My Health and Feelings

Since my last update I have had three more chemotherapy treatments with one more treatment remaining in February.  I will have then completed the third round of chemotherapy.  This round has resulted in less reduction of cancer.  Chemotherapy becomes less effective over time.

I am hoping that the time between treatments will be longer than eight months; the gap between my second and third rounds of chemotherapy.  This is unlikely because the normal progression is shorter spaces between treatments.

When my daughter and I met with my oncologist, Dr Kate Mahon, on Monday 18 January Kate advised there are two different types of treatment that could be applied next time.  One is in a trial stage and might not be available when the time comes.  Neither of them are chemotherapy and the side effects are different and milder. I hope this is not until 2017 at the earliest!  I will cross this bridge when I come to it.

My feelings during the three latest treatments were different.  Treatment No 9 just before Christmas was pretty good.  I did have three bouts of heartburn feelings on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.  I used the ‘De Gas’ tablets and a wheat-bag for relief.  Our family celebration was on Christmas Eve.  I needed to come up to my room twice to rest.  We had a wonderful time with our two older granddaughters thoroughly enjoying the present giving.

With my youngest granddaughter

The excitement of opening our own presents!

My grandson loves eating

E and L enjoying their Christmas dinner at their own table!

Barbara and I enjoying Christmas dinner.
Our meal was simpler this year: seafood, salad and an exotic dessert.

Chemo treatment No 10 (January 5 to 7) was amazingly easy.  It was like it did not happen.  Barbara was in the US for 2.5 weeks visiting family and friends.  My family and friends looked after me.  I had meals out and visited with people.  I even felt like looking after my granddaughters L and E, travelling to the Blue Mountains and hanging pictures in my room.

Reading to my three granddaughters.  L asked for her sunglasses
to be like me while reading.  S is only a few months old and loves
looking at things.  E is being very grown up.  (I look like my Dad.)

Sitting on my bed with pictures hung behind me.  Top left is a painting
by someone we met in 2001.  Underneath is a drawing of my family home
in the 1960s.  I was a teenager and designing a fish pond.  Barbara at the
Acropolis in Athens, Greece 1979, five months pregnant with our oldest.
Two nudes that my Aunty Phyl used to have.  Barbara and I a -few years
ago we had a professional photo taken.  Four photos of our family
at Christmas in July with Barbara's Mom in 2009.

Treatment No 11 (January Monday 18 to Wednesday 20) was hard to take.  While the time during the treatment was OK the aftermath was not.  I have felt drained of energy.  I was very tired when I got up on the Saturday 23.  However, I was OK to collect Barbara from the airport on Tuesday 19.

Unfortunately, yesterday (January Friday 29) was very strange.  I felt weaker most of the day and needed to rest.  I did not feel well enough to have a 6pm Skype call with Canaan Junior School in Kamuli, Uganda and had to email my apologies.  Barbara, our youngest son and his wife (they moved in to live with us last Saturday) went out for dinner and to watch a play.  I stayed home and watched TV.  Gradually I felt more normal.

Today Barbara and I had breakfast with friends and tonight friends from Perth are visiting.  

Breakfast with our friends Lynne and Noel.  We all belong to ESFNG, our
small group.  Over the years Lynne, Noel, Barbara and I have enjoyed
a number of breakfasts together.

Tomorrow I am having breakfast with friends and Barbara and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with our family with a lunch at Taronga Park Zoo.  So, I am glad that I am feeling OK today while I listen to ABBA music as I write this blog entry.

Thank you, Jo Anne,  for you lovely Edible Fruits gift for our 40th
Wedding Anniversary, which arrived this Saturday afternoon.

In summary, my health is good with normally functioning liver and low cancer indicator while my feelings are like being on a rollercoaster.