Friday 25 May Ramble
May 25, 2012 — HeadlessT Day = 19 (Adjuvant chemoradiation) – 15 Radiation & 23 Chemo to go this round – Half way there!!
Another near full sleep – I’m liking this!! 3 days in a row and I might like a baby have a new routine – yeah baby!! Still the brain is not shutting down properly so going thru things – lots of things! The latest process is the Terminal odds – in fact this whole god damn terminal term! What is the real definition of terminal? How long is terminal – now, 4 months, 6, 12? Or is it years? 1 or 2? I know they can’t give dates or months (unless they are very good at looking in their crystal ball – and that analogy came from a Doctor – cause he would not tell me as he thought that it was an impossible question to answer honestly – I liked this guy very much!! He wouldn’t even hedge bets on a time. HIs answer was simply – they have a very aggressive treatment plan for you, which covers 8 1/2 months, and they thinks you have the mental and physical attitude and the support of a huge amount of people who will ensure you will, benefit for a period of time after the treatment finishes – that will ensure you some quality still while having more time. I’m happy with this as the last thing I really want to do is circle a day or month on the calendar – we all know it’s coming – that’s enough.
Doctors said I have a zero percent = therefore terminal – that means based on betting terms they have given me 100% of the odds to use myself as the house (the medical fraternity) have now used theirs. therefore based on the 100% odds I now have, I choose to back myself that I will last longer than they ever thought, and give a better fight against these 3 mofo’s then they ever thought. Wait that’s 200% I just used = bugger – that means then I have and extra 100% to use doesn’t it? Don’t you love the mechanics of mathematics 
– I do! You can screw anything around to make it look as good or as bad as you want. So I will use the extra 100% now to ensure that they go it wrong! Damn – there goes 300 % used now! Well they started it and seen as in one foul swoop of their medical super powers – took drinking, driving and footy off me – then told me you’re terminal – I think I can take as much of their odds as I want (I still don’t really know what’s the worst news – even now!).
Anyway enough babbling – it probably doesn’t make much sense anyway! In for another fun day as feeling good. Got a 9:20 zapping today and Jono is my driver. We are going to try to get there earlier as we are meeting the others at Cafe Raeward for one last breakfast, then to Logistics for the final farewell morning tea The Press is putting on. They get me locked and loaded and zapped about 9am – great. The mask is incredibly tight and I struggle to breathe a bit. They can’t just make a new one as it could delay the treatment plan by a couple of weeks, as they have to re- calibrate and align the new mask and beams in the computer with the scans to ensure the depth,and targeting, etc are all perfect. So they are going to try to adjust just the nose part so I can breathe a bit as it is a long time to hold your breath!
Off out of here to Cafe Raeward for one last breakfast and meet up with the PortaCare crew – except Cath whom is shopping New York to death still I hope! Brought extra suitcases yet Cath?? And Ann whom is still off training staff! Also we meet with 3 others that have come from out-of-town to help with the building move – Vicky Wilson, Andrew Clancy & Callum McCarthy. And also Nigel Bailey joins us. Scrambled eggs and extra bacon – very yummy!
Off to Logistics for the farewell and load up the last of the Portacom gear that needs to go to town. Seems a little odd – have a moment’s reflection looking at the setup – it was a fantastically arranged setup that while in some ways not ideal, just showed the resourcefulness in an emergency situation, and along the way it broke down department barriers and brought 300 plus personalities and people into the collective open of business without walls. May this continue in the new building. While I’m standing there one of the institutions of our setup – our version of meals on wheels – Munchie Express arrives. Get one last meal.
Off then to the new building with Jono – get the gear we brought in up to his desk then crash out at mine – the energy plug has been pulled!! Take a pause doing things for a bit then into some work. Not having a good day with energy today though 
as only lasting about in about 20 minute bursts then fading off big time. Head off home about 1:30 as can’t take much more and need to rest. Get home have some lunch then crash out for about 45 mins – after the noisy 5.2 visitor. Boys get home then were off to doc for flu shots for them. Then Jacob is playing indoor footy tonight. Great footy game – Jacob’s team (avg age probably 12) loose 4-3 to a team that is avg age 15. Great game by both teams – and some impressive goals.
F&C for tea – then Vicky van der Klip visits us to catch up seen as she is in town. Sorry for drifting off Vicky – just one of the lovely side effects I have to deal with It does my head in – black humour!
M&D time now and bed as another big footy day tomorrow! Have a great Friday / Saturday all.
Kia Kaha.
May 26, 2012 at 11:54 am
Hi Mate, here some food for thought on beating the odds. When we were in London about 92 Janes brother Ross, got diagnosed at age 32 with Leukemia & Non-Hodkinsons Lymphoma. Initially they gave him around 5 years because at the time no one in the world had lived with both for longer than 5 years. Well guess what in 2012 – 20 years on he’s still kicking. He has set a new record & continues to suprise all incl his doctors. Someone has to be first, someone has to hold the record & someone has to break new ground – so why not make that somone you!!
Meant to say sorry to Sue for not talking to her last week when I phoned – It’s not all about you ya know – lol. Tell her to expect the pleasure of my voice next time.
Jane said after reading your blog it’s not the steriods making you put on weight it’s the coffees, muffins, bacon buttys, F&Cs & other meals out everywhere – haha. You always did like your food on the go. Take care buddy, talk to you later.
May 26, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Good on you Scotty. Yes it is all about beating the odds. When I met you Scotty, back in 1978?? I didn’t think your odds were good to make it to 12. You arrived at school from down south with a huge bandage wrapped round your head after falling off your, was it a rodeo bike? Bringing porn to primary school at the age of 10 I felt the teachers could have taken you out. Things didn’t get much better as you got older but you continued to beat the odds with a number of vehicle mishaps…Corolla SR Coupe (Give Way sign?), Cortina, Skoda (very memorable), Valiant etc (must have missed some) Do they still make Mississippi Moonshine?….. Incidents in burger bars, I even remember rolling round on a bed fighting with a .22 rifle, was it you or Pete?, unsure if it was loaded. But the odds were beaten and you are still around. And the number of bar room mishaps over the years where we could have lost you due to the inappropriate touching of both yourself and many, many females, tongues in ears (male and female)…you are very fortunate to still be round after 34 years of knowing you. No ideas of what else you may be up to on the GC or wherever you are. And yes Monkey odds are to be beaten. Must catch up with you on your next visit Scotty. Catch you soon Monkey.
May 30, 2012 at 6:32 am
Hey Frank,
Yep – Scotty talking about beating odds – now you list a couple of his ‘minor’ indescrestions – I think he can happily talk about beating odds! We won’t actaully start listing the serious ones here – the page would be too long – and they might never let him back in the country
Yep – detremined to beat any / every odd that they give me as I have nothing to loose – and all to gain!
Catch ya soon Frank.
Take care.
May 30, 2012 at 6:27 am
Hey Scotty & Jane,
Yep – I know of someone else that went in for surgery to remove a smal growth from their stomach in mid 90’s – opened him up, and closed him up as riddled with Cancer, to the point they weren’t going to even treat, as they said he had probably weeks – still kicking along now. I keep asking them whta the effects of tumors are meant to be on me – seizures, headaches, or what? They can’t tell me, which is frustrating somedays as the only effects I have asre from the bloody drugs – and the treatment. The worse drugs though are the anti – seizure ones, and the steroids. Dad is also another example – they did a new surgery method on him and told him to quick work an dchange his lifestyle – yeah right – he ignored them and kept on trucking and he is the fittest of the group of 6 that had the same op -3 others changed their livestyles an died – go figure.
And yep Jane – the steroids make you want food – any food, and when you eat you eat massively. I now have that under control – but it is 14kgs extra on me now! I’ll loose it soon enough. The nausea is also helping to control things hugely – not that you really want it too. Now back to logging all my food intake & exercise to track it and get back in balance – it worked at the beginning of the year when I lost 12Kgs like that.
I’ll let SUe know that she can expect to talk to you next time. I definitely know it’s not all about me too.
Take care all