Sunday, July 26, 2009

Health Update 26th July

Well, after having no worthwhile health updates for ages, and even re-naming the blog, I now do have a further update which may be of interest to the odd reader (I always thought that oddness was probably a prerequisite anyway).

On Friday had a call from Leanne Berkahn - my Haemotologist with results of the CT scan I had a couple of weeks ago. Sounds like there are some lymph nodes in my abdomen which previously had measured about 8mm across which are now about 10 – 11mm. Wants to do another CT-guided biopsy on one to see what the histology indicates. I had a CT-guided one last year which was easy enough. It takes the guesswork out of exactly where the tip of the needle is before they start drawing off stuff to test.

If cancer cells are indeed the cause of the enlargement, she wants to hit me with two rounds of a different chemo combo (the initials of which escape me) and prior to that take some bone marrow so they can do an autologus (my own cell) stem cell transplant if necessary.

She is pretty confident we’re early enough to “cure” (her word, not mine) and although you can never take something as a given, she was confident.

I asked about why/how this development could occur given that the PET scan in December had showed all clear. She said that sometimes there can be a small number of rogue cells that are below the threshhold which the detection technology can pick up that may have been just lurking. (With intent?).

I'm fine with it all, and feel like I'm in very good hands - both human and celestial! I guess it is just a continuation/completion of the process which dealt a pretty effective blow to the disease last year and needs to be finished off now.


IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?

WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM?

IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?

Cheers,

Bruce
bbremner@ihug.co.nz

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

life goes on...

All happy on the home front. Claire and Chris, along with Hannah and new baby boy Tyler came over on Saturday which was good for all concerned. Claire and Tyler are doing pretty well, with only the usual par-for-the-course things to deal with this time around as compared to when Hannah was born and Claire was really struggling with kidney stone AND a severely inflamed appendix.

Rosie (puppy) has now almost completed her first week in our family and settled in literally immediately. Despite an epic day - leaving all she'd ever known and being flown up to Auckland in a pet crate and then met by two weirdos she'd met for only an hour or so a couple of weeks earlier, driven and introduced to a totally new and different home and then introduced to an enormous rickety old dog and three random cats... WHEW!

Rosie showed she was absolutely familiar with the geography of the house within a few hours and shows heaps of confidence, yet loads of affection and snuggly time. Very cool really!

Have put up some more pics of family.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY...

1. ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR.
2. ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.
3. CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?
4. IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE
STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

5. I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, 'WHERE'S THE SELF-HELP SECTION?'. SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.
6. IF A DEAF PERSON SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?
7. WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

Cheers,
Bruce & Jeanette
bbremner@ihug.co.nz

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Two new arrivals...

A week ago today, Claire and Chris's wee boy Tyler was born. Fit and well and healthy. Claire and Tyler were pretty good too! Everything went better than last time around - certainly was easier for Claire not having a kidney stone and enflamed apendix problems to deal with at the time of baby's arrival. Sounds like things are all settling in OK.

Today Jeanette & I went out to the airport and picked up wee Rosie, our Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy, fresh off the plane from Patea/Wanganui and none the worse for wear.

She greeted us just as she did when we first met her a couple of weeks ago. Very affectionate and snuggly and plenty of licks around the neck and the chin.

Once we got her home, we introduced her to the property from the side entrance and the back yard. Then we led her through the house room by room (as per Cesar Millan the dog whisperer advice). She met our old dog Blue almost immediately and they were both fine together (apart from Blue getting a bit drooly) with plenty of tail wagging and sniffing etc. She went on and explored her way around as we introduced her progressively to the rooms of the house.

She seemed to get the geography sorted pretty quickly and after a good tuck-in to some good puppy food, she was ready to play. Blue tried his best, and she walked in and out of his legs as he towered above her. Two of the cats took off pretty much straight away, while Max stuck around and has been carefully observing and checking Rosie out from a safe but handy distance. When Rosie curled up to have a sleep, Max got a bit closer - but still was a bit wary.

The other cats have come back in now (eveining) and will be fine. Rosie has a really sweet personality with loads of confidence and curiosity, and with a very trusting, snuggly and affectionate side which comes to the fore very quickly and easily. Alternates from all fun and play to sleep in fairly quick cycles. She seems to have made herself very much at home - currently snuggled up to my foot sound asleep (the dog - not the foot)as I sit and type this.

It must have been a huge day for her today: separated from her canine whanau; her wonderful human 'parents' Hannelore & Tony Bennett; all the familiar sights & sounds & environment; and hour in the car to the airport - an hour on the plane - some time in cargo handling process - meeting us again in the car and then 20 mins back to our place - then all of the previous paragraphs (no, I won't repeat them!). Wow! That is a whole lot for a wee mite to cope with.

Fortunately she seems to have just taken it all in her stride and seems to have settled in to our 'pack' extremely well, considering. We're stoked.

We were both supposed to be at the opening of the new Lonely Dog gallery tonight - Jeanette has gone, I'm puppy sitting. All good.

No doubt we'll post some fresh pictorial evidence before too long.

Cheers
Bruce & Jeanette
bbremner@ihug.co.nz