… and now the good news!

Well, you know what they say: three experts, three opinions. In this case, this is easy for me to live with, as the general view of my MRI results (bar one) is that no new growth has occured, my neurosurgeon even thinks it’s gone back a bit!

We are besides ourselves with joy!

I am convinced that he is correct, since he knows the inside of my head like no one else and the guy with the dissenting opinion (radiologist) incorrectly identified blood vessels showing up on the contrast frames as new tumour growth.

The Temozolomide treatment certainly did help, but I am equally certain that Milena’s magic reiki treatments played a major role in stopping the tumour. Just wanted to share this piece of excellent news with all of you before I’m too happy with drink to write a proper post.

Prost and love to all of you,
Tom

My first Vegetarian Recipe!

Had some lady friends over the other evening and they are all “light” eaters. That afternoon, the pak-choi had smiled upon me as I was ambling through the Globus’s food stalls after a visit to my doctor. I’ve never cooked pak-choi before, but hey, lack of knowledge has never stopped me before! So nere goes, and very nice it was too:

Pak-Choi Stir-Fry

6-8 Pak-Choi, leaves  and stalks separated. Finely slice the stalks and chop the leaves, 2-3 green  chillies finely cut and deseeded, 6-8 scallions or spring onions chopped, 3  cloves garlic, chopped, 6 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated, 1 tbsp Nuoc Mam Thai fish sauce (optional), coconut fat for frying, 2 tsp of roasted sesame  oil, salt to taste.

Heat the fat and the oil in a wok until  almost smoking. Add the garlic, the scallions, the green chillies and the fish  sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the pak-choi stalks and  cook until they are tender crisp. Reduce the heat, add the pak-choi leaves,  mix well and cook covered for another 2-4 minutes until the laves have wilted.  Serve and enjoy. As a variation, you can add some toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, a little honey and coat well before serving.

Coming up next:

• Starry Night – a dinner in Zurich’s most expensive restaurant
• MRI Results
• Tom’s Book Reviews (if I can be arsed)

Cheerio,
Tom

Port installed

The portacath was installed in my right shoulder on Monday and I could leave the hospital the next day. The whole operation took no more than 10 minutes in all, but I’ve been told it has been performed in South Africa in under 60 seconds (Gerry!) Heck, but that’s where they perform open-heart surgery  with hunting knives.

Glad to be at home again, especially since chemotherapy is back on this week and I am very tired again. Other than a slight discomfort when trying to sleep on my right side there are no noticeable side-effects from getting the port installed and only a small bump is visible under the skin. The port should be ready for its intended use by mid-February. There is a good chance, however, that we won’t be needing it for a while (maybe try some nice recreational drugs instead).

I am not just relying on conventional medicine, of course, I am taking a number of “alternative” medications such as frankincense, Omega-3 acids, etc. I try to  change my diet by cuttting down on red meat and by adding a lot of vegetables. I am also getting daily Reiki sessions by my angel Milena, which really help a lot and I will restart with acupuncture next month. Also, I’m contemplating to get some personal therapy sessions to deal with my subconscious mind. I will keep you posted.

Cheers,
Tom

Next steps

Yesterday’s MRI showed some minor growth at the bottom of the tumour cavity. According to my doctors this is no surprise, but the small amount of growth seems to indicate that the chemotherapy with Temozolomide is working to some extent. Nevertheless, we will prepare to go one step further:

Next Monday I will check into a private hospital and have a portacath installed. This is a little titanium box with a silicone bubble for needle insertion. The box will be inserted under the skin in the upper chest and will be used to deliver intravenous drugs  as well as contrast agents for the MRI and CT-Scans. It will also be used to withdraw blood for the various tests which I will have to undergo during my treatment.

This is a small operation and I should be out of hospital again the next day.

On February 10th I will have another MRI and we will decide then whether it will be necessary to top-up my chemotherapy with Bevacizumab. This is actually not a cancer drug, but stops tumour growth by preventing the formation of new blood vessels.

So here goes, I get an artificial bump on my chest and I probably get to try out a new drug with a fancy name.

In the meantime I’ll eat, drink and try to be merry. My thoughts go out to my friends many of whom have been touched by fate in similar ways.

Cheers,
Tom

Happy 2009

Having spent two beautiful weeks in the Swiss mountains during the holidays, I’m back online to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. We had two weeks of gorgeous weather here, alas I was unable to ski since my field of vision has become more restricted. The girls had a blast, with Laura skiing like a rocket and Stella carving on her swowboard. Milena and myself took long walks in the winter-wonderland that is Klosters.

I’m going to have my next MRI on January 13th – a bit nervous for that one.

Cheers,
Tom

It’s clean!

What a relief, no changes since the last MRI, which means no new growth in the last five weeks since the operation. We’re all very happy. The chemotherapy continues, alas and I’m still very tired.

Hello again

Recovery from the second operation has been a lot more difficult. I am still feeling extremely tired and easily exhausted. Milena is an angel, she puts up with me, does Reiki on me, drives me everywhere, cooks, etc. I had a course of chemotherapy in the meantime which made me quite sick. Tomorrow I will have another MRI scan, the results of which will determine the further course of action. I’ll keep you informed.

Oh, thanks for all your birthday wishes!

Love,
Tom

Hurray!

The operation went well. After 6 hours the flower was out and Tom awake again.

Love,

Milena

Back to the hospital

I will be checking in today for a second operation (garden-variety type) to remove the flower tomorrow morning. Should be nothing too taxing, since the neurosurgeon has already been there before. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of smiling faces when I wake up!

Love xxx

Tom

Unwelcome visitor

A bit of a disappointment on Tuesday as the MRI did not look as expected but rather like this. The friendly-looking flowery shape is the evil regrowth!

I am most likely going to have another operation but undecided about the where and when. Also, since the therapies so far have been less than effective a radical rethink is required. More about this later, in the meantime any good ideas, prayers (for those of you so inclined), toasts to my good health, etc. are very welcome.

So keep these good vibes coming my friends!

Cheerio,
Tom