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It started around Christmas, that damn pain in my back again and I did not suspect the cause was my cancer as my current treatment was keeping the readings low. I got massaged and tried acupuncture for relief but nothing worked. I degenerated from walking with a stick to a walking frame & then to a wheel chair in 3-4 weeks then finally succumbed to being virtually bed ridden for relief. Pain killers were not effective & finally an MRI was arranged & confirmed the cancer was back & very active, nibbling at my lower lumbar & developing a Plasmacytoma lump ( something like a benign tumour) which was pushing on my spinal cord & paralysing my left leg. An air ambulance flight to Melbourne for urgent treatment was arranged .
 
I was met by my oncologist, a surgeon & a radiologist. The surgeon thought an operation would fix the problem quickly but a very risky procedure due to closeness to the spinal cord. Radiation was then decided as the best option, not guaranteed though, but would take 3 weeks of treatment and some possible suffering from the side effects. Radiation it was and I coped with the sickness and nausea a little better than previous chemo treatment..I lost 6kg in 2 weeks and put back 2 kg in the last week after better managing the side effects. The radiation worked & during the treatment I could feel movement & muscle activation gradually improve & significant pain reduction.
 
On the lighter side of things my cancer journey, as always, provides some humour & good times, but I must confess to the dark side also, when negative thoughts hit the brain when you can't sleep late at night, but usually loud head phone music to something like 'Pink Floyd' Dark Side Of The Moon hits the spot.
 
A few funny stories are based around my continual upset stomach so bare with me. I was in the middle of a 1hr MRI session where you must remain still in a confined space within a tubular chamber structure. The operator gives you an emergency button for help if needed and also talks through your headphones during the session to check on you. I developed a pain in the belly about 40 minutes in and tried desperately to hold off either farting or doing myself in. Eventually and luckily I only passed wind but the smell lingered & was horrible. The operator asked “ How are you doin Pete” and I told her what happened. When finished & I was taken back out, she was still laughing & said that my comment was the funniest she has heard from anyone inside the chamber before.
 
Another day I was still having constipation issues & was well dossed up to fix the problem. It was my first day in a wheelchair and I decided to escape the confines of my room and buy a feed at the hospital cafeteria as I was struggling to eat the hospital food. I selected some lovely spicy mixed Chinese food and scoffed it all down, then with my new found freedom in the wheelchair, ventured outside to get some fresh air and start reading a book. After 30 minutes of relaxed reading I developed a big stomach ache & thought I better find a toilet quick.I started to panic because I couldn't find a toilet in the maze of corridors in the Austin Hospital, but finally I sped towards one and smashing through the door and luckily finding no-one in there, I needed to prop the cubicle open with the wheelie & virtually crawl over to the pan for relief in the nick of time.
 
Daily radiation meant being trolleyed from my bed & into a waiting ambulance and a small trip to a nearby Radiation Centre, about a 30 minutes wait & treat & then return. My regular trolley driver was a nice chap & he told me he went to the Rod Stewart concert at Hanging Rock at the weekend and dressed up wig and all as Rod Stewart. I started singing the 'I am sailing' song and we had a laugh. The next day he turns up with the wig and said 'put it on' it's a real chick magnet. So, back into the Austin Hospital we go and everyone is looking & smiling & sure enough back into my room we are followed by half a dozen nurses.
 
The last week of treatment saw me transferred to an Aged Care Facility within wheelchair distance from the Radiation Centre. I will always have vivid memories of the exercise classes, meditation class & sitting in the only lounge room watching TV with a dozen oldies, all 80+, no one talking, everyone dozing & come medication time it reminded me of the movie 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' . Really though, they were lovely oldies & I helped out a bit during the day trying to talk with them & I read the newspaper to a nice old blind man who was also partly deaf. I was part of their strict rules & was not allowed out of the facility, not allowed to use the toaster without supervision & firmly disciplined for travelling with my walking frame while unaided.
 
This one is not a humorous story, but how sad it is when the person in the bed next to you dies during the night and is not there the next morning. My phone charger would not work and I had a loan of my neighbour's charger. During the night the family were called in and he was transferred to the quiet room. I still had his charger but thought it not an issue as he won't need it any more, but luckily I managed to return it the next day. It still brings tears to my eyes when cancer victims you get to know only for a few days pass away like that.
 
The following is a quick story in support of nurses currently seeking more recognition of their work.
One night in my ward a patient had a Psychotic attack late at night & chased my nurse down the corridor threatening her with a metal bar. He also came into my room and threatened my neighbour. as I cringed and couldn't help in any way. Security took too long to arrive, but after an hour of drama, things quietened down. Crikey, that night took a toll on the ward. Apparently he was an ex detective reliving a crime scene. The next day he apparently did not remember anything happening.
 
Getting back to the serious side again, my current treatment has failed and I been allowed to go on a drug called Valcade, which is only allowed when all other avenues have failed. The drug can have a horrible side effect but luckily it is a rare occurrence and there is now a method of administration of the drug that minimises the risk. Fingers crossed this works for me, however I also have some stored stem cells that also allows a period of time for some quality of life.
 
I am really lucky to have Colleen, my carer, really trying to get me to slow down & behave. Thank you to all the get well wishes from everyone, 'face book' has been great for me to keep in touch with people & things & I hope to be riding my new Harley in the near future.