back from my trip

My apologies - pics mentioned below and not appearing were in while I was writing, then they disappeared. Gremlins! Will put them in later if I can.

Hi! This photo (see next entry) was taken by a delivery man in the street as I was getting into the van to leave on my trip. I couldn't help him with his inquiry about an address, but he could help me by taking this photo as there was no-one else at home.

I was away for 9 days altogether and it was the most fabulous experience. On the first night I camped at my son, Tim's caravan park, just to be sure there was someone to help me if I couldn't make it all work properly. Anyway, I came out with flying colours and didn't have to ask for any help. But it was a lovely excuse to spend time with them, especially little Oscar

Isn't he gorgeous? He's 4 months old.

Some cuddles and play time with him sent me on my way on my trip. The weather was excellent all the way and I surfed and played golf between drives, meals and visiting places along the way.

Sometimes I went off the main road into National Parks and stayed overnight in the bush camps. In the photo below (not below: see next entry) I was preparing the fire for cooking my evening meal at Mimosa Rocks in the Eurobodalla National Park. There is a magnificent isolated beach down some steep steps from this camp ground.

In Pambula I stayed with friends, Carmen and Ray. Carmen and I played 9 holes of golf together as well as walking along Pambula Beach and having a surf.

I got back on the road then heading to Meeniyan in South Gippsland, not far from Wilson's Promontory, where Scott and Jan are running the local pub.

The weather turned cold, but there was still no rain and we were able to do a great deal of sight seeing - all over the place. It's beautiful, very remote and I wouldn't want to live there, but I'm so pleased I've been to see it. It was great to see Scott and Jan in their temporary working environment and to spend time with them.

And after it was all over, I went to see Dr Chen, the herbalist and acupuncturist, who was very pleased with my condition and said he only needs to see me fortnightly now, rather than weekly. So, I'd say, all in all, the whole thing was very good medicine!

Yippee!

No chemo for another month. This morning I had a blood test and this afternoon I visited the oncologist who had the results of the test. And.......... the platelet count is far too low for me to have chemo tomorrow, so he's given me a month off. Yeah! For those not-so-medical buffs the platelet count is 66 and the normal range is 150-450.

What does this mean for me? It means I have to take care not to bump into things and not to cut myself as the low platelets will not allow the blood to clot and I'll be bruised and bleed a lot. Sounds easy, you think. If only you knew how many times I bang into things in my hurry to get somewhere and cut my fingers with sharp knives! Anyway, I'll just have to slow down and be more careful. The exciting thing about it is that I have a month when I will have a normal level of energy and probably not have to schedule a nanna nap quite so often. I'm really quite excited. It means my trip down the coast next week will take on a new dimension. I'll have much more energy to do things than I thought I'd have, so I'm going to take my golf clubs with me and see if I can get that swing back with a little bit of practice every day.

I can hear you saying "just take it easy, Terrie, don't do too much". OK. I know, and I will.

For those if you who have been reading for some time, you'll know my friend, Wilna who lives in France at Chateau Lalinde, is doing the amazing Pilgrims' Walk across the top of Spain. She started last Sunday and has been walking every day over mountains on rocky paths and really punishing her body to achieve her set target of kilometres each day. I've been following her progress and exchanging text messages with her daily. She says it's the hardest thing she's ever done, at the same time, the most wonderful experience. She's been writing a blog in the weeks leading up to her departure and there are some amazing photos in the early entries. So, if you're interested, you can see it at http://caminoforterrie.travellerspoint.com/

The other exciting thing that has happened this week is that I've been talking with Tim and Oscar via Skype and webcam. It's so lovely to chat to my son and see him while we're chatting as well as seeing my grandson, little Oscar, and hearing him gurgle and laugh and squeal - and scream! Oh how I continue to love being a grandmother! Soon the Hong Kong family will be doing it with me too.

I visited the Nan Tien Temple, near my home, with a friend during the week. The photo at the top was taken looking across the waterlilies towards the temple. I love the willow tree. Talk again soon

Two Weeks Later

Well, it's already 2 weeks since I last put an entry here. I know there are some readers who would like me to write more regularly, but honestly I really don't think there's that much to tell!

I've been enjoying spreading the good news that I reported last time and everyone is so pleased for me - as I am too, of course! You are all such wonderful supporters for me and it's so great to hear from so many of you as often as I do.

Since I last wrote I've had another chemo infusion and been on the chemo tablets - I finish this round tomorrow. I'm very lucky that I don't have terrible side effects from it and am still able to function fairly normally. The greatest effect it has on me is to rob me of my energy. And you all know how frustrating that is for me. I can't just keep on going all day like the 'Eveready bunny' does. I find that as long as I make sure I have my nanna nap each afternoon I can still do most of the things I like and need to do.

Since my victory in the surf with Bob Speed I've been going for a surf most days that I'm at home in Wollongong. The water is a great temperature, the waves are rolling and it's very invigorating. I'm sure that effort contributes to my sound sleep each afternoon.

I am also spending quite a lot of time in Sydney staying with my friend, Suzie, at Leichhardt. As I am the proud holder of a NSW Senior's Card, I can ride on public transport all day for $2.50. For those who don't know, Leichhardt is in the inner west of Sydney not far from the harbour, so buses and ferries have taken me to art galleries, movies, theatre, botanic gardens, dinner with friends and given me the pleasure of seeing lots of parts of Sydney that I haven't seen before. If you're a Sydney friend and I haven't caught up with you yet - well, let's get together soon.

Current round of chemo finishes tomorrow and the next one starts next Wednesday, so I have a week of feeling normal to do some extra things - like riding my bike and going for long walks - and perhaps not having to sleep every afternoon.

The week after next I hope to take my friend's campervan and travel along the south coast and into Victoria to Wilson's Promontory to visit my brother and his wife. They have been there for about 6 months and will be staying another 6 probably, before they return to Wollongong.

For those who don't know Australian geography, it's the southern most tip of the Australian mainland. Directly south is Bass Strait which you have to cross to then get to Tasmania. I plan to drive only a few hours each day and stay in a coastal campground each night. I'll tell you all about it when I get a chance. It will be my next adventure!

Good news this time

When I was at the tennis recently there was a young man with the following words on his T shirt " death is not an option". I commented to my sister that I would like a T shirt with that message on it.

Well, my friends, it's good news. Today I went to see the oncologist who had the results of my recent CT scan and blood tests. He was able to show me the scan on his computer screen. It shows that all the tumours have either disappeared or are dead (it's an OK option for those little suckers!) How about that!

When I commented that that might mean he was out of a job, he cautioned me not to be so hasty. Yes, they are gone after three months of chemotherapy treatment, but he recommends that I stay on chemotherapy for another nine months. He says that research shows that patients on treatment live longer than those who are not, and that we should remember the saying "when you're on a good thing, stick to it". That was a Mortein ad, wasn't it? Anyway the 'living longer' argument certainly has some appeal, so I agreed to continue on the chemo for another 9 months.

He has taken me off one of the three chemo drugs that I have been on - the one that destroyed my platelets. So hopefully the platelet count will increase and I won't have to keep eating black pudding! Actually, to be truthful, I stopped a while ago. It was too much - eating it every single day.

So, it's back to the chemo regime tomorrow morning, bright and early at 8am. It hasn't stopped me going to Melbourne to the tennis, or body surfing at Wollongong City Beach and beating my brother-in-law to the sand on a couple of waves! So, I guess I can live with it for a while. Periodical scans will keep an eye on things and if it's still all clear after 9 months then I guess I can have a break.

Thank you all for reading my news and for the support you always provide for me. I believe my excellent results are a combination of many elements, not the least being the magnificent support, encouragement and friendship I get from you all.

I'll talk to you all again soon.

update

Don't forget that I have a new email address, please. Lots of people are still emailing me at the old address and I will be closing it down very shortly. I don't check it very often, so don't always see your messages at the right time.

terrie.baxter@gmail.com

Since I last wrote I've had a blood test and a CT scan. The blood test shows improvement in every relevant area. I will see and hear the results of the scan this coming Tuesday afternoon when I go to the oncologist. Whew! It's a stressful time. Meanwhile - this is my week free of chemotherapy when I feel very human again.

Since I last wrote I've also seen my new grandson, Oscar, and will include a pic below. Leigh and I have also been to Melbourne to spend two days at the Australian Open Tennis Championships. We had a fun time and saw some great tennis. See above a pic of the two of us, having a break between games, in our 'tennis watching' mode taken in front of the big screen and the garden in the grounds of Melbourne Park.

Bright-eyed Oscar at 9 weeks

January marches on

My dear friends who go to the trouble of reading this blog on a regular basis, my humblest apologies. No entry for over 2 weeks! Just goes to show what a great time I've been having. And I've been away from my computer (and any other) for quite a bit of the time.

Some of the time has been spent back at the beach house at Vincentia and I owe a great deal to my sister-in-law, Shaz, who has made it available for me to use with my friends when it has been free.

I'll just give you an update on a variety of things today.

My Face
The stitches have been removed from the cut on my face and it is healing nicely. There is certainly a scar but as luck would have it it's in line with one of the 'laugh lines' around my mouth and is hardly noticeable. I'm madly rubbing Vitamin E cream into it many times a day

Chemo
The 3rd round of chemo is well under way. I'm definitely not the usual Terrie while I'm on the tablets, but it still allows me to function almost normally, as long as I put time aside to take my nanna nap after lunch each day. In fact, yesterday I slept for 4 hours after lunch - almost until dinner time! But that allowed me to go with friends to have a meal and to see the award winning movie, Atonement, which I really enjoyed. I have just finished reading the book, so the story was very familiar to me and the movie is very true to the book, except at the very end.

General Treatment
Blood tests continue and the readings are always encouraging. The tumour marker is still within the normal range (just like yours) and the liver function readings are improving every time. The doctor I see most regularly (weekly for herbs and acupuncture) is the herbal doctor, and he is always encouraging about my progress and says that we make a great team. More blood tests coming up and a CT scan at the end of the month before seeing the oncologist again. The scan will tell the picture. This is the time that I both dread and look forward to with anticipation, at the same time.

What Might Be Ahead
If you read the comments on this blog you will see that my friend, 'red shoes', asks about whether I have the camper van ready for my travels! She is planning to fly from France and join me for some of my travels! The answer is - not yet. But I've been doing my research and am closer to taking the plunge. Another dear friend owns a camper van and is allowing me to 'trial it' while she is travelling overseas for 3 months from February. So, look out folks, you just might find me arriving on your doorstep anytime - with my accommodation with me!

Family
My sister and her husband are still with us and will return to Canada on the 30th of this month. Life will be much quieter then. They are enjoying the summer, away from the chilly Canadian winter, and are spending their time visiting Sydney grandchildren and friends all over the place as well as cycling and swimming almost daily on our beautiful coastline.

Soon
Once they have gone I plan to spend some time in Sydney with my friend, Suzie, who has invited me to stay and enjoy the wonderful variety of things to do in Sydney - especially during the summer. Of course, modern communication allows me to keep in touch with you all by the same methods - wherever I am.

Well, for now - that's all folks! Thanks for reading. I hope you are enjoying your January and keeping well.

Vivre 2008

The date says 2 January, but it's really the 3rd. I don't know how to correct the date!!!!

Well, Christmas and New Year have both come and gone and it's time to get on with the work of 2008.

After a beaut Christmas with family, and sadly saying goodbye to the Hong Kong connection, my New Year began at the beachside resort of Vincentia on Jervis Bay. These are pics of

1. the beach, 2. the magnificent Christmas Bush flowering in the area and 3. the view from our beach house out over Jervis Bay.

My friend, Suzie, and I had a relaxing few days at the beach house. We took our bicycles, swimmers, books, Scrabble and crosswords - and the black pudding! On New Year's Eve we were tucked up in our beds well before midnight. We did watch the Sydney 9pm fireworks on the television, so we didn't totally miss out on the spirit of celebration and heralding in the new year.

And now it's back to routine. The next round of chemotherapy starts next Wednesday (9th) - that's as long as the black pudding has been keeping my platelet level up! The blood test next Tuesday will tell.

Those of you who read my previous blog may remember the pic of my 60th birthday celebration. I've been reminsicing today, as it's exactly one year ago - I was Princess for a day. A lot has happened in the intervening year - a lot of positive stuff, and I want to thank you all for much of that.

Your friendship, support, encouragement and provision of opportunities for laughter and camaraderie has helped to keep me healthy and happy - and defy all medical prognoses! Let it continue in 2008 and beyond!

Happy New Year, my friends. Enjoy this pic of my three grandchildren. Oscar (1 month), Willow (15 months) and Zeke (almost 5)