Wailing Wall

I have written many times how blessed I am with my circle of family and friends, and today I have to say that I am extremely blessed. Two weeks ago a dear friend, P, asked if I wanted to write a prayer as a friend of hers was going to Israel and she would gladly take my prayer to Jerusalem and deliver it to the Wailing Wall. The very next morning I wrote my prayer, put it in a sealed envelope and gave it to dear P. The letter left that Saturday and last week Thursday I received the wonderful news that the prayer had been blessed by the highest Rabbi and was placed in the wall. I cannot tell you how warm and emotional I felt with the news. I am not Jewish but I firmly believe that there in one higher power that governs all our lives.

September Bliss

The month of September was wonderful. Ian and I had a lovely long weekend at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and the boys remained home without another incident where a major party was had. A couple of months ago, Ian and I also left them at home for one evening and they decided to have a little party. Over 40 kids arrived and apparently it was chaos. What we saw when we got home was a) the floors had been washed b) some glasses that are never used stood proudly on the TV cabinet as ornaments and c) our bar fridge was empty. Comments from the boys a) how do you know we washed the floors….. I said “the floor detergent is still outside” b) the comment was that they were not sure if the glasses went in the cupboard or were ornaments and c) Dylan’s comment was that he was wondering why so many kids were drinking light beers!! A big lesson was learnt and the have both promised they will never do it again. Then at the end of September we had a lovely family holiday at Sedgefield. The weather played along and we had a great time relaxing, reading, waterskiing, fishing, walking and cycling. Outdoor activities in nature make for early nights with loads of rest – just what the doctor ordered.

The CT scan last week has again reported ‘cancer stable’. I am still waiting for the tumor marker.

Yah Yah Yah

CT scan of today shown 'cancer unchanged' meaning I have no growth.... It has been stable now for over 4 months - lets hope and pray it remains that way. I still have to wait a few days for the tumor marker results.
I am doing really well. Working hard and back to normal on all fronts. I have this unruly bush of curly hair which is so thick, it is enough for two people. I am going overseas Saturday for 12 days (work) and will see my mom the weekend in between. Dylan is in the last weeks of school and starts his trial exams in less than 2 weeks and Sean passed his motorbike learners licence this week. So the boys are now independant in terms of day to day transport... what a change but I must admit the angels work overtime in our home and on the roads.

July 2009

The past 5 weeks have just flown by. Last week Thursday I saw Dr J at Clinical Trials. Part of the follow up is that I have blood tests and CT scan every 8 weeks and doctors follow up every 3 months. In essence everything is normal and my energy levels are really improving. The tumour are still there, however every small (11 and 5 mm respectively). The scan of 23 June showed a very small growth in the tumours but this is not enough change to say the cancer is growing. In the past month I have also had a bone density scan and this also showed that my bones are still ok even with the hammering that my body has had in the past nearly two years. My next CT scan is 13 August. I am feeling slightly anxious for this next scan and I really hope that I don’t end up stressing to the extent as I did for the previous. I was really in a bad way specially waiting for the results.

Blessings to God

I have passed the tests with flying colours. At this stage the cancer is stable, meaning that the tumours have not grown in the passed two months without my chemotherapy. My energy levels are improving and the colour in my face is starting to look normal again. I have even lost a few kilo’s now that I am not taking the cortisone.

Next CT scan is in 8 weeks time

May 2009

The past weeks have just flown past. Three weeks ago I went overseas for company business and also spent Mothers Day with my Mom in Holland. What a nice day to spend with your Mom. I am now off all medication for a whole week and am waiting to wake up with my body feeling full of energy. The energy side of life has been lacking as I feel constantly tired. Really frustrating, but then with the first round of chemo it did take nearly 6 months to recover, so this time will probably be no different. Everybody who sees me tells me that I am looking really good – the blue circles under my eyes are less and my skin has a healthy glow. And as always, there is nothing lacking with my appetite for good food. Last Sunday Ian and the boys got me a little kitten, so we are now the proud owners of a very busy cat where everything that moves is a toy. The dogs are really good with her and even old Amy (8 year old German shepherd) gently paws her. Today is Dylan’s 18th birthday – how time does fly when you look at the children growing up. My next tumour market and CT scan is planned for 18 June. So, all going well in the Riddell home.

2009 April 27

Last Thursday was an early morning start getting all the barium sulphate down my throat by 9H30 and before that I had to have my blood drawn and ECG done. Then the CT scan which has shown that the lesions are still the same size as a month ago. For the last two weeks I have been battling with a cold and a really bad cough so opted to give this last chemo round a miss. The sister at the chemo rooms said that I will feel really shitty after the chemo with my body already trying to fight the cold virus. I suppose my subconscious already had made the decision three weeks ago when I asked Dr J whether that session should not be my last chemo round. So besides the nagging cough I am looking forward to feeling normal again. I cannot begin to explain what it feels like to have normal energy levels – you feel like a new person who is alive for the first time where every morning is a lovely happy beautiful new day.