Rowing our waka through rough seas- Grahame’s cancer challenge 2019

"Yeeehaa!  It’s the Summer of the Mullet   so it’s about to get very hairy around here" My name is Dr Grahame Jelley and I have been writing a blog about my journey through treatment for Stage 3 B lung cancer .  I am Zimbabwe born but have been living in New Zealand for 20 years and always worked as a rural General Practitioner . I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2009 and had chemotherapy treatment for 3 months in Tauranga. I had been in remission for almost exactly 10 years when I had a further diagnosis of a new and different cancer of the lung at the beginning of August 2019.  I have been in Auckland for seven weeks since beginning of December receiving daily radiotherapy Monday to Friday and two sessions of chemotherapy .  I completed my radiotherapy on 13 th January 2020. Whilst I was under treatment for my lung cancer in Auckland I became aware that the Charity “Bald Angels”, based in my home town of Kerikeri, Northland , New Zealand, was e...

D - 42 - Home is where the heart is . In my “own chair” at home  Be it our old country of origin , Zimbabwe or our new adopted home country New Zealand there is no doubt that “home is where the heart is”. So today we returned home to our “Wobble Inn”. Woke early after unsettled night again obviously “chomping at the bit” to get going. Packed the car and hit the road. Managed to drive around two thirds of way home ( got as far as Waipu) before fatigue set in and handed the “paddle” over to Renene to get us home. Great news received as we drove into home town KeriKeri was to receive notification the application to drug company for funded access to immunotherapy drug Durvulamab had been acccepted. Now we wait the further next steps . We will have to wait 4 - 6 weeks post chemo and radiation to commence . Here I attach a link to how this new drug works against the cancer. https://www.imfinzi.com/stage-3-nsclc/about/how-imfinzi-works.html https://immuno-oncology...

D - 41 -  Baby and me and  last date “ - We are out of here heading for treatment vacation. Last “Hat” for this cycle So we have crossed the final hurdle of this current treatment cycle. I attended my last radiation today and we kept this “hat” and dress code for this final day. A celebration and an indication of the start of our “holiday from treatment”. In an earlier post I described the “machine 6” that has become part and parcel of my everyday life,  but for  a few, for six weeks now. One of the things I described was the unusual shape of the filter for the radiation when it was setting up to start the treatment above my chest. It resembled the “baby doll”. Well today I lay on the bench , asked my parents , Bill and Mar Jel , to be beside me in spirit, and we all said good- bye to the “baby”. At the end of the session I put my hand up and said thank you to the machine itself. We thanked the amazing people who had provided such fantastic care a...

D 40 - Sunday . Dreaming of future still waters We had a very quiet low key day on Sunday. Pressure off and one treatment left on Monday. We took a drive down to Westhaven Marina  and sat in sun and watched some yachting and dreamed of more settled waters than we have experienced of late. Initially little wind to speak of so was good to sit in warm sun and “ catch some less sinister rays”!!! Sometimes one has to “pinch oneself “ to realise what a wonderful opportunity New Zealand gives us as an environment in which to work and play We had a walk down in the Auckland Domain to clear the head of cobwebs.  Still find times when brain just feels in a “fog”. Reading some supportive books and they talk about “ chemo - brain”. Wouldn’t wish the “fog” on anyone .! Guess no - one has noticed our visits  to the “magic mushrooms”  and as yet not in trouble with “the law”!! Beautiful day for gentle walk and clear  the “cobwebs” Nature i...

D - 39 - Rest day but also a farewell. Will miss this “chick” We have days off from treatment today and tomorrow and then face our final day of treatment.  Courtney travels home to Oamaru and Lewis and her two dogs. It has been so fantastic to have both children join me for periods of the therapy. Courtney’s maid of honour Emily joined us for the night after the three girls attended their movie. We all went briefly shopping this morning before going for late morning “Brunch” at a small cafe at    Pt. Chevalier. Really nice meal and atmosphere  https://ptchevbeachcafe.co.nz/ We then went for a walk around the local park  before heading for Auckland airport to drop Courtney Contemplative of future “Dreaming of big wide BLUE” Been a day of variable symptoms and likely sensory overload with my new “hearing aids”. Had to turn them off in shopping mall as Just ”too much”!!!! It can be frustra...

D - 38 - when the word “Finished” shouldn’t be threatening - But is !!!! Second last day of current treatment regime - handed a schedule of treatments by wonderful smiling lady at reception desk. Her comment - ” it is always nice to see this final piece of paper.” One line , one appointment and the word “Finished”. Surely an exciting and relief filled experience ! NO! I became overwhelmed again feeling vulnerable and anxious . “ All at sea again”. Amazing the human psyche . So good to have two supportive hands to hold onto this morning. Sitting waiting for my turn today outside the radiation room is the first time, the noises that one hears whilst someone else is under treatment , have felt threatening. Just like The claxon one hears in a submarine in distress in the movies.! Renene reassured me and framed it differently.  “ think of it as something “sculpting” a piece of  that cancer into something different , less dangerous. Certainly navigating “rough” ra...

D - 37 - “Hearing” all about “Steam Punk” Renene says it’s 3 days to go today . “I chase up she chases down” Courtney is visiting us from Oamaru, the “Steam Punk” capital of New Zealand so today “if the hat fits -wear it”.  https://www.steampunkoamaru.co.nz/ https://www.steampunk.org.nz/ Credit Otago Daily Times  Wonder what “Teddy” thinks of “steam punk” Mix and match The laughter at Machine 6 continues with all the hat wear and today probably sufficient distraction that for the very first time I had to be repositioned and have a second scan to ensure I matched the prepared plan. After radiation had a brief visit with radiation nurse for advice around managing my burns . Interesting to be informed both skin and oesophagitis and any other radiation side effects are likely to persist and potentially worsen in the following two weeks when in fact therapy has discontinued . Such are the vagaries of this treatment. Goo...