Surviving Oesophageal Cancer

Hi Ben

I hope today finds you as well as can be, I am pleased to know that your pain relief is working well, I don’t know what to suggest over the opiate side effects except that you might want to ask your doctor about the possibility of using Tamazepam before going to bed if not already used as short term relaxant during sleep at least until the radiation treatment kicks in. I will join in with what others have said and that is for you to enjoy the good weather as much as you can and to pass on my best wishes to Sharon.

Hi Leisha

It is good news that Ed is going to get his treatment soon, I too hope you are enjoying the Indian summer and hope you are not overdoing things as I know your life has been taken over with the worry of Ed’s illness.

Hi Janet

Crystal is quite right about your dads return to working, especially when you think about the enormity of this operation, get some weight on him and then he can build up his stamina thorough exercise and little challenges around the house, things like cleaning the car can really take it out of you your dad but he can also draw satisfaction from small jobs like that. Sitting around being sedentary is not good for recovery, however overdoing it can cause real harm as it is only time and determination that will heal the physical effects of the operation.

Hi gg

I don’t think we have spoken before but I have been following your Roy’s story; I hope he can have some quality time from his treatment plan. Try to take care of yourself as your stress is so enormous to endure on top of taking care of your family, you won’t be much help if you get broken along the way.

Hi Crystal

As always I appreciate your friendship and admire the way you are able to offer friendship and advice to people who need it, so it pleases me to be able to offer you a little support in your time of need.  I am glad you enjoyed Mystical day over on The Demon.

Today we are having new carpets fitted so have something nice to look forward to during the gloomy winter, they are chestnut in colour and the rooms are natural hessian and white so the carpet contrasts really well. Work is still a struggle but I am determined to carry on working for as long as I can. I have been having stomach cramps kidney pain and generally feeling lousy; I think it just might be a bug that is going around everywhere.

A cordial good day to everyone else looking in,

Take care

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your comments and kind thoughts. I keep forgetting the reverse seasons and that you are heading in to your winter. It's more than 25 yrs since I spent a winter in the UK and I guess they won't have changed much. I have fond memories in Dec 1981 having a Christmas drink in a Yorkshire pub and the local drop was called "Theakston's Old Peculiar" with an alcohol level of something like 7%. Pretty sure I have the name right but no surprise if I haven't as it was a very entertaining evening with a wonderful group of Yorkies who called a spade a bleedin shovel!

Still awaiting appointment for start of radiation - the old waiting game - but have been "promised"a call today with the first 5 bookings. It will be great to have some relief from the pain which, due to the fracture ain't getting any easier.First thing when I wake up is the worst as it takes at least an hour for the drugs to kick in but thats OK as Sharon gets her morning cuppa while I regain some normality. It is harder for the ones you care for most as they want so much to help and don't seem to realise that just being there is the best help ever.

Any way to all of you out there, we are in a good space and very much at peace with the world  -  it takes a lot to faze us.

Hope your new carpet looks good. All the best.    Ben.   

Hi Ben

No you don’t have the name of the beer wrong, Theakston's Old Peculiara bit of an acquired taste for my liking but quite a popular specialty beer; I think the strongest would be around 5.4 vol these days but still quite a kick. The carpets look good, I don’t think I could stand a winter on bare boards especially as I really feel the cold these days, just haven’t got the lagging anymore. I am feeling better today than I have over the last couple of weeks so have a little more energy to set me up for work on Monday. I really hope you don’t have to wait too long for your appointment, that pain needs sorting out.

All my very best,

Steve

Hi everyone, nice to hear you boys chatting, carpets sound nice and cosy. Talking of cold it was funny this morning, ( it wasnt at the time! but I can see the funny side now) Ed woke up  6 ish and moaned he was freezing and that i had turned the heating off and his electric blanket. I realised it was frosty outside and turned everything up and even made a cup of tea. Not even a thankyou!!!! still I was at the gym before 8 and had a "cycle" and a swim. When i got back the sun was shining and his lordship "forgotten" his accusations of earlier. That will teach me to watch the weather forecasts every night in future to set the temps, lol. It has been wet but mild for so long here.

Ed has heart scan on thurs and should start chemo next monday. Chemo seems to be our only hope but it frightens us as well. What will be will be.

Take care of each other out there, love leisha xxxxxxxx

Hi Leisha,

Don'tcha wish you were in the land of the long white cloud  and looking at the start of summer!! Mind you our winters in Dunedin (the Edinburgh of the south) can turn on the white stuff in the mornings so we do have our moments.

Everyone is different with chemo and we know where you are coming from.I had 9 weeks continuous chemo with 24hr pump (worn around my waist) with a full day every 3rd week at the medical day centre for the "big  hit" as I called it. I can admit it now that I was scared witless at first especially when hair started falling out in great lumps but as tthe treatment progressed and I could see the half way point come and go I began the countdown to the finish date. Now almost 12 months later all my hair has come back (with a vengeance) and it is a distant memory of a past adventure.

So all the best to Ed and we look forward to progress report.

I have my first radiation treatment booked for tomorrow (wednesday ) at 2.50pm so looking forward to that for some pain relief.  

Cheers Ben.

Hi Ben

I read with interest your sojourn to Yorkshire and sampling the Old Peculier.  I’m curious as to why you were in the UK back then?  As part of my bachelor, one assignment led to the Theakston Brewery, (yes, I know, it was a wonderful assignment and nothing whatsoever to do with my project, but I made it fit), where I sampled many of the ales, (for research purposes) and I have to say that never have I had so much fun, although the finished project was a bit garbled in places.  You are right about the Yorkshire people too – warm, friendly, down to earth and call a spade a shovel.  Here’s a link to the Brewery.

http://www.theakstons.co.uk/index.html

I hope the radiotherapy goes well and that this first course won’t make you too tired.  I love your attitude because, as you say, this will help reduce that pain in your shoulder and hopefully it will get you a good night’s sleep into the bargain. 

Leisha, I hope all is well and that Ed is having a good spell.  What are you like, turning off the heating and Ed’s electric blanket in this frosty weather Lol.  I shall be thinking of you on Thursday when Ed has his heart scan, so I’ll wish you luck now as I might not be able to muster the energy to post on Thursday.  I know how worrying and scary it is for you to be facing the chemo treatment, but I’m sure Ed will be absolutely fine and will hopefully respond well.  We’re all here for you and right behind you. xx 

Steve, the colour scheme in your home sounds lovely, I too like the natural colours.  I’m glad to hear that you’ve perked up a little too, although with this fatigue I find you just can’t tell when it’s going to hit hard.  Lately, most days are pretty tiresome for me and I’m taking painkillers to try to relieve the accompanying aches and pains.  Having said that, I do have a couple of good days each week where I don’t feel at all tired and my energy picks up well, so on these days I get out and about as much as possible.  It’s bizarre though isn’t it why cancer-related fatigue happens such a long time after the surgery?  My doc doesn’t have any explanation and says it just happens sometimes.  Still, I’m happy in myself so I know I’m lucky.  Xx 

Janet, how are things going with your dad?  I do hope that he’s able to sleep well and get plenty of rest and is not worrying about work issues too much.  Hope to hear from you soon. xx 

Hi to Everyone looking in.  I’m playing this game today….’Today is a good day for….’  So far, I’ve eaten ice cream and it’s only 8.30am so I hope your day is a good day for something good.

Crystal xx    

Hi everyone, oh yes I wish for it to be the start of summer but at least i can enjoy the build up to christmas which I love and usually miss when in spain.

Good to hear from you crystal, are your aches related to surgery or are you just getting older like the rest of us, lol. Seeing as you like a tiple I remember i used to drink a potion called Bulls Blood! Fantastic stuff! Apparently the Hungarians used to brew it and drink it before battle. Whenever I had indulged my colleagues would know! They said I was a wirlwind at work and would I just slow down as i was showing them up, ha ha. it is full of iron and natural stuff as well as alcohol and though an aquired taste it was better than Sanatagen wine etc. Of course i over indulged and now I cant face the stuff.lol. Perhaps you should try it, from local offlicences, but in moderation. Incidentally I did find a similar drink in spain called Cantueso, brewed by local monks ( alicante region) also known as Oro. I wonder if Ben has come accross any good stuff in Newzealand... over to you Ben...

Anyway we are ok even though weather is  ...........!  Take care of each other everyone, love leisha xxx

Well hi Leisha and Crystal,

I spent some time in the UK from 1976 to1983 on business establishing a business in St Ives Cambridgeshire and made about three trips a year sampling the real ale which was all the rage then. Also managed to get the business up and running as well!! As for tipples in our part of the world - well I'm sure you are aware of our world class red and whites from both the north and south islands  plus we have a range of boutique breweries throughout the country and we sent a complete Speight's Pub over to UK on a ship last year and there are now Speight's bars in London so you can sample the Southern Man's brew for yourself. So we have graduated a little from the days of the wild colonial boys (although there are some who question that)

Sorry to hear you are suffering  the "big tired" Crystal trust you can get to the bottom of it. (perhaps a pint of old peculiar) I am of to have my first radiation treatment this afternoon they are going to do my arm and ribs in 5 sessions rather than 5 separate ones for each. So heres hoping it fixes the pain.

Will keep you informed.

Cheers Ben. 

Ah, the Bulls Blood Hungarian wine, The Old Peculiar Real Ale - never touch the stuff.

Ha ha ha, love the pic! Im never sure if you and the kitten cat are one and the same, im sure you have magical powers that reach across the waves. Just hope it gave you energy, lol. Need to get the old air guitar rockin! never mind paper work n housework. (((((((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))))))

Hi Ben hope the therapy started to work straight away and ease that pain, thinking of you.

Love to all looking in, leisha xxx