Yesterday was part 3 of the treatment phase. I noticed in the morning that the tumor on Tuesday felt kinda like putting your hand around an hand grenade in my neck and wow, it was really smaller! (I wrote that off to imagination).

I was so lethargic it was almost illegal. Not tired. Stare ahead lethargic. Worried about depression. I had to be at the hospital about 12:30 for blood work at the Cancer clinic.

I left early. scared to fall asleep. Must have taken an hour to assemble what I 'needed'. It's only 4 blocks or so, though it's a conservation area all the way from my home in a straight line to the hospital.

Once there you put your health card number into a computer, then your password, and it asks you 10 questions, level of pain, anxiety, your appetite, stuff like that. The it prints a graph, but your sheet goes into everyone you see's computer. A barometer if you wish. Then off to the ever present Tim Horton's. That's a coffee shop/doughnut shop, sandwich soup place that about 40 percent of Canadians visit daily. I go 3 times a year, but I needed OJ. There were at least 400 people in the Atrium. (4 levels). Up a level to the blood letters. They already know me. The nurse said .."It's Irish John" and I said, "Mais Non, it's Frenchy John today, Montreal won the hockey eh?" She burst out a laughing and asked how often I was going to make her day and I gave her a story about the wife liked to be happy at leasss two time a week and she should get same ting." Then I pulled out the blood work requisitions 2 for every week for the next 7 weeks and asked her to choose a card..."

Out of there and down a level, now a guy with a guitar and small amp, and a guy with an upright bass are setting up. Both over 70. Even the Bass Fiddle guy had a small amp. I could tell they got those tube amps in WW2 or about, or I'll find out yet.

Wow, and laid back...Summertime rolled off the gear like honey on a cold day, every note a sweet complement to the next. Lifted my spirits.

The radiation suites number A to G, change rooms, no waiting, if you in queue just find a change room, stuff your gear in a wooden locker and take a key. Usually a 20 to 30 minute deal, someone ahead, not in my case.

My first and only time in the area with E F and G suites. I'm in F. Ask the nurse, you like French Suites? Oh Oh, this one never met me yet. She says, um no? I say, I love Bach, and an early recording of this by Glen Gould is a favorite of mine. She says it's ten minutes more. A guy from Manitoulin Island comes in with his wife. Another guy like me, with the gullible wife is sitting there. The weigh scale is really big. (Wheelchair type). She asks why, and he says see, after 4 when the close they use this for animals, H is for horse, F for foal, and G for Goat. She's 70 or so and buys this hook line and sinker. I enter in by stating they sure clean the place up well from being a barn at midnight and ready for us. Oh man we had that poor woman spinning. This wing is laid out oddly. 3 machines. Most of the traffic is people on stretchers straight outta an concentration camp movie. They are keeping some of the people out of the atrium, hidden in a back area, and I'm overflow for only one day, all the rest of the schedule has me on the other side of the floor area, which is about 400 by 400 feet. No wonder, no hair, no body fat, no teeth, these are people mostly headed to the other side fast. That realization was a smack.

I get the mask of Zorro on, lay on the contraption and that machine that's the size of 3 volkswagens starts to spin and rotate and move the bed and spin me around. Get dressed and head to a consult with the radiation team, once a week, every Thursday. A drop dead gorgeous nurse first. She flirts, I must be the youngest guy so far LOL. She reads my 3 days of graphs. I'm reading a book on the Musical Brain, we have a short discussion on that, and the influence of music on healing. In comes a dietician, and we do the switch. She gives me a book with recipes, general information, and a 24 hour hot line to call about nutrition, pain, constipation, and other great news. Tells me she's going to see me every week, assess my weight, my hydration etc.

Next the doc pops his head in. He's East Indian, got a medical degree in France, Oncology in Cardiff Wales, Radiology in Canada, and has written 3 major papers, Radiation on Neck Cancers, Prostate Cancer, and Breast Cancer. He apologizes for bursting in on the dietician,but tells me pay close attention, and bring your wife sometime on Thursday, the team on diet should include the four of us, and says I'll be back soon. I was a bit astounded by that, lots of docs would have ...you know.

He came back Dr V for short, and is happy about the tumour, gives me the heads up about eat everything I can, order pizza, have a beer (but not 4), have ice cream, stock up now. He puts his hand on me and says "You are strong, and have a head start, don't quit..and here's a prescription for 2 things, rinse, swallow, one's a steroid for sores, the other an anti-fungal, they are important. Just go up a level to the pharmacy.

On the way the duet is into changing songs, I hear, "Black Orpheus". I hope most people don't equate Orpheus with the tragedy part but the beautiful voice part. But they are sparkles of gold. The Bassist catches my eye, sees me look at his chart and tilts his head, to me and I say, "Bass solo on Am, next"..he winks...about 3 minutes later I'm headed to the elevators to the pharmacy and damned if he isn't into it. I wave the cane.

Two big bottle of medicine more, dang I need to clean out a closet for this stuff.

I looked at the map. This place treats on a regional basis everyone from Manitoulin to Sarnia, and about 1/10 the population of the province. They have a motel/rooming house I used to inspect, and shuttle busses. They also have volunteer drivers everywhere, so if you live in Sarnia, 60 miles away, a guy drives you there, and home, free. If you drive over 40k you get cash per mile and meals paid, the guy a head of me was trying to ensure he got a receipt.

Economy is one thing that came to mind. South I'd guess the Baptist Hospital and the Lutheran Hospital might each have one machine, and a sort of team, and you'd be taken to a sales room, and given packages on why here, etc...that happened to me with a weird eye condition my daughter has, not covered yet due to the newness of the treatment, I had people with laser therapy done there on posters with some Admin/sales guy selling me a mercedes, not a doc.

I'm going to spend the next blog on here with Band in a Box and what goes there, and maybe some more humour.

I love you too Don, I get outta this thing and I'm coming to visit, put that in the freakin bank, and I might bring a Rose....

How many musical songs with Rose...
Sweet gypsy Rose? LOL. That's an image to ponder.

Oh and Dr. V was surprised I knew he spoke French... I'm bonding with the team.

I still marvel at how per capital you guys to the south pay more than we do for health care, yet ours is free. Of course I didn't pay for the diet book, the blood letting, the computer print outs, the mask and fitting, the jazz duet is volunteer, the drivers are too. There are spiritual chapels of every type, and others to explore, (yoga/meditation etc.). At the end of the day my debt will be gratitude, and I'll probably play the piano in the atrium....I won't lose the house...and live in an apartment.

John Conley
Musica est vita