Hi Judy, I hope you are OK as I have not heard from you for a good while now. I have had trouble accessing this page , but have managed to find it tonight. There is no record of my last few messages on it so I don't think you would have received them I replied to your comment about people thinking you are fine because you are back at work. I think you are amazing to be at work at all. I just deon't have much energy anymore. I think it is a by product of the chemo. I have to go into hospital for exploratory in my bladder. Life is an endless round of scans and hospital visits isnt it? I hope you are well and it isnt all getting on top of you. I think of you often and wish you all the best coping with work Hope to hear from you soon Jenny ... View more

Hi, I just read your comments of 5th Sept 2011 and agree with you entirely. Just because we are functioning in the world again every one assumes we feel fine. I replied to the last message I had from you but it seems it and your last message have gone astray and we have lost contact. I understand from your comments that all is not OK and I am thinking of you. I find that as I have returned to some of my old activities and interests my friends expect me to be able to do all that I used to. I just can't and get very very tired to the point of exhaustion. I am learning to be very blunt with them, and it is obvious that they just can't comprehend how bad you feel at times. Hope to hear from you soon. Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, Sorry about the long silence. I have been very unwell and just unable to focus on the computer. You are correct about the Cisplatin. It is horrible stuff!!! The last round made me very ill and before I could get over that, I had more Gemcitibane which knocked me again. I have a CT Scan this coming week and then a review with my Oncologist so really hope I can have a break from the chemo. It takes everything away from you and you begin to wonder if it is worth it. I hope your cough has cleared up by now, and that you are keeping well. I remember you said that you had to see your Oncolgist again so hope that went well. How is your friend from work who had her kidney removed? She has a long road ahead too. I have been 6 months now since it all began and it seems much longer. You must be over 12 months now. We had a short trip away in our caravan. I seemed to sleep most of the time, but it was a change of scenery anyway and good for my husband to get away from housework too. Our weather has been woeful for weeks, but a bit of sun is showing through today. It makes things look better. I too, have been suffering a bit of depression. I think the effects of the chemo and drugs causes it. It is hard to be cheerful when you feel like a zombie Hope to hear from you soon. Your friend Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, Good to hear from you again. My chemo regime sounds much the same as yours was. I was unable to have the scheduled Cisplatin this week because my kidney function was not up to scratch, so I only had gemcitabine, which doesn't effect me too much. The chemo Nurse said we will try the Cisplatin again next cycle if my kidney has recovered enough, however I am feeling unsure about that as I really do not want to risk my only kidney. Maybe another chemo can be used. I intend to discuss it with them on my next day on thursday. I am finding being isolated from social activities a bit trying, but I know it is too risky to catch a cold with my blood levels so low. Apart from a lot of sleeping I am doing patchwork and sewing and some very slow housework. Being so weak is a drag as I have always been very active with sport and other activities. However, I guess all this is in a good cause(I hope). I hope your friend is recovering well from her op. Yes, she is being very hopeful, saying she will be back at work in 6 weeks. I said that about Bowls, and now I realize it could be a year or more. I hope your cough is clearing up. It is a hard time of year to get rid of colds. I don't know where you live, but here in Victoria it is very cold and foggy. I try to walk the dog every day but today is pea soup fog so cannot risk it. We hope to have another few days away in our caravan after my next chemo. Look after yourself Your friend Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, I have just returned from 4 days in Mildura so just read your message tonight. I am very sorry to hear about your friend with kidney cancer that has gone to her bones. There is alway someone worse off than we are. Is hers TCC too. I had a Palliative care Nurse visit me this week and I felt very strange about it, almost indignant because I think Palliative care is for people who are dying, but then I realized that my odds are only about 30% of survival over 5 years and I realized that maybe it was appropriate after all. I begin my second round of chemo on thursday, Cisplatin this time so expect to be out of it for four or five days again. The gemcitibane never effected me at all apart from giving me a voracious appetite. At this rate I will weigh a ton. Has your cough and cold cleared up yet? I hope so. Well I must go and get some beauty sleep. Keep well best wishes ..... Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, I have just returned from 4 days in Mildura so just read your message tonight. I am very sorry to hear about your friend with kidney cancer that has gone to her bones. There is alway someone worse off than we are. Is hers TCC too. I had a Palliative care Nurse visit me this week and I felt very strange about it, almost indignant because I think Palliative care is for people who are dying, but then I realized that my odds are only about 30% of survival over 5 years and I realized that maybe it was appropriate after all. I begin my second round of chemo on thursday, Cisplatin this time so expect to be out of it for four or five days again. The gemcitibane never effected me at all apart from giving me a voracious appetite. At this rate I will weigh a ton. Has your cough and cold cleared up yet? I hope so. Well I must go and get some beauty sleep. Keep well best wishes ..... Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, Sorry about the slow reply. I have had a few ups and downs and not up to looking at the computer screen. I had a real battle with constipation but have that sorted now I hope as it was agony and very nauseous making. Had another lot of chemo today and all is very well. My blood levels are good and I feel fine tonight. I suspect they put something in my drip to pep me up. The chemo drugs I am having are called Gemcitabine and Cisplatin. The Gemcitibine is supposed to be harder than the Cisplatin to cope with I will find out in the next few days. I tried your hint about sipping ginger ale and it works very well.About 1 can a day keeps me going. I wish you a very happy birthday for last week and hope you enjoy your Andre Reiu Concert. We have some of his DVDs and enjoy them thoroughly. I mentioned to the Nurses in our Oncolgy ward about how good it was to have you to talk to and they said they will tell others about the Cancer Connect Web site. It is amazing how few people know of the WebSite or even about the Cancer Helpline. They are missing out on a lot of support Hope your chest cold is clearing and gives you some peace of mind Bye for Now Your friend Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, Well I am emerging from the effects of my first day of chemo.I found day 3and 4 very nauseous so took my little white pills and managed to sleep through most of the day and night.I think constipation is my next problem, but working on that. Mouth ulcers came and went in 24 hours but I suspect they will emerge again after my next chemo next thursday. There is a brand new Oncology Unit to be opened in July where I have my chemo. The current building is very small and crowded so any sort of privacy is impossible, even using the commode! I guess we can get used to just about anything if we need to! I have had some friends visit me today ,which is nice but I ask them if they have colds before I let them in. Did you find you had tom almost isolate yourself from the world for fear of infection? Have you recovered from your chest cold.? I can imagine you worrying that it could be a lung cancer. I think we will have these fears as part of our lives forever now. We have a beautiful day here today, so I give thanks for that and intend to enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to your comments each time we talk. Keep Well Your friend Jenny ... View more

Dear Judy, Your last message arrived on my email inbox not 2 minutes after I posted the above message to you. I hope your chest cold clears soon. Yes I can imagine your concern about your lungs. I think we will be forever thinking the worst every time we get an ache or pain or twinge. I have another suspected growth on a lymph node near my aorta,which I hope the chemo will reduce. Not certain if it is more cancer or fluid from my last operation. All the best , talk again soon, Jenny ... View more

Hi Judy, I am not sure if your last message got lost. The last one I had from you was on 21st April. I visited my Oncologist yeasterday. A 13 hour round trip to Melbourne and back, but the good news is I am able to have my chemo just an hour from home . I begin chemo on thursday . Only one day a week to start with and probably for a period of 3 months. I guess that could change depending on the results of my next CT scan. I found out that my cancer is classified as stage 3 , not stage 4 as I had thought so the odds are somewhat better than I had become resigned to. I am feeling quite well now so hope that gives me a good start with the chemo. I will just have to find out like everyone else how I am going to handle it. I hope your good health is continuing. I think of you often as we have the connection of being in the same situation. Best wishes Regards Jenny ... View more