7 February 2015 The next plan

It’s been a fairly quiet week at home, and so nice to be able to hop around, although I am finding myself using the wheelchair more and more as it puts less strain on my back. At least it means I can do things like peeling the potatoes or even making play dough for Play Group. While I still have a bit of a niggle from the lower back, most of my back pain is being well managed by the assortment of medication that I am on, for which I am very grateful.

It has been lovely to enjoy visits from ‘the locals’ and keep up to date with all the everyday things that are going on.

There’s also been visits at home from support staff from the hospital and some home care in the form of house-cleaning for the next few weeks. As I am unable to do this, it is a huge help that Brian doesn’t have to feel pressure to keep up with the house cleaning when he already has extra responsibilities to deal with.

On Thursday we had an appointment with the oncologist who visits Portland on a weekly basis, so it is very good that we don’t have to travel for these appointments.

This specialist is putting me onto a tablet which he says is not strictly chemotherapy but rather ‘targeted therapy’. I gather it is not quite as toxic as some forms of chemo, but it is certainly toxic enough, with the same precautions needed as with chemo. The tablet (for the medically minded) is called Pazopanib and it specifically targets renal cell carcinoma. When Brian collected it from the chemist he asked me how much I thought it cost. I guessed around the $100 mark, but was stunned when he showed me that the cost was actually $4,673.98 (for 1 month’s supply)!! The cost to us was $6.10, so I have to say thank you to you all for your contribution through your taxes!

The plan is that I will take a daily tablet for 3 months, then undergo tests to see how it has been working. If it has been containing the cancer, I will be sent off in April to St Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne for hip surgery.

So it is good again to have a new plan (I like plans!).

I expect to be at home during the next 3 months, and hopefully there won’t be too many side effects from this drug. I begin tomorrow morning, so we will see.

2 February 2015 I'm home!!!

It was a relatively quiet weekend in Portland hospital, but then yesterday (Sunday) a friend arrived and said “want to come for a coffee with the girls?” I didn’t need asking twice, but we had to wait for the formality of getting doctor approval etc, but soon we were set to go. I was wheeled in a wheelchair to the car and then we drove off to Edwards. After getting out of the car and into the wheelchair, we surveyed with some dismay the steep kerb that had to be negotiated up, but then out of the nearby fishing tackle shop emerged a burly fisherman who had me up and set to go in lickerty-spit time: “I done this for me grandma all the time” he grinned – and we were grateful!

And how lovely it was, enjoying something as normal as a cuppa and a chat with friends.

And now I’m actually back home – 4 weeks to the day after I first headed off to the Geelong hospital.

It took most of the day to go through all the paperwork for discharge, but finally it was done and Brian and I headed home (via the chemist to pick up an evil assortment of medications).

Our house is somewhat cluttered with frames/shower chair/ wheelchair – but who cares! Tonight I’m feeling a bit tired – probably due to the extra frame-hopping I’m doing, but it sure is good to be able to be more purposeful and able to do useful things again.

We have an appointment on Thursday (here in Portland) with a medical oncologist, in order to determine the next treatment options. Meanwhile I’ll just enjoy being home.

30 January 2015

Looking out of my ward windows at the Geelong hospital was not inspirational – perhaps it was just as well that the windows were so badly in need of a clean that the ugly roof below could barely be seen.

It’s certainly different in Portland.

After 3 room changes at the Portland hospital, I am now sitting beside sparkling clean windows, watching the ever-changing vista of the active Portland harbour. There are small fishing boats bobbing about, several large ships on the horizon and a continual hive of activity at the port with trucks containing woodchips tipping up at ridiculous angles to unload, logs being unloaded, wind towers turning behind them, and in the far distance the sun is shining over the sea to reveal the windfarm at Codrington. If I have to be stuck in hospital it may as well be with the spectacular view in front of me.

There has not been much action on the ‘treatment’ front for me. However today an OT loaded up her station wagon with an assortment of frames/chairs and took me home, to see how I can manage when I return. Using a light frame, I was able to impressively hop up the 4 porch steps and into our house (for the first time in almost 4 weeks). The only extra aid needed inside the house is a rail at the toilet, otherwise the OT says I am good to go. However I am still in hospital for at least the weekend as the cogs turn slowly and I have to be released by my physician (away for the weekend).

I have not yet heard from the oncology unit in Warrnambool, so don’t know what treatment options are in store for me. Perhaps I’ll just sit back and watch the two tugboats bringing in a large woodchips-loading ship, and also enjoy catching up with locals.