[2021-04-07] Health matters

It seems fitting that my day was dominated by health-related appointments given that it is World Health Day.

I went to the dentist this morning for the first time in more than a year. My last appointment was in December 2019, which feels like an eternity ago. In keeping with public health measures introduced in March 2020, dentist offices closed last spring; by the time they had re-opened for appointments to the general public, I was in the midst of chemotherapy and didn't want to risk getting COVID while immunocompromised. But I was glad to get back to the dentist this morning. As my hygienist explained and the Mayo Clinic article Oral health: A window to your overall health lays out, good oral health is part of overall health. The article's guidance on how to protect oral health is a helpful reminder of habits we should all follow: brush twice a day, floss daily, use mouthwash, eat a healthy diet and limit foods with added sugars, replace your toothbrush every three months, go for regular dental checkups and cleanings, and don't smoke.

After my dentist appointment, I headed to The Ottawa Hospital for blood work in advance of my next oncology appointment in two days. The most exciting result for me to check in MyChart is always my CA125—the test of the level of cancer antigen 125 in my blood. As I've explained before, anything below 35 is considered normal. And while the number can fluctuate, what my oncologists would not want to see is a doubling of the number. So I took a deep breath before hitting that result in MyChart, as it had been a month since my last test. I was elated to see that my CA125 remains at 8. This suggests no recurrence of cancer.

2020-07-29
2020-09-24
2020-12-03
2021-01-14
2021-02-11
2021-02-19
2021-02-26
2021-03-05
2021-04-07
920
862
19
10
8
8
8
8
8

There's something magical about seeing those numbers laid out in a table. My first result, on July 29, was from the day I visited the Queensway-Carleton Hospital emergency department and left with an unofficial, but accurate, diagnosis of ovarian cancer. My second result, on September 24, was post-surgery but pre-chemotherapy—an improvement, but not a dramatic change. My third result, on December 3, showed up in MyChart while I was undergoing my fourth chemotherapy, representing the effects of the first three rounds. As I wrote in Chemo #4 and good news, I was so thrilled to see that number of 19—the first time my results were within the normal range. Seeing a CA125 of 10 on January 14, the day of my last chemo treatment, was awesome. Even better has been the string of 8s I've received since then.

My other blood work today was also reassuring. Of the five tests my oncologists are most interested in—hemoglobin, white blood cells, neutrophils, platelets and creatinine—I have normal levels in four. The only one slightly outside the norm is my white blood cell count, which is at 3.4 when the normal range is 3.5 to 10.5. I expect that my oncologists will be pleased with these results and will advise me to continue taking my tumour-suppressing drug, Lynparza.

My other success today was managing to get appointments for Chris to get his first and second shots of the COVID vaccine through the Ontario vaccination booking system. His first jab will be on April 14. Since I don't yet qualify for an appointment through the province, I'm hoping to land a slot with a local pharmacy, as I will be 55 this year.

Between COVID, cancer and regular health matters, I continue to be busy seeking appointments and referrals, getting blood work done, and meeting with various healthcare professionals, including dentists, optometrists, oncologists and my family doctor. It would be easy to want to ignore other health issues given how much time I've spent dealing with cancer over the last eight months, but that wouldn't be wise. For example, recent blood work through my family doctor identified that my B12 is low, which may be contributing to my fatigue.

So I've learned to live by the adage that if you don't make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.