Chemo Round #5

I had my fifth round of chemotherapy this past Friday, and it went about the same as the fourth, except it only took 3.5 hours instead of 4.5 which was great. They're really pumping the juice into me now! I'm experiencing the same symptoms and side-effects as the last couple rounds, which at this point is nothing I can't handle, although it's never pleasant to drift through a weekend in a nauseated hazy-dazy state of body and mind. Right now I'm feeling about the same as this time, last round: Tired and out-of-it, constantly starving (from the Prenisone) and a little achy. For some reason today I am also feeling pretty nauseous and head-achy. There is a nasty taste in my mouth I can't get rid of.

Lots has happened between my last round of chemo and this one. I went to my parents' house in Langley for the August Long Weekend, which was nice because my brother, sister and I haven't been home together all at once in over a year and a half. It was a fairly relaxing time, aside from the house being really full of people! My brother's band, West My Friend did two shows to kick off their tour of BC as well: A ticketed one in the backyard on Thursday night, and an acoustic set on the balcony at our big family reunion BBQ on Saturday night. You can check out all my photos from the weekend here. This photo is of my brother, Jeffrey; my girlfriend, Kaitlin; me; my sister, Jean; and her fiance, Cory.

The following Saturday I photographed my first wedding (click the link for photos) and on Sunday I went to see my brother's band play at the Victoria FolkWest Festival and took some great photos of them as well. Apparently I've been taking a lot of photos!

Some sad news: My grandma had a massive stroke and passed away very unexpectedly on August 10th. It came as a shock to all of us, because she was in good health and wasn't that old yet. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I'm thankful that I got to see her one last time at our family BBQ, and that she likely didn't suffer very much when she passed. I love you, Grandma. Your spirit will always live on in our hearts.

In happier news, Kailin and I celebrated three years together last Wednesday! We went to a really cool spot in Brentwood Bay called the Blues Bayou Cafe Waterfront Dining. The food was fantastic and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I love you so much, Kaitlin!!! Doesn't she look absolutely stunning!!?

I'm just noticing that this post doesn't have much to do with cancer. I guess that's just proof that life can continue on, if you let it. Anyway, I'm trying to fix some computer problems right now, and I need to get some chores done around the house, so I promise I will write another post within the next few days. People have been wanting me to talk about my experiences with the doctors and nurses at the BCCA, and I keep saying I will, but have been slacking off. Sorry!

In the meantime, here are three cool photos I took two nights ago at the ocean below Dallas Road, using an HDR technique. High Dynamic Range Imaging is where you take several different exposures and then layer them in Photoshop. Spending lots of time in the great outdoors and capturing beauty in this manner is excellent healing; I love breathing in the smell of the ocean and feeling the cool evening air blow over my bald head.

Thanks for reading,
Christopher