Beam me up Scotty!
One of the worst feelings, is waiting for results. I’ve done all the CT scans and blood tests and physical examinations, but now i’m waiting for the specialists/surgeons to look it all over and come to their conclusions for my meeting with them this Thursday. That means: Waiting. Lots and lots of waiting, and lots and lots of anxiety. People have said that i’m lucky not to be at work, lucky to have time off. I don’t think this is time off at all… work would be a welcome break to this, rather than this being a break from work. I’d give a limb to go back to work and have all this gone.
I’m still in a fairly significant amount of pain from the previous surgery too, which makes the waiting that much more difficult. While i’m finally able to walk around the house a bit, I still need pain killers to get through the day, and sleeping tablets to knock me out at night due to every movement in bed making me leg explode with pain. I never thought those last surgeries would create this much down-time. I’ve hurt myself a lot in my life… a decade of skating had me in hospital plenty of times with every single injury you could imagine… but in all of them, I was back on my feet in a couple days and back to normal in a week or 2. Here, they cut a few cm out of you, and you’re in writhing pain for 3 weeks, unable to walk, squat, sit, or even go to the bathroom without hurting.
The original tweeter... tweet tweet? (Yeah i know, bad joke 
)
Today I had most of the family come visit as a group, which was awesome. They brought yummy food from the deli, which was also awesome. Then they dragged my bed-bound butt across the road to the park to have a picnic, which was extra awesome. I still can’t get over that part of my treatment is to get some sun… it’s against everything you think you know about melanoma… but hey, the docs know a lot more about this than me, so off to the park we went and I got my 15 minutes of sun (followed by an hour or so in the shade) while I ate ricotta and ham sandwiches and fed a little bird that decided to hang out with me (see attached pic).
There’s not much else to write today… I just felt like throwing a post up here since it’s been a few days since i’ve updated the site.
Oh yeah, I also rebuilt the website as you probably noticed already, and activated the new domain, as I wanted something that better summed up what this site is about. My other domains still divert here, so no need to update anything if you don’t want… but CancerSucks.com.au is now the primary domain for this website. I’ve setup the Email Updates (sign up via the front page) as a fair few family members asked for that.
Lastly, don’t forget it’s Daffodil Day this Friday. I’ve always been one to support this (along with 1-2 other of the “_____ Day” events that have relevance to me)… but for obvious reasons this day now has a whole new meaning.
Greetings, Callan, from the depths of a Canberra winter. I wish we had frolicking birds like that down here, but I’ve noticed only a few bedraggled magpies with icicles hanging off their pertooties.
I edit for a living. I want to tell you that, if and when you get through this shit, you have a future as a writer. A little touch-up on minor points of punctuation, perhaps (can’t downvalue my own skills), but that’s trivial compared to the thrust of your prose.
Keep writing.
Hi Jim… thanks for the nice words. A few people have been commenting here telling me I should write more… it’s definitely encouraging, especially for a kid who couldn’t finish school!
I might just have to write a book about growing up in a squat and having a father who chained himself to warships for a living. I could call it… umm… “Growing up in a Squat, and having a father who chained himself to warships for a living”.
Hi Callan
I’m a friend of the father who chained himself to warships for a living. You certainly write as well as he does and I have no doubt you’ve got the same gutsy genes!
Bring on the book.
Wishing you all the very best from Cambridge, UK.
Polly
Hey Callan, you don’t remember me, I’m Jack’s wife – we might have passed each other in the street once or twice – I think you guys used to squat in that house at the end of our street? Just wanted to say I’m loving your writing – it’s funny, brave and totally inspiring – and seeing the responses you get back is fantastic … there’s a lot of love and good wishes for you out there in the world. Make a t-shirt with Hardcore Happy on it – that made me laugh – and I would definitely buy it.
Fingers crossed tightly for you.
cheers, Catherine
Hi Callan, Just letting you know we are all thinking of you over here in the west. My thoughts are with you every day. Love your cousin, Michelle.
Hi Michelle… thanks
When all this is over, i’ll have to bring Irene over there, she’s never been to WA… so a road trip might be in order.
That would be fantastic. As your Mum would have told you I now have baby #3 (don’t know what I was thinking haha) and finally had a girl. The boys are growing so big as well. Tyler is now 9 and Alex is 6.5. It’s been a couple of years since you last saw them.
Let me know when you do make it over here and there will be a bed for you and Irene here.
Hi Callan, I hope you remember me as Paul and De’s friend from Perth. Your writing shows great strength and will help you through your pain. Keep up your strength and positive thinking Callan. My wife (Tracy) and I send our love and healing wishes to you from Perth, WA.
Hey Callan,
wishing you all the best and just want to let you know that we here at Motociclo are thinking of you. Hope today went ok. Best wishes from Nicole, John and Luke at Motociclo
Thanks Nicole (and crew). CT scans went ok, now just waiting for the next big surgery. Hope everything at the shop is going well, can’t wait until I can come in again and see what you guys are working on. Being away from bikes for this long is painful. Can’t wait to ride again.