Hi All, Tuesday morning of the week where I don't get any chemo, and I am feeling very good and fine with no pain or side effects. I was in Plett and the Southern Cape ona golf tour with 7 other guys and much fun & golf was had by all. So I am still carrying on as normal and living a normal full & good lifestyle. I am sometimes a lttle fatigued at night but otherwise fine. Was good getting away and having my mind off the normal routine which has its questions and moments of sympathy everyone wants to express which can get a little tedious and boring in terms of repeatedly telling the same things over & over while all you want to do is move on.
I feel confident that the chemo in conjunction with lifestyle changes, the tailor made supplements I have chosen and embarked on have made an imapct in getting rid of the unwanted tennant. The syptoms and discomfort as mentioned have gone and I am feeling Tops. So this week is to be spent putting my time in at the office doing a full weeks work and then next week I get another double dose of chemo.
Hope you all also had a great long weekend and look forward to posting more updates and some pics of me in the 'poison kitchen' which is what they call the room where the chemo is administered. Will also post any other stuff deemed necessary.
Cheers
Douglas
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
First Chemo week done & dusted
Had my first chemo session on monday 10 Sept which entailed 2 different chemo's. On Monday I felt fine but Tues & Wed had the side effects of nausea & fatigue come and visit and I literally felt like i had been hit by a bus. By thursday though I was feeling much better and since then have been getting progressively better till today Sunday. Feeling great at present with a great weekend behind me ! Went to the driving range with Oliver this pm which was very entertaining! Cant wait for the warmth of summer to come as I really feel the cold at present. Tomorrow I have some blood tests done and then another bout of chemo which only entails the 1 type (not both as last Monday). I have been told that it will not be as severe as last week which is re-assuring.
The really cool thing is that the pains I have have had in my chest which alerted me to this thing in the first place have subsided A LOT which leads me to think that with all the chemo, supplements, alternative treatment & approach, diet and my visualisation of it dissapearing have all taken their toll ! I have not taken any pain killers for 2 days and am really feeling good.
Amazing how good you can feel with no hint of a hangover anywhere in site. Watched the rugby with a ginger beer!
Go the Bokke !
Later
Douglas
The really cool thing is that the pains I have have had in my chest which alerted me to this thing in the first place have subsided A LOT which leads me to think that with all the chemo, supplements, alternative treatment & approach, diet and my visualisation of it dissapearing have all taken their toll ! I have not taken any pain killers for 2 days and am really feeling good.
Amazing how good you can feel with no hint of a hangover anywhere in site. Watched the rugby with a ginger beer!
Go the Bokke !
Later
Douglas
Sunday, September 9, 2007
to the trenches - chemo commences !
Hi All
After 2 agonising weeks of tests, scans, pricks, pokes and scopes My Oncologist (Sean Brennan) is satisfied with the diagnosis of 'Primary unknown'! This means the original cancer has not presented itself and cannot be found IE She gone or will be soon ! I believe that I have got rid of it and am left with the 'secondaries'. To my relief and somewhat odd excitement my chemotherapy starts tomorrow.
I have been told that i will get two cocktails during my treatment. This involves 6 cycles of 3 weeks each or 18 weeks. Each cycle starts with me getting carbo platinum and gemzar on the monday and then just gemzar the following monday and nothing the following week. Each cycle will then start again after Sean is happy with tests done and my state of affairs. Then we fire up again 6 times over. This means that my last 2 doses are on 24 & 31 Dec respectively. So if the full treatment continues without alteration I end the year, chemo and cancer in one fell swoop, I trust and aspire to this! Father Xmas will recieve my letter to bring me remission. I think my excitement will equal Olivers this Christmas !
Other good news is that the side effects of the chemo are not as severe as I was expecting. No hair loss, nausea & vomiting will not be severe, my imune system will not be badly affected that I need avoid contact with people. Fatigue may be a factor though as I belive they are going in with heavy artillery. I have been advised to remain active and can exercise within bounds. IE no Hell & BAck this year! My entry for next years Argus is already in and I am going to do it!
As for work I will see how things go and try put my shoulder to the wheel when I am up to it. My friends and colleagues at Balamanzi have been great in affording me the leeway to focus on the battle at hand. Wilmien is also insisting on being an integral part of the team I lead in the field. It has been impressed on us that it is a team effort and assault to tackle and overcome this cancer.
Thanks for all the support messages and comments. I truly appreciate it and look forward to seeing you all and thanking you in person.
Watch this space.
Douglas
DING - Round #1 !
After 2 agonising weeks of tests, scans, pricks, pokes and scopes My Oncologist (Sean Brennan) is satisfied with the diagnosis of 'Primary unknown'! This means the original cancer has not presented itself and cannot be found IE She gone or will be soon ! I believe that I have got rid of it and am left with the 'secondaries'. To my relief and somewhat odd excitement my chemotherapy starts tomorrow.
I have been told that i will get two cocktails during my treatment. This involves 6 cycles of 3 weeks each or 18 weeks. Each cycle starts with me getting carbo platinum and gemzar on the monday and then just gemzar the following monday and nothing the following week. Each cycle will then start again after Sean is happy with tests done and my state of affairs. Then we fire up again 6 times over. This means that my last 2 doses are on 24 & 31 Dec respectively. So if the full treatment continues without alteration I end the year, chemo and cancer in one fell swoop, I trust and aspire to this! Father Xmas will recieve my letter to bring me remission. I think my excitement will equal Olivers this Christmas !
Other good news is that the side effects of the chemo are not as severe as I was expecting. No hair loss, nausea & vomiting will not be severe, my imune system will not be badly affected that I need avoid contact with people. Fatigue may be a factor though as I belive they are going in with heavy artillery. I have been advised to remain active and can exercise within bounds. IE no Hell & BAck this year! My entry for next years Argus is already in and I am going to do it!
As for work I will see how things go and try put my shoulder to the wheel when I am up to it. My friends and colleagues at Balamanzi have been great in affording me the leeway to focus on the battle at hand. Wilmien is also insisting on being an integral part of the team I lead in the field. It has been impressed on us that it is a team effort and assault to tackle and overcome this cancer.
Thanks for all the support messages and comments. I truly appreciate it and look forward to seeing you all and thanking you in person.
Watch this space.
Douglas
DING - Round #1 !
Friday, September 7, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
pics
Moenie worrie nie, klein boetie will sort it out. C'mon people lets work as a team and do it my way!!!!!
Nice pics Doogs
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Thursday 6th Sept update
Here are some recent pics of the fam.
I have been struggling with this blogsite for ages and couldnt load any pics. I have now tried a different machine and it is working.
Have been for further tests with the primary still being evasive and have just spent some time on the net reading up about 'primary unknown' ! My histology and pathology reports show that the suspicion is that it may be from my stomach or digestive tract. If so my body may had the immune system deal with it and it is now gone or what can also happen is that it is taken care of and then passes through the digestive system ??
Anyway it the wait and the anxiety of not knowing where it comes from and it also appears that if it is so they cover all bases and throw the kitchen sink at it in terms of wiping out all cancer cells. Good news is that I am as the oncologist says strong enough for it and as you can see from the site I am also chomping at the bit ready fro the battle.
In the meantime life goes on and all at my office have been phenomenal and Wilmien who returned from maternity leave on monday has also been given leeway to assist as and when needed. The offers from friends & family has also been overwhelming and to those of you out there many thanks for the strong words of motivation and support. It has really been touching & overwhelming. Many thanks to ALL.
As mentioned life goes on and little Ella has also decided to start teething which keeps us on our toes all night. Both she and Oliver are great and i draw much pleasure, inspiration and strength from them. As for Wilmien I can only say I am blessed to have her in the trench alongside me. My Oncologist Dr Sean Brennan or my commanding officer is an inspiration and very thorough. He is also straight & honest which is exactly what you need with the challenge ahead.
Rest assured that I will keep the site updated and will advise as to when the treatment starts. Wilmien has also insisted that with the advent of chemo we have catered for the eventuality of more kids when & should the need arise. That is a whole story all by itself.
Stay well , stay updated and stay positive.
As Jacobus said to me, 'we laugh, we cry and we laugh again'
Enjoy the spring and the warming weather !
Love from Douglas
I have been struggling with this blogsite for ages and couldnt load any pics. I have now tried a different machine and it is working.
Have been for further tests with the primary still being evasive and have just spent some time on the net reading up about 'primary unknown' ! My histology and pathology reports show that the suspicion is that it may be from my stomach or digestive tract. If so my body may had the immune system deal with it and it is now gone or what can also happen is that it is taken care of and then passes through the digestive system ??
Anyway it the wait and the anxiety of not knowing where it comes from and it also appears that if it is so they cover all bases and throw the kitchen sink at it in terms of wiping out all cancer cells. Good news is that I am as the oncologist says strong enough for it and as you can see from the site I am also chomping at the bit ready fro the battle.
In the meantime life goes on and all at my office have been phenomenal and Wilmien who returned from maternity leave on monday has also been given leeway to assist as and when needed. The offers from friends & family has also been overwhelming and to those of you out there many thanks for the strong words of motivation and support. It has really been touching & overwhelming. Many thanks to ALL.
As mentioned life goes on and little Ella has also decided to start teething which keeps us on our toes all night. Both she and Oliver are great and i draw much pleasure, inspiration and strength from them. As for Wilmien I can only say I am blessed to have her in the trench alongside me. My Oncologist Dr Sean Brennan or my commanding officer is an inspiration and very thorough. He is also straight & honest which is exactly what you need with the challenge ahead.
Rest assured that I will keep the site updated and will advise as to when the treatment starts. Wilmien has also insisted that with the advent of chemo we have catered for the eventuality of more kids when & should the need arise. That is a whole story all by itself.
Stay well , stay updated and stay positive.
As Jacobus said to me, 'we laugh, we cry and we laugh again'
Enjoy the spring and the warming weather !
Love from Douglas
Monday, September 3, 2007
Skiet hom in die hol, Pa soek die vel heel
Hi All and thanks for the visit.
Watching idols last night 2 idiots from Pretoria came on and in the lyrics of a song they sang which was a joke were the lyrics of a hunting song 'skiet hom in die hol, Pa soek die vel heel' i thougt it was pretty good !
Having been pricked, prodded, poked and scanned I now await the treatment which will be chemo i understand but await some final tests. Seems that the diagnosis has to be done very thoroughly before the treatement protocol is finalised. In the mean time i feel like a bull at a gate and want to get going and start it. After the diagnosis and shock of the 23rd Aug i am now ready to start whatever is required to sort this out. The primary is what the docs are after while the secondaries have presented in my lungs and lymph nodes.
I am feeling fine and wouldnt have suspected anyhting but for a pain in my chest which has progressively got worse over the last 4 months. Apart from that I feel absolutley fine and the oncologist says this and the fact that there has been no weight loss are my biggets assets in the challenge and battle ahead. I just wish we could finish the tests and get going with the treatment. I beliEve as well that they can be quite aggresive in my case due to my age, and factors above and really hit it hard. I am all for this and will keep the blog updated. The blogg was blogged this am but thanks to Greg I am now up on it and firing away.
Watch this space.
Thanks to all for your messages and offers of support it is really appreciated and i draw even more strength from it.
Wilmien has and continues to be great and Oliver and Ella keep me on my toes with no support or sympathy from their side! So the rest of you make up for it thanks.
Cheers
Douglas & Wilmien
Watching idols last night 2 idiots from Pretoria came on and in the lyrics of a song they sang which was a joke were the lyrics of a hunting song 'skiet hom in die hol, Pa soek die vel heel' i thougt it was pretty good !
Having been pricked, prodded, poked and scanned I now await the treatment which will be chemo i understand but await some final tests. Seems that the diagnosis has to be done very thoroughly before the treatement protocol is finalised. In the mean time i feel like a bull at a gate and want to get going and start it. After the diagnosis and shock of the 23rd Aug i am now ready to start whatever is required to sort this out. The primary is what the docs are after while the secondaries have presented in my lungs and lymph nodes.
I am feeling fine and wouldnt have suspected anyhting but for a pain in my chest which has progressively got worse over the last 4 months. Apart from that I feel absolutley fine and the oncologist says this and the fact that there has been no weight loss are my biggets assets in the challenge and battle ahead. I just wish we could finish the tests and get going with the treatment. I beliEve as well that they can be quite aggresive in my case due to my age, and factors above and really hit it hard. I am all for this and will keep the blog updated. The blogg was blogged this am but thanks to Greg I am now up on it and firing away.
Watch this space.
Thanks to all for your messages and offers of support it is really appreciated and i draw even more strength from it.
Wilmien has and continues to be great and Oliver and Ella keep me on my toes with no support or sympathy from their side! So the rest of you make up for it thanks.
Cheers
Douglas & Wilmien
Sak Sarel, pa wil 'n bok skiet!!!!!!
Well it seems that big doogs doesnt know where to turn a computer on, so little boetie will give him a helping hand!!!!
This is another test to see that we can get Doogs up on the net and getting all his news out to the world.
Let me know if this is working by posting messages.
Enjoy the pics - just a few blasts from the past!
Greg
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