Weekend Update

We had a nice early morning on Saturday for Shaylie's soccer only to get to the ground and find that it had been called off.Shay was quite put out by that and it took her a while to get over it.Kal and I headed off to Sydney to watch the crusty demons do there thing.These guys are amazing with what they are able to do.No doubt there has been a multitude of broken bones and litres of blood spilt in perfecting these tricks.Kal really enjoyed himself even getting up out of his seat and cheering when the riders pulled off a mad trick.

After a late night after the drive home Kal and I had a good sleep in this morning.We had a quiet morning then we went out for lunch with a family we met in Sydney who were in town over the weekend.Mel and her two kids,Zac and Alani,are from port mcquarie and Alani has not long finished her treament for AML Leukemia.She's doing really well and it was so good to see her today with her hair back(still pretty short though)and seemingly back to normal.Tonight it'll be just getting ready to go back to Sydney for his last lot of chemo.It's going to be hard to leave as per usual but comforting in a way to know that this will be our last lengthy stay down there.

Out early

While sitting in hospital this morning Kal asked me if i thought they would give a gate pass.So i said why don't you ask the nurse.When the nurse came back and said that after his antibiotic at 2pm we could leave and come back at 8pm for his next antibiotic.She also said that his blood cultures would be back by then and if they are negative we could leave straight away.So we left at about 2:30 and got to enjoy a little bit of time at home before heading back.When we arrived back the nurse hooked the antibiotic straight away and while it was running she rang for the blood results.Thankfully it came back negative for infection and we were able to leave.His mouth is slowly getting better and the doctors in Sydney still want him down there on Monday for his next chemo.They want to check his mouth first but may delay it if they are not happy with the way his mouth is going.

Hectic few days

You would all be aware that it has been a few days since i last updated the blog.That is largely due to the fact that the last few days have been hectic to say the least.It all started on Monday when Kal's uncle Dave came to visit and we went out for a lovely family dinner then Karina and I went out for the night with David and his good friend Tamara.We had a great night then went for a tour around the vineyards the next day.Just when we thought that things couldn't get much better our attention quickly shifted to Kallan.We had been concerned for a few days at the sores that he had developed in his mouth.Mouth sores are a common side effect of chemo and the doctors said to keep a close eye on it as they looked pretty nasty.But on Monday night although seemingly feeling fine he developed a temperature and we had to bring him down to John Hunter.While he didn't spike a temperature again at all through the night and with his blood counts good the doctors were happy for us to go home.What a bonus we thought only to have him spike a temperature again the following evening.So it was back to John Hunter and this time there would be no early exit for us.Although feeling fine and his temperature again settling down by the time we got down there the doctors weren't prepared to let us go a second time.He'll have to spend the next few days in hospital having some antibiotics and hopefully he'll be discharged on Saturday morning in time for him to go to the Crusty Demons which is actually part of his birthday present.He's been waiting for a long time to go and see them and it would be heartbreaking for him if he were to miss out.We have to wait for the results of his blood cultures to make sure there's no infection.If they detect an infection it'll be 7 days at least and that'll put an end to Crusty Demons.Fingers crossed it won't come to that.

Weekend update

On Saturday it was Shaylie's birthday.She was so excited when she woke up.She came running into our room with a great big grin.I had a special treat for her courtesy of Ronald Mcdonald House.They gave her some tickets to go and see Lady GaGa and the Pussy Cats Dolls.I drove her and Chelsea down to the house first to pick up the tickets and then to Acer Arena.Despite not being my cup of tea it wasn't too bad.The girls loved it so that was the main thing.

Today we had a little party at Super Strike for Shaylie with all the family kids and all had a good time so I was told.I went down to New Lampton bowling club where my mate Dan Quinn and his rugby league club had put together a bowls day as a follow up from the fundraiser from last month.I new it was coming up but only found out the date today.His club,Western Suburbs Rosella's,said instead of donating money last time they wanted put on day at the bowling club.It was by no means on the same scale as the day at the Bradford but still very much appreciated none the less.It was the clubs idea and to think that everyone at the club apart from one player don't know any of our family and yet they still turned out to support us.A huge thanks to Wests and the players.

Back home

Kal finished his chemo today and was discharged straight away.As his chemo was getting close to finishing the doctor came in and reminded me about the injection Kal needs 24hrs after this particular chemo.We were initially disappointed because we thought it meant that it would be another day in Sydney.Thankfully our outreach nurse did some quick organising with John Hunter so that we could bring the injection home with us and then take it to John Hunter tomorrow.We had a good trip home and arrived just as Karina pulled our dinner out of the oven.A very nice welcome home.We get to spend 10 days at home before we return for our final stay in Sydney.We will have many trips back there but they will only be for a few days at the most.

Lastly I'd like to wish my little nephew Trey a happy 4th birthday.Shaylie and I went over to his place to give him his present and have a bit of his cake.He was so excited when we sang happy birthday he could hardly wait to blow the candles out.

Still going strong

Kal continues to feel good and is in pretty good spirits.We are stiil on track to come home tomorrow and i'll find out tomorrow when he is due to come back for his final two treatments.I couldn't help but smile writing that because it just seemed like this stage would never come.I know that he'll have ongoing tests and procedures done on his arm but this is going to be a huge milestone for him one which i can't wait for.I think there will be a party for that for sure.I haven't thought too much about what we'll do when we are at home.In all honesty I'm looking forward to coming back and getting it all over and done with.Don't think Kal is looking at it like that though

Back in for chemo

Today started as all admission days do,with a blood test.He also had an echo(heart scan) which isn't so much painful for him but it is quite uncomfortable.After probably our shortest clinic visit to date there was a question mark over bed availability.I honestly thought that was a thing of the past but it reared it's head again.Fortunately that question mark soon disappeared as we got a call from clinic to say to come back up ready for admission.We had a bit of a wait in clinic as they had to get his room ready.They hooked him up with chemo in clinic while we waited but it wasn't long before we were moved into camperdown ward.So far he's feeling fine with the only problem being his little Indian roommate who is quite vocal in a normal conversation and even more so when he wants something.Lets just say his requests have been more like demands,and often.If Kal continues to feel fine he can be discharged as soon as his chemo is finished which will be on Wednesday afternoon.I had a brief chat to his outreach nurse who has started to organise blood tests and physio at John Hunter so that we can come home after he is discharged.I still have to find out when he is due back and how long we get at home.

Stars of the show

Today Shaylie and her friend Rose were supposed to perform with a live band.Only problem was the live band didn't show up.Not to be put off by the small inconvenience the girls soldiered on regardless and produced a faultless performance which included a few dance moves not seen in previous performances.They only had a short while to put it all together as Rose only arrived at the house this morning.But put it together they did and with the band a no show they were definitely the stars of the day.Kal had a good day and he filled the roll of MC for the girls.He did it in the most cool and laid back fashion you would only expect from Kal.

Later in the evening we went to hogs breath for tea.Mum and Shaylie will be going home at some stage tomorrow so I thought we could do something nice.Apart from her singing Shaylie it seems has a very busy social calender with girls wanting to play left,right and centre.It seems as though all the girls are leaving tomorrow as well so there shouldn't be too much drama when it comes time for her to go home.

Featherdale wildlife park

Today,Kallan and I went to the Featherdale wildlife park.Kallan loved every bit of it and on the way home said that he definitely knows what he wants to do when he's older.Any sort of work with animals will do him fine and i bet he'd be good at it too.We took our time walking around making sure to see everything that was there.We got up close to the animals and feed the Wallabies,Kangaroos,Emus and other birds.We saw everything that there was to see and saw some things more than once.But I didn't mind one bit as it was great to see Kal in his element and chemo the last thing on his mind.

This evening also saw Shaylie and my Mum arrive in preparation for Shaylie's big performance tomorrow.There is a big day on at the house tomorrow sponsored by Westpac and there will be jumping castles,clowns,bbq,face painting and a live band.It just so happens Adrianne from the house has arranged for Shaylie and her singing partner Rose to perform a few songs with the band.You can just imagine how excited she is about it.She has confessed to nerves because her and Rose haven't had the chance to practise for so long.I'm sure it'll be another breath taking performance.

Out and about

After a fairly busy morning Kal and I decided to get out of the house.He had blood taken then off to physio and finally clinic.Our clinic visit wasn't too bad with a pretty short wait and then they gave him the all clear with his levels.We came back down the house only to find the carpet cleaners had just about the whole house blocked off and we couldn't even get into our room.So the decision to get out of the house was essentially made for us.We decided to go to the movies and watch the latest X-MEN movie.We both enjoyed it and although I was initially a little concerned with it being rated M I don't think there was too much in it that was over the top for Kal.I don't know how Hugh Jackman lives with himself with the way looks in this film.I can't imagine how any women would find the chiseled and muscular physique attractive and the fact that he has his shirt off for most of the film must be off putting for females the world over.Poor bugger.

Tomorrow Kal and I have arranged to visit Featherdale Wildlife park where anyone staying at the house can get free entry.It's just a matter of staff from the house contacting them to let them know we are coming and then all we have to do is turn up.Anyone who knows Kal will know how much he'll love it

Surprise Discharge

Just before lunch while out having a stroll around we got a call to come back to the ward for some meds and to have his obs done.Turns out they did have to do obs but for him to be discharged which did come as a shock.His levels were still a little above the required level but we were given some medication to take and he has to have blood taken in the morning.I noticed a huge change in Kal instantly when he was told he could go.We went for a drive in the afternoon because I needed some trackies as it's starting to get a bit chilly down here and I didn't pack any.We have a fairly busy day tomorrow but with Kal feeling really good Friday looms as a day out.I'll have a think about what we can do and hopefully come up with something fun.

Latest Update

On Monday morning Kal had his latest chemo and overall handled it pretty good.Just as his chemo was finishing he felt pretty crook but after some medication and a good sleep he started to feel much better.Although feeling good he was very upset when Karina and Shaylie had to leave.We would both love nothing more than to have them both down here the whole time but in reality that just can't happen.Shaylie has missed a fair bit of school already so Karina had to get her home.Kal was very upset they didn't stay a bit longer but so was Karina because making him upset like that was the last thing she wanted.It's hard for her to leave at the best of times but when he's like that makes it harder.But not long after that he settled pretty good and it wasn't long before he went off to sleep.He's coped pretty good today doing some school work,going for a walk around the hospital and down to the birds.He got a surprise visit from Poppy this evening and he was pretty happy about that.Methatrexate levels are still quite high so not expecting to be discharged tomorrow but Thursday is looking good.

A Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all the mum's in my life,especially my mum,and i hope you all had an enjoyable day.Happy Birthday also to my nephew Campbell who had his birthday party today.Hope you had a good one mate.Karina and Shaylie came down after Campbell's party and we went out for an early dinner so we could be back in time for Kal to go into hospital.We couldn't get into Hoggies or our other choice Pancakes on the rocks so we went for the local tavern which proved to be slightly disappointing.Shaylie showed off her one of a kind shooting style on the hunting arcade game at the tavern.Very,very entertaining i must say.Even shooting the icon to start the game proved to be a challenge and she celebrated accordingly with the few times she did hit the target.Kal will have chemo tomorrow and will probably stay until Thursday.It is unlikely he'll be discharged any earlier than that.Hope he can get through OK without too much discomfort.

Not much happening

It's been a pretty boring couple of days as of late.It's days like this that make you miss home even more.We are both looking forward to Karina and Shaylie coming down tomorrow as well as pop as he has a few days work in the area in the next few days.Should be a big day at the house tomorrow as there is sure to be some activities for all the mothers.Unfortunately for Kal it also means re-admission to hospital tomorrow night.I'm planning on taking the family out for an early dinner and then be back in time for Kal and I to go up to the hospital in preparation for chemo on Monday.

Discharged

Kal was discharged this morning making him very happy.He pestered the nurses about the methatrexate levels from the time he woke up and just maybe they thought we'll let him go no matter what the levels so we can get rid of him.I'm sure that wasn't the case but he must have been driving them up the wall.Kal had physio after getting out and he continues to make good progress and his physio worked him pretty hard today.Afterwards both Kal and I were feeling exhausted and both had a sleep for a while.We didn't do much after that just hung around the house and mingled with some other families

Getting Better

Kal continues to feel good but is still struggling with his emotions.He looks and feels fine but has little moments throughout the day where he feels depressed.He seems to think about and dwell on sad events or memories and he just can't get them out of his head.I think a lot of it stems from just being in hospital.I took him for a stroll outside today and he really enjoyed that.We are expecting him to get out of hospital tomorrow but if for some reason his levels don't come down enough and he can't come out I'll make sure he gets out of his room for a while.We're all hoping that he'll be discharged because I know that will go a long way to helping him emotionally.

Just a follow up on yesterday.I mentioned the possibility of an encore performance in the starlight room today.Well it did take place,and after some serious plugging from the captains on the starlight channel,a reasonable crowd had gathered and the pressure was on.Again they were aided by their trusty MC young Dominic and again they wowed the audience.There were cries of "more more" but they didn't have anything else prepared so they decided to open the floor for any aspiring performers to have their moment in the spotlight.Look out for the Today show on channel 9 on Friday as there may be an appearance of the now famous duo.Nothing is confirmed but talks are on going and their should be an appearance of some description as they will be at the house for a mothers day segment.

Feeling a lot better

Kallan woke feeling much better this morning wanting breakfast straight away.Although feeling better physically his emotions have been a little down.It's not unusual for him to get like this just after chemo.He was cheered up however when the Procter family paid us a surprise visit.They have been great supporters of our family and continually follow his blog leaving supportive comments.It was great to have them stop by.

You may recall from a previous post i mentioned a friend of Shaylie's named Rose.Well today the two of them got together and organised a performance for everyone in the house.They made out invitations with the names of the songs they were singing and handed them out to everyone.They set up there stage and had all seating arranged around it.Adrianne from the house got into the spirit of things and got a little P A system type thing and microphones for them.It was priceless fair dinkum.I happened to mention it to one of the captains from the starlight room and her and the other two captains working came down and joined the massive crowd that had assembled.Their 3 songs were a hit and they were hounded for autographs afterwards.The captains were so impressed they are talking about an encore performance in the starlight room tomorrow beamed live throughout the hospital via the starlight channel.Can't wait for that.

Doing it a bit tough

Kallan had his chemo this morning and just towards the end it started to take it's toll.He was feeling quite crook but slowly improved as the day went on.He seemed better by bed time but still a little way off his normal self.It'll still be a few days before he 's allowed out.Shaylie was really excited this afternoon after she was asked for an in house sleep over.One of her friends down here,Rose,asked her to stay in her room for the night and Shay jumped at the chance.I shouldn't have any trouble in getting Shaylie to school while she's here because Rose is going all week as well.Hopefully Kal might be up for some school work himself at some stage tomorrow depending on how things are going.

Sunday Update

This was supposed to be where I go on about the Tigers and how great the game was.Well it was still a great game but the result didn't sit well with any of us.The Tigers goal kicker couldn't kick a cat up the arse and it proved to be the difference.That's all i can bring myself to say about that subject.Later on last night Kallan was admitted into ward as planned and started his chemo at around 6am this morning.Hopefully all goes well and he'll be out in a few days feeling good and ready to go out and do something fun.Don't know what that will be just yet but we'll just wait and see.

Lazy Day

As the title suggests today was one of those days where you just can't get yourself going.We had a party at lunch time for little Georgia's 3rd birthday.Her and her family have been here longer than we have and she's just adorable.After filling up on party food I fell asleep watching one of Kal's new animal documentary dvd's.The day soon brightened up when shaylie arrived with Mum.As per usual she was a girl in demand with some other young girls awaiting her arrival.Kal's still doing well and he managed to get a bit of school work done today,off his own bat too I might add.He's also got his mate Mitch to hang around with which has been good for him.

Throughout the day I had soccer results filtering through to me.First up Shaylie rang to tell me that she went well and her team had a 1-1 draw.Mum tells me she did do very well but came off late in the game due to an ankle problem.Then it was my niece Monica who said that they had a 2-2 draw and both her and my nephew Hayden tried their hardest.Then later in the afternoon news had filtered through of a great result for the mighty Warriors.I'm reliably informed that the boys tried their guts out and that all tackles were below shoulder height.They went down 3-1 and before you say "what great result" believe me when i say the boys would be wrapped with that.The team we were up against are renowned front runners so I'm sure the boys will take the 3-1.

Back to it

It was up nice and early to leave for Sydney so we could be there in time for an appointment.He had a kidney function test which actually goes over 4hrs but we're not stuck up at the hospital for that long.It's only for about 5mins every hour.The break home was fantastic and it's definitely what I needed.I feel refreshed and I think Kal feels the same.There's also that feeling of how close we are to the end of chemo but I'm trying hard not to get too far ahead myself.It seems when you start making plans is when delays start happening but he's been feeling great so let's hope that it stays that way.Kal and I had night out at the footy tonight watching the eels and the cowboys.A guy from the eels dropped off some tickets at the house this morning so Kal and I went along with some others from the house.It was a good night but the big one comes on Sunday when the tigers take on the dogs and I just pray the boys can get up over the doggies.

Shaylie and Mum are coming down tomorrow after Shay plays soccer.She can't wait for the footy because she wants to get her Jersey signed.I hope i can get it signed otherwise she won't be happy.I'll do my best.