October 31, 2010

Walking the tightrope


Nathan and Cassie are here for a very short visit, and Wayman is loving having time with them. Nathan is busy helping with practical things and we are very grateful for his help. Cassie is a wonderful calming influence by just being here as she continues to work in their business from our dining room table. Our only disappointment is that the weather has turned cold and wet. We can't wait for them to see our home in sunshine!

When Wayman was diagnosed with a glioma, we discovered that his drug regime was vital to helping him enjoy his life. The wonderful drugs that are available today have enabled us to keep living normally in these most unusual times. But we walk a tightrope constantly as we try to keep the dosage just right. All the medical consultants have agreed that this is the key to treating a brain tumour. Presently he is doing very well, and is enjoying being able to participate in life with purpose and good humour. This requires us to tailor his drugs to his particular situation. I am grateful for his patience as I try to play "nurse" in managing this.

A family of ducks has made it's home on our dam. It has been a nice distraction! I couldn't get very close to them so this is my attempt at a photo.


I have watched this little family for days now, and have loved to see the parents protecting and guiding the ducklings. Life continues.........

October 26, 2010

the vegie patch


With Wayman through his first round of chemotherapy and happily weeding and watering the lawns, it is time for me to show you a little corner of our garden that I love.
We inherited a vegie patch that had never been used. I have never had a vegie patch, but was keen to put this one to use. Steph pottered in it with me, trying to work out how to make it viable with the rabbits living in the creek right next to it.


So Shane built us a fence.



Cam, one of two wonderful gardeners who help us on the property was also very enthusiastic, and has the knowledge to make it work. He constructed boxes to grow the vegies in. Apparently rabbits can't climb. Jonty was a huge help at this stage, inspecting the work and giving a running commentary.





With the patch being quite large, we needed multiple boxes so Cam made smaller boxes in the shed and Wayman helped transport them on his brand new tractor!



The soil in the plot was beautiful mushroom compost, so Cam used it for the bottom layer in the boxes. [ please note that I haven't done anything yet!]


He then layered the boxes with a mixture of things that he assures me will guarantee us success!

Then came the watering system



At last it was time to plant and in Waymans' case to weed the surrounding area......



and to put stakes in for the tomatoes......



and then to apply pea straw! Could it be any easier than this???


Now I am the proud owner of a vegie patch! And I didn't have to do a thing!

There is just one snag......... the watering system isn't connected yet, so I am hand watering it everyday by carrying cans from the house.

It takes four trips.
I think the exercise is good for me.

October 20, 2010

The next stage

Yesterday we met with Waymans' oncologist to find out the next stage of his treatment following the MRI on Monday.
The tumour appears to have responded to the dual system of drugs and radiotherapy, and has not increased in size since the last scan. This is a positive sign that its activity has slowed. We are very aware that it still shows signs of being an aggressive growth, but we are grateful that treatment so far has bought us more time. While it appears to be "asleep" now, we know that it will become active again in the future.
Wayman started a chemotherapy program today of 5 days on and 23 days off and if he can tolerate it, it is available for 6 months.
We acknowledge the wonderful medical expertise that is available, allowing us to rejoice in this good news. Our doctors have at their disposal the best of modern medicine, and Waymans' progress is in response to the program they have put in place.
We also know that our Heavenly Father is in this journey with us. He has given us great peace to trust Him and our doctors. That we are surrounded by praying family and friends humbles us immensely, and we are constantly reminded of how wonderful the family of God is.
This new stage brings its own set of challenges as we discover what it is like to have Wayman on heavier doses of chemo. I am in awe of friends who are going through this with grace and dignity. Please pray that we will also continue to live well.

October 15, 2010

a week at the beach


I'm not quite sure what has happened to the weather here in SA, but our week at the beach took an interesting turn when the temperature dropped to the mid teens.


C and Miss P were very excited and ready to hit the surf in their wet suits


Even the grey skies couldn't stop them from venturing out


But the adults weren't as hardy, so we devised other ways to spend the time.


We walked the jetty......



We took Miss P shopping.....




We explored every play ground in every town in the area!!!!!



Miss P helped Grandpa to understand the finer points of play ground etiquette , as she walked him through her game.



We went kite flying.....



and we fed the seagulls.....



but most of all we had lots of goods times with Grandpa!


[and Elmo and teddy and pony]

October 10, 2010

Finishing our break well.

We are coming to the end of our break. Wayman is booked to have an MRI on Monday 18th. While his treatment is not dependent on any findings from this scan, it will give us a picture of what has been achieved so far. Wayman has been a bit "flat' over the past two days, and the issue for me is to assess what the possible cause is. I think on many occasions his diabetes plays a big part in the symptoms he experiences.
So we are looking forward to spending the next week with the Rainbows at a lovely SA beach. I am anticipating lots of shell collecting and sand castle building. It is timely for us, to have a change of scenery.
Again my thanks to those of you who pray for us. Please pray that we will have a relaxing time away, and that Wayman will stay well. Praise God for His continued goodness to us.

PS Waymans' Grand final celebrations have been low key. However I have heard him whistling the Collingwood theme song twice today. I'm not sure he even knows he is doing it!

October 7, 2010

Our contrasting trees


As the weeks are rolling on, our trees are quickly getting their leaves. It really transforms our garden to have the green canopy over parts of the garden. Living in a semi-rural area has made us both very aware of the change in the seasons. While the temperature is still in the teens most days, and the nights are quite cold, the garden is moving into spring.


How can this all be a random accident?



But we have one tree that isn't following suit. When we bought our home we had a very stark back yard, and we bought a "mature tree" in the hope it would give us a lovely specimen tree quickly. It is a beautiful October Glory Maple and should be a blaze of red next autumn. At this stage we would be delighted to just see some leaves of any colour!




We examine it every day, and convince each other that the little buds are definitely getting bigger.



Meanwhile everything else is bursting into life! We will keep you informed of any progress with our recalcitrant tree.



October 2, 2010

the mask


This subject is one that I find rather difficult, but Wayman thinks it is worthy of a post.
I'm not sure others will find it interesting, and if you are squeamish feel free to log out now.

Those of you who have experience with radiotherapy will know the importance of precision in targeting the tumour. In the case of a brain tumour, the patient has to be anchored in the machine with their head completely still. To achieve this a mask is molded to their face and head shape, and this is "bolted" to the machine, over their faces.


Here is Wayman's mask


People often find this very difficult, I can't imagine how I would cope.
Wayman coped extremely well, as I have mentioned before. He attributes this to two things. The staff at the clinic were wonderful. They kept him calm and relaxed. Their combination of professionalism and kindness helped him to deal with the proceedure day after day, and amazingly he slept through his treatment on several occasions.
The second component was the prayer support of many of you. God is faithful and graciously allowed Wayman a good experience in trying circumstances. We believe in a God who is personal and we continue to ask that His will be done in our lives.

Wayman has had the maximum amount of radiotherapy that the brain can absorb so we will not be needing the mask again. The staff gave it to us on his last day, almost as a right of passage. He carried it out with pride, I wanted to throw it in the first rubbish bin! I don't think it will become a family heirloom in-spite of Wayman's "attachment" to it.

Post, post script

We watched the Magpies win the AFL premiership together. Wayman decided he didn't need to go back again, and we celebrated quietly. However I expect to find him watching replays as often as he can over the next few weeks!