Hi Sch   Thank you for the warm welcome. At the moment I'm having second thoughts about bieng back. This is a tough process. Let me just highlight all the positives for you... ... View more

Hi RJG   Treat 5 Treatment 6 Treatments 2 Grand total 13 for treatment related words.   No act of war intended. Looking for more focussed support on topics such as inflamed butt holes. I still have a big heart but a swollen butthole to match.   This could be Pepper's revenge. Now he's been forced back into the dark void of my belly. Maybe Pepper's trying a blockade... No shit will pass. Or perhaps Pepper is only letting the shitty shit pass. It has been very shitty. Not the usual shit though. I feel there will be a shitty tally coming up in my next post. It's the new word of over use and abuse.   Nice work on the song references. I'm surprised you had the stomache for it... BURN! Elton's in Australia at the moment. Looking forward to seeing him in concert early next year.   In the meantime I'm becoming the master a new topic ... respect. I am now respecting what goes in the top has a profound impact on what comes out at the bottom. I'm not a master of controlling it, but I've definitely learnt some respect. Also... respecting the power of pelvic floor exercises. Five months of not giving a shit... Literally... discourages respect. Now I have a buttload of respect. Need to master that control too. Let's not say the Doctor didn't warn me... But holy crap!   All the best and good health  😁           ... View more

Hi Kit Kate and thread family   I'm back in hospital. Supposed to be checking out of my grand hotel today, but not feeling confident.    My chemo is done and I've just had my stoma reversal surgery. It seems I have to change forums but Australia doesn't seem to host one for my ongoing issues. Oh well! The UK has it covered.    So to treat my cancer, they gave me surgery. To treat my surgery, they gave me ileostomy surgery and a 5 month temporary stoma. A stoma is not a lot of work, but was difficult to treat the problems I initially had. Them I had chemo and I had to treat the side effects. Chemo put me in hospital three times because my body couldn't cope, so I needed treatment for that. Still coping with some niggling side effects from chemo, but glad it's behind me.   So now, in the pursuit of some normal living, reversal of stoma, to treat my surgery to treat my cancer. My new surgery treatment is  drawing to an end and nowhere near as severe as the prior. However, learning to reuse my colon... So many problems I'm experiencing and they all require some treatments.   Originally, I rolled everything up into a ball and labelled it cancer treatment. The almighty root treatment. But I've not had cancer since July and all this stupid, long term, painful, uncomfortable, annoying, undesirable, horrible, emotionly challenging, life threatening treatment is giving me the shits. Literally... I have an active colon now. Not a well behaved colon, but active nonetheless. It just means I have more treatments to deal with moving forward.   So is this a rant about cancer or the horrible treatments we endure to beat it. Maybe I just like the word treatment. I'll have to count how many times I've used it in this post.   Anyhooo... i'm doing well, how is everyone else? I'm looking forward to a nice new rabitohs scarf and some soft cheese in my cancer free future. I will survive    ... View more

Thanks Budgie.    Soft cheese is my goal. As soon as Pepper is stitch back up and poked back inside. Soft cheese is on the menu.   😁😁😁😁😁 ... View more

Hi Lampwork    I am very pleased to see your post. I was thinking this thread had dried up.  It seemed you, Ginger and I had dealt with our cancer treatments and just started getting on with life. Maybe we did?   I've been getting past my chemo blues.  Struggled to get though the last 3 out of 4 cycles. Apparently I am 1 in 20 who lack an enzyme to handle Capecitabine. They warned me at the start it could kill me and they were right. Don't care now. It's in the past, I'm on the mend and I consider my cancer treatment done and dusted. Still have to reverse my stoma in a few weeks and I have ongoing blood tests, CT scans and colonoscopy to spend my health insurance on in the coming years, but right now, I am considering myself cured. Just need to wait for the chemo side effects to vanish.   So recently, I started a new Job and I've been claiming back some independence and normal life activities. Then last week, things got turned upside down. My wife was seriously injured and was lucky to survive. I've had become the carer instead of being cared for. I had to be the one sleeping at home alone while she was in hospital. Thankfully she is recovering well and has been home since the weekend. It is still a contrast how I was facing a potentially slow death where I had to decide how to spend the rest of my days, while my wife had no time for such thoughts. Opposite ends of the same spectrum. The similarity though, how friends and family come out of the woodwork in support. Not just for the victim, but for the other family members too. It has helped me on my journey and I know my wife has been overwhelmed with the support and well wishes she has been receiving.   Someone said to me last week, that it's been a terrible year for us and we should be keen to sweep it under the carpet and start fresh next year. I look at it as being a challenging year. We've both been through a lot, both faced death and some serious treatment. But we've been very lucky and emerged as survivors. We have had a life/ death experience that most people could not imagine. I think it's made us both stronger and better people. Yet we are not counting our chickens too early, we both have a long journey ahead but I think we'll definitely be in a better position to deal with it in the future.   Anyhooo... i glad things are working out for you. It was good to hear from you again. Stay well, enjoy the warm weather and get ready for Christmas. The grand kids are already counting down.   🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 ☃️☃️☃️☃️☃️ 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌   All the best    Phil         ... View more

Hi Georgie   I'm at the end of my chemo following stage 3 bowel cancer. I'd like to say I'm handling it well, but I'm back in hospital again tonight. Struggling to stay hydrated the natural way. I think this is another terminated cycle, being third in a row now.    The chemo has been tough on me, but having 3 cycles cut short, I wonder if it's been enough to do the job. I suspect this is only my first cancer journey and like yourself, some point in the future, I get to do it all again. I'll be watching like a hawk for any signs for the rest of my life.   Anyhooo! Thought I'd say hi. Keep up the fight. You beat it once, you can do it again.   Ciao   Phil ... View more

Good morning Carolyn    You are welcome for the warm welcome. Warm it is in NSW. Except for that mountainous region around Canberra, although making a liar out of me at the moment.   I can see you are still new to cancer and the related journey antics you must both endure and force upon your loved ones. How do you explain the green stripe? Easy!!! I have cancer dummies!!! The family will just think you are sicker that you were before. The sympathy will start to pour. They might give you sympathy foot rubs, do sympathy washing the dishes. May even taken your deluded green striped arse to a sympathy Rabitohs game. Loved ones are great... Are you hearing me Lampwork? The kids need to come over and give you a footrub. And stock up your red and green wool. 🏉🏉🏉🏉🏉   On the subject of 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 I think you are getting the point. Baby steps a good. Fighting cancer is a journey. Plenty of time to let it build, but be careful not to tip the scale too far. Chocolate is important too. I can see you are a great visionary with the cheese cake idea. This is a new kind of wickedness I am yet to experience. Welcome once again to the forum. 🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮   As for the Sundae (i've been spelling it wrong, it's not a Sunday. Doh!), i'm going to leave all commentary to Claire. I thought about it, but this is her wheel house. But I think you neglected the most important flavour to send her to the moon.   Lilly is a cutie, but I'm sure my Lucy could have beaten her in a snore off at 10 paces. She's a freak. Sleeps with eyes open. Snores like a t-rex. This is Lucy and Sally. Not spoilt. Not at all. Really! Really, really! Ok... yes.   Here is a photo of my cat...   These are all the photo's I have of my cat...   And here are the photo's of all my other cats...   As you can see, all my cats are suffering from invisibility or absence. Unfortunately there is no cure.   Tell me about your chemo? I started 5 weeks after surgery. Fortunately half treatment of what they initially told me, but hopefully enough to do the job. I started on a Wednesday to. Stick a cannula in my arm around lunch time for a bag of Oxaliplatin, then two weeks of oral Capecitabine, followed by a weeks rest.    Cycle 1 was tough because I was dealing with the initial shock and antibiotics from a tooth infection. I soldiered through. I should have cried out for help in that first round.   Cycle 2 was tough. Oxaliplatin was more bareable but the Capecitabine put me in hospital after 7 days. I was starting to pass out from dehydration. Too much soldiering. Went to the big house (hospital). Stopped treatment early and gave me an additional recovery week before continuing.   Cycle 3 was tough. Oxaliplatin was unbearable. Capecitabine reduced to 3/4 dose, but run into similar issues. Stopped soldiering early (big house again). I think I jumped the gun a little early this time, but as it turned out, not by too much.   Cycle 4 (last one) - Oxaliplatin delivered over slower period to reduce shock which worked, but the symptoms much stronger. At least the warmer weather is helping. Capecitabine is now half dosage. I can feel the Capecitabine taking it's toll but so far it is under control. Really hoping to stay out of the big house this time around. Another 8 days to go, then I can just wait for the symptoms to drain away with my toxins.   In a nutshell (pun intended), chemo sucks balls. Not mine, not yours (which kind of resemble my cat(s)), but probably Eric Cartman's. That is the voice I here when I call my catch cry.  The hardest part I have dealing with it is knowing I'm taking a drug to hurt me, so it can help me. It beats me around the logical senses a little too much. I've had a tough time dealing with anxiety before each treatment. I just keep losing grip on the positive thoughts. It's been my greatest battle, probably more than the shock of learning about cancer in the first place. Fingers crossed, I've crossed the bridge for the last time.   I've been finding lot's of support from others and getting details on their chemo experience. The big positive is that my journey will not be yours. No one has been able to describe mine, but I still feel I've gotten off light. So hopefully my journey doesn't frighten you. It's different for everyone and you need to have your faith in the path they put you on.   I'd like to be more supportive with your lead up to chemo, but I couldn't manage to be supportive for myself. However, I wish you all the best for tomorrow and your first treatment. I'll check in on you. Keep a stiff upper lip and follow all the rules from your chemo education. Most importantly, don't forget to ask for help from those around you. Put your indendence and pride in a little box and take them back out when chemo stops beating you around the football field like a team without a green stripe.   Go the Rabitohs!   Phil   P.S. don't forget to play the cancer card for that foot rub. Tell them to use the moo goo 🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄 ... View more

Carolyn,    Welcome to the North! Since you are on this side of the border, you too will need a rabitohs scarf for next year so get your preorder in. And since you are doing hats, better send someone down to the shops for some red and green wool. Just check with Lampwork to make sure the shades match.   You'll also need an olive tree.   I suppose you think chocolate is a suitable replacement for cheese. It's not true. They sit side by side on the decadence and indulgence scale. You can not have one without the other. Now... I am telling you this because it is so important for recovery of cancer treatment. Not the cancer itself, that's the doctor's job. It is essential for battling the depression, pain, anxiety, etc, etc, etc... that those life saving angels cause you. So run up to IGA (or send a non-cancer-inflicted family member) to find a jar of Portugal style fetta and add liberally to a leafy smoked salmon salad. Then you'll need a nice fresh parmesan cheese grated on creamy bacon and mushroom ravioli. But don't overdo it with the pasta. To finish, you'll need a small round of camembert. Cut the top off and put it in the microwave, watching for it to melt. Put liberal dab of cranberry sauce and a sprig of mint leaf on the top. This is where you can overdo it. Go right ahead.   Most importantly.... don't share it. This is part of your training to turn you into a cheese enthusiast and help you achieve balance. Once you you have balance, you could die the next day and not care. Actually not true... still lots of chocolate and cheese in the world to eat and you wouldn't want to miss out.   🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫   I also must insist you post a photo of your dog(s), as dogs do cure cancer... Just with their cute faces and big brown eyes... or blue in this case. This is my Bonnie.   So congratulations on discovering you had cancer. Best to find it than not. On the other hand it really sucks you had it is the first place, as we all can attest to on this forum. I am glad this thread has been inspiring for you. I have drawn so much strength from this amazing group of people. Please keep reading and keep this important fact in mind... we are going for the record, although not really clear what that is or if we have passed it. But any contributions will surely help us hit that imaginary, uncertain, fabled goal.   Take care. I hope your recovery is smooth and complication free.   Cheers   Phil   P.S. Chemo sucks balls.   ... View more

Hi Ginger   Whether a fighter or whether a dancer It really sucks to be burdened with cancer To know we'll be sick and eventually dead With luck, we'll be struck by a bus instead   This blury pre-shave photo followed an exhaustive trim. Fat thumbs. It was actually an accidental selfie while in hospital absorbing a bag of Oxaliplatin into my left arm... You know... for good health.     I don't have a recent selfie of my clean shaven face. I might do one later today and see if I can hide my pale face and baggy eyes. I might need some professional photoshopping.   😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱       ... View more

Hi Misery Guts   If you are putting left over wool and anxiety to work, do you have red and green. I have a good feeling the rabitohs will bounce back next year. It maybe time for preorders. 🏉🏉🏉🏉🏉   I'm like you. Expecting to bounce back to normal, but haven't forgot I have a new normal. Last cycle of chemo (Yay! 🥳), but the oncologist reminded me of the ongoing tests over the coming years to make sure the treatment was successful. I am still uncertain of ongoing bowel issues I'll have. It seem's I'll be "that guy" for the rest of my life that can't eat what everyone else is having. That's also due to anaphylaxis as well. Part of the aging process I guess, so I can't blame it all on cancer. I just need to consider that this is my journey and I'll have to play the cards life has dealt me.   No matter how bad it seems, I still pick up my guitar and belt out some tunes. It's not pretty. The chemo has killed my throat again, so another 2 weeks before I can sing reasonably. It also kills my finger sensitivity and they are twitching really bad this time, so playing is poor. And the strings are cold so my fingers go from numb, to sharp pins and needles, to pain, to cramping. But I still continue to play and sing, although some would debate that from an audience's perspective . Music is it's own disease. I have to do it regardless. 🎸🎵🎶🎵🎶   As for the family, I did have the opposite point of view a while ago. I guess similar to your family. Treat things as normal. Perhaps they deal with it easier thinking you are back to normal. I've learnt a lot from this website and communication is one of them. You might be doing this well already, but they are just not hearing it. Let them know you are still recovering and need their support instead. I've actually been trying to fight my chemo and still be as normal as possible, but today, my youngest was supposed to be home looking after me. She decided to hang out with friends late and then her car broke down on the other side of Canberra. So off to the rescue between chemo crashes. Fortunately I had a window of low fatigue to pull it off, much like now, being awake in the middle of the night for hours. I guess what it comes down to, I was okay to try to be normal and do normal things, but I wasn't prepared to be forced into rescuing someone in the dark on a chilly Canberra evening on the other side of town, when she should have been looking after me. I guess I need to practice this myself, but so do you. Say "No". Shit happens. Somebody has a problem and needs grandparental help. Others are suffering from cancer treatment. The balance of shit distributions is a little skewed and others need to see that. Say it with me... "No". In fact, you should put a button on it by sending the kids out to buy you some more red and green wool because you are still recovering from cancer treatment. Now that I've raised it, I can see that Sch and KitKate are going to want a rabitohs scarf as well. Don't worry about Ginger... Victorian football I'm sure. No use catering for the minority.   Nice to know you have an olive tree too. Something else we all seem to have in common.   I have the chocolate and vanilla fortisip. I don't mind them. I've been eating heaps leading into this last cycle so my weight is over 90kg. I've been trying to carb load and I've been exercising more, so it's not all bad weight. As far as muscle is concerned, I wasted away and I get exhausted easily. Last weekend, it took me two days to cut the rusty floor out of my trailer. Should have been half a day. It's the first big outside job I've done since surgery apart from a little gardening. In a couple of weeks, I can clean up the frame and weld the new floor in. I'll let chemo have it's wicked way with my body first. Hopefully I can keep my strength up with some regular exercise and burn off a little newly acquired flab. My loss of appetite is starting to kick in, but I'm at the heaviest I've been since surgery, so I think I have enough reserve to build some muscle and survive a poor dietary intake period. I still have my chocolate and vanilla fortisip to get me through 😁   I hope my post is up to scratch with your epic posts. I've been a bit lazy on the forum lately, but it's a good sign. It means I am being active and keeping busy. I have more time to come back to the forum when I'm laid up... or wide awake in the middle of the night, although it's dawn now. "Good Morning" 🌞   I offer you a masterpiece. It offers some advice on simple ways of dealing with life's challenge. Probably drug induced, but no judgement. Strawberry fields forever. There is an amazing story about this song. John Lennon had two versions of it in different keys because of the instruments that were used. He wanted to combine them into one. So one version was played slower to bring it into key with the other version and it also aligned the tempo of the two versions very closely. You can hear how John's voice sounds slower in the latter verses.   I like this verse. "No one I think is in my tree I mean it must be high or low That is you can't, you know, tune in But it's all right That is, I think, it's not too bad"   🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓   Take care Lampwork. I hope you find some normal somewhere. Perhaps in some red and green glass beads 😁   I leave you with this one final thought. How can you tell when a cancer patient is terminal??? They use their Visa card more often than their hospital parking pass.    Ciao   ... View more