Saturday, December 24, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Norwood Park - directions to Alison's rock
Hi everyone,
Apologies, it has been nearly a year and I had overlooked the fact that many people would not know where to find Alison's memorial rock at Norwood Park.
Alison and I spent a bit of time together looking around for the right spot and we ended up deciding that this place on Pioneer Walk, towards the back of the park, was it. She wanted a place that was peaceful and easy to get to so people could come and visit. There is a picnic table nearby to sit and enjoy a coffee and it's a lovely area.
Please feel welcome to go and visit. The yellow star in pictures below shows where to find her.
Andrew
Apologies, it has been nearly a year and I had overlooked the fact that many people would not know where to find Alison's memorial rock at Norwood Park.
Alison and I spent a bit of time together looking around for the right spot and we ended up deciding that this place on Pioneer Walk, towards the back of the park, was it. She wanted a place that was peaceful and easy to get to so people could come and visit. There is a picnic table nearby to sit and enjoy a coffee and it's a lovely area.
Please feel welcome to go and visit. The yellow star in pictures below shows where to find her.
Andrew
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
New website - https://alisonmpike.wordpress.com/
Hi - I've started up a new website which has all the existing posts and I think is easier to read.
You can either type in the address above or simply click here.
All new posts will be going up on the new website.
Thanks
You can either type in the address above or simply click here.
All new posts will be going up on the new website.
Thanks
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Short version of current situation - no further treatment :(
Hi
It's been a hectic few weeks as some of you will know.
Back in early July the doctors told Alison that further chemo on the tumours would do more damage to her body than good and so her treatments would need to cease. Unfortunately this means that as the tumours grow we are no longer able to stop them or slow their growth.
Alison has cancer in her ribs, spine, pelvis and lungs however, the main problem area is the liver where the tumours will eventually cause her liver to fail.
Despite this news, Alison continues to make the most of things and take life head on. She spends much time sleeping due to fatigue and manages the pain and nausea through medication.
The Clare Holland home-based care team are watching and providing much appreciated help as needed.
We also have some great friends providing assistance and have received many offers to help out. Realistically, there is not a great deal that anyone can do now but the thoughts and kind wishes are very generous and warmly welcomed.
Not surprisingly, I've been receiving a number of calls to check in on Alison and to ask about visits. Ali is not really up to seeing visitors and as no surprise, would get frustrated if people started fussing around her. I'm very happy to give people an update if you want to call me but please understand, if I have to cut short the conversation it is simply a practical matter of time, I mean no disrespect.
I will be updating the blog more frequently and hope that this will help you all keep up to date with Alison.
Thanks all for your keen interest in Alison and for your kind thoughts.
Andrew
Back in early July the doctors told Alison that further chemo on the tumours would do more damage to her body than good and so her treatments would need to cease. Unfortunately this means that as the tumours grow we are no longer able to stop them or slow their growth.
Alison has cancer in her ribs, spine, pelvis and lungs however, the main problem area is the liver where the tumours will eventually cause her liver to fail.
Despite this news, Alison continues to make the most of things and take life head on. She spends much time sleeping due to fatigue and manages the pain and nausea through medication.
The Clare Holland home-based care team are watching and providing much appreciated help as needed.
We also have some great friends providing assistance and have received many offers to help out. Realistically, there is not a great deal that anyone can do now but the thoughts and kind wishes are very generous and warmly welcomed.
Not surprisingly, I've been receiving a number of calls to check in on Alison and to ask about visits. Ali is not really up to seeing visitors and as no surprise, would get frustrated if people started fussing around her. I'm very happy to give people an update if you want to call me but please understand, if I have to cut short the conversation it is simply a practical matter of time, I mean no disrespect.
I will be updating the blog more frequently and hope that this will help you all keep up to date with Alison.
Thanks all for your keen interest in Alison and for your kind thoughts.
Andrew
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Hi there.
Been a while as per usual.
Ali had her last treatment on Thursday 9/1/14. It was a double dose, carbo one.
It really knocks her around. The doubles always do.
Her birthday was on Saturday, 11/1/14. Happy 41st!
We had a great weekend heading up to Sydney to see the Lion King. I love the shows and Ali and Harry saw this one a few years ago and enjoyed it. Great hospitality at Colleen's house a with a special birthday dinner before we went out.
Scans happening tomorrow (13/1/14) and I hope that they are showing positive results. Visit to Dr on 14/1/14 so we will have to wait until then.
That's all for now. I will update after we get the results.
Been a while as per usual.
Ali had her last treatment on Thursday 9/1/14. It was a double dose, carbo one.
It really knocks her around. The doubles always do.
Her birthday was on Saturday, 11/1/14. Happy 41st!
We had a great weekend heading up to Sydney to see the Lion King. I love the shows and Ali and Harry saw this one a few years ago and enjoyed it. Great hospitality at Colleen's house a with a special birthday dinner before we went out.
Scans happening tomorrow (13/1/14) and I hope that they are showing positive results. Visit to Dr on 14/1/14 so we will have to wait until then.
That's all for now. I will update after we get the results.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Port inserted
Alison had a 'port' inserted into her chest yesterday. It provides easy access for the nurses when she is getting her chemo which started up again a few weeks ago or has blood taken.
Seems that the surgery went well and it was a day surgery, in at 6:30am and back home again by 8:30pm. Bit of a sleepless night for her last night but she managed to get up and was driving the car today which was pretty incredible.
Unfortunately Ali has missed her last two chemo treatments as her neutrophils were too low (neutropenia). Seems that her bone marrow is pretty shot and not working as effectively as it should be to help her recover from the chemo. Happily we found out today from her doctor that one of the pharma companies (Amgen) agreed to provider her with two free doses of neulasta which should help with production of her white blood cells. We'll have to wait and see how it goes.
Seems that the surgery went well and it was a day surgery, in at 6:30am and back home again by 8:30pm. Bit of a sleepless night for her last night but she managed to get up and was driving the car today which was pretty incredible.
Unfortunately Ali has missed her last two chemo treatments as her neutrophils were too low (neutropenia). Seems that her bone marrow is pretty shot and not working as effectively as it should be to help her recover from the chemo. Happily we found out today from her doctor that one of the pharma companies (Amgen) agreed to provider her with two free doses of neulasta which should help with production of her white blood cells. We'll have to wait and see how it goes.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Home at last!!
Very happy to say that Alison is now home. Safe and sound (more or less).
First of all, it is great to have her home. A day or two earlier than I thought but great news nonetheless. Without wanting to waffle on about how happy I am, she is now settling in back to the lifestyle of living at home. The hospital bit was necessary but you wouldn't wish it upon anybody.
Basic stuff like reading a menu and delivering the right food seemed a little out of reach.
From here, Ali will have some tests to assess how effective the treament was.
First of all, it is great to have her home. A day or two earlier than I thought but great news nonetheless. Without wanting to waffle on about how happy I am, she is now settling in back to the lifestyle of living at home. The hospital bit was necessary but you wouldn't wish it upon anybody.
Basic stuff like reading a menu and delivering the right food seemed a little out of reach.
From here, Ali will have some tests to assess how effective the treament was.
Monday, August 20, 2012
In hospital
A few eventful days. On Saturday morning Ali decided that she'd had enough and it was time to go to hospital. I drove her in and she walked into the Emergency area. Luckily she was triaged quickly, taken to a bed and hooked up on a drip within the hour.
One of the nurses arrived to take all her details, and heard about how Ali couldn't eat or drink and how much pain she was in every time she tried to swallow something. After the nurse had finished taking her notes she turned to Ali and asked if she would like the nurse to arrange a sandwich and some juice for her lunch as she was likely to be there a while! Without repeating verbatim what Alison said, it suffices to say she was not impressed.
Throughout the day Ali received fluids via IV and they started to improve the way she felt.
After waiting until around 9:30 pm Ali was then moved to the renal ward with a prescription for some morphine to help her with the pain. Problem was that she was prescribed oral morphine while at the same time was 'nil by mouth'. Eventually this was all sorted and And she managed to get some sleep.
Sunday was spent pretty much lying in bed resting and trying to recover.
By Monday Ali was hoping that she would have been booked in for a gastroscopy to take a good look at what was wrong with her and work out what to do. But alas, nobody books diagnostic tests during a weekend so she had to wait until today before she joined the queue.
It now looks like she may get the tests done either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Latest thinking is that her problems are related to her earlier treatment and most likely that she had ulcers in her oesophageous. No idea yet on when she will be allowed out.
One of the nurses arrived to take all her details, and heard about how Ali couldn't eat or drink and how much pain she was in every time she tried to swallow something. After the nurse had finished taking her notes she turned to Ali and asked if she would like the nurse to arrange a sandwich and some juice for her lunch as she was likely to be there a while! Without repeating verbatim what Alison said, it suffices to say she was not impressed.
Throughout the day Ali received fluids via IV and they started to improve the way she felt.
After waiting until around 9:30 pm Ali was then moved to the renal ward with a prescription for some morphine to help her with the pain. Problem was that she was prescribed oral morphine while at the same time was 'nil by mouth'. Eventually this was all sorted and And she managed to get some sleep.
Sunday was spent pretty much lying in bed resting and trying to recover.
By Monday Ali was hoping that she would have been booked in for a gastroscopy to take a good look at what was wrong with her and work out what to do. But alas, nobody books diagnostic tests during a weekend so she had to wait until today before she joined the queue.
It now looks like she may get the tests done either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Latest thinking is that her problems are related to her earlier treatment and most likely that she had ulcers in her oesophageous. No idea yet on when she will be allowed out.
Friday, August 17, 2012
SIR spheres
Well, it's been (much) more than 12 months since the last post.
Life has been pretty good for a while. Kids doing what kids do. I started a new job at the end of March 2012 (with SKM) and Ali has been fine. In fact, so good that she returned to work around June.
Unfortunately, the same time we got the results from one of her scans. It showed numerous new growths in her liver and this was not agood sign.
Fast forward to Monday 16 July and she has just had a hepatic angiogram (needle in the groin to inject dye to check bloodflows).
First drama was a trip to the Emergncy Dept when she passed out and collapsed just after eating breakfast luckily, she was caught. Not too sure what caused this, possibly a mix of stress, lack of sleep and dehydration. Anyway, around midnight we were on our way back home (thanks for looking after the kids that night Rach)
Second drama was a mix up with ordering the isotopes for the treatment, this pushed things back by a week.
The following week when she had the treatment (on Monday) she came out the other end feeling more sick than she has ever felt. Much worse than the chemo and throwing up most of the night, not a very nice time. The Tuesday was still pretty miserable and there was no way she was coming home, even though an overnight stay was postulated as a possibility.
Wednesday morning, I was getting texts about making sure kids were ready for school, asking what I'd packed for their lunches and urging me to hurry up or they would be late. I'd say 5-6 texts within 40 min with things to do or check of my list. I knew that day that she would be heading home.
Slowly she recovered and even went to work for a few hours during the 2nd week of August.
In the last couple of days however it seems to have caught up with her. She's struggling with indigestion which is likely caused by radioactive leaking from her liver to stomach. Not to be unexpected but she sleeps with a bunch of pillows propping her up. The other problem is esophageal spasms, these are causing pain and stopping her from eating (and discourage drinking which brings on dehydration which causes other problems). Already she's lost weight so not eating is not good.
Picked up some new medication today so hopefully that will help her.
From here we are very much in the wait and hope she gets better soon. There is no reason to expect that the effects won't wear off in the near future. Next step will be another scan, probably around the end of Sept or early Oct.
That is pretty much where we are up to for now. I will try a little harder to keep up to date with posts but when there is nothing to report, it seems a little mundane. On the flip side, it means I'm only posting when there is something negative to say and that doesn't seem right either.
Regardles, stay well.
Life has been pretty good for a while. Kids doing what kids do. I started a new job at the end of March 2012 (with SKM) and Ali has been fine. In fact, so good that she returned to work around June.
Unfortunately, the same time we got the results from one of her scans. It showed numerous new growths in her liver and this was not agood sign.
Fast forward to Monday 16 July and she has just had a hepatic angiogram (needle in the groin to inject dye to check bloodflows).
First drama was a trip to the Emergncy Dept when she passed out and collapsed just after eating breakfast luckily, she was caught. Not too sure what caused this, possibly a mix of stress, lack of sleep and dehydration. Anyway, around midnight we were on our way back home (thanks for looking after the kids that night Rach)
Second drama was a mix up with ordering the isotopes for the treatment, this pushed things back by a week.
The following week when she had the treatment (on Monday) she came out the other end feeling more sick than she has ever felt. Much worse than the chemo and throwing up most of the night, not a very nice time. The Tuesday was still pretty miserable and there was no way she was coming home, even though an overnight stay was postulated as a possibility.
Wednesday morning, I was getting texts about making sure kids were ready for school, asking what I'd packed for their lunches and urging me to hurry up or they would be late. I'd say 5-6 texts within 40 min with things to do or check of my list. I knew that day that she would be heading home.
Slowly she recovered and even went to work for a few hours during the 2nd week of August.
In the last couple of days however it seems to have caught up with her. She's struggling with indigestion which is likely caused by radioactive leaking from her liver to stomach. Not to be unexpected but she sleeps with a bunch of pillows propping her up. The other problem is esophageal spasms, these are causing pain and stopping her from eating (and discourage drinking which brings on dehydration which causes other problems). Already she's lost weight so not eating is not good.
Picked up some new medication today so hopefully that will help her.
From here we are very much in the wait and hope she gets better soon. There is no reason to expect that the effects won't wear off in the near future. Next step will be another scan, probably around the end of Sept or early Oct.
That is pretty much where we are up to for now. I will try a little harder to keep up to date with posts but when there is nothing to report, it seems a little mundane. On the flip side, it means I'm only posting when there is something negative to say and that doesn't seem right either.
Regardles, stay well.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Update and Harrison's operation
Hi all - been a loooong time but here's the latest.
Alison is still doing well. Her most recent scans showed some progression in the tumours in her spine and hip but no growth in the liver which is a good thing. She will start some radiation therapy soon to focus on the bone cancers. Otherwise, she looks great.
Harrison had an upgrade to his heart valve last week. For the past week we've been in Sydney at the hospital with him. He travelled up with Alison on Friday 17 June to be checked in and had the operation on Monday 20 June. They got home just tonight.
Everything went well and they managed to get a large valve in which may mean that he won't need another operation to replace it. Great news!
Annelise is doing fine as usual, getting involved in everything and keeping us all entertained.
I'll post some more when we know more about the radiotherapy.
Best wishes to you all and your family and friends.
Alison is still doing well. Her most recent scans showed some progression in the tumours in her spine and hip but no growth in the liver which is a good thing. She will start some radiation therapy soon to focus on the bone cancers. Otherwise, she looks great.
Harrison had an upgrade to his heart valve last week. For the past week we've been in Sydney at the hospital with him. He travelled up with Alison on Friday 17 June to be checked in and had the operation on Monday 20 June. They got home just tonight.
Everything went well and they managed to get a large valve in which may mean that he won't need another operation to replace it. Great news!
Annelise is doing fine as usual, getting involved in everything and keeping us all entertained.
I'll post some more when we know more about the radiotherapy.
Best wishes to you all and your family and friends.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Update - Feb 2011
Happy new year to all.
Not much new to report. Alison had a scan last week and it came back showing no growth in her tumours so we were very happy.
Kids are settling in well to another year of school.
Harrison is now in Yr 5 and is finishing up his cricket season with about two more games to go. He plays on Friday nights which work out really well as it gives me an excuse to escape from work at a reasonable hour (sort of) and it is just a nice way to end the week.
Annelise is in Yr 4 and crazy as ever. She is now doing a gymnastics/acrobatics type of class on Fridays and is also learning piano.
I started a new job earlier this year with a company called The Nous Group. Absolutely loving it at the moment.
Hope you all are doing well and have a great year. Feel very welcome to post a simple hello or more if you are inclined.
Not much new to report. Alison had a scan last week and it came back showing no growth in her tumours so we were very happy.
Kids are settling in well to another year of school.
Harrison is now in Yr 5 and is finishing up his cricket season with about two more games to go. He plays on Friday nights which work out really well as it gives me an excuse to escape from work at a reasonable hour (sort of) and it is just a nice way to end the week.
Annelise is in Yr 4 and crazy as ever. She is now doing a gymnastics/acrobatics type of class on Fridays and is also learning piano.
I started a new job earlier this year with a company called The Nous Group. Absolutely loving it at the moment.
Hope you all are doing well and have a great year. Feel very welcome to post a simple hello or more if you are inclined.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Quick update
Ali went and saw the doctor. Short version is that she has now started on some new drugs.
We will now just have to wait a bit and have some more scans in a couple of weeks to see if these ones are doing what they are meant to.
All else fine (except the two kids home sick today). Summer is coming and the kids are looking forward to having a pool in the back yard.
We will now just have to wait a bit and have some more scans in a couple of weeks to see if these ones are doing what they are meant to.
All else fine (except the two kids home sick today). Summer is coming and the kids are looking forward to having a pool in the back yard.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Nice dinner
Cooked up a nice little dish tonight - Tamarind stir fry chicken - and everybody enjoyed it.It's a little thing I'm on at the moment with cooking. Made Pad Thai and Green Chicken Curry last week from stratch. The curry was a hit but only Ali and I liked the Pad Thai (and really liked it).
It's my little secret way of getting them all hooked on chilli, hehe.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
That time again!
Scan time has come around yet again and Ali had her scans yesterday. Unfortunately the run of good news has come to an end and these latest results showed some growth in the tumour in the liver and some new growths there as well.
Very disappointing news and we'll be off to see the oncologist on Monday to see what it all means.
Stay tuned until then and I'll post an update next week.
Very disappointing news and we'll be off to see the oncologist on Monday to see what it all means.
Stay tuned until then and I'll post an update next week.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Latest Scan - All good
Ali had another scan today. Results back and there's no new growth so that's great news.
In other news, we have found a new home and should be moving in on 8 June. So we now have just a couple of weeks to pack up the house and move.
Some snaps of the new place are here...see our new home
Kids are well, hockey (Annelise) and soccer (Harry) are now underway so there goes Saturdays for the next few months.
In other news, we have found a new home and should be moving in on 8 June. So we now have just a couple of weeks to pack up the house and move.
Some snaps of the new place are here...see our new home
Kids are well, hockey (Annelise) and soccer (Harry) are now underway so there goes Saturdays for the next few months.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Home :)
Alison made it home yesterday and is glad to escape the hospital.
She is happily (well, more or less happily) recouperating at home now. Still sore and sleepy but home anyway.
She is happily (well, more or less happily) recouperating at home now. Still sore and sleepy but home anyway.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Update - scan results and surgery
I can barely believe that it's been two and a half months since the last update. Happy belated new year to you all.
To get straight to the facts...
Harrison is on school camp at the moment. He's been away since Tuesday and comes home tomorrow. There have been no emergency phone calls from the school so I'm assuming it's all going OK.
We're still looking for a new house to move into. Having settled on our old property around Australia Day, we are now located in Matt and Bron's house in Wanniassa which is very convenient. Hopefully we find something soon.
That's it for now.
To get straight to the facts...
- Ali had a scan earlier in the year which showed some of the tumours were isodense. We weren't really too sure what that meant but they were changing in some form. Doctors said it wasn't anything to get worked up about but worth watching bit more closely.
- Last week, Ali had another scan. Good news was that it showed the existing tumours weren't growing. The not so good news was that the docs spotted a new 1cm tumour. Not clear yet why old ones aren't growing and a new one pops up but the docs were going to have a chat and think about it and let us know soon. It's just wait and see on this one.
- Yesterday Ali had surgery to remove her ovaries. She had been chemically restricting her production of eostrogen (the cancer likes the hormones) for a while but the time came when the trauma and inconvenience of the surgery were worth the benefits, which in its own way is a positive sign. Operation went well and doctors were satisfied. She is still in hospital but may come home Thursday (4/3) or Friday (5/3). A little sore, a little lighter but hopefully worthwhile.
Harrison is on school camp at the moment. He's been away since Tuesday and comes home tomorrow. There have been no emergency phone calls from the school so I'm assuming it's all going OK.
We're still looking for a new house to move into. Having settled on our old property around Australia Day, we are now located in Matt and Bron's house in Wanniassa which is very convenient. Hopefully we find something soon.
That's it for now.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Five sleeps to go!
Kids are starting to get excited. Tree is up, lights are flashing.
My brother arrives from Perth today, will be good to catch up as it has been a while.
We have our first 'Christmas dinner' tonight with Alison's dad.
Both kids are now finished school for the year and I finish up on Wednesday.
:)
My brother arrives from Perth today, will be good to catch up as it has been a while.
We have our first 'Christmas dinner' tonight with Alison's dad.
Both kids are now finished school for the year and I finish up on Wednesday.
:)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Looking for a new home
Hi all
With the house now sold, we are searching for our new abode. We've had a couple of possibilities but nothing that has really grabbed us. It seems the ones that Alison sets her eyes on are ones that are very comfortably out of our price range! I think it will need just a bit of steering and expectation management to get her on the right path to a realistic home.
Still, I think we will be able to find the right place so long as we have some patience and a reasonable attitude to what to expect.
We had last night in Sydney, visiting Colleen, Paul and the kids. It was a great time for adults and kids. The adults went out to the Opera House to watch the Whitlams play with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra while the kids went to a BBQ at the local school and then watched a video (staying up until 9:30pm as Annelise told us this morning!).
Earlier today, Alison and I had a quick trip to buy her a retirement ring from Tiffany & Co.. I must say, it is a very impressive place. She has dreamt of being able to visit and buy a ring from there for many years so I am very happy that we were able to do it. Looking at what they had on offer, it was incredible to see what you can get if you have some real money. Ah well, keep on dreaming.
Section below is just for adults!! Just highlight by selecting text below (no kids allowed).
Christmas just 20 days away now. We have the Christmas tree up and carols ringing through the house anytime Alison gets her way with the stereo. The kids are keen and excited although Harrison has decided that he won't be sitting on Santa's lap this year as he doesn't want to mix it with "some stranger that's not really Santa Claus anyway". Hmmmm, we may be lucky to get through this one with him as a believer but I don't think we'll get another year out of it.
That's all for now. Take care.
With the house now sold, we are searching for our new abode. We've had a couple of possibilities but nothing that has really grabbed us. It seems the ones that Alison sets her eyes on are ones that are very comfortably out of our price range! I think it will need just a bit of steering and expectation management to get her on the right path to a realistic home.
Still, I think we will be able to find the right place so long as we have some patience and a reasonable attitude to what to expect.
We had last night in Sydney, visiting Colleen, Paul and the kids. It was a great time for adults and kids. The adults went out to the Opera House to watch the Whitlams play with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra while the kids went to a BBQ at the local school and then watched a video (staying up until 9:30pm as Annelise told us this morning!).
Earlier today, Alison and I had a quick trip to buy her a retirement ring from Tiffany & Co.. I must say, it is a very impressive place. She has dreamt of being able to visit and buy a ring from there for many years so I am very happy that we were able to do it. Looking at what they had on offer, it was incredible to see what you can get if you have some real money. Ah well, keep on dreaming.
Section below is just for adults!! Just highlight by selecting text below (no kids allowed).
Christmas just 20 days away now. We have the Christmas tree up and carols ringing through the house anytime Alison gets her way with the stereo. The kids are keen and excited although Harrison has decided that he won't be sitting on Santa's lap this year as he doesn't want to mix it with "some stranger that's not really Santa Claus anyway". Hmmmm, we may be lucky to get through this one with him as a believer but I don't think we'll get another year out of it.
That's all for now. Take care.
PS - I have just discovered Mojitos. Mmmmmm. I picked up a bottle of Havana Club Anejo Blanco this afternoon and it makes a very refreshing drink. You'll all have to come around one day to try it. :)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
SOLD!!!
House is now sold! And it seems to have gone to a good family who have a baby due in March next year, just after they move in.
We're happy but now need to get serious about finding somewhere to live. It seems very real now that the clock is ticking and we need to move out in a couple of months.
We're happy but now need to get serious about finding somewhere to live. It seems very real now that the clock is ticking and we need to move out in a couple of months.
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