Christmas week

I'd been worried, going into Christmas, about my first Christmas while in chemo. I had read on another cancer patient's blog about her problems on her first Christmas after diagnosis, attempting to do too much. I even put my chemo off for a week so it would happen during New Year's week instead. I don't have very much stamina so helping with the meals and housework is pretty much beyond me. Even entertaining is something I can do only in small bites, for an hour or so at a time.

All turned out well. My family came to stay and everybody pitched in. We had them change their own sheets on the beds and do dishes and help with the cooking. Barry and Amy did the whole Christmas day feast with turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes and stuffing and vegetables and pumpkin pie. I took breaks in bed when I needed to and everything worked out well.

Lucia was sooo excited. She pulled her first gifts out of her Christmas stocking and excitedly said "I got Diego bandaids for Christmas!". She had many other gifts and had to play with them all, in turn, before we could open any more. We were still opening gifts after dinner! Lucia got a digital camera, and her photos were pretty funny: peoples' knees and shots of the carpet, etc all taken from about 2 feet from the ground. She got lots of Diego stuff, her current fave.


Emma slept through her gifts, so Lucia opened them for her. They both got big, soft, cuddly teddy bears from Great-Uncle Dennis and Great-Aunt Evy.

Family Christmas party

We were able to go to my family Christmas party at my Dad's house yesterday. The oncologist said my neutrophils were high enough that I could go, and I was feeling well. We stacked the front seat of the van with enough pillows to support my arms and head, and reclined the seat. We had a winter weather advisory at home but decided to make the 2 hour drive to Toronto anyway, as it was important to me to go. There were whiteouts for the first 15 minutes until we reached Niagara Falls on the QEW and then it stopped blowing and was clear sailing the rest of the way.

It was lovely to see everyone who came. My 16 month old niece Keira entertained us all with her antics and ability to bow and to stand on one foot. We played a rousing game of Jenga in which most everyone but me participated. Wikipedia defines Jenga as "a game of physical and mental skill in which players remove blocks from a tower and put them on top".


We have a hilarious generic gift exchange that allows gifts to be chosen from the tree and then stolen several times before they are opened. It's interesting to see people analyzing packages to steal based on size and shape and the colour of the wrapping paper only.

Thanks to Donna who made me a beautiful quilt for my afternoon naps, in muted fall colours to match my house decor (you can see it in the photo). At a time like this in my life when I am under stress from the cancer diagnosis and chemo treatments, it's wonderful to be able to spend time with people who care about me.

Some good news

Yesterday, on Day 24 of my second cycle, I had an appointment with my oncologist Dr R. to review the latest blood work. The good news is that with no treatment this month with white cell booster Neulasta, nor a blood transfusion, my white blood cell count is up to 2.53 (normal is 4.0 - 11.0) and my hemoglobin is up also, to 10.8 g/dl (normal is 12.5 - 15.5). My neutrophils are out of the danger zone at 1.7 (at the low end of the normal range), and so I no longer have any restrictions on my daily activities. These higher levels mean that my body is fighting the cancer cells on its own.

As long as I feel up to it and the weather co-operates, I can go to my family party in Toronto on Sunday. This is great news.

Since I have my children and grandchildren visiting over Christmas, Dr R. has agreed to let me push my third cycle of chemo back by a week so that it takes place over New Year's week instead of Christmas week. This way I will be able to enjoy their visits as much as possible without being wiped out by chemo infusions.

Decorating the tree

I'm still doing relatively well. As time has passed since my chemo days I have been feeling more energetic. I still spend some of my day resting in bed, but I am able to help with the dishes and laundry. We have developed routines for our days and on weekends I often accompany Barry to do errands in the car, although I do not usually go into the stores. I'm supposed to wear a mask when I go out to protect myself from infection.

We had another visit from our daughter and our grandchildren a couple of weeks ago. Barry put up the Christmas tree while they were here and Lucia was a big help with the decoratng.

Day 15: Neutropenia

No blood transfusion or injections were done today. The blood tests showed that my hemoglobin level is at 10.3 g/dl, which is very good and explains the extra energy I have had for a few days.

But Nurse J. explained that my white blood cell count is low, and so are my neutrophils, and therefore I am considered to be at greater risk of infection. Neutrophils are white blood cells (WBCs) produced in the bone marrow that ingest bacteria. An abnormal decrease in the levels of neutrophils is called neutropenia.

I am to avoid crowds and small children, and wear a mask whenever I go out. I must take my temperature 4 times a day, and call them if I show any signs of an infection. Even catching a cold or the flu would be a very bad thing for me right now. It's a good thing my Christms shopping is done!

Day 15: labs today

I was scheduled for labs today, which means that I go in and they take my blood, and then I wait in a reclining chair in the infusion centre while they test the blood to see how I am doing. If the hemoglobin is too low I will be given a blood transfusion, and if the white blood cells are too low I will be given an injection of Neulasta.

It means that on lab days we don't know how long we will be at Roswell so we go prepared for a long wait. The testing takes about an hour if they are not too busy, the blood transfusion takes about two hours per unit, and they can't do the transfusion until they know if I need it.

We bring both our laptops (thank heaven for free wireless) and Barry works while I just surf the net. They provide a snack centre but there is no decaf coffee or tea so we bring our own. I also bring a small pillow for my back as the reclining chairs are not very comfortable, and another one for under my neck.

Each room or cubicle comes with a TV, so in my notebook I have a list of the cable channels, and I can quickly find the right station if I want to watch TV. Sometimes Headline News or an old black & white movie are just the thing.

Chemo brain

Cancer patients often joke about having chemo brain, a kind of brain fog that comes with treatment. It is associated with memory lapses and trouble finding the correct words, and with difficulty making decisions. Multi-tasking becomes nearly impossible along with the ability to concentrate.

We have noticed that I have some of these issues (and joke about it) but had put it down to the stress associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

On the internet last night, on www.cancer.org, I found that it is indeed real and is otherwise known as "mild cognitive impairment". Imaging studies have shown that some chemotherapy patients have changes in the areas of the brain that deal with memory and planning, and those changes may last for 5 to 10 years after treatment, although the impairment may be gone within 2 years.

Barry insists that he is suffering from chemo brain too, even though he is not on chemo.