With Sadness

We are very sad to inform everybody that Georgia passed away yesterday- Tuesday 2nd October 2012. Georgia was surrounded by love & peace in her own home, as she wanted. Her humor & courageous spirit continued until the very end. We are thankful to have shared this walk alongside her. Her bravery & determination is an inspiration to everyone. May she Rest in Peace. 

Georgia's funeral service will be held on Monday the 8th October, 11am at Mill Park Baptist Church- 11 Morang Dve, Mill Park. Light refreshments to be served afterwards in the church hall.

A Reminder from Georgia Anastasiou - Love your life!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

                                                                                                                                  Nelson Mandela

Hot Springs Heaven- 21st sep 2012

A new phase of care.....

Today was a difficult day. We found out that the tumours are growing very actively, based on last week's CT scan. It confirmed what I was feeling as my body continues to morph completely out of proportion.

The Sarcoma team believe it is time to come off the chemotherapy treatment. They also believe that further treatment may have more costs than benefits to my system which is no longer as robust. We will consider some options, but I need all of you to know all aspects under consideration are palliative from now on.

Pain managent and wellbeing will be our focus. Trust me, this is a big deal as I am beginning to be quite sore a lot of the time. The medication tends to make me quite vague and drowsy.

I am down but not out and at peace with this whole thing. Thanks to you all for continuing to travel this road with me!

Love Your Life,
Georgia

Cycle 4 underway

Hi Folks,
It's high time for an update. I have had the next lot of chemo a week ago and I am feeling OK. My pain meds have been slightly adjusted so I am feeling quite drowsy at the moment.

A big week is coming up with a CT scan on Wednesday 12 Sept. It could be a test that either keeps me on or takes me off treatment. The Dr is definitely concerned that I will probably start experiencing complications in the near future. The tumours are so large that the pressure on other organs makes this inevitable. The follow-up appointment for this will be on 19 Sept to get the verdict. 

As I walk/shuffle around, I also know that I am doing relatively well as far as mobility is concened. I need assistance some of the time, and going out shopping is definitely fun when I can do it. Last week, we used a wheel chair to get more mileage out of our trip.  I still use the walker most of the time, but can't go as far with it.

The lymphatic massages are definitely still helping to shift things around and are aslo helping with toxicity levels. I will stick to having these for sure!

I am feeling OK in general, just needing a bit more support at home with practical, hands-on jobs. Thanks to the sisters and Sarah for the constant help.

Cheers to Cousin Mary-Jo for her special visit to Melbourne!

Love your Life,
Georgia

Reality Check

It has been a more difficult Chemo Cycle this time. I have felt the effects of Cycle 3- perhaps I was taking the nice run of chemo cycle 1 and 2  for granted.

I have been lying low, just going through the motions and responding to all my appointments. It is hard to guage progress as I have had no formal testing done. I am still working on the whole digestive process and it is always a delicate balancing act to stay relatively well. I have to try to eat enough and in particular, try to eat/drink an adequate amount of protein.

I now have contact with Melbourne City Mission- Palliative Care. They are visiting me every fortnight and it is great to have a team independent of the Peter Mac Hospital who offer advice and practical support. At this point, I am accessing advice on pain medication and bowel issues, but will also get support from their allied services as required. They will aslo step up when I require specialised furniture at home to assist me to remain as comfortable as possible at home. They will also cover the cost of large items which is great to know!

At the moment, I am OK, but we have had to adjust the bathroom slightly so I can get in and out of the bath to have a shower. We have also raised the toilet seat so that it is easier for me to get up and down. The edema in my lower torso is persistant, but I do get relief from the lymphatic massages.

This week the problem has gotten slightly worse, and I am not walking as freely- small changes in mobility for the worse are huge for me. I am definitely worried about the progressive loss of physical independence and it will be a challenge for me to face not being able to walk in the future.

I have a big week coming up - a series of appointments which will all be helpful. On Sunday, another lymphatic massage, Monday the podiatrist, Tuesday cousin arrives from the US- yey!,Wednesday the  sarcoma soft tissue clinic with the Sarcoma Specialist to discuss progress and the next treatment cycle amongst othe things...., Thursday a Palliative Care visit, then another nurse visit with Peter Mac at home service for bloods to be taken and the PICC line dressed. Finally, should all be well Cycle 4 Chemotherapy will take place on Fiday/Sat with an overnight stay at Peter Mac hospital.

Finally, a dedication from me must now be given to another fellow-blogger and LMS'er. To Karen who shared her amazing life experience and her 4 year long journey with LMS- thank you for the humour and the wisdom, you are amazing. May you rest in peace!

To Karen who loved her life,

Georgia

Cycle 3 Yondelis

Update:  Cycle 3 chemo starts today, I am just waiting on the hospital to call and let me know they have a bed ready for me.... It could be a long wait again. I am hopeful that all will go well with my bloods (taken yesterday) and that all my tested levels are in the acceptable range.

I have been travelling reasonably well, not doing a great deat physically, but enjoying good company and following the Olympics religiously.....

The Lymphatic massage idea is working out - small steps are helping but it is fairly intensive and requires persistance. It is making a small difference and hopefully we can train a few people in how to do it to ease the load.

The botton line is that my abdomen has totally blocked my lymphatic  system , there is a little hope that we can encourage the flow back into my upper body to ease the pressure off my legs. We shall continue to try to work on this issue.

I will be in hospital Friday night and Saturday at this stage so I expect to be home again late Staurday evening if all goes according to plan. I am feeling positive about this chemotherapy and continue to hope that it will stablilise the growth of my tumours and possibly even help with some shrinkage to ease the pressure off my abdomen.

Thankyou for your prayers and acts of kindness,

Love Your Life,
Georgia

Tumour Trajectory Transition.....

Ok, I mean............ GOOD NEWS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tumours are stabilizing. Some now have remained the same size as the previous scan and some are slightly larger. The Yondalis (Trabectidin) Chemotherapy is doing "something". It has changed the trajectory growth rate of the lesions. It has slowed down significantly. This is outstanding news.

The Sarcoma Specialist is optimistic that the treatment can continue to modify the growth of the cancer and it may impact on the composition of the tumours. It will take more time to have its potential full impact, so treatment will continue as scheduled. Cycle 3 will occur on Friday 10 August where I will have an overnight stay at Peter Mac.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to trying out a Lymphatic massage this Friday. Hopefully, it will help to improve my mobility in my legs.

Thanks to all for your many messages of encouragement, love, prayers and support.
God bless you all!

Hanging with the nephews

Love Your Life,
Georgia