2011 has to be a better year than 2010, right? I mean, it is a bigger number. It's not divisible by 2. That alone makes it cooler. In fact, 2011 is a prime number. That has to be worth a lot. So bam, I am already feeling better about this year. Maybe I will win the lottery.
I mean last year I won the cancer lottery. No really, this is not a joke (ha ha), I really won the cancer lottery. My co-workers were very nice to purchase me a ticket in the Canadian Cancer Lottery and I won $100 in the December draw. Of course, I did not look to see if I won until... say it with me, 2011. So yep... this will be a good year.
Okay, so radiation is completed. Not really a difficult thing to endure (at least for me) in that the side effects were minimal. Bit of a throat issue (trouble swallowing) and some fatigue but the biggest pain was getting to the hospital daily. Big thanks to all those who were volunteer drivers. Avoiding parking and all that entails was a great help.
Just in case you were thinking about going for some radiation in the mantle area (maybe you have this on your bucket list, I don't know) - here is what you need to know.
- The tattoos are kind of lame. I could claim that I got the entire world tattooed on my chest 4 times or I have 400 angels dancing on the head of 4 pins but it really kind of looks like 4 blue dots. Probably not going to impress my prison friends.
- Scuba diving is good practice as you have to breathe through a snorkel (seriously) and you have to hold your breath, not pearl diving hold your breath, but at least a minute helps.
- Other than that you just sort of lie there (perfectly still without moving) for about 15-20 minutes depending on if the computer crashes. Based on my experience, 5 crashes in 20 sessions, I now know where all the old Commodore 64's got to.
- Bonus is you are allowed to bring in your own music to play while you are lying there. Apparently the ska/punk combination was a bit of a novelty in the radiation ward. I was told that they have a lot of Indigo Girls folk type music, mellow melancholy tunes or Tom Jones. Yes, Tom Jones is not unusual to be played by everyone... dadadada... sing it with me.
In other news, I have added to the classic Western Medicine approach of chemo (as let's face it, they were not having a good year - 0 fer in the killing the Cancer department) with a "healer". Okay, bio-rhythm guy. See sidebar on this below and how he has convinced me to change my diet:
Sidebar:
For those who do not know, I went to see an "energy healer". You may say Quack if you want. One of Claud's friend's swears by him and he was pretty good at diagnosing what my issues were and where they were.
He noted that I had lower back issues (this has flared up again only recently), that I had blood problems (he saw my bald head but went with this rather than just any cancer - so score one for him on the blood cancer angle), he asked if I was constipated (again, not usually an issue but happened to be one that day - sorry if I am sharing too much), and about my left hip (this is not a problem as far as I know but it is where they did the bone marrow biopsy... we will call this a miss at this point).
I will give him 3 of 4. He noted that the cancer was in the chest - not a bad guess although he was a little left of the site as far as I know. I think his knowledge was pretty good and you can "feel" some form of heat or energy transfer from his hands while he treats you. I do give him some props - during one session I actually felt weak and spent.
Anyway, since I am open to alternative therapies at this point and since I do believe that some people have "gifts" in things like charisma, it is not a huge stretch to healing. So... I am going with it at least until the cancer is gone.
Anyway, the healer has suggested I change my diet (and in a lot of ways) so now I am going to be like that annoying Vegan that you really do not want to invite to your dinner party.
No Beef or Pork - chicken, turkey, lamb, veal (less hormones I am led to understand), and especially goat are fine. That said, less meat is probably a good thing.
No milk/dairy - exception is goat's cheese. The goat apparently gets a free pass. Not sure who the goat pissed off.
No sugar. Yikes, I should be pleasant to be around.
No caffeine - fine for coffee and tea, and I can live with no coke but it includes chocolate (ahhh! but this was probably included in the sugar).
No alcohol. Whatever. It was always funnier seeing you all hammered and the silly things you did anyway.
No bread or pasta. This is getting difficult. Apparently the KFC Double Down is the way to go.
No salt unless it is sea salt.
What can I eat:
Lots and lots of water and fresh veggies and fruits. Nuts. Seeds. See meats above. Rice. Chick peas assuming they are dried and not from a can (why? who knows?).
I also need to exercise and get more oxygen into my lungs - apparently cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment.
Anyway, long story short, I am going to try and adjust my diet... good luck, I know. I will try and focus on the no beef, no pork, no dairy, no sugar, and limit breads and pastas as much as possible. I should have no problem with this when I go back to work (mmmm... Craft Burger).
This was a little longer than I expected so I will leave off here...
Cheers,
Rob
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