Apple juice anyone?

2014.02.26

Too much apple juice? After yesterdays CT scan I was told to drink lots of liquids for the next 2 days to get all that dye out of my body or it could be dangerous. (as if I am not in any danger right now anyway....) So, there has been a lot of apple juice consumed in the past 24 hours. I never really drank any juice before it was mostly coca-cola. Now in the last week I have gone cold-turkey on sugar, coca-cola, coffee any other type of snacking. The new me or the right me is starting to form. (???)

Lazy morning in bed chatting with those friends that are really good at pestering me. Eric sleeps on Peter's side of the bed when he is in London. It was so sweet to awake before him and listen to his soft breathing next to me. Ten minutes later he opens his eyes and he is wide awake (don't know how he does that) and gives me a good morning hug. One of the best ways to start the morning!!!!!!!!

There was a bit of soreness in the area where Olga attacked me yesterday but I managed to shower and change the bandage with Kevin's help.

Each terrible or scary thing I have to go through is one step closer to the end of this ordeal.

A walk with Eric outside for 20 minutes was great and just what I needed to get back a bit of energy. I had the song Brave on repeat for the whole walk. Eric thought I should change the song.......but was singing along by the end.

Still had energy when I got home, so I vacuumed the house, thinking I won't have the strength to do this next week and that someone else will do this.

Then lucky me got a ride and company to the afternoon ENT doctor visit by Maria. Thanks for being there, Maria!!!!! The ENT doctor was nice and asked to check my nostrils before she puts a 2 foot wire camera through my nose into my throat. Easy compared to Olga! The operation for tomorrow morning was scheduled and I asked them to knock me out for it so I don't feel him cutting me up. The biopsy is to take out a 1 cm piece of the tumor on my neck and throat so they can analyze it and make sure they are using the appropriate chemo treatment. I will have a nice battle wound on my neck to remember this fun experience.

In Sweden after you pay a certain amount (1100 SEK or $170 USD) in doctor's visits then it is free health care from the date of the first doctor visit and 1 year forward.  So, that means after my first week of visiting specialists, now all my health care is free until February 2014. So, I will battle cancer and be cured and it only cost me $170 USD. That is a good thing along with getting the care at the premier hospital in Sweden, I feel confident.

Yesterday I got a bunch of brochures and information from the Hematology nurse and it was first today that I looked them over. I received information about where to get a wig fitted. (There is a an amount up to about 5000 SEK that is paid for by the health care rules.) Scary to contemplate that my hair will be gone very very soon. I find myself constantly running my fingers through my hair, which I had never done before. On the fence about the wig, I will have to wait and see. It is an opportunity to change color and style if I felt like it. I also got a travel card for taxi back and forth from home to hospital for the treatments. I pay a reduced fee for taxis but don't know if I will use that benefit as sometimes the taxis are late or don't come and that is too much stress to take.

I feel like I am in a zombie mode and I am going through the motions and taking the tests but don't really have a good perspective. Luckily Peter is on his way home tonight and will be here for the operation tomorrow. That feels good!!!!!! 

No eating after midnight for me tonight. Operation tomorrow. (how the heck can I be happy about that?) I double checked with the ENT doctor that Olga would not be in on this operation..:-)

Cancer sucks and this feels like the calm before the storm right now! I know once the storm hits I am going to be seasick and holding on for dear life.........