Another Bump in the Road

**guidoveloce** · 08-12-16

I'm glad to hear these good news. Don't worry for the wound, now there many advanced wound dressings that can make real miracles.

**notacop** · 08-12-16

Glad you lot of less than healthies are doing your best to recover. Amazing that the medical world will take you to as close to dead as they can to rid a body of infections and maladies.
I've several lady friends that are cancer survivors. I should get a pink bow sticker to put on the panniers in honor of all of you. A reminder of how hard you've worked and suffered to be healthy again.

**steve n rose** · 09-29-16

IanA must be tuned into my mind or something.
He gave me a call this arvo to see how I was travelling, little knowing I'd just got home from hospital.
One of the other guys at work was crook last Thursday and absent on the Friday.
I started feeling crook on the Saturday arvo, when my immune system is getting towards it's lowest from the chemo on Wednesday.
Sunday I stayed in bed, coughing and wheezing and the temp was starting to climb.
By Monday morning it was getting around the 38C mark, so I went and saw my GP, who, upon checking the temp, found it to be 38.3.
For those not in the know any temp above 38C for a chemo patient means go to hospital, go directly to hospital and as soon as humanly possible.
Best part is no waiting around the waiting room at the emergency department, it's straight in, drip in arm, blood tests and lots of anti-biotics.
The tests showed I had the Influenza A virus and that they could at least treat it with some Tamiflu.
After 5 bottles of anti-biotics through the drip and lots of paracetamol, the blood count came back up, the temp went back to normal and I got to come home today.
In the meantime Rose and the granddaughter have had it as well as another 2 or 3 people at work.
Ah, the joys of Spring!
Anyway, other than all that and the chemo side effects, I'm actually feeling better, health wise than I have felt for about 18 months.
You just don't realise something is wrong with you as it builds up over time, but you feel it once it's gone.
Anyway, back to life and working on the retro caravan.

**guidoveloce** · 09-29-16

Hi Steve, I'm glad to hear that you feel better now.

**notacop** · 09-29-16

"Ah, the joys of Spring!"

Thank goodness it's a blooming spring for you and your health is on the rebound so you can enjoy it.
Keep it up!

**steve n rose** · 10-19-16

Woohoo, 1 more chemo to go and then it's done with for now.
All's looking good for the future with it all. All indicators, except for kidney function which is down a little bit, are coming back good, but that will come good also once they stop pumping the toxins into me.

**nkaj** · 10-19-16

Great news. How is the hair holding up?

**guidoveloce** · 10-19-16

Great news, really. I'm glad to hear that and see your optmism.

**TheMeteor** · 10-19-16

That's great news, Steve.

**steve n rose** · 10-19-16

Norman,
The chemo I was on didn't have that as a side-effect, so I still have a full head of hair.
The neuropathy is the worst side-effect with numbness in my thumbs, fore fingers and the toes and balls of the feet.
Been having a bit of difficulty doing up buttons one-handed and the feet feel as they have padding wrapped around the balls of the feet and toes.

**notacop** · 10-19-16

Had an old acquaintance that used to wear his wife's wigs at rallies. Harold was a treasure!
scared the unaccustomed in the rest room in the mornings!
Spend a few years at rallies and you meet the best!

**nkaj** · 10-19-16

Originally Posted by steve n rose

Norman,
The chemo I was on didn't have that as a side-effect, so I still have a full head of hair.
The neuropathy is the worst side-effect with numbness in my thumbs, fore fingers and the toes and balls of the feet.
Been having a bit of difficulty doing up buttons one-handed and the feet feel as they have padding wrapped around the balls of the feet and toes.

I am glad you didn't have to go through that. But it must have been difficult dealing daily tasks with the neuropathy. I would imagine just walking was quite difficult too.

**steve n rose** · 10-20-16

Walking is okay but driving Rose's Yaris is a bit rough occasionally, depending on what shoes I am wearing, with the light pedals.

**TelemarkTumalo** · 10-21-16

Good on you Steve. Be well friend. Ask your doc about gabapentin for the neuropathy. Can help cope with the symptoms if uncomfortable.

**steve n rose** · 10-21-16

If the neuropathy is the worst thing I get out of all this, I sure I'll be able to live with it, Mark.

**guidoveloce** · 10-21-16

Steve, I live with the neuropathy since ten years ago, it's annoying, but you will easily get used to it.

**steve n rose** · 10-22-16

That's very reassuring, Guido, thank you.

**guidoveloce** · 10-23-16

steve, the neuropathy is one of the worst thing that can happen. there is not any real care for that and the only thing you can do is to make it tolerable eating a lot of pills. but once the medication starts to work the pain usually goes away, so you can start to get used to the different sensibility due to the neuropathy.
maybe it takes a little time, but, believe me, you can deal with this problem

**danham** · 10-23-16

An important factor when dealing with neuropathy is shoes. What would be slight discomfort due to "close enough" but improper fit without neuropathy becomes worse or even dangerous with it. I ignored this with my previous pair of sneakers and lived to regret it. Getting sneakers that fit properly made a big difference (ditto my new Dainese motorcycle boots).

-dan

**guidoveloce** · 10-23-16

I use larger shoes and boots than I used before the neuropathy. my feet now need a larger footbed. also I can't tolerate the socks anymore, so I use the socks only if I need more protection (for example when I have wounds in the feet). and another important thing to do is to check, quite often, if your feet have little wounds, because you might not feel a little hurt.

**trevor** · 10-30-16

Originally Posted by steve n rose

Norman,
The chemo I was on didn't have that as a side-effect, so I still have a full head of hair.
The neuropathy is the worst side-effect with numbness in my thumbs, fore fingers and the toes and balls of the feet.
Been having a bit of difficulty doing up buttons one-handed and the feet feel as they have padding wrapped around the balls of the feet and toes.

Had to read this twice until I realised that it was just numbness of balls of the feet and nothing serious.

Yeah I've been busy with new job etc. So months since I was last hanging around here and yeah sorry mate been a real slack b'stard.

**steve n rose** · 10-30-16

Trev, I'll accept your apology, and i had to make sure I worded it right so that people like you didn't think I had "numb nuts".

**Flook** · 10-31-16

Originally Posted by steve n rose

I had "numb nuts".

no change there then Steve

Keep taking the pills, and keep improving mate.
All the best from down under.

**IanA** · 10-31-16

Steve, sorry I did not pick up your latest progress post until today but congrats on seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel! It's weird how the various chemo regimes have differing effects - I lost my hair, beard, toenails and had sundry other annoyances like sense of taste, smell, short term memory, mouth ulcers and so on, but strangely only minor neuropathy, which largely disappeared within a few months after the last chemo session. The ongoing antibody therapy had no side effects at all, thankfully. My latest scan is hopeful, with no significant lymph node activity and no great change in the tumour sites. The fact that it also showed I have gallstones, a partially collapsed left lung, a fluid sac in my lower pelvis, minor pericardial effusion and other OldMan'sAilments doesn't seem to worry the Prof., my specialist - OK, if he's happy, so am I !
When our current wave of violent weather subsides I will make every effort to get on down to Middle Gippy to continue our "organ recital" over a pint. Meanwhile, keep up the good work - you are one tough prick!
Cheers, Ian

**steve n rose** · 11-01-16

Thank, Ian, I think!

I'm off to my last chemo tomorrow, and the PICC line comes out of the arm on Friday.
I'll be able to use the left arm a bit more then and start working on my fitness again.
Be nice to see you again, if you can make it, or maybe I'll give you a call next time we are heading down Warneet way.

**steve n rose** · 11-04-16

Well, the chemo is finished and I don't have the 300 mm+ tube in my left arm to above the heart anymore.
Feels funny not having all those little bits of plastic on the arm.
Still got to give it a couple of days for the vein wall to strengthen again before I do too much with the arm.

Oh, and it looks like I'm getting a new toy to play with, a 20 ft O.A. length sailing dory.

**TheMeteor** · 11-05-16

Congrats, being done with the chemo is a good milestone. Congrats on the new toy too!

**steve n rose** · 04-24-17

Well, folks, another update on my progress.
I saw the last specialist today for post-treatment check-ups.
The prognosis is good with tests showing that, at the moment, I am cancer free (of the ones that they are testing and scanning for).
Now it's down to regular check-ups for the next 5-10 years to ensure that no new ones emerge.
So I celebrated by spending some money at Whitworths for the new toy, with Rose's permission of course.

https://www.whitworths.com.au/

**guidoveloce** · 04-24-17

Hi steve. I'm really glad to hear this good news.

**ST404** · 04-24-17

That's great news Steve

**steve n rose** · 04-24-17

Guido,
How's things going, healthwise, with you?

**Flook** · 04-24-17

Steve, good news huh

, I expect Rose is much relieved as you are. Keep doing whatever you have been doing, to keep that bugger at bay

.

So what is it at Whitworths have you treated yourself to then, I see they are a Marine company, so, I assume a rowing boat

of some description to keep your strength up, or a sailing craft. . .

Whatever it is, glad to read your rough road is is more behind you than in front.

Flook

**TheMeteor** · 04-24-17

That is great news, Steve. Congrats.

**WildWilly** · 04-24-17

Wishing you all good test results.

**guidoveloce** · 04-24-17

Originally Posted by steve n rose

Guido,
How's things going, healthwise, with you?

quite well, even if my tibia had a new little crack a couple of weeks ago. nothing really serious, I just need to keep my legs resting and walk again using the crutches for a while. unfortunately, I assume that a full recovery will take much more time than I thought, anyway, at the moment I can drive the car and probably I could ride the bike too (but for that is better to wait till my bones will be a bit more solid).

**steve n rose** · 04-24-17

Originally Posted by Flook

Steve, good news huh

, I expect Rose is much relieved as you are. Keep doing whatever you have been doing, to keep that bugger at bay

.

So what is it at Whitworths have you treated yourself to then, I see they are a Marine company, so, I assume a rowing boat

of some description to keep your strength up, or a sailing craft. . .

Whatever it is, glad to read your rough road is is more behind you than in front.

Flook

Dave, We got a 20' sailing dory after my last chemo. it had been sitting in a shed on a farm for 20+ yrs, so it needs a few extra parts and a bit of fixing up before we set sail.
Here's a photo of it when the ex-owner had it and a couple more from when we got it home.

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You'll notice the little crew member in the 2nd photo (she can't wait to help with anything that Bepa does) and the cheap rope , just to see what it looked like with the sails up

**IanA** · 04-26-17

Great news , Steve! Considering the extent of your battleground with Mr. C, that is a bloody good result - well deserving of a little retail therapy....
If there's anything you need for the boat that you can't get your hands on, let me know - I've got allsorts of bits and pieces in my shed, courtesy of my 20 year project.
Good to hear Guido is still making progress on his long and very painful journey. What a bunch of old crocks we are!
See you soon, mate.

**Flook** · 04-26-17

Nice one Steve, I admit I know nothing about boats etc, but it does look good. Nice one

**steve n rose** · 07-22-20

I thought I'd better do an update.
With all the follow-up scans, there have been lumps showing up. Biopsies have shown them to be sarcoids.
So now I'm on steroids to try and control them. Latest scan showed a couple of nodules in the lung had increased in size and I had to have a biopsy last Tuesday. A bit of local while in the CT scanner and jab the biopsy needle into the right spot to get the sample. Wednes day morning, I woke up with a bit of tightness and a bit short of breath, so off to the hospital in an ambulance, a chest x-ray, and I get that deflated feeling. Yep, in hospital 'til the week-end recovering from a collapsed lung.

The doctors believe the nodules to be additional sarcoidosis activity, just have to wait for the biopsy results next week.

**IanA** · 07-22-20

Steve, I thought I would "dislike" your post, because it was the last thing I wanted to hear! All you need is a respiratory crisis in the middle of the current CV19 drama!
I will give you a call at the weekend, can't visit unfortunately - the cordon is pretty tight around the Big Smoke these days and likely to remain so, as you well know..
Stay safe mate and best wishes for a good biopsy result. Cheers, Ian

**steve n rose** · 07-22-20

Thanks, Ian, everyone is fairly sure it is the sarcoids, but they have to check to be certain

**Rev Ken** · 07-23-20

I hope the news is as good as you hope. Waiting for the results is hard as you know. (I've had my moments recently and I realise I'm at the age where the first topic when meeting is a run down of our medical conditions!)

**steve n rose** · 07-23-20

Ken, thanks for that, and hope all's going well with you. You know you're getting old when the conversation turns to comparing Bowel movements

Up to 2016 I had an extremely short medical history, now it's like 'War and Peace'.

**guidoveloce** · 07-23-20

Hi Steve, I hope that the results will be good as you (and all of us) are aspecting they will be. It’s normal that when you get old your medical history looks like an infinite list, even if I am only 56, being diabetic since I was 12, in the last years I had a lot of of problem and what happened to me just few months ago is the result of a very serious ischemia due to the diabetes. But once I got out from the intensive care I’ve never stopped to hope that everything will be good again and now I’m seeing the first positive results. So be patient and never lose the hope Steve. I’m sure that everything will be good.

**steve n rose** · 07-23-20

Thanks, Guido, I'm only a few years older than you. And all the best with your recovery also.

**308bever** · 07-23-20

good luck Steve, get well and home as soon as you can, cheers Stewart

**steve n rose** · 07-24-20

Hoping to, Stewart. You know you've been around the hospital too long when the radiologist knows you by your name

**notacop** · 07-24-20

Hola, all this drama! Too bad such fine fellows have to play out such depressing news on the forum. From this end you look and sound fine. Wish i send a restorative cure and heat felt hug that was approved for the Covid times.
So many that I have't met but have shared posts with seem more like good friends than just an avatar.
Do get well and commit a few sins for fun.