I’ve just had the phone call I was waiting for… and still basically have no news.
While my case was on the agenda for yesterday it seems that the cases before mine took longer than expected to deal with so they didn’t get to me, so we’re waiting for next Wednesday now.
Another learning for today: while I had excellent and almost immediate updates after MDM sessions from my private specialists in the past, apparently for the public side I can expect to be calld with an update “by the end of the week”, meaning it could well be Friday next week before I have any actual information.
So we just settle in, and we’ll know more when we do.
Today we had the check in with the doctor after the midway chemo scan.
The good news is that there’s still no sign of anything going on in my organs, which is important. But there is growth in some lymph nodes and since the cancer was in some lymph nodes earlier this is a sign it could be still in that system.
At this point what this means is that we’re stopping the current chemo treatment. I’ll recover from this dose and that’s that done.
My case is being taken to the multidisciplinary team week and I’ll hear on Wednesday or Thursday what the new plan is. It simply isn’t clear right now, but there will be a plan and we’ll go forward from there.
In the meantime I don’t see any need to panic. They’re being vigilant and proactive. We’ll figure this out.
The weather has been rather changeable, recently. It’s desperately trying to be spring, weeks too early, but it’s not quite there.
A week ago we had the coldest day. There was apparently snow on the ranges. We couldn’t see that from here but we did get a hard frost.
frost on the grassfrost on the neighbour’s beautifully trimmed bushfrost on the rooves, melting away in the sun
Then this week we had a deluge overnight that caused flooding and debris on the roads which stopped two of the three school buses getting through. My kids were bitter that some of their classmates got the day off when they didn’t, but then by mid-morning it was over and I got two loads of washing dry.
Then we’ve had misty rain mornings like today.
drizzle over town, heading our way
It’ll clear and we’ll probably have another nice day.
This coming week I have two trips to Thames. My fourth chemo dose on Tuesday and then an oncologist appointment on Friday. I’m not sure what the weather will do, but we’ll get through regardless.
I’ve held off posting this one until today. My third dose was over a week ago now but I waited to claim the halfway mark after the recovery. Today I’m there, back to managing full work days, back to being able to nip out at morning tea to hang out the washing, back to what counts as normal for now.
Next week I have a scan, and the following week I meet with my oncologist but there’s no reason to think any of this going to change; I’ve done 3 doses, I have 3 to go.
After the next one I’ll be 2/3rds done. After the fifth, 5/6ths. Then just the last and we’re done.
Sounds easy, right?
In the meantime, in spite of the chilly nights and mornings we’re getting spectacular days. Today the sea is so blue, it looks like a summer scene. It you’re in the sunshine and out of the wind it even feels like it.
Full tide blue sea
I guess spring is on its way. The garden seems to think so, I have freesias popping up here and there, my favourite spring flower. They’re the old fashioned ones, frailer than the hardy varieties you can buy now but still so fragrant.
freesia by the front stepsfreesia poking out of the gardenia
Then there’s our latest acquisition, a new plum tree. The gale force winds blowing ever since it went in the ground have been blocked by other established trees, fortunately. We’re hoping it will help pollinate the existing tree but also eventually just take over because the other one is never going to get much sun. This one should do better once it’s established.
Daisy Days inspecting the Black Doris plum tree
The theory is the new fig will get in the ground soon too but if spring starts this early we’re running behind. We took a cutting from the existing one which is healthy but gets no sun at all. The rootball formed and it’s now in soil but we want to get it settled and perhas weathered a little before final planting.
I’m still trying to figure all of the features out on this blog but I’ve just added a new one: a calendar which will appear at the top of the page and shows dates when I have posted. It also means you can navigate backwards through the calendar to find earlier posts if you so wish.
You can still find the Previous page/Next page navigation buttons at the bottom of the page if you want to work your way back directly.
For those of you who are subscribed and getting the email updates when I post you’re probably only seeing one post at a time but if you click on the cross-stitch flower up in the top left that’ll bring you back to the home page to see multiple posts at a time. Which may not interest you at all, given that you’ve probably read them already.
For those not subscribed but who want to be, you can either sign up for a free WordPress account and subscribe directly, or let me know the email address you want to use and I’ll add you (now that I’ve figured out how). If you don’t have my email address and want to get hold of me, use the “Direct contact” page linked on from the left side of the home page.
On the other hand, if you’d rather just check in with what’s going on by using the website when it suits you, that’s fine too 🙂
When we bought this house we knew the carpet was tired and old. It had a few stains and had jad a carpet beetle infestation. The beetles were gone, but they had let their mark.
So we knew we would need to replace it at some point, but of course life got a bit complicated just after we moved in so it wasn’t a priority.
But then a range of factors came together, and suddenly we were booked for July, which seemed perfect until I started having chemo.
Anyway, we figured out dates between doses, planned how to move the furniture around so I could work while the carpet was being changed over, and got it done.
The result is lovely, it’s been a messy week but it’s over and we’re very happy with it.
Time for a photo montage.
The office and our bedroom from the hall, beforeOur bedroom before furniture stacked in the dining room kids sleeping on mattresses in the lounge the night before day 1 of layingunderlay in the office underlay in our bedroomoffice all donebedroom all done
So that was last Thursday. By Thursday night we had three rooms done, one bedroom and the lounge and stairs to go. They happened on Monday.
Leroy exploring the view from up highAnd again (yes he climbed up here)The completed lounge The completed stairs
So we’re all done.
We’re still figuring out the best arrangement of some of the furniture but the carpet looks and feels nice.
At some point we’ll get to doing the overlay flooring in the dining room, hall and kitchen, but that’s going to take awhile. We can live with the polyurethaned particle board for now.
Well, barely, but there’s still enough to look messy if it isn’t smoothed back and to wisp around my neck.
It slowed right down after the chemo dosewhich makes me curious whether it will suddenly all shear off later this week since it only started halfway through week three last dose.
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