Once word got out that I had cancer, there was such an outpouring of love, support, and well wishes that I just have to share. At first only family and close friends knew of my diagnosis, but as word gradually spread I experienced a tidal wave of well wishes. Continue reading Well Wishes
Using and taking care of my own PEG feeding tube wasn’t hard, but I did have a few goofs even though the Dietician explained to me what I needed to do (I was a captive audience during my first chemo session). Here I’ll talk about some tips and some necessary maintenance tasks . Continue reading Using and taking care of my own PEG feeding tube
After I experienced complications with my PEG tube, my first chemo session was delayed. I had already met with my Chemo Oncologist so I already knew that I would be given high-dose Cisplatin, and I knew what the possible side-effects would be. I also knew that the procedure would take six hours at least. I knew that I would have three chemo sessions and the dates that they were scheduled for, and that it was important that I attempt to make all of my chemo appointments. The only thing I knew nothing about was the actual procedure itself. Continue reading My First Chemo Session
Last time I wrote about getting my feeding tube (PEG tube), and I ended up being admitted to hospital for complications and observation. This post is a continuation of that post, and it picks up the story on the morning after the procedure.
Warning: more non-sugar-coated descriptions, and a photo of the finished product that some sensitive users might find unsettling. If these things bother you, please don’t read any further.
By the time I saw the Oncologist, I was already having great difficulty swallowing and my larynx was very narrow. For this reason he highly recommended that I get a gastric feeding tube, called a PEG tube (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy). The typical risks of this procedure include infection and soreness after the procedure. Due to the location of my tumour, what I experienced was far from typical. Continue reading Getting my feeding tube (PEG)
The date is February 11, 2014. Log entry: first radiation treatment. I’m scared as heck because I have no idea of what to expect, other than some side effects and having to wear that confining mask. Continue reading Radiation treatment begins: my first session
Well what a long day the first day was at Sunnybrook. We left the house at 6:00 am and didn’t get home until 7:30 pm. It was the first time meeting my oncology team at the Odette Cancer Centre in Sunnybrook Hospital. Continue reading Meeting the Oncology team at Sunnybrook
Radiation preplanning, also called simulation, is an important step that’s executed prior to starting actual cancer treatments. So why exactly am I showing a picture of spaghetti? Continue reading Radiation preplanning for throat cancer
It’s bad enough to experience a number of misfires during diagnosis as I had, but once cancer was confirmed I was very anxious to have treatments start immediately. Unfortunately I ended up on the receiving end of a treatment runaround and a few setbacks, and it was enough to drive us crazy. Continue reading The treatment runaround
We’ve all been told about the importance of getting a second opinion (or even a third). I’ve never felt I needed to before but now I will. Thanks to an unlikely chain of events, my cancer was eventually detected but not before some mistakes were made along the way.
Continue reading Consider getting a second opinion, maybe even a third.