I finally have my radiation appointment booked for next Monday and then I will hear what the rest of my schedule will be. We are leaving to go to Timmins next weekend so hopefully it will not be too late. It was interesting because when they called they initially said that I had to fast for 2 hours. I told them that I did not so she then went and checked the notes and indeed it said no fasting. The default setting was to fast. The reason for fasting is for consistency and to make sure that the conditions are the same each time. Way after the treatment when I had chatted with my oncologist he said that if I would have eaten the same thing everyday at the same time I could have avoided the fasting. This time I asked and he said I would not need to fast. I will give an update after the session on Monday. It seems like it will be fast. Registration is at 9:30 with my procedure at 9:45. I am not sure exactly how long it will be but I will find out soon enough. With the current schedule it will proceed into January. We are going to check and see if I can take 2 days off and then have them the following week. This will allow me to travel to Ottawa. If not then perhaps I will just fly into the airport.
I have been slowly gaining weight as I have been able to eat more and more. I still need to be careful but it seems that each day I can eat a bit more. The goal is to try and come as close to 145 if I can by Christmas. I am not sure if it is doable, but it will be close. I may try and start taking some supplements to increase muscle mass if I can. Otherwise things are looking promising. My fatigue has decreased and according to the notes on what to expect I should be feeling slight pain and should be able to be return to normal activities in approximately 2-3 weeks.
Tonight I am going to an event that a friend of mine invited me to. It is a business casual and what I realized is that I do not really have many clothes that fit me right now. I went from being a size XL to a medium now. So many of my clothing just hangs on me. Right now I am officially the lightest one in the house and that is not a good thing seeing as my 11 year old weighs more than I do. My kids can fit into my clothing and Xavier has borrowed some of my clothing for when he needs it for hockey. Next summer I would like to get a custom suit made again, hopefully I can get my weight up and stabilized, but if it is not then I will wait. It does not seem like a good idea to get a shot made if my weight and size keeps oncl changing seeing as I do not need a suit.
I was talking with a friend and I have a lot of friends that are leaders or have been in leadership roles. There are a lot of skills and common traits that everyone has. They are all different in the way that they lead but thinking on what ties everyone together is that they are all charismatic. The way that they present themselves is all different. But they all have an energy that draws people in. They have a magnetism where you have faith and trust in them. I do not put a lot of weight into titles but I think is this someone who I would follow whether they have a title or not. True leaders can rally people and they will inspire everyone around them. That is something that I tell Xavier. You are a good leader if you can elevate your team on the ice. You need to be able to lead and make every one around you better. As a goalie he never should have a C nor an A on his jersey but he can still show leadership in the dressing room and on the ice. That is what I expect of my son. Lead those around you and elevate them beyond what they can do. When I reflect on my friends they can all do this, but I believe it is their charisma and innate charm that helps them succeed.
So why is this important? My friends who are leaders treat everyone with respect regardless of who they are. They make every one feel important. Generally they are well liked. I was at an event this evening and the concept came up again that you adapt based on who you surround yourself with. If you hang out with charismatic people you will start to learn how to be like that. People will want to be around you. I start treatment on Monday and if I can, I will try and make the first day memorable for everyone involved so that they remember me. Friends of mine who work at the hospital have already said that I am a VIP patient and I know that the managers of the areas will accommodate me. Everyone works hard so I want to start off their week with something positive and pleasant. I think what I will try and do while going through treatment is what is a positive impact that I can do for someone else while I am at the hospital. There is too much stress for people while they are there so I think I will try and think of something that I can do each day with positive intent. Instead of going to the hospital for treatment, my visits will be to around spreading positivity. No matter what I am going through, someone else is going through something just as hard or harder so I want to try and bring a smile to someone’s face each day.
Dr. Q.H.M.