Some sordid details - and some gifts.

I have not been really well the last few days. I have been badly constipated, which I felt probably poisoned my whole system. I asked the IV nurses for help on Friday when I had my PICC line dressed, and they made some suggestions of things to take. I had not had a BM for 3 days then, and they said if I hadn't had any action in 24 hours I should contact my doctor.

Saturday was the Designing Women Christmas lunch which I was really looking forward to. I vomited up my breakfast and Kevin thought I really should not go, but Juliet had offered to take me and I knew I could just sit. I am glad I went. There was an impressive array of food (I didn't eat much, but I managed some savoury food as well as some of Pauline's to-die-for icecream cake) and Delys made a wonderful non-alcoholic fruit punch of which I drank at least 5 glasses. We always exchange a handmade Christmas decoration and I received two lovely baubles from Jan. In addition, Jaslyn gave me a lovely angel.




I went to bed soon after I got home and slept till 6 or so. I couldn't face any food and went back to bed about 8pm. Then the floodgates opened from both ends. After a cleanup I went back to bed and slept well all night. This morning I was hungry for my breakfast and I am feeling well, though thirsty. I am drinking lots.

Afternoon Tea

Yesterday we went to visit my uncle Boy (my mother's only brother) and aunt Pat. We were invited for afternoon tea. Boy and Pat have an enormous family (eight children, twenty-plus grandchildren and twelve greatgrandchildren). Number twelve GGchild was born on Sunday morning, so there was a lot of excited phoning going on, especially from the the new babe's grandmother who is on a cruise in New Zealand with husband and sister and brother in law. During the course of the afternoon all the other children, plus assorted grandchildren, dropped in. It wasn't arranged - I get the feeling that it's customary on a Sunday.

Just as well Pat had overcatered as usual. I did manage three battered prawns and a mince pie, a good effort since I had eaten a big slice of pork and quite a few vegetables for lunch. I didn't have any dinner and went to bed really early.

My uncle Boy (John) also has cancer. His is prostate cancer which has metastasized to the bones. He has had hormone treatment, radiation and is now going to have some chemo in a week or so. I don't know what drug, but the oncologist has said it's quite gentle and they will stop if the side effects are too bad. Boy's oldest son, also John, is a doctor, and he is heavily involved in vetting Boy's treatments.

Boy is 86 and is visibly more frail than the last time we saw him a couple of months ago. He is now using a walker and confesses to frequent naps. He was quite chuffed when I told him I needed them too.

It was a lovely afternoon, but I am actually quite glad that we don't have such a large family to just drop in on us.

Post Radiation

The SIRT infusion went well, and I have been told the spheres all went where they were supposed to go. I will be slightly radioactive for the next week, but pose no danger to anyone other than small children or pregnant women, and only then if I am in close contact for more than a hour. This won't be a problem.

I arrived at the hospital a bit before 7am, after fasting since the previous evening, and by 7.15 I was hooked up to a Panadol infusion and given a tablet to take. I really enjoyed the water I had with it. The procedure took just on two hours - no pain but a bit of discomfort from lying still. I saw most of it on the X-ray screen -the insertion of the coils to block off the unwanted second artery branch was most interesting. I thought that only one coil would be inserted, but they actually used five. It looked like a scribble on the screen - perhaps a doctor's signature!

After the procedure was finished I was taken to a ward and had to lie still for another two hours, though I was allowed to have water. I have a seal in my groin artery which will dissolve gradually over the next 90 days, but should not cause any problems. I spent the night in hospital. My room was not as palatial as the one I had at SJoG, but it had a lovely view of the the Narrows interchange park and lakes and the city skyscrapers beyond. It certainly helps to have pleasant surroundings when you have to be in hospital.

The next morning I went to have more scans - this time with a Gamma Ray camera. I didn't have to fast for this,so I enjoyed some breakfast. It was these scans that showed the spheres had gone where they were supposed to, so I am really hopeful they will kill off the liver tumours.

After I was released from hospital we went to see the oncologist prior to my having a second push of 5-FU. He had some bad news. In the two months I have been off chemo the lung tumours have increased in number and size, though the most serious part of my condition is definitely the liver. I am to have some more chemo in three weeks with a different drug - irinotecan. I hope I don't have nasty side effects - it is only 5 weeks to Helen's wedding and I do want to feel well for that.

When we got home I went and had a sleep, then we went to the opening of the Designing Women exhibition in which I have some pieces. I was exhausted after a hour or so, even though I found a chair, so went straight to bed when we got home.

Yesterday we went down to Martin's unit to find some things he wanted and then went to see him in hospital. He says he is feeling much better, but his stomach is still distended. He is still having problems with his bowels.

The visit to the hypnotherapist

I am not sure whether there will be useful results from the hypnotherapist. He certainly is a good listener and allowed me to vent about the crap I am experiencing at the moment. Then he got me to sit back in the chair, close my eyes and try to find a memory where I was happy, fulfilled and unstressed. I found this hard. He then talked at me for about 20 minutes, inviting me to think about good things, about being positive and banishing guilt, anger and anxiety. I cannot remember a lot of it, but he is going to send me a tape which we will load on my iPod so I can attempt to follow his suggestions.

When it was over, I did not feel that I had actually "gone under" and I had a tension headache. A friend has had hypnotherapy and she told me today that she is not conscious of her body at all while undergoing it. Not true for me, though I must admit I didn't feel any nausea or have stomach cramps or a need to go the toilet during the session. I will see how I go with the tape when I get it. No improvement in my appetite or eating ability today.

I went to my GP on Monday, and she was all in favour of trying the technique. She organised a Medicare service number which means that I can have a number of sessions and get back 40% of the fee from Medicare. Thanks, Deb! I am to see him again in a month's time.

Today I went to Secret Drawer, my friendship sewing/quilting group. I enjoyed myself a lot - particularly because Helen, the hostess, had a copy of the Victoria and Albert Museum's book about their exhibition - Quilts from 1700 to 2010 which was held earlier in the year. The book belonged to Helen's sister and was bought for her by her husband. What a man! It is a fabulous book and I would be tempted to buy in other circumstances. I was unable to eat any afternoon tea, though I tried , because it looked yummy.

When I got home there was a really crappy letter waiting for me. I may write about it tomorrow, or Kevin may in his blog, but it really upset me. However, after a call to the company involved, who have promised to deal with the individual concerned and offered me a apology, I am feeling a bit better. However, I am very tired so will go to bed early. I just need to eat some icecream so I can take my Xeloda. Two more days to go!

Another full day

I went to a journal making workshop at the Embroiderers' Guild today. It was five hours, so I had very little energy by the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am pleased with what I managed to accomplish. More details on the other blog.

One of the members there today has a husband who was diagnosed with lung cancer just about the same time as my own diagnosis. Mike has finished his chemo and is now waiting for another CT scan to determine further treatment, but there has been considerable shrinkage in his tumours. Good onya, Mike!

On the advice of a friend who is a herbalist, and with the permission of his dietician, he has been drinking a tea made from Herb Robert every morning for the last month or so. While he doesn't know if it has been efficacious, he thinks it can't hurt. I was offered a package of the dried herb to try, which I accepted.

I googled the herb and found that there is considerable information related to its use for cancer prevention and treatment. I am sure that some of the claims made are not true, but if it is not harmful it may possibly be of some help. I am going to check with the oncologist and the clinic nurses on Wednesday, but I will try the tea until then. If it helps, I want it. If it doesn't, I will stop. There is no way I would ever use it instead of conventional medicine, but it may be useful as an adjunct.

It's my birthday

and it has been very pleasant. We were taken out for lunch (see the other blog for details if interested) and I had my pump disconnected in the late afternoon.

I am always pleased to see the last of it - it is quite heavy to wear and showering with it involves putting it in a plastic bag on the floor outside the shower. Even though it has a long line, it still means I have to be careful and restrict my movements so I don't pull the cannula. I also have a bit of a problem sleeping with it - I toss and turn and end up with the line wound around my body.

I only have to put up with it for two more cycles, hooray! I will be really happy to be rid of the PICC line too.

The anti-nausea drugs continue to work well, but the tingling in my mouth and fingers is quite bad this cycle. It is certainly interfering with my enjoyment of a celebratory Moet. I have also had tingles in my feet and lower legs today, which has never happened before. I believe I will no longer be getting Oxyplatin when I start the new regime in May. It certainly seems to be the drug that gives me the worse side effects.

Tired

I am really tired and it is all my own fault. Yesterday I went to a textile group meeting in the morning. It is a half hour drive from home along the freeway and I am finding driving needs my complete concentration these days. It was extremely hot and I left the meeting early and drove home. Once home I had a bit of a rest, but did not nap - which I should have done.

Later that afternoon we went to the opening of a sculpture exhibition on the foreshore of the Canning River. We loved the sculptures, especially these ones (Bottle Bream) made from plastic bottles, commenting on how plastic waste is affecting our waterways. Bream is a play on words (it is pronounced brim and is a fish that was once very common in the river, but is less so now. It also refers to the rim of the discarded bottles and how they are multiplying - "brimming over")

It was a very enjoyable evening - it had cooled down after what had been a VERY hot day (28 degrees Celsius after a 41 degree maximum) and it was most pleasant to sit after we had viewed the sculpture pieces and enjoy a glass of bubbly and some food while listening to the obligatory speeches.

Today I went to the meeting of my favourite textile group - Designing Women. It was the AGM and we spent quite a long time trying to get members to take up executive positions. I have been Treasurer, but resigned the position for this year. While I want to keep up with my groups, I don't think I need the pressure involved in leadership positions. Eventually all the positions were filled, and we had a workshop on recycling a couple of T-shirts to make one with a reverse applique decoration, followed by a talk from a local fashion designer who uses natural dyes and recycled materials to make her beautiful garments. I was really drooping by this time, but hung on for her talk before I gave in and went home.

I have had a brief nap, but I think I will be early to bed. And Kevin is right - it IS my own fault for doing too much. Tomorrow I plan on doing nothing much at all. It will be day 12 of cycle 5 - Wednesday is the start of Cycle 6, when I will be halfway through the treatment.

A nice night out

Kevin's nephew and his wife live in Colorado and are presently back here in Perth for a visit and so he can sell a million dollar unit he (and I presume the bank) owns. It is in a magnificent position with fabulous views, that I would like to look at every day. Quite beyond our pockets though! We were invited to a family gathering for cocktails at sunset. Most enjoyable - I drank bubbly. We left reasonably early because I got tired, even though I spent most of the evening sitting down.

View down river towards South Perth.

View across to Perth city as the sun set.

I have been feeling OK since the chemo on Wednesday. After pump-off on Friday I had lunch with my sister at the Art Gallery Cafe. We shared a single serving - we both find cafe servings are really too large. It was a very nice quiche with salad a balsamic dressing and tasted good. Afterwards we went to look at the annual exhibition of High School students artworks. It gets better every year.