Since chemo has started...

...I've been doing pretty good.

The first week was killer though. Monday through Friday with 3 1/2 hours connected to an IV plus driving time (about an hour and a half to London) and back makes for a chemo-centric day. By the end of the week, my mom said I wasn't looking so great and I was supposedly looking thin too. They have me on anti-nausea meds so I haven't run into that. Chemo makes me want to go to bed early though. Every night that week, I was in bed some where between 8 and 9 and waking up each morning around 7 ish.

Then I had the weekend off and BOY WAS I BORED. Since I didn't plan to still be in Canada right now, I didn't plan much in my life. I don't have school, work, anything. I've been keeping myself occupied with the computer, TV, and video games basically. Sometime around Monday it got a little better though. I no longer had the feeling of "everything bores me" but I REALLY don't want that again. Anybody have any suggestions? I'm considering learning another language (i.e. Thai) or brushing up on my Japanese. Maybe learn a new musical instrument? I dunno.

Last week I only had Tuesday and that was really easy. The treatment only lasted about an hour and it was only one type of chemo (as opposed to the long week where everyday consisted of at least two kinds). Since then I've felt great and my appetite has returned back to normal. It was really nice to have a week off. I go in tomorrow for another treatment like last weeks so it should have similar results. The only thing I've been worried about is some pain in my underarm area (which has lymph nodes in it). Hopefully it's nothing more than my body dealing with extra toxins :) EDIT: Turns out my worries were only worries. A doctor examined the area and said he found nothing except for the fact that the muscles in that area were tight

PS. Yesterday was the first day that I noticed some hair strands around where I've been. Yup, the hair loss has BEGUN MUHAHAHA

Also, thanks to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers :)

Some great news (compared to everything else)

So I went to the cancer clinic in London (apparently I'm too young for the cancer clinic in Kitchener!). I met the medical oncologist (specializes in chemotherapy) and she said that I will only need 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Each cycle is 3 weeks so that means I'll be done sometime in October! Adding in recovery time, I could be on my way to Thailand in November or early December!! The oncologist said she could see no reason why I wouldn't be able to do that if the treatment is successful (90% or more successful, I think I'll be ok).

The best part is that I won't be missing one of the biggest tours Rotary Thailand is taking us on! That's the best Christmas/Birthday present I could get!

So, to Emma and all the other exchange students in Thailand right now, I'm coming soon to a country near you, November/December 2008. I'll see you there!

And it just keeps coming...

So, I'd like to mention that my surgery went very well. It was the first time I've been in the hospital for myself, the first time I've had surgery, and the first time I had an anesthetic. That stuff is crazy. I woke up and I thought they hadn't done the surgery yet only to find I was in the recovery ward!

I also had a CT scan on Tuesday, this was to show if the cancer had spread at all. They put this crazy xray dye in you so that the machine can pick it up. When they inject you with it, it makes you feel very warm everywhere. Really weird.

I got called in to the oncologist yesterday and he had received the results of the CT scan. It turns out the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in my lower back (which are connected to the original tumor area). Essentially this means that I'm going to have to go through CHEMOTHERAPY and that will take MONTHS. The oncologist said that the success rate is around 90% and this is one of the most treatable cancers.

This, of course, sucks horribly. Rotary told me that they are still very enthusiastic in having me go to Thailand whenever I am capable of doing so. It's not a matter of "if," it's just "when."

I'm still keeping positive and whatnot. For now this blog won't exactly be about me in Thailand but I'll still post through the recovery process (and I am labelling this post as "predeparture").

On the bright side, I won't have to worry about haircuts for awhile!

Some bad news...

Well, this kinda sucks.

About two weeks ago I felt some pain in my lower abdomen and groin so I went to the doctor. He scheduled some tests which I got done the next Friday.

Last Tuesday, the results came in and he said I might have a TUMOR in that area. (WHAT??!)
He said I would have to delay/cancel my exchange depending on how serious it was. He ordered more tests to help find this out.

It's the worst possible timing, about two weeks before my planned departure and I find out the most random and terrible news! Plus, I got it the DAY AFTER I went to my Rotary Club to give a speech about how excited and proud I was to be going to Thailand and how eager I was to go. :(
I contacted my Rotary district about this and they're going to try to help me as much as they can so that I can still go to Thailand. That's good news...

I went to a specialist last Friday and he ordered some more in depth tests. Some blood work, a surgery that he'll be performing, and a CT scan. This will go a couple weeks past my original departure date so that means I have to delay my trip for sure :(

The surgery is essentially removing what they think is the tumor to determine if it actually is a tumor. If it is a tumor, they'll determine whether it is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). I've thought of the scenarios that each could provide and I've come up with 3 scenarios that would put me at leaving for Thailand within weeks.

Best case scenario: It's not a tumor, it's something much more manageable/easier to work with
Number 2 scenario:It is a tumor but it's benign
Number 3 scenario:It is a tumor and cancerous - but contained

Any of those scenarios presents me with the opportunity to leave for Thailand very soon. Hopefully it's not a different scenario...that would suck and I would have no idea my potential for still going to Thailand.

At this point, I really hope it's the best case scenario and that I'll be posting from Thailand very soon. :)

For now, I'll keep this updated. I'm going in for surgery next Wednesday and that will be the first step into determining my situation.

All the best!