Karma? - do Bots have karma, since their just machines? - can they read your comments, consider them, change their operation? So the spam will proliferate, irrespective of what we have got to deal with as individuals, or feel strongly about. In return, we get the internet, places like this, in the breaks between irritations. Everyday crap will go on, even when we are not here to notice it. We are not that important. Andrew the oldhippy ... View more

Hi Ben, no idea if the health insurance runs out, or turns into vaporware. But, given my life expectancy, dont think its going to be a problem. And if it is, well, will deal with it when it happens. No idea about the premiums going up either - never even thought of it. Travel insurance is different - anything cancer related is specifically excluded from coverage. BUT - it does cover you if the ship hits an iceberg, near Vietnam. Andrew the oldhippy ... View more

Hi Ben, glad to see you have the financial stuff sorted out - really, dont need this sort of "real world" accounting garbage at this time in my life either! And I am really glad I kept up my private insurance! ...... ... View more

Hi Xanadu, feel for you, lousy place to be - it will pass, its the chemo stuffing around with your head, thats all. (Gee, its amazing how you get used to all this after a while - still totally sucks when it hits you though) ... View more

For me so far its been relatively cheap - had to pay an initial excess of $300 for my health fund for day oncology, for the year, but everything else is bulk billed - got the PBS card, so far its all been covered. And I got a disabled parking sticker - like, WOW! - (hard to get excited, but helps a bit when you need a litre of milk and am feeling stuffed from Chemo) And I get Seniors Discount when I look real stuffed. again, like, WOW! There has to be a more equitable, rational way of doing this - you should not be hit so hard with costs - can you talk to your medicos about this, see if anyone can advocate for you. Cancer Nurse, Social Worker? Andrew the oldhippy. ... View more

Agreed - its a place where you dont have to be "nice" to all those kind people around you who are being insanely optimistic. Time out to rant and rave, howl at the moon, wonder what the heck this pill is for.... Andrew the oldhippy. ... View more

Hi Deb, wow, your experiences pretty well tally with mine - - I was diagnosed a week before you, same chemo thingy, blah blah blah. All the medical crap that we have to put up with. Its the head stuff that drives you mad - the niggardly little things as well, such as being too stuffed to get the paper - as far as I can work out, its the Chemo Brain effect kicking in - you start looking at things a whole lot differently...and some of it , well, could just as easily have given it a miss. Medication - find stuff that works for YOU - anti-D's are weird, you have to find the "right" one (bit like Oncology - the "lets give this a go" approach to medication) Same for sleeping stuff - I find the light green ones work well, the blue ones are Bad News - dont touch them. Calms the dog down, but thats about it. Talk to a cancer nurse here if you can - lets be realistic, its the nurses who are running the place anyway. Bit more informative too, usually. Cherish the good days - hit a gallery, go out for a coffee, anything, even if you cant plan days/weeks ahead. "Be here now" as they said in the 70's. The bad days - their crap, nothing more needs to be said. Andrew the oldhippy ... View more

Hi, welcome to the the 3am conversation area - there is so much going on for you, no wonder sleep is disturbed! - you can get stuff called Termazepam from your GP/Oncologist, it works - I use it sparingly, usually for a few nights after Chemo are the worst. Or else I stay awake all night in my workshop, pottering around, waiting for the sunrise so I can go down the street to the bakers and get fresh croissants and cappuccino and the newspapers for my darling wife. If not totally stuffed, take the dogs with me. You say (write) what you like - we are all on the same journey, a totally mad one, so give free rein to your feelings. Amazing the thoughts that now arise, the things we think about at this stage of our lives.... Andrew the oldhippy. ... View more

Well, whatever analogy works for you Ben - as a techno nerd, I started thinking the same way, ie define problem, devise methodology to "fix" it. Drove me NUTS cause there is/was no clear reference manual on the whole subject. No step by step guidelines. Come to a grudging acceptance of the new reality of not knowing what each day will bring. And enjoying the good days, putting up with the bad ones. But, not going to buy any sophisticated new machine tools, or test equipment, or start any long term projects. Still trying to get rid of 30 years of radio "junque" collecting so my wife doesn't have to do it when I die - so far, one trailer load to a sale, one lot to QLD, one lot to USA. And I can now, for the first time in years, walk unhindered from one end of the workshop to another! BTW - your list of endangered species criteria - shouldn't humans be in there with plague locusts, ie cull them as much as possible as they are stuffing the planet Good luck - its actually a fascinating journey once you get your head around it all.....let us know how you are going on your particular journey. Andrew the oldhippy ... View more

Hey, rant all you like - I do. Bit hard to do it anywhere else. People look at you, weird like.... ------------------ you said.. My problem has been as you stated, oldhippy, the sense of disconnection. I no longer view myself and the world in the same way and this has caused a lot of difficulties with some of my relationships. Very different world views and views of what is important in life. Facing one's mortality will do that to you. end quote. ------------------ yep, thats a real bastard that one - seems to be a common thread - the work thing, - so much of our identity is where we fit in the Hive, what we do rather than who we are... AND its all over the bloody place - wow, today I managed to clean up the back yard - started a week ago, but thats cool. was a lovely day. Is it Chemo Brain? - or being faced with our own mortality. The not knowing pisses me off - all the constraints I dont need, getting in the way of things I want to do (woo woo.) (that was for the preposition police...) So. tomorrow. No idea whats going to happen. Wish it would make up its mind. Got the washing done anyway. The old, mundane questions still shape our shared fate - is it going to rain tonight or not? And can I organise myself to go to the shops for...(something)..... Andrew the oldhippy. ... View more