reason for this; he was practicing crash landings! If you don't know why then it's really worth watching a great movie.

1-6 Geoff vs the Gamma Ray Monster

Geoff's Radiation Blog

This is the first entry and covers the period of the 15th to the 22nd October. For Blog entries after the 22nd October look the the index of titles on the right of the page just under my photo. The most recent Blog appears at the top.

15 October 2016

 This journal is starting in the middle of my radiation sessions to treat the return of thyroid cancer. I am scheduled for at least 6 weeks of radiation, 5 days per week. It is a challenge driving the 100km to the Ottawa general hospital each day but living on the river in our beautiful home makes the effort worthwhile. At first I was keeping in touch with friends and family by email but my energy is declining rapidly and managing the liquid diet and the nine medications I am on is a full time job so I will use a Blog to record my progress. I apologize for not replying to all your wonderful and supportive emails. Using Skype or the telephone to keep in touch isn't good as my voice is still quite impaired as a result of the July surgery.

18 October 2016

Day 16 of radiation. I am able to drink again now the Thrush in my throat is being treated. The liquid diet I am on consists of cartons of "Resource" which has 500 calories and is not fun as the only food but ice cream is still on the OK list. The drive to Ottawa is beautiful this time of year but on the return I mostly sleep or commune with ice packs. After most radiation sessions there is usually a 2 or 3 hour jaw pain much like an intense toothache and the ice packs really help. The narcotics manage pain well but my mind is quite fuzzy and figuring out when to take the nine different medications I am on requires a Ph.D. in Home Ec! I feel like I am a slave to my phone alarm and the worst ones are at 1:30 & 5:30 am. wake up alarms. Visits with friends are great but very tiring. That's partly because  my general energy level is low  and my voice being weak. I want to talk but 100 words is about my limit! I do seem to be complaining a lot. :)

19 October 2016

My tummy tried to vomit when I woke this morning but, of course, it was empty! I thought it was trying to tell me something so I had some real food instead of my liquid diet of Resource. What a treat to have my oatmeal! My medication for the Thrush seems to be working well so fingers crossed. My neighbour Bill drove me to Ottawa today in his all-wheel-drive turbocharged super car. We took the back roads and had all sorts of fun doing things our wives would not approve. I had a good meeting with the resident and discussed long term outcomes. He thought that if all goes well with treatment then I have a good chance of being alive in 5 years time. The oncologists are classifying my cancer as aggressive on the basis that it is quite extensive despite my recent blood work and radioactive scan that showed little cancer. There is the possibility that the re-growth dates from my initial surgery 3 years ago and that the scans after the surgery were also false negative results. It doesn't really matter and their evaluation results in aggressive treatment which may help.

20 October 2016

Day 18 for radiation today but the appointment is late afternoon and I ride with Cynthia. She is a good driver and good company. We talked about her plans to spend November in Florida. We usually join her & Moe for the month and I am sad to miss this year.

I'm not having much luck with the oatmeal so I will try to get some other flavouring methods for the Resource which only comes in Vanilla. I think that to be on it you are normally too weak to complain about the limited flavour options!

Today was my second appointment with the Cornwall physiotherapist about my shoulder and neck but I haven't been doing much work on the home exercises. I got some new exercises from him but he understands I won't be able to work hard on recovery until about the 20th November. Today I have been coughing a lot and having some breathing difficulty so the nurse spoke to the oncologist and he ordered a chest X-ray for tomorrow.

21 October 2016

I had poor sleep last night due to late treatment induced pain yesterday. In the morning we managed to get the garbage and recycling out in the pouring rain and it felt like quite an accomplishment. This period seems as stressful for Cheryl as it is for me. It is so good that people help out with the constant driving to give her some days off. I am really looking forward to the weekend and now it will only be (perhaps) 2 more weeks of treatment if the oncologist relents!

22 October 2016

Visitors are off the menu because I'm not a pretty sight! Usually the weekend is a bit of a relief and is some recovery time but now I have completed 4 weeks of radiation there is too much throat damage.  We (the docs & us) are trying steroids as a last attempt to keep the throat working before we move to tube feeding. I started steroids this morning and there is quite a bit of nausea right now and most drinks are aspirated so the trick is staying hydrated. By tomorrow we might know if the steroids are working. The only person I am glad to visit right now is the toilet but that could change. The last time I took steroids was 3 years ago just before my main surgery. We were in the Bahamas and I was feeling terrible. Just before boarding the sailboat on a Sunday I managed to see a local doc and he gave me steroids and it brought me back to life for a great week long holiday with Cheryl Kath and Neal. I felt 30 years younger overnight! For those of you that are young; make the most of it while it lasts!