Radiation Therapy has begun for Ros

... and she says so far, so good. No untoward effects. Ros goes daily for 10 sessions of therapy. The known side effects of nausea, tiredness, and tenderness in the targetted area - so far have not been an issue for Ros. She's such a calm patient. A perfect patient for any Doctor. No more chemo whilst the R therapy is happening. And regular contact with her team to give her an insight of the treatment. It's comforting to know that Ros is feeling as good as she is. Gemma, Grace, and I are flying to Melbourne next weekend to be with Family down South. Looking forward to it.

Bryce and Kathy are planning a holiday...

We are encouraged as Australians to be tough, be strong, show that Aussie spirit and determination to tough it out. Nothing will beat us. We will ride through this. We will be strong. We share our troubles with friends, but life goes on, and more life issues arise which take centre stage. We do take our health for granted. We "soldier on" and proudly say that we haven't taken a "sick day" for months or even a year. We are proud of our stoic ability to carry on day after day. And























then the doctor or specialist highlights that "Houston, we have a problem!". With Bryce, it's been lots of little things. Skin cancers, respiratory polyps, "Knee" problems, Auditory associated conditions, etc and then the big issues of Heart conduction issues, and Prostate Cancer. And now for Bryce, some thyroid concerns and yet another specialist. WHY??? Bryce's lifestyle has been dedicated to good nutrition and exercise. With me, it's been mainly centred around endocrine issues and getting the Thyroid issues balanced. Lately it's been "eyes" (something not feeling quite right) and the referral to an opthalmologist again. Mind you, I liked my treats interspersed within the "healthy" lifestyle. But after Christmas 2010, I was determined to shed mega kilos. OK... so momentarily we both feel pretty weary with what has happened to the health we once took for granted. But... we will take one step at a time and one day at a time and navigate our way through any issue that life serves at us. We will enjoy the life that we are living. Day by day. And we will LOVE the time we have together in Tasmania in April.

Ros has a new challenge to face

On Thursday night I returned Ros' phonecall. She reported that she had a new focus point for cancer treatment. She had developed a tumour within her brain. This may explain a lot of the headaches that she had been experiencing. She was having oral dexamethasone but was unable to keep the medication down as she was vomiting all the time. So the medication which would reduce the swelling around the tumour, was unable to work its magic. On Friday, Ros was admitted to hospital to have IV rehydration and IV medications. She was starting to feel a bit better on the Saturday, and was discharged home on Saturday afternoon, when she had proved her ability to keep nausea and vomiting free. A few days of rest ahead for Ros. Then on Tuesday afternoon, she will begin radiotherapy. This will be a course of 10 radiotherapy treatments. As she has to stay absolutely still during the treatment, there is a moulding to fit her headshape that she will wear/ lie in at every radiotherapy session. This will ensure that there is no movement and the radiotherapy is targetted to the exact spot of the tumour. My choice of photography here illustrates that there are some dark stormy days to navigate in order to see the light again. We travel stormy days in succession sometimes, wondering will there ever be an end to it. Of course there is. Glorious sunshine again. Through life, there are always stormy days, but they don't last forever. There is always light at the end of it all. Sunshiny days. Those stormy days serve to make you really appreciate the beautiful calm and peaceful sunny days.