In and Around 55 Ross Street

This last week I expected to be chemo round 11, but it was deferred a week due to my low platelets count.  My five week days were leisurely while this weekend was hectic.

Over the last week or so contractors have been laying pipes in Ross Street to run some of the electricity supply underground.  This gave us noisy days except on Sunday, the workers day off.  Some of the nights were noisy as traffic drove over the thick metal plates that were arranged over the excavated trench.  It was amazing how quickly, using modern equipment, the trench was dug, pipes laid, concrete poured over the pipes, then dirt and bitumen laid.  They did the work in stages.  I photographed the activity outside our place from our veranda over a number of days.

Tuesday we enjoyed lunch with Ken and Akiko at Ju-Rin, a popular and excellent Japanese restaurant in Crows Nest.  Akiko, who is Japanese, goes to this restaurant frequently.  What better recommendation could there be?  Ken and Akiko have been good, generous and loyal friends for twenty years.  Ken was my business mentor and helped me when Barbara and I started our business.  He, Akiko and Ken’s son Peter have spearheaded the spread of Think on Your Feet® in Asia and Europe.  I was Ken’s first associate he trained and licensed to facilitate Think on Your Feet®.  I facilitated this course until the end of 2005, when I scaled back the extent of my work.  The Everett’s have spread this product through Asia and into Europe by developing a network of associates known as Toyfnet.  Ken has written a book on this journey Designing the Networked Organization.

After four months I returned to the rebuilding of the side raised garden.  For around 1.5 to 2 hours on each of Thursday, Friday and Sunday I cleaned 45+ bricks.  This consisted of removing concrete and mortar from the bricks using a heavy hammer and stonemason chisels.  I demolished more of the wall and now have about 25 more bricks to clean!

Katharine had a cryptic crossword training session on Friday afternoon and Carolyn had one on Saturday afternoon.  Saturday morning the wider Hey-Cunningham family arrived at Bicentennial Park, Glebe Point at 8.00 am for family photos.  This is my birthday and Barbara’s Mothers’ Day present from our children.  It was the only weekend we could all get together until 2012.  We are eagerly awaiting the results.  Meanwhile, you can get a sneak preview from my photos.

Awaiting Kylie, the photographer

Snapping the photographer snapping us -
Kylie said first time it has been done

Photographing the siblings

Photographing the 'siblings'

Photographing the siblings and Camilla, Kate and Camilla

Saturday midday, Barbara and I attended the funeral of a friend's husband.  Sunday morning the wider Hey-Cunningham family had a brunch breakfast at Club 55.  This is the last time we can all be together until the new year.

Sunday Barbara and I attended a farewell lunch held for Allan and Pam at their church, Holy Trinity Anglican, Baulkham Hills.  At the end of lunch, Allan and Pam talked about the challenges they face and thanked the Church and wider friends for the unexpected and generous support they have received.  They answered questions from the very supportive audience.  They leave Sydney on 15 September, visit their oldest son Andrew and his wife in Japan and then fly to Uganda, where they will operate as self-funded missionaries.  You can read about their journey to date and into the future at their blog at http://ugandajourneypamallan.blogspot.com/.

Allan & Pam answering questions

Chemo Round 11 Deferred One Week

Today, Monday 22 August, I arrived at the hospital before 7.30 am for my blood test.  Had a coffee at one of the hospital cafés and then checked in.  Dr Lisa Horvath saw me early at 9.15 and advised that due to my lower than desirable blood platelets count that she wanted to defer my chemo for a week.  Appointments for this deferral and two future treatments were rearranged.  Dr Lisa also advised that with the cumulative effects of the chemo that she doubted we will go on to 16 treatments.  Thirteen treatments are now booked with the last one being 12 to 14 October.  I have booked a CT scan for Tuesday 11 October.

The cumulative effect that is of concern is that I have a continuing level of numbness in my fingers.  I still have feeling in the fingertips.  With another week before the next chemo, hopefully, the numbness level will reduce.

Overall Dr Lisa reinforced that I am doing very well.  The blood tests show my liver function is very good and I have had limited adverse reactions to the chemotherapy.

This is the first time that I have not been able to have the chemo.  I felt disappointed that things were out of my control.  Fortunately, I was not booked up for early next week but I have been booking seminars and travel based on chemo every second week.  This means that after my deferred treatment next week, the next appointment will be a further three weeks and the likely final treatment a further three weeks, two days.  (I then move on to chemo maintenance treatment.)

Barbara came to the hospital aiming to attend my appointment but she missed out because my appointment was held early.  I did not know she was coming.  We walked to the nearby Alfred Medical Imaging and walked home surprising our daughter.  We asked her what the low blood platelets meant.  The platelets are small bits in the blood that assist with clotting.  When they are low the clotting function is reduced, meaning that if I cut myself it would take longer for the blood to clot or it might not clot.  Glad she has so much medical knowledge!

Perth

Friday, August 12, Barbara and I flew to Perth.  Friend's Leonie and Graham met us at the airport and took us back to their place at City Beach.

Saturday morning we visited The Grove Library where one of their daughter’s partner is running a coffee shop – great coffee and delightful cakes – in a new and modern library.

Then we went to Kings Park (on the western side of the city centre).  The wild flowers were starting to bloom.

Graham, Barbara, Leonie and David

Banksia

Kangaroo Paw

Eucalyptus Macrocarpa

Gum nuts

By the afternoon the weather had deteriorated and the rain gusted by strong winds lashed the house.  That evening Graham and Leonie took us to Frasers Restaurant at Kings Park for a lovely dinner.

Sunday evening we enjoyed dinner at Selwyn, Monica, Sam and Josh’s place – a very happy family home.  Selwyn worked at one of my major Singapore clients in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  I have been able to visit them about five times since they immigrated to Perth.

On Monday Barbara and I enjoyed a coffee at the nearby City Beach village shopping centre.  We walked through Beecroft Park, the park behind the shopping centre and around some of the residential streets returning to the shopping centre just as the rains arrived.  We lunched on fish and chips and then enjoyed a peaceful afternoon.  Monday evening we enjoyed dinner at the beaufort street merchant Highgate with one of our daughter's friends.

David lazing in Beecroft Park

Tuesday, I took Barbara to the airport, bought seminar chocolates and checked in at the Hyatt Regency, Perth where I facilitated a Facilitators Workshop late afternoon and the financial modules of the Company Directors Course on the Wednesday.  It was my first seminar facilitation in five months.  Both sessions were well received.  I felt energised from facilitating in my usual energetic mode.  It was so good being back in harness.  In September I am scheduled to facilitate for three days and in October I will be in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur running seminars.  During the week I received two emails from the Australian Institute of Company Directors inviting me to facilitate two more sessions later in the year.  So, by the end of my time in Perth, I felt that I was back to my normal life of being semi-retired.

Wednesday evening I met Leonie’s parents when we went to JB O’Reilly’s Hotel for ‘pie and pint’.  Each week, members of their wider family gather at the hotel for dinner and time together – was good to be part of that.

Thursday I had coffee at Cups Cafe in Subiaco, catching up with people whom I met many years ago through the Think on Your Feet® network.  Yet again, I was reminded that many of us have difficult phases in our lives and a lot of the people in the world live lives full of difficulty and deprivation.  I reflected on the wonderful blessing of my being in a loving, peaceful and close family and the enjoyment of good relationships with wider family and friends.  I drove around and ended up at City Beach shopping centre for a light lunch and coffee.  During the afternoon I relaxed.  That night, I enjoyed a delicious home cooked Moroccan dinner with three of us talking and sharing and imbibing in nearly three bottles of wine!

Sunset over City Beach

The Moroccan dinner!

Friday morning I left Perth on a glorious, sunny and warm winter’s day.  I returned to a wet Sydney.

Barbara and I have enjoyed a quiet weekend on our own at Club 55.  Saturday, Barbara and I had breakfast at my favourite Pain de Sucre.  I caught up on my washing and ironing and some of my administration matters.  Late afternoon we relaxed watching TV and we had a decadent dinner of three cheeses, pate, home made chutney and tasty olives processed from our friends John and Alison's olive trees.  Sunday afternoon I had afternoon tea with Steve.  Now, I am writing this blog entry.  Tomorrow I go to chemo round 11!

Chemo Round 10

Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 August was round 10 of chemotherapy.  The main feature of this round was seeing people around me suffering, which was a bit hard to take at times.

Monday I arrived before 7.30 am to be first in line for a blood test.  Being early helped because my chemo started by 11.50 am.  Went to one of the hospital cafés and had a coffee and returned to see the doctor before 9.00 am.  First I saw Dr Nick Coupe, one of the registrars.  He was happy with my progress and lack of adverse reactions to the chemotherapy.  Dr Lisa Horvath was also happy.  So, it was business as usual regarding the chemo.  Went back to the café, bought a Daily Telegraph to do the puzzles and had a meat pie and cup of tea.

My chemo went without a hitch.  Indeed, my nurse made sure that she changed me to both chemos and other liquids promptly, resulting in being finished by just after 4.00 pm.  This was the quickest treatment time I have had and I was glad to be home by 4.30 pm and enjoy a cup of soup.

My experience during the Monday was to see two people suffering from their chemo near me.  A lady diagonally opposite me had her sick bag out and by the end of her treatment was teary and looking sad.  Sorry to see that and told myself I was not going to be sick.

Michael, a patient on chemo round 8, with the same doctor and having the same chemotherapy was next to me.  He is from Korea.  He has had some delays in receiving treatment due to his blood count readings.  We were both receiving the same chemo, when he showed me his palms, which were reddening, and I noticed his eyes were reddening too.  Then he took off his right shoe and started scratching his foot.  I am aware that staff say to let them know if you are experiencing any difficulties.  So, I stood up and signalled for assistance.  As soon as the first nurse came, there were quickly four people looking after Michael.  They immediately stopped his chemo.  He was having a rare allergic reaction to the same chemo as I was on.  He had not had this reaction before and I told myself that I did not want any negative reaction to my chemo!

Michael also had chest pains that he rated as 4 or 5 out of a maximum horrid pain level of 10.  They gave him oxygen, a drug to bring things under control and antihistamine to counter the allergic reaction.  He did not panic and remained calm.  His hands and feet became warm and so they wrapped them in cloths doused in cold water.  Then he started shivering in response to the drug.  The head nurse said this could last six hours!  They placed a blanket on him to warm him.  Thankfully, the shivering only lasted a few minutes.  His chest pain subsided.  He had rashes on the inside of both arms, showing the allergic reaction.  After an hour they gave him his chemo bottle as I receive.  His wife arrived to take him home.  I introduced myself, saying my name is David.  She said they had a son named David.  So they were son David and father Michael and I am brother to Michael.  Great names!

Wednesday I returned at 2.30 pm to have the bottle removed.  I had to wait in the nearby waiting room.  A man was wheeled in on a wheelchair by his son and wife and was there to have a blood test.  While he waited, he groaned and moaned; obviously uncomfortable.  Thankfully, I only had to wait about 10 minutes and I went to a bed to have the bottle and tubing removed.  But, the lady in the bed opposite me was uncomfortable.  Her husband was busy trying to adjust the bed to make her more comfortable.  Soon, the nurse came, quickly removed the bottle and tubing and I was on my way.

Thus, this round was notable for seeing the most suffering.  I would rather have quieter rounds as I find I need to talk to myself to say I do not want to have those problems.  However, it was good to see how well and promptly the nurses handled Michael’s allergic reaction.  It is good to know you are in good hands.

Contrast this, with the sports action I observed on the University of Sydney No 1 oval on the way to and from the hospital on the Wednesday afternoon.  Two teams of women’s softball were battling it out.  There was a small, enthusiastic and boisterous crowd.  A third team was awaiting their game.  On the way back, I watched some pitches.  The batter hit a run to first base, resulting in all the bases being loaded.  The next batter also successfully hit the ball and person at third base completed a home run.  The crowd went wild!  So, within five minutes of each other this healthy group was enjoying itself while the other group was suffering discomfort, receiving their chemotherapy.

Remember in chemo round 9 how I had little queasiness on days 3 and 4.  I aimed for this again but did not achieve the same level of success – darn!  Can’t complain though, because the queasiness is not too bad.

Friends come for lunch

Tuesday, Pam, Allan and Katharine Vernon came for lunch with Barbara and I.  Pam and Allan are heading off as self-funded missionaries to Uganda around the middle of September.  All of us used to be leaders in the Glebe Christian Youth Club back in the 1970s.  It was good to catch up with them.  We also had some cake to celebrate Katharine’s Wednesday birthday.

Pam and Allan have a blog site where you can read about their preparations and journey to date <http://ugandajourneypamallan.blogspot.com/>.  They are also having a farewell time at their Church, which those of you who know them are welcome to attend.  The farewell is 12.30 pm, Sunday 28 August at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 295 Windsor Road, Baulkham Hills.  If you would like to come, please bring your own picnic lunch.  Tea and coffee will be provided.

Other social activities

Thursday I enjoyed afternoon tea with the pastor of Petersham Baptist Church (that Barbara attends) at the Gallery Cafe in Annandale.  We look forward to further coffees at different cafés.

Friday I continue the cryptic crossword training with Katharine and then stay on for lunch with Katharine and Phil, who has returned from a wonderful European holiday where he saw 12 polar bears up in the Arctic Circle.

Friday night Barbara and I head for Perth.  During the week in Perth, I will be facilitating my first seminars since March for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Tamworth

Between chemo rounds this time, our main activity was a four-day trip to Tamworth.  Tamworth is about a six-hour drive northwest of Sydney.  We left Friday afternoon after Barbara had finished her day at the Op Shop and stayed in a comfortable and quiet motel in Singleton.

Saturday, around 7 am we continued on our way.  The sun was shining, frost was in the valleys with mist arising.  It was idyllic.  We drove using cruise control, not having to overtake anyone and only slowing for towns.  Breakfast at McDonalds in Muswellbrook we were in serious discussion until we saw a woman sit down at a nearby table, the right front chair leg failed and she slid gracefully to the floor.  The coffee spilled but she managed to stay clear of that.  I handed the faulty chair to a McDonalds staff member.  Two staff members came over with their incident report book.  Meanwhile, the woman (who was rather heavy) moved to another table, asked for a replacement coffee and immediately tucked into her food.  The incident made us wonder about the need for stronger furniture as we live in a society that is getting more and more overweight.

Our drive on to Tamworth continued in the idyllic vane.  The sun shone; the sheep, cattle and horses grazed; the mountains and fields were bathed in warm sunlight.  The cruise control was on, only slowing for townships.  We did not need to overtake any vehicles and no traffic interfered with us.  We both wanted to drive on and tour NSW, stopping when and where we wanted.  We enjoyed this drive in paradise and hope to take a freewheeling driving tour in NSW during 2012.

Staying with Our Hosts

In Tamworth we stayed with our friends Alison and John.  Barbara met them and attended a Bible study at their place when she first migrated to Australia in 1972.  Their home overlooks the highway north of Tamworth.  The home nestles into the hill with eye-pleasing views up and down the valley below.  The weather was balmy and warm during the day and cool and crisp at night.  We enjoyed many serious conversations.  Every morning, John fed the family of magpies that live in the trees near the house.  Their dog Digger turned up for a rub each time we emerged from the house.

Alison & John at Calala Cottage,
a community run historic site

John feeding the magpies

Visiting friends and relatives

We visited with my cousin Keith and Gloria, friends Juanita, Paul and their children, my relatives Sue and John and our old Glebe Uniting Church friend, Ruth and family.  It was good to catch up for the second time this year.  In February, we did not know about my cancer situation.  So, it was a changed situation on these visits.

With Ruth at Inspirations where we lunched

Wednesday we drove back to Sydney via the Putty Road (which runs from Singleton to Windsor in north-west Sydney).  Barbara used to drive this way to Sydney when she lived in Tamworth in 1972 and 1973 and after she moved to Sydney and visited Tamworth.  The expressway to Newcastle was only partially built then and it was usually quicker to use the Putty Road.  Nowadays the Putty Road has been improved and has little traffic.  The road winds and meanders through hilly countryside and valleys with farms.  So, it was a very pleasant journey home.

Back home

Back home, Thursday and Friday I have been catching up with business matters and relaxing in the sun on our unbelievably balmy, sunny and warm winter weather.  Friday I enjoyed coffee with our neighbour Graeme, did some shopping and Friday night Barbara and I went to ESFNG small group for dinner.

Saturday, I went for an early morning walk and enjoyed eggs Benedict while solving Daily Telegraph puzzles at a nearby café.  Back home we did some outside work.  We trimmed the bougainvillea plant that grows on the wall of our neighbour on the southern side of our backyard.  We also inserted more wall studs and wire to allow the bougainvillea to cover the higher part of the wall.  The last outside job was climbing up on to our roof to clear out the gutters and kill off a plant growing out of the top of the wall at the front of the house.  This has been my most physically active day since I demolished the wall on one of our side gardens about four months ago.  That job is still to be completed.

Sunday I hope to do some more outside work, weather and body permitting and in the afternoon do cryptic crossword training with Carolyn.  So, it has been a good time between chemo rounds and I am feeling well, relaxed and positive.

Chemo Round 9

Chemo round 9 was sobering in the news received and uplifting from talking with a couple of fellow patients and deciding to take the bull by the horns.

Early start

I was up early, Monday 25 July so that I arrived at the hospital at 7.30 am for my blood test.  They now open at this time.  The earlier I arrive, the sooner my blood test is processed and I am approved for chemo; the sooner the chemo is prepared and I can begin the treatment.  Last time, it started late around 1 pm and I did not get home till after 6 pm.  This time, treatment started at about 11 am and I was home not long after 4 pm.

Gary, a fellow patient

Sitting in the waiting room, awaiting my appointment with Dr Lisa, a patient sitting near me introduced himself.  Gary was amazingly positive and full of praise for the Sydney Cancer Centre.  We both think very highly of it.  Gary has a tumour in his brain that is being treated by chemo and radiation, which has caused a loss of hearing.  He was sitting on my right, my deaf ear.  His deaf ear is his left.  Thus we were on the wrong side of each other.  I think it would have been amusing watching us swivelling our heads so as to hear each other!

Gary has had some severe reactions to his chemo, including a heavily swollen right hand that had had a large and painful needle inserted the previous Thursday on a needed overnight stay in hospital.  Another adverse reaction to chemo has been severe mouth ulcers.  He struggled to remove his wallet from his pocket with his left hand to show me a picture of his four adult daughters.  He cannot eat but instead has a can of powdered food that is mixed with water and inserted in a mechanism attached direct to his stomach.  This and other difficulties he faces with much optimism, confident he is receiving the best treatment and determined to continue the chemo, because of the good it is doing.

I felt humbled as I am having so little adverse reaction.  Gary was a marvellous inspiration.

Appointment with Dr Lisa

Dr Lisa Horvath gave me the results of the CT scan I had back on Friday 15 July.  She was very pleased with a further reduction of 9%, which means there has been a reduction of about 37% over the first four months.  I was hoping for another 30% and was disappointed.  Dr Lisa said that often further reduction does not occur after the first couple of months.  She is thrilled with my blood results and said that I can be very happy with how things are going.

She also checked up on my reactions to the chemo.  I am aware that she is asking more about this.  It is normal that adverse reactions accumulate.  I mentioned a new one that had occurred (and continues) in the previous couple of weeks.  I get an electric current like feeling in the arches of both feet.  It feels warm and fuzzy.  Lisa mentioned that chemo affects the nerves and this is just another example of that.  Of my side effects, the one I am experiencing more is some blood from blowing my nose in the morning.  This is greater in colder weather and so was more noticeable in South Australia the week before.  Lisa seemed particularly concerned about the feelings in my fingers and toes.  However, it remains that my fingers tingle only in cold weather or cold water and there is no ongoing numbness.  Thus, at this stage I am confident I will be able to have at least 12 treatments and am hoping that I can go on for 16.

Lisa mentioned that the maintenance chemo will consist of tablets and a visit to the hospital once every three weeks.  Ugh!  I was hoping for freedom from regular hospital visits.  She did say that we can take longer holidays of two months or so.  That is good.

Sobering news

So, the appointment was a sobering experience.  I realised that the cancer would not be removed by the chemo, only reduced.  I will be living with the cancer, permanently.  I had been hoping for it to be gone!  This will be a miracle if it occurs.  So, I felt a bit down when telling Barbara when she arrived at the hospital just after my appointment.  We had coffee together in one of the cafés at the hospital to discuss what Lisa had said.

Ingrid

Ingrid is a fellow bowel and liver cancer patient I had talked with a few chemo rounds ago.  She turned up in the afternoon and we chatted.  She, too, is positive and looking to live well.  I told her about our planned mid September four day flying holiday from Bankstown airport to and over Lake Eyre on Heron Airlines Lake Eyre tours.  She thought she might do it with one of her daughters.

Offloading

So, I was feeling a little blue when I went home and appreciated being able to talk about it.

Change of attitude

I awoke Tuesday morning and thought ‘this is the way it is and I want to live positively’.  So, I decided I did not want to feel queasy.  Amazingly, on the Wednesday and Thursday (third day of chemo and day after) I did not feel queasy!  In fact I have had little queasiness since and am hoping and aiming for this to continue.

It is amazing what the mind can do.  I returned to the John Tully prayer about minimising the bad effects and maximising the good effects.  The minimising of the bad effects is certainly being achieved.  I want the maximising of the good effects to increase.  Thus I am hoping and aiming for significantly more reduction in the cancer levels in the lymph nodes and liver by the next CT scan.

Activities

Barbara and I have continued with being with others.  On the Tuesday we enjoyed morning tea at Patricia and Roger’s place – very comfortable to sit in their warm living area overlooking their lovely backyard, indulging in deep conversation.  Tuesday afternoon Katharine and I continued with our cryptic crossword training.  Thursday I enjoyed lunch with Stephanie, who used to work at Ernst & Young.  We have kept in touch and Stephanie has technically reviewed parts of my book for the last three editions.  Thursday night I went to Ben’s for dinner and a game of Scrabble.  Friday was another cryptic crossword training session with Katharine.