25 April 2016 Autumn, ANZAC Day and a New Drug

ANZAC Day - and I don't think I can ever remember such a glorious Autumn day for this day of remembrance. The sun is streaming through the windows and we are enjoying wearing T-shirts instead of the usual coats and umbrellas for this time of the year. Unbelievably we are still watering the garden as it is very dry so we would very much welcome rain right now.

It has been a lovely time for visitors, and we loved a catch-up with Wendy (my cousin) and Kelvin from Crystal Brook. This weekend Brian and I have also enjoyed the company of my brother Geoff. We've been for a few drives, enjoyed a meal out and also continued the garden reno which is now looking downright respectable! Just a few new plants to buy now to finish off the job - and that's the fun bit.

Geoff and Brian at the 'Yellow Rock' lookout near Portland.

 Last week I had an appointment with my oncologist, following the disappointing results of my recent CT scan. I am now feeling much better and I was surprised at how much more breath I had singing in church yesterday! The oncologist said the pleural effusion is likely to be connected to the cancer - perhaps my lungs just 'throwing a tanty' at the invading cells in my body. It's possible but unlikely that the fluid will build up again - another xray in a couple of weeks should confirm this.
However the primary tumour in my kidney has increased in size by 15% and there are some new spots on my right lung, though strangely enough some other previous spots have disappeared. So the treatment of all this is to continue to fight the actual cancer - there is no point in removing any tumours because (in the words of a previous specialist) "the horse has bolted". 
So we are now up to Plan C - and I've started on a new drug called Sorafenib. It's a similar drug to the first one in that it's not chemo but rather a targeted therapy drug in tablet form. This is a good thing as these tablets target the renal cell carcinoma cells and leave most of the good cells alone. I take 2 tablets twice a day, and despite these tablets looking all very innocent, it took quite a bit of courage on my part to actually start swallowing yet another potent pill. Of course they come with a list of possible side-effects a mile long, but most are unlikely. Weirdly enough, a common side-effect is hand/foot syndrome, where the palms of the hand and soles of the feet can get very hot and painful, and even blister. But anyway, so far so good and I'm feeling hale and hearty at this stage!
Of course these drugs don't come cheaply, and if I was paying full price for these new tablets, I worked out that each pill would cost $50 - so that would be $200 a day! Fortunately we only pay $6.20 for one month's supply.

$50 bucks plus $50 bucks... twice a day!!

It's a bit embarrassing to show my weekly pill collection, but Brian said I should!

Other than a bit of tiredness, I am feeling very well - with no pain. Remarkable, but when you see the pill collection above I guess that explains why. Equally remarkably, I am feeling positive, knowing that even if treatments fail, I am confident and secure in my ultimate destination.
Meantime, there's lots more I'd like to do on this earth, so please pray that this new treatment might have the desired affect!