Update 02/03/09

Hi there everyone,

It has been an action packed week! Last Friday Tim was going to have
a hospital free day....unfortunately he woke at 5am with shocking bone
pain in his legs from the knee down. Straight to ED for a good dose
of morphine. Fourteen hours, two blood transfusions and many, many
hilarious, scatty, crazy conversations later (drug induced!), he came
home. So much for the hospital free day!

Tim had chemo every day this week plus another two blood transfusions
on Thursday. He also had another CT scan on his brain, just to
investgate the cause of some shocking headaches. Doctors were worried
that he may have had a bleed, but luckily it came back all clear. (
He does actually have a brain- just no problem with it!!!) Currently,
his red and white blood cells and platelets are very low and he is
borderline neutropenic. This means he is very susceptible to
temperatures and infection, so we have to keep a close eye on him this
week end. Any signs of the later, then he is back in to ED.

This week Tim has had lots of company during chemo. This has had a
big and very positive impact on Tim's spirits. Thanks to Macca, Luber,
Andrew H, Smiddy, Rohan and John H for making the hours of chemo much
more bearable. Thanks also to Mark Davies and our neighbour Tom, who
lent a hand tidying up Tim's precious garden at home. It was driving
him mad to watch it become over grown and out of control. You have
certainly restored some peace!

The 'wall of courage' is growing again! This week Tim has received
personal messages, signed dvd's and cd's and t-shirts from Daryl
Somers, Daryl Braithwaite, Roy & HG, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Marcia
Hines, Roger Federer!!!!!, Jimmy Barnes, Metallica, a very special
message from Rolf Harris and Ben Lee!! and the absolute highlight: a
bombers footy jumper signed by Adam Ramanaskus, Dustin Fletcher, Jason
Winderlich, Mark McVeigh and Scott Lucas. Boy, does Tim feel special.
It is incredible to think how willing these celebrities are to go out
of their way to put a smile on Tim's face and indeed it does just
that!

Well, that is week 7 done..............only 131 weeks of treatment to
go!!!!!! (That doesn't sound so good, but for us it is going fast)
Tim said the other morning that this break from work is like the long
service leave he never got!!!! Yes, nothing quite like a well deserved
break at Club Austin!!!!! (and he wasn't on morphine when he said
that!)

Take care everyone.
Much love,
Andi
xooxooxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo