Relaxing Saturday

Another busy week in the house of melanoma momma-ing, wow I am glad I'm getting some energy back as these days make me wonder how we survived the last year and a half while I was napping!?  I still celebrate the small accomplishments but I really love it when they add up to more than the "new-normal" standard I set for myself.  

Couple of random updates from here:

I have lost eight pounds!  Yahoo, I have been paying very close attention to my nutritional habits for the last few weeks, and I am inspired by my body's quick response to the less meat, less alcohol, no wheat, dairy, or sugar regime that I have dug out of my back pocket from years ago.  

I am not new to weight-gain weight-loss due to life or health circumstances -having twins pretty much surrenders ones body to an involuntary increase in fluffiness that takes hard work to remove - and this post-cancer-treatment weight gain is no different in my mind.  I am determined to feel better, get my strength back, resume my graceful-swan mountain-goat-like athletic ambition into hiking and biking... okay, I may be exaggerating a bit there HA! Anyone who knows me knows that I am the clumsiest duckling out there.  I try though, I do try.  LOL

This week I visited my family doctor for a mid-point check-up, I don't go back to Sunnybrook until March so I wanted to have a local run of bloodwork to see how I am doing this far after treatment.  With all of this vitamin-taking and liver resting I wanted to see if my bloodwork reflects the benefits I think I am feeling.  I needed to check in on my vitamin D and calcium levels (I am terrible at taking those hateful supplements) and B12 (wanted to see if the tablet chewing was really working) and thyroid hormone/supplement levels.

  

We checked everything top to bottom and great news, everything is perfect!! Motivation to take that darn calcium!  The only thing a bit low is my Iron...again.  I struggled with that years ago, now time to boost it again I guess.  That's fair, I found an iron supplement I actually tolerate well:

So that's good news, I am detox-ing and de-puffing, which is helping me with the de-stressing.  Vitamins supporting the body systems that have been out of whack for so long, herbal teas to reduce fluid retention and cleanse the liver, and apple cider vinegar to do everything it seems to do, all topped off with essential oils for pain-relief instead of analgesics, I am a happy camper.  There is hope anyway.    

One snag is the tummy trouble.  My medical oncologist (The Boss) is concerned with the prolonged bout of Imodium-need I am having let's just say, and she is urging me to consume a course of Prednisone to try to stop it.  I am desperately against adding a new medication to my regimen now that I am working so hard to clean up post-treatment, especially a medication as harsh as that one.  

Prednisone is a cortico-steroid that can reduce inflammation in the bowels and stop or reduce the damage that has been done by the pacmen, but the side-effects of it include weight gain, mood swings, and a host of other scary things I am trying to leave behind.  

I am putting her off for now as I feel we are still too close to my last treatment to get a good indication of whether or not this side-effect will clear up on its own.  I want to wait, I am willing to see if it stops by itself.  My bloodwork shows I am doing okay, and I am feeling quite a bit better, so the bathroom trips seem not to be affecting my general health.  

I knew colitis was a risk of the ipilimumab treatment, but I am not going to call it just yet.  I am quite aware that it can take months, years to recover from the crap I went through. Pun intended.  Family Doc and I will confer with The Boss if it comes to that point, and in the meantime I am going to get a third opinion from a Naturopath in Collingwood that my CCAC Nurse recommended for colitis-symptoms specifically.  

Dietary-wise, I have been cooking a lot.  Funny for a person working on weight loss, but indeed, I have been cooking and trying new recipes, especially for soups.  With trying to eliminate foods that may aggravate or trigger my tummy trouble, I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with new recipes again.  I used to do this a lot, and it's nice to be back.  

It is such a phenomenal pleasure to cook in my new kitchen, everything is so easy to use, keep organized, and to clean WHOA! Dishwasher is a whole new world.  I have satisfied my cravings for veggies with spicy soups such as this Coconut Curry Sweet Potato soup ....extra yummy with pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds as a garnish.  I am going to blast that cancer with beta-carotene, omegas, and alkalinity!

  

Okay... so body details done, I have lots to report on the mental/emotional side of things too.  I was a bit cranky this week but (maybe that was full moon related?) overall have been feeling pretty productive.  The kids seem to have been extra busy/needy and I think I handled it all right, plus I have been thinking a tonne about my book and the research I have been doing for it.  The preparation for writing is just as important as the writing itself, and I have found a couple of new avenues for inspiration.  Instagram for example, has been a new pet addiction for me this week.  There are SO many creative people in this world, and I am having fun connecting with them! 

I have also been thinking of blog updates as that all goes hand in hand, in my experience.  My book relates to my blog but they will be two separate entities so I am carefully planning how I will mesh the two, or how I will write publicly in the meantime.  I have been reminiscing quite a bit, about my Italy trip and photos, and my old blog which displayed much of my perspective on environmental issues, family environment but also Earth environment.  I was rooting around in my old laptop files and even managed to find a screenshot of my old blog.  Weird!  I had been trying to remember what it looked like and voila! One snow day last week I found this:

I found my old blog post about making sushi as well, I may have to dig it out and re-post.  The girls have been bugging me since the kitchen reno was done to have a sushi party for their friends.  I fear I am rusty at rolling but I guess I won't know until I just jump back in?  I'll keep you posted.  haha

Well, my simmering Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken soup is calling my name, so I need to go for lunch.  Then a walk with Reese, and for supper I am thinking of trying out a Jamie Oliver recipe for a dish with the fresh fennel I bought last night.  I am quite content to have my vegetarian recipes back out, feels good.  

  

(Thanks to my cousin for the photo, via Instagram xoxo)

Happy Saturday!

Feeling Better

For the first time in almost two years I didn't cringe the other day when a friend asked me how I was feeling.  I noticed it right there on the spot!  I was happy to honestly answer "I'm feeling pretty good actually!" and it was a refreshing change.  My west-coast Uncle also sent me a nice text saying "I'm glad you're feeling better."  Being as we haven't spoken in a bit I again was surprised (at myself) that he said that, but I was happy he did.  I guess I am projecting it?  All the way to BC?!  Yay me  :-)

Yes, thank you, I am feeling a bit better these days.  Can it really be?  My quarterly CT scans have been clear, my Christmas holidays were busy but great, my liver seems to be recovering well from all the celebrations, my kids are motivated in all things responsible, my dog is loving the walks... dare I say: life is good.   

Perhaps I am over the hump; maybe all those shitty months of constant physical and mental fight against melanoma are going to give me a break.  

I am still experiencing severe gastrointestinal distress, but that may be a permanent side-effect of the lengthy ipilimumab treatment, only time will tell.  My medical oncologist is considering forcing me to take a dose of prednisone/steroids to help with my tummy, but I am fighting that all the way.  

My imodium and I are still comfortable to hang out close to home and give my body more time to figure out whether or not it will ever get back to normal.  I am back on the weekly parole calls to monitor it, mainly because I neglected to report to Sunnybrook a particularly bad bout of bathroom time I had before the holidays.  Ah well.  This is what I signed up for!

I exited the holiday season with a renewed attitude toward the new year and what I want to accomplish in it.

First off, I want to feel better.  

Second, I want to help others feel better, my kids #1, and then others who face the life sentence of malignant melanoma.  (please notice I said life sentence, not death sentence. Big difference, from where I stand)

Third, I want to write my book.  I have forever said that I will write a book someday.  The time has come.  I am spending a good portion of my recuperation time with pen (and keyboard) in hand.   

I am deeply grateful for the position in which I am in my life, able to use my time for whatever purpose I choose... relatively speaking.  It was a helluva trade-off, this melanoma shit, but I am making my lemons into lemonade and sipping it quietly while I recuperate. 

I am embracing recovery and rehabilitation not only from the physical assaults my body has encountered since April 2014, but also the emotional and mental pain my family and I have endured.  It will take time, and I am finally relaxing about that.  A bit.  

All that said, here is some news from around here:

• Due to snowy weather I postponed my oncology follow-up at RVH this week, will try again in a few weeks.

• I have begun drinking a health-potion of apple cider vinegar/lemon juice/cinnamon daily to help detox and heal organs such as liver and digestive system.  I also read that apple cider vinegar may assist in relief of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis I am experiencing, plus it is said to create an alkaline body system the likes of cancer's arch enemy.  It is time for me to gradually introduce the alternative approach I have been craving since signing up for clinical trial.

• Green smoothies also, the girls and I have been experimenting with spinach- or kale-based smoothies most mornings.  I have never been a big smoothie fan but frozen mango seems to be the key to success. 

• I still have to take hefty calcium and vitamin D supplements due to loss of parathyroid, and I have been dutifully chewing a daily B12 tablet to try to bring up my levels.  The tablets are pretty much tasteless but I find them much easier to take since my family physician told me I can chew them as opposed to letting them dissolve under the tongue (BLECH!)

• Essential oils, also key to good health.

 

I have begun with the classic Oregano, earthy Rosemary, and my long-time favourite, Bergamot.  Rosemary is found to have many of the healing properties I am seeking: analgesic, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-catarrhal (diarrhea), anti-infection, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant.  Oregano also for detox - last night before bed I mixed a few drops with coconut oil and rubbed it on the soles of my feet... felt good but according to Cass I smelled like "a lot of spaghetti" LOL!

 

• Dandelion tea, and lots of it!  I love this roasted dandelion tea so this is an easy one to increase in my diet for aid in detox and improve liver function as well as decrease fluid retention, especially for the benefit of my lymphedema leg. 

• Rest and relaxation, I have found I am truly enjoying some rest time.  I'm not so cranky about the chronic fatigue, I am resting for a bigger purpose: to recuperate. And I am feeling much less guilty about it.  The song lyrics "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone...I can see all obstacles in my way.." just floated into my mind... 

• Yesterday (snow day) the girls and I worked on capturing a new "profile picture" for me, as well as a little video clip for the I'm Living Proof website by Save Your Skin Foundation.  I am the LEAST photogenic person ever born (either that or I really look like that!?! YIKES) but we managed to settle on a couple.  I wouldn't do it but for the desire to connect with other melanoma patients/victims/warriors/survivors - more to come on that when I find out if my video made the cut.

• Very much looking forward to the launch of the video project I participated in last month, I even have a shiny new instagram account I am building up for the purpose of spreading the word.  It is a fun addition to my social media repertoire, so far so good!  LOL This is me: 

Also have a LinkedIn account now woohoo.  I am building these now in addition to blog as it will help when book promotion time comes along.   

That about sums it up for today, I have plenty of pots cooking and it feels pretty good.  I have been sleeping better and getting out more.  Hard to not want to walk the pooch when I have this to enjoy:

  

 #meaford #meafordharbour #melanomaawareness 

#ohwowI'mTalkingInHashtagsNow??   :-)

Article & Photos © Natalie Richardson 2016

Orthodox Christmas

January 7, 2016... my how times have changed.  As known to my Mom's side of the family today is "Ukrainian Christmas," the day after the Christmas Eve feast and evening of carols beginning at dusk.  I have many memories of this celebration.  All stops were pulled for the meatless meal consisting of 12 courses savoured throughout the evening, all of the best recipes were used to celebrate this occasion.  

Today my family is not having pickled herring or "kutia," but I will quietly remember the laughter and the love.  Foremost on my mind of course is family, my grandparents, my Mom.  Mom and Grant are in Florida for the winter again but we did skype for an hour yesterday.  I was thinking about a blog post I wrote a few years ago around this time of year, my Dido (grandfather - Dee-do) had passed away in November and I had memories to share.  

Please bear with my re-posting of an old story, but I find it to be a classic.  And I can update that I have begun teaching the girls to read/write/speak Ukrainian, and I will be making pyrohy (perogies) again soon! Soon friends, I promise to call when I do! ;-) 

A bit about what Ukrainian Christmas means to me  
(originally posted 2009):

A couple of weeks ago my beloved maternal Grandfather passed away. Dido (pronounced Dee-doe) was 91 years old, and, as I remember him, I have a full slate of memories to draw from. Absorbing his death has been difficult, but it is eased by the celebration of his life. He had such a full life, and I am grateful that he gave so much of it to me.

Orphaned at a young age, Dido was raised in part by monks, in Ukraine, given a start in life unlike anyone else I know in present times. He was a kind gentleman, a thoughtful and resourceful soul, and I imagine that was how he had always been... I knew him for 33 years, only a third of his long life, but in that time I never heard him say a bad word about anyone else (even when they deserved it).

He was complicated, simple, outrageously funny, gentle, elegant, peaceful, quiet, noisy, all of these things and more. Part of my childhood was spent in his care, along with my beautiful Grandmother (Baba), who passed away five years ago almost to this day. Baba and Dido were inseparable, they were like salt and pepper, sugar and spice - or oil and water, depending on the day! Truly lovely people, they instilled in me a strong work ethic, a creative and resourceful nature, and a good dose of Catholic guilt. They taught me Ukrainian, and they taught me life.

Dido was remembered by family and friends in Sarnia as a kind and true gentleman, a father, a friend, and a teacher. He worked hard throughout his life, during his incredible journey to Canada in the late 1940's, and even to his last days he pored over books, reading Ukrainian, English, and Polish. What we most remembered was his penchant for teaching... his skill in naturally drawing out the best in people, and for educating others about not only life, but Ukrainian life.

Countless hours he spent with me when I was a child, teaching me Uky reading, writing, culture. I owe my second language and cultural background to my Mom, and my Baba and Dido, but it is Dido I remember as spending the time demonstrating grammar and alphabet lessons. He was gentle but insistent in his teaching, coaxing hours of work out of me without my realizing it, providing me with firm roots in Ukrainian.

I remember occasionally resisting yet another reading or lesson, wanting to go outside to play with the many hand crafted toys Dido made for me, but I kept that under control until it was time. When we were finished there would be plenty of time to go to the parks in St. Thomas, for him to push me on the swings at Pinafore Park or to walk the bridges in Waterworks Park.

Dido didn't force me to work, it was simply an expectation he had. It was clear to me what I was expected to do, and I embraced that responsibility as I was taught. It is fascinating now that I can look back on it and remember. I try to raise my daughters with that same gentle but steadfast expectation, although I'm not sure it always works out that way. We are a different generation of parents now, and I'm not sure we are as skilled as the likes of Dido.

Ukrainian culture in my life plays an ever more important role, as I grow, and my kids grow, I want more Uky influence for us. I want the language to stay in my family, I want the stability, the history, and of course I want the food. I will teach my daughters to make pysanky (Uky decorated eggs) and pyrohy (perogies) as I was taught, and I will teach them to read and write and speak Ukrainian, as Dido desperately encouraged me to do. He was right.

I am also inspired by the work that Dido did, that I am not entirely aware of. I grew up knowing that Baba and Dido were active in the local Ukrainian community and church, and I knew they still tried whenever possible to take care of family still living in Ukraine, but I didn't really know the extent of their activism and support of the old country. I had a feeling they did more, and a quick google search brought up their names in a few places (who knew Baba and Dido would ever make it to google!?) Looking through photos at my Mom's last week I found one that struck me... a photo of my little Uky grandparents participating in a march in Ottawa, 1978.

 

<---That's my Dido, holding the sign that says "Freedom for Ukraine"
 

Congratulations Dido, for a life well-lived, I applaud you. Thank you for all that you have done for my family and for so many others... We will always cherish you and your memories, you are alive in us. I love you.

Orthodox Ukrainians around the world celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar (January the 7th). Christmas is the most beloved festival among Ukrainians when the family  gathers for a holy supper of 12 symbolic dishes. The meal is traditionally meatless and milk-free and features fish. The recipes differ from region to region, but here are the most well known dishes which are prepared for Sviat Vechir/Christmas Eve: kutya (a dish of honey, poppy seeds, raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans and boiled wheat); a braided, ring-shaped bread (struslya); fish dishes; dried or pickled mushrooms, red borsch, holubtsi (cabbage rolls) with rice or potato filling, varenyky(perogies) with sauerkraut or potato filling, cooked beans and others.  Smachnoho! :-)

Happy Christmas 2015

The happiest I have felt in a long time, especially at Christmas, is today.  I have been doing a year-in-review mentally, as I have had the pleasure of spending time with family and friends, surrounded by love and laughter all day long.  

Now I am too excited to sleep, I want to keep basking in the glow of our upside-down Christmas tree, listening to the "Holiday Classics" channel all alone, waiting for Santa with all of the kids in town, fending the dog off the cookies(and carrots) Paige carefully left out for tonight's much-anticipated visitor(s)... NORAD currently reports Santa over Antarctica and I know he is coming here, as we have always been fortunate enough to have had.  

 

 

We are fortunate in countless ways, and I find myself again at a loss to put into words our gratitude for the love and support we receive as a family.   

Thank you to everyone who has helped make our year a successful one.  It may not have been perfect, but it is closing with a double-dose of "remission" which is pretty close to perfection, in my experience.  
I/We cannot thank everyone enough for the thoughtful help and messages and encouragement and surprises and and and and and and and .... your care is felt and appreciated today, and always. 

We are all looking forward to the next week or more of festivities and visiting with our respectful families and friends near and far. I hope you all have such wonderful things to look forward to.  And in addition - a full moon!  

Merry Christmas to All!

  

I am thinking of you 

and wish you well for 2016 and always. 

Thank you xoxooxxo

Toronto today

Many times over the years I have encountered that difficult catch-phrase "go outside your comfort zone!" --as if I don't do that regularly!?  If you think about it, everything is outside our comfort zone.  If it is comfortable, we already do it, and we do not feel the need to draw attention to it.  

For years I have been challenged at Toronto driving.  I have lived in cities yes, and I am reasonably adept at driving vehicles other than my little Civic, but Toronto driving is a different animal.  In the late 90's I drove myself to meet friends at the ACC for an Alanis Morissette concert and then booted my car all the way back to Cambridge without taking a single breath, considering myself lucky to be ALIVE after a trip to the base of the CN TOWER!  

Since then I have basically considered my life complete in my small town of three traffic lights.  No need to go further... I have explored Florence ITALY without panic - for god sakes surely I can close the chapter on "needing to accomplish traffic-related ambition" outside my "comfort zone!"

But nnnoooooo..... today I took a casual meander down to the Queen West neighbourhood in Toronto for a day of artwork, public relations, open-mindedness, and melanoma speak.

  

I left early this morning, drove down to 401 East to Dufferin/Yorkdale and followed Scott's perfect directions to downtown TO, drove straight to the building I was invited to, turned around a time or two to get a parking spot in a Green P lot, walked back through a neighbouring schoolyard as primary students were going to their outdoor recess (remarkably they looked a lot like my own country kids!?), and got a maple latte to accompany me in this supercool space, my hangout for the day:

(photo cred: click here)

Warmly greeted by the public relations firm hosting the event, I settled in to the old school-building converted to not-for-profit artists' space humming with activity such as a day care centre, a delicious cafe, art installation space, and rental studios such as the one I was in, on the 2nd floor.  

We were here to discuss melanoma, in a way new to me.  

There was a film-camera crew - a make-up artist even! - and a sound guy (who looks remarkably like a young Anthony Bourdain), A Director, and some patients of the little-known disease melanoma.  The patients were the stars of the day, and they were treated as such.  Oh wait.. I keep trying to forget, I am one of those melanoma people... shit.. 

One-on-one interviews were filmed and then a mixer of patients and artwork (it's all top-secret until launch in the new year) - all "Action!" and "Cut!" style until a yummy catered lunch.  Okay well there weren't really "action"s and "cut"s but there was a real little black and white striped clappy thingy snap in front of every take.  It was supercool.  Very interesting.  

Fast-forward to the highlight of my day:  meeting some fantastic people.  Not only were the PR people empathetic, knowledgeable, and truly interested in the project, the accompanying melanoma patients/victims/survivors were supremely awesome.   

I have mentioned before my struggle to meet people in the same boat as I am, melanoma-wise.  Well today I found myself in the company of some lovely folks who speak the same language as I do:  BRAF NRAS ipilimumab MEC excision node biopsy metastatic devastation gene mutation resection margins mass oh my! No need to clarify, we were on level plains.  

Film or no film, I have made some new friends, and even if we are not able to keep in touch I gained a feeling of power today that they may never know they contributed to, but that I will always be grateful for. 

I value their experience and their knowledge beyond words, and I am inspired by the fact that they were all standing with me in the same place, after being through worse battles than mine (really, I was the baby of the group, not in age but in melanoma incident... I have had five surgeries... these folks ran circles around me).  The most important thing:  they are still here.  They were in Toronto today as well, hoping to help others by spreading the word about sun-safety and non-complacency in skin CANCER.  

They were serious about their desire to help others fall short of the fate we have encountered, they are passionate about keeping people out of the sun in order to avoid the risk of developing melanoma. Melanoma. It is not JUST skin cancer.  It IS skin cancer.  

I will be sure to post news of the campaign launch as it comes available.  In the meantime I will email my new acquaintances (we all exchanged business cards) and lend support where I can.  Judging by how well we all hit it off I can envision us having a "cast party!?" when this launches LOL  I would even drive back down Dufferin to do that.  :-) 

Toronto traffic and camera-shyness aside, I feel today was a powerful day.  I received support and hope at the same time, plus I was able to explore the side of myself that I enjoy when I travel to new places.  

In fact in one of the alleys I traversed this morning I recalled Firenze as if it was yesterday. The light and air and temperature seemed the same in the Toronto alley I walked today, as it was in Florence eight years since this photo:

On the way home I casually noticed one pedestrian that I almost ran over didn't even flip me the bird!  Sure sign of my comfort in the Toronto traffic - after all these trips to Sunnybrook and other attractions I must be doing something right! 

Oh PS ~  All day when commenting on our unseasonably mild weather and asked if we have snow in Meaford I replied that "no we don't, as I requested we not get any snow until I was home tonight after this Toronto event." and we laughed... haha...  Seriously, the second I pulled into my driveway it began to snow.  My car is now covered and I am going to go to bed wishing for six feet in the morning.  I am done my work for a couple of weeks and I think we are due a white Christmas!  

PPS ~ Thank you Save Your Skin Foundation for connecting me with this great day 

************

Another edit add-on to this post: I appreciated the warm-up conversation the film crew afforded my nerves.  When I told them I am from Meaford one of them said hey isn't there that cool restaurant up there in the middle of nowhere?  Teds Road something... I said Yes! Ted's Range Road Diner LOL  It's in a quonset hut style building and he serves amazing food.  So we talked about game meat and my history up north of salivating at every "Bear BBQ" in Barkway etc.  Anthony Bourdain Jr. said he did the sound for a film piece a few years ago at Ted's..? COOL!  So I just googled it and found this, perhaps it is the one?  Enjoy  :-) 

 

December

I have been taking stock of the losses and accomplishments my family and I have experienced in the last year.  

It occurred to me when I was at Sunnybrook on Monday, that a year has passed since my most dismal cancer-related days.  I had had my thyroidectomy at the beginning of December, missed Claire and Cassie's theatre production, had an extremely painful incision and infection around my throat, was on bed rest trying to recover, and was just barely coping with the task of adjusting to my impending to-do list... calcium supplements, thyroid hormone replacement drug, inevitable radioactive iodine treatment, continued melanoma treatments, and... smile for Christmas!

At the same time, we received so much love and support... a catered turkey dinner gift, a raft of treats and gift certificates from members of our business community, a huge tasty delivery from my silent partners (in crime LOL) at my place of employ, even help with snow removal as I couldn't even lift a shovel at the time.  The support was priceless, and it carried us through a rough time.  My gratitude remains, and I continue to convey it through small gestures as I am able.  I will return the favours if it's the last thing I do! 

Thankfully it appears I will still have some time to do so.  All of the work my medical team has done and all the chomping my personal pacmen have done have bought me some time.  My diagnosis at the beginning was pretty dismal - average time of survival for my type of situation is around nine months - but the speed with which the oncologists at Sunnybrook helped me (and the swiftness with which my family physician booted me to them) saved my life.  I sit here a year and a half after diagnosis contemplating my past and my future, and I am deeply grateful for that.  

On Monday I saw my surgical oncologist for a 12-month checkup.  She is a lovely lady, strikingly tiny, obviously intelligent, and very kind.  The last time I saw her was the day I was to get the staples out of my neck/thyroid incision (performed by a different surgeon), and I had to show her my right leg which was at the time six months post-surgery she had performed in May 2014.  That day we had set the appointment for this year's follow-up, and it felt like neither of us were sure I would see her again.  

I was looking forward to seeing her Monday, and surprisingly she came into the room smiling as well and with questions about my long drive into the city - she actually remembered me! We chatted for a bit, she examined the scars she had given me, and she slapped my wrist for procrastinating on the lymphedema therapy.  

Happy to report she did not feel any tumours or ominous tissue around the sites of my two surgeries (mole excision and lymph node dissection).  She then moved to examine the lymph nodes in my neck and I joked that there were 37 less nodes in there from last time she saw me and she commented back "well he was generous! How many did I take?"  I replied 13! (I can't recall my own postal code but these numbers are stuck in my brain)  "Hhmm," she said, "but I did more damage."  I told her it was okay, it was worth it.  I thanked her for saving my life.  And she smiled "don't thank me, it's a team effort."  How modest. 

We also discussed my CT scan reports of the last year, and I told her about the enlarged nodes in my neck.  She offered the perspective that the ipilimumab immunotherapy treatment I had been receiving was quite likely to affect lymph nodes.  Fair enough, that echoed my medical oncologists comments as well.  Surgeon also suggested that this treatment would wreak havoc on my thyroid (or lack thereof) situation, and she concurred that I should start feeling better in the new year as we move farther away from my last ipi treatment in September.  

All in all it was a good follow-up, and we agreed to meet again next December.  12-month check up with surgical oncologist, that is good.  I am still in the 3-month check-up zone with medical oncologist (melanoma) for a while, and still 6-months with endocrinologist (thyroid cancer related).  

I did my bloodwork and had meeting with medical oncologist on Monday as well, we had just seen each other four weeks prior so not much new to discuss.  So far so good! 

Did my CT scans Monday as well, and that went better than usual! I learned something new that day - you can put clear liquid flavouring in the huge jug of yucky chemical water stuff you have to consume prior to a CT scan.  I was being whiny to my favourite CT nurse about the water and she said well you can flavour it!  She squirted in some of her Mio orange-flavoured stuff and I was able to drink the whole bottle without gagging.   I told her she changed my life!  True story.  That's how much I hate that stuff.  

My tummy hates it too, and I was pretty much bed-ridden Tuesday after late return home Monday night and lots of bathroom stops, but I am feeling better today.  Which is good, because it is Christmassy-chaos around here, plus I have a big day tomorrow.  

Back to the city tomorrow: I am going for the filming of an interview with a team producing a video about living with skin cancer for the purpose of educating people about the dangers of frivolous sun-tanning.  This video is a collaboration between a pharmaceutical company and a couple of other teams, and it will launch in February.  I have been jotting down some notes on how to concisely express my perspective, Wordy-Me has to keep it to a few short seconds!?!

I have yet to be able to explain my feelings about the sun and how I feel about it's role in my life and also in my illness, but I am keen to share with others that they should not take risks when it comes to their skin health.  Sun-tanning for vanity or cosmetic reasons is not safe.  It can ruin your life.  I'm living proof.  

Speaking of  "I'm Living Proof," I am also working on a written bio and short video for the SYSF "Melanoma Connect" initiative to help melanoma patients find peers to help support them in their diagnosis and cancer journey.  Via social media including their new website "I'm Living Proof.ca" the folks at Save Your Skin Foundation are working to help people feel less alone in their melanoma diagnoses.  

It is indeed a frightening disease, and patients need every tool they can possibly embrace to help them through it.  I am part of this community and I will put my star on their map, perhaps to help someone recently diagnosed, but also to receive support myself as I live with metastatic melanoma.  

Otherwise around here things are running as quickly as always, the three girls and I put up our tree last weekend, yesterday I attended Claire and Cass' school Christmas Dance Extravaganza, today they are having their classroom gift exchanges, and tomorrow is their dance and continued partying at school while I venture to Toronto.  One cool thing, their homeroom teacher is showing them the movie One Magic Christmas, which was filmed in part here in Meaford in 1985. 

All in all this December is so far better than last December, different challenges lie ahead, but they are bouyed by hope and definitely ambition.  

Thank you again for your continued friendship and support.  Merry Christmas!