I'm pumping iron!

Yeah ok, get off the floor and stop the laughing.  As if I am ever likely to turn into a gym junkie!

As part of my seemingly never ending cancer treatment I am now pumping iron... directly into a vein! So the story goes after the Radioactive Ablation in February 2013 my iron levels have continued to sink.  I've had every test known to man to work out whats gone wrong, all with no definitive result.

Initially the GP thought it was a consumption issue. I simply wasn't eating enough green leafy veg and steak.  But I thought I was.  I increased consumption and the only thing to rise was my bad cholesterol!!!    So after about 10 months he added oral iron tablets into the mix  (just what I needed, yet another tablet!!!)    6 months later... the iron was still dropping so I was referred to a gastroenterologist.

I saw him and he decided I needed a endoscopy, colonoscopy and a natty little camera inserted into my belly to plot the course of my gut to find out what was wrong in there that iron just didn't like being around.  Of course He also extracted a HUGE amount of cash from my wallet which, once again, my private health insurance failed to cover.   The camera came back with some magnificent pics of my intestine. Pristine!   Absolutely smick!   I saw them, my guts look great!!!  So this ruined his belief in that I had Coeliac disease, a new cancer, ulcers or intestinal bleeding.   His final report read something along the lines of  "it's obviously a consumption issue".   So that was a total waste of time and money and back to the GP I go.

All the time my iron levels are falling even lower and as a result my energy levels are heading southward at an equally alarming rate.   The "normal" range for which I was aiming is between 15-45.  Prior to meeting up with the Gastroman I was running at between 6 and 8.  So back on the steak I went. This time with daily double doses of iron in tablet form.  Naturally you would expect a rise, however slight.... but no.  I dropped for 6 to 4 and finally to 2.   Getting out of bed, walking to the car, preparing a meal, working all became such a burden that I was perpetually exhausted (and grumpy).

Neither I, nor the GP could work it out.  I found a line on an American website that said Radioactive Ablation messes with SOME peoples blood, but nothing more than that.  The post said it was an "uncommon side effect"  but neither the GP or the Gastro believed it.

So I spoke to my friendly pharmacist about it.  He suggested I speak to the GP about inter muscular iron injections.   I did, but the GP gave me three reason NOT to do it.  1.  It can cause immediate heart problems and his surgery does not have a resus room and   2. It can cause horrible skin staining 3.  inter muscular is not a good way of absorbing iron.  It has limited efficacy.  So in desperation he wrote to the Mater Hospital asking them to triage me for an urgent iron transfusion/infusion.   But they refused.  As I was not in active cancer treatment I did not fit their criteria.

My GP is a real  trooper.  He found a private haematologist here in the Hunter who would see me.  I just had to wait 3 months for an appointment!!!   I saw him and he, unlike Gastroman charged me a reasonable amount and 7 days later I was sitting in the Mater getting hooked up to a bag of fluids.  Yes, the Hospital that wouldn't do me 3 months earlier, were now happy to have in in their facility.

I was hooked up at 8.30 am and unhooked a bit after 2pm I think.  There were 8 chairs and 2 beds in the room and they were on high rotation all day.   I was there the longest and chairs either side of me had 3 and 4 people thru them while I just sat and sucked up the goodness.  On the central storage rack I counted over 40 IV set ups in the morning.  When I left there were probably 4 or 5 still hanging there, yet there were still about 12 people in the waiting room!  The staff were on the go all day.

Some weeks on now and the results has been....less than staggering.  In fact I have not felt any relief at all BUT it will take more than one transfusion get me back to "normal".   The Haemo man has decided that "occult gastrointestinal bleeding" is the cause.  What that means is the Haemo man disagrees with Gastroman.  Thing is I really don't care WHAT is causing it, I just want to feel normal again!!!    The doctors are expecting great numbers, as am I.... but only time will tell.

As per usual a few images but be aware some might find them confronting.

Iron , not ironing!

Back to see the Doc again today. Still have a problem with iron, or rather the lack of it. I had the usual test last thursday and got the call to come on it. Everything we good, or explainable, except the iron. There is some issue with my blood glucose levels, but the blame there can rest squarely on the shoulders of the Easter Bunny! Everything else is good ... except iron.

Whilst not being a rabid carnivore I always thought I ate enough red meat as I haven't really had an issue with low iron before the Thyroid Cancer.  Even after the partial and total thyroidectomy there was no hint that I was anaemic. In fact I was amazed at how well I felt after all three operations. None of the dozens of blood tests I had back then showed any issue.  That was back in August 2012.    Since the Radioactive Ablation in February 2013 there has been a consistent problem with energy, or rather the lack of it, depleted iron levels and a low blood count. Beginning September 2013 the Doc started to hunt for the answer and since then I have had every test known to man to isolate the issue. I have been tested for pretty much every kind of cancer and they have all come back with reasonable results, but with nothing to flag an iron issue. 

As part of that ongoing investigation I was referred to a gastric specialist in January.  In February he, amongst other things, implanted a camera in my stomach while I was under general anaesthetic to rule out bleeding ulcers or coeliac disease as a reason the the iron problems. Again everything came back normal and whilst normal is a good thing it doesn't help when I can't lift my head off the pillow or walk any distance without having to rest and recover.  The gastro bloke reckoned I wasn't consuming enough red meat and so he gave instructions as to how much red meat I needed to consume before the next round of tests.   I have now undertaken a "meat feast" where I have had red meat at least once a day, every day and am also taking iron supplements.   Those results caused the call in from the Doc today. Yes, the numbers have improved a little, but I am still way off "normal". 

The effects of the iron deficiency are becoming a real issue. Gone are the days of an afternoon spent mowing. I can now do about 10 minutes without having to stop and rest.   So if the iron issue isn't a new cancer, coeliac disease, bleeding ulcers, or lack of consumption what is causing the problem??? I asked if it was from being made Radioactive and so Doc is now turning his mind to that as a cause. 

 
Thyroid cancer does affect a lot of people, but it is not high profile and as such there is little information available on the net in Australia about it. If you were to search the Australian Cancer Council website you would struggle to find anything more than a passing reference to Thyroid Cancer. Searching worldwide does glean a little more information and today I think I hit pay dirt with a couple of lines on an America Thyroid Cancer Survivors website. The following words were buried in a link about Radioactive Ablation under the title "Other potential side effects of RAI" (RAI being the acronym the americans use for Radioactive Ablation). Anyway it said... "Temporary or permanent decreases in blood cell counts can also occur. " YIPEE!!!! Finally a possible reason the lack of iron. Today one of the things Doc said was that my blood count was finally on the rise. So hopefully with some further research by the qualified one ( I rate my Doc, he rocks)  there might be an answer coming.   He is also trying to organise a transfusion for me of chemically manufactured iron (as opposed to a blood product).  This might take some weeks or even months to arrange, but the process has begun.  

Hoping to feel quite normal again sometime soon.  

This may well have been the cause of the iron issues.  Not really the case of what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!!!

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.

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!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Not that the last one was unhappy!  Just a commonly heard salutation at this point in time.
I know I've said it quite a few times in the last 6 days.

So 6 days in what have I achieved?   Well not a great deal I must say.
New Years Eve was spent with the boys. Abundant food, great company and a top view of the Newcastle fireworks. Home at 3am after driving some of the youngest nephews friends home from the city.  All "P" platers there are rules about who can be in their cars after 11pm.  So I drove 2 to their cars and another 3 to their homes.  All totally sober!  Bed at 3am and a 5am phone call slowed me down for New Years Day!

Back to work a couple of days later and a massive clean up of the office took place.  Just need a nice armchair and a few more framed photos and I am done!

I had a bit of a cleaning frenzy this morning, although that thankless and never ending job is......well...... never ending!!!   I did make cupcakes this morning too.  Outside needs an army of workers to make right!   Yesterday afternoon, after a blistering hot day, I mowed for about an hour and haven't scratched the surface!  I also installed another compost bin, and bought two more,  just to deal with the lawn clippings.   Did some weeding, but no planting.  I need to plant some more stuff  but I am space poor until those WONDERFUL NEPHEWS of mine (yes, I do mean you Nic and Russ)  fill the three new raised beds I have built.  Nic goes back to Fremantle mid week and Russ starts his first ever job tomorrow, so I am thinking they need to get their act together .......... tomorrow afternoon, tuesday at the latest!!!!

Not sure what to plant this time of year.  I planted 5 different varieties of tomato and all but the Cherry Tomatoes were eaten by bugs.  I don't use and pesticides.  If I see bugs i pick them off and if I had chickens the bugs would make for a nice treat..... but I don't have any chickens.  The beans and capsicums are coming along nicely. The silverbeet has seen better days, but has provided a lot of leaves thru the season. The last of the first run of spring onions came out yesterday, but versions 2 & 3 are progressing nicely.  I'd like some pumpkins, not spuds though.  Beans and peas are always handy too. Caulflowers are hard to keep bug free, but broccoli is tops!   I still have a tiny bit left in the freezer from last crop!  MMMMmmmmm  even though it is a zillion degrees out there just typing about it makes me realise how I need to be out there digging, mowing and watering rather than in here typing.

Best I get moving then, but as always a photo.

This one is the first I took on New Years Day, when 2013 was about 3 minutes old!  I put it on flickr and it made explore!   If you don't know what that means it is enough people looked at the shot, made comments or added a fave star that it was one of the 500 most looked at images on a given day.  So here it is........  fireworks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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!

Back at work. The post cancer post!

Well four and a half months has passed since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  It has been a wild and woolly ride.  First there was a nuclear scan, two ultrasounds, a biopsy, untold blood tests and not one, but two horrible endoscopes where a tiny little camera was put up my nose and down my throat.  I had 5 admissions to  hospital, 3 surgeries and have walked away with a choice scar across my throat and a much smaller one on my back.  I seem to have lost a few weeks, achieved little most of the time and am living proof that daytime televisions should be banned across the globe!!!   Now I am back to work and loving it!   My energy levels are still very low as the drug prescribed to replace my now defunct thyroid don't appear to be working at this stage.  I struggle with concentration and reading a good book is just a sad old memory these days!!  That will change.  The big question is when!?!?!  Against this low energy issue I have been pushing myself by being out in the garden this weekend mowing and planting and generally working up a sweat.  Photographically I haven't done anything really outstanding, but I have nutted our a new series of shots I would like to take.   They are all still in my head, but they will make it to the sensor sometime soon.

One thing I have achieved is I have sent to my little printer man in France 56 images for the 2013 spiral bound diaries.  I don't recall how I lucked across this french printer man, but I'm so glad I did.  He does small print runs.  I only ordered 8 this year.  How it works is I send the images and a template of what I want to a bloke I know in London, he then sends them on to the printer man in France and weeks later beautiful diaries turn up at my door, each having one of my images on each page.  I could probably sent them direct to France, but my high school french is limited to "there is the window"and "shut your mouth",  neither is very helpful in negotiating a print run!!!   I make these little gems every year and, this will sound very arrogant, I give them away as gifts!   Initially I struggled with  giving my images as gifts, but I have since given diaries, calendars and framed works...... and they have all been warmly received.  Mind you it is doubtful someone would tell you if they thought your gift to them was naff!!!   I hope they are enjoyed.

I won't bore you, showing you all 56 shots now, but here are a few I have sent my french printer man.   Oh, and if you are one of the lucky people who will receive a diary..... I hope this doesn't spoil your surprise!!

I guess the only downside is that these little gems aren't printed in Australia.  I simply have not been able to find a printer that can make equivalent quality diaries at a reasonable price.  Sad but true!  I do have my calendars and cards printed in OZ.  I use Redbubble for that and they do create awesome work.  You can find me on Redbubble as nammo.  This link might (or might not) work....  http://www.redbubble.com/people/nammo

I am NOT an organ donor

Yep, you read right, I am NOT an organ donor. Nor am I a blood donor.  But before you write me off as a completely selfish loser you might want to understand why.  I WAS a donor, I registered on my licence the very first time donors were being recorded.   Sadly now my blood and guts just aren't good enough because I have cancer.   My blood and organs are no longer viable to transplant into someone else.  Donor recipients are not generally in excellent health, but they will be sicker with my festy cancerous bits in them!!!  My particular cancer, Papillary Carcinoma (Hurthle Cell Variant), means the cancer cells move through my body via my bloodstream not just my lymphatic system so they are useless to even the sickest person awaiting a transplant.  And trust me, the people awaiting a transplant aren't having a great life.  

Cancer affects thousands of people. The USA National Cancer Institute estimates 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer. There is no reason to question that these statistics are much different in Australia.  Thus the pool from which donors can come is getting smaller and smaller.   The whole point of this blog is to hopefully encourage just one person who is not currently registered to take my place on the donor lists.  Heaps of people have offered to help me while I have been sick and I have been really lucky to have needed so little assistance, but I do now. I need someone to come forward and fill my spot on the Organ Donor Register.

About 20% of people waiting for a heart, lung or liver transplant never get one. They simply die before an organ becomes available.   That's just not good enough is it.   So if you are not already registered now is the time to put your hand up,  register online or telephone Medicare,  update your licence to show you are a donor and make sure your family know your wishes.

So now you know why I'm not a donor.  What's your reason?

Here are some happy blood red themed pics to thank you for reading this far.

Yep, It's cancer alright.

So you know how I wasn't getting to learn about the makeup of Mr Lumpy Bump until 16 July......well that changed.  On 12 July my nephew sent me a text to ring his mum straight away.  She had received a call from the surgeon and he needed to talk to me urgently.  I had had two missed calls on my mobile, but as the number was blocked I couldn't call back.  So I rang the Doc and he is all wordy and  apologetic that he has to tell me some bad news over the phone.  Mr Lumpy Bump is not a benign follicular neoplasm, he is a papillary carcinoma and I need further surgery PRONTO.  Pronto as in Tuesday July 17.  Yes, he still needed to see me monday, some pre op stuff and some form signing etc, but there would be slicing and dicing the following day.

Well, this is soooooo not what I had expected.  Blew me away. When I rang him I really thought he was ringing the change my monday appointment time, not tell me the news I had never expected to get.   I was a bit lost for the moment and due to the environment I was in, it was hard to hear everything he said.  I was waiting to get a haircut when all this happened and when I eventually sat in the cutters chair I had no real idea what was ahead of me and I have no way to articulate what I wanted done to my locks.  I exited the hairdressers with much less length than I expected, but it will grow back.

When I got home I had to tell a few people about what was happening next and that included my two office buddies Louise and Lexi.  I rang the boss first and asked for him to give me half an hour to tell the girls before it became common knowledge at work.  I also rang my buddy Jen who is in hospital at the mo fighting the good fight against breast cancer.  I wasn't sure whether to tell her or not, but she was going to find out sooner or later, so it was better coming from me. I rang a few special folk and much much later in the evening I put the news up on facebook page. My facebook page is private so only selected people can see what I write.  So many people have responded and I feel bad that I just haven't had the presence of mind to respond.  You see for the first time I have not felt positive about this.  I am apprehensive about op number #2. I fear carrying on like a pork chop in recovery again and that feeling when all I wanted was ice that I thought I would die if I didn't get a sliver of ice in my parched mouth.

Knowledge is power and I know I will be feeling much more positive after I have a chat with the surgeon tomorrow, but that doesn't help how I feel today.  Worse still I have soooo much housework to do. Loads of washing.  I need to clean out the fridge and tend the veggies and I have no energy to do anything but sit on this stupid time wasting machine feeling miserable.

So I'm thinking this is so negative I will never post it.  I'll just save it as a draft and see how it goes.

Well I held the above post in "Drafts" until today.  Here comes part 2. Hang on to your hat!!!

I saw the surgeon on 16 July and went to hospital on 17 July only to be again bumped out of the surgical list due to lack of time.  Surgeon was very concerned that I didnt get a cold and he'd have to postpone me again so he put me off work and back into home isolation for a fortnight.

On 31 July I arrived at the John Hunter Hospital at 6am and hit the Operating Theatre 1 at 9am.  The second operation was called a left hemithyroidectomy and took 96 minutes in total.  Just before I went in the Docs changed the consent form from WITH neck dissection to "blank".  I was a bit groggy and had no idea what this meant but later found out that they were going to try to preserve the lymph nodes.

I spoke to the doctors about the wrestle I had in recovery after op 1 and so they changed the drug they used on me...... and it worked a treat.  I woke up to Rebecca pumping morphine into my arm and ice into my mouth and the world was rosey.   There must have been some blood as I recall them cutting off my gown and I awoke washed and refreshed in a white gown, instead of the surgical blue.   Nice not to have blood caked in my hair this time!  It was early afternoon when I was taken up to the ward.

I had a two night stay this time.  Restful is not a word to describe hospital.  I was continually awoken for more blood tests or tablets or to check my drip or blood glucose levels.  The surgeons called around twice a day as well as the ward Residents and Interns.  It was pretty hectic and I was glad to finally be released.

One thing I hadn't reckoned on was the medication.  I came home on 20 tablets a day.  A mix of painkillers and antibiotics, but now, 11 days on, I am down to just 3 for the thyroid.  The daily blood tests end monday......well at least I hope they end monday.

Yes monday..... tomorrow.... an early start.  9.30 blood tests at the hospital followed by an 11am appointment with the surgeon.  Hopefully he will have a plan of attack ready for me for ongoing treatment and details on what was found in the other half of my thyroid.

In the second op the Doc reopened the initial wound and extended it.  In the process he straightened it up so I am very happy with the result. Looks good and is clean and a nice colour.  It is very sore.  It was probably this sore last time too, but I can't clearly remember.  That first op seems so long ago.

My boss has been excellent, ringing and texting and bending over backwards to make this easy for me. My friends have been supportive and helpful and the offers of assistance have been coming in thick and fast.  My nephew Russell has borne the workload.  Driving, shopping, lifting, gardening and doing all the stuff I can't do.   He's a good kid.

The Boss broke the "no flowers" rule and sent me an enormous bouquet.  What's a girl to do, but to take  photos of it!  Here are some!