Nothing much has happened since I last posted. It took several weeks to get results from my second PET scan and it turns out the cancer was only in the one lymph node and my proposed treatment plan was only going to be 3 pills daily for a year.
There is one catch though, I felt a small bump along my scar on June 17th, and the oncologist suggested I see my family medical clinic again for guidance on handling that. They recommended an ultrasound, and with those results the oncologist wants me to see the surgeon again. I don’t know how this will affect the proposed treatment plan.
The surgeon is out of country right now on vacation and is coming back to a shortage of surgeons so will likely be working out of the hospital all summer. I’m guessing I will need another surgery to remove and biopsy this new lump. The oncologist didn’t want to start treatment yet, because he would have to stop it for surgery anyway.
Here I am playing the waiting game again. As it’s Canada Day weekend, I might as well not think about it because expecting anything to happen before Wednesday is foolish.
After consulting with the dietitians at BC Cancer, my only real guidance from them was to not lose weight. I have decided to approach life with an epicurean outlook. I will enjoy glasses of wine and cocktails this summer. I will try to be mindful of sun exposure, but i”m not going to shelter myself entirely because this whole thing has been a massive waiting game.
It seemed unorthodox to me that BC Cancer and the oncologist out of there wanted me to facilitate the appointment with the surgeon again. Things seem to not be being handled seriously, and I’m chalking that up to this treatment plan merely being protocol. I will try to enjoy my remaining time off, because if I”m lucky, those pills won’t have too many side effects and I’ll be back to work sooner than later. Hopefully by August.
I have to continue to chase the purpose of this blog, which started as a reminder to start living life to the fullest. I’ll be enjoying the scenery in the West Kootenay, and doing some hiking and seeing new sights. For a kid who grew up here, there is a surprising amount of places I’ve never been.
On Wednesday, I hiked Dove Hill with a friend. As we started our ascent, you could see these storm clouds rolling in from the east. It was a purple grey color, and the whole hiking path was covered in these purple flowers that Google Lens says are called hairy vetch. They literally littered the potent green hillside, this gorgeous high contrast color standing out amidst a grey sky..
Half way up the hike it started to drizzle, and despite the thunder, the rain was light so we kept on walking up the hill; the path has many switchbacks, and it’s a light hike; great for the beginning of the summer season.
When we reached the top, there was a double rainbow, and you could see all of Castlegar including the airport. The hills to the east looked like the land before time and sunshine was pouring through the clouds to the west. We shared a bottle of wine and then started our descent as the sun was setting. It was the type of day that made me feel like I never need to be anywhere else. I already live in the most beautiful place on Earth.
That being said, I’d really like the schedule nailed down for when I’m going to see the surgeon again. I hope he is back soon. I’d like to plan a trip to somewhere in the world that I’ve never been to. Hopefully, before I have to go back to work and will only accrue pro-rated vacation days for the remainder of the year.
I’m so fortunate to have some investments, but now I have to be conservative and not touch them too much. All signs point to a reasonable potential that I’ll be living a long and healthy life. So the retail therapy posts are a thing of the past… short lived, spending made me feel anxious anyway.
I’m on to a summer of increasing certainty. Can’t wait to actually be able to describe a schedule of medical events that have assuaged all my fears & renewed my purpose. Can’t wait for the abstract to become concrete.
Imbued Experiences 
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