6 monthly check in

It's now about 6 months since my last note to myself. How is it going I hear me ask? Well sometimes it is quite scary. 

First let me state I am still in remission. Last month (mar 2014) I had a regular CT. Still no sign of it. 

Now why is it scary? 

Around the time of the last CT I had pulled and torn some muscles around my ribs and abdomen. Despite regular visits to the Osteo and Myo it just wasn't feeling good. This mightn't sound scary but when the only previous symptom of cancer was abdominal aching pain caused by ulcers. Then when you have muscular abdominal pain in roughly the same place as the last lot of pain, getting a clearance from the CT becomes a priority. 

Luckily all is good. I had forgotten I had created this so I will try to get better at updating it. 

My neuropathy is still there and probably only slightly better than 6 months ago. I keep telling myself it is improving but I might have to face that it isn't. 

I'm still on Clexane for the blood, Nexium for the ulcers (gone), 3 Vit D all daily. 

I'm still under treatment getting Herceptin (trastuzamab) every 3 weeks. Donna and I ares starting to work out what that means for things like holidays and doing things. 

I've just had my 4-6 monthly RNVG. Testing the heart to make sure the Herceptin doesn't cause any problems. I'll let me know next week if all good. 

Chemo maintenance

You may remember our not that now I am in remission I have to have a ct scan every 3 months to check on things.  It is part of the agreement to keep getting the maintenance drug. 

So last Friday I had my first quarterly ct scan.  It may sound a little strange but I was far more nervous about this one than any of the others. Up until this one I had nothing to lose. All the tests until this one were either confirming the diagnosis or the treatment and since the diagnosis was already bad it could only look up or at worst stay the same . This one and all future ones I actually have something to lose. So I was nervous going to see Niall today.

The good news I am still in remission !  Now 3 months of not thinking about it.

Maintenance treatment

I know I recently said how good it was to talk of something other than the Chemo but I had to share this. 

Today I had one of my maintenence treatments which usually goes without much effort but today was different.  The nurses (yes there was more than 1 having a go) managed to dig a number of holes in me trying to make a connection with a vein.  I'm glad I shaved nearly all my arm although I will shave a little higher next time. 

In case you can't expand the photo there are 4 spot although are actually 5 holes,  2 are covered by a single spot. 

AT LAST- Something other than Chemo. Trip to BRIS. Day 1 MELB to Cowra

We're enjoyed a slow leisurely trip to Cowra. Slow because after Crossing the border into NSW with the boys driving we could only do 80Km/h . It gave me the chance though to take some photos out of the window of the car. I like Cowra as do the boys especially Nicholas who wanted to go to the Japanese gardens again, so he and I did it again, we both enjoyed it and I got some more photos.

 Japanese gardens

Me and Nicholas at the gardens. 

 Sunset from our room in Cowra. 

Round 6 tongue

I've haven't until now been able to capture a picture of my tongue and what happens to it at times.  It is one of the things that make it hard to eat. 

In the photo below I have circled  the crack that appears in the middle of my tongue. This is by no means the worst it has been at times but the first time I have managed to get a photo. It can really make eating difficult. At least now I have it recorded.

It is nearly over and I expect the symptoms that are still here to start easing now. YEEHAR!

Round 6 - The END

Yeehar!!!!

The end of the chemo drugs and yes I feel very happy about that. No the side effects have not yet worn off so I am still peeling (particularly the feet), my mouth still has trouble eating, and all the rest but this is it.

On Wednesday I got the best news I could hope for from Niall, the CT scan I had last week shows that the cancer is no longer detectable which means I am in "complete remission". I put that in quotes as Niall normally doesn't usually use words like that so it surprised me a little and made me very happy. Of course he then qualified it as he always does, which I understand, and stated it just meant it was under control not gone but that is a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

So I had my first non-chemo maintenance treatment yesterday. This is just the Herceptin drug which has very  minimal side effects. By very minimal I mean nothing quick like what I have been having although there is a small chance that it may cause heart damage. So every 3 months now I will be having a CT scan to make sure it stays under control and every 6 months a heart scan/test (I haven't had it yet so I don't know what it actually is). The non-chemo treatment is only about an hour to an hour and a half and only about 1.5 litres  so none of the expelling of previous.

Just need to work out how to celebrate now.

Round 6 - Week 1

Well, once again the unpredictability of the process has been fun. The break did me good and I felt much better going into this round. My hands and feet are still reasonable considering but there has been an unusual extra side effect. My toes and balls of the feet have been numb but they are not burning yet like other times so I am hoping it is a good thing.

It's nearly the end of week one so the fluid dump has started and last night wasn't good but not as bad as  I had anticipated. Since I started the high protein diet the dumps have been less severe but longer in duration. My eyes are really bad this time, they seem to be drying out much worse this time. I really hate this time of the process, I just don't feel like eating anything .

Anyway in 2 weeks it is over and I move on to maintenance. Then on to Brisbane and a holiday, which I really need despite spending a lot of time lately resting, but it is not a relaxing rest as I always feel so tired  after it. I am so looking forward to a real break .