22nd to 28th May 2013

22^nd May 2013

Today Barry braved the Melbourne rush hour traffic to get Merry to her 9.30am appointment at the hospital.  As luck would have it, there was a vacant 1 hour parking lot right outside the hospital which was much appreciated and only cost $2.40 for the hour which turned out to be more than adequate.  The alternative had been to use the hospital parking but you can only use it on a day basis for $11 dollars plus when we got there it only had 1.9 metre clearance which would have removed our roof rack Being an early appointment there hadn’t been time for them to get behind their schedule so Merry actually had her treatment and was on the way of the hospital by the time she should have been starting it. On the way there we spotted an area where Barry may be able to park for 2 hours that is a relatively short walk from the hospital.

23^rd May 2013

The afternoon parking was also quite fortunate but due to seeing the nurse and doctor as well as the treatment Barry had to move from one 1 hour parking bay to another, but in this case only meant reversing into the bay behind him.  Today was an even earlier appointment and Barry was able to use a 2 hour bay which still had some time left on it so only had to pay $1.20 to top it up.  Being early meant the treatment happened straight away and allowed time to have a blood test sample taken by the vampire department.  Even allowing for this, we were back at the car very quickly and probably didn’t need to have put anything in the meter, but you never know in advance.   Merry actually had a pretty rough day yesterday as eating and drinking is getting more difficult and in the afternoon became nauseas, developed a bad headache plus leg cramps.  It was this that instigated the blood tests but she has since discovered that she feels a lot better if she stays off the morphine, so the blood test may not prove anything but we shall see.   The afternoon treatment took a while as they were running late again so Barry had to juggle parking bays.

24^th May 2013

Today shouldn’t have been a problem as we arrived early and Merry received the treatment early but had to see the doctor and nutritionist.  The doctor turned up early and checked Merry’s throat which apparently is looking good, however, it was suggested that a gastro nasal tube be installed to assist with eating and drinking, as swallowing is becoming very difficult and painful.  She then saw the nutritionist for a while and in theory that was it for the day except now she has to go back downstairs and have the tube installed which then meant having an X-ray to check that the tube is positioned correctly.  Meanwhile Barry returns to move the car which has now got a $70 parking fine attached to it because Melbourne can’t, or won’t provide adequate parking within the area.   Barry moved to a 1 hour bay expecting Merry to emerge soon, but that didn’t happen as she had to wait for the nutritionist again to have a bag of food drained into her, so Barry had to move the car once more before Merry finally returned to go home for a short break before returning for the second treatment session.  This time we found a closer cheaper parking bay which is not usually available as other people get there earlier than us.

25^th May 2013

Being the weekend Merry doesn’t have to present herself for treatment so we can relax in the knowledge that we now have to order and therefore buy the nutritional packs and gravity bags so that she can maintain her weigh, and eat in some form of comfort.  If we were Victorians this would be freely given to us, but being West Australians we have to buy our own.  Paying into the so-called National Medicare scheme for years means nothing because when you need treatment etc it suddenly becomes State based, and having not lived in WA for the last six months we get nothing from them but we are expected to go out of our way to vote in their mandatory elections, or face a fine.  We haven’t been in Victoria for six months either but it probably wouldn’t help if we had, as we aren’t on a Victorian electoral role.  In many ways the health system is as archaic as the original Victorian age.  On the brighter side, the nursing staff and Merry’s specialist are absolutely great.

27^th   May 2013

We had a very clear run through to the hospital as it was after the mad rush that is usually absolute bedlam, and makes you wonder what it would be like if some dramatic event took place.  There would be more people killed in the panic on the roads than from the actual event   We found a 2 hour parking reasonably close but the hospital was running on time and we could have got away with a 1 hour bay which would have been closer still and would have been of benefit to Merry who is now struggling to walk any distance beyond 20 metres.  Future visits will involve dropping her off at the door and then find a parking bay.

28^th May 2013

Today was another early appointment that meant battling with the rush hour traffic again but we usually allow extra time to allow for it.  However, the twelve 1 hour parking bays opposite the hospital entrance had been roped off for some sort of major maintenance but we did manage to grab one beside the hospital.  The treatment was over quickly but Merry had to also see the nurse which took a long time so the car had to be moved.  After that session she then had to get some prescriptions made up and are told it will take an hour.  After waiting as long as possible Barry went off to move the car again but as there were none available to move to simply decided to slowly circumnavigate the block a few times.  Fortunately Merry called him on the phone just before finishing the first lap and was able to pick her up and head home.  The afternoon appointment gave us the opportunity to use the same parking area and we got away with only one 1hour session by a few minutes.  We noticed that the work across the road from the entrance amounted to half a dozen star pickets being driven into the ground and tape attached to keep traffic out.  Not bad for a day’s work, Barry wants a job like that.  Overall, today was a much better day for Merry who was feeling a lot better.

4th May to 21st May 2013

4^th May 2013

Last night when Merry attempted to turn off our gas heater that we have now used for the last seven days, it wouldn’t let her.   It wouldn’t let Barry turn it off either so he turned the bottle off to kill it.  Later in the night he was able to turn it off so it seems that something expands with the heat and stops the control knob from turning.  It did it again in the morning so Merry phoned the shop where we bought it and arranged to have it changed.  This meant driving to Carrum Downs on the other side of Melbourne, about 110km each way, so the $129 heater has now cost us about $50 in fuel and toll road fees to get it replaced.  If the replacement does the same thing in a week’s time, or any other time, it will hit the rubbish tip rather than cost another $50, and use that money towards something else unless the Primus sales rep comes to us.  We sent a text message to Sue wishing her a happy birthday, which seems to be the modern, totally impersonal, way of communication.

7^th May 2013

So far the new heater hasn’t let us down but it is still a bit early yet. Merry has now had four of her radiation treatments that now take approximately two minutes time now that the initial two visits are over.  During those visits they have to take X-rays to study to ensure the alignment with the target is correct and make necessary adjustments to the mask that holds her head in place, and still.  It is just unfortunate that she has to travel for about 1.5 hours each way to receive the treatment.  Next week she moves into one of their hostels that will put her much closer and will be able to travel on the trams.  This will be much better for especially when the treatment becomes twice a day with six hours between them, but the hospital is trying to get her into one of the hospital accommodations alongside the hospital and possibly into hospital for the final week

9^th May 2013

Merry’s treatment is still going okay and has confirmed the accommodation for Sunday.  Barry and Foxy will be able to maintain their 4kms morning walk along with Steve and his dog Badger, and his sister’s dog Toby on Thursdays. 

12^th May 2013

Barry took Merry into Ryder-Cheshire House and settled her in.

13^th and 14^th May 2013

Merry is managing by herself at the Ryder-Cheshire House which has included a trip to a 3D movie.

17^th May 2013

Barry drove down to the Ryder-Cheshire House to bring Merry home for the weekend.  Her twice a day treatment starts on Wednesday so Barry will move in with her as it is expected to make her more tired than she currently is. 

18^th May 2013

Whilst here in Wooden, Merry is cooking a variety of stews, one which will provide for tonight’s meal and the remainder will be put into a blender to make it virtually drinkable.  The other stew will suffer the same fate so that Merry can eat/drink them next week as swallowing is becoming an uncomfortable exercise.  It currently feels similar to having tried to swallow a large pill that has chosen to lodge in the throat.

19^th Nay 2013

Barry drove Merry back to Ryder-Cheshire house and moved in as well.

20^th May 2013

Barry went into the hospital with Merry in the ambulance as Merry had an early appointment and would probably be out again very quickly.  That didn’t happen as the ambulance was late doing the pick-up and got to the hospital late and then waited more than an hour before having her treatment, which was quick but they arranged for her to see the nurse because drinking water was becoming a problem.  This led to her seeing a doctor who has now prescribed Morphine to make it easier to eat and drink as she is not allowed to lose weight because that affects the fit of the face mask that holds her head still during the treatment and accuracy is vital.

21^st May 2013

Having now tried using the liquid and tablet morphine, eating and drinking is marginally better at this point in time

18th April to 3rd May 2013

18^th April 2013

Barry fitted new flywire to one of the front bedroom screens plus both of us doing a lot of cleaning cupboards and things and also loaded the car with as much of our stuff ready to take to Steve and Terry’s tomorrow so that it is out of the way with all the packing happening and also guarantees that we can get the remainder of our gear into the car on Friday when we all leave the house.

19^th April 2013

We drove up to Steve and Terry’s and dropped of the first load of our gear and returned in the afternoon in time for Barry to fit new flywire to the other front bedroom screen so that they can both be refitted to the windows when Garon is free to do it.

20^th April 2013

Garon and Barry pulled part of the second bedroom wall apart as it had been water damaged and used expanding foam to seal the void above the wall and replace the Gyprock panelling and prepared it for a few coats of paint.  Meanwhile, Merry continued with the cleaning process.

21^st April 2013

Garon continued preparing the wall for Barry to paint tomorrow whilst he is at work.  Sue is busy packing and selling their unwanted items that have been on eBay for the last week and are being collected today.

22^nd April 2013

Barry cut out a small area of Gyprock in the office wall that looked dodgy and bought some more bits and pieces to replace it.  In the afternoon he sanded the bedroom and applied two coats of paint.

23^rd April 2013

Barry did some more sanding in the bedroom and applied another three coats of paint and it now looks finished.  He also did some preparatory sanding in the office and replaced the flywire in the office flyscreen.

24^th April 2013

Barry needed to return some multipurpose filler to Bunnings hardware store but is unable to find his wallet which he last used in Bunnings yesterday, however, when he asked if it had been handed it was met with a negative.  Having searched the house, car and enquired at the last known place of use it was thought to be lost but by checking our bank account on-line it became apparent that no-one was using my bank cards.  Merry transferred the money in the account to an account that is in her name only so if anybody did try to use my card they were going to be very disappointed.  After lunch Barry spotted something under the ends of the bed that we are using, that turned out to be his wallet.  How we hadn’t found it before is a mystery as we had both checked under the bed but we now have the wallet back without cancelling numerous cards and organising a new driver’s license, bank cards, etc.    

25^th April2 013

 Barry went with Garon to his office and helped him pack up the items he wanted to bring home and pack for transportation to Perth We contacted Colleen in Perth to wish her a happy birthday continued with the sanding, painting and cleaning whilst Garon did some work on the roof, replaced the flyscreens and Sue got on with packing their boxes. They were both home for the Anzac Day holiday. In the evening we went to the local Thai restaurants for our farewell dinner as there was nothing left in the house to cook with.

26^th April 2013

Barry finalised the painting and cleaned that room and then assisted Merry with cleaning other rooms.  Garon’s car was collected and taken to be trucked over to Perth.  Meanwhile the removal guys cleared the house out that allowed us to clean the last two rooms by one o’clock we had finished and walked to the Concourse shops and had an alfresco lunch.  We then cleared the remaining remnants to either the back of our car or the roadside verge for the council to remove.  We headed out to Woodend at about 3.30pm leaving Garon and Sue to finalise their packing their cases and to be picked up for the trip to the airport in a Limousine courtesy of a friend, at 4.000pm.  We arrived in Woodend slightly later than expected as the Navman took us via a different route that included an unnecessary tour of the St Kilda area so we turned it off and followed the signs to the Westgate Bridge after which we turned on the Navman again.  It then took us along the Ballarat highway instead of the Calder Highway for a scenic tour of Gisborne but the distance was no different.

27^th April 2013

We had slept in the house at Woodend so that we didn’t need to clear the caravan of all the stored items so we spent most of today preparing the van for habitation.  We were able to use the van with ease in the afternoon and evening and slept comfortably as it wasn’t especially cold.

28^th April 2013

We finalised the clearing up in the annex and Steve’s sister arrived for morning tea and to decide on a pattern for the quilt that Terry is going to make for her.  When she left she took advantage of one of the never opened 10 litre cans of paint that we had taken from Garon and Sue’s to take to the tip.  The evening turned a lot colder.

29^th April 2013

The night was much colder than the previous night and Foxy joined us in bed at about 2.00am.

 

29^th April 2013

We drove to Melton and disposed of the unwanted tins of paint that we removed from Garon and Sue’s when we left.  Melton is one of the few tips that allow paint disposal but was on an elongated route to Sunbury where we had to visit to drop off the front wall of our annex for a modification. We also picked up some relatively cheap 32gig USB keys from the Aldi shop before heading home.

30^th April 2013

Merry spent most of the day doing a spring clean of the caravan even though it is nothing like spring temperature wise at 7 degrees at night.  Meanwhile Barry had a gas bottle filled as we are using a gas heater for warmth rather than run up Steve and Terry’s electricity. We are also using gas for our fridge, water heating and boiling the kettle, the same as when we free camp without using the generator.  Whist he was out he collected the new timetable for the V-line train to Melbourne in readiness for tomorrow’s trip.

1^st May 2013

 We took the V-Line train into East Melbourne and then the Metro train to Parliament and the ten minute walk into Peter Mac Hospital for Merry’s first radiation treatment.  It was booked for 2.00pm but by the time she had been though the procession of short interviews and preceded by emergency cases she received the treatment at about 3.30pm.  By the time she had finished and had a chat with the social worker we couldn’t get back to East Melbourne in time to board the V-Line train before 4.00pm so we had to upgrade our pension rate fare to the full frae for the return trip.  The treatment left Merry feeling slightly dizzy and nauseas for a while and not too keen to eat dinner, although she did eat some, but otherwise okay. This may have been due to us leaving t5he hospital rather hurriedly in an attempt to get to home at a reasonable time.  Tomorrow we’ll take things a bit easier prior to leaving the hospital and hopefully that will make things a bit easier on Merry.

2^nd May 2013

Merry went into the hospital for her second treatment on her own and fortunately didn’t experience the dizziness or nausea.

3^rd May 2013

Merry tackled the hospital on her own again today which meant going in for an early appointment plus meeting with a doctor and dietician.  She managed it okay without any unpleasant effects so we assume that Wednesday’s unpleasantness after her first treatment was the release of pent up tension due to the long build up to the treatment.  She has been presented with a timetable for her treatments which do not exactly fit into the 10.00am to 2.00pm window that we asked for, due to the hour each way travelling.  One is at 9.30am and another at 3.00pm so she will have to leave very early in the morning for one and come home late for the other.  Having said that, they don’t seem to stick to the timetable anyway so it could change at a moments notice.