84 A Good Day

28 February 2017



Since my treatment had finished by December I expected 2017 to be a good year with progressive recovery. It hasn't quite gone according to plan but on this last day of February I think there is some progress.
I had thought that switching to the new feeding formula would solve the nutrition problems but I have continued to have bloating and stomach pain but to a lesser degree. I have tried a variety of medications and feeding strategies and I think I am making some progress.
My nurse and nutritionist have both stressed the importance of a slow feed rate but a fast rate followed by an activity like cycling or walking seems to work better for me.


Today  was a particularly good day because the morning started off with a great sunrise. Lots of Canada geese have arrived and some are in  the photo.  This bunch will be moving farther North and our permanent residents will arrive later. Soon I will have to start putting up the "NO GEESE ALLOWED" signs!

 

My morning feed went well with no discomfort afterward and on this warm sunny day I went for a bike ride along the Long Sault Parkway. It was only my second ride outside this year and it was so much more pleasurable than exercising in the basement. There were still a few icy sections on the parkway but most of it is clear for cycling The barriers are still up till the end of March so there are no cars to disturb the tranquility.





I am certainly feeling some positive energy in the past few days but it could have something to do with the imminent arrival of the new guest. The red carpet is already placed on the scrubbed clean garage floor!


p.s. I'll have to rethink this as Cheryl was not happy about her valuable Persian carpet (which was rolled up in a dusty corner of the basement) being used this way!

p.p.s. If you click on the photos they show enlarged.

83 Fed

24 February 2017

I am happy to report no more vomiting. My dietician, Nadia, worked hard to get my new food formula as soon as possible so I didn't starve. In the new food formula the long molecules are broken down so the stomach has little to do but pass the food on to the intestines. There was some immediate improvement but I have to feed at a slow rate and still have some problems with bloating. When I add all my feeding and medication time up it comes to about 9 hours per day. Just about a full time job! But the pay is good!!!


The meeting with the Surgeon went well and the news is a little more encouraging. The main advantage of papillary thyroid cancer is that it is likely to kill me much more slowly than some other cancers. When I asked him for a guess at a 5 year survival rate he said 60% but with a fair degree of uncertainty.  We discussed further treatment options and there are none that would be likely to be better than just watchful waiting. So, I will have CAT scans every 3-6 months to monitor any dangerous developments that warrant the risk of  further treatment.



The best news is that I visited my motorcycle dealer today and my new machine will be ready by the middle of next week! All I need is warm weather so the snow melts. Sorry skiers 😀

82 Feed

21 February 2017

I spent much of yesterday in emergency. Too bad really because it was a warm and sunny day. It happened this way. Early in the morning at about 4:00am I was just getting up and became very nauseous.  I vomited twice and was definitely not feeling well. Unfortunately Cheryl was in Ottawa overnight visiting family so I phoned her at 4:14am.. Those of you who know Cheryl well will understand that it was a very brave thing for me to do in waking her before, well, any time! Holding the phone well away from my ear I gathered that she was on her way home.


During the hour drive she had softened so her deeper compassionate nature had surfaced and she drove me to the hospital. There is always that scary moment when you think you will see the ER waiting room packed but this time there were only about 8 people there. I desperately wanted to lie down but that isn't allowed in waiting rooms. After hours of waiting interspersed with a few tests, the nice Doctor told us that my blood work was fine and the X-rays showed no stomach blockage. He recommended we speak to the dietary experts at the Ottawa general.


The situation had been building up for several weeks with increasing symptoms of bloating and abdominal pain. I guess at some point my stomach gave up and said "No More". It aroused some anxiety because my only source of food looked like it was going on strike. Some days earlier I had discussed the mounting problems with Nadia, our local dietician and she thought that very slow stomach emptying was the likely culprit and a solution might be switching to a different liquid diet. The one she suggested would be easier to digest and would empty faster from the stomach.

So after getting home from hospital I contacted Nadia and we are moving as fast as possible to get the new diet. That involved a prescription from the family doctor and ordering by the pharmacy. I have reduced my diet to a low level until I get the new formula. So, by the time you see me I will have lost all those extra pounds of fat I carry and will resemble the black cat!

Tomorrow I am in Ottawa to have a talk with my straight talking surgeon.

More on this exciting story in a few days.💤💤💤

81 Weeds

14 February 2017

I am usually positive and optimistic in the Blog but I do have a constant struggle with negative and pessimistic thinking. Those thoughts are like weeds growing in my garden and it is only by constant maintenance that I can stay positive. The main problem that currently erodes my sense of progress is the slow recovery of my ability to swallow following the radiation.

Yesterday I spoke with the Speech Pathologist about another X-Ray swallowing test but we agreed that there had not been enough progress to justify a re-test, yet. Before the call I had done a test by measuring 25ml of water into a glass and I tried to drink it as fast as possible. It took me just 38 seconds which is definite progress. The only problem is that 25ml is about one good mouthful so it's actually pathetic performance (Negative thought); but an improvement compared to my last test (Positive thought)! Slow drinking might be fine for a quality wine but it's not enough to keep me adequately nourished (Negative) but in time a full recovery is possible (Positive). My visiting nurse, Linda said she had worked with a lot of patients with the same problem and they all recovered within 6 months.

Our human tendency to focus on short term goals and not respond well to long term goals is a mixed blessing. It makes even the best intentioned of us respond poorly to far off issues like climate change. It is a big help though in managing and dismissing thoughts about death; the inevitable end of all our goals and efforts. I do think that by trying to manage each short term problem in a positive way I will be able to find a way to die well when the time comes.
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80 Rebuilding

8 February 2017

I think I am entering a new phase of life for a while when the news is sparse. There have been a series of treatment events, each with their own challenges. Surgery, radioactive iodine, radiation, steroid therapy and most recently the stomach tube surgery. After 5 days of discomfort the stomach tube is healing well. The good news is that I can finally get back to exercising regularly and reverse the downward spiral of muscle and energy loss. I think I finally feel my age in that just walking is actually a challenging workout!

Despite the ice covered roads Cheryl & I walked around the island this morning and I was even able to bend enough to tie my own shoe laces!

I did get a chance to review my recent CT scans with my family doctor. Most of the findings were positive in that there does not seem to be any spread of the cancer beyond my neck. There are some remaining enlarged lymph nodes in my neck but the more significant finding is that there is cancerous tissue surrounding one carotid artery and causing it to narrow. There is also cancer tissue on the other carotid artery. I think I read somewhere that the carotid arteries are quite important!
There have been few changes since the last scan, likely due to the radiation, but how long that continues is impossible to predict. So I have taken matters into my own hands and instructed those problem areas to remain inactive for about 10 years! The main thing is that I continue to wake up each morning and every day glows with many wonderful experiences as well as a few nasty bits. It doesn't get much better than that! This sunrise greeted us 2 days ago.

79 Another Brick in the Wall

3 February 2017



I suppose I have to do a Blog about yesterday in the hospital after getting so excited about the event.
I didn't consciously  feel anxious but I had enough body signs of disturbance that I asked Cheryl to drive part of the way to the hospital.  It wasn't a difficult surgery but the thought of it was hard to manage. Now I have a pipe just below my rib cage with a direct line to my stomach.

I am finding one of the big advantages, apart from appearance, is that I can feed faster. It was taking up to 2 hours  to have each meal but now it's about half the time. It's nice to have the free time. The appearance part is good because I can pretend I am normal. The only disadvantage is the lack of sympathy I get for my condition. I should carry a little card around to show people stating that I haven't been able to eat or drink anything- including Cheese, for several months.


The incision will be sore for several days and I have to be very careful about coughing because it causes considerable pain. I managed well all yesterday evening but just as I was falling asleep I had a vigorous cough that cause severe pain. for about 15 minutes.  I am now taking some cough medicine to reduce the coughing and it is helping.

78 The more things change....

1 February 2017

The previous two days were not pleasant. My energy level was the lowest due to the steroid withdrawal. I am a little concerned because tomorrow I have the surgery for the stomach tube.
Fortunately today I am feeling more energy so I think I will be fine for tomorrow. I even felt well enough for a walk around the island. Cheryl insisted on coming with me because of my stimulating company - just joking - watching the snow laden trees and the yellow beams of sunlight fully occupied my brain into silence! I think she came so she could dial 911 in case I collapsed into a snowbank.




It will be a relief to get rid of the nose tube because at least superficially I won't feel like someone on life support. In reality nothing changes; it's just that you can't see the life support system.
Tomorrow I have to phone the pharmacy to order more of the special formula that keeps me going. Without that I would starve to death.



There isn't such a big difference between us though because our planet is our life support system. We are doing many things that are seriously harming that system. Even the air we breathe in some of the larger cities is toxic and venturing out without a filter mask could have serious health consequences. It is interesting how careful we are about our own health but we are happily going to burn all the fossil fuels so that our grandchildren will have quite a survival challenge. The future is in our hands!