Final Watch and Sweat(Wait) for 2013 comes up clear - 4.5 years tumour-free

Had my last regular MRI scan for the year yesterday and it came up clear once again making a total of four and a half years tumour-free.

OLIGO SCORE CARD
Event	Date	Tumour-free years
First diagnosed after craniotomy #1	1/11/93	39
First recurrance and Craniotomy #2	1/11/06	13
MRI showing signs of progression	1-Jan-09	2.2
Second Recurrance and Craniotomy #3	29-May-09	2.2
Completed Radiation Therapy	28-Aug-09	0.2
Started Chemotherapy with Temozolomide	12-Apr-10	0.8
Completed 12 mth chemotherapy	1-Apr-11	1.8
Watch and Sweat(wait) #1	22-Aug-12	3.2
Watch and Sweat(wait) #2	24-Oct-12	3.3
Watch and Sweat(wait) #3	29-Jan-13	3.7
Watch and Sweat(wait) #4	27-May-13	3.9
Watch and Sweat(wait) #5	3-Sep-13	4.3
Watch and Sweat(wait) #6	3-Dec-13	4.5

Trekking the Manaslu Circuit, Nepal

 NOTE: Click on  photos to view full-size

Tea break on the second day(LtoR at the table: Kev, Cheryl, Karen, Bhoj(Bozz) our Guide)

Ganesh Himal as seen from Chumling in the Tsum Valley

One of many suspension bridges we crossed. This is a very new-looking steel model.

This part of our trail had been blasted out of a sheer rock cliff-face.  That's our guide(Bozz) up ahead with the blue pack.

We encountered many of these donkey trains on the trail moving goods between villages. Very nice animals, but their Poo didn't smell too good when you were slogging up a steep slope!

Kev on the trail high above the Budi Gandaki river below.

The kids are always cute, we met this little fella at Mache Khola

At the entrance gate to the village of Jagat: Cheryl, Bimod and Bim.

Cheryl on the trail near the village of Deng.

The Girls taking on yet another set of steps

This suspension bridge was a bit on the older side but there was no choice other than to use it really.

 Karen and Kev at a rest stop for the porters on the way to Chumling, first village in the Tsum Valley.

Steep country on the way to Chumling.

We frequently saw these Black Faced Langur monkies in the trees by the trail.

The unseasonal rain made the track very muddy in places and the walking less pleasant.

Nepali Princess at Namrung. (Note the shoes!)

Yak at the village of Lho where we stayed the night in a teahouse to get a reprieve from the rain.

Prayer flags everywhere at the Ghompa just outside the village of Lho.

Interesting power lines up the valley from Lho. Looks like a solid short-circuit to me, nobody is going to get any power from the Hydro station through these wires!

Our first glimpse of the mountains that had been hidden from us during six days of unseasonal rain.

A plethora of Prayer wheels at the entrance to  the Village of Sama Ryo. This is located close to the border of Tibet and the Tibetan Buddhist influence is strong here.

Approaching the high point in Larke La

At the High point in Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Larke La 5,160m

Our Porters getting stuck into their morning serve of Dal Bhat. Two serves of this power food (one at 10:00am and one at noon) kept them going all day. Incredible!

This is just an unnamed hill in Nepal according to our guide but with a dusting of snow from recent storms it sure looked impressive to me!

Dancing with the Porters at Dharapani

LtoR: Kev, Bhim and Shom dancing at Dharapani

Bimod dancing at Dharapani

Laurie's attempt at dancing with the Porters at Dharapani

Beautiful mountains loomed above us as we descended through the forest.

 For most of October and November Cheryl and I have been in Nepal with our bushwalking friends Kev and Karen McKloskey.
October was spent trekking the Manaslu Circuit (including a side trip to the Tsum Valley). At 28 days/160Km length it was really a little bit too long for me even though Cheryl and I took four rest days while the others went up the Tsum valley. Much as I hate to make excuses, I think I must be getting a bit too old for this trekking caper.

Anyway, at a fairly sedate pace, and with a lot of help from the Porters, I managed to complete the trek with the others and got over the pass at Larke La which at 5,160m was a real test and one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Cheryl, to her credit, also managed to complete the trek even though she was in pain from a bunion on her left foot.

Another Quarterly Watch and Sweat(Wait) comes up all clear - now 4.3 years tumour-free

Good News yesterday when the latest MRI scan showed no signs of any re-growth. My Oligo score-card is now showing that I am up to 4.3 years tumour-free.

OLIGO SCORE CARD
Birthday:	7/08/54
Event	Date	Tumour-free years
First diagnosed after craniotomy #1	1/11/93	39
First recurrance and Craniotomy #2	1/11/06	13
MRI showing signs of progression	1-Jan-09	2.2
Second Recurrance and Craniotomy #3	29-May-09	2.2
Completed Radiation Therapy	28-Aug-09	0.2
Started Chemotherapy with Temozolomide	12-Apr-10	0.8
Completed 12 mth chemotherapy	1-Apr-11	1.8
Watch and Sweat(wait) #1	22-Aug-12	3.2
Watch and Sweat(wait) #2	24-Oct-12	3.3
Watch and Sweat(wait) #3	29-Jan-13	3.7
Watch and Sweat(wait) #4	27-May-13	3.9
Watch and Sweat(wait) #5	3-Sep-13	4.3

Training to go Trekking in Nepal

L-R:Me, Cheryl, Kev and Karen

Cheryl and I had 10Kg packs on our backs while we trained on the slopes of Mt Gravatt on Sunday in preparation for our trip to Nepal with our good bushwalking friends Karen and Kev McKlosky.

In two and  half weeks time we are flying to Singapore on the first leg of our journey to Kathmandu, Nepal where we will be meeting up with Karen and Kev before setting off on a 25 day trek of the Manaslu Circuit(including a side-trip to the remote Tsum Valley near the border with Tibet) supported by Global Adventure Trekking, Kathmandu.

Alternative Medicine

When I tell people that I have a benign brain tumour it is amazing how many immediately assume that I will be seeking out the latest alternative cancer cure. Be it vitamins, herbs, juice diets or some other therapy, the fact that I don't even have Cancer does not seem to matter. There usually follows some anecdotal story about "Uncle Fred" who used this therapy and was miraculously cured after the [evil] Doctors told him there was nothing more they could do for him.The anecdote is meant to be evidence of the effectiveness of the cure and if I start asking more questions about Uncle Fred's specific case it usually does not take long before I am accused of being Closed Minded. I think alternative therapies would only be considered as a last resort if the patient had tried everything that evidence-based medicine had to offer. It certainly would not be a first option for me.

Australian comedian Tim Minchin sums it up beautifully in his hilarious YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U

Quarterly Watch and Wait(Sweat) shows I'm still on top of it!

At the Latest Watch and Wait(Sweat) checkup today Dr Walker noted that there are no signs of any regrowth.

So that means that I am still on top of this tumour. Yeeehaaaaa!!!

First Watch and Sweat for 2013 - All Good!

Got the results of my latest regular MRI checkup today and Dr Walker says it all looks good with no sign of re-growth. That's what we like to hear!!!