Cancer Selfies

Oct 10, 2022

21:34

Oct 09, 2022

15:06

Scarves are way more useful now

Cycle 2 Day 11

Last week I noticed that my hair was thinning noticeably. Today I noticed that my facial hair is following the same pattern. But I was able to be the most physically active I've been in nearly a year today. I was limited by dinner time, not nap time, for the first time since at least the spring. The side effects are difficult, and even though it can never be a cure, the treatment works, and it's worth all the hair loss.

A man with long green hair wearing a sweater with a bear wearing a sweater on it stands in front of a mirror with a a window sticker that looks like dripping blood on it

Haunted mirror

A man with long green hair wearing a brown corderoy jacket and red scarf satands in front of a wetland

Back at the marsh

A man with long green hair shows off his sweater with a bear wearing a cable knitt sweater on it

Sweater bear sweater is the best sweater

A man with long green hair wearing a green sweater, brown corderoy jacket and red scarf stands in front of a tree who's leaves have turned all colours, red through yellow, Photo 1

I like scarves normally, but they've become a lifesaver to me now. They're the easiest layer to remove or replace, and are much easier to carry than a sweater or coat. They've become an item I always have around rather than one I wear December-February

A man with long green hair wearing a green sweater, brown corderoy jacket and red scarf stands in front of a tree who's leaves have turned all colours, red through yellow, Photo 2

Autumn colours

A man with long green hair wearing a green sweater, brown corderoy jacket and red scarf stands in front of some shrubs, most have lost their leaves

This was supposed to better feature that exploded cattail over my shoulder

A man with long hair is holding a sparkler, his features are difficult to make out but is wearing the same clothes as previous pictures. It is dark and the clouds are lit by a bright moon, which is not in frame

The sky menace with spikes of cloud

From the comments

James Petrosky: The cattail, in its fluffy magnificence A cattail plant is visible. The brown part at the top has dried and broken open, fluffy white seeds are everywhere

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Tiny Marsh  Home

Oct 08, 2022

15:06

Sweater weather forever

Cycle 2 Day 10

Its Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and we're having our turkey dinner tonight. We rarely have it on Monday, the day Thanksgiving actually falls, because you have more non work days to eat delicious leftovers. This time, it's not work, but the start of Cycle 3 on Thursday, that motivates celebrating early.

To my Canadian friends, I hope you have the Thanksgiving you dream of.

To my non Canadian friends, have a wonderful weekend.

A man with long green hair stands on a sidewalk, a lakeside motel behind him

Dawn, down at the beach

A man with long green hair wears a black shirt and dark green cardigan, behind him is a poster for a fake movie called "Girl with the Stolen Raygun" A man with long green hair wears a brown corderoy jacket and a striped red scarf, he is sitting in a car A man with long green hair stands on a beach, big water behind him

It's cold down at the (other, larger) beach

A man with long green hair sits on top of a picnic table, a forest path behind him A man with long green hair hugs a black standard poodle, only their heads are visible, his facing down, her's facing up

My goof poodle ❤️

A man with long green hair hugs a black standard poodle, who is lying down, a golden labradoodle lays down next to them, but her head is up

My poodle pals

From the comments

James Petrosky: Another of the poodles on their own A black standard poodle and a golden labradoodle sleep in a dog bed, their heads touching

James Petrosky: The menacing October sky of Lake Huron A landscape photo of a desolate looking beach with streaks of dry white sand over dark wet sand, big water broken by many whitecaps, and a sky that promises that winter is coming

James Petrosky: Thanksgiving dinner round these parts (this little cottage, specifically, and not necessarily anywhere else) is a roasted turkey served with fresh (never canned, canned was served at a family gathering once years ago and that faux pas is still talked about), mashed potatos, dressing (no stuffing is served), gravy, boiled turnip and steamed green beans. Peas often replace the beans, but we found some fresh ones this week.

Unfortunately neither of my brothers, nor my partner, could make it. But we do the best with who we have (namely, my parents and the poodles)

James Petrosky: In case you were wondering what we watch on tv during and after dinner, is the United States National Park Service Alaskan bear cam and a collection of webcams in Siberia.

James Petrosky: Sunset at Woodland Beach A boardwalk stretches towards the water, the sky is cloud filled except at the horizon, where its orange

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Tiny Marsh  Bessie  Thanksgiving  Balm Beach  Home  Wasaga Beach  Poodles

Oct 07, 2022

15:06

First Thanksgiving after diagnosis

Cycle 2 Day 9

Today is the first properly cool day yet, we've had a some chilly mornings, but days have made it to the double digits. Not so today. Today I learned I'm going to need to get used to wearing a lot more sweaters than I've ever had to before.

I'm choosing to take this as an opportunity rather than a setback, because sweaters are quite nice and I adore cardigans.

A man with long green hair stands in front of red and orange sumac leaves A sepia tone picture of a man wearing a corderoy jacket and flat cap standing in front of the bolder shorline of Lake Huron A man with long green hair stands in front of shrubs with red and yellow leaves, cat tail plans and a marsh A man with long green hair lays his head next to the head of a black standard poodle, both are comforted

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Tiny Marsh  Bessie  Thanksgiving

Oct 06, 2022

22:38

First visit to Mt. Sinai

Cycle 2 Day 8

You know those days that feel like overwhelming victories because they went fine rather than catastrophic? I'd file today with those days.

The news is generally good. Mt. Sinai has similar procedures as Royal Victoria does. My case will be presented to the surgical oncology team, who will decide if and when surgery may take place. Typically there are two rounds of chemo (each of six two week blocks, for six months total) before you become a candidate for the surgery.

A man with long green hair stands on a patio, wearing an athletic sweater vest with some pins on it, a Universal Monsters shirt, and a messenger bag

The garden is starting to look spoopy (also today's hospital fashion)

A man with long green hair stands in front of a sumac shrub which has leaves coloured from summer green to a bright autumn red A man with long green hair sits in an old examnation room in a hospital

Somehow I forgot to get one with a hospital sign, but here I am, terrified out of my mind waiting jn a hospital room in a strange city.

A man with long green hair stands on a street across from a brightly lit bar

Balm Beach after dark

A man with long green hair stands on a street across from a brightly lit bar, this photo has been filtered strongly and is now somewhat abstract

Balm Beach after dark redux
 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Mt. Sinai  HIPEC  Surgeons  Toronto  Balm Beach

Oct 05, 2022

20:28

Tomorrow I visit Mt. Sinai

Cycle 2, Day 7

Tomorrow I meet the second oncology team. I cannot possibly express how anxious I am. If I am accepted for surgery (which i won't find out tomorrow) and if it goes exceedingly well, I could be free and have an almost normal life. But that's a lot of ifs. And I'm terrified that I'm not going to be a good candidate. And everything that entails. But I'm trying to stay hopeful, and if absolutely nothing else I'll know a lot more tomorrow by this time.

(What I don't need or want is any false assurances right now. I don't need to be told to stay positive, my moods are stable and toxic positivity is as dangerous as negativity. The best way to show support for me over the next day is with photos of adorable or delightful things and creatures. Please respect my wishes in this, but also please don't come down on anyone who doesn't see all this right away or interprets it differently. I'm an adult and I'll engage as I feel the need to. I love you all)

A man with long green gives a black standard poodle a hug, holding her in place to take the photo

Bessie didn't care for my new selfie stick

A man with green hair wearing a swetter sits on the sand in front of a dune with some birth trees on it, everything is golden coloured from the light of the sun

Autumn is the dunes of Wasaga is something else

A man with green hair wearing a swetter stands in front of a sand dune with trees on it, the sun shines on him and half the dune

More dunes

A man with green hair wearing a swetter sits on the soft white sand in front of a shrub which has lost most of its leaves

I found a quiet spot for a quick sit down

A man with green hair wearing a swetter sits on the soft white sand, in the background Lake Huron and the Blue Mountains, the sky is bright with the colours of sunset

From the comments

James Petrosky: I edited the one photo I said I wasn't going to and now I really like it so I'll just shove it here A man with green hair wearing a swetter sits on the soft white sand, in the background Lake Huron and the Blue Mountains, the sky is bright with the colours of sunset

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Bessie  Wasaga Beach  Mt. Sinai  Surgeons  Fantasising  Toxic Positivity

Oct 03, 2022

17:16

Back at the marsh

Cycle 2, Day 5

Immediately noticeable side effects were pretty easy this time. I've learned how to properly take my side effect medicine, especially the one for nausea. My energy levels are back near where they were on last day 14.

But it was a bad weekend for my hair. After carefully brushing out a mat that developed over the weekend (probably started earlier, I've been really scared to touch it at all) I lost half a sink full. I knew this was coming.

A man with long green hair stands in front of a tree

Today I speak for the trees

A branch with leaves and unripe berries is in centre frame, a man with long green hair stands off to the left of it

I didn't intend for this plant to be in frame, but I'm going to try again sometime.

A man with long green hair sits on a bench on a narrow dirt road through a wetland

Waiting for my Catbus

A human is photographed from behind, only long green hair is visible, a road and wetland are visible

No geese, few ducks, two swans.

A man with long green hair sits on the ground, looking tired, on the side of a path through a wetland

I overdid it, I should have done the 2km walk, not the 3.5km one. I've just realized my mistake, but I already passed half way, so I have to keep going.

A man with long green hair sits on the ground, photographed through several blades of grass

The giant blade of grass at the middle left ruined a bunch or the great photos because it is a cruel abstraction

A man with long green hair lays in bed, an orange cat with wide eyes lies in front of him, a large Squishmallow fish next to him

I moved the Squishmallows to their hammocks and Thomasin is instantly happy to have her fifth favourite napping spot back. She immediately came for a snuggle and even let take this photo

From the comments

James Petrosky: My catbus has arrived

A repeat of the photo of a man sitting on a bench, with a Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro in the foreground

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  Hair Loss  No Beard  Tiny Marsh  Thomasin  Squishmallow

Sep 29, 2022

17:21

Sep 28, 2022

20:19

I already know cycle two will be easier

Cycle 1 Day 14

Tomorrow starts Cycle 2. There will likely be six cycles, then some more testing, and then we'll know how well all of this is working.

I'm feeling a lot more calm and comfortable this time. I've got a good idea what's coming (three days of barely getting out of bed, one or two more feeling pretty rough), but I know I can expect the rest of the cycle to bring some energy and a lot more joy than I've been used to the previous couple of months.

Photo is black and white, a man with long hair stands on a beach with choppy waters and a dramatic sky

I love the fall clouds over Georgian Bay

A man with long green hair sits on a beach in front of a short tree growing out of the sand

The tree is pretty neat, but you should have seen the fossil coral on the rock I used as a support for the camera (I forgot to get a photo sorry)

A man with long green hair stands on a quiet cottage street, a few jackpines are in the background, sculpted by the wind

Can you tell which way the wind blows by the pines?

A man with long green hair stands on a beach, the water is choppy and the sky cloudy

Wasaga Beach #17

A man with long green hair stands on a grassy hill, the sky is cloudy A man with long green hair stands on a grassy hill in front of some trees, the sky is cloudy A man with long green hair stands on a grassy hill, the water is visible in the background

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Wasaga Beach

Sep 27, 2022

22:56

Cancer can spoil art for you

Cycle 1 Day 13

A short and not comprehensive list of songs I've had to remove from my playlists since being diagnosed with cancer:

  • Kettering by The Antlers
  • Easy/Lucky/Fred by Bright Eyes

There are certainly others, but these found themselves removed today.

I want to reiterate how wonderful you've all been, how much your kind words and Facevook reactions mean to me. You all mean so much to me, thank you all so much for existing ❤️

A man with green hair sits in a computer chair inside, with larged stuffed Gengar on his lap A man with green hair leans against a support post at night A man with green hair poses on a beach at night with the lights across the bay

From the comments

Mica: Have you seen the anime short of the little girl who gets turned into a gengar? So cute

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Squishmallow  Home  Balm Beach  Music  Forbidden Art

Sep 26, 2022

21:03

Things are already going better after one cycle

Cycle 1, Day 12

I haven't felt this good in months. My pain levels, while still much higher than my pre cancer baseline, haven't been this good in months. I have energy, apatite, drive. Chores are caught up, projects are being done, hobbies being perused. But there's so much to do before Cycle 2 starts Thursday.

A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest sits in a car

Laundromat selfies are practically a requirement now

A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest stands at a breakwater, hair blowing in the wind, Photo 1

Its fucking wimdy

A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest stands at a breakwater, hair blowing in the wind, Photo 2 A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest stands at a breakwater, hair blowing in the wind, Photo 3 A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest stands at a breakwater, hair blowing in the wind, Photo 4 A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest is on a beach next to a no smoking sign A man with long green hair wearing a hooded sweater vest is on a boardwalk in front of coniferous trees missing bark

From the comments

David: So you can do this ?

James Petrosky: David I'm going to keep going for sure. It's not a war or a battle, it's a seige. I'll hold as long as I can.

James Petrosky: I saw my poodle pal today ❤️ A hand gives a golden labradoodle a chin scratch It was almost too dark for her goofy face A black standard poodle with a shaggy head crooks her head at the camera

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Midland  Balm Beach  Pain  Seige

Sep 25, 2022

23:46

Making the most of my time, Midland edition

Cycle 1 Day 11

Cycle one is drawing to a close and I have A Lot of appointments this week. And I know I'll be bedridden for the first five days of cycle two at least, so there's a lot to do. But for now, I keep busy, I work on projects, I find water birds in new and exciting places. It's not the life I expected, but I'll still make it mine.

A man with long green hair and no beard wears a mask in front of some nature art

Public art in downtown Midland, Ontario

A man with long green hair and no beard wears a mask in front of a painting of a common loon

Honestly I think I like loons more than geese, they're a magnificent and haunting bird, geese are just what we deserve. Also, I absolutely love geese as much as I say I do. My love for loons is passionate, but silent.

A man with long green hair and no beard sits in a car showing off a Squishmallow sticker book A man with long green hair and no beard wears a high visibility raincoat on a dark night

A nice thing about being a trades person is having excellent practical outer wear. Balm Beach has no street lights, but I was extremely visible (dancing badly to Firework, no less) and completely dry.

A man with long green hair and no beard wears a high visibility raincoat on a dark night, his hair is wet A man with long green hair and no beard wears a high visibility raincoat in front of a port hole like window

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Squishmallow  Midland  Balm Beach

Sep 23, 2022

21:43

I learned to paint my nails

Cycle 1, Day 8

This cycle is now more than half over. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the chemo lounge with some trepidation, knowing now what it's going to bring, but also with the knowledge that I do physically feel a lot more well with treatment than without. My quality of life has not been better in months.

However, I have to visit the hospital Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for consultations, bloodwork, treatment, and other care. Being sick is exhausting, but beautiful fall days (that I forgot to document) like today make the whole mess so very worth it

A man with long green hair and no beard shows off his green painted fingernails

I gained a new skill!

A man with long green hair and no beard stands outside in front of a tree with leaves An animated GIF where man with long green hair and no beard holds an orange cat who is cleaning herself

I gained two new skills!

A man with long green hair and no beard holds an orange cat who is sleeping contentedly

From the comments

James Petrosky: Also I think I have a problem A kitchen chair is on a green grass lawn, four Halloween themed Squishmallows sit on it

James Petrosky: I'm not great yet, but I have lots of time to practice Photo of a hand with green painted nails

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Thomasin  Halloween  Home

Sep 22, 2022

23:43

Silly selfies

Cycle 1, Day 8

I barely got out of bed today, after my little scare this morning. I'd have been fine if I could have had a Tylenol, but I'm not allowed to pharmacologically lower a fever, so I couldn't address my headache, either. Enjoy some terrible bed head selfies I sent to a friend but don't have enough sense or shame to keep hidden.

A man with long green hair and no beard is taking a mirror selfie, Photo 1

Bed head part 1

A man with long green hair and no beard is taking a mirror selfie, Photo 2

Bed head part 2

A man with long green hair and no beard is taking a mirror selfie, Photo 3

Bed head part 3

A man with long green hair and no beard holding a post card with a person in a scream mask on it

 ·Tags:  Ore-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Halloween  Home

Sep 22, 2022

07:39

Averted emergncy post!

Cycle 1 Day 8

The PICC line goes directly from your forearm, usually non dominant, to your heart, following large veins. This makes it a extremely dangerous potential route for infection to easily and directly reach your heart, with consequences as dire as you'd like to imagine.

I have two red lines that, if crossed, I'm told I must immediately go to the ER for emergency intervention. They are above 38 for an hour, or above 38.3 at any point. When I'm running any sort of fever (for me, I've set my cutoff at 37, because I rarely stray beyond 36.5), I'm to take no medications that lower a fever.

All my painkillers are Tylenol based. They all lower a fever. So I'm also in a lot of cancer pain, with a cold style headache on top of it.

Long preamble to say that this morning I had a fever that peaked at 37.8. I didn't panic, but I did have a very tense couple of hours. Yesterday, I got my 2nd Covid-19 booster (hurray bivalent vaccine), which was almost certainly the cause of this. But I also had my PICC dressing changed, and the nurse was extremely careful, but who's to say I didn't get an infection (well, I am, now, but at 5AM that was not clear).

The tldr of it is everything about cancer treatment, or any treatment, is a trade off of risks and benefits. The PICC is a tremendous risk, but also a fantastic benefit. I was not ready for the level of responsibility I have to take for my own body during this. But it's a wild and fascinating ride

A man with long green hair and no beard lies in bed looking exhausted, Photo 1

My face when my temperature went up for the 3rd consecutive hour (probably 37.6 here, I jumped into go mode when I got 37.😎

A man with long green hair and no beard lies in bed looking exhausted, Photo 2

Relief after reading 37.4 (also exhaustion)

From the comments

James Petrosky: To be clear, I'm in no danger. I never was actually in any danger. And if the situation had turned, I had everything ready to go to address the situation before it turned truly dangerous.

My partner and I have talked through all this stuff with the oncologist and nurses. We're not expects by any means, but we're informed and empowered and ready to act when needed. ❤️

Also, the side effects were much more minor for me this time. I got a proper fever all the other times, and were I healthy and working I'd probably have gone in today without even noticing it. So yeah, bivalent vaccine: 👍👍

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  PICC  Fever  Painkillers  Covid-19

Sep 21, 2022

20:21

Superstar, criminal kittycat & pumpkins

Cycle 1 Day 7

Lots today, let's do bullets!

  • Thomasin is a cute criminal (but very much a criminal)
  • Thomasin is surprisingly good on a harness ❤️
  • You should imagine me, driving down Balm Beach Road (short bit of highway between two towns, 80 limit), windows down, singing along with Karen Carpenter to Superstar, because I was on Balm Beach Road four times today and it happened each time (add karaoke to the remission list)
  • I love carving pumpkins, but I love eating pumpkin seeds even more (a project for tomorrow)
  • I love garlic bread as much as I love pumpkin seeds
  • Get your fucking booster, it's one of the things anyone can do that takes no effort that makes my life, and the life of all immunocompromised people, a little easier (it also helps you ❤️) (Ontarians of all ages can get the bivalent vaccine starting the 26th) I got mine today because I'm immunocompromised now and we qualify early
  • That's all, friends have a great night ❤️ (and maybe to listen to Superstar, if only to sing along to the chorus)

Addendum:

  • Sweet Chilli Heat Doritos remain the best instantaneous cure for nausea available commercially, which honestly makes no sense but has been true since at least 2007

A man with long green hair and no beard holds an orange cat, the cat is dressed as a 1930s prisoner, Photo 1

The pizza criminal is caught!

A man with long green hair and no beard holds an orange cat, the cat is dressed as a 1930s prisoner, Photo 2

A cute criminal

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a bowel full of pumpkin seeds

My seed haul

A man with long green hair and no beard holds large pumpkin with an Untitled Goose Game goose carved in it

Honk!

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a large pumpkin with a surprised face carved on it

Shocked Pikachu (by accident)

A man with long green hair and no beard has an exadurated surprised expression and holds a large punpkin with a suprrised face carved on it

2x shocked Pikachu (on purpose)

A man with long green hair and no beard has a yelling expression and holds a large punpkin with a suprrised face carved on it

Who's that alarmingly red character?

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a large punpkin with a cat poorly carved into it

It was supposed to be a cat, I'm never using a paper stencil again

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a piece of garlic bread in a kitchen lit in purple light, Photo 1

Garlic bread

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a piece of garlic bread in a kitchen lit in purple light, Photo 2

Garlic bread ❤️

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a piece of garlic bread in a kitchen lit in purple light, Photo 3

❤️❤️❤️

From the comments

Three lit jack-o-lanturns sit in the dark

MA PUNKINS

A lit jack-o-lanturn with an Untitled Goose Game goose carved on it sits in the dark

Honk! (I love this one so much)

A lit jack-o-lanturn with a shocked face carved on it sits in the dark

😮

A lit jack-o-lanturn with a poorly carved cat on it sits in the dark

More demon than cat, but either way the dark redeams it
 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Thomasin  Halloween  Home

Sep 20, 2022

20:30

Good days are possible with chemo

Cycle 1 Day 6

Even when you're sick with a potentially terminal illness, some days are just days. I did hobbies today. I played video games. I listened to podcasts without skipping around to only get light subject matter. I got some okay chip truck fries and baked them in a convection oven twice to make excellent chip truxk fries. I fired up my 3D printer for the first time since I was in trade school to make a joke at my own expense. I finally, one year later, finished modifying a Value Village tripod and took not great (but lots of fun) night photos.

Some days are just normal. They're rare. I treasure them.

A man with long green hair and no beard holds a plastic coin with text "understatement gold medal"

"UNDERSTATEMENT Gold Medal" (actually made of yellow PLA) in commemoration of me giving cancer a 0/10 rating

A man with long green hair and no beard stands on a parking lot at night, the photo has motion blur"

I didn't take many photos, so you get this one of me figuring out how long it records

A man with long green hair and no beard stands in front of some decorative trees, the photo has motion blur"

My hair is extremely bush here

A man with long green hair and no beard sits at a picnic table on a beach with water in the background"

I love this photo ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

A man with long green hair and no beard sits on a rock at the Balm Beach breakwater"

I'm a ghoooost (I misjudged the time again but also there was a car)

From the comments

James Petrosky: This is from 2020 but the GoPro software is hinky and uploaded it again and it's a really good photo of Thomasin and I so why not share it again ❤️ A man with 8cm long dark hair sits on a computer chair, holding an orange cat like a baby"

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Home  Balm Beach  Thomasin

Sep 19, 2022

20:30

Sep 19, 2022

12:29

Feeling good five days after chemo

Cycle 1, Day 5

On day 5 I finally felt good enough to actually do stuff. It's wild to walk out of Canadian Tire and feel "yes, that was a pleasant trip that I both needed to take and did not make me feel upset in any way".

My apartment has never had a number on it, which has suited my desire for privacy, but not being monstrous to home care nurses ranks pretty high on my list of desires.

Plus! The weather today is extremely late summer/early fall and the breeze is perfect. I might take a picnic to the water if the weather holds.

I still feel a little sick, like I could throw up, but not like it's iminant. I'm getting used to it, but I'm feeling unwell most of the time. I don't think I can enjoy apple anymore, at least for a while, which is a pain because apple sause is one of the main foods recommended for this sort of queesy feeling in general, and especially for chemo patients.

A man with long green hair and no beard sits in a car, Photo 1

Successful Canadian Tire trip

A man with long green hair and no beard sits in a car, Photo 2

Successful Canadian Tire trip

A man with long green hair and no beard sits in a car, Photo 3

Successful Canadian Tire trip

A man with long green hair and no beard stands in front of a post with a number 9 on it

Appartment #9

A man with long green hair and no beard stands in front of Lake Huron, waves crashing on the breakwater, Photo 1

The waves are very good today

A man with long green hair and no beard stands in front of Lake Huron, waves crashing on the breakwater, Photo 2

It's hard to keep the hair out of my eyes today

A man with long green hair and no beard sits in a computer chair, with an orange cat in his lap

Honourary Nurse Thomasin, asleep on the job

From the comments

James Petrosky: Eff it, it's a bit cool out (newly repaired thermometer reads 21.7C) but I've got the body fat to sit outside in the shade (one of the chemotherapy drugs makes you very photosensitive so it has to be the shade) so bonus recreation of an earlier profile pic A man with long green hair and no beard reclines in a folding chair on a patio

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  Home  Canadian Tire  Home Care  Car  Thomasin

Sep 18, 2022

10:46

The beard is gone

Cycle 1, Day 4

To properly protect you from bacterial, and especially viral, particles, a mask must be properly fitted to your face. And a chemotherapy patient should be properly protected if they want to maintain some sort of normal life by going to shops and such.

I didn't have to go so complete here, but I thought it would be easier to cut as it comes back in to fit the mask rather than the opposite. I'm having some major doubts right now, though 😛

I didn't shave closer because unnecessary cuts are also a risk to be avoided, so I'm stuck in this in between worst of all worlds (and it's pretty funny, I'm laughing, at least)

A man with long green hair and a beard sits in a computer chair A man with long green hair and no beard, but some stubble and a short moustache, sits in a computer chair

 ·Tags:  Pre-Surgery Chemo  Chemotherapy  Course 1  Long Hair  Full Hair  Green Hair  No Beard  immuno
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