Get The Popcorn

one thing leads to another

A greatest hits album title by The Fixx.
Who is, or are, The Fixx?
Obviously outside my music list.


Anyway, to continue...one thing did lead to another today while going through my email. Every Saturday I receive a Weekly Activity Digest showing any upcoming appointments I have at C-Dr's office and also a list of the most recent activity in a few cancer Discussion Groups I've subscribed to. One of the listed comments was "Got Lymphoma? Need some inspiration or support?" and got me curious because lymphoma isn't often mentioned. Turns out this gal has one of the lymphomas (there are more than 60 types), is currently in remission, turned her blog into a book, yada yada yada, but her comment was so upbeat I had to take a look at her blog and it included some posts with embedded videos in addition to many links to other cancer and lymphoma websites. I decided to explore. At one of those sites I found a very interesting video which I looked up on YouTube and am very glad I bookmarked it, from somewhere, because I've not been able to retrace my steps to get back! A downside of web surfing.

From the YouTube video there were others that looked interesting (my interests have changed in the last few months) and before I knew it my mind said, "Hey, these might help others reading my blog to understand some things I don't or can't explain very well and maybe they'd be interested in watching too."

Okay, I found these videos were very informative and basic without getting too deep into the weeds. You may disagree. Or not.

So get out some popcorn and your air popper, or unwrap a package of microwave popcorn, and come back here in 3 minutes.

Ready?

The first video "What Is Cancer?" is both educational and entertaining, and provides information somewhere between basic and intermediate levels. Well, at least to me. My mega research on this lately might have skewed my perspective. I you're going to watch one video, watch this one. Let me know what you think about it.

This second video comes once again with another long title and is from Guide Posts of Strength, specifically about Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, presented by a doctor who gives excellent information. It's about 10 minutes long. Watching it was a little like re-living the past 3 months of my life along with a lot of what's been in this blog up to now. As a reminder, if you watch, my NHL type is follicular lymphoma. The link is to the GPS website because it's a cleaner look and not as cluttered as YouTube.

After watching those two videos you should now be more than halfway through your popcorn. Maybe you've even finished it!

The other day I was trying to explain, over the phone to a friend who had asked, how my Port-a-cath works for receiving the chemo infusions. Even as I tried to describe it and the process that is involved I could tell by the questions being asked I wasn't doing a very good job. Unfortunately, this friend relishes the fact there is no internet or computer in her home so my poor attempt, and her imagination, was all she had to work on. Luckily for you, since you're reading this, you have internet access and you can see for yourself (if you choose to) how the Port is used and accessed for chemotherapy.

First video in this Port section is (you guessed right if you said another long title) "How a Port-a-cath is used during chemotherapy" and, again, a simple and plain English explanation given by an oncologist. Once more I link to the source site rather than YouTube because it's not so full of video clutter. If you use YouTube you know what I mean. The second Port video --- and, in the interest of full disclosure if you haven't finished your popcorn and/or are an extremely squeamish person and/or needles bother you, you might want to pass on this one. Personally I don't think it's too bad, but my opinion and experiences lately have altered my views on many things! So, here it is, a very short YouTube video with another long title of The Chemo Experience: Accessing the Port.

Yup. That's exactly what it's like. Did you survive?



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