"The best way out is always through"

Last chemo – hooray!! I have finally arrived at my 6 th and final chemo session! It has been a journey in the true sense…I have learned so much along the way about myself and others – and I have been pleasantly surprised at how manageable  (for the most part) the whole experience has been. I have found hidden reserves of resilience that I didn’t know I had…and this has been enabled by my darling, long suffering husband Harry and our wonderful family, as well as all the friends who have offered so much support and comfort along the way. I can never thank you all enough.     As usual, I had a downhill slump (‘flu-like’ aches and pains, extreme exhaustion) post chemo. I think that it is now taking me an extra day or two to recover… however I have been told that this is to be expected, given the cumulative effect of the chemo. Nevertheless, knowing how long it will take for the side effects to abate…and knowing that the improvement is not far away makes the ‘slump...

Well here we are, the penultimate chemo treatment...number five, with the sixth (and final) one in three weeks. I can't believe how quickly this whole process has flown by. My recovery from the last chemo was fortunately uneventful. I had my usual slump on the Monday post chemo, then started to pick up on the Wednesday, and fortunately was almost back to normal by the Friday. The last two weeks were bus y, and consequently before we knew it, we were back at Peter Mac for treatment today! I got back to walking and exercise as soon as I was up to it, and I feel sure that this is helping with the speed of my recovery. It has, for the most part, been perfect weather for walking in my favourite haunt...the glorious Royal Botanic Gardens. We have joined many friends for lots of lunches and dinners . We have been to m ovies and live shows, and have caught up at other times with friends. Edie, our beautiful granddaughter, invited us to her kinder for her special Shabbat - where ...

It is 2½ weeks since I had my surgery, and I’m pleased to report that the recovery has been uneventful. I was discharged from hospital 2 days post-surgery. I have had no pain since the first few days, and even on those days the pain was only moderate and required no more than a couple of Panadol to make me comfortable. I do get a little more tired than usual, but I quickly got back to walking – albeit shorter distances and not at the same brisk pace.  For the first few days post operation I was only allowed 10 minutes of gentle walking, so Harry and I drove across the road so that I could do my ’10 minutes’ in my favourite venue, the Royal Botanic Gardens. Fortunately, the weather was kind to us, and we could sit for some time after the walk, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the beautiful view.  On the first Friday night that I was home from hospital, thanks to Harry’s organisational skills, we had our usual Shabbat dinner at home. It was lovely to have the kid...

It's Harry here writing the next blog instalment. Well the big day arrived. We woke at 5.30am and had breakfast because Robyn had to fast from 6am. We caught a cab to Francis Perry House where she had blood tests and was then admitted to the ward. After a long wait surgery commenced at 2.30pm. While she was in theatre Rebecca and I walked to Brunetti on Lygon Street and had cake and coffee. When we returned Lynne Frid came and kept us company. The cake was ordinary… Lynne was lovely. Robyn found surgery to be a breeze (mind you she was asleep) and returned to her room at 6pm to the smiling faces of Rebecca and me. She was quite drowsy but in no pain. She kept repeating questions over and over. Amazing what drugs do to you. Beck and I left at 7.30pm and apparently Robyn slept well all night drifting in and out of a drug induced coma. The nurses woke her every hour to do observations. I was woken at 6am by a happy, coherent Robby who was in no pain. She w...

It is 2½ weeks since my last chemotherapy...and a lot seems to have happened since then.  Fortunately, my reaction to chemo seems to be following a pattern. It makes it easier knowing what to expect! I have worked out the right medication regime to keep any tummy problems at bay - and I know that the first 2-3 days I feel reasonably OK - and hit my lowest on the 4th day. Then it is a gradual improvement process over the following few days - until I am feeling almost back to normal at around the 10-day mark.  The day after chemo was Mum’s 93rd birthday, and I was pleased to be well enough to enjoy lunch at a local café with Mum, Harry, my sister Netti, her husband Howard and their daughters Rachel and Naomi (who came from Sydney for Mum’s birthday as well as her own, which was the following day) together with her 2 children, Joel and Ruby. It was a lovely celebration, and Mum had a ball. That night we had Beck, Brad, Arlo, Edie (& Mum) for dinner. Gary, Edna, Ab...