He is just absolutely gorgeous!  Congratulations to both you and Donna. Christine ... View more

Kevin, I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Easter and that Donna is doing well (those last few days are tough).  I read your post last night and went away to think about it.  Maybe what I discovered about myself about 8 years ago may help.  I walked out of a meeting at work, really angry about the instructions I had been given by my boss.  Walking into the kitchen I immediately thought 'Sod him.  I'll have a piece of chocolate cake and that will fix that'.  Epiphany - I realised that I generally swallowed my anger - literally.  And now that my husband has bowel cancer I find that more wine than I should is often my solution - thanks for the wake up call because maybe I am really angry!! And, oh yes, and we really could do more with the money too. Take care, Christine ... View more

Hi Kaza,  Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you but this week has just been insane.  Thanks for mentioning the faulty gene - Tony needs to tell his two sons to get tested, however, we do not have any way of contacting them (that's another whole story).  Once he has had his operation then maybe he can spend some time chasing them up.  The thing is that Tony has no parental history available to him so maybe that is something that adopted children need to take into account if they are in the same position.  One of the other things they found when doing all the scans etc. is that he has an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm which our GP says is likely to be familial. Looking back he should have had the relevant bowel cancer tests done over the years so that early changes were picked up sooner. I shall see if there is a bowel cancer support group near us as I can imagine that it would be helpful to both of us. Thanks and take care, Christine ... View more

Good luck and all my warmest wishes to you and Rob.  Sleep can be elusive in the early weeks but I found that eventually tiredness overcame and I began sleeping again.  Try and focus on just the present - don't think about what tomorrow may bring - I find it easier to manage that way.  Take care, Christine ... View more

Hi Howells's, I am finding that 7 weeks after the diagnosis it is still surreal. I find that it is rather like being on a ferris wheel some days I am at the bottom and others on top. It seems that there is no exact map to follow on this except to maintain a positive focus on each day. My carer role so far is one of just being there for support for Tony, acting as taxi driver to and from radiation and chemo and being his nutritionist. I am a firm believer that diet can go an extraordinarily long way in helping us recover from all sorts of things. We have eaten organic foods for some years now and do not buy pre-packaged or pre-prepared foods, so my focus is on making sure Tony gets the right mix of protein, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins etc. etc. Take care of yourself and make sure you get adequate rest and time out - this is just so important if we carers are to continue to give strength and love to our partners. Warmest regards to you and Rob. Christine ... View more

Thanks Mikey,  Tony is now half way through the radiation and so far no side effects (saw the doctor today and he is really pleased with progress to date).  The bleeding has stopped, he has put on 1 kg in the past week and bowel habits are back to normal.  Last night he managed a full nights sleep for the first time in 6 months!!!!!! We are really hopeful that this is a good thing!  Also for the first time there were no dramas with the chemo this week - the past two have involved lots of fainting (him not me) and doctors, ECG's etc.  The chemo is via 24 x 7 portocath thingy (I'm just sooo good at this medical speak). This time everything was laid out ready for the drama and it didn't happen - probably because I stayed out in the waiting area for a change. Christine   ... View more

Thanks Kevin, it is good to know that there is someone who can talk to my husband from a similar situation.  I know he is worried but he doesn't share his thoughts too much with me at this stage and I can understand that in a way.  I'm glad that you have made it through successfully - it gives me more confidence that we will too. You have helped me feel more positive.  Thanks. Dragonwyk (Christine)   ... View more