Feb 7th

... So since midnight last night (Thurs) they have adjusted the dosage of OxyC and reduced the Panadol and it seems the current pain is under control.  By 4.00 p.m.today he is looking and feeling a lot better.  He’s a tad woosey and tired but otherwise feeling relieved that we have had this chance to climb out of the hole we were in. 

He’s had a bone scan and tomorrow will have another scan and then the Oncologist will hopefully find the cause of the “new” pain. 

In between family visits we had a visit from Danielle (Dee) who is Mischa & Simone’s friend and who, most importantly, is an oncologist at the hospital!! If Simone is our hero, then Dee is our angel!!  She explained so much to us; most importantly that with Immunotherapy treatments sometimes the cancer “explodes” before it starts to shrink (as the drugs start to work). Woah!!  So unless the scans shows otherwise we are hoping that might explain the lower-back pain.

Dee stayed and talked and amongst other things Dee said this ... that the Oncologist no matter how good they are, are focused on the next treatment. The Oncologist figures the sooner he/she can sort out the treatment/drugs the sooner the patient will be free of the pain (or have less) and of course then feel better. The Oncologist (by and large) aren’t very good with the other side of cancer; the effects of the cancer and the effects of the drugs etc.   So, (huge learning curve) you need a palliative-care doctor to work with the Oncologist.  This doctor will sort out the pain and anything else you need help with.

Hallelujah - this is everything we needed to know.  

Perhaps this info was buried in one of the 152,000,000 pamphlets they gave us, and perhaps I should have glanced a tad harder/longer at them, and perhaps I shouldn’t expect that somebody would tell us this ... and well ... it doesn’t matter because somebody did tell us, and as well as being a doctor and an angel ... Dee is from Kirkland Lake!!  

Et Mon Dieu!! ...she’s bilingual!!

... merci Danielle!

This is our angel
I was trying to convince her to remove the cannula from Joseph’s arm so I could post the photo
to show how lucky we are
to have friends in high places!
Turns out it needed to stay in ☹️!

I remembered lots of things I had to bring in
 I didn’t remember; hairbrush, toothbrush, electric razor, jocks that fit, tshirts that aren’t too hot etc.
But we found a brush!