It's been 2 weeks...

Hi All
Thanks to those who have been wondering how I am - but I haven't had a lot to say this past 2 weeks, but I do now!!!
That week after I last wrote all I did was work Mon - Thur, I didn't do anything after work, so it was a fairly boring week from that point, though being able to work was wonderful!!! On the Fri 25 I think, I went to see Dr Alex G, oncologist. I went on my own this time, but Tracy, the fab breast cancer nurse was there & Alex, for the first time, actually smiled at me!!! I think he's shy. We talked about the effect the 4th chemo had been having on me & while the 2nd 10 days was way better than the 1st 10 days, it was still quite rubbish, had times of just feeling yuck. So he said that if the 5th time was worse than the 4th, he would arrange for the 6th & last to be the same type of chemo as the 1st 3, which is good. You may remember I said that Alex said the 2nd type of chemo would be either better or worse than the 1st - for me it's been a lot worse. I'm seeing him again on Mar 18.

That Fri night a few friends were going to the Symphony to see Peer Gynt & I didn't have a ticket, but it was available for me to watch live online, which is what I did, it was absolutely wonderful, Lynda said it was one of the best things she had seen. Yeah I didn't have the atmosphere of the Opera House, but I did have a bird's eye view of the orchestra & heard the music & narrative & voices.

Last Sat I had bought a ticket to a matinee preview of the Boy From Oz with Tod McKenny. I really did enjoy that, but unfortunately I just wasn't in the mood to go to the theatre that night. I had free tickets for a play at the Zenith Theatre, thanks Geoff S!! so I stayed home, not like me at all!!!!

Shelley, one of the great girls I work with, had told me about a chamber music concert & I went with her on Sunday afternoon, that was most enjoyable too - I do love my cultural hits!!! & I make sure I get quite a lot :)

Mon, Tue & Wed morn I worked again, Tue night I made a huge pot of vegie soup - 1 in fridge, 2 in freezer!! Wed afternoon off I went for the 5th chemo - getting used to it (not). Well it's done & I was ok straight after, but even though I had a couple of plans for Wed night, I stayed home.... Thur I worked from 10 - 3, no doctor, he goes to Kempsey on the mid north coast for 2 days every month - means we get to catch up on lots of admin stuff. Funny thing as I was sitting there working in the morning I could feel & taste the metallicness come into my mouth, so yuck - it hasn't gone.....

Thur night I had booked a ticket a few weeks ago for Fay Sussman at Camelot in Marrickville. She is a Klezmer, Yiddish, Hebrew singer & with her backing group including Daniel Weltlinger on violin, Lara Goodrich on vocals & violin, Eddie Bronson on sax & clarinet, & others on double base, piano accordion & piano, it was wonderful - I had ummed & ahhed about going, but once there I would have hated to miss it - I find that sort of music so uplifting & therapeutic. It made a huge difference to my well being. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

On Fri I didn't do much but my new tenant, yay!! came to pay me a visit & check out the unit - he has already paid his bond. He's bought a franchise for the computer section of Harvey Norman in Chatswood Chase. He's divorced from Melbourne & wants somewhere not too dear or too far from work. I hope we get on... time will tell.

In the afternoon I went to Suzanne S, a kineseologist - we had one session quite a while ago. It takes 2 hours for the sessions. I'm really not sure how it works but some interesting things did come out. I think I may have said, but can't remember if I did, that I have never had one moments upset or anxiety or why me about this cancer thing & I just thought I was being positive & out there & just not letting it get to me. However one of the processes discovered that there is something underneath that is holding onto those feelings. I was not ready to let go of them yet & I know now that it is part of my protective mechanism to not allow things out before they are ready to be revealed, but at least I now know that all this stuff is sitting there waiting for the right time. Wonder what the outcome of that will be??!!

From there I went to Shul & dinner, had a very early night for me - 11pm, got up 1pm on Sat!! Bookclub at Charlene's on Sat afternoon, thanks for having it at your place - it was supposed to be at me, but I just couldn't have done it - you would have been lucky to get a packet of tim tams!!! I brought home some interesting books!!! Last night Lynda & I decided to go to Camelot (again) to see Fromage a trois, a few of the Monsieur Camembert band doing a jamming session gig. I'm glad I went to that too :) love my music - I only danced for 5 mins with Bill V, I just don't have any energy & my arms & legs don't work too well, something that is still the same as I sit here & write.

Today I went to Peter & Gloria's for lunch. There were 5 couples & me. Lovely day!!

My biggest problem is still what to eat & drink, savoury food is good, Gloria made a yummy quiche & that was excellent!! but there is nothing I can bear to drink, water, soft drink, wine, juice, all vile...& I have never been good at putting things into my mouth that I don't like!!!!! funny that. Yet I'm thirsty - I've got a bottle of cold water next to me & it's better than nothing I suppose.

Basically I would describe how I feel as just yuck, not sick, or nauseous or even queasy, just yuck!! I find that aspirin helps a bit, specially with the uncomfortable arms & legs, the rest of me is ok, no sore head or anything & my internal organs don't have that ache they had the last time. I think I should probably try to have acupuncture again tomorrow, will ring Esther in the morning..... All I can say is that every day is a day closer to the end & it's getting closer, only one more on Mar 23.

Please leave any comments or email me direct :)

Cheers
Debbie xx