Summary

January was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. It began on a high note with fantastic New Year celebrations in New Zealand, but things took a downturn as the month progressed. After struggling significantly following my treatment on the 9th, I found myself battling COVID-19. This led to a rough period, including a trip to the hospital by ambulance and a few days of recovery there. The whole experience was a blur, and I struggled through it all.

Despite the challenges, the month ended on a positive note with a heartwarming, albeit low-key, celebration of our 12th Wedding Anniversary.

The Health

So I am for the time being having Immunotherapy and Colitis treatment every three weeks and this is complimented with a Surgeon visit every three to four weeks.

My January treatment was on the 9th. Treatment day involves a trip to the oncologist at Kinghorn Cancer Center for a review, followed by the actual treatment. The process, which is painless, takes place in Ambulatory Care and includes two separate infusions for immunotherapy and colitis. The entire process takes around four hours, and I usually feel fine immediately afterward, but the next day can be quite challenging.

By Monday, January 13th, I began to feel significantly better, though I still experienced lethargy and a slightly sore throat, which was nothing new. To aid my recovery, Kirsten was in Melbourne, and the girls were spending time with their grandparents, giving me the house to myself.

However, around 3 AM, I woke up feeling extremely unwell and nauseous. Despite taking anti-nausea pills, I still felt terrible. After some effort, I found the thermometer and discovered my temperature was over 38°C. As it fluctuated between 38°C and 40°C, I felt I wasn’t in immediate danger but remained on the edge of being seriously ill. This situation always instills fear in me because vomiting can lead to it going backward into my lungs due to my throat problems. If that happens, I start to choke vomit, which in the past has resulted in blood. I was anxious about this possibility, as calling an ambulance would be challenging if that happened.

Eventually, I called Kirsten a few hours later, and her immediate response was to call an ambulance. Within minutes, an ambulance arrived, and the paramedics began stabilising me. Shortly afterward, I was on my way to North Shore Hospital.

The hospital team was fantastic. They quickly did everything necessary, including opening IV lines, replenishing fluids, and stabilizing me on oxygen. I spent the next two days in the hospital before being allowed to go home.

The following week or so was not great, but by the 25th, I started feeling like I could spend more time out of bed, despite still feeling extremely lethargic and experiencing stomach cramping and nausea. Through this ordeal, I lost three kilos, putting me five kilos below my target weight.

The good news is that by the 26th, I felt well enough to prepare for my next treatments.

First was a trip to the surgeon that went well and all things were clear on that front!

Next was Oncology and although there was a concern on the 28th about my liver levels being too high to continue treatment, I redid the tests on the morning of the 30th after drinking plenty of water and the levels were still high but acceptable for me to proceed with the treatment which I did.

With all that said, I’m looking forward to a much better February!

The Personal

We started off the New Year in NZ celebrating it with long-term New Year buddies Justine and David we then settled into a number of events to get the year started in the right way. To make sure I could deal with it all we only did one thing a day and took things pretty easy.

On January 2nd, we celebrated Zoe’s birthday at Rainbows End. The next day, we enjoyed lunch at Orbit Restaurant in the Sky Tower, despite a $45 charge for not eating or drinking. Kirsten and I then had a relaxing day and night at the QT, while the girls entertained their grandfather with their well-planned itinerary. We wrapped up the trip with a few days in Mangawhai before returning to Australia in time for treatment.

Originally, we had planned to do more in January, including a trip to the Aussie Open and a visit to see my sister in Perth. However, due to my health problems, we had to cancel both trips. As a result, I spent most of January in bed. Fortunately I was well enough by the 26th for Kirsten and I to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a movie (Maria recommended!) and a lovely night at the Hyatt Regency (also recommend!) .