The start of the new normal

Winter is coming faster than we'd like. Everyone is busy getting wood in, tidying up outside before the snow covers everything and making sure everywhere is as weather tight as can be.
David has just got a new toy to help with some of these jobs and to plow us out this winter.

Meet Tommy the skid steer! I think a few people in this household are going to have lots of fun with this.

Our life is pretty surreal at the moment, David says it's like living in a parallel universe half the time. Numerous times a week we end up sitting in some hospital waiting room waiting for some appointment or other. 

My treatment plan is much clearer now since getting all the results of my recent tests back. My CT and bone  scans both came back negative which is great news. It means all the treatment from here on in is preventative. 

My oncologist has decided that I will have 4 courses of chemo, followed by 1 month break then 21 days of radiation, after my chemo has finished one of the drugs they are giving me will continue to be given to me for a total of 17 treatments (approx 1 year) this drug will still be given through IV but it isn't a traditional chemo drug so the side effects should be minimal. 

I can't say I'm looking forward to the following few months but I just want to get it over with now. They were really struggling to give me injections for all the tests I've had recently. Since having surgery they can only use 1 arm to inject me which happens to be my left arm which has not got good veins. It became so swollen and bruised last week and was quite distressing when an IV popped out in a scan, that I opted for a port to be permanently inserted in my arm while I'm having treatment. This morning I went in for this to be inserted under local anesthetic, Once it's settled down this will really minimise the distress of my treatment.

So Monday 2nd November will be the start of our new normal for a while. I am booked in to start my chemotherapy. Initially my treatments will take approx 3+ hours but this will reduce each time as my body gets used to the drugs.