Milestone....going strong

October 3rd....I turned 50...wow...at the start of the year I wanted a big 50th bash....but now that seemed too much effort, and I preferred to spend time with those close to me.

Still just a number...I have been busy celebrating life. 

An evening in town to see The Graduate with my wonderful man, also celebrating 25 years marriage.

Got my motorbike licence at last, no more L plates yay!

Back at work, and plodding away, it's a long term, and I'm already tired!

Blood test yesterday, xgeva next week... I am a bit concerned with my pain...particularly in my hip/lower back, but I have endone, and am taking that in the evenings, which gives me enough pain relief to go for a walk with Michael and Dexter. I love this time together, I love creating wonderful memories together.

I have been taking krill oil, and Wow, the bone and arthritis pain has hugely diminished, so now I can isolate my pain to more muscular. Probably from the rads! Although across my lower back are some tender spots. So now I can't work out if my muscle aches are purely from the rads, or exacerbated by the walks, a bit of both or?

So carrying on......

Ups and downs

IMy last post I felt had to be upbeat, as I wanted th focus on the positive, even though I was feeling bleagh!
It had been a crazy busy term at work. With my room being moved, I felt I was going backwards more than forwards, with stuff having to be moved sooner than anticipated, and the old room being knocked down arghhh! Chaos reigned supreme!
I was moving 40 years of stuff, trolley by trolley, lifting more than I should, totally whacked! Then I had a literal run in with a student who ran into my cancer stricken arm, causing extreme pain! Many tears, more endone and panadol osteo than I had taken in ages.
So sore hips, arms, overwork, feeling unsupported, run down, end of term, I was a mess.
Thankfully the term ended, and my clever sisters booked a weekend on Bribie in Queensland! Just what I needed. Chilled, laughter, good food and drinks! Great memories!

I had been attempting the bikram 4x4 challenge and was doing well until my meltdown...so I let it go... But 1 day back from my weekend away and back at bikram. Felt awesome! And I even managed to briefly balance on both legs in standing bow. Whoot, as well as touching my head on the floor!
Feeling great only a few joint aches which have been massively improved with starting red krill with glucosamine!
On top of things, and tumour markers down to 23 all good! Brilliant, just had my denosumab shot, everything is going well. Life is good.

Getting on with living

Well, the good news is for the past 4 months my tumour markers have been reducing. So they have gone from 120, to 80, to 40 , to 30, which they say is now a normal level. The oncologist says if there was a textbook response to treatment I am it. Still on xgeva injection every 4 week's, and the rads are finally doing their work and minimising the pain. The worst pain I get now is when I over do things! So heading towards remission I hope. Only having endone in the evening, and paradol osteo now and then.
Life is good..still feels surreal, how can I feel so good, and be so sick? A bit like the phoney war!

One step at a time

Well working on the positives....

Having a two week break was well needed....very quiet and restful.

Saw my rads onc, she confirmed the rash on my arm was most likely from the rads. It cleared p over the following week, and I finally got back to Bikram...yay.

Had my 3rd denosumub jab, and I thought things were going great news was my t-markers were down for the first time in nearly a year...woot

Then they went to take some blood....the nurse was having some trouble....I was focussing on my breathing.... And then things started going black...so I rested my head back in the chair...next thing I was surrounded by nurses asking if I was ok...doing blood pressure obs...wow...the numbers were right down from a few minutes earlier... Not usually one to swoon.....so I had to hang around longer after they found a vein and a gun nurse to take the blood. Hmmmm not looking forward to the next one at the path lab near home.

All good now.... Still incredible aches in my legs and feet....hip pain is subsiding, and my arm has good days and bad...depending on whether I remember to not use it so much...

Week one of the new term is done and going well...feeling on top of it, well as much as I can... Feeling supported ta work.

Have finally told my closest girl friends...that was hard....but at least I was able to tell them the good news about the markers....

Looking forward to a weekend of escape at the races....going to be cold and wet...brrrr....and good feeling alive.

Cancer sucks

I lost a friend today...her battle with the bastard C is over. She only found out she had cancer at the end of last year, they found secondaries first, lumps in her skin...took a while to find the primary...bowel cancer. It took 6 months...she didn't want chemo, but had it anyway...

She was an amazing woman, strong, very private and focused on her work and it took this bastard to break her. I had yesterday and today off work....so very tired just sleeping...I was glad not to be at work today to hear the news. I had heard she was in palliative care earlier in the week, and wasn't looking great, but had hoped she would have longer.... But I think she must have been ready to go...and leave behind the pain...

Too soon, she had more to tell in her story...

Hmmmm....burns

Who knew....two weeks after the ourselves of rads I end up it burns on my belly...sad face ...thought at first it was sweat rash from Bikram...but as I never had that I the 9 months I  have been doing it ... Ding in...I worked out ...and confirmed with a chat with  friend who has had a fair bit of radiation... She reminded me not to use oils like vitamin E...which I had been using...

So hopefully, now I am treating it with better stuff it ill improve....so itchy. Yay for QV

Also incredibly tired...came home yesterday and slept for 2 hours...then did Zumba with my girl! Week and 2 days til hols...can't wait... Still too much pain...

Is pain the new normal?

Seems to be pain and pain management seems to be constantly on my mind at the moment...the weekend was a day longer with report writing day on Friday...so I enjoyed being able to have a 10am session of Bikram...wonderful....and I was energised enough to finish my reports...yay...and only had an endone when I went to bed...

Saturday...went to the 8am Bikram class, as I was up in time...I wasn't going to stress if I missed it...but was happy that I made it...got home and again pain was not on my mind got stuck into some shopping, cleaning...and cooking, before settling in to watch the V8 super cars...standing in the kitchen took its toll, endone at bedtime...most of the day had been pain free...

Sunday...could I do it? Yeah baby...back at Bikram 8am...woot woo!!! My body loves he heat...I am getting further into the stretches and balancing better. I don't know what it is that my body is loving about Bikram... But I love that I get time pain free...and full of energy...I even scrubbed the kids bathroom from top to bottom to prepare for my sister coming to stay later this week! Probably pushed myself a bit far with the cleaning....and then cooking...

 Made a magnificent roast dinner...perfect veggies and moving them to the tale promptly dropped the whole dish of them...then had a total melt down...I couldn't stop crying...couldn't move....Pyrex dish smashed, potatoes, parsnip, beet root, and pumpkin...nothing hurt, just couldn't move and everything just turned to tears.... My beautiful girl and hubby moved me away, and cleaned up... I was devastated over spilt veggies... Today I can't believe it ... I guess it all just came out...my two boys...hid. LOL

Well, pain free weekend came to an end back at work today...pain in hip and arm, I had to take an endone in the morning...had another when I got home, and about to head to bed with another...

I did go for a walk this evening...the first in a while...trying to keep active...wondering if I am overdoing it...but trying to fight this....