Morning Tiny Dancer   The weekend is here and I'm on my own. The family is heading to Queensland without, but tonight should be good. Saturday night's alright.   You've done life differently to me. I had kids early so wine, dinner and long conversation was my pre-cancer affair. Actually, anaphylaxis ended that a couple of years before cancer. C'est la vie. Goodbye yellow brick road.   I used to think I had asthma, but as I got more sensitive to it, I realised it was sulphites and other food preservatives causing anaphylaxis. Then I turned into a snow flake; a candle in the wind. I turned into "that guy" who can't eat what other's eat and has to take his own food to parties and can't drink French wine or Italian wine (or elderberry wine) because they fill it with sulphites. I hate that guy! Now I'm that guy, I have to eat humble pie instead. But it don't go breaking my heart. I'm still standing.   Then along comes bowel cancer and ileostomy surgery and takes out a large portion of good healthy fresh foods that were staple in my diet. It's no sacrifice, but seafood! I love seafood! Life's worst joke for an ileostomy patient. It soooo frickin' stinky when it comes out. Enough to make one pass out and fall into the toilet bowl. Nobody wins.   Fortunately, anaphylaxis help me deal with a lot of the "Why-Me" before I discovered the cancer. Looking up, I kind of exhausted those emotions quickly and moved on to the big bag of "of-course-me" emotions that I'd been collecting since childhood. Those are the emotions that come with a free slow eye roll and a loud sigh as you emote it. I usually only pull those emotions out when I'm stuck watching Disney guff. I guess that's why they call it the blues.   Since my youngest just turned 18, I guess this is my freedom now. Phil-adelphia freedom perhaps? Freedom to change channel from Disney to a good musical, like Rocketman, or even Monty Python. Hmmm. Who am I kidding? I slaughtered my children with musicals and Python while growing up.   So now, she is 18 and finishing high school, she is leaving home soon, off to uni next year. She want's to be a teacher... so she can pass on Python to future generations. The circle of life.   Click on this Monty Python classic Anyhow. I'm off to take my daily dose of chemo with breakfast. I hope I don't trip over the dogs in the kitchen.   So for you, Blue Eyes, there are 15 references to Elton John songs in this post. Can you find them all?       ... View more

Hi Claire   I love Elton John. We are going to see him in Feb next year. Down in Victoria actually. So I come up with this parity to My Song. I had to share it. It even has a poo joke.    You have to sing it to the tune in your head when you read it.   It's a little bit running, Capecitabine. It seems to give me diarrhea all of time. Anyway, it really aint that bad. Oxaliplatin in my arm was the worst I've had   And you can tell everybody chemo suck balls. It makes you quite frequent in the bathroom stalls. I hope I don't spew! I hope I don't spew! I just swallowed pills. My hands feel like lightening when I have the chills.   Now I have to learn to play it on the guitar so I can play it for friends when they come over. May be they won't get it?   I think it's a song to dance to.   ... View more

Hi Clare    I am glad your surgery was successful and they got it all. That's a good feeling I can relate to. Your surgeon deserves a high five for a job well done. Please pass one on a high five for your surgeon from me at your next check up. And well done to you for reaching a happy milestone. High five for Claire.   I had Clexane in my thigh because they played plumber in my abdomen, so it wasn't the ideal location for 30 injections. I still have a couple of bruises left from the injections.    I'm having this vision of you looking like Uma Thurman with a syringe hanging out of abdomen while you're laying there in shock post squeal. But, up to 5, you are way ahead of me with only doing 2. My wife was very apologetic and sometimes it didn't even hurt. But I think she actually enjoyed it a little two much. All those times I forgot to buy a present...   This is the best time of day for me, but I think it's getting better as I getting further beyong the Oxaliplatin treatment. The Capecitabine doesn't seem to be causing the nausea, but I'm still learning. In total, 4 cycles. I'm half way through the Capecitabine tablet course yesterday. From next Wednesday, a break for a week, then  back to the Oxaliplatin IV for round 2. i'm relieved it's a short treatment, but I hope it's enough.   I'll be back on the site more often now I'm picking up again. I couldn't motivate myself to write anything recently. This post is a good sign 😊   Take care. Sleep between dances.   Ciao ... View more

Keeping odd hours again Claire? You're not in hospital now. It's okay to sleep.   I know! The irony ! 😉 ... View more

Hi Claire    Blowing things out your arse? There is at least a dozen good poo jokes I could launch into, but I'm sure the rest of the forum doesn't want to read them. Nothing original though, you could probably beat me to all the punchlines.   I have a different view on my three items. Morning Capecitabine without vomiting,  get through the day day without dehydrating and then, evening Capecitabine... without vomiting. Everything else suffers. Not ideal. It means my that even my stoma care is taking a back seat.  However, there are two good things out of that. Firstly, I'm really focussed on getting the most out of the chemo and surviving it. Secondly, my stoma care has been well under control, the best it's been since Pepper first appeared six weeks ago.   With the tablets, I don't have a problem taking them. I have a problem filling myself with drugs. I have a mental aversion to drugs in general and I feel weak if my need to rely on drugs. One step closer to the grave if I need drugs to survive. Well! Look at how many drugs I have to take per day. How many steps closer am I? To make it worse, the gag reflex is on high alert. I have to mentally prepare before taking my Capecitabine to make sure I don't bring it up. How nice it would be to be drug free? Now I sound like a junky.    Mind you... Clexane. At least I didn't have to swallow. My first, done by me, took about 40 minutes of pacing and procrastination. How did you go the first time? Did you try it at the hospital as a practice ?   I've done well with putting my weight back on after surgery. However, it's on it's way down at the moment. I have to watch closely. Worried about getting too thin.   With you however, you might find a slinky new ball gown to dance in. 💃   Thanks for checking in on me. I've been off the site a bit because I've been feeling shitty, but it's temporary. Still focussed on going for the record .   Keep on dancing   Phil       ... View more

Hi Claire    Thank you. T'was a very slow dance over the weekend, and I was in good hands.   Mornings are better for me. I have more energy, but a lack if motivation. I thinking I'm lacking the ability to organise and execute tasks. It is too easy to procrastinate. Then when it comes to drinking or taking medication, my mind says no and my body responds in kind. It's hard to take tablets when you want to gag at the thought of it.   Good to hear you are home. You should rest much easier. Are Clexane injections your new poison? My wife was doing mine until she went away for a weekend. Then I had to do two myself. It was not easy, but I struggled less with injecting myself than I am with taking tablets.   I knew the hospital food would give you grief. Have some more junk food.   🍿🥙🌯🌮🍟🍔🌭🍤🥡🍦🍨   Take care   Phil   ... View more

Hi Sch   I hope you are doing well. I've been bugging other people for the meanings behind their names. What is behind sch?   I'll give you an update on my morning routine as of today. Yesterday was a shocker. Any suggestions? I'm all ears.   I've started with lemonade flavoured hydralite. The least ghastly flavoured of all, until you mix warm water into it. Then, it is just as bad. Wash down a maxolon and Gastrostop to settle my tummy before I get into my Capecitabine, because I don't need that coming back up or making  mad dash for the ileostomy bag.   I have poured some cornflakes to have with hot milk and usually add some psyllium husks to help slow down digestion. The dry cornflakes are actually sitting next to me now and I can't help grazing. They taste better than hydrolite with warm water. They are also helping to settle the nausea a bit too.   My wife just told me that grazing on my dry cornflakes is the sort of thing that all pregnant women do for nausea; and I should know that! Hmmm.    I'll take the Capecitabine midway through my cornflakes (with warm milk, if I save myself any cornflakes). I have to have it mid-meal with a full glass of water. With low appetite, getting these tablets in is a challenge. Despite the mental barrier I have for taking them in first place, nausea is a bigger barrier.   Hopefully that will start my day well. Hopefully I will get through this one easier. Scary part is... Yesterday could have been much worse. Any general tips you can suggest would be great. I'm keen to stay a functional human being throughout the chemo.   Cheers   Phil   ... View more

Hi.    I think my gravy train is over. Chemo is kicking in with some nasty feelings. Spent the afternoon resting with tummy issues. Loss of appetite and reluctant to even drink water. I think I'm over drinking warm water. I have to take my Capecitabine shortly and I don't want food or water which is  part of the regime. It's not bad enough that I already have a mental blocker to taking the drugs.   My good wife is watching over me. We were given strict instructions about the Capecitabine. If I'm in danger, it is off to the hospital for me. I'm hanging in there. No emergency yet, but certainly a dive from my state this morning .   On a lighter note... Lucy is now my profile picture. Sally's pretty face is having a rest. Sally is resting beside me. She knows I'm not well. Dogs are so perceptive.   I hope you other folks are enjoying your treatments more than I. Don't stop being brave. Fight the good fight.    Cheers   🤢 ... View more

The Granny Smith colour looks appealing   🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏 ... View more

Damn! I had to edit that last post 3 times. Fat fingers and autocorrect typing.   Lampwork, your diet makes me feel bad. Ileostomy management has plagued me, but now it's coming under control, even with chemo on top, I should try a leaf out of your book.   Well done on the diet.    I'll keep inspiring you to say more on this thread. We are going for the record! 🥳 ... View more