Hi Annette 46   I am near Canberra, so we’ve had a few cool days, though the sun is glorious when it shows.    Mother’s Day was fabulous - I got to share it with 2 of my kids.    Not doing so much traveling at the moment as I’ve had a flair up of arthritis in my knees which has been  very sore.    Otherwise, I’ve been getting some pain in my rib from the bone met there.  So I will be in for a single dose of the ray gun next week to try & stop that pain.  I had a bone scan done yesterday & it revealed an increase in the size of the met in the rib & the spot in my skull.  I’ve not had any pain from the one in my head yet so that’s a good thing.    How are things with you?  I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day.    Budgie ... View more

Hi Diidee   You would be exhausted just because you have multiple myeloma.  Not too mention that any chemo can cause fatigue.  I don’t know anything about the disease you have or Interferon but I do have fatigue. It’s my constant companion.  I can’t be on my feet for more than a few minutes before I need to sit down.   Makes me angry because there’s so much I want to do.    Anyway, I hope the Interferon works for you.  Best of luck with it.    Budgie ... View more

Hi Rosella52   I’m glad to hear the radiation hasn’t had too bad an effect on you.    Surgery isn’t pleasant at the best of times, but at least one good thing is with the liver - it will grow back.  It’s an amazing organ in the body.    I certainly hope everything goes smoothly & well with the operations you have coming.  Take care.    Budgie   ... View more

Hi Cheryl,   There is a shop called Medshop Australia in Preston on Chifley Drive. It has a suction device but it’s quite expensive.  Hope this helps.    Budgie ... View more

It's wonderful that you have your grandchildren to spoil, & yes that's what we're here for - spoil them with love. My hair colour did return not too long after stopping that drug, and then the next drug I took made my hair go curly, just on the back & sides. Looked really strange. Votrient (Pazopanib) is, you could say, on the same level as Sutent (Sunitinib), as a first line treatment. It is supposed to have less severe side effects though. Sutent worked very well for me until I couldn't handle the side effects anymore, then I was put onto Votrient. It lasted 9 months for me. Budgie ... View more

Hi Steve, Yes, my hair colour returned not too long after stopping the Votrient. It's funny, but the next treatment I was on after that sent my hair into curls - almost overnight. That looked funny! I'm sorry you didn't have much luck at the cancer support group you attended. There's a very big problem in society, they seem to concentrate on breast cancer & maybe prostate cancer, but you hear very little of the other "forgotten cancers". I was thinking that maybe if you want some male friends you could join your local Men's Shed. No one there may have kidney cancer, but I'm sure that someone they know would have cancer & might love to chat. Just a thought. I've been on different medications since Oct 2012 - just after my kidney was removed. I've coped okay, but fatigue, & usually diarrhoea are the constant companions. Take each day as it comes. Sounds like Digby was a bit of a handful at first. I'm glad you found each other. Take care. Budgie ... View more

Hello Mia1   Cancer is cancer, no matter what type it is, or where it is, or who has it.  It's a horrible thing for anyone to go through - & not just the sufferers, but for the carers as well.   You will be having this treatment in July, so at least they have given you time to prepare yourself for the isolation you will have to go through.   I think that would be quite hard to take, but at the same time, it's just 10 days.  If you can look at it that way, hopefully, it might be a bit more bareable for you.   Do you like reading, puzzles, crosswords?  Have plenty of things around you to try to make the time go faster.  You can always talk to people/family over the phone as well during this time.   I used to update my siblings in an email as to how my treatment & health was going.  I would do this about 3 or 4 times a year.  At first, they all replied to me, but then, when I started going through rough patches, some of them wouldn't respond.   This got me thinking that maybe the info I was giving them was too hard for them to handle - they didn't know what to say back to me, so they said nothing at all.  I suppose they don't want to know that I'm getting worse because there's nothing they can do for me.  That hurts them. Now I don't tell them anything unless they specifically ask about my treatment & how it's going.  But I like talking to my family & friends about what's happening because it normalises things for us.  I tell my children everything that's going on with me, & sometimes it's upsetting for them, but by talking about it we're helping us all come to terms with it.   Don't forget that while you're in isolation, you can always chat on this website.    Please take care Best wishes   Budgie           ... View more

Hi Steve,    I hope you don't mind me replying to your message to Annette.  I also have terminal kidney cancer - diagnosed in August 2012, & had a radical right nephrectomy, & while I have had deposits in my left kidney, they have consequently shrunk, & I have no other major organs affected.  I have been very lucky.   How long have you been on the Votrient?  The main thing I remember about the effects of that drug  is that it caused all the colour pigment to leave my hair.  I ended up looking like an albino.  I was on the Votrient for 9 months before it stopped working for me.  Here's hoping you get better mileage from it than I did.   May I ask the name of your recently adopted friend & what type of friend it is?  I think everyone could use a little bit of unconditional love you receive from furry friends.  They make such a difference in people's lives.   I am sorry you are feeling lonely, but please remember you are always welcome to chat on this site & download as much as you need to.  Also, there are social workers, & counsellors you can make contact with through your local Community Health Nurse, or the Cancer Council.   Whoever it turns out to be, I feel that we all need someone in our lives to talk to.   I am now on my 6th line of treatment, the latest drug is Cabozantinib.  It's not on the PBS yet, but it has been recommended for listing.  At the moment I am lucky enough to get it on compassionate grounds direct from the drug company.  So far it has done a good job of shrinking the remaining deposits I have, although it's still in the early stages of being used for MRCC.     Anyway, please keep in touch & let us know how things are going. Take good care of yourself.   All the best Budgie       ... View more

That's good news Annette46 - fingers crossed that it doesn't eventuate into anything.     I like the South Coast - I have a few relatives in Bawley Point.  It's a very pretty area.   How many grandchildren do you have?  I have 3 - 2 girls & a boy.  Hoping for a few more within the next few years, if I'm lucky.     Budgie ... View more

I forgot to ask how was your holiday? Where did you go, and I hope you had a wonderful time. Budgie ... View more