tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28840370109420845422024-03-13T12:54:27.808+10:00Bernadette's Hodgkin's JourneyBernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-90595194225643900622008-04-30T23:30:00.001+10:002008-04-30T23:30:50.703+10:00New Blogg Addresshttp://bernadettevella.blogspot.com/<br /><br />This is my new blogg address siteBernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-42236864768037926052008-02-27T20:52:00.003+10:002008-02-27T21:01:53.671+10:00Entertainment Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFpU2haswzpTeSWnFks5nfPKAOh3AwN8IkBfriYQin9g0ea0nVhu50Kh3X24E53agL51Ekh-okuv8aJzIxGsj0zSo8Ecn3yHilD6r3ba99tEwSPOz5WIrJ9kdF62MLGyLXF-qYDesMh0/s1600-h/Logo.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFpU2haswzpTeSWnFks5nfPKAOh3AwN8IkBfriYQin9g0ea0nVhu50Kh3X24E53agL51Ekh-okuv8aJzIxGsj0zSo8Ecn3yHilD6r3ba99tEwSPOz5WIrJ9kdF62MLGyLXF-qYDesMh0/s200/Logo.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171613037553006050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">As you know last year I was in the process of setting up a charity to help other mum's who are diagnosed with cancer when they have young children. Anyway I have finally had all of the necessary approvals granted with the tax office and office of fair trading, so I can now get it all started. The first fundraising I am going to do is selling the Entertainment Books. I will be selling both Sydney editions and Brisbane editions. If you are interested in purchasing one (or selling them at your workplace / to your friends) please send me an email (you can do this by posting a comment and including your email address so I can reply).<br /><br />http://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/<br /><br /></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t202" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="202" path="m,l,21600r21600,l21600,xe"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t202" style="'position:absolute;" stroked="f"> <v:textbox style="'mso-next-textbox:#_x0000_s1026'/"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="position: relative; z-index: 1;"><span style="position: absolute; left: 273px; top: -20px; width: 12px; height: 292px;"><br /></span></span><b style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:14;" ><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'position:absolute;margin-left:16pt;margin-top:5.05pt;width:171pt;" fillcolor="window"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\BERNAD~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image005.png" title="Rest Two (Bris Open Book)"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:14;" ><o:p></o:p></span><u><span style=";font-family:";font-size:30;" ><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u><span style=";font-family:";font-size:36;" ><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Early Bird Special<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Order and pay for your new 2008/2009 Entertainment Book now and receive 6 bonus offers valued at over $200 which can be used immediately.<span style=""> </span>Bonus offers can be collected from Bernadette Martin when the payment form below is completed and they arrive end of February.</span></i></b></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <h2><span style=";font-family:";font-size:85%;" >They’re coming…<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" > The 2008/2009 Entertainment</span></i></b><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >™</span></i></b></span><b style=""><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:19;" > <span style="font-size:85%;">Books will be available for collection end of March.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></h2>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-84893657860067135822008-02-20T22:26:00.003+10:002008-02-20T22:38:14.167+10:00Arielle is a monkeySorry for the writing across the video but it was 80 mb and this was the only way I could get it smaller<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzdvL4XVLEyeB6tDvpvlmuIBYpr_iaWdVPijCME1ZPqE15Tz2-cAD6_WW08IZwmVb8pvll4nWly7-eVH2ea2g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-1171586384246693212008-02-20T21:05:00.002+10:002008-02-20T21:08:52.822+10:00Remission<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes you read correctly - I was told today that I am in remission. How excited am I?!?!? The other piece of brilliant news was that I spoke to the nurse patient educator and Kerry about long term survival and they both said that the longer I survive post transplant the less likely it is that the cancer will come back. Apparently most people that don't make it, don't make it early on. So not only am I in remission but there is a good chance I will stay in remission. I feel like the luckiest person on earth!!<br /></span></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-59566366993899091082008-02-20T06:33:00.008+10:002008-02-20T21:26:28.244+10:00Aahh....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvcuS2S6vZoulpY8hYOmxACY3RKDynd_Q8agA4BKNVtERFzA-GRVOYvx8xuQiN79N46Qso8re2_9Qmfoyg5lbH50rnQWwFdSlVO0MGRU-Yv0z6gFgdW0zESl9jmkClib5koOCV6kTFoI/s1600-h/DSC_6569+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvcuS2S6vZoulpY8hYOmxACY3RKDynd_Q8agA4BKNVtERFzA-GRVOYvx8xuQiN79N46Qso8re2_9Qmfoyg5lbH50rnQWwFdSlVO0MGRU-Yv0z6gFgdW0zESl9jmkClib5koOCV6kTFoI/s200/DSC_6569+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168795178229576962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVt4pBnFYnkE56lhpYmTq8aIsQ-Qqg8UFMMJmSSujHlPFvUro4Tsr88N6U-El4E-ctXtwsyvX5hthXoPVMrta6s96R0YQdu62whxjLdLzKPnxAh5QmNuYyrZa6hZsvAHhg1B9QwQu_bc/s1600-h/DSC_6617+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVt4pBnFYnkE56lhpYmTq8aIsQ-Qqg8UFMMJmSSujHlPFvUro4Tsr88N6U-El4E-ctXtwsyvX5hthXoPVMrta6s96R0YQdu62whxjLdLzKPnxAh5QmNuYyrZa6hZsvAHhg1B9QwQu_bc/s200/DSC_6617+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168795234064151842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5-e30_1RvTHxhCMa7sduVc6lNke5jiBrV5OrhCGXRcoI0p63cve2uANDqnxQhA-VZYc2sWKKIAlC9QKagB-zsAnYrBYYmNGUpNc_vHURts_iAWfykpT12Y4hq3z9rOs82Hj4yCm27_o/s1600-h/P1010015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5-e30_1RvTHxhCMa7sduVc6lNke5jiBrV5OrhCGXRcoI0p63cve2uANDqnxQhA-VZYc2sWKKIAlC9QKagB-zsAnYrBYYmNGUpNc_vHURts_iAWfykpT12Y4hq3z9rOs82Hj4yCm27_o/s200/P1010015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168795264128922930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I am now back from my holiday at the health retreat. Oh it was heaven. Julian came with me and we spent 5 nights there. It was absolutely fantastic. I was a little skeptical about the food prior to going however there was no cause for concern. The food was primarily vegetarian however there was one fish dish and one chicken dish. The food was all incredibly healthy and we loved it. We even survived the week without caffeine (yes no Coke for me!!) and sugar (yes no chocolate!). There were lots of fun activities like a flying fox, massage, mud baths, yoga, meditation and so on. The photo of me all wrapped up is when I had a salt scrub and a mud wrap - I was in heaven!! They also had personal development sessions which were all talking about being present in the now rather than wasting time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It could not have been more suited to what I needed. I had had a very negative attitude about my long term survival before going. I have come back with a totally different attitude. I have accepted that there is a reasonable chance the cancer will come back but if / when it does I am determined that I will fight it and survive. I am now living in the present and not worrying about the future. I realise how lucky I am to be alive and to be surrounded by the most wonderful family and friends. My life is so full of love and happiness and I am just grateful for that and making the most of it.<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxnKsv21fEf98R2IX51V5nX_Bv00fzxS3hbyKo1UKMX9Me_dE3gofvCVB1oKU4ZHJHq6vWsg6MG7kPfKl6aDOp-FJd2iC9SfhX198jmadYubARljOH62301WbvjxrxR1-P6GxW6MQOjo/s1600-h/IMG_1574+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxnKsv21fEf98R2IX51V5nX_Bv00fzxS3hbyKo1UKMX9Me_dE3gofvCVB1oKU4ZHJHq6vWsg6MG7kPfKl6aDOp-FJd2iC9SfhX198jmadYubARljOH62301WbvjxrxR1-P6GxW6MQOjo/s200/IMG_1574+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168799550506284354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0sbVN1lg_pELH50Lz3CwfGjAsFw8Xsda-SHd9bJGBWpOZFyzaHC7EWd60eR4q_XiKnPpNds9sSJUfLGIpExXrK6KMBeyRJ1HHhlS66YXptDQOPnNAwg0zIHQdURSpb3pPUAiP9QVEfs/s1600-h/IMG_1581+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0sbVN1lg_pELH50Lz3CwfGjAsFw8Xsda-SHd9bJGBWpOZFyzaHC7EWd60eR4q_XiKnPpNds9sSJUfLGIpExXrK6KMBeyRJ1HHhlS66YXptDQOPnNAwg0zIHQdURSpb3pPUAiP9QVEfs/s200/IMG_1581+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168799554801251666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzucO4m67OuJxMSolWL7ignlSKL61g_49rAjrMnSRMK7sRv9FV_Yiizme7wNr-M0uRYNJsJBaJ7VO3foMLPqFo5iFMtBvjQNAGnoOq38DuC3CIylKwgmN4kdEtnl2tFLDwW9-VIe1JKho/s1600-h/IMG_1587+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzucO4m67OuJxMSolWL7ignlSKL61g_49rAjrMnSRMK7sRv9FV_Yiizme7wNr-M0uRYNJsJBaJ7VO3foMLPqFo5iFMtBvjQNAGnoOq38DuC3CIylKwgmN4kdEtnl2tFLDwW9-VIe1JKho/s200/IMG_1587+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168799563391186274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEG2tGt9fbEy5gJ4zNzhFYvuenH2OEiZUYQJJSq6rFfpgVH7BJ9b9drnn9gXDSdN2zoie9AAPdpRCkWgD5l0KMwCPolH9vPBgGPLl_xJtIN8mPwIhaKFoHDmuBPCm-wrp0GuNQaepp2uc/s1600-h/IMG_1589+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEG2tGt9fbEy5gJ4zNzhFYvuenH2OEiZUYQJJSq6rFfpgVH7BJ9b9drnn9gXDSdN2zoie9AAPdpRCkWgD5l0KMwCPolH9vPBgGPLl_xJtIN8mPwIhaKFoHDmuBPCm-wrp0GuNQaepp2uc/s200/IMG_1589+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168799567686153586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ245rMsugoTx1T8QW6g3bUDH14CRaPVuJgOWpS-0kIeQ5NCQr5jupyRXAqHGeKqO2H16wpu15CENsM5kr6IOmR-VscnB4hNq5Bj24bjGV-c5Dp8a6qOWIVDLPWqbNjyFyjC-7uF-YI38/s1600-h/IMG_1606+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ245rMsugoTx1T8QW6g3bUDH14CRaPVuJgOWpS-0kIeQ5NCQr5jupyRXAqHGeKqO2H16wpu15CENsM5kr6IOmR-VscnB4hNq5Bj24bjGV-c5Dp8a6qOWIVDLPWqbNjyFyjC-7uF-YI38/s200/IMG_1606+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168799567686153602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The kids stayed with mum and dad whilst I was away. They had a great time with them. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was so great to see them again when I got back. They both gave me the biggest cuddles ever.<br /><br />The video below is of Arielle being a monkey!<br /><br />This will be added soon - currently having technical difficulties!<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On the weekend we had Ben and Rebecca's engagement party. Nunna, Johnny, Alice, Rita, Pauline, Cathy, Andrew, Jerry, Nathalie, Carmen and Joe all came up from Sydney for it. We had the most wonderful weekend together. Saturday night was heaps of fun. I had a few drinks for the first time in ages and really let loose. Most guests got a little happy and we all had a tonne of fun. I am sure Julian must have wondered what on earth he has got himself in for going out with me!! (Only kidding, he assures me he still loves me even after the weekend!)<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhs1BtM1RZwYV9Myd3ZmPvhzMk5YqzqLjVWW0cRIVhLiFTYiGBZ0Kzh5XDzuSiTQdoWz55ht8C8rjaydnFZSeFu1FXz-epf-nK3taYpZn7U6KAsWFa5zlCVEoLwRVhNGXeeZtXWCtxAg/s1600-h/P1040119+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhs1BtM1RZwYV9Myd3ZmPvhzMk5YqzqLjVWW0cRIVhLiFTYiGBZ0Kzh5XDzuSiTQdoWz55ht8C8rjaydnFZSeFu1FXz-epf-nK3taYpZn7U6KAsWFa5zlCVEoLwRVhNGXeeZtXWCtxAg/s200/P1040119+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168802462494111122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOi18YbonOK6RzOYjDUPOBpmkDkYKliLGQRY_fcZNeqRvM1uwlvJV5WZgjcu2NozgLMHCBHWj17x4cM5d8MjaBQLZAHMZ7GyVp-AfLnlXZLX03OQ8CxrOCVDz1x6nz2KWlxcyG_ma26M/s1600-h/IMG_7896+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOi18YbonOK6RzOYjDUPOBpmkDkYKliLGQRY_fcZNeqRvM1uwlvJV5WZgjcu2NozgLMHCBHWj17x4cM5d8MjaBQLZAHMZ7GyVp-AfLnlXZLX03OQ8CxrOCVDz1x6nz2KWlxcyG_ma26M/s200/IMG_7896+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168803373027177922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGSrwQBkgxY_sCFa_9koZzqGFWTplO3ZAjicgZXoxeykWtW53zXSyHZbkAMdFoSxfqWS_XltEwySiq2sJibogp8UCx_DCA1Kz0ZbOk_d8YXTidAe7G-q4KAMjDB5ELe2qknN6tkR_2t4/s1600-h/P1040156+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGSrwQBkgxY_sCFa_9koZzqGFWTplO3ZAjicgZXoxeykWtW53zXSyHZbkAMdFoSxfqWS_XltEwySiq2sJibogp8UCx_DCA1Kz0ZbOk_d8YXTidAe7G-q4KAMjDB5ELe2qknN6tkR_2t4/s200/P1040156+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168802471084045730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8ENgQHTBVn4NeETDzCGiBj7uZGxFnqd7Xsqmqh6TpE3UBaQU-SLdEPDOanMrixdYXNL1ddFkX8aVnAL7qw0wOz3yk6fhzh15C3eDLCIcslSlIm9Bd64vCQFMgH-qvVUFk_90W_gtuKU/s1600-h/P1040157+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8ENgQHTBVn4NeETDzCGiBj7uZGxFnqd7Xsqmqh6TpE3UBaQU-SLdEPDOanMrixdYXNL1ddFkX8aVnAL7qw0wOz3yk6fhzh15C3eDLCIcslSlIm9Bd64vCQFMgH-qvVUFk_90W_gtuKU/s200/P1040157+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168802475379013042" border="0" /></a>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-32726706719071491462008-02-05T10:42:00.000+10:002008-02-05T11:50:53.863+10:00Happy New Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijf-XNz3AIaQNQgEkjGef_bVi1b5B_k2ntK_256_29TH19s8Q915c9yJaXj0qFWC3IttUWlPIZVDOXqpL9Swnuno2vX4a6a0Uv4i-bzI4Sr_Z5CepXjFqz6enp6p6RepH0L2zX97aNTLI/s1600-h/IMG_1278+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijf-XNz3AIaQNQgEkjGef_bVi1b5B_k2ntK_256_29TH19s8Q915c9yJaXj0qFWC3IttUWlPIZVDOXqpL9Swnuno2vX4a6a0Uv4i-bzI4Sr_Z5CepXjFqz6enp6p6RepH0L2zX97aNTLI/s200/IMG_1278+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163299166976111762" border="0" /></a> Christmas Day at Ben's<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVsQWRaLReVjfMoTLHk7mtl289ao9Wf6jGkbKS6_7ChBaDiJybhJPUC-BgNlcRb7gyC82p47hFUQr0xs-93oVRQEmH7PaClyArLes1ORMKH-sIt1Ivsa2xLTrDO39TfpIqlf_efXZKSQ/s1600-h/IMG_1286+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVsQWRaLReVjfMoTLHk7mtl289ao9Wf6jGkbKS6_7ChBaDiJybhJPUC-BgNlcRb7gyC82p47hFUQr0xs-93oVRQEmH7PaClyArLes1ORMKH-sIt1Ivsa2xLTrDO39TfpIqlf_efXZKSQ/s200/IMG_1286+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163299175566046386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVm49WPc_axzh00LN62Bnga4A19h7ZOE7c7HJ1ifkbkMLK7HGnw1wbsBrR2yiL1x524-8VCtESwbJRc4ihXxoyCDALxPhUXpyMz5TRrESyAtKtv0OxeL3Y32Ffo9XV4W47Dmzk4mrrxY/s1600-h/IMG_1281+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVm49WPc_axzh00LN62Bnga4A19h7ZOE7c7HJ1ifkbkMLK7HGnw1wbsBrR2yiL1x524-8VCtESwbJRc4ihXxoyCDALxPhUXpyMz5TRrESyAtKtv0OxeL3Y32Ffo9XV4W47Dmzk4mrrxY/s200/IMG_1281+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163299171271079074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC4jJaTsrZ9eNhed0b9UICQcNdAmQAnrOntnacWW8S8CulKiue_uG_W0QSUx75dvI2-Zl0Hj_H_pQPUQOtUNrpAHr5UI6aQDtRuTrR44nHJ8k3f9t2n-ZekR2hbDSAq1NMIVmtKw00kQ/s1600-h/IMG_1326+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC4jJaTsrZ9eNhed0b9UICQcNdAmQAnrOntnacWW8S8CulKiue_uG_W0QSUx75dvI2-Zl0Hj_H_pQPUQOtUNrpAHr5UI6aQDtRuTrR44nHJ8k3f9t2n-ZekR2hbDSAq1NMIVmtKw00kQ/s200/IMG_1326+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163298767544153218" border="0" /></a>Christmas celebration with Adam and Lisa<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Day at Seaworld with Jess, Tim, mum and dad<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizqXBj9g7bdVjFbA82Z42QVKK0sfUH0-KNDcaLjGN-iEiH0lk-FiN2qVNT9cbH4R0PlHC3AbGjrYAQ5VTxg-45NWTsV77iziWXKWC-L4SIaJz0v8HHRTczpV8o0EH-f4GpFdhsG0igm8/s1600-h/IMG_1543+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizqXBj9g7bdVjFbA82Z42QVKK0sfUH0-KNDcaLjGN-iEiH0lk-FiN2qVNT9cbH4R0PlHC3AbGjrYAQ5VTxg-45NWTsV77iziWXKWC-L4SIaJz0v8HHRTczpV8o0EH-f4GpFdhsG0igm8/s200/IMG_1543+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297908550693986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlPhslgJYDfZQK7kFojAZ4zp2qzGzI8B8a2-tQ9gZrVTnXxueFPHyaJ-4rnfIa_jyGnvWW7eeIoJ6WUGop4shOgFn9-ytGO0BxMpTENNubytnh3gJfD2aYsNxEq47x7sUK1SGqsNfcp4/s1600-h/IMG_1524+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlPhslgJYDfZQK7kFojAZ4zp2qzGzI8B8a2-tQ9gZrVTnXxueFPHyaJ-4rnfIa_jyGnvWW7eeIoJ6WUGop4shOgFn9-ytGO0BxMpTENNubytnh3gJfD2aYsNxEq47x7sUK1SGqsNfcp4/s200/IMG_1524+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297169816319026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizqXBj9g7bdVjFbA82Z42QVKK0sfUH0-KNDcaLjGN-iEiH0lk-FiN2qVNT9cbH4R0PlHC3AbGjrYAQ5VTxg-45NWTsV77iziWXKWC-L4SIaJz0v8HHRTczpV8o0EH-f4GpFdhsG0igm8/s1600-h/IMG_1543+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_qSDYzlg7WeMbwKzYZAu7-0CBC7PTwueaiapdT61fS5Khb-j_fviy5Uh0irK3A9IKrIuEb_K3G6EthX9Ydw3ar3_RE6CIRbmpvBxTmWJcy1FOHMW5fbOdJwoFGdKufjdBLZTKNtzrw/s1600-h/IMG_1532+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_qSDYzlg7WeMbwKzYZAu7-0CBC7PTwueaiapdT61fS5Khb-j_fviy5Uh0irK3A9IKrIuEb_K3G6EthX9Ydw3ar3_RE6CIRbmpvBxTmWJcy1FOHMW5fbOdJwoFGdKufjdBLZTKNtzrw/s200/IMG_1532+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297174111286338" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s1600-h/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fxYBDEdou1meuaLE5a8B-BN85rIiMktKbYIqH3xP15zSQzb4rGGz6-brCrzS4pefWqaXAQ9zdhyTWwBt-VSSLs61fz016EQFzlYegupwuUTKMoBZgkn01LcRpIESKUCsMQzWHGrZnPk/s1600-h/IMG_1537+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fxYBDEdou1meuaLE5a8B-BN85rIiMktKbYIqH3xP15zSQzb4rGGz6-brCrzS4pefWqaXAQ9zdhyTWwBt-VSSLs61fz016EQFzlYegupwuUTKMoBZgkn01LcRpIESKUCsMQzWHGrZnPk/s200/IMG_1537+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297178406253650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s1600-h/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtP_Yc5lVHVNrz0nnI3MF0Jmlsv71-evRWWpVXfdJbalsep90QxyFJflTEqWLK_C6mrbygUVOUUDm8HPPaOENkwWZ3oOGKN-LmJQXt_XeyEr_0OX-atYIDhtS5vw-F2t_UoU7HftH5AE/s1600-h/IMG_1363+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtP_Yc5lVHVNrz0nnI3MF0Jmlsv71-evRWWpVXfdJbalsep90QxyFJflTEqWLK_C6mrbygUVOUUDm8HPPaOENkwWZ3oOGKN-LmJQXt_XeyEr_0OX-atYIDhtS5vw-F2t_UoU7HftH5AE/s200/IMG_1363+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297169816319010" border="0" />Tiernan's 4th birthday party</a><br /><br />Day at home with mum - cooking and then playing outside in the mud and rain<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s1600-h/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNAbxhZvLgmJ5Q_cma56PUFWjDkwYXj06Pp0MPUv93plFbk19eOO3_9RhABCvSE6e9E3nZSd9mGPOX2lvR_5x4LawZmFSYAGFjNgszac-SVxVSMwK3I9BpO63E2ac5Vk-ixwM8kkqgjw/s1600-h/Image066.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNAbxhZvLgmJ5Q_cma56PUFWjDkwYXj06Pp0MPUv93plFbk19eOO3_9RhABCvSE6e9E3nZSd9mGPOX2lvR_5x4LawZmFSYAGFjNgszac-SVxVSMwK3I9BpO63E2ac5Vk-ixwM8kkqgjw/s200/Image066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297165521351698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s1600-h/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_qSDYzlg7WeMbwKzYZAu7-0CBC7PTwueaiapdT61fS5Khb-j_fviy5Uh0irK3A9IKrIuEb_K3G6EthX9Ydw3ar3_RE6CIRbmpvBxTmWJcy1FOHMW5fbOdJwoFGdKufjdBLZTKNtzrw/s1600-h/IMG_1532+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s1600-h/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw-OUY29Z_5fmL3n0wiOe-zmA5m3xgUuH4rrXTUFcFP4W9Z474YFstNSRetUNa4YYnzmXK_CqcavnVZYfkrdKwB6FHMLVaX5dnuctFdDooZ5u35UTxF_5H7rMjxIgjq2bARWLxyy6N0/s200/IMG_1562+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163297912845661298" border="0" /> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_qSDYzlg7WeMbwKzYZAu7-0CBC7PTwueaiapdT61fS5Khb-j_fviy5Uh0irK3A9IKrIuEb_K3G6EthX9Ydw3ar3_RE6CIRbmpvBxTmWJcy1FOHMW5fbOdJwoFGdKufjdBLZTKNtzrw/s1600-h/IMG_1532+%28Large%29.JPG"> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsOL8Qz44ISiXA7k64sUL1XyTejT6pNNZj3wfXOesMYoSMqSPWNbzTWJjTen-35Ho0Jh6dycKV3ycAhx_122LBjOWFNVmK1Sj9K5MVSQF4sqn9D6eYGqjiEKHYZMzNKsDP3fJPUAkGbw/s1600-h/DSCF0038+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsOL8Qz44ISiXA7k64sUL1XyTejT6pNNZj3wfXOesMYoSMqSPWNbzTWJjTen-35Ho0Jh6dycKV3ycAhx_122LBjOWFNVmK1Sj9K5MVSQF4sqn9D6eYGqjiEKHYZMzNKsDP3fJPUAkGbw/s200/DSCF0038+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163301417538974914" border="0" /></a>New Year's eve at mum and dad's<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Happy New Year to everyone - I know I am about a month late but I have been a little busy. Life is going brilliantly. We had the most lovely Christmas. Jess and Tim came over on Christmas eve and stayed the night. Jess and I were up late making sure that Santa came and left his trail for the kids to find the next morning. On Christmas morning, mum, dad and I were up at the crack of dawn but the kids decided to sleep until 7.00am. We were so excited for them and could not believe that they were sleeping in!! They had a lovely time opening the presents and even Arielle got into the mood. After breakfast we went over to Ben and Rebecca's and had Christmas lunch over there. Once again the kids were spoilt and had a great time. The kids went to their dad's for the rest of the afternoon and we partied on.<br /><br />I stayed at Jess and Tim's for a few days and Jess and I had a great time hitting the Christmas sales. The credit card got a bit of a hiding! The kids were back with me for new year's and Jess, Tim, Ben and Rebecca came over to mum and dad's. We saw the new year in and had a lovely night together. The rest of January was quite busy. Tiernan turned 4 and we had a 4th birthday party for him at McDonald's. He loved it and had a lot of fun with his friends. We caught up with my cousin Adam and his family a few times and the kids absolutely loved being together. Tiernan and I did a trip to Movieworld with Julian (more about him later) and his kids. I was very proud of Tiernan - usually he gets very scared and upset on rides however he was very brave and even went on the log ride with the big dip and splash at the end. The kids had an absolutely fantastic day. Then a few days later, mum, dad, Jess, Tim, the kids and I went to Seaworld. Again we had a fantastic time. Arielle even got into the ideas of the rides and we all had such a wonderful day.<br /><br />Healthwise things have been ok but not perfect. I had a little trouble the day before new year's and had a little trip into hospital (turned out to just be a chest infection) and then two and half weeks ago I managed to get food poisoning and had a one night stint in hospital. Other than those two little hiccups though things are going well. I have had another CT and all was good - still scar tissue there but no new growths - fingers crossed it stays that way. I have had some more tests on my heart and it's functioning has got a little worse but nothing to be overly concerned about. I am still on my heart medication and quite a few other tablets but I suppose it is a small price to pay for still being alive! I have gone back to being able to drink alcohol which I am starting to really enjoy. Nothing beats a lovely glass of wine with a great meal. I am going to a health retreat on Sunday for 5 nights which I cannot wait for. It will be so lovely - there are lots of wonderful activities such as kayaking, yoga, meditation, flying fox and so on as well as some lovely treatments such as massages and body wraps. I need to refocus and get some more positive energy and thoughts back regarding my health (lately I seem to be a little preoccupied by the fact that I only have a 30% chance of being here in 5 years). Hopefully I will come back a fresh, rejuvenated person.<br /><br />Well I promised more about Julian... who is that you ask. Well as I mentioned in my last blog I started dating again. I used an online site called RSVP on the recommendation of a good friend. Anyway, in December I happened to meet a lovely guy called Julian. He is a 35 year old English programmer with two children (girl 8 and boy 6). We have really hit it off and we both make each other very happy. His kids are also lovely and the 4 of them (his and mine) get on well. I was not expecting to meet someone so special so soon but I suppose life works in mysterious ways.<br /><br />My house has not really progressed much. The land settled and the plans were in with the architect for December and January. The architect called yesterday to say that the plans were all finished and I will be picking them up today. The next step is to take them to three builders and get quotes and then the building can finally start.<br /><br />Well nothing else to report. I hope everyone is having a great 2008<br /></span></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-60695662698319792642007-12-15T09:25:00.000+10:002007-12-15T09:39:28.850+10:00Christmas is nearly here<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxanfuAOol2A5szORx_iFzTDSyuvvEgWje1rYLu1eO1WFyr0H5blE6LFkECDcRMspyN8XoFdtbRgZ1wivM94btis1JX1RJBC922h0lOONRVEhcv10zBxeufgddZ9WwaFkP0dODGweVh4w/s1600-h/IMG_0973+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143974467452770354" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxanfuAOol2A5szORx_iFzTDSyuvvEgWje1rYLu1eO1WFyr0H5blE6LFkECDcRMspyN8XoFdtbRgZ1wivM94btis1JX1RJBC922h0lOONRVEhcv10zBxeufgddZ9WwaFkP0dODGweVh4w/s200/IMG_0973+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TbFkkX9jupNKwcnXZ700XTPtvW44Cq81WH575kVSDmNMI0JRMcBU3S3d9hs9WhyVHXJaGfYI3i390yble5-Wt6TC26BDqadJ_s464PSdinVryKsqU2eY4OCHKSgw3aREVk2lII-we18/s1600-h/IMG_0975+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143974467452770370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TbFkkX9jupNKwcnXZ700XTPtvW44Cq81WH575kVSDmNMI0JRMcBU3S3d9hs9WhyVHXJaGfYI3i390yble5-Wt6TC26BDqadJ_s464PSdinVryKsqU2eY4OCHKSgw3aREVk2lII-we18/s200/IMG_0975+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbPKVMMloaHbU1G-BlBDIGS-S7nvSUjJ4Peze8xJUXZzkIdeu8SjjBdDnrJTVuuFHOXK8j56Es9_g1xnN38_IjyA3Xo4rNkH7EHVKO1xL-nZ0UOymJ5I1HpJHoWDutL_FEElew0tKXNY/s1600-h/IMG_0988+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143974471747737682" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbPKVMMloaHbU1G-BlBDIGS-S7nvSUjJ4Peze8xJUXZzkIdeu8SjjBdDnrJTVuuFHOXK8j56Es9_g1xnN38_IjyA3Xo4rNkH7EHVKO1xL-nZ0UOymJ5I1HpJHoWDutL_FEElew0tKXNY/s200/IMG_0988+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well it has been another month since I last updated my blogg. Here are some photos of the kids getting dressed up for some Christmas photos. Taking these was a lot of fun - Nutmeg and Basil (the dogs) wanted to be in the photos and then trying to keep Tiernan and Arielle in the photos and smiling was nearly impossible! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Tiernan is getting very excited about Christmas. He absolutely loves Santa and gets so excited he can barely speak when we see him at the shops. I cannot wait for Christmas morning. Arielle on the other hand is petrified of Santa and clings on for dear life whenever we go near him. It was very cute in the car the other day, Tiernan was telling Arielle all about Santa and that she should not be afraid of him. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Healthwise things are going well. I had a little set back the week before last. I had some chest pains and went to the doctor and they did a heap of tests. It turned out that when I was sick with the tummy bug last time, some bugs got into my bloodstream and I ended up with an infection in my blood (it had been festering for 4 weeks). I spent a week in hospital on IV antibiotics but now I am much better. I had a CT as part of all of the tests and everything is still going well - no signs of any active cancer. I had some tests on my heart as well and unfortunately things have not improved at all there (actually they are slightly worse) so it looks like I will still be on the heart drugs for a long time if not for life. I now have 4 whole weeks off without seeing any doctors which is the longest I will be going without seeing a doctor for the past 2 years!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Socially things are going brilliant. I have started dating again and am having the time of my life. It has been great meeting some new people and it is a lot of fun. No one special yet but I am really enjoying meeting different people and being away from all of the negativity with Cam. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I am working between 2 to 3 days per week. One day in the client's office and the other days from home. In the new year I will probably try to spend two days in the office as I am really enjoying going into the office. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">My block of land has now settled and I will start building on it in the new year. Mum and dad have sold their house and I will be looking for a place to rent closer to Brisbane to live in until my house is built (mum and dad have offered for me to stay with them in a rented place when they move so I still have that option open to me). </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Not much else to report. I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas and New Year.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-44822667375775496972007-11-14T16:14:00.000+10:002007-11-14T16:21:11.427+10:00Holiday snaps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2JCVIcSYw61jGemM0ei-HDcg3s9phyYSMlg6Imkxcd1B9E630nltu6YNinfazxP-73kMhmUmuiYK4JYFBFSobY2njp50XXOk3npHpacm3XvzyrsLbB6Pn412gzN7Esi0Vvwpe1-aDl8/s1600-h/IMG_1044+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576855573161058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2JCVIcSYw61jGemM0ei-HDcg3s9phyYSMlg6Imkxcd1B9E630nltu6YNinfazxP-73kMhmUmuiYK4JYFBFSobY2njp50XXOk3npHpacm3XvzyrsLbB6Pn412gzN7Esi0Vvwpe1-aDl8/s200/IMG_1044+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_8bcp8j4xPgYtV3jrKhiKby_CARdj50kycGsQw84j8jIDcXWQONSJtnCPwojuXCSrBfpdZ-SRAbTZAvpMRAUFI9RJi3c4Q-0qFcs4G5lzsGMPDOUP7KEaoLfL3wimwzZm9KkOK2XNPU/s1600-h/IMG_1035+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576520565711890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_8bcp8j4xPgYtV3jrKhiKby_CARdj50kycGsQw84j8jIDcXWQONSJtnCPwojuXCSrBfpdZ-SRAbTZAvpMRAUFI9RJi3c4Q-0qFcs4G5lzsGMPDOUP7KEaoLfL3wimwzZm9KkOK2XNPU/s200/IMG_1035+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576859868128370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pkD0rGUP6FSvL5pWFql-E5G-kiHymy7VNZJ6meZR7qmKnx6bWetCBBcG6E4m3aDt9HkvEh831DSaT9pFncpyfJMPrrWBE0LZQpkeBwGsTFCc9752aQ79spf3_zDyuJpwzTppDUeknJc/s200/IMG_1045+(Large).JPG" border="0" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_7JdRQQjbdUcN5wUyJOCZQN3SkTjGsx7O5fGLSb-3fNRmCzCJVTFThIF-G4r4kbPXmUBuee89Ch2tY4Tz1mRMNrS5O8sBD1UO4hhCqgcrG4LDZ3FiWPlFCbyEyFRE9hP5XBKWbNJsRo/s1600-h/IMG_1021+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576520565711906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_7JdRQQjbdUcN5wUyJOCZQN3SkTjGsx7O5fGLSb-3fNRmCzCJVTFThIF-G4r4kbPXmUBuee89Ch2tY4Tz1mRMNrS5O8sBD1UO4hhCqgcrG4LDZ3FiWPlFCbyEyFRE9hP5XBKWbNJsRo/s200/IMG_1021+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4SRfxnQtetnbwc_lA2I6TJv6k8gPKfVR29Hd_wDker5NrLinBol2Ltc-5jbP0eKz807_MnIyUQsM1zfviqd1x4SZXd5MmcQkdyVj7s4afcujzb-AJdJJYAzrs9XxZOwNqcIgELn0FCY/s1600-h/IMG_1041+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576524860679218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4SRfxnQtetnbwc_lA2I6TJv6k8gPKfVR29Hd_wDker5NrLinBol2Ltc-5jbP0eKz807_MnIyUQsM1zfviqd1x4SZXd5MmcQkdyVj7s4afcujzb-AJdJJYAzrs9XxZOwNqcIgELn0FCY/s200/IMG_1041+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_CmsARGMcGAVCJTY7MFQp9LE0-AEjuPjulRsC0PAyHxfjGb1xaw-9cY0xfhbw6p3vDnQntWvKC8nd5bsPlRSzlA8JEV-1f4VLRXrgctXhCp7Ky3_Bcb-_HKiixzT1fK7Xa5KvuawjtY/s1600-h/IMG_1018+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576524860679234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_CmsARGMcGAVCJTY7MFQp9LE0-AEjuPjulRsC0PAyHxfjGb1xaw-9cY0xfhbw6p3vDnQntWvKC8nd5bsPlRSzlA8JEV-1f4VLRXrgctXhCp7Ky3_Bcb-_HKiixzT1fK7Xa5KvuawjtY/s200/IMG_1018+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUdSMjMew0OHchNwVE_saKFS2jBY2I5HSceKeanZTL1QL6jYTQrGLomkMJ_3NDErdwcSzU-8YUTRZi5Ei8Evxt6VecJV7EHwAt8oYy-rOWZFQ6xAX7i-YcC0iA0krTMOIjP-IFLJc6m8/s1600-h/IMG_1038+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132576529155646546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUdSMjMew0OHchNwVE_saKFS2jBY2I5HSceKeanZTL1QL6jYTQrGLomkMJ_3NDErdwcSzU-8YUTRZi5Ei8Evxt6VecJV7EHwAt8oYy-rOWZFQ6xAX7i-YcC0iA0krTMOIjP-IFLJc6m8/s200/IMG_1038+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This morning we went across to the beach. Tiernan's water confidence has improved heaps and he was a little fish. Arielle loved splashing about in the water as well. When we came back to the unit, Nunna, Tiernan and Arielle all crashed!! </span></div></div>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-59660973606293395832007-11-13T22:18:00.000+10:002007-11-13T22:51:08.764+10:00Going along nicely<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well it has been nearly a month since I updated my Blogg and believe it or not I am on holidays at Caloundra again!! My nunna (Maltese for grandmother) came up from Sydney on Sunday and today, Nunna, mum, Tiernan, Arielle and I came up to Caloundra. The kids and I are staying until Thursday morning and mum and Nunna are staying until Friday. Unfortunately the weather is still a little chilly for November but Tiernan and I have already made use of the heated spa tonight and we should still be able to go to the beach tomorrow. I'll take some photos tomorrow and update the blogg as I just realised that I have no recent photos to put up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Well healthwise the past month has been ok. At the end of October I landed a sinus and respiratory tract infection but luckily they were managed with a tonne of antibiotics. Then last week I managed to land myself in hospital for 3 days. Little miss A caught a tummy bug and managed to pass it onto dad and I. Unfortunately I faired much worse than Arielle did and could not keep anything (including water) down for 36 hours. So once Kerry found that out, he admitted me and put me on IV fluids for a few days. I felt so much better so quickly so I was glad I was admitted. When I had the respiratory tract infection I had a CT and thankfully it showed up all clear. There was still some scar tissue left but no cancer. I saw Kerry again today and all my blood tests were good so I now get two whole weeks with no doctors appointments and no tests. He said going forward I will have CTs every two months and then once they are clear for awhile we can move to every 3 and then 6 months. I feel like I am finally on the mend!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">As most of you know by now, Cam and I separated a little while ago. Our separation was very amicable so hopefully it will not be too hard on the kids. We each have the kids 50% of the time and that is working well for both the kids and Cam and I. I have moved out of the house and now live with mum and dad. I will be staying with them until January and then I will move into a rented house with the munchkins as Tiernan will be starting Kindy 3 days per week. I have purchased a block of land and will be starting to build a house on it in January. It is only about 3 minutes from Cam's place so it will be easy with the kids going between the houses. Since separating I am in a much better place emotionally and am getting happier by the day. I am back to socialising with friends and really starting to enjoy life again. Between that and feeling stronger physically each day, life is pretty good at the moment (first time I have been able to say that for a long time).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Well that is all to report for the moment. I'll write again tomorrow. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-25622478630142669032007-10-15T13:08:00.000+10:002007-10-15T13:50:55.397+10:00A lovely break<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkQeU389TQV1uhAWaBonTC4vUKGc29RlTGPr2CTHX96jsFnZ-HdDENfRNAQTaQcQBtQBRn632KtDDrmoXca7ueoTR19XX8YzQtlr-xQIWuW512NtVMY4NViFn_5RB7aBtQcPLgBm9LRk/s1600-h/IMG_0875+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396944201902994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkQeU389TQV1uhAWaBonTC4vUKGc29RlTGPr2CTHX96jsFnZ-HdDENfRNAQTaQcQBtQBRn632KtDDrmoXca7ueoTR19XX8YzQtlr-xQIWuW512NtVMY4NViFn_5RB7aBtQcPLgBm9LRk/s200/IMG_0875+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ6l5AAgUsZ8jABm_T7pQkx5MmX8n3XJsqsKPo7guKhHbfiPVJewBWq-iFeJRcuM0gZ52p53docATjiO7T1Tcb9pRKCYTOv1Ox5rd6LQk7phwOltF3SsacgQCQ0lFPu-P2FBN4OKSX4k/s1600-h/IMG_0885+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396948496870306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQ6l5AAgUsZ8jABm_T7pQkx5MmX8n3XJsqsKPo7guKhHbfiPVJewBWq-iFeJRcuM0gZ52p53docATjiO7T1Tcb9pRKCYTOv1Ox5rd6LQk7phwOltF3SsacgQCQ0lFPu-P2FBN4OKSX4k/s200/IMG_0885+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUAcMbViuJhiiofs8Qufw8u0dw9hFB43HYdrZ3FeVBUrmWUUaymTyMjEjs10sIv1pg779_Py5upw4BDZsIJPWOCAQYgwwkVFk__WeUliLAP7puBEM32PRo7VBAV21yaPeI7JG2kBdTWo/s1600-h/IMG_0894+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396948496870322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUAcMbViuJhiiofs8Qufw8u0dw9hFB43HYdrZ3FeVBUrmWUUaymTyMjEjs10sIv1pg779_Py5upw4BDZsIJPWOCAQYgwwkVFk__WeUliLAP7puBEM32PRo7VBAV21yaPeI7JG2kBdTWo/s200/IMG_0894+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFfclkHIHs1KgpxO_sHWMxrzt5f-KmVteeNbWUdVEzGFIE95ySlyyjCnpOVzobvzAu4eAV8m4prCIcXhszHACn7Hlz9gUWPfc08CUaeLHpD1e8HU-v_9QmVfXITFJanE9wSkyCfD9aN4/s1600-h/IMG_0922+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396952791837634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFfclkHIHs1KgpxO_sHWMxrzt5f-KmVteeNbWUdVEzGFIE95ySlyyjCnpOVzobvzAu4eAV8m4prCIcXhszHACn7Hlz9gUWPfc08CUaeLHpD1e8HU-v_9QmVfXITFJanE9wSkyCfD9aN4/s200/IMG_0922+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0DJ5qN3QygdfmKbPflDSr9NrsBIB4eP1qaL3FWfDcDd62jom5j0G8QL740Gw1f7HH7Dq_CoSmeHSBLBN5IhpDQa0GqF2ZeSggOWMnUXhl4TYercp1qcv0M8vM6Y7HIlVhFf6O9CdCdo/s1600-h/IMG_0794+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396579129682754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0DJ5qN3QygdfmKbPflDSr9NrsBIB4eP1qaL3FWfDcDd62jom5j0G8QL740Gw1f7HH7Dq_CoSmeHSBLBN5IhpDQa0GqF2ZeSggOWMnUXhl4TYercp1qcv0M8vM6Y7HIlVhFf6O9CdCdo/s200/IMG_0794+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtAWm1N4xhghEbhiBJhKzZvk3s6vITsvRbc-caR3VatRq9imW6D6EOlmaKHfNK_NzYF7-d80sQ8q6pJioxbqbGKqGV4u56GQ4hC_MaWCW-4PVUNR_Cqbp3sX6HtCfrP-8s9SeKqSOjnE/s1600-h/IMG_0800+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396579129682770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtAWm1N4xhghEbhiBJhKzZvk3s6vITsvRbc-caR3VatRq9imW6D6EOlmaKHfNK_NzYF7-d80sQ8q6pJioxbqbGKqGV4u56GQ4hC_MaWCW-4PVUNR_Cqbp3sX6HtCfrP-8s9SeKqSOjnE/s200/IMG_0800+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaKtOjri2YvN6EmXWJ-YJ1Ua-YHI639O2dGZmowq63wxBHJYZTTdUvTGiuu6TorC-2j1pNZw1bAn4lfCG8E3phaYSgIoRbJlm2tp-OBs7MCZu87xOILN9bVtXiqACz3lpcPuq8vsOTXs/s1600-h/IMG_0802+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396583424650082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaKtOjri2YvN6EmXWJ-YJ1Ua-YHI639O2dGZmowq63wxBHJYZTTdUvTGiuu6TorC-2j1pNZw1bAn4lfCG8E3phaYSgIoRbJlm2tp-OBs7MCZu87xOILN9bVtXiqACz3lpcPuq8vsOTXs/s200/IMG_0802+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g0YOLPyaCrPJoG9GlahkCZGgnIC2Yl_ZlEfutfoYmmN0c3phZJIuEFMAH9LWlfNkyQvDa_0bQLEQ5x6S5nWgtyJZIxYSxEyZVpN4KVD76Yii3gP3kmuYS-7XWXvgHBFWSrji1XDmOQ8/s1600-h/IMG_0810+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396587719617394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g0YOLPyaCrPJoG9GlahkCZGgnIC2Yl_ZlEfutfoYmmN0c3phZJIuEFMAH9LWlfNkyQvDa_0bQLEQ5x6S5nWgtyJZIxYSxEyZVpN4KVD76Yii3gP3kmuYS-7XWXvgHBFWSrji1XDmOQ8/s200/IMG_0810+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuJEdKLyEw-2tzFmfrVGiLDttuz-9l_v32VY1u_HPn3-XNGeJHbwSJugphcPgDtHKTcaRaemy92x4zw9sN2pO5EyD0IpOOmMA-jIUTzuWXTXNWIyHW9ahMSA7QjXjQsTSZvY9NQFBAzQ/s1600-h/IMG_0848+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121396587719617410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuJEdKLyEw-2tzFmfrVGiLDttuz-9l_v32VY1u_HPn3-XNGeJHbwSJugphcPgDtHKTcaRaemy92x4zw9sN2pO5EyD0IpOOmMA-jIUTzuWXTXNWIyHW9ahMSA7QjXjQsTSZvY9NQFBAzQ/s200/IMG_0848+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Here are a few holiday snaps. Mum, dad, Tiernan, Arielle and I spent a week at Kings Beach (Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast). Our apartment looked directly over the beach and it was just lovely. The kids had a ball. Tiernan absolutely loved the beach - he went fishing and swimming and played in the sand and had so much fun. Arielle found the water a little too cool for her liking however she was happy playing in the sand. I had a really relaxing break and being in the fresh ocean air gave me a lot of time to think about life and reassess where I was going. Just before I went away, I spoke with my doctor about survival rates. I had read studies that quoted 5 year survival rates of around 30% post stem cell transplants. I thought it was a little low so wanted to clarify it. Unfortunately the numbers were correct and the 5 year survival is only 30% (I stand a reasonable chance of getting the cancer back again and I have already been exposed to all but 2 of the drugs they can use to treat Hodgkins). I am not letting it get me down though as the cancer only wins when it stops me living and right now I am trying to live my life with my two gorgeous kids to the fullest. I think it will just make me more aware of how precious our time on this earth really is. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I have changed email addresses - my old one will stop working on Nov 10 - if you have not got my new email address sent an email to dette @ beeconsulting.com.au and I will send you the new address</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </p><p><br /><br /></p>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-15934748706253250752007-10-01T10:27:00.000+10:002007-10-01T10:56:53.215+10:00All good news<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAF4POtI_5zeP__rVuhwfBBMrdv1sqAKVSjexSaN99tDch7eOXfstbF1JEmLqEjj8wl9Dq6Te8S2oP5JYfXseiFuSKV6AsEbWAd6y53HAKdZdBxtX5wwBZZItLOb-ZAb4Jyr9Fw6DZ1g/s1600-h/IMG_0766+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116165785704524578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAF4POtI_5zeP__rVuhwfBBMrdv1sqAKVSjexSaN99tDch7eOXfstbF1JEmLqEjj8wl9Dq6Te8S2oP5JYfXseiFuSKV6AsEbWAd6y53HAKdZdBxtX5wwBZZItLOb-ZAb4Jyr9Fw6DZ1g/s200/IMG_0766+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3y4utE9SYnXe5xf9p4vtyNUDIlxAOMjg5rlsw-dLTo5-skWkX0_0lO_JYpCasceLTOVN5xInlSjlfmsnRcrZaI1kWJ7mKp8caQDOzPxCBMMSOWOgWorfDz9kVuKPkIMCncbf1MG2X2s/s1600-h/IMG_0773+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116165785704524594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3y4utE9SYnXe5xf9p4vtyNUDIlxAOMjg5rlsw-dLTo5-skWkX0_0lO_JYpCasceLTOVN5xInlSjlfmsnRcrZaI1kWJ7mKp8caQDOzPxCBMMSOWOgWorfDz9kVuKPkIMCncbf1MG2X2s/s200/IMG_0773+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well all my treatment is now finished!! Yippee!! I still have to see the heamatologist (weekly) and cardiologist (quarterly) but at least there is no more treatment to attend. We had a little scare last week. My blood test results weren't so good and there was a concern that perhaps there was a new tumour. I had a CT on Thursday and not only did it show there were no new tumours but it also showed the mass that was showing on the last CT was even smaller and the shadowing that was showing on my lungs and liver last time was no longer there at all. So basically it was even better than we were hoping for. I'll have a few more blood tests on Tuesday to help work out what is going on but at least it is not the cancer. My red blood cells are down a bit and not recovering so I may be up for a blood transfusion but I dont mind that as I always feel so great afterwards. My immunity is not picking up so well so I also may have to have monthly transfusions of something called Intragam which will give my immune system a little help until it works out how to recover on it's own. Basically at present I have the immune system of a 2 month old baby without the benefit of getting a mother's immunity from breast milk. It is all quite fascinating really (I'd find it more fascinating and less scary if it wasn't happening to me!!).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Energy wise I am feeling better each day. I am waking before 10am most days now which is a big improvement on my 11am to 1pm waking time of only a few weeks ago. Slowly I am eating more although my weight is still dropping a little (43.5kg at the moment - my doctor is not too happy with me). I am spending quite a bit of time at mum and dad's and that is really helping with both the resting and the eating side of things. They are both great cooks and they really look after me - I couldn't ask for better parents. </span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">We are looking forward to next week. Mum, dad, Tiernan, Arielle and I are going away to Kings Beach (Sunshine Coast) for the week. We are staying in a unit opposite the beach and it will be great fun. They are off water restrictions up there and there are some fantastic water play features at the beach which Tiernan will just love. There are lots of rock pools and beautiful sandy beaches as well as a great kids sea water pool which is all under shade sails. There are also jettys that you can fish from. It is going to be a lovely holiday and we cannot wait. Tiernan keeps telling dad to remember to bring his fishing line as he wants to go fishing and catch a snapper!! </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Well not much else to report. As usual I have posted some photos of my two adorable children. The first is of Tiernan and I at Seaworld (mum, Tiernan, Arielle and I went last week) and the second is of Arielle balancing her bowl on her head (and being very proud of her trick).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-61911060850226731022007-09-16T20:24:00.000+10:002007-09-16T20:38:36.906+10:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBON6jbo3ChyphenhyphenN1A99_5uFlcVybs2Oze7SdTQ8FAHcTt4rB1OZpwG5g9e94K1ZYwkaE86SWlpmykW9zm5wEZUeO9gUi2e8a7A0SlmEz9PlOXlb4YjeiOpkce8vtavnrhPTY6dRXoF_qDo/s1600-h/DSCN1468+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110746837066355282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBON6jbo3ChyphenhyphenN1A99_5uFlcVybs2Oze7SdTQ8FAHcTt4rB1OZpwG5g9e94K1ZYwkaE86SWlpmykW9zm5wEZUeO9gUi2e8a7A0SlmEz9PlOXlb4YjeiOpkce8vtavnrhPTY6dRXoF_qDo/s200/DSCN1468+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhkrQz-jYac0fmR17vu5NfxZGmqM4vWpERccj160NSZNUrmgwWMlrEqr6mX1AV84Wm_s1rHMME6bciS0-9fvVvh1KIPIqCvi_cXH1BGzuMRsVqv7qoJY7Dbtw2nhLXhQqARdhCttQ6w/s1600-h/DSCN1471+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110746841361322594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhkrQz-jYac0fmR17vu5NfxZGmqM4vWpERccj160NSZNUrmgwWMlrEqr6mX1AV84Wm_s1rHMME6bciS0-9fvVvh1KIPIqCvi_cXH1BGzuMRsVqv7qoJY7Dbtw2nhLXhQqARdhCttQ6w/s200/DSCN1471+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharbnHLT9VvIowZcJ1Sf1v2fZbgXU7GSmAQFtRZdg9CQUIP5JIRTgv85nMm9ZLMkRQGDoQ4XbGwWSCC7Ao8kBkkeC8nn5zktwIKV8RG3vkGTA_zc6lgkZ7RWBLYm8oM5bVozZO5cxdoz0/s1600-h/DSCN1496+(Large).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110746845656289906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharbnHLT9VvIowZcJ1Sf1v2fZbgXU7GSmAQFtRZdg9CQUIP5JIRTgv85nMm9ZLMkRQGDoQ4XbGwWSCC7Ao8kBkkeC8nn5zktwIKV8RG3vkGTA_zc6lgkZ7RWBLYm8oM5bVozZO5cxdoz0/s200/DSCN1496+(Large).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwJf4NLCSKpC-LL4xyIsvEWvQA9nC9sQhdvbcdyPrSKoveTUjfx4Dd5OwZS4_2S0-xjcBdrAR2qJgGIqMGtSQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Things here are going quite well. On Wednesday I finish radiation and hopefully that will be the end of my cancer! The radiation has been a walk in the park compared to chemo - the biggest hassle is having to go into the Mater each day. So far I have had no skin damage and no sore throat although they said the side effects will peak 5 - 10 days after treatment finishes. As for tiredness, I am always tired anyway so I haven't noticed much of a difference! </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The kids are going well. Arielle and Tiernan are the best of friends and it is so lovely to see them playing together. Arielle is pulling herself up to standing on anything that will sit still for a minute. She loves reaching up on things and then throwing whatever she can reach. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Not much else to report - I hope you enjoy the photos and video of the kids.</span></p><p> </p>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-32089687544858524752007-08-25T13:07:00.000+10:002007-08-24T13:30:17.345+10:00Arielle's Birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsIx4I3Fy0YoxqAQKF3G0Ux_bNApqiOLWpIonkDVdQrfo7HtQWJAVTIKsMstvO7igzxROxyAPVypd-uYBYihUq4RvDMNxKRKclJy2FTBgOM_6uiLZ4Sh6DyOpeAhVKZcOEsj2_ough9o/s1600-h/IMG_0506_small.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102104209869275138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsIx4I3Fy0YoxqAQKF3G0Ux_bNApqiOLWpIonkDVdQrfo7HtQWJAVTIKsMstvO7igzxROxyAPVypd-uYBYihUq4RvDMNxKRKclJy2FTBgOM_6uiLZ4Sh6DyOpeAhVKZcOEsj2_ough9o/s200/IMG_0506_small.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdkYRERykmmxjPr-UT2c3EOZSMLR-qdiNE7gAaxR3fgvg1A23lxmy2zov3p7ByrFcVyPOH-q-uqxpZRaHfDWlN8ulczYH0SWvZWW3E5FwvA6c29p-HWvc_ROLe0DuAe5TsCs1vjuOG0g/s1600-h/IMG_0499_small.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102103896336662514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdkYRERykmmxjPr-UT2c3EOZSMLR-qdiNE7gAaxR3fgvg1A23lxmy2zov3p7ByrFcVyPOH-q-uqxpZRaHfDWlN8ulczYH0SWvZWW3E5FwvA6c29p-HWvc_ROLe0DuAe5TsCs1vjuOG0g/s200/IMG_0499_small.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div class="Section1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpByfo5ThlBIjN6Q_hdEMtIYLuf-HU7IXGFGFZ09gVW3MUgKfE3GZON0KmBbCLFLLnFu1Gc4kmf4g6Sbla9FCr14ft4XP9rs8wBERrIWvzyOJD-x4oYK0qlb-2PztKMjcUyA61zR8N9lc/s1600-h/IMG_0479.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102102358738370530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpByfo5ThlBIjN6Q_hdEMtIYLuf-HU7IXGFGFZ09gVW3MUgKfE3GZON0KmBbCLFLLnFu1Gc4kmf4g6Sbla9FCr14ft4XP9rs8wBERrIWvzyOJD-x4oYK0qlb-2PztKMjcUyA61zR8N9lc/s200/IMG_0479.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div class="Section1"></div><br /><div class="Section1"></div><br /><div class="Section1"></div><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;"></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;"></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;">Hi<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;">Our darling little Arielle turned 1 on Wednesday. I think she knew it was her special day as she was in a super smiley mood all day. She got some lovely presents for her birthday and she loved trying to eat her birthday cards (I did type that correctly – for some reason she likes trying to eat cards). She also ate a little bit of her birthday cake. Tiernan was a fantastic big brother and helped her open presents and blow out her candle. He was not at all jealous and was even more excited than Arielle was. We got her a Fisher Price dolls house and her and Tiernan just love playing with it together. Last Sunday a tooth appeared so she was not a gummy bear for her first birthday! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><div class="Section1"><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-7390458609308090122007-08-18T21:01:00.000+10:002007-08-17T21:01:40.269+10:00Not much news<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Well there is not much news to report which is a good thing really. I saw Kerry today and apart from my neutrophils being a little down everything else was good. I had to have two blood tests today. The first one was the normal one which I have to have every time I see him and the second one was to check my serology. Arielle is due to have her 1 year old vaccinations which includes some live vaccinations. Before she has the injections we need to know what my immunity to these diseases is and then they can determine if I can be near Arielle after she has the vaccinations – nothing is easy when you have cancer!! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>I start my radiation on August 27. I am not looking forward to having to trek into the Mater each day but it is only for a month and then hopefully my visits to the Mater will be infrequent! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Well not much else to report so I shall sign off for today.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-4615314695526306072007-08-06T16:07:00.001+10:002007-08-06T16:12:03.616+10:00Good results<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well it is nice to be able to report good results from my PET scan. The PET scan showed no active tumours!!! Yippee!! That means no more chemo. There is still a small area of something but they are confident that if it is any left over cancer cells that it will be treated with radiation. The radiation starts at the end of August and goes for a month and after that all I need to do is go for regular CT scans. My heart is still giving me a bit of trouble. The cardiologist would like to increase my heart medication as it is still beating too fast and working too hard (I still find it strange that this is called heart failure) and the medication slows it all down but unfortunately my already low blood pressure has been lowered by the dose of medication I am on, so he cannot increase the dose any more. We will just have to wait and see if it gets better on its own. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">So that will be it from me for awhile. I will write again once radiation is underway. Bye for now!</span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-31105398856183396772007-07-27T21:53:00.000+10:002007-07-27T21:58:26.012+10:00Still no answers<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well unfortunately the CT I had yesterday did not give any definitive answers. It still showed masses there but they cannot tell if they are cancer or scar tissue. Unfortunately the doctor who reported on the CT did not provide a whole lot of information and did not say the size of the growths which was pretty disappointing. So next Wednesday I will be having a PET scan and that will give a definitive answer on whether there is any active tumour. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I saw the radiation oncologist today and he is going to start radiotherapy soon. Hopefully even if there is some cancer left this will obliterate it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Arielle and I were on tv tonight in an interview about faith and healing - click on the link below if you would like to see it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=3469111">http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=3469111</a>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-74251792102125718182007-07-21T17:22:00.000+10:002007-07-21T17:41:13.715+10:00It's been awhile<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Well it has been awhile since I updated my blogg - no real excuse other than laziness! I managed to get out of hospital on the Saturday and went up to mum and dad's for the weekend as Cam was at rescue helicopter. I spent the majority of the week in bed, either asleep or resting. For the first time in my life I actually woke up in the afternoon. Prior to this a sleep in for me would be 8am, so to sleep into the afternoon was a total shock for me! All of my muscles still ache and I get puffed doing even the smallest thing. Last week I can say I had no improvement at all - if anything I felt I was going backwards as I was getting quite down about being so sick. I knew I was going to be tired after the double stem cell transplant but definitely did not expect to feel so sick for so long. I told Kerry so when I saw him this week and he agreed I looked rotten but said it was to be expected. My tummy troubles continue to plague me and that is probably adding to the exhaustion. This week I think I have made tiny, baby steps and do feel better than I did last week. My mood has lifted too and at least this week I don't regret having the second stem cell transplant (last week I totally regretted having it as I was unprepared for how sick I would feel so long after the transplant).<br /><br />On Thursday this week I had to have a heart monitor put on me for 24 hours to allow the cardiologist to look at how my heart is working and make sure everything is going ok with the heart medication I am on (he changed it last week). During the 24 hrs I had to record if I undertook any activity that could impact my heart, such as exercise or pain. They then compare the notes to the heart recording to see if any abnormalities match up to anything specific. Obviously I told Cam to stay well clear of me on Thursday night as I did not want to have to explain any night time activities!!<br /><br />Next week is my tell all week. On Thursday I am going to be having a CT scan. I am still having night sweats so the CT scan which is usually just my chest, has been extended to my pelvis and abdomen to make sure there are no problems there. I will see Kerry on Thursday afternoon for the results and based on those he will decide if I have to have a PET scan (determines if there is any active cancer). On Friday I am seeing the Radiation Oncologist and he will work out with me when the radiation is supposed to start (Kerry said probably in about a month as I need to get some more energy in reserve for them to zap).<br /><br />Hopefully next week I will continue to improve, even if it is in baby steps. I am loving being at home and enjoying everybody's company and enjoying eating home cooked meals. I even did a grocery shop last week for the first time in months and it is sad to say but I actually enjoyed it. It was nice to feel slightly normal again (I was exhausted when we got home). Well I had best be going - I will write again once I have the results on Thursday.<br /></span></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-81645910119930109552007-07-06T20:34:00.000+10:002007-07-06T20:41:34.540+10:00Still in hospital<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Unfortunately I am still in hospital and very unimpressed with the idea of still being here. Kerry saw me this morning and wanted me to stay in until Monday so that they can keep a close eye on me. I eventually managed to convince him to let me go home tomorrow if I promise to keep an eye on my temperature and come in if I have any troubles and see both Kerry and the cardiologist on Tuesday. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The cardiologist saw me this morning and he said that the fluid on my heart and lungs would not go away by itself so I had to start on two lots of heart medication today. One is lasix which I am used to having through IV but now I will have Lasix tablets to take at home. I cannot remember the name of the other one. I also have to see the cardiologist regularly until the fluid all goes away. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Unfortunately I landed a two share room instead of a single room this time. The lady I am sharing with is in her mid sixties and drives me insane. She talks so loud when she is on the phone that I had trouble hearing the cardiologist talking to me this morning! The other thing is she constantly wants to talk. I had turned all of my lights out and was tucked up in bed last night and she kept chatting away. Then this morning as soon as she heard me roll over and stretch the talking started again. Even my one word answers, grumbled out of my mouth did not give her the picture that perhaps I was trying to sleep!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Hopefully tomorrow they will let me go home and I don't plan on coming back!</span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-74705971764701670312007-07-05T18:56:00.000+10:002007-07-05T19:19:14.853+10:00Home for a short visit<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I did manage to get home on Monday but unfortunately I landed back in here last night. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Monday was so exciting. Kerry had told me over the weekend that as far as they could tell from the scans there was no more tumours left and that was just fantastic news. I still have to have radiation treatment but at least we know that the tumours have already gone so the radiation is just to be sure and to get any rogue cells that are remaining. So home I went on Monday. It was just great to be at home with Cam and the kids. My energy levels were pretty low but that was to be expected so I just had to spend a lot of time resting in bed or on the couch. On Tuesday we went with mum, Nat, Jane and her kids and Tiernan, Arielle and I to a play centre. The kids had an absolute ball. Arielle even had a go on the slippery slides and Tiernan was making mum, Nat and I take turns at climbing through the play structure with him and then going down the big slippery slide. I was exhausted by the end but it was worth it. On Wednesday we had a quiet day at home and the boys finished building the sandpit in the backyard. I managed to get a little bit of gardening done (Tiernan and I planted a little herb and vegie garden earlier in the year). </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Late yesterday afternoon I started getting pains in my heart and they would not ease so I came in to the Mater Emergency Centre. They did a few tests and it turns out I have fluid on my heart and lungs. I also had a temperature (I had to sheepishly admit to not taking my temp since being home - a big no, no as I am supposed to be taking it several times a day and coming into hospital as soon as I get a temp). So they have stuck me on some IV antibiotics to combat whatever infection is causing the temp and then I have had a heap of tests on my heart to try to work out what is going wrong with it. They call it heart failure but it is not as bad as it sounds it just means that my heart is not doing it's job of pumping fluid out properly and therefore my heart is retaining too much fluid and then the fluid overload has leaked into my lungs. It is not really too painful but more uncomfortable than anything else. My emotional state is probably of more concern as I am so peeved that I am back in hospital - I so do not want to be here. Tomorrow I should be seeing the cardiologist and hopefully then I will find out what is going on and what they plan on doing about it and then hopefully I can get out of here. </span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-44137475229731691382007-06-28T17:01:00.000+10:002007-06-28T17:44:58.606+10:00Yeah - No More Chemo!!!!!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Yes the heading is right - as long as there is no new growth anywhere, I am finished with chemo. I have to have radiation but that is supposed to be a walk in the park compared to a double stem cell transplant! The timing is good as I am totally sick of it all. I feel like I can barely remember what it is like to feel well. The past few days I have felt miserable and sorry for myself, wishing there was some way to take a break from chemo side effects! But unfortuntely once the poison is in my veins there is no cure but time. I am improving, although I am still plagued by tummy troubles and my cold so Kerry has changed my release date to next week - hopefully early in the week. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">On Tuesday I had a lovely day. Cam, Tiernan, Arielle, mum and Nat all came in to visit and it was just wonderful. It really lifted my spirits. Yesterday I had a lovely visit with Cam and Tiernan. Tiernan and I had a lovely cuddle in bed for ages. We were looking at photos on a digital photo frame that Nat bought me. Tiernan would name the people he saw in the photos. There was a photo of him as a baby and I was holding him. He said to me "Oh baby Tiernan and who is that?". It took me a minute to realise that I had long hair in the photo and Tiernan had just turned 2 the last time I had hair so it was probably reasonable that he did not know who it was! He talked to me a lot about when I was coming home and when I would be better. Those conversations always break my heart - it is so much for a 3 year old to understand. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This morning I woke up to Cam rubbing my hand! It was a lovely surprise. I had woken up earlier and had breakfast and then felt miserable so climbed under the covers and went back to sleep. I did not know that Cam was coming in so it was a lovely way to wake up from my snooze!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The weather in Brisbane is freezing at the moment and I don't think the hospital a/c has got it right because I am freezing in my room. Part of the problem is my lack of hair as my head is freezing more than anything else on my body. The ward has lovely warm blankets and I am constantly wrapping them around me!</span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-5063313797646208222007-06-25T14:39:00.000+10:002007-06-25T14:42:31.965+10:00Continuing to do well<span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I had a CT scan this morning (I had some numbness in my left hand) and the results are in and all is very good. I don't know the exact size of what is left however Kerry said he was very pleased with the results and that the chemo has definitely worked. I will still have another CT in 2 weeks as the chemo will still be working away at the tumours. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">My counts today were still good - my platelets were low but they are always the last to recover. If things continue to go this well Kerry said I could be out in a few days which is fantastic. </span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-34027233849213728742007-06-24T14:28:00.000+10:002007-06-24T14:43:53.112+10:00Bye bye eyelashes<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This morning I had an eyelash in my eye. I looked in the mirror to take it out and was mortified to see that I had actually lost nearly all of my eyelashes. I am not even sure when it happened - they have all just gone!! My eyebrows have been diminishing slowly as well and there is not much of them left anymore either! Oh don't you just love chemo. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I am on day 12 post transplant and can report that my white cells and neutrophils have recovered and are now within normal range. My platelets are still pathetic (12 when normal is 150 - 400) so I am continuing to have platelet transfusions. I am still swollen like a balloon and my weight was 56.5kg yesterday. They gave me a big dose of Lasix and today I am 55kg. The fluid retention is revolting as my skin is so stretched that any movements hurt. Hopefully soon my heart will start working properly and get rid of the excess fluid. The diarhorea is still persisting unfortunately so I am quite sore. I have been resting a lot as I am just perpetually tired. I will be having another CT in about 2 weeks and that will tell us the status of the tumours and then Kerry will decide what to do next.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I finally decided on a name for the charity - it is "Mummy's Wish". I am currently in the process of registering the charity and doing all of the paperwork to set it up. We have sold quite a few entertainment books to get it going which has been exciting. The next project is procuring items for the charity auction that we will hold later in the year. This is something I feel really passionate about and it is such a nice feeling to know that I am going to make a difference. </span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-23444518175264113842007-06-20T09:53:00.000+10:002007-06-20T13:13:53.957+10:00Yippee Counts are recovering<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">Yippee my counts are recovering - I am Day 8 today and my white cell count is 0.6 and my neutrophils are 0.26!!! Yeah, yeah, yeah!! I am feeling heaps better this morning as well. Life is just going to get better from here on. All of the prayers are certainly working.</span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-18952250555084710672007-06-19T21:29:00.000+10:002007-06-19T21:54:33.311+10:00I look like a balloon<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">I currently look like someone has blown me up like a balloon. I have a lot of fluid retention with my weight hovering around 53kg to 56kg which means I am carrying around 25% more weight than usual (45kg is my usual weight). My skin feels tight and stretched and all of the excess fluid is quite painful to touch. The reason for the fluid retention is that the chemo drugs put a lot of strain on your heart and it struggles to get rid of all of the additional fluids I am receiving - I am on 3 different IV antibiotics, IV potassium, IV magnesium, artificial feeding (TPN), albumen (a blood product), blood transfusions and platelet transfusions. So each day I am pumped with litres of fluids in addition to what I am orally consuming (lots because believe it or not even with all of the fluids being pumped into me I am constantly thirsty!!). So during the day I am regularly pumped with Lasix to keep the fluid retention under control.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">I had a few dramas with my heart over the weekend and I had to be connected to a wireless ECG machine for a few days. It was such an amazing little machine. All the dots were connected to me and I had this little box that transmitted data wirelessly to the Coronary Care Unit so that they could closely monitor me. The whole medical world continues to fascinate me. I had been having chest pains of various sorts for a few days and then on Saturday night I had some more and they did a blood test. When your heart goes into distress it releases enzymes into your blood. The blood test results on Saturday night showed those enzymes in my blood which is why I had to be monitored. It was quite funny actually as on Sat night I went to bed at 8pm. At 9.30pm Dr Hill walked into my room and turned the lights on and started talking to me about the problems with my heart. At this point I did not know that my ECG from earlier in the night was not normal and I did not know about the blood test results, so I was quite confused about what was going on!! I had to get my nurse to reexplain everything once I woke up a bit more!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">I am now off the heart monitor as the pains have stopped and the ECGs are now normal. I have a little fluid around my heart but it is nothing to be concerned with as it should fix itself as I get better. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">Unfortunately the diarrhoea has hit pretty hard again and I have a sore behind again. It is not as bad as last time though which is good. This time it seems to be my mouth and throat that are causing the most pain. Even swallowing water feels like razor blades. I am on an oral anaethestic that eases a little of the pain. I also resorted to having a Fentinyl patch and that takes the edge off everything. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">I am on day 7 today and my counts are still 0 so I am not sure I will be able to match the last count recovery of 8 days. I suspect this time it will be around the 10 to 14 days. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">The bronchoscopy results did not show any signs of infection in my lungs. Once I have recovered from this stem cell transplant I will have another CT and PET scan and hopefully the results will be good. Kerry said not to worry about any of that at the moment and to just focus on recovering.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">My moods have been very up and down lately with the down part usually the morning and the up is the afternoon. When I first wake up in the morning I usually feel miserable due to everything hurting or just feeling off. It then takes me hours to have breakfast and get myself out of bed and showered. It is usually this time of day where I feel I cannot do it anymore. The next thought is always realising I don't have a choice - the chemo making me feel like this has already been given so I just have to ride the wave until I recover! Poor Cam then gets a phone call from me moping about how miserable I feel. He has been great with letting me vent all of my frustrations with being sick and then managing to turn my mood around a little with antics that the kids have done. We have had some really great family visits and that always helps my moods. It is hard to feel sick or miserable when Tiernan and Arielle are about. Poor little Arielle has bronchitus so we cannot see each other for a few days. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;">Enough of my rambling for the night - it is time I went to sleep. This is the first time in days that I am awake after 9pm!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#6633ff;"></span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884037010942084542.post-71498125931465146872007-06-14T20:51:00.001+10:002007-06-14T21:03:59.141+10:00Just poldding along<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">I forgot to mention on Tuesday's blogg about the huge number of stem cells that were collected in my second collection. You may remember that on the first collection they collected 17 million stem cells which considering they only needed around 4.5 million was pretty good. I asked on Tuesday how many stem cells had been collected on the second day and the answer was a staggering 50 million (yes I did confirm that it was 50 and not 15). So all up my stem cell collection was pretty amazing. As I did not need all of those stem cells for my two transplants, I still have some left in reserve in case I need them. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">Yesterday I felt pretty sick for most of the day. I spoke too soon about not having any side effects of the Malphalan. Diahhorea kicked in with a vengence and I felt revolting. Then my blood pressure started dropping and I got a small temperature. Bloods were taken to see if I have any infections and I was started on some antibiotics just in case. As I was having a lot of chest pain they did a CT. Unfortunately the results showed something in the area where my original tumour was and it was larger than what was there last week. As it is between my lung and aorta they do not know if the tumour has started to grow again or I have an infection in my lung and it is causing the tissue to swell. To try to get a better idea I had a bronoscopy this morning (small operation where they put a fibre optic tube into your lungs). The doctor could not see any obvious problem with my lung but he took some samples that will be sent off to pathology an if there is an infection then that will tell us. If it is not an infection then unfortunately it looks like the tumour might be growing again. I will be having a PET scan next week to help them work it out. So we are playing a waiting game now. Other than providing piece of mind, a definitive answer probably would not change much as I am already on the appropriate anti biotics if it is an infection and if it is the tumour then there is nothing else that can be done until my counts all recover and I am better.</span>Bernadettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06800328600844695008noreply@blogger.com3