Health, South Africa
Susan Colby
Accentuating the Positive

With the Russian madman causing mayhem in the world, I am really trying to maintain a positive outlook.

The war news is dominating and it’s difficult to avoid. But am very aware of how my mental health can affect my physical health, so I am attempting (and so far succeeding) to limit my news watching/viewing. I look at just enough to get a very superficial overview but even that is more than I want. I feel so sad for all the people affected by this megalomaniac!

Accentuating the Positive
Health, South Africa
Susan Colby
Chemo is Doing its Thing

Time flies by, even the chemo treatments. Yesterday was #5 of the planned 6. The results of my blood tests continue to be good. The cancer marker went from 301 to 187 this week. But not low enough to move on to the next stage. Dr. McCleave said they want to see it at around 30 which is quite a long way yet.

Chemo is Doing its Thing
Susan Colby
There’s Hot, and Then There’s HOT

When I came back to South Africa in 2019, I naturally gravitated to where I was born and grew up. And actually ended up in the what we used to call the village of Kloof. (It’s no longer a village!) Kloof is about 18 miles/29km from Durban and just on 1600ft/500km above sea level, giving the area a more moderate climate than Durban, usually being a good 10F less which was the case when I took Rodney to the park this afternoon. Plus less humid.

There’s Hot, and Then There’s HOT
Health, South Africa
Susan Colby
Chemo #4 Done, 2 to Go

The fourth treatment went as planned. Mick came with me so he was able to meet my doctor. It’s always good to have another set of ears in a consultation but this one was very straightforward because everything is going so well.

Chemo #4 Done, 2 to Go
South Africa
Susan Colby
A Massive Immune Booster

November 16 last year is the fateful day I got the definitive news that changed my life.

By then I ‘d been in hospital for 8 days going through tests and everything else that goes along with a cancer diagnosis. I’d just had laparoscopic surgery for a biopsy and the GYN/surgeon came to visit me after I had very gently been given the diagnosis. He’s a lovely man and from reading his bio, a pretty religious one as well. He said to me as he sat at my bedside, “Have you considered end of life?”

A Massive Immune Booster

ovarian cancer

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Chemo #3 Done and Dusted

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Chemo #3 Done and Dusted

Yesterday was treatment number 3. And for some reason I was very anxious about it, even knowing how easy and simple the first times were and how nice the people are that work there, the nurses and of course my doctor. But I got myself ready, which doesn’t take much, just my thermos of tea and a couple of snacks because I am there for four or five hours. And with Covid rules, they can’t provide food.

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Not a Road I Ever Planned to Travel

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Not a Road I Ever Planned to Travel

I really don’t even know where to start with this. It’s been a while since I posted, almost 6 weeks and so much has happened. So I’ll just jump right in.

This whole past year, from way before I headed to the States in May, I’ve been plagued with little, niggling health issues, none of which made sense or seemed associated with any other. I thought I was maybe becoming a hypochondriac, or imagining the awful reflux, the debilitating fatigue and trouble breathing and other inconsistent, niggling issues and never considered tying them together. There was just too much to do to be slowed down by any of it.