That is so awesome - I love it - being a celebrant will be great.  How cool ! ... View more

Hi Ashes    are you still there?  ... View more

Yes I swam with the dolphin and one kept pushing on my left side with its beak. I later found out I had cancer in my left kidney. ... View more

Hi Helen, my condolences to you. He was a champion..... Please let us know when/ where his musical is staged. PA ... View more

Good on you Tim. I think it is a great idea to talk about when you are feeling good ( there are enough bad days) , it is an encouragement to others. Enjoy today. Mignon ... View more

Hi Tim,.. Folfox seems to be agreeing with you, well done. A ready supply of home made soup is good, lots of lovely vegies and not too strong a flavouring, like curry or chilly. My wife would feel a bit tired on day 2 and 3, but after that her energy levels would come back. Keep out of the fridge / freezer, and no drinks with ice. Take care, wombat4 ... View more

Hi Tim, Try not to take on too much, plan your day around the lack of energy you are feeling, and keep the more involved tasks for when the treatment is leaving your system. Think of the folfox as a good thing that is reducing lesion size. My wife would have the chemo every 2 weeks, on monday, and feel tired for a few days and then have more energy from about thursday. So out of the fortnightly cycles, three quarters of the time she felt she could get on with things. Good luck wombat4 ... View more

Hi Jasbach. Anxiety and panic attacks can be are very real and distressing for the person involved and those around them. You probably made the right choice in not going to hospital. Try not to take on tasks that are going to stress you, if the rubbish dosnt get put out this week, it can wait till next week. Recognise triggers and stressors that may set off these attacks and try to avoid them. When you come home from chemo have a interesting DVD ready or a book to involve yourself in and try to have some quiet time, try not to focus too much on what is happening in your life at the moment, be kind to yourself, do not take on too much. Know where your anxiety medication is, make notes of where you put these things that are important to you, like your back support Keep going to the psych, and put in place the tools she is giving you to work with this. The less stress you feel, the stronger you will be to fight and overcome the illness. I notice that you say the anxiety has settled in for good, well no it hasnt, it is an extra hurdle that you do not need, but with the right tools you will overcome it. wombat4 ... View more

Hi there I have a port in my right hand shoulder, i did the iv thing from home when i was having my three days worth of chemo, folfox was the one aswell! You get a cool little carry case (well in WA you do not sure about other hospitals and states) i would make sure i had plenty of cord hanging from the port and wrap it around the cassette in the carry bag and i would sleep on my back with the carry case on my stomach, i am lucky that i have always slept on my back so didnt really roll around, i think if you are worried, you sleep but you are still very aware that you dont want to rip anything out so tend to sleep in one spot does this make sense. Goodluck with it all, i had a continuous chemo for six weeks with radiotherapy at the same time, then the operation to remove my tumour then six months worth of chemo, i didnt find the neuropathy to bad but i made sure i didnt eat or drink anything cold or touch anything cold. A bit of advice for the shower, go to bunning and buy a hook that you hang pot plants on the hang the cassette on when you have a shower, i found that the best way, i would put it in a plastic shopping bag and hang it on the hook so i didnt have to worry about it getting wet. I wish you all the very best with your treatment. Kind regards Stacey ... View more

Hope all goes well. ... View more