100 Strangers... a work in progress

Well it seems like a bazillion years ago, but it was only around July 2011 I first saw a book by Neil Winch about his 100 strangers project.  I don't know where he found out about it or what got him started, but I was fascinated.   The object was to photograph 100 strangers.   So that's introduce yourself, explain the project, find out a bit about them, get the shot and say goodbye within minutes.  The aim is to get a well lit expressive portrait.  I thought it was way too hard for me to attempt, but I was hooked.   Roll on August and I still hadn't taken a shot, but I found myself at the Cessnock Regional Art Gallery for an exhibition.  I had my camera and there were people everywhere.... I spied Stephen James, one of the exhibiting artists.   I had to act. It was now or never!   To my absolute surprise he agreed and the shot was taken.  By September I had 14 in the bag and I met up with the adorable, talented, witty, charming and delightful Chris Belyea for a walk around Sydney.  He challenged me to a "first to 5",  portraits for the day and he won... but ever the gentleman said I had won, which was very much not the case!

By February 2012 I was up to Stranger 38 when I again went to Sydney to meet Neil Winch, who had flown up from Melbourne.  He, Peter Grifoni, Evan Robinson and another guy met up for a stranger shoot in Newtown.  The boys were prolific shooters, Peter even dragging cafe staff out into the street for his shots.  They produced some amazing work that day.  I bagged just 3.  On the trip down by train I began to feel very unwell.  In fact I had to leave early and got back to Central to wait for a train north when I was overwhelmed with sickness.  Upset, ill, crying I rang Chris Belyea.  I knew he would be a the voice of reason.  He offered to drive into Central,  pick me up and drive me home to Lake Macquarie.  I didn't accept. That journey would have taken him more than 5 hours,  but we talked. He offered options.  Travel as far as I could north and when I could travel no more he would come and get me.  Knowing I had an alternative to passing out on the train gave me the courage to go on and I made it initially to Hornsby, then Wyong and finally Morisset.  Chris ringing and reassuring me all the way.

Towards the end of March 2012 Chris and his wonderful wife Sally came up to Kurri Kurri for the Nostalgia Festival where Sally enjoyed the music and the mayhem and Chris and I shot Strangers.  I was struggling with no energy and feeling ill, but I bagged 3 great shots that day.   Less than a month later I was diagnosed with cancer.  My last shot was on ANZAC Day 2012, no. 50.  I knew I would be out of action for a time.  I began shooting sporadically after that.  For a long time I couldn't even carry my camera.  Shots came in slowly.  ANZAC Day 2013 I shot Chris. Just 10 Strangers over 12 months.  I began to think I wouldn't ever finish the project.   Chris is a member of the Galston Uniting Church Men's Choir and they travel to Rathmines to sing at every ANZAC Day.   I shot him and his wife that day.  Chris too suffered from cancer.  I was too ill to attend the 2014 service.  Roll on ANZAC Day 2015 and we met again at the Rathmines Service.  Chris had spent most of the last 12 months in hospital and I had only managed 5 Strangers in 2 years.   He encouraged me to keep going.

So now it is May 2015 and I picked up the camera again.  I bagged Stranger 66 yesterday at Maitland.  She looked so interesting and her story reflected her look.  Just 34 to go.  At my current rate that would take well over 5 years, so I need to lift my game and get it done!

Here are some of the players.  You can see them all here :

#1 Stephen James. Cessnock Regional Art Gallery.

#17 Kristen.  Shot in Sydney with Chris Belyea.

#41 Lee.  Shot in Newtown with Neil, Peter and Evan.

#46 Tony the Quiffer.  Shot at the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival again with Chris Belyea.

#60 Chris of the Glaston Uniting Church Mens Choir.

#66 Kate.  Shot at Maitland yesterday.

2015! Here we go!

Well 2014 was pretty good.  No new cancer, still having some side effects from treatment but realistically I'm very lucky and pretty good!     Working in the tin shed is going ok.  It's pretty squishy at times, but it won't be for much longer.  The new building is progressing as expected.  New car is going well too.  Needed some new tyres and yesterday, a new windscreen.   My first ever windscreen after the biggest stone chip I have ever seen!     Started taking a few more photos too.  Something that I have been missing out on in 2014.

Started a new collaborative photographic project with associated blog.  I've been wanted to do this for some time, but couldn't find a suitable collaborator.  But she was under my nose the whole time!  Lauren and I met about 7 years ago and started shooting together.  We are vastly different and 17 years apart in age.  The idea is to photograph the same subject each week and see how similar or how different our shots are.  It's called Westside girls and here is the link!  Westside Girls .

The veggie patches going ok too.   The crops are booming, yet I still haven't got my head around true crop rotation. The original single veggie bed has swelled to 12. For the first time I've grown rockmelons and for the first time I've lost some veggies to something other than insects.   The corn has been stripped and I can only assume that a very smart possum has worked out how to do this and a couple of the rockmelons appear  to have been attacked by lizards.  Still in the grand scheme of things it is ok to be feeding the native animals a share of the bounty!

As for the other Bounty that plays a part in my life,  William Blighs Bounty, I did not spent a lot of time reading about it in 2014.  Although some great new books have been written about the Bounty, and other fascinating maritime history,  I have not been doing much reading of late.  Seemingly a side effect of having some holes burnt into my brain as part of my treatment.   The desire to read is still there, but I find I can only read a few pages before sleep overtakes me and a big heavy book smashes me in the nose.   Hopefully I will get more reading under my belt in 2015.

So what else do I want for 2015???  Well not a whole lot more really.  I'm essentially very happy with my lot.  I am hoping for some relief from the annoying side effects of treatment.   I'd like to be sleeping consistently better than I am.  I'd love to spend a whole lot more time with camera in hand taking some quality snaps and sometime I'll be taking the camper for a spin.  Yep, this is the good life!

What to pack? First Aid for campers.

Super excited about the new camping trailer, even though it won't arrive until August.  I've been listing and collecting things I think I need to pack for the first of many weekends away.  Crockery, cutlery, stemware, pots and pans, cooking utensils and bedding are all easily gathered together as I seem to have a multitude of EVERYTHING here.

Each car has a small emergency first aid kit, but I did want a dedicated one for the trailer.  I've looked at some commercial kits, but none seem to be suitable for my needs.  So I decided to assemble my own.   Once again the net supplies great information so I made a bit of a list and again found I already had the majority of the contents on hand.   So far my first aid kit is fairly extensive with creams for burns, antiseptics, itches, a tube of Paw Paw and a bottle of Aloe Vera which are both good for just about everything.  Plasters, non adhesive wound dressings and tape are for any broken skin with scissors, bandages and butterfly adhesives for more serious hurts.  Also packed are latex gloves, safety pins, antiseptic wipes and a digital thermometer.   Drugs included are antibiotics, antihistamines, rehydration tablets and the usual suspects... neurophen, aspirin and codeine.   The drugs I take to replace my mankey cancerous thyroid need to be refrigerated so they will be kept separate, but an esky will work just fine.  I have one esky, but might purchase a second smaller version for the drugs.

I'm not sure what else I might need, so the first few trips will be very close to home.   Facebook offers some good info and I joined a Caravanning and Camping Groups which seems very friendly and helpful.  

It will, no doubt,  take a few journeys before I get fully organised and know what I need and what is excessive, but surely that is part of the fun of it.   I like the idea of GLAMPING.  That little bit of luxury.  Perhaps a candleabra, recliner, maybe a spa?  Ok, maybe a bit excessive for a 6x4 camping trailer, but I will be pursing the more comfortable end of the camping spectrum.

So what am I missing here?  What else do I need to make my first aid kit complete?  Any ideas, tips or tricks  most welcome.

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!

2013 is just about to click over into 2014 and just like that moment when your cars odometer clicks over a special number, it will seem all vital that you experience it and all important and yet strangely totally unimportant in mere moments after the event.

2014 will be an improvement on 2013, as 2013 was on 2012.

As for 2013 I had hoped to leave the whole cancer thing in 2012, but come February I was back in hospital for the Radioactive Iodine Ablation and lost another 8 weeks off work while I was radioactive.  Thinking the worst of it was all behind me I tried to get back into the swing of work and life... but it was not to be. I struggled and struggled until September when Dr Jeff decided it was time to test for all manner of cancers and oddities.  The first tests came back showing there was definitely something a rye (pun intended).  Ultimately I got a clearance on all the "regular" cancers, but Coeliac was preliminarily diagnosed.  So where I had hoped 2014 would be free of hospitals I am, apparently,  incorrect on that.  I go back in in mid February!  But that's the end of it. I am totally over the whole feeling crook senario. AND NO MORE HOSPITAL!  They are full of sick people you know!!!

2013 was filled with wonderful people.  If I began the list this post would go forever.  Let me just say I hope THEY know they are special and made 2013 great for me.  There are some I will never see again. Death and distance keep me apart from some special friends but that doesn't mean they are not thought of.  Distance seems much smaller with the internet being so accessible, but it's not the same as being there.  It IS a whole lot less final than death though.

2014 will see me finish my 100 Strangers photographic project and then work out what to do with it.   I'm stuck on number 64 because I never seem to be well enough to travel far from home.  That will change after February. I also want to spend more time on portraits in general and know a few likely suspects that will get the whole four light set up foisted upon them!  If you are one of those people, fear not... it is mostly painless!  Mostly!!!  I'd shoot more bands at the 16's if some goodies comes up.  It's a great venue for me to practice those skills.  A bit more macro is needed too.  I have a new series in mind too, but I will need the indulgence of a few friends to pull that one off!

2014 will also see me back in the veggie patch.  I'm still planting somewhat randomly. Not really following  a good crop rotation program or even good companion planting.  My record keeping sucks and I need to stagger my planting fortnightly.  So at the moment I get a glut of one veggie and the others are as rare as hens teeth.  I tried growing pumpkins for the first time this year and harvested my first on December 27.  They are messy and run all over the yard, but that just means less mowing! I think I need more flowering plants to encourage more bees, so rejuvenation of one of the beds that runs along the dividing fence is a must.  I have the plants.  It's the energy I am lacking.  Chickens are still a no go zone for me.  I do need to construct some frames for climbers in the yard.  That will have to wait to 2014 now!

So it's back to work on the 3rd for me and the daily grind is drawing closer to an end with retirement in the not too distant future.  But until that day comes I'll still be using photography as my primary escape method.

In celebration of 2013 here are a selection of my fave pics for the year.
Hope you enjoy them too!

Happy Birthday you Silly Yak!

I got something totally amazing for my birthday.   You'll never guess what, so I'll just blurt it out and tell you.  I got coeliac disease!  Woot Woo!!!

Well it wasn't really for my birthday. Like as in it wasn't wrapped up or anything.   Maybe I should explain.... Since my return to work in mid April after Radioactive Ablation in February 2013 I have never felt well.  Never felt right. Never felt like I did before the whole cancer thing.  I was not just feeling physically unwell, but I had a poor work attitude and my moods were less than pleasant.   I had no energy and so in mid september I began seeing a psychologist and my GP on a very regular basis to try and work out what the heck was going on.  Well it has taken some months, untold blood tests, examinations and poking and prodding and chatting to finally get a preliminary finding that I am a coeliac.  Gluten intolerant. An auto immune disease where the villi in my intestine have decided they no longer wish to absorb any iron or vitamin B12 I ingest.  They have shut up shop and will not be nice to me until I cease consuming the bits they don't like.

Now this is a preliminary diagnosis only.  I have been referred to a gastroenterologist who will do a small intestine biopsy to confirm what the Doctor has surmised. Even though I am not fussed on yet another procedure, I do want confirmation one way or the other. So its back to hospital in February.

So what does being a coeliac mean.   Well it means that a toasted sourdough and a beer are out of the question if I want to feel good!!!   In more technical terms it means that gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye and barley is toxic to me.  At this stage I don't know a great deal more about it all, but I expect that to change soon enough! I did investigate the gluten free section of the supermarket this morning and was pretty impressed with the range of items available.  I was unimpressed that a small box of "corn flake" style breakfast cereal was nearly $7 a box!  It does explain why the British Government provide "prescriptions" for subsidised food for coeliacs.  I'm sure I'll figure out the food options though.  I can't see too many changes for my lunches and dinners, but I am a weetbix or oats girl at beakky and that will be an issue!   Oats themselves are fine, but they are usually processed in the same machinery as wheat and apparently that's a no no.

So there is a steep learning curve ahead of me, but I am hopeful that I will begin to feel back to normal soon.  It's been a long hard struggle. And at least it is not another cancer, which is what the Doc suspected from the start!

Next birthday I want something WRAPPED!!!  Thanks in advance!

UPDATE  19 February 2014 :-   The small intestine biopsy was done on 29 January and results were given today.  I am NOT a Coeliac. Nor is it another cancer, in fact they do not know what the problem is, but they are still working on it and I can't ask for more than that.   So I'm back on the sourdough and beer but along the way I learnt how hard it can be for a coeliac and how much wheat is in the everyday food we eat.  Ice cream as an example....  who would have thought ice cream and ice blocks would have wheat in it.  My hat goes off to every coeliac.  It's not an easy life.

Oh what a night in old Sydney town!

What a week it has been.  First I was going, then I wasn't going and at the last minute I was going again.  Going where?     Going to Sydney to meet a totally awesome man whose musical and film making career I have been following since 1995.

I wanted to go, but after last weekend and the garage sale sapping my limited energy reserves  I doubted I could follow it up with a long drive to Sydney and back on a school night!  I told him I'd be there, then I told him I wouldn't, but I knew this would probably be my one and only opportunity to meet him face to face.  Sure we are "facebook friends" and we have been using the chat function on there since about mid 2010, but face to face!!  How could I miss this rare opportunity?   The simple truth is he lives about 17,000kms away in cold old England and was out here on a tour promoting one of his movies and running a series of empowering workshops designed to help creatives get their ideas out of their heads and into the real world.  Hence, a trip to Sydney... for both of us!

What should have been a 1 hour 40 drive took substantially longer in the most hectic traffic I have ever seen, breakdowns on the toll roads and the eastern distributor compounded the usual end of the day rush of people just wanting to get home.   There might well be some tickets heading my way as a result.  Travelling in a Transit Lane for one, although I wasn't in there for more than about 500m.  There might be some speeding tickets too.  And although the car is registered on my etag, it wasn't in the windscreen.  Yes, I heard your giggle when I mentioned me getting a speeding ticket, but you see I wasn't in Larry Laser.  I was driving my sisters car and it is quite the mover!!!   I won't  even go into the debacle of trying to find my car in the Star City Casino carpark afterwards.  Pink C6 I remembered....  but what floor would you expect that to be on?  Well I can tell you it is parking level 3.  But it did take me some time to work that out!

It seemed Jamie was as pleased to see me as I him!  There were people everywhere, but when he approached me he was very excited that I had made it down.  There were hugs and kisses.   I had taken him a bag of jelly snakes as he likes treats!  He said they were his fave!  He had a good look at how my  my neck scar  had healed, he had seen photos of the gore after surgery.  I introduced him to my nephew Nic and they had a good old chinwag too.   Conversation flowed easily and time passed very quickly.  So with one thing left to do I got my gear ready for the Strange, NOT Stranger project photo.   Jamie had agreed to be photographed and I had the gear , albeit NOT may favourite 135 f2 lens.  I packed the 85 f1.8 cos I suspected we would be short on length.  The 85 is not my fave, but it is a good lens all the same.  So in one shot I captured him. More hugs and kisses followed and we disappearred in different directions out of the Maritime Museum where we had met.  The internet has made this world a very tiny place...and I am glad.

It is said that picture is worth a thousand words... so here is 1k of wordiness!

The 'C' word....... Cured?

Massive week in my world.  Last thursday was the one year anniversary of finding Mr Lumpy Bump.  Wednesday this week is the one year anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer, later known to be a Papillary Carcinoma, although Mr Lumpy Bump is a nicer name!!! 3 operations, 6 admissions to hospital and 4 days in isolation glowing in the dark after Radioactive Ablation has lead me to today.  And today entailed heading off to the John Hunter Hospital again today to see the man of small stature with the enormous brain, my Endocrinologist.  He has a non descript ascent and hand made suits and all the answers I needed. Unusually he was LATE today. He is normally right on time if not early, a real rarity in the public health system.

He had all the answers today. The last 5 sets of blood tests, the 3 CT scans,  the 2 Gamma Camera scans and the geiger counter results held the answer. But the answers fell short of the "C" word.  Cured. What he did say was I had "no distant metastasis" which means the radioactive ablation worked  where it was meant to and from that he knows that at this stage there is no spread of cancer.  The Radioactive Iodine did burn thru three places in my brain and it was only supposed to be one, but Doc thinks it is all still ok up there!  He still says cancer will return, but it could be YEARS not months away.

So now I have ongoing testing (blood tests and ultrasounds and scans) on a quarterly basis for the next 3 decades or longer, depending on MY useby date!

My plans to resign and get my hands on my superannuation are out the window.  No buying an Avan and racing off around Australia for me!   Plan B is work on for another few years and retire happy and healthy.  So that's where I am at.  Blood and organ donation are still a big fat no, so if you are fit and healthy and aren't registered then give it some thought and consider signing up.  Organ donation really is the last thing you will ever do and it is a good thing ........  give it some thought!

So now it is time to celebrate.  I think a shandy is called for ...... oh yeah I really live it up!

Just a simple pic as a thank you for reading this far.

42! Douglas Adams would be proud.

Blog post 42 has finally rolled around and just like a good read of Douglas Adams it will make no sense at all!!!

It has been 14 days since I left isolation and I kinda expected it to be a bit different.  The fatigue or lethargy is relentless.  Head and neck aches, constant. But I am home, comfy and not eating bread or gravy!!!

I'm trying hard to get the veggie patch up and productive.  It has not had a lot of care in recent times.  The prolific summer crop of cucumbers, tomatoes and spring onions is coming to an end.  My three raised beds have become 6 thanks to the hard labour of my nephew Russell. Last sunday morning I had 2m of top quality soil delivered and Russell carted barrow load ofter barrow load from the front yard to the back and filled the 3 new beds.  It was a hot and humid day, but like the Duracell Bunny he just kept going!!!  Since then it has rained and rained and rained.  At least now the beds are ready to receive and I have been reading up on companion planting.

Over the last few years I put seedlings in wherever I had a spot, but now with 6 beds I can plant to a plan. 6 beds, 1 fallow, 5 in crop.  I had planted sugar snap peas, emperor beans and brussell sprouts, a punnet of silverbeet and cucumbers......  but the relentless rain had waterlogged them and whilst some may recover the peas are gone. The bean, rhubarb and silverbeet are on their last legs but the brussell sprouts and cucumbers look like they will survive and thrive.

I also planted a couple of punnets of Giant Africa Marigolds.  I don't use any pesticides so marigolds are my first and only line of defence!  They seem to like the wet too and have grown noticeable over the rainy days.  Some violas I planted are struggling too, but I have high hopes for their recovery.  A few days of sun will either make or break my first attempts with the new extended veggie patch.

But that is not all I have been up to. I bought a new camera and lens this week too.  I decided to celebrate the end of my treatment. A new camera for the handbag to replace the one in the handbag!  The one in the handbag was a top of the range point and shoot, that shot raw and had total manual focus control and full HD video. But I struggled to love it.  It turns out a damn fine picture, but I wanted MORE control.  So I bought an entry level DSLR (Canon of course) and a lens called a pancake.  Its a flat 40mm f2.8 bit of fluff that gives some great results! I am super happy with my acquisition...... now I just need to get out and use it!

Getting out is a bit of a problem.  I can't get a clearance to get back to work because of the side effects of the Radioactive Ablation a fortnight ago.  I admit the side effects are still pretty debilitating, I am the Queen of the Nanna Nap,  but I need to get back to work because if I don't get back there soon I'll never go back!!   The results of blood tests taken last friday will be considered on Tuesday and I am hoping they are good enough to get me over the line.  Fingers Crossed!

So what does today hold.....    Well I have been up nearly 90 minutes and I have to go have a nanna nap now. Then I need to hit the supermarket and do a bit of cooking, interspersed with more nanna napping of course and that is pretty much my lot for the day.  At least it is not raining .......for the moment!



I guess the appropriate photos for this post will be of the veggie beds and the new camera......  ohhh and here they are .....

                                   Six veggie beds and one dwarf lemon in a pot..... the rest, jungle!

                    first shot from the new camera                         Mumma bear and baby bear

Radioactive Iodine Ablation... just like a weekend camping!

This latest offering comes to you from the lead room at the John Hunter Hospital.  F1 Room 30 is the place to hide if there is ever a nuclear accident.  It's a biggish private room in the orthopaedic ward, right down the end of the hall so no one walks in mistakenly while you are radioactive.  Double doored, air lock style. For those of you reading for the first time the quick version of what lead me here was April 2012 found a lump in my throat.  Diagnosis and surgery found a rather large malignant tumour called a Papillary Carcinoma (Hurthle Cell variant) but it was commonly know as Mr Lumpy Bump.  So he got whipped out in two separate operations and that lead me to this latest phase of treatment known as Radioactive Iodine Ablation.  Or 'newking' as it became known.   It could also be known as cruel and unusual punishment, but that is more an indiction of the tastiness of the food than the treatment itself.   Naturally I had read up on all the side effects, but as I type this (Saturday evening) I've been spared.  So I'll go back to the beginning and finish this off when I get home, with photos of course!   Hopefully you will enjoy the read.

Prep Day 1:-  Prep injection of Thyrogen at the John Hunter Hospital. The injections are horrendously expensive, but Medicare picks up the bulk of the cost.  Later that night I was pretty crook with the standard, run of the mill, written on the side of the box, side effects.

Pre Day 2:- Same as day one.  Lots of laughing as I get jabbed again.  The two nurses that administered the Thyrogen where both riotously funny.  Well they were jabbing a bloody great needle into my rear end at the time.  They held all the power.  Strangely NO side effects on night 2.



Radioactive Day 1:- Up at stupid o'clock to be at the John Hunter for 8.30am blood tests.  Of course the forms written out 3 months ago had something written in the wrong column and staff were hesitant to assist. So I took matters into my own hands and rang the Nuclear Medicine section. They were great.   Sent a staffer down to correct the error and pushed me up the line with an URGENT request.  The vampire taking the blood obviously had her day jobs confused because she thought she was still at the vets and used a syringe suitable for a pit pony on me.  I never bruise from blood tests.......except today! OUCH!

After the vampire had her chop I was sent away for a few hours, which was handy as I had not packed my bag and I needed to take a swift detour to the Apple store as my MacBook wouldn't recognise my Dongle.  They, unlike the blood collection assistants, were totally awesome and got me online in short time!

Back at the John Hunter at noon with sister in tow.  We met the Doc and had a chat, went to admissions and signed up and, as you do at the John Hunter, run into someone you know!  Finally made our way to F1 and ran into someone else we knew, before being shown to the "suite".   Suite MIGHT be overstating it if you were looking for some tourist authority stamp of approval.  It contained a bed, 4 chairs and an ensuite that had seen better days.   We sat for a while enjoying the ambience. There would have been a delightful bush view, if you could see through the inch thick layer of dirt on the windows (outside). Of course the windows are locked shut as breeze is bad..apparently.  Kinda makes every window having a fly screen irrelevant.    But still I prefer the JHH spend spare dollars on more staff and better equipment than window washers.  Nola left and I just hung about waiting.

2pm Doctor Tim turned up with two other blokey looking blokes with a stainless steel wheely tray and a sneaky looking canister on top.  Introductions all-round and pleasantry exchanged I knew these dudes were about to make me very sick and very radioactive.  We went thru all the safety stuff we had to go thru including DON'T LEAVE the room and if you are going to spit it out.......aim it in THAT direction!!! Humourously that was the direction Dr Tim was standing is so we joked about was there time to paint a target on his shirt so I could get a score if my aim was spot on.  Len and Nick went thru the process in fine detail.  Who would do what, what I could and couldn't do immediately after being given the capsule and we did three dry runs, just to get it right.  When the time came to actually take the capsule I did two things I was told NOT to do.....  I looked at the capsule instead of putting it straight into my mouth and when I bit down on it I heard it crack, but I expected it to break in half and it didn't.  So I kept trying to break it in half and momentarily opened my mouth.  Len knew I needed some help so he told me he had heard the crack and to now swallow.  I'm glad he said that or I'd still be rolling that capsule around in my mouth now!!!  Two big glasses of water washed it down and the 3 blokes couldn't get out of the room fast enough!!!  I was glowing!!!

For the next four hours I had to eat lollies. Hell job but someone has got to do it!!  Yeah, NO!!   Being diabetic is was a bit of a challenge, but if I didn't my salivary glands would get fried.  So I ate Fruit Tingles and let me say if I never taste another one, it will be too soon!!!   I washed them down with 4 litres of water and something resembling food.   It must be difficult to feed every patient in this big nursing hospital and they do their best....... but dinner at 5pm is actually really afternoon tea!!!  It was chicken with a tomato and onion sauce, pasta and carrots.  Dessert was sago and that was delicious.

So I had my first of many many showers and headed to bed with a DVD playing on the MacBook.
Old Man Sleep unfortunately didn't realise I was in a different bed and avoided me.  Probably the sugar hit and going from a super luxurious brand spanking new bed to a tiny metal bed with a mattress made of something resembling crushed bricks didn't help the cause!  2.19am was the last time I recall seeing the time.   The door has a sign on it saying how long visitors can stay for.  Today visitors were allowed to stay a total of 4 minutes.

Radioactive Day 2:-  5.55am!!!!  Mmmmmmmmmm  not best pleased AND a headache to boot!  Well I drifted in and out of sleep till breakky arrived at 8.30am and it was a welcome relief.  Dinner at 5pm, breakky at 8.30am, that a HUGE fast to break!  Try as I might I can't shake the headache so it is back to bed with some painkillers.  My sister woke me up at 10.30 with a rescue pack of popcorn!   Last night I was craving chips or popcorn and today she delivered.  Unlike staff she has no issue walking into the room.  I can understand it though.  The nurses and food porters get this every weekend and I can totally understand they need to keep themselves safe.  Some open the door all the way and will have a short conversation.  Others open the door and hide, they talk thru the crack.  Plenty of people to talk to though. My phone is going off like a frog in a sock!  Nic called from Perth to tell me he has moved off base and found...IKEA!  That was great call.

The rest of my day was spent on the internet, reading and I got a great surprise when flowers were delivered in the afternoon.  My niece Rachel sent them and they were lovely!

The menu lady brought only bad news.  Just about every meal was swathed in gravy and I'm not a gravy kind of girl.  Oh well, only a few days, I'll be right!

As the evening wore on I was chatting on Facebook when I realised I was running out of credit on the dongle.  DRAMA!!!  I had no idea how to recharge it and every number I rang was "not available" as I was ringing from a non Telstra phone.  I was getting pretty cranky.  90 minutes into my quest I found a number I COULD call and spoke to a woman who couldn't assist me....... but she went all out and transferred me to someone who could!!   5 minutes later I was all recharged and ready to roll!

Back to bed about 11pm and I watched a DVD. Nighty night day two!  Todays visitors were allowed to stay 15 minutes up close or 1 hour at a distance of 2 metres.  Thats a vast improvement on yesterday!


Day 3:-  3am  Side effect city!!!  Luckily these Doctors know exactly what to do and had already charted medicine to suit me.  I buzzed and nurses promptly assisted and I felt much better.  5am they woke me to give me meds not due till 8am!!!  But I drifted back to sleep.  The breakfast porter woke me at 8.30.  Today has been spent drifting in and out of sleep, in and out of bed, a bit of internet play and I watched most of a DVD, but kept falling asleep. I can't seem to stay awake, one side effect I struggled with.  Dinner delivered 5.30pm, supper delivered 6.30pm.  Mmmmmm  not too sure if they are aware the meals are so weirdly spaced.  Supper was raisin bread.... it was the 8th slice of bread delivered today!!!  I wouldnt normal eat 8 slices of bread a week!!!! Most made their way to the bin!  So I'm settling in for my last night here...finger crossed.  Full body scan in the morning but only if Nick with the geiger counter will let me out of the room.  Time to take my flowers and head on home.   Special thanks to Russ tonight for bin duty.  Todays visiting hours were 30 minutes up close and 4 hours at 2 metres.  Tomorrow I find out how long the residual will take.

Day 4:-  Another night with broken sleep and an early start only to find my 8.30 scan was now at 9.30 due to a unit meeting.  First was the Geiger counter, then 5, yes FIVE scans on two different machines and finally a discharge certificate and I was outta there.  There was some messing about with the scans and I had to return to isolation twice before all five were finished.  On the whole I had an excellent level of care and feel very lucky that Australia has Medicare to assist with the enormous cost of this kind of treatment.

Due to the time and day of my admission, it was not possible for me to make my own food choices until sunday.  Everything I was served was palatable and hot..... if not interesting.  And EVERYTHING was served with bread!!!  Strangely I was served soup, jelly and ice cream.....all without a spoon!

Oh and if you were wondering about the title   "Radioactive Iodine Ablation ..... just like a weekend camping" is because the bed is uncomfortable, the showers are nowhere near hot enough and you eat food you would normally avoid.  There is plenty of time to read, no TV!   It's just missing the sand and the fish and the mossies!


Let me just say that I am sure there are typos and verbosity in this post, but I am soooo tired and just cant proof read anymore.  I hope you enjoy it and if you are about to undergo Radioactive Iodine Ablation you have nothing to worry about.  Be prepared for sleepless nights and daytime lethargy. The ongoing lethargy apparently lasts weeks if not months. So take good care of yourself!

UPDATE:

The weeks following the ablation were pretty damn HORRIBLE.  For the first 6 weeks I was lucky if I could scratch myself.  Well maybe not that bad but being newked sapped all my energy and whilst I tried to get a clearance to return to work, it was continually refused by my doctor.  I was a danger to pregnant women, small children, but strangely NOT to my cat or my mother (as they both have a fair bit of age about them).  The Nanna Nap ruled, I was asleep more than I was awake.  When I did finally return to work it was a struggle for the first 3 weeks or so, but I am now feeling better, but not yet back to my post op level of activity.

Radioactive Ablation is the prime example of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

My 40th!!!

Yep, My 40th blog post.  If you thought it was my 40th birthday you are in the wrong millennium and probably need to seek out a trustworthy optometrist !!!  I don't even remember my 40th to be honest.  Never paid much attention to the whole counting off the years thing.  Sure, I love the cake, but living in the land of plenty we can have cake whenever we want!  So nope, not 40th birthday .... 40th blog post.

3000 views too, well actually a chunk over 3000, whoodathunkit!!!

So what do I use my blog for?   That's an interesting question that I'm not sure I have an answer to.  Most of the posts for 2012 were about me.   Me me me!! It's all about me,  Me being sick and me feeling better and I hope that someone who is diagnosed with Papillary Carcinoma (Hurthle Cell variant) can read up and see that the treatment on the whole is pretty good.  One post that received a heap of viewers was the one about no longer being able to be an organ donor, but Sharm came forward and took my place in that line!  I thank her for that!!  Organ and blood donation are poorly patronised in Oz and many many people die waiting for a donation that never comes.  If you aren't registered..... give it some thought.  It really is the last thing you will ever do.

Prior to getting cancer I think my blog was mostly about my photos.  A place to share the ones I liked and to be able to view them on a black background instead of the usual flickr white.

I'm not sure who in Trinidad is reading this, but they are an avid regular reader! Hello from me!
The stats functions with Blogger is interesting.  It can tell me whether the viewer is a Mac or PC user, what browser they use, what page they look at first and if they then move to another.  I have no idea why i need to know that stuff, but it is interesting.  I guess if the blog was a commercial venture then that kind of info would be important. But it isn't, so it's not!

I do read a few blogs too.  Ms Moo has a couple of interesting ones happening.  Now you know I am crap with links, but I shall try. http://lilmsright.blogspot.com.au/ Homespun Field is a goodie too.  http://homespunfield.blogspot.com.au/ and my mate Rebecca has a newie happening too at http://hambyhomeinstead.blogspot.com.au/ .  There is a top blogging magazine called "Artful Blogging". It is from the USA and is often hard to acquire, but there are heaps of great blogging links in it.  I'm trying to get my sister to blog. She has an obsession with quilts and quilting, dolls and dolls houses and I'm pretty sure there a a number of other freaky people worldwide into that kinda stuff.

No point blogging without a photo or two to make the reading worthwhile, so here's a couple I was messing about with earlier.  I do like a car, but real ones are better!

The year that was

Well almost time to eat more seafood, listening to the music wafting up from the foreshore and to gaze at the fireworks lit from Dyke Point once more.  Another year over and what have I done?   Well I was sick for a big chunk of it and while short on energy I do feel mighty fine. Photographically speaking I completed a massive section of my 100 Strangers Project.  I was generally happier with the quality of the images for the Strange, Not Stranger Project over the 100 Strangers Project, but am still astounded at how easy it is to get a total stranger to pose for you.  Friends are not so easy!!  I appreciate those who had faith in me. If you want to see those images you should go here www.flickr.com/photos/nammo/

 The 135mm lens I bought late in 2011 is totally worth its weight in gold and I did lash out of some awesome Pocket Wizards in 2012 which brings new technology to the way I light a shot.  Still more practice is needed!!!  Another highlight was the Disposable Camera Challenge.  Three rounds of fun with cardboard cameras and the "fantastic Ektanar" lens.  2012 also saw my Mater Hospice exhibition come down and my Planet Islington exhibition go up!  Both great fun.   Friends met through photography never cease to amaze.  They willing share knowledge and equipment and are generally heaps of fun to go out with.  They also call a spade a spade and if an image sucks they will tell you.  For that I am grateful.

Old friends also filled a big part of 2012.  The memorable  "April 11 Lunch with Moo" where Mr Lumpy Bump was first found and which lead to being diagnosed with cancer 7 days later was one I will never forget.  The totally crazy Chrissy lunch with Ella and Julie is another that will go down in history for fun and laughs.  Florida Beach Bar often have some great acts and fine food to make a great day.  The hundreds of meals shared with friends inbetween these two events also bring a smile to my face.  Workplace Wednesday Lunch club was great and the inaugural "Building 3 Ladies Fishing Club" burgers and chips at Wangi was also a memorable day..... if not only for watching Stella spew up the peanuts she had scoffed and Lexi catching the weirdest looking fish I have ever seen in my life!  Friday afternoon coffee with Geoff and the Peabury visits with Scotty also highlight the year that was.

Other memorable moments of 2012 would have to be the photo day trip to Brisbane, Anita's farewell after 42 years of service, a car accident (not my fault) and the fun and games that followed to track down the lying little cow that gave me a phoney name and disconnected phone number! I won that battle!!   Family wise there were some milestones too.  Nic flew to Hawaii and on crewing the sub back to Fremantle he was awarded his Dolphins, a fully fledged Submariner.  Russell won the job of his dreams in a big company up the Valley, Rachel turned 21..... the less said about that the better!!!   Admitting that I finally needed to retire my beautiful big old bed and replace it with a brand spanking new ultra mod version, was a long time coming.   Naturally I needed a whole new bedroom full of furniture to go with it.  Had a great trip to Sydney with some 100 Stranger photographers and a couple of freakishly funny trips to Ikea for stuff that we "simply don't need"!  There was also abundant cake in 2012!!!

There are by far too many people to thank for making my 2012 a great year.  If you are reading this, you are one of them. THANK YOU!

So on the whole it has been a year full of happenings.  Some totally unexpected and some coveted and long anticipated.  And of course...... here are the photos to prove it!