Chemo Treatment #2...

Nice to have a few days away from treatment and the "Blog", but alas, we're back at it now!

But, first things first.

Golf @ Shannon Lake...
Had a great time at the Shannon Lake GC on Tuesday, teed it up with John Jacoby and a couple of other freaks!

Rich Chlopan is the head pro at Kelowna Springs, an old friend from Saskatchewan. John, Rich and I played competitively as juniors back in the late 1970's, so it's pretty neat to still be playing golf together at times. We have our battles and don't always agree with each other, but playing golf is a certainly our common bond.

Back in the spring, we produced a video at Kelowna Springs, a bit of a tribute to our junior coach, Alex "Kozy" Kozakavich. Kozy, now 85 years young and residing in Saskatoon, had a huge impact on our lives as competitive juniors. Here's a link to the video: Kozy's Kids in Kelowna!

Bruce Heuchan was also in our foursome. He threw 69 at us, on a day when nobody really pushed him. "Heuch" played on the European Senior Tour for a few years, winning once, and although he'll be pushin' 60 years of age soon, he's remains a skilled player. Bruce is a cancer survivor. He lives in Kelowna now.

Still Saskatchewan Tough...
Had a great week with Gay's parents here in West Kelowna. Kai and Joan loaded up the van with canned veggies, and they have the best "honey" supplier on the planet! They always bring us some goodies!

They come out every fall, perfect timing, with Ashley's birthday in late September a Gay's in early October. We celebrated Gay's birthday on Monday, a milestone birthday! How many years, you ask? I've been sworn to secrecy.

The Treatment "Sked"...
It's radiation everyday this week, but the absolute thrill ride is my second chemotherapy treatment. It's pretty much just disgusting, because it amounts to a s*** load of drugs being pumped into my body. I'll be here for one night. Actually, I'm settled in right now, peckin' away at the keyboard from my hospital bed. Hey, I don't have anything better to do!

Oct. 10: All hooked up at KGH!

The "ward" here at KGH is busy, which is a shame, isn't it? I am sharing a room with one other person, but the entire floor is full of patients, four-to-a-room and even in the hallways. I think the lucky folks are in semi-private or private rooms.

The Progress...
Today, we met with my chemo oncologist, Dr. Rao. I would consider him a matter-of-fact type, but Gay and I have had him chuckling with us. I enjoy the interaction with him.

The lymph node in my neck is shrinking, so that's a plus. The status of the tumor on my tongue is unknown at this point.

The skin irritation on the outside of my neck is not serious at this point, so we'll keep up the application of a Glaxal Base lotion called "WellSkin". It seems to be working.

The "disappearance" of my taste buds is not unusual, given this treatment protocol.

There is inflammation in my throat now, which is affecting my voice. Again, not unusual.

The "Urinal"...
These are the funniest, most practical things I've seen in ages! I think it's made out of that stuff you feel with egg cartons...kind of cardboard-ish.

Oct. 18: The "Urinal"

Anyway, part of the deal with the chemo treatment is fluid intake. That of course produces...fluid output!! But it all has to be measured. Part of the issue is making sure my kidneys are flushing properly through all of this. So far so good, I'm told! I will probably fill 8 to 10 of these in about 24 hours.

If you have ever had to "answer the call' while on one of those long family vacations in a crowded vehicle, or even with your pals back in the day when you misbehaved with a few brewskies, these little inventions would have been genius! Sure beats the heck outa trying to pee into a pop bottle!


Countdown
#21...This just reminds me of every time I've lost money playing Blackjack! But, against my better judgement, a quick trip to Las Vegas might be in the cards for some time in January!

#20...Kind of a landmark, among many. 15 down...20 to go! Nice to be 45.7% of the way through radiation!