About to take the dive but actually not doing too bad. Drinking lots of water which I think helps. Also going to try coming off the prednisone a bit more gently, or a bit less cold turkey.

Spotted a rat on the lawn this morning so it's back to the exotic species extermination.

Currently listening to Frank Zappa performing Ravel's Bolero. Quite clever.

A couple of important birthdays this month - Cousin Marie and sister Shurli:

Chemo Cycle #4 today. Not much to report from that (yet!), but feeling pretty good in the run-up to it. Saw Dr Steve Palmer this time, who is one of the consultant haematology gurus. He seems pretty happy with how things are going, in his own non-committal way. I'll try to listen to my body a bit more this time, and also try tapering the dose of Prednisone instaed of going cold turkey.

Just finished watching the Commonwealth games Rugby Sevens final at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, which NZ won, which you will have heard unless you live on Pluto, or possibly North-western Washington.

Not quite live, but here's John and Sharon Howell at the match.

Finally caught our local possum, who would jump onto the roof every night at about 10:30 and noisily use it as a shortcut to the bush on the other side. Dee whipped up a deliciously fragrant mix of apple, flour. cinnamon, icing sugar and vanilla which was used to bait a Timms trap and this was the result around an hour later: .

Not wanting to put the little bugger to waste, I quickly whipped up this hat...


...actually, it was a present from the kids I teach singing to at Takapuna Grammar School, along with a scarf, and they really are possum fur. Warm as anything and it doesn't itch. I'm pretty much bald as a coot these days and had my first shave in 25 years last week.

I know you are all dying to know about the kittens, so here they are again:
... a far cry from the little rats they were born resembling.

One week after chemo cycle 3 and not feeling good. Haven't been able to do much apart from sleep and feel awful. I suspect the old body is finding it harder to cope with the chemical onslaught each time. Not looking forward to cycles 4-6.

Anyway, today is my dear sister Shurli's 50th, at least it would be if there was a 29th Feb this year. Near enough whatever. I'm only sorry we can't celebrate it together. I'm immensely proud of you and We love you lots.

Just starting to feel the adverse effects of the chemo cycle I had last Thursday. Finshed the Prednisone today so I await with interest this cycle's side effects. Went to work today and I was intending to go to Takapuna Grammar (where I teach singing) on the way home and then to chorus but ended up feeling so ratty by 4pm I just came home to a meal of homemade and handmade pasta courtesy of Saul.

Another action packed weekend. Every year there is a free concert in the domain with a mix of classical, light and pop music. We were there in the morning to stake out our claim.





All sorts of interesting people go to these things.


Wasn't quite so good this year, but the 1812 overture with fireworks, lasers, and real cannons, courtesy of the NZ Army, is always worth going for.



Sunday saw a visit from sister Dianne and Dwight from Whangarei.

... a day late actually, as one of the haematologists is crook and they had to reschedule my consultation, and therefore my chemo a day later. Jim arrived from Melbourne yesterday for a week so he sat with me for the morning while D was at a meeting and Dee arrived for the afternoon. The T-shirt was a birthday present from K and Joss. The photo (on the T-shirt) has appeared in this publication previously. The hairpiece was a present (?) from Petra. My nurse is Alicia. She wears the gown because the stuff they put into me is so bloody toxic.

After the chemo we paid a visit to cousin Marie, recuperating from disc surgery.

(Jim was still recovering from jetlag - Melbourne being a whole 2 hours behind).

The kittens are getting bigger.

...after 3 nights in Ward 62. They let me out after 24 hours had passed without my temperature spiking above 38. Feeling fine. Just a bit of a dry cough that was probably related to the fever, but nothing was found - which is quite usual apparently. Meet Marika (from Finland), one of the excellent nursing staff at Ward 62.

Anyway, here's what my temperature did (I'm a bit of a fanatic for graphing things, especially temperature):


There'a slim chance I won't be able to start my 3rd cycle of chemo next wednesday as scheduled if my neutrophil count hasn't recovered enough. My normal count is around 6. When I got the infection they were very low (around 0.1 - about one sixtieth of their normal value). So low in fact that I got phone calls from my GP and from Haemotology when they had the results to check if I was still alive. As of yesterday they had recovered to 0.36. Should be fine by Wed.

Dee again. Ross not quite so chirpy. Temperature still elevated and he feels a bit unwell. Still no cause for real alarm. More IV antibiotics tomorrow and Sunday. Hopefully may come home for tomorrow night and back in Sunday. Will depend on how the night goes tonight. Saw Marie again today - a bit of a rough day for her too.

Dee writing this. Last night Ross contacted the Haematology Registrar as his temperature didn’t settle. Advised to take paracetamol which he did and temperature rapidly lowered. This morning 6am temperature not too bad but by 8am 38.1 so contacted Haematology Daystay and he was asked to go back in. The team swung into action – blood cultures, xrays, IV antibiotics. Xray showed a wee bit of speckling on one lung – early pneumonia – so admitted to Ward 62 hopefully only overnight but may be longer. He's feeling pretty chirpy really, but the bummer is that if this doesn’t settle his chemotherapy scheduled for next Wednesday will be deferred for a further week – pushing everything out. I contacted Ross’s cousin Duncan to let him know, who advised me that cousin Marie (Duncan’s sister) is in Ward 77 having had an urgent laminectomy for prolapsed L5-S1 disc on Tuesday. I went to see her lunchtime today. She is doing well – but what a shock! And it will take a while for her to get over that. Our love and best wishes to Marie.

Temperature hovering around the 38 mark - may be off to hospital tonight...

Over the last three days things have steadily improved. Today I feel pretty normal, though I'm now becoming neutropenic (when the blood cells die off). Neutropenia is no big deal except that you are more vulnerable to infection and have to bundle yourself off to hospital if your temperature goes above 38. The more I think about it, the more I realise this cycle was like the previous one. I just need to be ready for the 4-5 days of hell that set in around 5 days after chemo.

Sauls's partner Jo's family have 100 acres of coastal land at Mahurangi and we spent Yesterday there with K and Joss. The animals are alpacas.








Some more photos <a href="http://public.fotki.com/rossmcm/ross/mahurangi_feb_2006/">here</a>

My only hope is that this birthday doesn't turn out to be particularly significant....

Went to my quack today and stocked up on another anti-nausea drug and sleeping pills. Actually feeling a bit better today and spent half a day at work. The maelevolent Vincristine is bothering me a bit less.

Had lots of birthday calls and good wishes, including one from Tom in Belgium.

Saul and Jo dropped in with a solid cylinder of chocolate disguised as a birthday cake. One of the more dangerous products of Zarbo's, where Saul works. We had Hell's Pizza and aforementioned birthday cake and watched Pirates of the Carribbean.

The first few days after chemo #2 were OK, but things went awry after that. The last 3 days have not been pleasant. I suspect that its coming off prednisone. The first cycle they weaned me off it gradually, this time it was 5 days at a full dose then nothing.

I had a very full Waitangi weekend. Went to a 50th birthday celebration for Josy (whom I sing with) at Scotts Landing.



The next day I had a singout at the Victoria Park 100th celebrations,
<img src="http://images16.fotki.com/v282/photos/7/753305/3198067/DSCN2329-vi.jpg" >

and on the Monday a BBQ at Gordon and Keiths, friends of ours. They have a home in the Henderson valley where they grow native and exotic palms among other things.



Probably the largest Bromeliad you'll ever see:



They invite us every year without fail, but we are normally at the beach on Waitangi weekend so can't attend.

I went downhill rapidly at that and have been pretty much wiped out since. I slept off and on most of yesterday. Feel a bit better at the moment, but for the last 48 hours have had most unpleasant sensations - I can imagine what it must be like coming off heroin now. The other side effect that is worse at the moment is the neuropathy in my fingertips. This is due to Vincristine, another one of the chemo drugs.

Cousin Duncan dropped in yesterday evening, mainly because he hadn't heard anything and to prod me into updating this, but just secretly I think he was angling for a game of Scrabble.

More photos from Waitangi Weekend <a href="http://public.fotki.com/rossmcm/ross/waitangi_weekend_2006/">here</a>.

Cycle 2 chemo went without problems, apart from a bit of a sneezing fit during the Cyclophosphamide infusion. Saw the doctor just beforehand and he is very pleased with the way I am tolerating and recovering from chemo, and the obvious response I am getting. I'm back on big doses of Prednisone so sleeping is optional at the moment, but only for 4 more days.

Arrived back home to a glorious quilt in the post from my sister Dianne.



(Yes, she can spell - when I was a child I had a favourite blanket and that was my name for it).

Most people aren't aware that as part of the chemotherapy you get an allowance from the Health service for a wig. Mine arrived today:



I particularly like the combined chest/pubic piece.
(thank you Petra love).

It's 6:40 am, an I'm off to hospital for the second cycle in a couple of hours. Last night I went for my brisk walk around the block, which normally takes me around 29 mins (it's a <u>big</u> block, with a couple of substantial hills), and it took me around 31 mins, so I'm not far off normal again in terms of stamina.

Chemo #1 has been pretty good to me really - still enjoying my food, no nausea, no mouth ulcers, managaed to maintain my weight - just a bit of sleeplessness, some drug reactions which I can avoid. I'm not sure whether they hit you a bit harder the next time, of whether the old body will reel a bit from the blow this time.

..Auckland anniversary weekend that is. Normally we would be up at Taupo Bay but on doctor's advice we stayed back this time, though in fact I've been absolutely fine. Whatever, it was a chance to do and see the things in Auckland that we don't normally, like take a stroll along the waterfront. It's amazing how a touch of lymphoma focusses your thinking, and makes you pack as many things into it as you can. We ended up watching the movie "Munich" on impulse - it was on at Mission bay and we stopped there for coffee after D had a swim.




This year there was a big festival at the viaduct basin, with street performances, a fireworks display, and a free concert with the Auckland Philharmonia. I flatted for a couple of years with one of the violinists Katherine Walshe in Hakanoa St so it was good to catch up with her.




Note in the photo below that there is a large knife caught in mid-air - thrown by the young woman from the audience.



My hair is coming out (only if I pull it though) so I've gone for a #1 haircut. Tonight I'll go to chorus. Yesterday 3 of the guys came round home bearing gifts and afternoon tea, and we had a bit of a sing, my first since being diagnosed.

Still pretty breathless after anything strenuous, so this trough is lasting a bit longer than I thought. It'll be interesting to see what my blood test shows tomorrow.

Probably the only persisting side-effect I have at the moment is numness in my thumbs - I've had a poke around the net and it does seem to be a side effect of chemo. 4th straight day without painkillers. The only pain I have is a dull pain hardly noticeable in my lower RH abdomen, around where the small intestine tumour is. I believe it's necrosis (the little bastard tumour cells dying off), so it's a constant reminder that things are happening down there, hopefully for the better.

I'n now drug free - weaned off the prednisone yesterday. Come next Wed when I have the second cycle of chemo, I'll be back onto 100mg a day.

Went to work today and ended up pretty tired in the afternoon.

More energy today. Went out for lunch and a 30 min stroll at Howick Historic Village. Wouldn't have managed that much activity yesterday so I'm presuming my blood is returning. I've also noticed that each time I look down at the desk in front of me there is a new collection of bristles. I'm losing my beard after 25 years. I'm not sure if it will keep falling out from now on or if it only falls out while you are in the trough.

Had a long chat with John and Sharon Howell today (I was best man at their wedding last year), who are currently driving down the great ocean road in Victoria/South Australia. Poor buggers were forced to go along to the Australian tennis open and sweat it out in the Beca Amec corporate box.

3rd straight day without painkillers. Everything seems to be working as it should - I'll be fit as a buck rat again by next Wed when they will try to kill me again.

<img src="http://images12.fotki.com/v240/photos/7/753305/2771652/DSC01246-vi.jpg" align="left"><img width=400 src="http://images12.fotki.com/v241/photos/7/753305/2771652/DSC01230-vi.jpg" align="left">

Today I hit the wall, so to speak. Just ran out of oomph at work. Also phoned the hospital to get the results of my yesterday's blood tests and it would appear that I'm in the "trough". All my blood counts are down, it's just happened a bit later (15 days after chemo instead of the 7-10 they reckoned). I'll take it easy for a couple of days.

2 weeks since my first chemo and went to see a registrar at haemo about my gut pains. He couldn't find anything amiss - just advised to stay near to Auckland and front up if it happens again and they'll check it out.

They seem surprised that my blood tests seem to show that my immune system hasn't taken much of a hit from the chemo. The "trough" they are expecting seems to have passed me by with relatively little reduction in stamina nor increased susceptibility to infection. Had another blood test today that might tell us more.

My bone marrow boipsy was negative, meaning they could find no trace of lymphoma in my bone marrow or bone itself. This is probably good news though the test is not absolute.

Feeling just fine, apart from the occasional gut ache.

Meet Joel, who is staying at the bay with his Mum.


This is how a local poaka (black-backed gull) dispenses with anything we throw onto the front lawn (in this case, a large piece of chicken).

We'll head back to Auckland today. Weather has been fine and warm, but an easterly has whipped up today. Had a severe attack of gastric pain yesterday, and I'm now of the suspicion that it is due to something I ate, either kiwifruit or nuts. One of the side effects of the pain relief I'm taking (Tramal, aka Tramadol) is constipation, and that's been a real problem lately. Anyway, enough of that.


Went to the world famous Mangonui Fish and Chip with Gill and Tom, good friends of ours from Vancouver last night.

All my overseas rellies have returned and it'll be work and chorus on Monday.