My journey: Living with and overcoming Synovial Sarcoma. A rare and nasty Cancer. Not a how-to guide but ideas and observations during my experience so far. There are only a few SS survivors publishing and I've found their information helpful and reassuring. The site is also to update my wonderful supporters on my progress. Image above was pre-diagnosis by my daughter of the 'Alien Baby'. This tumour has been removed but the battle to eradicate the disease continues.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Holiday End
Unfortunately my 4 holidays (Large High Country farm, Stewart Island, Queensland Australia and Otematata) in the last 2 months have come to an abrupt end. I'm not big on bucket lists but we have certainly ticked off many neat activities, lots of swimming, hand feeding kaka, sighting a saddle back bird, lying in field with Kat and watching wild fire and lighting. It's been a lot of fun. Today was the last day with Kat needing to get back to work but but alas my body has packed up and resulted in a rushed trip back from Otematata to Dunedin Hospital emergency department. My left lung is playing up causing a lot of pain and restricting breathing. So I've been sitting in ED most of the afternoon being treated with pain relief whilst they explore what's the problem item accumulated in lung (blood, tumour, infection) I'm due to go for a CT scan shortly which will confirm the issue and treatment option. I'm being admitted and it looks like it will be a late night before we have this sorted, ill post more tomorrow's and update outcome. G
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CT results shows lots of water in lungs, which is better than tumours. Saying that its very painful and a tough few hours plus there are a few tumours and hopefully the new drug will deal or contain these. Plan tomorrow is to work out how to remove water. Number 1 supporter has been huge today and just heading off very tired {:-|
ReplyDeleteWe are with you Gaz!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that Ersk - the girls and I loved the pictures of you adventures. We're all thinking and praying for you.
ReplyDeleteThe medical team have finally got my pain under control from early afternoon. Prior to that I had some short periods of rest but also many periods of extreme pain and It's great to get through this.
ReplyDeleteThe water, causing the issue, is apparently between the lung and rib gage and it is likely that I'll get drain put in tomorrow to release it which will be good
Hi Gary, here's hoping they get your fluid issue dealt to today and you can get back to enjoying this wonderful summer. We are all thinking of you! Kristy xx
ReplyDeleteHi Gaz, great to see the photo of you and mango relaxing in the sun at Otematata. We are all thinkings of you and hope the doctors get things sorted out tomorrow. Lots of love Dougal and the rest of the family.
ReplyDeleteThis is from Kat today:
ReplyDeletegary much more peaceful today he is pleased to be at the hospice and is doing it Gary style he loving all your messages and true to him is asking after everybody and wanting to ring all.not always possible but if he could speak to everyone he would.thank you so much for messages of support means a lot.gaz gets me to read them out to him. X kat
We went to see Gary the other night in the Hospice.
ReplyDeleteHe, as usual was in high spirits, trying to make everyone be normal and happy, while knowing that he won’t be around much more than 1 week.
He waited until the ladies went out of the room and then started explaining to Myself and his brother in-law the final doctors visit and it goes something like this;
“After all the operations and chemo, the cancer has beaten me” then he explained “Now if I still wanted to fight it, I would face 32 more operations that would have only a 50/50 chance of success, these operations would be to remove tumors and pockets of blood that have formed all over my lungs, and even during the process of those operations I could still die before they get a chance to finish. So I opted for quality of time rather than quantity of time” he then looked at me and said “Is there anyone that you want me to say hello to when I get there?” I squeaked out a “Yes” but could not continue to talk as I had streams of tears and a lump in my throat so bad that no more words would come out. Gary saw that and said “Hey, you know they have whiskey on the top shelf here and whiskey on the bottom shelf also!” we laughed.
The ladies came back in and Barb (my Wife) started massaging Garys feet which he so loves! and then he once again Gary changed his demeanor and said “Why has the music stopped, lets have a party” so we played music and Ella (Gary’s 6 year old Niece) showed us how to dance the ‘Gangam Style Way’ and Gary was laughing and wanted to get out of bed and dance with us. He mentioned to Ella that she has some awesome Uncles and Aunties and asked her, “can you please pass on my legacy?” Ella actually subdued her bright bubbly personality for that moment, even though she didn’t know what legacy meant, she knew her uncle was asking her something serious! Gary continued, “Can you please remember me as the Uncle that loves music and pass it on through the family.”
He started to get visibly tired and drifted in and out of sleep as we quieted down, he would wake momentarily with his bright wide eyes and talk of new inventions like, extending limbs and computers combined together and how the little blue things in his arms (needles) would annoy him, things weren’t making too much sense but it sure was our friend Gary speaking, his brain still whirring and wanting stimulation and constructive conversation, typical Gary styles!
Usually I hate visiting hospitals and have never previously been to the Hospice, but in this case I want to visit Gary several more times before he begins his new journey.
I feel lucky to have been touched in the heart by Gary
Love From Paul and Barb