It's been over a year since I have written a post here which seems crazy after all of the rapid fire posts in the course of a year and a half. But the truth is, I haven't had any significant (cancer related) stuff to talk about, nothing that would warrant an entire post anyways and... Continue Reading →
Today was the 2nd to last treatment of cycle number 8. Number 8! Here's what that looks like broken down: May - July = 4 cycles of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (1 treatment every 21 days x 4) July - October = 4 cycles of PacliTaxel (1 treatment every week x 12 weeks) Eventhough it's administered... Continue Reading →
A lot of people rag on Canada's health care system and like any system there are of course things that can be better and changes that could be made. Up until March 2016 I wasn't one to have a huge opinion on the matter because I am generally a pretty healthy person with maybe a... Continue Reading →
Today (August 4th) was my first dose of Paclitaxel (Taxol). After 4 rounds of the previous drugs and living a life of a Pepto Bismol commercial...heart burn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea...not to mention all of the other glamorous side effects. I was understandably full of nervous coughs and feeling unsure and unprepared for a whole... Continue Reading →
Last Thursday (July 14th) was my final dose of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (for those of you that are not oncologists or have not pumped these cocktails into your veins, these drugs are the red devil Kool-Aid and the one that makes your nose feel like you snorted wasabi off of a Dynamite Roll at the dumpy All... Continue Reading →
You know that feeling when you were a kid and you started to see the Back to School commercials on TV? There was that Staples Office Supplies one with "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing in the background while some incredibly jovial parents skipped down the stationary aisles grabbing pencil crayons and... Continue Reading →
Well that was just as much fun as the first time around. The biggest difference this time was the addition of a few sweltering hot days up in our 3rd floor apartment when the nausea was worst. I couldn't tell if I was sweating because of the heat or because of the 'trying not to... Continue Reading →
It's started. 2 weeks to the date after my first chemo treatment my hair is starting to fall out. Like every other girl out there I shed like Chewbacca in the shower and have even been known to stick the hair on the shower wall with the good intention of throwing it away after (but leaving... Continue Reading →
It's been 12 days since the first chemo session and I am back to feeling like myself. Days 1-6 were unpleasant* but since then I have steadily been feeling better and more like normal Arielle. I go back for the next round of chemo next Thursday (June 2) but until then I am doing my... Continue Reading →
I was nervous and anxious going into Thursday. I didn't know exactly what to expect and the unknown is tough and scary. We arrived at the Fraser Valley Cancer Clinic (at Surrey Memorial) at 9am on Thursday, got checked in and was brought back into the chemo room (after a round of nervous coughs). I... Continue Reading →
Thanks For The Mammaries 