Been A Bit Quiet For A While

[Geoff]

Having been through a similar situation over recent years Roberta's comment is well worth keeping in mind.

"Just a note to yourselves & your partners - if in any way, your personal habits change for longer than a week or two, for Gods Sake, get checked out by a Doctor - DON'T PUT IT OFF FOR MONTHS!!"

Had I done this , the situation of 2 operations & countless doses of Chemo could have been avoided

Geoff

[cut_loose]

Good to see your looking after him so well Roberta.

[arpie]

Thanks guys - as Geoff says - EARLY DETECTION is always the best tool in fighting Cancer. ANY change in regular habits should be investigated immediately!! We were lucky that it was only found in the one node, resulting in the need for chemo as a 'mop up' ...... if we'd had him checked out a couple of months prior - who knows, it may have been totally encapsulated & none found in the node so NO need for chemo!

i was talking to a fishing buddy the other day & his Dad had died of prostate cancer, so he was regularly checked for any change - he had a niggling thought that something wasn't right & demanded a trip to the specialist instead of just the GP & they detected very early stages of Prostate cancer. It was removed 12 years ago & no problems ever since. Not many blokes are detected with 'early stages' Prostate cancer - most wait until it is too uncomfortable peeing or can't pee at all, and then get the bad news ......

Another friend unfortunately is in the 2nd category - it has spread to his hips & is now being treated 'palliatively' ie control the pain and keep him as comfortable as possible, as nothing can be done about the cancer as it has spread too far around his body.

It is not worth the risk, believe me! PSA test alone is not enough - guys need digital checking at least once a year & if there is a history of it in the family, every 6 months.

Cheers

Roberta

[rickb]

Hi Roberta,

So glad Keith is picking up and has an interest in a few things

very promising.

Like you and Geoff said early detection helps,but that does not always happen.

When Mum had the stroke we went into hospital to see her,on the way out a

sister said to Dad while your here I will take a sample of the little lump

on your neck.Long story short. He was told He had wild cancer liver, lung,

throat and brain,gave him a fortnight to live,he never let on.

regards Rick.

[arpie]

Another trip to Port today, for Keith's 3rd session of chemo. His hair stopped falling out & he still has a very thin layer all over, which is good, as some folk have it come out in big patches, leaving bald spots.

He was crook for longer after the 2nd lot of chemo & had a few more days in bed after that first weekend (where it is usually the worst patch.) His twin brother is coming up for next weekend to compete in one of the Triathlons over our 'triathlon festival' here .......I may have to put a sign on him saying, NO, I am NOT Keith!! Even tho he is more solid than Keith, he looks & sounds just like him still! Unfortunately, Keith won't be able to go out & watch as he has strict instructions not to be out in the sun ..... after the golf session on the front lawn, he got a nasty burn between his ear & eye - the chemo knocks out any natural sun protection the skin has ...... even reflected sun will burn him! Even tho he was fully covered & had a wide brim hat on. :sad1:

Having said that - he bounced back at the end of last week & has been full of beans ever since! He reckons the lack of physical exercise has resulted in an increase in his creative side & he is sketching & taking notes of many new thoughts all the time! He woke up at 2am this morning & was writing notes for an hour before nodding off again!

It is exactly 12 months this weekend since he won both his World Championship Titles for Triathlon and Aquathlon up on the Gold Coast last year! (Also 12 months since last years Wivenhoe bass bash ...... and I promised myself I was going to get to this years!!) Oh well, there is always next year!! I hope to encourage Kim (from Canberra) to attend as well!!

Whichever way we look at it, Keith is either half way thru his treatment, or 3/4 ...... we'll be checking with the Doc whether he needs to do the 4th session ..... and will be guided by him. So, we just tick off the days!! Incredible how quickly Friday comes around again - he has a blood test every Fri to check the level of his white blood cells ....... to make sure they are building up again sufficiently before the next hit of chemo.

Thank God for small mercies - we've both commented recently on how horrible it would be to be going thru this in Summer!! If it had to happen, at least it happened during the cooler months & was easier for Keith to endure!

Planning on catching up with my yakking buddies for a bream fish on Sunday - then I'll find out where the oyster leases are up there!! Port Macq is going to be the Grand Final destination for the Daiwa/Hobie ABT Bream Kayak comp this year!! Hope to make the GF on my own, next year!! Mind you, only planning on entering the 2 so far - Forster & Marlo!

Stay well and stay safe .......

Cheers

Roberta

OMG Rick - your Dad was an incredibly strong bloke to have kept that quiet! So sorry to hear of his passing.

Edited September 10, 2010 by Roberta

[clutch]

Roberta, how lucky Keith is to have someone like you for support.

I sincerely hope that this round of chemo gets rid of it all and Keith will soon be back to his regular self.

all the best,

Clutch

[arpie]

Thanks Clutch

how lucky Keith is to have someone like you for support.

I appreciate your sentiment, but I would hope than most would have someone close by to help them out in their hour of need - as many Fishraiders have done in the past, with their loved ones. It would be a really tough ask for anyone to face this sort of fight on your own, which I know that some Raiders have, too, with much heavier treatments than we have had - and all the more power to them - amazing people! As they say - when the going gets tough, the tough get going! Um, I was bawling a lot to start off with ..... fear of the unknown & all that - then, I don't know, once the surgery was over & Keith was doing well, something kicks in & ya just gotta to do what ya gotta do! As Swordie said ..... Suck it up & get on with it - & he knows what it is all about, too!!

I sincerely hope that this round of chemo gets rid of it all and Keith will soon be back to his regular self.

Yeah, so did we ..... but our chemo guru yesterday advised us to go for the extra treatment, for the best possible results, so we'll be back for another session in 3 weeks after the long weekend in Oct ...... unfortunately, that will mean that we'll miss a family wedding, but for all the right reasons - which I know will be understood. Then we'll be back in Sydney at the end of Oct for Keith's next checkup with his surgeon (for the 4 monthly checkup since surgery.) How time flies!

And then we hopefully get on with our lives again! Can't wait for that!

Cheers

Roberta

[tide'n'knots]

hi roberta, so glad to hear that keith is getting through chemo and starting to do OK. please pass on our best wishes from rosetta and myself. I have been getting into art a bit myself lately with the fishing being so quite, I have just finished a portrait of rosetta and I and very pleased with how it turned out I will try and email it up for keith to have a look at (I think I still have your email? ). I hope we catch up for a fish next month when you are down- fingers crossed! I have taken a week off from the 22nd so I will have plenty of time to organise a trip around your schedule if you can swing it. Soldier on!!

pete.

[arpie]

Hi Pete

After seeing that landscape that you did, I have no doubt that Rosetta's portrait can only be brilliant as well!! Looking forward to seeing it (Keith too!)

Our trip south will be the end of the month now ...... sorry ...... hope you are able to change your week off, or we should be able to swing it somehow (even if into the evening! )

Keith is doing OK - doses off a lot during the first week-10 days of receiving the chemo, but still incredibly positive about the whole thing! His brother Fran is here now, so they're like a couple of little boys, comparing toys (triathlon bikes) and all the gear!

Cheerio

Roberta

[arpie]

Woohoo!! Keith has nearly finished his chemo - he had the final session for the 2 liquid components last Tues & only has another 14 days to go on the Xeloda tablets & then the 'treatment' part of his recovery is finished!

We arrived home last Wed, after a very wet & wild 4 days in Port Macquarie for the final session. We had hoped for some relaxing weather prior to the final session on Tues, after the long weekend, but it was not to be! The highway at Coffs Harbour was cut in 2 places due to flooding and it has pretty well been raining up that way ever since! This was in keeping with virtually every trip we made to Port over the last 12 weeks !! We couldn't believe it!! I was hoping to hit the water on the Sun/Mon for some bass fishing with a buddy who hasn't fished for them before, but it was blowing a gale & dumping rain, so that session is on hold!

For about half of the treatment, Keith's skin has really plagued him - looking very similar to an extremely bad dose of psoriasis, only twice as bad. With the chemo knocking off any fast growing cells, (unfortunately including the replacement skin cells) his arms in particular have been red raw. Basically all the areas that had had the most sun exposure over previous years, was worst affected (a common side effect of Xeloda, the chemo tablets.) We'd tried various creams, with limited success, also aloe vera, and finally I thought of trying Cornflour, as I remembered that it was used 'in the old days' for nappy rash!! The first time I put it on him, Keith felt immediate relief & we got into the habit of dusting him with the cornflour every morning, lunch & evening. Unfortunately, the itching & burning got even worse & Keith was down to 2-3 hourly coatings! Even during the night, Keith was getting up every 3-4 times to relieve the itch with cornflour. He worked out a method of using a moist cloth to cool him down, then dusting with the cornflour. On the Tues, we went to the Cancer Clinic for the final chemo treatment! Keith has been having blood tests every Fri since the start of chemo, to make sure the marrow (in particular) was getting back to a normal level prior to the next chemo session. On Tues, the test of the previous Fri had shown the Marrow to be still 'marginal', so another blood test was done prior to starting the treatment! Luckily, the level had risen, so the treatment went ahead.

As a celebration of our final visit to the Clinic, Keith had framed one of his 'Maori Girl with Poi' prints that he had coloured up with Pastels ...... and he had a special plaque made up for it, and presented the nurses with it on Tues morning. They were thrilled & very impressed with his artistic talent! The nurses & hospital staff have been fantastic during the whole treatment - they are an incredible mix of humour and discipline, yet very friendly & supportive. Luckily, the itching settled down & didn't seem to affect him during the treatment & remained settled for a few days!! So that was terrific!! Then a few days later, was back on it again, tho!

At the end of the month, we head down to Sydney to see Keith's surgeon for the 4 monthly checkup & shortly after arriving home, he is due another CT scan & then a final visit to the Oncologist at Port Macquarie in early Nov. We are truly looking forward to seeing the back end of that treatment! Still, given that the skin issue was the only real side effect that Keith has had (apart from losing most of his hair), we really can't complain too much! His hair & skin will both grow back, so momentary discomfort for long term gain really made sense. So many others have had major nausea & other nasty side effects. Keith just had a few days nausea, usually about 4 days after the chemo & the tabs he was given to take, helped control that pretty well, too. All going well, after this, Keith will only need a CT scan every 6 months & an endoscopy every 12 months for the next 5 years.

Currently, Keith is in 7th Heaven - with the Commonwealth Games on, the TV is on from morning to midnight! Wall to wall sports!! There has been some terrific competition & we just hope that all goes well with no hiccups for final few days! Mind you, watching them re-lay parts of the athletics track the other day was a bit of a worry, with competition starting the day after!!

We are now really looking forward to our trip to Western Australia in late November for 2 weeks - friends in Mandurah have made their house available to us and I know that we will enjoy the visit. We won't do much running around - basically just R&R. There is a lovely beach there & some nice estuaries, so I've been in touch with some fellow kayakers in Perth & they are planning on coming down to take us both out kayak fishing one weekend, even bringing spare yaks for both Keith & I, so that will be terrific! Hopefully, Keith's skin will have recovered sufficiently for him to be able to get out and enjoy a bit of the outdoors there.

Our main goal now is to just concentrate on putting some more weight on him, clear up his skin (which could take a little while), and just start getting used to the 'new normal' that will gradually reveal itself as time goes on.

Once again many thanks for your supportive messages, we both appreciate them greatly. Keith calls me his 'social secretary' as he is replying to so many messages! Well, I am replying to them, he just dictates them!

Really windy & rough seas up here just now, which is such a pity, as I was extremely jealous of the estuary today when I had to go to Tuncurry - one of the biggest tides I've seen in a long time!!! If it is nicer weather in the next day or so, I'll try & get the yak out & take advantage of the tide covering the new sand flats! Can't wait for the top water bream to come 'on' again! It won't be long!

Cheerio for now - we're in the home straight & the finish line is in sight!!!

Roberta

[tide'n'knots]

wonderful news roberta I am so happy to hear that keith is finally in the home straight!!

looking forward to catching up when you are down, just sent me a PM to let me know when you want to have a fish and i will fit it in around your scheduele.

an evening into the night would definately be the best but a day trip will suffice if thats all you have time for. send keith my regards and let him know that rosetta and I are thinking of you both. see you soon.

pete.