since I wote a blog.
Truth is I’ve been somewhat poorly over the past few weeks, 2016 hasn’t started as auspiciously as I would have wished; I’m still breathing at least I think I am, so all is not too bad.
I’ve been getting quite a hammering from my nether regions, it’s not a constant pain, which for some obscure reason I can put up with without too much bother, but the pains being sent up over the past 3 weeks are sudden, often, and believe me, unwelcome. It’s as if there is some monster lurking deep in my abdomen taking great delight in giving me a nasty start every so often when I’m least expecting.
Kind of reminds me of that creature in one of the Star Wars movies, the one where Luke is going to “Walk the Plank” into the jaws of someĀ hideous creature, and every now and then decides to gobble up a bit more of whatevers left inside me! 
This monster only rears it’s ugly head when I am perpendicular, never when I’m horizontal so you may very well imagine I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on my back. Ā Sometimes it grabs me whilst sitting, which for some reason I find more disconcerting than when I’m perpendicular even though it’s not as violent. ā
There have been days when I haven’t/can’t be bothered,Ā to boot my computer, others when I’ve booted it, then haven’t bothered doing anything; some days I’ve read some email, checked in on Bloggers I follow, and made the occasional comment but not often and, I imagine, seemingly without much enthusiasm! Ā š³
A couple of weeks back I had to drag myself along to see the lovely Michelle the Dietician and she was somewhat upset at what she saw, I’d apparentlyĀ dropped 5 kg since last we met and this seemed to cause her some concern. It seems I am barely above the danger zone of 65 kg, she and God, aka Dr Uno Hoo, want me up around 70-75 kg.
So with her new orders ringing in my ears I left, but I have to appear before her again in 4 weeks time, instead of the normal 3 or 4 months, so that she can check if there is any improvement and if not what stepsĀ she will take to ensure I put on weight.
Now that I’ve got started again I’ll get back to finishing posts that are sitting in my draft thingy; hopefully. but first a bit of rest! 
You may also notice I’ve changed the theme, again, I like this one so I might just go and keep it for a while; hopefull I’ve left the comment button whatever intact if not then I’ll be in the dark not knowing if anybody is reading my rubbish! š
LordBeariOfBow 
I hope you get to feeling better. Have you talked to your Doctor regarding these pains, if not then you should.In the mean time i will have a little chat with the man upstairs and see if he can help.
Lisa
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Hello Lisa, š Yes I’ve had a chat I’m going for some tests and some sort of scan this week, Glad you came on so quickly it remended me to ring and make the appointment for the scan:) getting forgetful
Don’t worry about the man upstairs, we fell out a loooong looong time ago š
Must go have to ring and make the appointment now š
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well the man upstairs still likes me, so i’ll put in the request. LOL
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Well I’ve made the appointment and it won’t be pleasant I need to fast which is the last thing I need to do, my insides will be going through hell š„
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Oh Beari, so sorry to hear you’ve been under the weather. What you describe sounds extremely unpleasant and is undoubtedly exhausting. In your place I’ve no doubt I’d be horizontal 24/7. Hope they have some magic diet that will make you gain weight and hopefully feel better too.
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Thank you PT,it really is quite unpleasant, I barely touched the surface but all will be well I’m feeling confident and optimistic.
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I’m sorry to say I’ve been so preoccupied lately that I’d missed the lack of your casual barbs. My bad, more so because I did not even think to ask.
Whatever the monster is, I hope it can be tamed, and sooner rather than later. Also, what’s with not keeping in touch? A man’s should pay heed to his responsibilities, and speaking up on a regular basis is one of them.
Get with the program, will you?
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Aye, Aye Captain š I need courtmartialling been slack and in dereliction of my duties which will never do for an Englishman š
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Oh dear Lord, Beari, you are going through the mill. Let’s hope that the experts get to the bottom of it. Or the stomach of the matter (weak joke). I clarified with my brother that his was at the bottom of the oesophagus and top of the stomach. What they have left him with is neither one nor the other, but after removing the tumour, the surgeon/s fashioned a receptacle they refer to as his stomach. He was here for brunch a few days ago. He managed scrambled eggs, a few mushrooms, and a piece of sourdough bread with the crusts cut off. Plus several mini muffins. Washed down with soda water. He seemed to survive that, and managed to drive home (an hour away). I haven’t heard from him since though, so who knows if he was in agony all the way. His weight also dropped to around 60kg, but I think he is around 70kg now. His wife used to feed him up with liquid calories, such as sustagen and those other milky energy breakfast drinks, plus double cream and ice-cream in everything he could swallow, etc, etc, etc.
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Sounds pretty much like my diet, that Sustagen stuff makes me gag and I have to force it down and I too cannot eat the crust of bread now. Mushies usd to be a favourite as were eggs but I can’t touch those either. Sounds like your brothers cancer was in the same spot as mine and I had the total gastrectomy and it sound very much like your bro did too. Does his scar run from North to South or East to West? Thats a ? I’d like to know the answer to. š
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He has so many scars, not only from the op, some are from the feeding tube and drains, maybe even one running around to his back? I might have that last mixed up with someone else, otherwise that would suggest east-west. I’ll try to find out from him when the conversation next allows it. Have you tried those milky drinks that come in the little tetra pack with a straw? He used to sip at those, it would take two or three ” meals” to finish a little one of around 250ml size. Had to remind himself to eat. Maybe even set an alarm on his watch or phone to go off every hour or two. And perhaps try those little bite size muffins – it’s less daunting visually than the thought of trying to digest an entire muffin or cake. I d hope you are feeling better soon. I can only reassure you that he got down to that scraggy skin and bone and no colour in the face look too, and now he looks well: lean, but not skinny, and full fleshed in the face, healthy colour, not gaunt. Even his hair looks good again – needs a cut actually!
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That’d be right I have 5 from the drains and tubes, until I was put on the first liquid food I was fed through a tube that went in through the nose, most uncomfortable as I wasn’t allowed any food or water, or anything by mouth whilst it was in; 9 days without anything passing the lips it was torture come the finish. The usual main cut is done North/South but a few minutes before I was wheeled into the theatre Doc Sandroussi came and told me that there was a chance and suspicion that the cancer had spred to the liver and he would therefore be going in East to West and if the cancer had spred he would just sow me back up and put me on chemo. I said thanks very much Doc you could have told me that before I went through the past 2 hours. It took 2 hours to prepare me for the surgery š
That Sustagen is the milky drinks with the staw, Doc S told me don’t worry about it drink beer instead
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My bro’ had to have chemo before, to shrink the tumour to a size the surgeon would deal with. The chemo nearly killed him. Six weeks of hell. Couldn’t get off the bed. Three different types, including a bag that he had to wear every day that infused “poison” through a PICC line direct to the stomach. The PICC sealed over, caused a clot in his neck, and no one could tell him where the chemo solution actually went, but the bag was empty and the PICC was shut – so it went somewhere. Then, despite all the follow up scans and diagnostic tools, no one would tell him the size of the tumour pre and post chemo. But the surgeon told him same thing, if he wasn’t satisfied that he could remove it, he would just sew him back up again. In the event, he was six hours in op and three weeks in intensive care. We advised him to lap up the care and attention he was receiving in IC, even though there were bells and buzzers going off all the time, because when he went on the ward he could expect to be whistling dixie. Sure enough, he hated the general ward experience and checked himself out at 6am about a week into it. Then he was advised to have follow up radiation and chemo and he declined both. I could sound him out on whether he was prepared to have a private phone call with you if you wished to discuss details. Can’t guarantee he would be up for it, but I could always ask. The beer strategy doesn’t work for him. I think he used up his allocation as a young man. I’m nine years younger – I can tell you, I got an education eaves-dropping on him and his CMF mates when they were have a beer-drinking, cigarette-smoking, swearing session!
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I think I was very fortunate to strike Doc Sandroussi and the RPA, He is their leading specialist and teaches at Sydney Uni, he’s actually Professor Sandroussi but he prefers Doctor or even first names I just cannot brin n=myself to call him anyhing but God. Somehow I don’t think the idea of discussing details grabs me it’s something that I haven’t even witten about and I suspect your bro will feel the same way, it’s our own private thing that we wallow in all the gory details š
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I agree. But I thought I would throw it out there just in case. Like being kindred members of a secret club.
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Some club š
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hahadehahahaaa – it’s very exclusive. š
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and one of which I did not wish to be granted a membership š„
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Was he a Nasho like me? Army and CMF?
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No. His mate was. We just talked about that last weekend. My brother was strictly CMF. Took his chances with the marble and struck it lucky. A third mate did not join the CMF and saw Vietnam as a Gunner. BTW, in the CMF they had a Hungarian sergeant who had been tossing molotov cocktails in the tracks of Russian tanks, so he took their training drill VERY seriously.
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No marble in my day. we all went in, wouldn’t have missed it for the world š
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Mmmm, remind me which year we are talking about? I know you migrated from the UK . . . but can’t remember the exact timing.
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Arrived in Melbourne 7th April 1951 went into Nasho’s in 53; in 1952 tried to get ito the Fleet Air Arm; as it was then called but turned out I was colour blind,
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I was born in 1955 š So my memories are of the “boys” in 1962+. Many of them went to Vietnam. None considered it a fun time, and none of them came back the same person they went. You must have hit that sweet spot between Korea and Vietnam š
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Korea was winding down when I went in, I did voluteer to go there but they told me not to be stupid, I was one of those idiots that whenever a voluteer was called for it was always me that stepped forward, which actually paid off as they finished up giving me all the cushy jobs. š
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The way I remember it, when the man in charge called for volunteers, that was followed immediately with “you, you and you.” So glad it paid off for you! One of the theories behind how Tito got his name is that it translates as “you – that!” and he was fond of dishing out the orders during WWII.
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It paid off so well that they offered me a commission which I gracefully declined. š
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Milord, so dreadful to hear you are fighting monsters and demons. I feel for you. It must be exhausting.
Just to let you know that I thinking of you and wishing you well, and shall ask to have your name put back on the St Brendan’s Sick List.
The healthiest of wishes.
Ira
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Thank you Ira, I do think a coffee woth pleasant companions will do me more good than interference from my upstairs chum š
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Milord, dreadful monsters, horrid pain. So sorry that you are having such a rough time. Shall pop your name back on the St Brendan’s Sick List. Should never have taken you off, but after seeing you the last time, you looked so well and sprightly, and I thought there was no longer any need.
Just to let you know that l am wishing you all the best and well. Have also left a post on your blog, I think that is what it is called. The modern life is getting too much. Ira
On 25 January 2016 at 12:49, LordBeariOfBow wrote:
> LordBeariOfBow posted: “since I wote a blog. Truth is I’ve been somewhat > poorly over the past few weeks, 2016 hasn’t started as auspiciously as I > would have wished; I’m still breathing at least I think I am, so all is not > too bad. I’ve been getting quite a hammering from my neth” >
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Thanks Ira I received both messages and when next we meet I’ll explain the easy way o doing a comment š
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Brian,
my rib is much better and Fr John has given me a Blessing, so could we, Ira you and me, have coffee at your favourite coffee shop, on a Sunday after-noon.
Neill.
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How abot this coming Sunday, Kerry Coco & Sarah are off to the bush on Friday for a few days and I’m going to enjoy some perfect peace and what would be nicer than meeting a couple of friends for a coffee. Do they serve coffee at the ‘Vic” by any chance?
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Well I’m glad somebody gave you a blessing but I think all thnks to Doc Di is the WTG š
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At least I still see your sense of humor shining through!
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I think that’s my big problem GP and the reason my family don’t take me seriously when I say I’m not feeling the best. Pity is Spike Milligan has already taken the epitaph that I’d have liked. š
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Brian,
what a pity we can’t aggregate our weights and divide by two, then we would be the right weight for both our dieticians. I will contact Ira and we will go for that coffee, when you feel up to it.
Neill.
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