Madeleine, Harvey's granddaughter, made this get well card for Wendy.
And Colin knew that a Dinosaur would help.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Feeding a tender tummy
One of the many side effects of chemotherapy is nausea and a much heightened sensitivity to odours. For a couple of days after chemo I didn't cook anything. Wendy's appetite is is for small portions of a variety of foods that don't have strong tastes or odours. Of course, I'm also trying to get a balanced diet; low in fat, balance of protien and carbohydrates, and lots of nutrients and vitamins.
I have discovered that soup is a good thing to have around. It freezes easily, can be quickly thawed in the microwave, and nothing gets thrown out in the cooking process. I tried this borscht type soup and Wendy enjoyed it.
One medium onion, finely diced
250 grams cabbage, shredded (Savoy type cabbage has less of the sulphur compounds that gives cabbage it's awful odour(
15 ml butter (a tablespoon or more if needed)
500 ml chicken stock
1 - 27 oz can diced tomatoes
250 grams diced carrots
250 grams diced potatoes (red bliss or Yukon gold - they keep their shape when boiled)
200 grams beets, peeled and sliced, or diced, or even canned beets
vinegar, bayleaves, pepper (If you are using commercial stock or canned vegetables, remember thay have plenty of salt in them. )
Yoghurt or sour cream.
Sweat the onions and cabbage in the butter in a soup pot. Do not brown them, just cook until they are limp and you've extracted the liquid out of them. Add the stock, the rest of the vegetables, tomatoes with their liquid, pepper, and bay leaf and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste the soup and if you want add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to give it a bit of edge. Or serve the vinegar on the table.
To serve, ladle into a bowl, add a big dollop of yoghurt or sour cream if your tummy can take it. If you start with good ingredients and treat them gently, your soup will be tasty, with a hint of the earthiness of beets and the sweetness of the carrots and tomatoes.
As we go through this, I imagine there will be other recipes.
Harvey
I have discovered that soup is a good thing to have around. It freezes easily, can be quickly thawed in the microwave, and nothing gets thrown out in the cooking process. I tried this borscht type soup and Wendy enjoyed it.
One medium onion, finely diced
250 grams cabbage, shredded (Savoy type cabbage has less of the sulphur compounds that gives cabbage it's awful odour(
15 ml butter (a tablespoon or more if needed)
500 ml chicken stock
1 - 27 oz can diced tomatoes
250 grams diced carrots
250 grams diced potatoes (red bliss or Yukon gold - they keep their shape when boiled)
200 grams beets, peeled and sliced, or diced, or even canned beets
vinegar, bayleaves, pepper (If you are using commercial stock or canned vegetables, remember thay have plenty of salt in them. )
Yoghurt or sour cream.
Sweat the onions and cabbage in the butter in a soup pot. Do not brown them, just cook until they are limp and you've extracted the liquid out of them. Add the stock, the rest of the vegetables, tomatoes with their liquid, pepper, and bay leaf and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste the soup and if you want add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to give it a bit of edge. Or serve the vinegar on the table.
To serve, ladle into a bowl, add a big dollop of yoghurt or sour cream if your tummy can take it. If you start with good ingredients and treat them gently, your soup will be tasty, with a hint of the earthiness of beets and the sweetness of the carrots and tomatoes.
As we go through this, I imagine there will be other recipes.
Harvey
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Hair Don't Day
On Wednesday morning, exactly two weeks after my first chemotherapy treatments, my hair started to come out in the shower. I had already decided, influenced by a wonderful book called Turning Heads, that when this happened I would have my head shaved. So, the appointment with Doug, my hair guy, was made for Friday morning.My friend Suzanne suggested going out for lunch afterwards and we arranged to meet at a lovely little Central American restaurant called Taco Pica. "We'll see who else can come" we said.
On a -20 January day, nine of us enjoyed a delicious lunch, great stories, and much hat modelling. To Suzanne, Lynn, Pat, Wanda, Annette, Felicity, Regi and Rose, thanks for joining in this odd celebration and for the hats, the laughter, the lunch and your support.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Submission to New Brunswick Select Committee on Wellness
Submission to the Select Committee on Wellness
Dear Committee Members
I was pleased to learn of the opportunity to provide input to you on this important topice. My concern is with primary health care and its inaccessibility to thousands of New Brunswickers.
I am a new New Brunswicker, who moved to this province almost 3 ½ years ago, for a professional opportunity, without any previous ties to New Brunswick.
As I settled in Saint John, I discovered that there was a number to call to find a family doctor. I did so, and was advised that I would likely get a call about doctors accepting new patients in a few months. Since then, I call periodically to ensure that my name is still on the list. As a healthy person, who has not had the need to visit my doctor frequently, this was only a minor concern.
My experience when I have needed a physician is that walk-in clinics, as they operate here, do not provide an acceptable alternative, primarily due to the lack of continuity of care. Although we know it is inappropriate, many who like me are without a family doctor have no alternative but the Emergency Department when a health issue arises.
This was true in my case, when I recently identified a problem and went to Urgent Care at St Joseph’s in order to see a doctor and get a mammogram. When the mammogram revealed a significant problem, the system responded quickly and professionally, to ensure that the best treatment available was provided – including finding a family doctor for me.
I read about, and support, plans to grow our province’s population, through immigration from other countries and other parts of Canada. Yet I wonder how our province , in good conscience, can invite newcomers to join us when we already lack the ability to provide primary health care for thousands of New Brunswickers. This is an urgent wellness issue that must be addressed in order to eliminate New Brunswick’s two tier health system, for those with and without family doctors.
Sincerely
Wendy Martindale
Dear Committee Members
I was pleased to learn of the opportunity to provide input to you on this important topice. My concern is with primary health care and its inaccessibility to thousands of New Brunswickers.
I am a new New Brunswicker, who moved to this province almost 3 ½ years ago, for a professional opportunity, without any previous ties to New Brunswick.
As I settled in Saint John, I discovered that there was a number to call to find a family doctor. I did so, and was advised that I would likely get a call about doctors accepting new patients in a few months. Since then, I call periodically to ensure that my name is still on the list. As a healthy person, who has not had the need to visit my doctor frequently, this was only a minor concern.
My experience when I have needed a physician is that walk-in clinics, as they operate here, do not provide an acceptable alternative, primarily due to the lack of continuity of care. Although we know it is inappropriate, many who like me are without a family doctor have no alternative but the Emergency Department when a health issue arises.
This was true in my case, when I recently identified a problem and went to Urgent Care at St Joseph’s in order to see a doctor and get a mammogram. When the mammogram revealed a significant problem, the system responded quickly and professionally, to ensure that the best treatment available was provided – including finding a family doctor for me.
I read about, and support, plans to grow our province’s population, through immigration from other countries and other parts of Canada. Yet I wonder how our province , in good conscience, can invite newcomers to join us when we already lack the ability to provide primary health care for thousands of New Brunswickers. This is an urgent wellness issue that must be addressed in order to eliminate New Brunswick’s two tier health system, for those with and without family doctors.
Sincerely
Wendy Martindale
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Chemotherapy Round One
Those of you who have been personally effected by cancer (or who work in health care) already know how this works, but others, like me until now, may not.
Initial treatment planned is 6 rounds of chemotherapy; each of these is a 28 day cycle. On days 1 and 8, I go to the hospital for chemotherapy (given through a pic line, rather than poking at my veins every time), each day a different drug. The day 1 drug takes longer and there were a couple of not good days afterward; the day 8 drug didn't have the same impact. From days 1 to 14 I take another chemotherapy drug by tablet, then 2 weeks for immune system to recover before we start again. Also go to the hospital weekly so that they can take blood.
In terms of side effect, the reaction is very individual, and I'm fortunate to be going into this without other health challenges. So far the anti-nausea drugs have been effective for me. I was told that in 2 weeks my hair would start to fall out, which is precisely what happened. (That story and photos coming in another post.) And I get tired more easily, have adjusted my bedtime and a number of people seem to be monitoring that I don't overdo at work.
The cancer care here has been speedy, caring and professional. Unfortunately, primary health care, in Saint John like many other parts of Canada, is inaccessible to many because of the shortage of family physicians. I've been on a waiting list for almost 3 years, until the day of the diagnosis, when my case worker found a family doctor for me. At least this problem seems to be getting public attention, but it will take time to solve.
Initial treatment planned is 6 rounds of chemotherapy; each of these is a 28 day cycle. On days 1 and 8, I go to the hospital for chemotherapy (given through a pic line, rather than poking at my veins every time), each day a different drug. The day 1 drug takes longer and there were a couple of not good days afterward; the day 8 drug didn't have the same impact. From days 1 to 14 I take another chemotherapy drug by tablet, then 2 weeks for immune system to recover before we start again. Also go to the hospital weekly so that they can take blood.
In terms of side effect, the reaction is very individual, and I'm fortunate to be going into this without other health challenges. So far the anti-nausea drugs have been effective for me. I was told that in 2 weeks my hair would start to fall out, which is precisely what happened. (That story and photos coming in another post.) And I get tired more easily, have adjusted my bedtime and a number of people seem to be monitoring that I don't overdo at work.
The cancer care here has been speedy, caring and professional. Unfortunately, primary health care, in Saint John like many other parts of Canada, is inaccessible to many because of the shortage of family physicians. I've been on a waiting list for almost 3 years, until the day of the diagnosis, when my case worker found a family doctor for me. At least this problem seems to be getting public attention, but it will take time to solve.
Postings
For those of you green to blogs - as I am - I wanted to let you know that you can comment on posts. Those comments come to a gmail account so that I can "moderate" them. If you don't want them posted, just let me know that in the comment.
And for anyone who wondered about the posting time that appears, it is definitely not local time. Rest assured that I am not at the keyboard tapping away at 2:30 in the morning!
And for anyone who wondered about the posting time that appears, it is definitely not local time. Rest assured that I am not at the keyboard tapping away at 2:30 in the morning!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Movie Recommendations
Was delighted to see Hal Holbrook's best supporting actor nomination for Into the Wild. This film didn't seem to get a wide release - I happened to see it in Ottawa but it never played here in Saint John. It's based on the book of the same title by Jon Krakauer, about a young man who goes as far "into the wild" as he can in Alaska, and doesn't return.
The movie focusses much more, through flashbacks interspersed with his trip into Alaska, on the people he meets on the journey, and Hal Holbrook plays one of them. It's definitely worth checking out.
Also reminded me of the one person show Holbrook did as Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens, which I saw on tv MANY years ago. Wonder if it was ever released on video/dvd?
Yesterday as I was leaving the bank I found a penny (at the bank! I figure this is one lucky penny and of course picked it up). That brought to mind the film Seducing Doctor Lewis, where one of the methods the people on a remote little island employ to try to keep a doctor is to plant money where the doctor will find it, because "everyone likes to find money". It starts with a penny and progresses from there.
The movie focusses much more, through flashbacks interspersed with his trip into Alaska, on the people he meets on the journey, and Hal Holbrook plays one of them. It's definitely worth checking out.
Also reminded me of the one person show Holbrook did as Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens, which I saw on tv MANY years ago. Wonder if it was ever released on video/dvd?
Yesterday as I was leaving the bank I found a penny (at the bank! I figure this is one lucky penny and of course picked it up). That brought to mind the film Seducing Doctor Lewis, where one of the methods the people on a remote little island employ to try to keep a doctor is to plant money where the doctor will find it, because "everyone likes to find money". It starts with a penny and progresses from there.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
New Year's Resolution
Inspired by my friend Suzanne, who reads poetry on her morning bus ride, and Harvey, who writes a haiku every day, my New Year's resolution was to read more poetry. This should be an easy one, given that I normally read...none.
So I have been discovering poets, as I sit in hospital waiting rooms, where it's hard to get into a novel and the magazines may not be to your taste. (What's the story of how an issue of The Parliamentarian got here?)
This poem is from a sequence called Bone Poems, in Night Field by Don McKay, which received the Governor General's Award for poetry.
Now we know the price of x-ray:
if you want to see your bones you have to
flirt with death a little. Moon-bathe,
Anticipate their liberation from your flesh.
Once upon a time
shoe stores had peepshows that could
melt your skin and show the bones
inside your feet (plenty of room for him to grow there,
ma'am). You looked down zillions, back
into an ocean where a loose
family of fish was
wriggling in blue spooky light.
There are other worlds.
Your dead dog swims in the earth.
So I have been discovering poets, as I sit in hospital waiting rooms, where it's hard to get into a novel and the magazines may not be to your taste. (What's the story of how an issue of The Parliamentarian got here?)
This poem is from a sequence called Bone Poems, in Night Field by Don McKay, which received the Governor General's Award for poetry.
Now we know the price of x-ray:
if you want to see your bones you have to
flirt with death a little. Moon-bathe,
Anticipate their liberation from your flesh.
Once upon a time
shoe stores had peepshows that could
melt your skin and show the bones
inside your feet (plenty of room for him to grow there,
ma'am). You looked down zillions, back
into an ocean where a loose
family of fish was
wriggling in blue spooky light.
There are other worlds.
Your dead dog swims in the earth.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Life was jolted into an unexpected path just before Christmas, with the diagnosis of a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. Things moved faster than we could have imagined and belied every wait-time horror story we've heard about our health system. Not a moment was wasted. Appointments were made, doctors consulted, various tests and scans were done.
Most important, our breast cancer caseworker started us on the right foot with lots of information about cancer, treatments, social and psychological aspects of the disease and consequences of aggressive treatment. She provided us with contact numbers for a variety of support groups. Our caseworker, also named Wendy, is part of a group of professionals who have been uniformly caring, supportive, informative and always ready with a smile.
This is going to be a long process with chemotherapy to reduce the size of the cancer, then radiation and surgery. This schedule may take about year, dependent on how each stage progresses.
My plan, supported by my employer, is to work as much as i feel able. Some projects have been reassigned and much of my work can be done from my laptop at home. While there are fewer interruptions at home, there is a lot less cameraderie.
Harvey is accompanying me to appointments as note taker, driver, and hand holder as well as preparing healthy foods to match what I should and feel able to eat. I've finished my first session of chemotherapy, with two weeks "off" for my immune system to recover. Chemo does things to your appetite that some days includes a hypersensitivity to food smells (even coffee doesn't smell right), nausea, and a desire to avoid some of my favourite foods.
We're experiencing great support from friends and family near and far, and appreciate your role in this journey.
Most important, our breast cancer caseworker started us on the right foot with lots of information about cancer, treatments, social and psychological aspects of the disease and consequences of aggressive treatment. She provided us with contact numbers for a variety of support groups. Our caseworker, also named Wendy, is part of a group of professionals who have been uniformly caring, supportive, informative and always ready with a smile.
This is going to be a long process with chemotherapy to reduce the size of the cancer, then radiation and surgery. This schedule may take about year, dependent on how each stage progresses.
My plan, supported by my employer, is to work as much as i feel able. Some projects have been reassigned and much of my work can be done from my laptop at home. While there are fewer interruptions at home, there is a lot less cameraderie.
Harvey is accompanying me to appointments as note taker, driver, and hand holder as well as preparing healthy foods to match what I should and feel able to eat. I've finished my first session of chemotherapy, with two weeks "off" for my immune system to recover. Chemo does things to your appetite that some days includes a hypersensitivity to food smells (even coffee doesn't smell right), nausea, and a desire to avoid some of my favourite foods.
We're experiencing great support from friends and family near and far, and appreciate your role in this journey.
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