megram - Index

megram - 55JulGTA - Index

sure that a little pain now will help me
to heal. The aim is normality. Keep
writing; keep walking the dogs; keep
playing bridge, going to the theatre.
But,say my friends,don’t try too much
too soon.
I have to go for a test at the Heart
Institute — a precautionary measure,
in case I do have to have chemo,
which can be hard on the heart. As I
had a stroke two years ago and have
some angina,my doctors are watching
me closely.
The good news is that as I am
drainless, I can drive myself downtown,
though my underarm still hurts
from the lymph-node removal and my
arm movement is limited.
October 25, 2007
Another step. I manage to pull a
sweater over my head, the first time I
have been able to raise my arms high
enough since the operation.
I go grocery shopping. Never
thought that this would count as a
step up the ladder of recovery.
On the downside, my blood pressure
goes shooting up.I am sure this is
the result of the MUGA test at the
Heart Institute, although the technician
assured me that the nuclear fluid
injected into my veins was inert.
October 26, 2007
Friends come for lunch. My first
shot at entertaining since the operation.
July/August 2008 • 64 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
PHOTO: LORRAINE BRAND
Today,I receive a special gift from
my daughter, Dr. Sarah Boston. She
responds to my column with one of
her own.
October 27, 2007
My nurse says that I no longer
need to wear a dressing as the “drain
hole” has closed over.Tomorrow I can
have a shower.Yeah!
October 28, 2007
The first shower of the next stage
of my life. Who would have thought
that I would be this excited about
something so simple? But this is all
about returning to a completely normal
routine as soon as possible.
October 29, 2007
My surgeon has most of the
results of the tissue tests when I see
him today. The breast is clear of cancer
and all 14 of the lymph nodes he
removed were clear too. (Fourteen!
No wonder my arm hurts.) He is also
pleased with the way the incisions
have healed.
Now, he passes me on to the
oncologists at the cancer centre.I will
hear from them in about two weeks,
he says.
Meanwhile, I have a little more
time to heal before the next stage.
Iris Winston writes and lives in
Almonte.
Multi-gated
Acquisition Test
In a MUGA test, you are
first given an injection of
pyrophosphate,a tagging agent
that highlights your red blood
cells.After 20 minutes, you are
injected with the radioactive
tracer. It emits signals that can
be detected by the specialized
camera (gamma camera). The
photographs take about 40
minutes.