Week 12 - Twelfth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Week 12 - Twelfth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Wow all that build up to Christmas, the prep, the shopping and the waiting and its all gone in a flash!!!  But what a flash it has been!!

Firstly, Dave's health is still on the improve which is all I ever wanted for Christmas, and I am sure it is what Dave wanted too.  His weight is on the improve too and he is enjoying his food a lot more as well, eating little and often.  Dave still has PEGGY in his tummy but is not using it anymore to feed, though still has to flush it morning and night to keep it patent.  Hopefully when we go back to the specialist on Monday 9th January we can organise for PEGGY to be removed.

I thought it might be a nice perspective if someone else wrote about our experience and how Dave is feeling, so Uncle Murray wrote the following... 

 "We have been following David's story from across the Tasman as he fights his way against this horrible disease. When we arrived at the door to spend the festive season with Suzie and David, I didn't know what to expect! At first sight, there he was..... The same David! Looking a little tired and with a peculiar sounding voice but otherwise just the same..... Minus Quite a few kilos!! Not the ideal way to lose weight, I have to say! During our 10 days here, so far, I have noticed several very positive signs which I'd like to note. Every day there seems to be a greater intake of normal food, a constant flow it seems although hot spices and coarse options are still a struggle for his recovering throat. Beer is going down the throat, at this stage it's the non alcoholic type but beer none the less!! At the end of the 1st week David and I ventured onto the golf course, initially attempting 9 holes with the prospect of continuing if David felt OK. And he did, we completed 18 holes although I think David was a little washed out by the end, understandably! I think this is a great milestone to have under his belt, onwards and upwards as they say!

David... And Suzie, who has done a remarkable job of guiding David through this difficult episode of their lives, it has been fantastic to be able to spend these two weeks of the festive season with you both and the added bonus of Kimberley, Jono and little Toby Maverick, my first great great nephew, joining us on Christmas Eve has been superb. Keep up the good work guys and I am sure you'll be back to full fitness in no time."

Secondly, we have been enjoying our days with Jacquie and Murray... Christmas present and food shopping, organising menus, playing Jenga, and sampling a few wines/beers here and there for Jacquie, Murray and I.  

Off exploring to Morpeth...

Fun night of Jenga...

Then on Christmas Eve Dave and I drove to Sydney.  A two and a half hour drive, which wasn't that bad.  We were expecting lots of Christmas traffic, but the roads were fairly empty which was nice.  Popped into see Allie, Alex, Jack and Sam on the way through which was nice as hadn't seem them in ages.  Picked up the car seat and pushchair... thanks so much Renee for lending these to us and to Allie in helping us out.  Then on to the airport where our most special Christmas bundle arrived... our first grandchild, Toby Maverick, with his mummy, our daughter, Kimberly, and her partner Jono.  Oh my golly gosh, Toby is so so adorable.   On arrival there were lots of tears from us all, except from Toby, as he was very content!

Kimi, Toby & Jono
 in the background
pushing the trolley

 He travelled really well on his first flight... didn't phase him one little bit!

As Dave drove to Sydney I drove us home to give him a rest... the next two and a half hours back up the freeway were a bit hairy in places because of the torrential downpours, thunder and lightening!!  And our wee little man needed feeding a couple of times on the way too.  We made it home to a lovely welcome from Jax and Murray and platters of goodies.

Christmas Day was very relaxing, opening pressies, eating and chilling out.  Kimberly was a little over excited to see all the presents that Santa had delivered overnight.

Poppa Dave enjoying cuddles with the gorgeous Toby...
very co-ordinated in red!

Toby's First Christmas.... he's loving all the paper!!
& so darn cute in his Santa suit 

Christmas festivities

Looked after the gorgeous Tash for a couple of days
Murray, I enjoying a coffee aftewards

Toby's first dip in a pool... not too phased!

Summer!!  Cosmopolitans and games

From Love Is All You Need...

No road is long with good company.  

a Turkish proverb

and from You Are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will Always Love you... by Marci

Let's Make a Promise to...

1...

To hold hands, no matter how old we are.

2...

Say "I Love you" every day.

3...

Write love notes for each other to find.

4...

Forget mistakes.

5...

Forgive Words spoken too soon.

6...

Plan time alone together.

7...

Focus on the things we like about each other.

8...

Not to expect perfection.

9...  

Try to be the person of each other's dreams.

10...

Support each other through life's challenges.

11...

Say "thank you" often.

12...

Send e-mails that say "I love you".

13...

Take walks together.

14...

Hug and kiss every day.

I believe Dave and I do most of the above but its always good to re-mind ourselves too!!

We attended a funeral yesterday of a really lovely lady that was taken from us far too soon and the priest put things into perspective that we may not believe in a god but we must believe in LOVE and love each other.  Ann, your Irish blessing is so true....

May your troubles be less,

your blessings be more,

and nothing but happiness

come through your door.  

God bless you Ann, you will be truly missed by all.

Well this is the last day of 2016!!! I won't be sad to see this year gone... It's been a pretty rough year for our family and for a few friends we know, so I pray, hope and wish that 2017 will be a better year for all of us.

See you all again in 2017!!!! Have an enjoyable safe New Year's Eve... xxx

Week 11 - Eleventh Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hey There!

Wow, only six more sleeps to Christmas Day!!! Which also means it will be time to meet our first grandchild, Toby Maverick (four months old) :-) and our gorgeous daughter Kimberly and her amazing partner Jono! 

Where has this year gone!!!  Its been a pretty tough year and hopefully, very hopefully, one we never have to repeat ever again!!! 

I can thankfully say that Dave is now very much on the improve, its been 11 weeks since his last radiotherapy treatment and has finally gotten over his nasty viral gastro bug.

This week Dave has regained his appetite and has started eating again:-)  Albeit very very small portions, but hey, he's eating :-) You can probably hear the excitement in my voice!!! Its taking him ages to eat at the moment too because of the amount of swelling inside his throat and at times its slightly sore.  So far he's enjoyed a poached egg with a hash brown; Beef stew; a grated zucchini & fresh herb omelette, oh and a couple of pork chipolata sausages that a friend of ours, David cooked on the BBQ last night. Oh and not to forget one of my delicious mince pies I made, from scratch...

I'm still trying to convince Davey to try one of my delicious green smoothies!!! Jordan, I will conquer this mountain very soon!!! In regards to meals the other task we have is to find/create things that are juicy, saucy and easy to eat as Dave doesn't have much saliva in his mouth to be able to help swallow his food.  This may never change so we will always have to review the menu very carefully!! 

To those of you, reading this, at the moment, and are going through treatment, please hold on, keep thinking positive thoughts and visualising you being fit and well again.  I know it can be very hard at times but it really helps in your recovery.  I know it sounds airy fairy but it really does help.  To those that are providing support to loved ones & others, you too hold on, keep strong and healthy and lean on others for help.  Don't be afraid to ask for help either.  My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

At times, through the way, I never thought we'd get through this but somehow we pulled all the inner strength we both had together and we are getting there!!... the light at the end of that extremely dark tunnel is here!!! I think my faith also helped me too, most nights I talked to whoever listened to me out in the ether!!!  And always tried to keep a positive outlook on everything.

Yesterday was a great day as Muzza, and Jax arrived from Napier, NZ.  They are with us now for a relaxing two week Christmas break of lots of laughter, fun, board/card games, maybe a few day trips to the beach and just chill-axing around our pool/home.  Let the fun and memory times begin :-)) 

Dave has also enjoyed getting together with a few friends over the last couple of days too, everyone was so pleased to see him out and about too :-) 

Christmas shopping all done, just the last minute food shopping to do prior to Christmas Day.

Christmas is a time for lots of reflection for those that are no longer around us and offering love and support to those that are in need.  

From Love Is All You Need...

Do all things with Love

by Og Mandino

From You Are My "Once in a Lifetime" I Will Always Love You by Marci

Thank You For All That You Are... and For Being a Part of My Life Each and Every Day!

Thank you for...

Your thoughtfulness, your caring, and your

ability to give me hope in every situation.

All that is uniquely you!

Being a special light in my life.

Letting me into your heart where I

experience a special spirit that is as beautiful

as what I see every time I look at you.

xxx

Dave and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas... Happy Holidays with your family, loved ones and friends.  May it be a safe and happy time for you all.  Loads of Love Hugs and Kisses to you all xoxo 

Week 10 - Tenth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hi Everyone!

Wow ten weeks already since Dave finished his last session of radiotherapy!!!!

As some of you know Dave has been recovering from a gastro virus the last couple of weeks!!  I can now thankfully say that he is starting to come right :-)  It pretty much knocked him off his feet!!  Feelings of nausea, stomach cramps, fatigue, and diarrhea.

I got our chiropractor to do a home visit for Dave on Monday night as I thought this would help him too as he was suffering also with neck and lower back pain.  The chiro said that he could see a lot of swelling around Dave's neck.  After another visit on Wednesday night Dave is feeling the benefits of his adjustments.  Thanks Martin for your support.

We visited the Radio Oncologist, Speech Therapist and Dietitian on Thursday for the last time this year!  Dave had a good report card back from all three :-)

The Oncologist, with the Speech Therapist present put a camera down Dave's nose and throat - all looked good, though there is a lot of swelling still inside but they say this is 'normal' and will go down over time!! How much time they couldn't say!  There is a sign of thrush inside Dave's mouth and throat so Dave's now taking a medication for this.... Fluconazole Suspension 50mg/5ml, once a day.

Dave's voice has been quite raspy of late and this is due to the swelling near his vocal cords, they said once the swelling goes down his voice will come right.  The vocal cords and swallow are good.  While the camera was down Dave's throat they got him to swallow a blue dye so they could check that what Dave swallowed went down the right channels and it was.  Such a relief!

Over the last six weeks Dave has lost about 3kgs which isn't good but not too bad.  In total Dave has lost approximately 9kgs from the start of his radiotherapy treatment.  The specialists all said that Dave needs to start training his brain again to start wanting food and that it was really unfortunate that he picked up the recent bug as he was doing so well.  They also talked about removing the PEG soon too but not until Dave's eating normally and his weight is on the rise.

The dietitian said that its ok to just start with a couple of teaspoons full of food first off then each time to increase to one more and so on.  To also eat first before administering a TwoCal.  And to start drinking more via the mouth.

Dave's taste thankfully is improving too.  He's just finding it hard to swallow too much with the swelling in his throat at present.

Dave's immune system is still below normal levels so has to be very careful still that he doesn't pick up any more bugs etc!!

Dave's next appointment is on Monday 9 January to get the results from his PET scan which will be done the week prior. Were still waiting on this appointment date/time though! Must chase it up this coming week.  So keeping all our fingers and toes crossed for more positive results and that Dave gets the all clear!!!

It would be so so great to start 2017 with POSITIVE results.

As a friend mentioned in a comment "The Only Way is Up", sung by Jazz.

We've both had a lovely quiet week.  I've been doing little bits of that and this.  Dave managed to get out on Friday and gave a friend of ours, Les, a few coaching tips on the golf course.  I went out with them also to gain a few tips!  Even Dave enjoyed a few chips and putts too.  Afterwards, I asked him how it felt, he said "the club felt like a lead weight!!" I think it might be a good idea for Dave and I to visit our local gym to build up our muscles together!! Yvie we might need your help!!

Saturday we had a lovely surprise visit from Ellen, who I used to work with at the PDs in Sydney and Chris her hubby who were in the neighbourhood.  Thanks again for the yummy chocolates... I promise to save them for when Dave's able to enjoy them! Look forward to you both coming to stay for a weekend next time!! xx

From Love Is All You Need...

The best and most beautiful things

in the world cannot be

seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.

by Helen Keller

and from You Are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will always love you by Marci

I Want to Share Every Part of My Life with you

I want to share my life with you...

every joy,

every sorrow,

every triumph,

every challenge,

every hope,

every dream,

every good thing

and every hard thing.

I know that our love will endure 

the test of time and give to each

of us - separately and together -

the strength to overcome any obstacle

that comes our way.  I will love you

forever and through all time.

Oh my gosh that verse above is so apt for us!!!

Seven more sleeps before Jax and Muzza arrive for Christmas.... were so so excited to see them both!!!

I've made the Christmas mincemeat... this is in the fridge maturing, and needs stirring each day for a week and each day I get to lick the spoon!!! Ahhh smell the brandy!!!  Christmas Pudding made today too, well first lot of six hours cooking done, now to mature in the fridge and a further few hours to cook and enjoy on Christmas Day... our home smells like Christmas!!!  Just need to buy some wrapping paper and a couple of presents then were done!! Thank god for Amazon and internet shopping this year!!

Hope your all organised or getting somewhat organised for Christmas.  Take care till next week xxx

Week 9 - Ninth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hey There!!

After our lovely social weekend last weekend and Dave doing so well with eating, this week has been extremely quiet as unfortunately Dave has had a pretty bad week with stomach cramps, constant visits to the toilet, feeling really nauseous and totally washed out :-(

Hopefully just a little set back and bump in the road!!!

So since Sunday Dave hasn't eaten anything via the mouth only the TwoCal's via his PEG.

Questions we've been asking ourselves :

Is it normal for a person who hasn't eaten for some months to have stomach issues?
Is it a gastro bug?
Is it food poisoning?
Should Dave still be continuing with the TwoCal if its a bug?  I've always believed that when you have a tummy bug that you shouldn't eat at all for a few days as your just feeding the bug! That you should starve it!!

Not sure what the hell we are dealing with!!!

I suggested the Doctor during the week but that option was passed over!!  We got to Friday and I said this is enough I think you really need to go to the Doctor, Dave agreed.  So thankfully when I made the phone call I managed to get Dave in to see our local GP at 11.00am.  When the Doctor started checking Dave's tummy it was really tender around his appendix area and the Doctor said it could be an issue with Dave's appendix!!!!  My heart sank and the word F**K came into mind!!! So the Doctor wanted to rule this out and wrote a referral for an urgent ultrasound!! We managed to get one scheduled for that afternoon at 4.00pm.  Also a full set of blood tests were done too at the clinic which have been marked URGENT.  The ultrasound needed to be conducted on a six hour fasting! As Dave had already had a couple of TwoCals for breakfast we had to wait till late in the afternoon, so home we went to rest.

The ultrasound technician was very thorough.  Her feedback was that she didn't think there was an issue with Dave's appendix.  Which was a HUGE relief!!!

Have to wait till Monday now to get all the results back. Dave made the decision to not have any more TwoCal's for a couple of days over the weekend to see if that makes a difference to how he's feeling.

So during the week we have just been chilling and watching the series of Suits - very addictive!!!  We're up to series five, episode ten and my gosh was there tears!!! From me anyhow!! Now have to wait for series six to appear on Netflix!! Oh the anticipation!!!!

I've had two visits to the chiropractor this week to fix my body after my fall eight weeks ago!! My body was so out of alignment!!! After my first treatment on Monday I felt so completely zonked on Tuesday, I also spent the day on the couch!!! Dave has a session booked on Monday evening, our chiro has very kindly offered to come to our home to see Dave.

The most exciting thing that happened this week was the 1st of December... when our Christmas Tree & decorations went up :-) Now its starting to look like Christmas... I've been advised that Santa and his Elves are very busy in the North Pole ready to for his big expedition down under to us here in OZ... Kimi, Jono, Toby, Jacqui and Murray I've sent Santa a letter to let him know you will be with us on Christmas Eve and not at your usual abodes :-) xxx Your welcome xxx

From Love Is All You Need...

Absence diminishes

small loves and increases

great ones, as the wind

blows out the candle

and fans the bonfire

by Francois de La Rochefoucauld

and from You Are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will always love you by Marci...

The Faith You Show In Me Is Always A Comfort

It is so good to have a partner

who listens with a heart

that understands my struggles... someone

who knows the things I need

to hear to put me back on the

right path.  God has blessed me

with the good fortune to have

you as my perfect match.

xxx

Fingers crossed for a better week next week!!!  Love you all xxx

Week 8 - Eighth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hi There!

Another great week in recovery for Dave.  His strength, taste, appetite and eating is progressively getting better each day.

The last couple of days he has started to enjoy a few different food options.

For lunch one day Dave fancied an omelette with baked beans.  So I made a grated zucchini omelette with grated cheese.  Dave was able to taste it slightly and enjoy a small portion of it :-)

Saturday just gone we enjoyed lunch out again.  This time at our golf clubhouse, The Vintage.  At the moment each Saturday they are serving Yum Cha.  Dave was able to enjoy and taste a few of the tasty dishes on offer.  Which was fantastic.

So because Dave's eating a little more each day this means he is dropping off one or two of the Ensure TwoCals he has been having via his PEG.  So this is a great progress.

Dave's weight is staying stable too.

I have noticed a slight swelling in his neck some mornings, this is due to a build up of fluid in the lymphatic system caused by the lymph nodes being damaged during radiation treatment.  They call it Lymphedema.  Can be treated by gentle skin massage around the area.

Dave's sleeping patterns seem to be improving as well.  Too well at times as when he lays on his left side the snoring begins!  Though its not too bad.  I just give him a slight nudge and he rolls over and stops :-)  I've also stopped taking the sleeping pills I was taking too which I'm very happy about, as I hate taking pills!

So the next update on Jordan's visit... Monday morning we did a bit of reccy work together on the computer as Jordan is looking for a property to hire for an in-house workshop late next year here in the Hunter Valley.  The property needs to house ten guests in their own beds/rooms and preferably own bathrooms too, plus that five star feel to it.  We managed to find a few around the valley that we were able to check out and be excited about.  Work completed, then off to enjoy a massage at The Chateau Elan Day Spa.  Then later on Dave drove us around the Valley so we could do a drive by on the properties we found. Tuesday morning we were able to look inside a couple of properties which was great and gave Jordan a great perspective of what was on offer.

love this pic... located in a Peppers Creek Barrel Room

Thanks so much Jordan for everything!! All the yummy produce from the Farmers Market, homemade pizza's, Massage, company, support and pep talk, oh and your book I Love You, Send Money.  It was a wonderful few days.  As you said, "I love that we have a 'pocket of awesomeness' - it so feels like home when we are together - and that sense of belonging is pretty cool, I love that we can share that feeling together :-)"  I totally agree!!!  So looking forward to our next catch up.

The rest of our week was pretty quiet... a walk most days along with putting practice too.

I'm now finding it a lot easier to get out of bed in the mornings!! Plus I feel more comfortable in leaving Dave on his own now too.  So I have started joining my walking group again at 7.30am and Wednesday morning we walked just over 6kms through the woodland and vines to Audrey Wilkinson cellar door.  Such a picturesque walk.

Wednesday we attended the last of the years Head and Neck Support Group meetings.  It was nice to see everyone and hear about their progress and some set backs.  Dave's Oncologist spoke at this one too, so was interesting to hear him talk about how radiotherapy works, the short and long term side-effects and ways to manage them all.  Most of it we were aware of but there's always something new to learn and pick up.

This article from the Huffington Post on the rise of Mouth Cancer was posted on the Head & Neck Cancer Support Facebook page... its a very interesting article...  Before my Dave got diagnosed I never batted an eyelid about mouth cancers but now it seems every person I speak to knows someone who knows someone that is affected!!! Its a very scary feeling!!!! It actually scares the shit out of me!!! I know Dave was never a smoker and hardly drank, our diet was healthy, so I thought!! Unfortunately Dave was one of the unlucky ones that has the strain of HPV in his system that caused his throat cancer.

Smoking, drinking and unhealthy diets along with the HPV are major factors.  So those of you who I know who still smoke, please give up and for those of you who are heavy drinkers, please drink in moderation and start becoming healthy, eating healthy.  Think about the future of your families.

I did a photographic job on Thursday morning... photographing our friend, Brian's new drill rig that he has designed and built.  Can't say I've ever done that before... had huge fun going up in a cherry picker to take the pics!!

Our weekend was busy and very social which was nice.  So lovely to get together with our friends again. Just returning from a lovely afternoon with our dearest friends Brian and Shan, my sis, and other close friends.  So so good to have you home again sis xxx The seafood was amazing, even Dave enjoyed a prawn or two and a little bit of lamb, mushy peas and potato bake :-))   So so important to have great friends in life!!

From Love is All You Need...

Love one another and you will be happy.  It's as simple and as difficult as that.

by Michael Leunig

From You are my "Once in a Lifetime" I will always love you... by Marci

Where Has The Time Gone?

When I look back on our life together

and wonder where the time has gone,

I realise the road behind us is

full of the gifts that make us rich:

hard-earned wisdom...

an appreciation for family...

trials that made us stronger...

hope given to others...

prayers answered...

love given and received.

The joys we have shared

and the memories we have

made through our lives are

a gift beyond measure.

Till next week....

Week 7 - Seventh Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hay there how are you all?

Sorry this update is a couple of days late... Dave and I have had a busy couple of days!!

Firstly, before I update you I just want to send out our heartfelt love and support to all our New Zealand friends and family after the recent major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude last Sunday which was situated in the South Island, near to Kaikoura and felt in Wellington and up to Auckland in the North Island.  I have experienced earthquakes myself, but nothing this severe!!! I hope the continuing shakes stop and you can soon get back to some normality, though this will be some time for some of you!! Please know we are here for you if you need us.

Dave is still on the right road to recovery and is improving day by day.  Though still getting his nutrition via the PEG, Dave's taste is slowly returning and he is exploring small mouthfuls of different food options, including:

• Cauliflower puree soup
• Mushroom & chicken puree soup
• Mash Potato & gravy
• Pots of jelly
• Pots of fruit with juice
• Homemade baked fruits - nectarine, peaches in a orange juice sauce with grated strawberries, balsamic vinegar and vanilla pod (a Jamie Oliver recipe).
• beetroot gazpacho soup, lobster tail, zucchini with feta and pine nuts!!! (more on this below)

Our week was again very quiet and relaxing!

The only things we got up to during the week were little walks each day up to the putting green. Firstly, a sit down when we got to the clubhouse and coffee for me and rest for Dave.  Then onto the putting green for Dave to improve his putting and to patiently teach me all about it!! 

Some days going out twice a day for a walk, which has been lovely.  Each time walking a little further than the last!

Though some days this week the temperature has been 36 degrees so a little too hot to go out putting for Dave as the heat just exhausts him.

Saturday I even managed to push myself out of bed to join my walking club at 7.30am!!! It was great to get into it again.  Dave also managed to get out and about at 10.00am on Saturday too, driving his mate, Brian W's golf buggy again for him for nine holes with Tracy, Steve and Brian B.  Its awesome to get socialising again :-)

Sunday was an exciting day as our darling friend Jordan arrived from New Zealand :-) We drove to Morisset train station to collect Jordan, then home to drop off bags, freshen up and open up our personal delivery of 'I Love You, Send Money', which Jordan has recently written and published... can't wait to start reading it!!!

Then onto Vinden Estate for a bite to eat.  When I booked I ensured there was something for Dave to sample/taste/enjoy too, which was a bowl of Beetroot Gazpacho Soup.  Initially it was a little too spicy for him so we asked if they could cool it down a bit, which they did by adding some coconut milk, which worked well.  Dave also enjoyed sampling what Jordan and I had selected: Grilled Zucchini with feta, currants and pine nuts, Lobster Tails with Prawns and to finish off their famous Lemon Meringue Pie.  All totally delicious!

Will update you on the rest of our few days with Jordan in our blog update next week!!!

From Love is All You Need...

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.

by Rose Franken

From You Are my "Once in a Lifetime" I will always love you... by Marci

You Are My "Once in a Lifetime"

Once in a lifetime someone comes into our life that we really

connect with heart to hear... soul to soul.

A friendship develops and love follows.

With all of my being I know that you are my "once in a lifetime",

and each time I think of you,

I realise how lucky I am to have found you.

Take care and loads of love to you all xxxx 

Week 6 - Sixth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Gday! Hello! Hi! Bonjour! Hallo! Apa Kabar!

Another week of recovery, relaxation and achievements for our Dave :-)

Even though Dave's feeling a bit better each day he's still not eating much at all via the mouth just yet.  Small amounts of pureed soups seem to be ok at the moment, which is good.  He did try some packet macaroni & cheese but really struggled with that as it hurt his throat, so gave up.  Sipping on water throughout the day to keep his mouth moist and hydrated.  

Dave had an occupational therapist from his work attend our home to talk to us both during the week. This was really beneficial in terms of opening up and expressing our thoughts and coming up with goals.

One of the goals that came out of this meeting was that Dave and I both need to achieve something each day/week that we both really love to do.  Dave loves playing golf.  I like swimming and love walking.

Dave has made a start a couple of times this week by getting back onto the putting green.  As Dave still gets fatigued really quickly, he's just starting off with 15 minute stints.  At the same time Dave is also teaching me how to put too :-) You never know I could get out on that course one day!!! 

My challenge is to first get to a physio to fix up my shoulder with dry needling, which I did on Friday. So far so good I think its helping.  This will help me to get back in to the pool again.  My other challenge is to set the alarm clock so I can get to my 7.30am walking group!!  Getting my mind around the latter!!  Also to get back in to the rhythm of going back to pilates! 

The shock of the week was Trump!!! I don't have a political bone in my body but I was totally fascinated and enthralled in the USA election day!!!!  Now to wait and see what unfolds ahead of us all around the world!

We also had a lovely surprise visit from Russell a friend of ours up the road too.  Great to see ya Russell.  Were both looking forward to enjoying that glass of red with you when Dave's fully recovered!! xxx 

Late Friday afternoon we had our Community Association meeting to get through then enjoyed seeing our dear friend Janice and her friend David (J&D), whom stayed for the weekend.  That night Janice and I got stuck into making soups for my Dave to try and enjoy.  We made a cauliflower soup, and a chicken & mushroom soup.  Both extremely tasty.  Janice also made a chicken & mushroom risotto too for the three of us to enjoy and to go into the freezer later on for me to eat.  Thank you so much Janice for your cooking skills and your loving support to us both xxx 

Saturday we went to see Janice's block of land that she has bought at the new Huntley Town being developed up the road from us.  It was lovely to see the excitement on her face.  Then we introduced J&D to the Dark Horse Cellar Door in Lovedale to see the wonderful Olivia.  I love the feel of this cellar door with all the furnishings and gifts.  Olivia has a love of horses and anything equestrian and it shows throughout the cellar door and the labels on her wines.  By the way the wines are amazing too!!! I came away with a couple of Doni and Doll Semillon's.  This was my first time at tasting wines for over six months, Davey sniffed the bouquets while I enjoyed getting my taste buds going!

We then popped home so Dave could have his Ensure feed via PEGGY and a little rest.  While we were resting J&D went to visit Iron Gate winery.  On their return, as Dave was well rested we then introduced J&D to Worthingtons Cellar Door in Palmers Lane, five mins up the road, where Julie and Michael, our friends from our walking group, made us so welcome.  Here we tasted all their wines too!! I must say they are all very scrumptious!!  One of my favourites was their Dessert Shiraz, which I just had to purchase to accompany the Christmas pudding I'm going to make for Christmas Day.  Which reminds me I must dig out the recipe and make a list of what I need, as if I remember rightly you need to let it soak for a few weeks!!! And there is only six weeks to Christmas!!!  I love the feeling of this cellar door too as its so relaxing, rustic and after tastings you can enjoy a coffee which is roasted and blended on site by an in-house barista.  I believe you can also do coffee tastings too!!!

Me and My Davey

Janice & David

Unfortunately J&D had to leave late Saturday due to urgent work commitments.  So we put our feet up and enjoyed a relaxing evening.  Dave even enjoyed a bowl of the cauliflower soup we made :-)

Sunday I got stuck into the garden, electric trimming the hedges, mowing the lawn, painting the fence and spraying the veggies to stop the white fly and caterpillars!  Jobs well done!!

From our book You Are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will Always Love you by Marci

To love and be loved... that is life's greatest gift.

To share that joy with you is a blessing.

and from Love is All You Need...

Where there is great love there are always miracles

by Willa Cather

I hope you have all had a productive week, and achieved doing the things you love.

For those of you that we know whom are dealing with family illnesses, bereavements and recovering from operations we send our wholehearted love, hugs and prayers to you all xoxo

Till next week....

Week 5 - Fifth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hi Everyone

Again we have had another lovely very quiet, relaxing week together.

Dave's had a few little wins this week... :-)))

First win, is that Dave is now back in our comfy king size bed and is sleeping well!! Too well to the extent he is keeping me awake some nights with his snoring!!! He never used to snore but now does, at the moment. I'm hoping this is a temporary issue with the snoring!!!  He's able to sleep in bed now due to being able to administer his feeds via a syringe into PEGGY during the daytime now.

Second win for Dave is enjoying small portions of homemade mashed potato and gravy!! Which he has been able to swallow and taste slightly :-)

Third win was getting to drive the car again on Saturday as Dave felt quite awake to do so!!! It was nice being the passenger again, at least going to the shops :-)

And last but not least Dave has now weaned himself off all medications from the effects of the radiotherapy & chemotherapy.  Occasionally only have to take an anti nausea drug to assist when required.

We enjoyed lovely visits from a few friends too during the week, Yvie, Paul and the gorgeous Rain and on another day Bill and Sue.

Then this little fella came to visit one evening.  I love how transparent his skin is on his legs and his bright green top.

Dave is still finding it difficult to do anything too strenuous. He tried cleaning up the garage a bit one day, while I was out mulching the garden.  However it got the better of him and he had to give it away till a later date. Very frustrating for him as you can imagine!

We're still going for leisurely walks everyday and managing to go further each time, so the signs are positive that Dave's energy levels are getting better by the day.

One from our book... You are My "Once in a lifetime" I will Always Love you by Marci

I'm So Grateful for us!!

The most important thing I always want to say is "I Love You."

I am so thankful that we have each other and for the relationship that is "us".

Your love and support are gifts in my life every day, and your

friendship is something I rely on.

I love you!

and one from my little pocket book... "Love is all you need... "

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the universe,

deserve your love and affection

by Buddha

This has been a very long journey but we can start to see the light at the end of a very long tunnel, albeit still a distance away.  Love to you all xxx

Week 4 - Fourth Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hi Everyone!

Dave's had an extremely quiet week and is still in the recovery phase, he is still relying on PEGGY for his feeding to keep his nutrition up, though he is managing to drink small amounts of chicken broth each day.  His taste buds and salivary glands are still shot but he's optimistic they will get better sooner rather than later.  I do hope so!

Dave's also still sleeping in the media room in the recliner... I'm looking forward to him returning to me for snuggles soon!  Though, I have taken over our king size bed, so not sure where he will fit!!! :-)

I've also had a relatively quiet week.  Though, I did finally manage to plant out our veggie patch which I was most happy about on Monday... were looking forward to reaping the rewards of... baby beans, tomatoes, spring onions, leeks, spinach, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, carrots, sweet capsicum, rocket and coriander.  I still want to plant out some beetroot, radishes and zucchinis!!!

Fingers & toes crossed everything will grow!!!

My darling girlfriend, Kelly, gave us this sign years ago... its so apt here in the Hunter Valley!!!

Saturday was a gorgeous day and a great chance to get out for a little walk and for Dave & I to catch up & watch his buddies on the golf course, for the last three holes.... Brian, George, Don and Brian B.  Great to see you guys!!

One from our book... You are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will Always Love you by Marci

When you Need Encouragement, I'll Remind you of These Things...

You are stronger than you realise.  

Life's inevitable adversities call forth our courage.

You have a lot of wisdom inside you.

God's plan will unfold with perfect timing.

The voice of your soul will lead the way.

I love you with all my heart.

xxx

and, from my little pocket book... "Love is all you need"....

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.  

by Aristotle

Here's to another week getting closer for Dave to eat and taste food again!!

Love to you all and your families... stay safe and love each like no other!! xxx

Week 3 - Third Week of Recovery - Post Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Treatment

Hi Everyone

Hope you've all had a great week and that you're well and happy.

Dave and I have had a good week, both health wise and socially!!  Me healing up well after my fall and Dave getting stronger each day.

Tuesday was a very exciting day, as we got to see our wonderful girlfriend, my 'sister', Shannon who had just returned from her incredibly amazing three month honeymoon with Brian and catching up with the adorable Birthday girl Cathy for a coffee... Dave had to put up with us three girls gaggling away!!! He loved it!!!

Later that day another dear friend of ours, Sue, that we hadn't seen for ages popped in with dishes of yummy foods for me and a catch up with us both.

We met with the Radiation Oncologist on Thursday... he was very happy with Dave's progress and said he would like to see Dave again in six weeks time :-)  So next visit is on 8th December 2016.  Unfortunately, we won't know if all the treatment has worked until early in the New Year.  So have to continually think positive thoughts until then!!

The dietician was happy too that Dave has upped his Ensure TwoCal bottles now to five a day!  Dave's still not eating anything yet as the taste is just too awful still.  Though he has marginally enjoyed cups of chicken broth that I've made and he did manage a bowl of Miso Soup on Saturday.

The speech therapist has asked Dave to up his throat exercises, sometimes called shaker exercises, to help improve his swallow and to alleviate any issues down the track.  This helps lift your voice box, also called your larynx.  The exercise also helps lift the muscle called the esophageal sphincter at the top of the oesophagus or windpipe.

Afterwards we dashed to the train station to pick up Kay (sister-in-law) and Rebecca (Bex) our niece.
Later that afternoon enjoying a nice walk in the sunshine, and along the way bumping into a couple of our walking group friends... Frank where were you!!!

Dave, me, Tracy, Robert and Bex in the background :-) 

Dave also received a wonderful pic from Jono too, to cheer us up, of the three of them... such a cool pic :-)

Jono, Toby (8wks) and our daughter Kimberly :-) 

Quite a productive weekend too!!! Bex, Kay and I managed to re-stain our outdoor table & eight chairs, wash down both alfresco areas too... much needed jobs to get done... so feeling very accomplished.  Afterwards for our rewards visiting the local Smelly Cheese shop for a delicious gelato!! Thanks Bex and Kay for all your help over the weekend.  We even managed to pop out to the local handmade market on Saturday morning at De Bortoli cellar door, even though it was pouring with rain!! I was happy, as I bought our first grandchild a couple of Christmas presents!!!

Saturday was also a wonderful day as friends of ours from NZ, now living in Brisbane, were in the Hunter for a conference and were able to pop in for lunch to see us too :-) It was so great to see you Wendi and Rob.  Was awesome that you were able to return in the evening too to watch the All Blacks beat Australia in the final Bledisloe Cup.  Even though we, the girls sat chatting most of the night :-) Thanks for the wonderful lunch, gifts and great times, we look forward to our next catch up xxx

Rob, me, Wendi and Dave

me and Wendi (loves this pic)

Thanks also Bex and Kay for our wonderful pressies, we are going to save the Bunnings voucher to buy some plants for either inside or out.

Dave, Bex, Kay and me (love this pic too)

Onwards and upwards to the weeks ahead.

One from our book... You are My "Once in a Lifetime" I will Always Love you by Marci

There's Nothing We Can't Do... Together

We may not have always understood

the gift wrapped up in a greater plan.

Time has taught us about the bond of love.

We have learned together, sharing the good times and the bad,

and no matter what, there has always been love.

xxx

and, from my little pocket book... "Love is all you need"....

Because of a great love, one is courageous

by Lao Tzu

xxx