So Much For Summer Fun

Sorry for not writing for a while. I've been too busy doing things to sit still and write about them. Important things like hanging out with Momzy (this past Sat we went to the market, had fish & chips at the beach, went for a drive, sat in a forest near a waterfall, enjoyed some gelato - all in one afternoon!), seeing friends, honing my barbequing skills, getting back to playing with fibre (spinning, dyeing, sewing, knitting), trying to tame the garden ... In other words, I was enjoying summer to the fullest for the first time in at least four years. But the light breeze would occasionally whisper in my ear that all was not as it seemed.

No doubt things were starting to turn slowly, but I was only conscious that something wasn't quite right about two weeks ago. The edema in my left arm was as bad as it has ever been; left shoulder and side of the neck ached as if I had endured a good workout or done some heavy lifting; there was an odd almost pulsating ache in the area just above my left collarbone; began to wheeze at night no matter what I was doing - reading, knitting, sewing, lying down; became short of breath after walking only about a block on level ground... About a week ago, I noticed the tender area around the shoulder and neck was swollen. Today, it's worse.

Have a real urge to cocoon these days,  to spend a lot of time on my own. Suspect the added comforts Phil put into the house this year have much to do with the desire to stick close to home, but it has been due to the hitherto unnoticed physical changes as well. Guess Momzy was right - "You have to listen to your body".

I have a CT scan scheduled for Aug 26, but thought if things are going sideways it might be best to form a plan of attack sooner rather than later. As luck would have it, both my GP and oncologist are off on holiday. Thankfully Dr Wadge (the internist who oversees my treatments on the Coast) has just returned from her vacation. Better yet, someone cancelled their appointment at the last minute, so I got squeezed in this afternoon.

As soon as Dr Wadge saw my shoulder and neck, she started talking about radiation treatment. She is currently in the process of contacting the radiation oncologist who treated me in 2008/2009. She also ordered a chest x-ray in case the cancer has further spread through my lungs and trachea. If it has, chemo is likely the better option. If there's much concentration in the shoulder and neck area, radiation might offer some targeted therapy. Should have the x-ray results tomorrow so will know in a day or two which course of action will be recommended.

This journey really is turning out to be a bad roller coaster ride. At least there are pockets of time when I feel well enough to do the things I enjoy.