Chemo Round 2

All three days in my second chemotherapy round were amazingly good and I still can’t quite believe it.

Day 1, Monday 18 April

The following is an email I wrote to my immediate family at the end of Day 1.

This morning I did my washing and hung it out before I went to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.  This afternoon I walked home and put out the rubbish!

I might be balmy but I am feeling good at the moment.  I am hoping the next few days go well too!

Barbara and I went to the hospital together and arrived just after 8.00 am.  I went so early to get my blood taken so as to speed up the process of it being checked and the chemo being made up in the Sydney Cancer Centre pharmacy.  Met with the Registrar Dr Demi, who was filling in for Dr Lisa Horvath who is on holiday.  He was pleased with my description of how things are going and liked the idea of the blog.  Reported to the chemo area to let them know I was around and paid my bill – another $95 for thousands of dollars worth of treatment.  And I get a Medicare rebate!

Went to the café and had a ham & cheese croissant and weak black tea.  Today I did puzzles in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph, finished the Soul Stories book and started the Michael Kirby biography by J Brown.  This was a gift from the publisher, Federation Press.  They arranged for it to be signed to me by each of the author and Michael Kirby.  Our sons can be proud to be Fortians with quality and influential people such as Michael Kirby coming from your very significant school.  I have read the first two chapters – the first on his childhood up to and finishing Opportunity Class at Summer Hill and the second chapter on his time at Fort Street.  He was amazingly focused and studious.  I am finding the book inspirational and every bit as good as I thought it would be.

My treatment started after midday but was quicker and seemed more efficient today and I was home by 5.30 pm.  The nurse said my blood test showed things were going well.  I ate four sandwiches (two cheese and two tuna), my Smiths Salt & Vinegar chips (the doctor was interested, amused at their effect) and salted nuts as well as drinking lots and eating jelly and tinned fruit.

It is just about dinner time and I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

Day 2, Tuesday 19 April

I awoke day 2 still feeling good – took the anti nausea tablet, which I take before treatment on day 1 and when I wake up on the second and third days of home chemo treatment.  I have not taken any additional anti nausea tablets this round.

Monday night I had spoken by phone with Alison from Tamworth (we travelled with Alison and John on the River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest last year).  Alison mentioned that she and friends from Tamworth Uniting Church that are involved in doing artworks once or twice a year and displaying them at their Church and some others were coming to St Ives Uniting Church (in a northern Sydney suburb) to look at the Stations of the Cross art display.

Since 2007, the minister, Rev Douglas Purnell, himself an artist, has arranged for artists from around Australia to produce artworks so as to present the fifteen stations of the cross.  The artworks are returned to the artists at the end of the exhibit.  You can find out more about this project at www.stives.unitingchurch.org.au/StationsoftheCross.htm.

We arrived at the church about 10.30 am.  Alison and her friends were already there looking at the exhibit and having morning tea.  We joined them.  From 11.00 am till midday, Doug led us around the artworks, explaining how he arranged for them, how he briefed the artists, explaining each station of the cross and then describing and interpreting how he saw each artwork.  It was a wonderful, uplifting, inspiring and thought-provoking time.  Afterwards we went to a nearby home for lunch.

Alison, Barbara and I are standing in front of Station of the Cross 14, Jesus in the tomb - this is a charcoal drawing (you can see a bit of station 15, the resurrection)

Tuesday of round 1 I felt tired and inactive.  This Tuesday in round 2 I had a wonderful day and am so glad that Alison invited us to this exhibit.

Day 3, Wednesday 20 April

This third day was another good day.  I slept till about 8.30 am and so it was a slower morning getting going.  I revisited the financial case study I had written for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and found I needed to make some revisions, which I spent a couple of hours doing.

Walked to the hospital arriving at the appointed 3.00 pm time and was attended to immediately, with chemo bottle, tubing and needle removed and was on my way home by 3.15 pm.

Walking down Ross Street, passed the local doctor’s room, my physio, Sandra came out (she runs her practice there in the afternoons).  She asked me how I was feeling, told me to make sure I had enough rest, mentioned how she was still going strong 15 years after first being diagnosed and treated for cancer (3 times of cancer in 8 years) and said that she was praying for me as friends had prayed for her.

My encounter with Sandra symbolises how blessed I am with so many of you giving me your love and care, your good thoughts and prayers.  My journey through chemo round 2 being so smooth is part of this blessing.