Hey oldhippy Hope you are traveling a bit better since your last chemo. I always found day 3 and 4 was when my nausea peaked. I talked to my onco bloke and he made some adjustments and I actually felt great on my last one. I felt better on chemo than I had for a very long time ... which is kind of strange I guess. I agree with the crap tolerance ... in some ways we end up with a better life than bc, least that is how I see it and I am sure not everyone can relate to my way of thinking. Just keep talking to those medical people and they can help a lot. They are amazingly clever (imho) and I am eternally grateful to my onco bloke and his team. Even if I did lose a bet with an intern and had to walk to the cafe and buy him a muffin. haha It takes a while to get used to the new normal and I think that is one thing that most cancer patients struggle with at some stage. For myself I figure that we go through a "process" and everyone does, albeit some at different stages. Kind of like the elizabeth kubler ross book on the grieving process. Not sure if that is the correct spelling on that name. Julie ... View more

Hey oldhippy Your secret is safe with me and the rest of the site. lol Chemo mucks with your brain for a long time after taking it. I have just returned to working and am struggling a bit. It is difficult as its a new job and I don't want to be making excuses but I can tell you it is impacting on me. The SSRI receptors? Sorry but am not familiar with those. :) I love Jarrah and havea friend that is making some wonderful things out of it. My brother also has been known to be creative with it. Actually my brother milled a large piece of Jarrah in the bush (with a friend) and made a dining room table with it. He used shellack on it and has downlights and it is quite a sight at night time with the light shining on it. I have always appreciated old things, hopefully your kids will become more interested as time goes on. How are you travelling with your chemo at the mo? Julie ... View more

Hey oldhippy I think what is important is that we can communicate whatever is that is going on for us at any given time. Hope you dont get busted for the hard waste stuff. lol Am sure Bach is very soothing and there has been research done on the effects of music being used as healing and or the effects on the brain in relation to concentration. I cant remember much about it these days. Might have to research it again and see if it jogs the memory. I bet that hardwood is beautiful wood. My dad made a grandfather clock out of 90 year old jarrah. It came (legally haha) from the old wooden jetty in town and it is just such beautiful wood. I have a coffee table made out of 60 year old jarrah and it is not only sturdy but such a beautiful colour and grain in the wood. Ok, time for me to get something happening around here. Julie ... View more

Hi Oldhippy I think we all bury our heads in the sand a bit when going through the cancer experience. I think it is a way of our bodies protecting ourselves and only allowing us to deal with things as and when we are more emotionally able to do so. I still suffer from chemo brain at times and mostly when i get physically tired. Chemo can do some wonderful things to our bodies and yet it can play havoc on our bodies at the same time. No wonder our heads have a hard time getting around that. I liked my oncologist and I am quite sure it helped as I have heard of others that have not clicked with their onco blokes/women and requested a change and/or just put up with it. I am sure there is a plan and I think sometimes as a consumer (I hate that word as I normally choose to consume and I don't believe I was given a choice in this instance) / patient that we feel disengaged from the plan or process that we are going through. I hope you are feeling a little better now. I found when I was quite ill from my chemo that I just spoke to my onco bloke and he adjusted things and away we went with me feeling much better. I found it was pretty amazing what they can do to make us feel ok when we are being hammered by chemo. Your GP sounds like a special person. The first time I was diagnosed with cancer (22 years ago now) I had the most amazing gp. He sat me down and was quite frank in his discussion, which I think took a lot of courage on his behalf. Not easy to tell someone with a six week old baby that they might only live for a month. He then told me on the way out to make another appointment to come back and see him after the weekend and we would go through everything again. Which we did and I found was very helpful. As he said to me at the time "you will not remember much of what we are talking about right now and you need to know these things" Going back to see him again was beneficial and I was more able to take in what was being said to me. You will find your way around the site eventually. I wouldnt stress too much about where your rants should go and a lot of people find this site difficult to navigate around. :) Julie ... View more

Hey oldhippy I cant remember the name of the painting / avatar? but it was in a gallery somewhere. Someone once emailed me with the info ... chemo brain strikes again perhaps? :) Julie ... View more

Saline water with bicarb in for mucositis and i think also manuka honey can help with that. ... View more

Hiya Just Me gosh, that must be so tough for you and I cannot think of anything to help you out. I hope that your mum will accept some help soon. Are you getting any support? Because as a daughter and carer you will need it also. Am really sorry that I cannot offer you anything other than an ear to sound off to. Julie ... View more

Hiya Just Me It sounds like your mum might need some help from a professional. Is she seeing a psychologist or counsellor at all? Is the hospital aware of how badly your mum is with her emotional state at the moment? If it was me I would try and get the depression and coping mechanism into place first and then focus on what you will do. Such a hard time for you all and I hope your mum can find some peace soon. Julie ... View more

Hi Vicki Anne Tough decision for you to have to make! It does seem a wise choice and at least you wont be hooked up to anything for the wedding. Wonderful that your husband is so supportive of you , that is a great comfort to you I am sure. Have you been taking any photos lately? I got a new camera for xmas and have been playing with it a bit. Not that i am terribly good at it. Going to try and upload a pic of the beach that I was at the other day so that S can see it. Sending you a virtual hug Julie ... View more

Hi Just Me I am sorry to hear if your mothers diagnosis ... it is a tough thing for any family to come to terms with. My thoughts are with you and your mother at this time and I hope you can have some good times aswell as the sad ones. I hope you will tap into some help if you feel you need it. The cancer council has a help line and also i think you can organise counselling through your gp. thinking of you all Julie ... View more