Hey craftyone It is an insidious disease! My thoughts are with you and sending hugss your way. Julie ... View more

Hi kittycat Another country patient here, if you want to rant about appointments and such please feel free to contact me. I found that most city people don't have a clue and one suggestion was I might like to catch the train. I laughed at that one because it would mean me getting at 4.30 am to be able to get there and then having to get my 82 year old mother up at 5am to give me a lift. I live approx half an hour from her ... hence the time frame diff. All of this to travel under the proviso that I would get treatment if they had a bed available. We are already under enough stress without having to travel all that way with no guarantee of being treated. It is overwhelming at times and I felt exactly the same as you. Hang in there and before you know it you will be coming out the other end. I hope you have a cancer nurse to help out with coordinating your appointments, mine was invaluable, although she could only work within the system. Julie ... View more

lol S ... I have decided its the goat or me! It has eaten my tomato bush that has about a dozen tomatoes on it. Dave, we all do the tears thing and stumble through the tunnel and then all of a sudden you get a glimmer or light. Sometimes that light becomes a little dim or goes out for a bit and then you will see it again. take care everyone ... View more

lol S ... I just got home from visiting a friend and shopping and omg. The male goat has got to go! He keeps head butting me and then he jumped in the car closely followed by the baby goat. Luckily the sheep looked on from afar! They all had their heads in the shopping bags and I am kind of glad I will be away for a couple of days this week. The boys can take care of the goats! Hope your merry-go-round settles to a nice pace for you soon. ... View more

Hi Harker I am the same really, in that once I was diagnosed I have received exceptional care clinically speaking. Just the peripheral bits that need a tad tidying up, just my opinion of course. I highly doubt the people that have changed my appointments realise that now instead of 400kms I will be travelling 800. Luckily I can drive myself there even though I still get very tired. I liked the article because it encompasses more than just clinical treatment. I liked the sound of your book?, it is good to explore all options, experiences and or problems. thanks Julie ... View more

Hi vicki Am on 3.5 acres just outside of a city. Not that its a major city but a city it is. lol It was sad when i had to travel away for treatment as I had hand raised William (rooster), Spunky and Carina (the girls). I didn't really have the facilities to do so but their mother got killed and the dog was helping to bring them all in and had chick legs hanging out of her mouth. It is a madhouse here sometimes! William would continue to visit "inside" and I would get his attention by callling his name and he would cock his ear to me and then I would say to him "it is time for you to be outside" and then pitter patter down the lino he would toddle off back outside again. Unfortunately, he had a son called "wilhelm" and wilhelm was not nice and killed his dad. Then treatment came and i had to give them all away. I used to have isa browns collectively known as "the girls" and then some had individual names. They would low fly from across the back paddock whenever I got home because I might have sunflower seeds. Quite funny to watch. It sounds like you had a fun childhood. 🙂 I bet the piglets were a giggle with their squealing. Clement the goat is quite nice except when he doesnt get his own way and i think he gets a bit confused at times that he isnt actually human. Have you got any animals these days? I would seriously like to get some dexter cows, they are very expensive though. Julie ... View more

Hi Harker You might find this an interesting read. :) http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827870.100-why-health-is-not-fit-for-purpose.html Julie ... View more

Harker I am cranky too! I made an appointment for this week and then received in the mail one for next week. Now that means I have to travel to Perth this week and twice next week. am grrrrrring and someone has made another appointment for me for this week when i will be in perth. No one has consulted me in any of this. Pissed off! scuzee the language :D and ... somewhere in all of this I am supposed to be finding a new job! and clement ate my mondo grass which is really slow growing and was just starting to look good! ... View more

Hey Vicki I used to think that goats = cute ... not any more courtesy of clement. He head butts everything when he doesn't get his own way. lol He ws doing it to my back door the other day because i woulnd't let him inside. I visited a wheat and sheep farm when i was a kid and spent about a week there helping out. Did you end up raising a few lambs? I am tossing up whether to do that and also tossing up with the idea of getting a poddy. I had to get rid of my chooks while i was going through treatment and very tempted to get more of those. haha menagerie coming up ... i can feel it. Julie ... View more

Hey Vicki and crafty I am with you guys ... be mindful of what might happen and in the meantime live life and be as happy as you can. You are good doing the tree thing Vicki haven't done that for a few years now, not since my father passed away on boxing day. This year we are being a little bit more outwardly festive. If you guys want a bit of a giggle ... i have been looking after a male goat (clement) and a female sheep (seanette) and then another baby goat was given to me to mind (victoria aka lawn mower of the female variety). These animals were all bottle raised and housed in some backyard in the city. They do not like being paddock animals and escape all the time. Now they have munched my tomato plants and fruit, all my succulents and mondo grass - all of which i have been raising to sell to raise money for the cancer council and now they have all been trimmed. I think i might suggest to the goat owner he might like to make a donation to the cc instead. haha take care everyone Julie ... View more