July 7th and 8th

July 7th was an interesting day.

My expectation was that I would finally get over the worst effects of the chemo therapy and be in a position to lose the queasiness associated with the chemicals. The theory was good. I did not take any anti nausea medication the day before and so woke up feeling better.

In that jolly mood I managed to scrape together some breakfast of a Weet-Bix like cereal that on the advice of the nutritionist I made with warm milk and sugar for a change. I have to tell you all that the little cereal thinggies seem to act like a sponge. They actually absorb around 200 to 250 ml of milk. No wonder the nutritionists tell you to drink lots of fluids when you eat high fibre cereals.

To tell the truth with some sliced banana the final 'dish' is quite palatable. What with the price of bananas these days it is of course a luxury food.

However in looking at the presentation I have to say that it appears more like baby food than something that should be fed to adults. Still if you think about what happens to it once it gets past the lips - who cares! It's nourishing.

It was a very cold night in Canberra and with temperatures outside going down to minus 4 degrees Celsius the house can get quite cold during the night unless the heating is maintained. If you maintain the heating then it can also get stuffy. So it's a choice of impacting your sinuses and finding it difficult to breathe or putting on more layers of clothing to stay warm.

I am experimenting with both options to see which is more comfortable. I am sure that there is a middle ground that will be useful in the end. Of course there is always the hope that spring and summer will come sooner than later and resolve the problem that way. Maybe it is from such wistful thinking that the phrase "hope springs eternal." originated?

Discussed the bursting capillaries in the nose and as expected there was a great deal of sympathy, but not much in the way of suggestions on how to fix the problem. So once again I am working on my own solutions to this little annoyance. I suspect that whatever makes up the sinuses swells with the heat instead of constricting and so blocks the system. Have to figure out a way to deal with this.

Had a nasty turn yesterday when my left hand side suddenly locked up - frozen in a muscle spasm (I hope).

Just managed to get on the phone to my partner and just in case it was something OTHER than muscle lock up - asked if she could swing by and have a look and possibly to take me to my appointment for the daily treatment which was at 12:05 as I was really unsure whether I could even try and drive myself.

Being the wonderful person she is - she was home in a flash. Thank goodness it does not seem to be anything other then muscle spasms and with some heat from a heat pack or hot water bottle the impact became progressively less.

I was able to go to the treatment session and was kindly driven there and back. It did not take long and we could actually enjoy a lunch together before she had to run back to the work place and add additional hours of work to her already busy schedule to make up for my issues.

While at the oncology unit I did manage to get some comments from the staff about the 1998 French World Cup sweatshirt I was wearing. It's interesting to hear people's views on the French. Most who do not speak a word of French and have visited Paris will tell you what an arrogant bunch they are. Those who do speak at least a smattering of the language and have traveled outside the main cities can also tell you about Gallic arrogance, but will, under questioning, admit that they really are nice folks once you get to know them and they realise that you at least TRY and speak their language when in their country.

One of the staff at the treatment facility asked why I was interested in the French since I was not from that country - was I? I explained that I was actually from Hungary, but had traveled around France and had managed to learn the occasional word or two. He asked for a quick demo and so I addressed him in French and even with my whispering croaking output I gained the impression that this was a good enough answer. Since he is from one of the former Yugoslav states he was most surprised to learn that some of my relatives had actually fought with Tito's partisans during WW2 and that my family had connections back to the Balkans through which I suspect they migrated to Hungary from wherever that side of the family originally came from.

So what's the good news?

The good news is that I am still able to swallow. So getting food into me is at present not all that much of a problem. I guess the adage has to be - eat now for tomorrow you die(t). Still a little queasy, but tolerable. I can always go back to the medication if all else fails I suppose. The other good news is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. I actually looked at the packet of this anti-nausea medication yesterday. It has on it the 'retail' price and the subsidised price. For those of you who have not had this experience and live in Australia take a look at your prescription medication. In my case the normal price for the tablets I was prescribed was in excess of $180. The actual price after the subsidy was closer to $30.

So if ANYONE in politics threatens to get rid of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme just think of the price differential for this ONE drug and consider the impact on your family in the event that you or they get sick.

If nothing else will get you on the barricades to fight for what we already have - this should!

One of the impacts of radio therapy seems to be that I am continually feeling tired.

Found myself falling asleep around 2:30 and only waking up at around 7 pm still groggy! Then there was a brief period of being awake only to be lulled to sleep again then bolt awake again at around 3 am.

So I am writing this while I am still relatively awake and then will go back to get yet more shut eye.

I suppose that some people might see this whole thing as a wonderful way to catch up on their lost sleep over the last few months. Well - if anyone is of that opinion - come on down and let's discuss a brain or a body transplant! I would rather have a healthy brain and body and be sleep deprived than the current situation.

More when something interesting happens!