Update

Have you ever had one of those days which turn into a mini disaster and then seem to come good?

Well that was last Friday.

I was driven up to Sydney to have the PET scan done and of course the night before the great adventure, I had more pain and suffering on the right hand side than I have had for some time.

With considerable effort, heat packs and analgesics we managed to get things right and somehow I managed to survive the three hour trip to Sydney. We then had to wait for another few hours until I was finally given the contrast medium and then sent off to have the scan. This was of course followed by yet more time to get rid of the radioactive medium and have a 'snack' consisting of a salad sandwich and a small container of apple juice!

Remind me to tell Australian hospital staff that the Meat Board has a point when it advertises "feed the man MEAT" after fasting for quite a few hours I am afraid that a salad sandwich with a slice of tomato, cucumber, a bit of lettuce and a hint of beetroot is NOT the most filling or satisfying of meals!

By this stage, I think it was around 2:30 pm and I was feeling hunger pangs which frankly, a salad sandwich did nothing to allay!

The doctor managed to come out and tell us that we could go and I received a CD with all the data on it for the doctors back home with an assurance that a report would go to the referring doctor.

Given that even with faxes this would probably not happen until Monday, at the earliest, it was back to Canberra for us!

We did of course stop off to visit family while on our way home and this actually managed to see us back in Canberra at some ungodly hour like 8:30 that night.

All in all a VERY long day.

Today, Monday, I have contacted the hospital only to be advised that my Radiation Oncologist was visiting a town some hundreds of miles away for the day and would no doubt return the following day. I asked that she be left a message which would alert her to the fact that the PET scan results should be available to her and that I was sitting at home anxiously awaiting the news of the results.

So with some luck and good management I will be able to get back to my readers - no doubt tomorrow, with some news about what the PET scan has shown and some idea of where this will leave us for the future!

Meanwhile I do have some excellent news!

I went to see the Physiotherapist again today and we discussed my symptoms and my aches and pains and I asked that he give some special attention to the thoracic lumbar area and we found that some manipulation of T7 seems to alleviate some of the pain.

I have to admit that I am sceptical as to how long this relief will last - but I am being an excellent patient and doing nothing untoward that could possibly have a negative impact on the relief that I am feeling following this session of physiotherapy.

I have also managed to obtain a report from the OT that has visited my home and we have discovered that gaining some comfort on the home front is NOT an inexpensive exercise.

She has suggested changes to my office set up and also some changes to my bedroom and lounge room arrangements. I can't really comment on the value of the suggestions as I first have to go and look at and then try the various pieces of equipment that she is suggesting we purchase.

The price of some of the suggestions does however have an impact I have to admit.

Being not well is neither for the faint hearted or those who are generally less than adequately well heeled.

I have visited some of the web sites where she has suggested I look for equipment and all I can say is that being pain free is NOT going to be a cheap exercise!

Still that's life these days I guess. You make money during your working life - ostensibly to enjoy retirement and then spend most of what you have put aside to just stay alive and mobile!

More as things develop.

In the interim dear readers I have to tell you that with the work done by the Physiotherapist today I am feeling like a new man AND I am going to enjoy it for however long it lasts!