February 2024

• 1992 -32 years ago I made a career decision to move to Cork
• 1994 – 30 years ago this week Established a new courier concept in Cork
• 1999 – 24 years ago a business venture took me to Lanzarote
• 2004 – 20 years ago I returned briefly to Dublin and back to Cork in 2005
• 2007 – Business again got me moving to both the UK and Portugal
• 2008 – I returned yet again to Cork.
• 2010 – I established my first transport business since 1988.
• 2014 – 10 years ago on the 14th of February I was first diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma Cancer
• 2015 – I was placed in remission
• 2016 – I started relapsing
• 2017 – I relapsed and forced to liquidate my business. Terminally diagnosed with Stage 4 Multiple Lymphoma
• 2018 – 6 years ago my Mum passed away shortly after I was placed in remission
• 2019 I was back working
• 2020 – I got Covid 19, basically forced to work from home which resulted in unemployment for the first time since leaving school in 1980.
• 2021 – With zero hope of achieving employment we moved to Kerry
• 2023. – Following the loss of our close friend Terry Green in September, We decided to make some serious changes basically a 3 part plan, and the first was to sell our home. From decision to sell to actual sale took only 6 weeks. Destination unknown
• 2024 – Some serious medical issues are been dealt with, and sorted. But establishing a new home in Ireland for February 2024 ended up finding a perfect house in the beautiful Co Galway- this is a big move, over 320klms. But we needed this change.

It’s the second part of our plan.
The house I bought is in a small village in North Galway. All our medical history will be transferred to Galway. My medical file is like a two book encyclopaedia, it’s massive.

My history with February has rarely been good especially 14^th of February. 2014

I was initially diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma on the 14^th of February 2014. 10 years ago.

Anita’s birthday just happens to be the 14^th of Feb – Back in 2014 the news we got ruined her birthday and all these years later we find it difficult to enjoy Valentine’s Day .

Happy birthday Anita 654 years young today and you didn’t look a day over 60.

But as each year passes and we continue to be both in remission the attempt to really have a blast is getting better and better. Yes we are both in remission. As these articles are based on my own experience with cancer people tend to forget that Anita also had a serious battle with a Stage 3 Cancer called VIN in 2020.

Update on scans

Just an update on my last scan on 12^th January because my ESR was excessively high, normal range less than 14 mine was 55 following my last IVIG.

My Oncologist called me an hour later when I was nearly home to say he had a medical alert from radiology to say I had acute diverticulitis and needed to be admitted immediately. I’ve had diverticulitis since 2008 but it only flares up a few times. I decided against hospital as I tested positive on an antigen test but got my GP to prescribe antibiotics on Monday. My oncologist wanted to refer me to a specialist I had met before  – back in 2008 I had a serious disagreement with him to the point where the head nurse told him to leave the room as he was not only upsetting me but 2 other patients in the room. He told me back them “to face up to the fact I’d be on a colostomy bag for the rest of my life” 16 years later and no bag. I recall my answer back then as “You have not preformed any physical test on me, nor have you decided to do a colonoscopy – I can assure you that you will never place your hand on me” which was actually greeted by a round of applause in the room.  

Bad bouts of diverticulitis can really cripple me, I’ve had 2 bad ones in 14 years, I can hardly walk when it hits but this one is nowhere near as painful. I managed to get antibiotics from by GP.

Diverticulitis – Diverticulosis occurs when small defects in the muscle of the wall of the large intestine or colon allow small pockets or pouches (diverticula) to form. Diverticulitis is infection or inflammation of these abnormal pouches. Together, these conditions are called diverticular disease

29^th of January I met with another consultant regarding a Triple A  – Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) occurs when atherosclerosis or plaque buildup causes the walls of the abdominal aorta to become weak and bulge outward like a balloon. An AAA develops slowly over time and has few noticeable symptoms. It was first noted during chemotherapy in 2014.

Back then it measured 3.8cm which really just requires monitoring. In 2017 it was 4.8cm but only requires medical intervention above 6cm. So my oncologist decided last year to have this monitored by a Vascular Surgeon. Monitoring a AAA is not invasive and is done by ultrasound. I had this checked in Nov 2023 and it was 4.85cm. But the specialist wanted to meet me and so the visit.

In my CT NTAP in January the AAA was noted by the radiologist but as 15mm x 15mm. Which is substantially lower than 4.85cm. Anyway I decided to ask the consultant. But before I could he had commenced talking, basically explaining that the AAA was unchanged at 4.85cm…. keeping in mind that this was my first meeting with the specialist I decided to provoke a reaction, already understanding how stupid the question was I asked it anyway. “ Can a Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair itself or reduce in size” – the expected answer with a smirk “ Absolutely not, I wouldn’t have a job if they did” . So I produced the CT NTAP. Keeping in mind that the CT scan is a more defined and detail scan than an ultrasound. He took one look at the report and went “It’s a type error I will do an ultrasound and show you” and he did, but the ultrasound showed the aneurysm at 4cm. I questioned that result as it was .85cm smaller than previous investigations . My questions fell on deaf ears, the answer was that they would check again in 6 months. BTW this 15 minute meeting cost me €200. Did I get answers NO. But my concern about the “Type error” in a CT NTAP really alarmed me. Ultimately my continued health centers around scans like CT NTAP – The results are reports are constantly double checked. As a Stage 4 Cancer patient I would expect that there would be absolutely zero room for mistakes. And because of this answer my next meeting with my oncologist 3 days later will be interesting.

1st of February 2024. Oncologist meeting. OMG

What a meeting and so much information. This meeting took nearly an hour but I did walk away feeling overwhelmed.

First and most importantly I continue to be cancer clear. 6 ½ years following my stem cell transplant. My oncologist felt that my treatment is now set as a procedure used for other cancer victims with multiple lymphoma. He wants to continue monitoring me until Feb 2027 at which point he will officially discharge me.

It gets better

I have been struggling since my Stem Cell Transplant with my immune system. It was starting to recover until I caught Covid in 2020. Covid destroyed any part of my immune system that remained. After multiple pneumonia attacks in 2022 a decision was made for a trial with IVIG.

I’ve had a few infections but nothing close to pneumonia. Since 2022 I have had 7 of these treatments. Since 2023 IVIG is recognised as not only a treatment for Immunosuppressive but also an anti cancer therapy. It works. My IG levels are better than when I was diagnosed in 2014. Its unbelievable and such a great achievement for the medical team.

CT-NTAP. I mentioned to my Oncologist about the “type error” on the triple a – he was not impressed and ordered a complete review of the scan.

So I have beaten Stage 4 Terminal Lymphoma twice, beaten Type 1 Chemotherapy induced diabetics and it appears that I have restored my immune system. The oncologist uses my medical history in all his lectures and conference.

If I have achieved anything in this life it is my battle with Cancer, most likely my legacy .

Due to the house move we have decided to change my Medical Hub.

I will not be changing my oncologist and will remain with him for years to come

• My Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)  will be assigned to a new vascular surgeon but not urgent
• My Diverticulitis is currently been treated by antibiotics and will need to be followed up very soon when I move
• My blood pressure will also be monitored but nothing unusual for a person in their 60’s
• My ESR levels are back to normal and research is currently under way to see if my ESR level jump was because of diverticulitis. When I say back to normal its still double what it shoud be, but has dropped from 55 to 35. Just need to see it drop to below 20. I will have another blood test a few weeks after we complete our move.
• I will be changing my GP but that can wait for a few weeks until we settle in.    

The House

And now my next challenge is to refurbish the house. It is bigger than we initially wanted but simply couldn’t refuse the value for money that this house presented. The purchase was not easy, I know I can be pushy when it comes to buying or selling but I have spent years finding a great legal team and to be fair my lawyer is extremely professional and reactive. I have meet some great auctioneers and some terible ones. From my own business background I fail to understand why auctioneers don’t look at the bigger picture, but from Offer made to accepted took 2 weeks, getting documents over to legal to speed up everything and close the deal. I set a new personal record, from offer to purchase in less than 4 weeks. The Irish market normally takes from 3 months to 12 months.

List of to do items

• Repair incoming mains water
• Repair all plumbing
• Repair/replace heating system
• Install alarm system including internet connection
• Install CCTV system including internet connection
• Curtains and blinds
• Repair all doors
• Replace all sockets and light switches
• New flooring
• Repair/replace kitchen
• Repair/replace all toilets and bathrooms
• Repair/Replace fireplace
• Seal all walls
• Repaint all rooms
• Set up WiFi integration to lights and heating.
• Repair surrounding fence and gates
• And my favourite – design and layout the garden  
• And on and on and on – Its a long list

And items I will need to get help with include an insert fireplace stove

I really enjoy doing this kind of work, its not so much DIY but years of experience.

My dad thought me how to cement and build, my Mum was an incredible gardener. And the rest is all self taught. Since a young age I have enjoyed building electronics. I had my own small Security Company in the early 90’s, the alarms helped to understand CCTV and new technology has helped so much. Painting and decorating is enjoyable and relaxing, generally I tend to have the ideas long before starting a project. The flooring and tiling are again easy for me. This will be my third personal renovation but about my tenth overall project.

All going well I’ll get the keys on the 16th……..

The 3 Part plan

First was to sell our house in Kerry to help our deflated savings

Second was to find a cheaper home, which was a total success. Helps with trying to retain some emergency funds. Anita may start the before and after photos …….

Third Part A Buy a nice caravan, our pets are our babies. My African Grey parrot Harry is now 23 and our little Jack Russell Alfie is two. We really wanted to be able to travel with them both so the best answer is to caravan with them. My parents loved caravanning and it’s the way I grew up. The vast majority of airlines do not allow parrots onboard which is strange “Sorry your bird is not allowed to fly”. When I returned in 2004 to Ireland he was allowed onboard Iberia Airlines from Lanzarote to Barcelona, the connecting Aer Lingus flight to Dublin was iffy but because all the reservation clearly defined that Harry was actually a parrot they had no choice. I had paid for his seat which the airline decided he must stay on my knee and give up his seat. Ryan Air and Aer Lingus do not allow pets onboard. But we can board a car ferry to most destinations and hence our desire to get a caravan. We will be free to visit family in the UK without much bother. I have a particular caravan in mind that will allow all of us comfort and room.

  

Both of them have Pet Passports. And the caravan will be specially adapted to suit all our needs

Third Part B . That’s a surprise that we will write about soon….

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Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. The information in these articles are based on my personal experience and research, and it’s not meant to be a replacement for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your lifestyle, especially if you have any pre-existing medical conditions. The site is about Awareness to Lymphoma and explores my own medical, mental and physical approach to therapy and continues into Living with Cancer.

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