Hi Claire,   Glad you're having a slightly easier week.  Today is Friday and I finished radiation on Wednesday.  Not sure how I feel.  Relieved that it's over, yes, definitely.  Anxious to get back to normal but I guess I'm pushing a little too much.  I haven't had the fatigue the nurses speak about, just feeling a little tired now.  Not sleepy, just want to rest.     Very glad it is Friday and the weekend is almost here.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend.  ... View more

Thanks Budgie.  Sounds like a great trip.     Blisters on the bottom of your feet?  Reminded me of the song - Diamonds on the soles of her shoes -Paul Simon.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_T3XvzPaM   Chillies will be a loss for now but hopefully that will improve in the future.  I hope normal improves for you in the near future.       My radiation finishes in 2 days.   Dietician told me today that things will get  alot worse for me over the next two weeks.  I don't like that kind of news.  Just when you think you're nearlyn through it.   Hopefully , my symptoms will be minimal.     Good luck Budgie. Hope you can finish your course of tablets and be well again.     ... View more

Thanks KateKat.  Loved Danny Kaye as a child.     In my early 20's I was working in the Pemier's Department and Danny Kaye was Visiting Melbourne.  I was allowed to go to the Reception for him and was able to meet him.  It was a beautiful moment.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Hj7bp38f8   My daughters loved Fiddler on the Roof when they were young.  My youngest taped the music from the film and they would act out all the songs in the film.  The funny thing now is, they're all in their 30's and at family dancing get togethers the girls will put on this music and sing.  My sons, who hated Fiddler on the Roof and were highly offended as youngsters with their sisters playing the music, now sing and dance with them and they're WORD PERFECT!     Five of my grand daughters have recently played the music, watched the film and put on a performance for the family of the Matchmaker.        ... View more

Hi Budgie,   That's a pretty cute cat.  I am definitely a dog person but understand that other peope love cats and that's fine.   Where did you go on holiday?  Are you back in the land of the "normal".  If so, how was it?  Any pointers for us in the twilight zone waiting for treatment to end? ... View more

Hi guys.   Freezing cold in Melbourne today.  Excellent couch day.  Watching World War Z.  Seems appropriate for the times.  One of my favourite films.  Love the beginning when the news is focusing on someone's socks.     I've completed 27 of the 30 Radiotherapy treatments.  3 left to go.  Still good  Skin unbroken.  Rough week with taxi drivers.   One guy asked me lots of questions on way home from hospital.  Gave me his card and wanted me to call him if I needed a taxi.  Asked me for my mobile number and I stupidly gave it to him.  He messaged me at 7.00a.m. the next day about my lift back after hospital visit.  For the rest of the day he kept ringing and texting me.  He wanted me to call him about 30 minutes before I was leaving the hospital or wait up to 30 minutes for him.  I coudn't do that because I'm terribly impatient and when I've finished treatment - I need to go home, quickly.  For the next few days I told him my daughter was driving me.  I now go to a different exit and find a taxi there.  Feel sorry about it, but I can't be someone else, as much as I'd like to.   It's really strange when you no longer have taste buds.  I'm sticking to things I know taste good but now I don't have to take much trouble over food as it all tastes the same.  Nothingness.  Very strange how much we take these tiny cells for granted.  I shall be much more grateful and careful of them in the future.   Taking it very easy this weekend as seem a bit more tired than normal.     3 more treatments and hopefullly, I'm done.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me.     Phil - I hope your car enjoys her spa day.  Thank you all for the songs.  Always make me smile.   ... View more

Sorry Silly,   Can't work out how to send a private message either.   Does anyone else know? ... View more

Hi Chris,   I don't think life gets easier as we get older.  I think we have more to juggle but are better at juggling it.     I hope your mouth gets better soon.   I always wanted to be independent when I had appointments and I was up until Radiotherapy.  My husband decided to drive me into the hospital which is also an hour away from us.  He  would not let me do it myself.  I let him help me because that's what he needed to do and it was good.  All my appoinmtnets have been around the midday time so we wouldn't have to travel in peak hour traffic.  A few times we arrived and the car pak wa full.  I was very grateful that my husband was driving as he could drop me off, circle around until he found a car park.   This week he wanted me to start driving myself.  I couldn't .  Somehow I'd lost all confidence in my ability to find a car park and not stress out over it.  He's driving me in and I have to get a taxi home which is fine.  Probably best to start out how you mean to finish.  Much easier.     I certinaly hope your car makes the trip each day.  May the car parks be empty and you can choose whichever one you wish to park in.     Yes, do update us on how it all goes.  I wish you every success, limitless patience and stamina to get through what lies ahead.   ... View more

Hi Claire et al,   17th September?  That's probably just an estimation and I am sure you could get more time off work.  You absolutely do not sound ready to go to work, especially with the travel involved.     I agree with all of you about discussing this subject.  I've done all the talking I intend to do.  I want this chapter to be over soon.  I want to get back to normal but I'm not sure if things will ever get back to normal.  I  went to the fish shop today and the green grocer.  I am making progress with small journeys and seeing people who know me.  Butcher and Dutch shop on Friday.  No one said anything about my broken mouth.  I am understood and that's all that really matters.     I have kept my family away from me and at a distance to some degree.  I've told them I can't afford to get sick, I'm too unwell to go to family gatherings in past few weeks, etc.  They're all excited and happy as my treatment will finish on the 11th September - 7 more treatments to go.  They want to have a party and for everything to go back to normal.  I'm told the after effects of the Radiotherapy will get worse once treatment finishes, so I'm a little unsure as yet.  My sisters also want to catch up after treatment finishes.     I just don't know what normal will be.  Perhaps it will be better.  Perhaps it's an alarm that says life is short get on with all the things you still want to do.   I am starting to clean windows and that's a good sign for me because it means Spring is coming, or here, and I need to get the house ready for all the happy and wonderful times ahead.  Perhaps I can focus on that.     I have lost my taste buds in the last week and it's really strange that everything tastes bland and not even ice cream tastes sweet anymore.  It has inspired me to cook more in the future.  I've always loved cooking but now I've pulled out my French cook books and I am planning a feast of wonderful foods over the coming months.  Never again will I take taste for granted.     I've loved all your posts people!  It's good to have others along for this journey and to share our experiences.     ... View more

It is a good song.  Jut this afternoon my daughter told me she doesn't like Mondays as she doesn't get to see me.  Immediately that song went through my head but I didn't mention it to her - too young to know it!  Made me smile though. ... View more

Hi Chris,   Thank you for your reply.   It's good that you lodged a complaint.  A lawyer once explained medical negligance to me.  It's similar to you not stopping at a give way sign.  If you didn't crash into anyone, you're not liable for it.  If you did crash into someone, you're liable.  Putting in a complaint will help the next person with this diagnosis.     As my fine needle biopsy was - benign tumour and the ENT doctor believed it, he referred me on as it still had to be removed. It' only because the surgeon didn't like that there were some salivery cells in the biopsy, he insisted on the cone biopsy.  I thought he was horrible and how dare he think that I had a primary cancerous tumour somewhere else.  In hindsight, thank goodness he queried it.  I am very grateful to him.  I've seen cases of 15 year olds being diagnosed with this cancer.  How devastating for them.  I think about all the babies and children diagnosed with cancer and it breaks my heart for them and their families.     My mother died in May last year and it was a very stressful time.  After her death I didn't feel really well anymore.  I noticed a swollen gland in my neck and thought it was stresss related.  She had been in a nursing home for the past 10 years and it had been an exhausting time supporting her and caring for her, a job and a family.  We'd had a family breakdown and my sisters and I had to take power of attorney away from our eldset brother as he had embezzled a large amount of her funds and had her declared incompetent.  We had to get a Geriatrician to certify that our mother was not incompetent, which she wasn't and she changed her will.  My brother did not visit her for the remaining 8 years following that.  I knew that when my mother died all hell would break out, which it did.  My brother started a few days after my mother's death and before the funeral, querying the public trustees as to the will.  He was furious when he eventually received a copy of the will.  My mother left her estate equally to all her children.  She then deducted the amount he had stolen from his share.  He contested the will and that took about a year to resolve and the will was proven and was executed according to our mother's wishes in May, this year.   Long explanation but I wanted to explain the amount of stress involved around my mother's death.  At the same time, we had sold our business and negotiations, legal documents and added stress happened around the same time.  My earliest symptom was hair breakage and brittlness.     I retired too in February of this year and did the rounds of the doctors, investigations and specialists.  It all seemed to take a long time.  I had my final diagnosis in June and was operated on in July.  My husband has to stay with the business that bought us for two years and I thought it was going to be a very peaceful, yet lonely time without him.  When he retired we had plans for travel too.  We still do.  May just have to be shorter journeys in the future.  I was so prepared for retirement.  I had mapped out some classes that I wanted to take, particularly in glass work and a weaving course I've been wanting to do for years.  I even had a retirement wardrobe of track pants, tops and jackets.  Never having to worry about what to wear again.  I've worn the same jacket every day to Radiotherapy.  I take it off as soon as I get home.  Once treatment is completed I will donate that particular jacket to a charity as I will never want to wear it again.  Strangely, I had wanted a year without any commitments.  I stopped doing Tai Chi after 20 something years of it.  No appointments.  Not having to be somehwere on time.  Ha ha!  Jinxed myself.  I now live by the clock to go to so many appointments before surgery and now after surgery - all the time!   Ironically, I did give myself time to do this.  I had to have a tracheostomy after surgery because the mouth and tongue would be very swollen and the mouth wound needed time to heal so nothing via the mouth for 6 days.  That was horrendous.  I had myself discharged on the 6th day.  I guess the doctors have to take every precaution.  They said I'd have to go to speech pathology as I possibly wouldn't be able to swallow or speak.  Not a problem at all.  I could swallow and speak and they've been very happy with the mouth all the way through.  Don't be scared.  They just have to warn you of every possibility.     I am really happy that you're going to take olive leaf.  Mny years ago my sister in law wa diagnosed with breast cancer.  I had read up on everything including all the side effects for her of treatment.  She saw a Chinese herbalist who recommended the olive leaf.  She had very minimal side effects and I advised our whole family to be on olive leaf.  When you own your own business, with family working in it, you cannot be sick.  Visiting an elderly person in a nursing home - you cannot be sick.  It worked very well for us.  We only really took it if we felt a tickle in our throat.  We didn't have flu vaccinations and we didn't get the flu.  I was not very good at taking it last year and would often give my bottle of tablets to others in the family who needed it more than me.  (I have 4 children and 11 grandchildren so a very busy household).     Try drinking ginger water too.  Cut up some fresh ginger.  Leave it to soak overnight in boiled water and it will rebalance your inner core, especially emotions.  Also excellent for anti-nausea and natural.     Yes, I am hoping that there are major break throughs in cancer reserch.  One that I really like  is immunotherapy  a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer.  I saw a trial of this for colon and adenoid cystic carcinoma.  I could not participate as my grading was too low but who knows what could happen in the future?   I'm glad that you've found CBT oil.  It may help greatly with Radiotherapy side effects.  I have some in the freezer but have not felt the need to go down that track yet.     Whatever gland we have it in, we're still in the same boat diagnosis wise.  I hope your CT scan is clear.  Make sure you update me regularly on your treatment.   I will be very interested in how you manage throughout this.               ... 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