Daffodils in flower - for Daffodil Day.

Yesterday I took a couple of shots of some charming miniature Daffodils in flower near my front verandah.

These are "Tete-a-tete"Two flowers on a single stem give them their name.
Charming little things.
Today my daughter Zoe reminded me that it is Daffodil Day.
I had completely forgotten.

Zoe brought with her a Cancer Council Teddy Bear which a good friend of ours, Sean Leane had given her - for Daffodil Day. Thanks Sean.

Furthermore, Zoe chastised me for not having broadcast to all my friends or even to her, apparently, that last week I was given a "clearance" by my Oncologist - he said that I do not need to see him for another 12 months.

After months and months when I had daily treatments, then monthly check- ups and then 3 monthly scans, and then 6 monthly scans, getting told to not bother for another 12 months is terrific news.

Zoe with Lena and the Daffodils

That translates, in Doctor-speak, to mean I am almost a "nuisance",
(they would never say that)
but it does mean I am taking up valuable space
in the Oncology waiting room.
That's good news for me.

That's why I am looking quite relaxed in this image.

Thanks Zoe, for reminding me to be grateful for good news.

Some good things,
such as being alive,
should never be taken for granted.

I tend not to focus on being a "survivor".
But today is a good day to think back over the past,
and be grateful for the wonderful medical and technical assistance
which allows me to be here today.

Back from Canberra

I am back from Canberra, having spent Friday sitting in one of the big chairs in ward 14A (the Chemo Ward - day patients area), getting pumped full of Mabthera (Rutuximab).

Nothing too scary happened, but I did get itchy ears! I KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY, AND TRIVIAL, BUT I HAVE LEARNT THAT NOTHING IS TRIVIAL WHEN IT COMES TO DRUGS LIKE THESE.

Once I mentioned to a nurse that I was having trouble doing up my shirt buttons ( and straight away she said, "Oh, we have to tell the doctors. You have Peripheral Neuropothy***"). Sure enough, she was right, and they changed one of the Chemo drugs, and now 18 months later, the soles of my feet are still partially numb. So, it is just as well I spoke up, and just as well the nurse knew her stuff, or I could have had more serious, more permanent damage.

So, when I notice my ears (and the back of my throat) go itchy, 20 minutes after starting a drip of a dangerous chemical, I tell them! Point is, to me it is an itchy ear. To them it might be the start of a serious allergic reaction. And who knows what that could lead to?

As I said, nothing serious happened, but I still leave nothing to chance, when participating in these kinds of procedures.
They backed off the drug, consulted a Doctor, who gave me some Hydrocortisone (to dampen down the allergic reactions) and resumed the delivery of the drug at a slower rate than before. My body temperature regulation system played up for a few hours - with me shivering, then getting hot. As a result I was wrung out by the end of the day, but I survived the process.

Hopefully the Mabthera Maintenance Program will help knock off any traces of Lymphoma which might be lurking in my system.

*** Peripheral Neuropathy is a form of paralysis of the nerves in the tips of your main joints - hence finger tips and toes. Although it started as funny tingles, and a slight clumsiness in my fine motor skills with my fingers, it has lead to slight damage to the nerves in my feet. That could have resulted in loss of control of my feet, which could easily impact on my ability to walk. So, small sysmpoms, if left un-reported, could lead on to major damage (as the treatment by that particular drug ("Vincristine") would have continued for weeks or months more, if I had not made that innocent comment. That is the point of this story.

Speak up, and let the experts know what is happening inside your body. It is your body, and they don't know unless you tell them. Patients' rights start with you - the individual patient.

Doctor, I think I have a problem ....

Doctor, I think
I have a problem....
Here are a couple of little (big) joke photos. Thanks to David Young for taking the photos, (though he advised me not to blog them). Sorry David!

I collected these Bunya Pine cones on the way back from Canberra the other day. They had fallen (as they do) from a huge tree in Sutton Forest, which I have been watching for the last 9 months, as the cones were developing. They are so large that one can easily see them in the canopy of the tree (if you know what to look for). So, I was expecting to see some fallen cones one day, and sure enough there were several outside the fence when I drove past on Thursday.

These wonderful Pine cones come from the native conifer called Araucaria bidwillii, a magnificent specimen tree, much favourited by early colonial gardeners in Australia. It is a truly ancient tree, as demonstrated by the fact that closely related trees from New Caledonia were used to illustrate the BBC's "Walking with Dinosaurs" TV program made in 1999.

These trees are very important to Aboriginal people, especially in their natural area of the Bunya Mountains, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland. But I am also assured that wherever they are now grown, in Australia, they are regarded as special trees.
The cones contain many large seeds which apparently make good "bush tucker".

This second photo shows the casing of the seed, which is about the size of a large almond, inside this casing. Sometimes they are much fatter than this particular specimen.



Anyway, back to the reason for my trip to Canberra. I had been there to get a report on my recent tests for Lymphoma.

Reasonably good news. The big old tumour is pronounced dead ("Scar tissue" or "calcified") which is just fine with me. It can sit there as scar tissue, maybe for ever. I have other "scar tissue" from 10 year old surgery, followed by radiation treatment which "cooked it", and it is not causing me any problems at all.

There is still some evidence of uptake of the radioactive trace (from the PET test), but no evidence of the formation of tumours (nothing visible on a CT Scan anyway). However, in view of the uptake, (the possibility of some Lymphoma cell activity) they have proposed putting me on a Mabthera maintenance therapy program. Every three months, I will have a dose of this drug, which specifically targets Lymphoma cells. Well that's the proposal, obviously subject to review.

Apparently Mabthera does not have the side effects of the regular cytotoxic drugs which they use in general chemotherapy (although this site does report some nasty side effects of Mabthera). I have had this drug before, but only as part of a cocktail of other drugs "CHOP (R)" it was called. The R stands for Rutuximab, which is the official name for Mabthera (a brand name).
I will find out in the near future how it affects me, by itself anyway, as I am scheduled for my first dose late next week. So, this photo is to give a "brave face" to my future.
And they said I didn't have the .... ?

And David, now you know why I wanted these specific photos taken!

A personal update

I have been in Canberra for another round of treatment for Lymphoma.

I am now half way through a course of radiation treatment. So far, so good.

The Doctor who is responsible for treating me changed the strategy somewhat. I was told they would angle the beams in from either side (supposeldy to avoid shooting the Kidneys and the Spine). However, when it came to Day 1, they lined me up and shot vertically through my belly and up from my back - all this without telling me (the patient) about the change in plan.

Reassurances afterwards are not as good a medical policy as consultation with the patient (at least not as far as the patient is concerned).

Anyway, having insisted on taking time from the Doctor's busy schedule to express my surprise and concern, I am still stuck with being told that they have done the maths, and worked out that it is safe.

Time will tell in that regard.

But will the treatment (now at a lower dose than previously intended) do the job of knocking off the tumours?

Radiation Treatment is one thing, but I could have done without the "Mushroom Treatment" as well.

The Nature of Frost, (and an update on the Tree Dahlia)

I moved to Robertson from Canberra, where, undoubtedly it is colder than Robertson. However, there is something different about the "cold" in Robertson. It is a wetter place, and so the cold seems to penetrate more.

Two days ago, we had a lot of rain during the day, then the clouds cleared off in the late afternoon. I know that always means trouble. For example, I was alert to the possibility of black ice on the road, the next morning.

What I had not anticipated was that the heater would run out of gas at 4:00am, and that Zoe, (the great softie that she is) would decline to go out and turn the switch from one gas bottle to the other - 30 seconds work. I was persuaded to go out and do the job myself, by Zoe thumping around the house, trying to get warm - a futile exercise, on such a cold night. Indeed it was the hot water running out when she tried to run a hot bath in order to warm up, which really triggered my decision to turn the gas tap over myself. Incidentally, I have an electric blanket, but until tomorrow's scheduled visit to Bowral, Zoe does not - she just has a cat to keep her warm. She has been promised an electric blanket, though. The cat will be ecstatic!

Anyway, I went outside, to find the switch for the gas tank, only to be surprised by hearing myself crunching over the grass (weeds, really). Odd, I thought - must be a heavy frost to do that. Next morning, I discovered that the source of the sound effects was that I had been crushing thousands of ice crystals, under the soil, as I walked just a few paces to the gas bottle.

Technically, these crystals which form in the soil are known as "permafrost", but my Northern Hemisphere friends will scoff at the application of that term to this little bit of ice formation, for it is not "permanent", or even semi-permanent. We aren't on the Arctic Tundra here. But what I was experiencing is quite different from a normal frost, where tiny particles of dew freeze on the surface of the grass, or soil. This was moisture in the soil freezing slowly, and, as a result, the crystals growing up out of the soil, and they lift the surface of the soil up to the height of the crystals, about 3 or 4 cms high. These crystals have great lifting power, and tiny pebbles, and small rocks will be lifted as the crystals beneath them form. Such crystals can, indeed crack large rocks, if they form within crevices in the rock, then expand.

Leo and Anni are entitled to tell me that I don't know anything about real cold. But it is cold enough for me, here in Robertson. It is also cold enough for Peonies, which was my primary criterion, when selecting a location when I moved from Canberra.

I mentioned last Wednesday the "Optimistic Nature of the Tree Dahlia". Great timing for that post. Have a look at it, on the morning of our big freeze. That was yesterday. Today it is showing even more damage, but you get the point - its growing season is over - for this year.

Oh well, it will have to start again next year to grow two metres tall, or more, before it will start to form its flowers, in late April or May. And, of course, it is destined never to set any seed, in Robertson. Poor thing. But I love the way it keeps on trying.

One could say that it is a metaphor for someone being treated for Lymphoma, really! No wonder I admire its stubborn hold on life.