I had my CT scan on Friday, I've lost count of how many I have had now. I think it is at least six. I've had more PET scans than anyone else in NZ, I wonder what the record is for CT? (Who? me competitive?)
The technology seems to improve with every scan. What once took thirty minutes is now done in five. However there was one minor problem.. my veins. Yet again no one could get a line into my non-existent and well hidden veins. In the end a doctor that previously worked in the neonatal ward was located and she was successful in putting the line in the back of my right hand. (A doctor on the cancer ward had failed twice there just recently and the bruising has only just resolved)
The radio-active isotope is injected by a so-called 'power injector' as I lay on the scanning bed. My veins are so small now that I got a painful burning sensation right up my arm as the isotope was injected. I've not experienced that before. There is one odd sensation that the injection gives, and luckily they warn you about before the scan starts. That is a warm sensation in your butt that feels like you've just had an accident! It's just a fleeting sensation lasting about ten seconds.
Monday I have a repeat of the kidney function test that I had about six weeks ago. That involves more injections of isotopes, more scanning and lots of waiting as they take blood samples every hour for five hours to measure the isotope's decay. It's not a fun way to spend your day.
Tuesday I have a meeting with the haematologist to discuss the treatment, and then on Thursday it all starts. I'm hoping for a room by myself again. It's unlikely to happen. Six days in a room with three other patients and an IV pump running 24/7 will be hell. Oh well, grin and bear it. Wait a month and then life will slowly return to normal. That's the plan.
Yesterday we had a family picnic at the Hikoikoi reserve which is a large grassed area at the Hutt River mouth. It's a very well kept secret, very few people know it exists. This is a good thing as we were able to set up the large 'easy-up' marque that I usually use for motorsport, in shady spot. There were no other people in the huge park except us. We had a whole playing field to ourselves to throw frisbees and kick a soccer ball around.
Was a really great day! I was amazed at how well I've been feeling, and managed to run around all day without getting tired.
I hope to be back at this fitness level again in around 4-5 weeks and from there work on getting really fit... back to where I was before all this started six+ years ago. That could take up to a year.. we shall see.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sunday..
I know it's Tuesday but I thought I'd post about Sunday.
Sarah and I spent the day visiting family on the Kapiti coast and in Levin.
On our return from Levin we came upon stationary traffic at PekaPeka and were told by other motorists that there had been a head-on smash further up the road.
After waiting for around an hour I decided to walk to the scene and find out what had happened.
It wasn't far to walk.. just 200 metres. There I saw the carnage from the two cars that had hit head on. I spoke to an eye witness who said that one car had swerved straight into the on-coming traffic, killing both drivers instantly and a passenger died on the way to hospital.
Media reports have said that the couple in the car that swerved were elderly, I can only assume that the driver suffered a heart attack or similar problem and collapsed at the wheel.
Had we departed my sister's place in Levin just one or two minutes earlier we could have been involved, or at very least have been put in the position of being one of the first on the scene. Witness's said that when would be rescuers reached one of the cars they turned and walked away almost immediately. That's not the sort of image you want to have burned into your mind for the rest of your life.
The reason I posted about this was because it really does put things into some sort of perspective. Three people lost their lives in the blink of an eye, and here I am three and half years into my battle with cancer and able to write all about it and go about some sort of normality in my life. There are things much, much worse than cancer.
On a brighter note I went for a bush walk last night and was amazed at how well my lungs are functioning. It's like having a brand new pair of lungs!. I've gone from being tight chested and asthmatic with a persistent cough, to being able to breath deeply and freely without so much as a tickle in my chest. Long may it last!!
Sarah and I spent the day visiting family on the Kapiti coast and in Levin.
On our return from Levin we came upon stationary traffic at PekaPeka and were told by other motorists that there had been a head-on smash further up the road.
After waiting for around an hour I decided to walk to the scene and find out what had happened.
It wasn't far to walk.. just 200 metres. There I saw the carnage from the two cars that had hit head on. I spoke to an eye witness who said that one car had swerved straight into the on-coming traffic, killing both drivers instantly and a passenger died on the way to hospital.
Media reports have said that the couple in the car that swerved were elderly, I can only assume that the driver suffered a heart attack or similar problem and collapsed at the wheel.
Had we departed my sister's place in Levin just one or two minutes earlier we could have been involved, or at very least have been put in the position of being one of the first on the scene. Witness's said that when would be rescuers reached one of the cars they turned and walked away almost immediately. That's not the sort of image you want to have burned into your mind for the rest of your life.
The reason I posted about this was because it really does put things into some sort of perspective. Three people lost their lives in the blink of an eye, and here I am three and half years into my battle with cancer and able to write all about it and go about some sort of normality in my life. There are things much, much worse than cancer.
On a brighter note I went for a bush walk last night and was amazed at how well my lungs are functioning. It's like having a brand new pair of lungs!. I've gone from being tight chested and asthmatic with a persistent cough, to being able to breath deeply and freely without so much as a tickle in my chest. Long may it last!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Working on the section.
Saturday morning Sarah and I headed off to Wrightsons in Porirua and bought ourselves a pair of back-pack weed sprayers and a hoard of chemicals designed for killing gorse.
It's a complicated process.. there's the 'Tordon' herbicide, then a penetrant chemical that helps the spray to stick to the gorse better. We also purchased a blue die that when added to the mix stains the gorse blue so that you can see where you have sprayed, ..saves going over the same spots more than once. However it does stain everything it comes in contact with blue. Luckily it washes off! There were a few anxious moments after a leaking fitting on my sprayer stained my hands completely blue.
It was a real test of my fitness levels working with 15kg on my back in 26 degree heat. I found that I could work at a constant rate and I was fine but if I had to walk up an incline or extend myself in any way my heart would start racing and I would have to sit down for a few minutes.
It didn't take me too long to work out what was a safe pace to work at.
Total time taken by Sarah and I to completely spray the building site and the 130 metre long driveway was 4 hours. We used just over 100 litres of water/herbicide mix. Luckily I have a friend that lives nearby who was more than happy for us to use his hose to refill the sprayers and water containers.
Hopefully from here on out we will just have to spray every six months to a year to keep the gorse at bay. They say the seeds can last 30 years in the ground. ..Could be a long term job!
Things are slowly coming together with the building of our new house and workshop on the site, and we hope to start construction in about 8 weeks.
I have been given appointments for a CT scan, kidney function test and pre-transplant assessment. There's only ten days till I start the high dose.. scary. However I still feel good and have no outward signs of Hodgkins.
The only problem I have is with fatigue. All of a sudden I will feel incredibly sleepy. This can be at any time of the day. It's a bit annoying but will slowly go away as I recover over the next 6-12 months.
It's a complicated process.. there's the 'Tordon' herbicide, then a penetrant chemical that helps the spray to stick to the gorse better. We also purchased a blue die that when added to the mix stains the gorse blue so that you can see where you have sprayed, ..saves going over the same spots more than once. However it does stain everything it comes in contact with blue. Luckily it washes off! There were a few anxious moments after a leaking fitting on my sprayer stained my hands completely blue.
It was a real test of my fitness levels working with 15kg on my back in 26 degree heat. I found that I could work at a constant rate and I was fine but if I had to walk up an incline or extend myself in any way my heart would start racing and I would have to sit down for a few minutes.
It didn't take me too long to work out what was a safe pace to work at.
Total time taken by Sarah and I to completely spray the building site and the 130 metre long driveway was 4 hours. We used just over 100 litres of water/herbicide mix. Luckily I have a friend that lives nearby who was more than happy for us to use his hose to refill the sprayers and water containers.
Hopefully from here on out we will just have to spray every six months to a year to keep the gorse at bay. They say the seeds can last 30 years in the ground. ..Could be a long term job!
Things are slowly coming together with the building of our new house and workshop on the site, and we hope to start construction in about 8 weeks.
I have been given appointments for a CT scan, kidney function test and pre-transplant assessment. There's only ten days till I start the high dose.. scary. However I still feel good and have no outward signs of Hodgkins.
The only problem I have is with fatigue. All of a sudden I will feel incredibly sleepy. This can be at any time of the day. It's a bit annoying but will slowly go away as I recover over the next 6-12 months.
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