Most Recent Followup

November 24th, 2009

Hi everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I had my MRI scan that had been scheduled after the October meeting with my oconolgist. Last Thursday we met with him to review the results of the scan. It turned out the scan was specifically limited to the liver, so it is unclear what if anything might be happening elsewhere, but the liver results were reassuring. Three tumours measured slightly smaller, three slightly larger. Like the CGA and 5HIAA results the previous month, a mixed result, which my oconolgist interprets as pretty much nothing is really going on, status quo so to speak. He is agreeable to putting me on Lanreotide if I wanted.

Leonie and I discussed this later, and we both agreed, that even if the symptoms, which are mild at worst, are directly related to the Carcinoid; that the real benefits to lanreotide would be the prevention of any damage to the heart valves (a side effect of too much tumour generated seratonin in the blood stream. Even more importantly, results from other parts of the world have shown a fairly consistent if unintended side effect is the reduction in size, or in some cases the dissappearance, of carcinoid tumours.

Our plan is to approach our GP for the script, but if he has a problem qualifing for it, my oconolgist will help him out (it is a little unusual for a GP to prescribe anti-cancer drugs here). I am sure it will be helpful, not only that, but the monthly shot is in the arm not the bum!

I will continue with the semi-annual blood and urine marker tests to track any change in activity.

I continue to feel fine, and I am working as hard as ever. This week I hope to start my flight training for my pilots license (ultra-light aircraft). This should be really fun, a bit challenging, and something I always wanted to do. Consequently, Leonie’s birthday present to me was the flight training.

Take care out there all of you and take care of each other,

Eric

Posted in Carcinoid Cancer, procedures | 4 Comments »

Time for a Catch Up

October 31st, 2009

Hi everyone,

I’ve been a bit lax in keeping my blog going… just so many irons in the fire, I sometimes forget to pull one or two out. We have been extreamly busy these last few months. Leonie and I just got back from our second two week business trip to China in the past five months (actually Leonie’s third, my second). Both have been great and fascinating tirps, very fruitful and we met many new and old friends. This last visit was my first visit to Qingdao, and what a lovely city. Qingdao was the sailing venue for the 2009 Bejing Olympics, and I can see why. Very modern, clean, unpolluted with a great sailing harbour with good strong winds.

I had my BCC removed shortly after returning from that first China trip and all went well, although I had a pretty large hollow in the side of my nose. It is gradually filling in and the doc says in about a year it should not really be noticiable at all. All went well and I was in and out of the hospital the same day. (That’s the way I like to do it.)

About six weeks ago I paid a visit to my GP. Leonie and I both thought I was beginning to see the reimergence of some of my carcinoid symptoms. Some diarreah and flushing. So we thought it might be a good idea to get a new 5HIAA (urine) and CGA (Blood) reading to see if there had been any change. We got the results about a week later and found 5HIAA had gone up some and the CGA had gone down some (mixed result I would say). So we made an appointment with my oconolgist in Fremantle for mid-October. When we saw him, he didn’t seem particularly concerned and I think he thinks I’m being a bit over reactive; but he did agree that I should probably have an MRI scan since it had been a year since my last one. That is to be scheduled later in November and we then can then see if there has been any definitive change since last year.

In the meantime we have plenty of things to keep us very busy, including, I hope, some time to spend in the garden. It desparately needs some attention after a very long, wet and storm winter. Spring is very much here and summer is just around the corner. We are hoping to for short holiday in Bali in February, before we start our next round of 2010 fairs and exhibitions. I’ve promised everyone I will stay off motor bikes this time. No use in ruining two holidays!

I’ll let everyone know the results of the MRI as soon as we have them. Meanwhile, everyone take care of themselves and each other.

Eric

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The Journey Continues

May 23rd, 2009

Here it is end of May already. Winter has arrived with a roar this past week. Heaps of rain, and blowing a gale! We really needed the rain and there has been plenty in these systems.

It’s been a bit over a year now since I completed my last CLEMENT Study treatment. Everything is fine, no symptoms and no signs of any tumour activity. I need to call Fremantle Hospital to see when my next follow-up is scheduled. Leonie and I just got back from a 2-1/2 week trip to Guangzhou, China and Hong Kong. A tough trip, all business and almost no play time. However, I had no problem keeping up with a lot of travel and long, very long days. Huge amounts of walking while visiting all the trade fairs.

I finished my eye surgery with a bit of laser treatment a week ago. Everything went really well and I am still getting used to seeing so well. My driving has been a lot safer too (according to my main passenger! LOL).

My newest issue is a small basal cell carcinoma has been found on the side of my nose. Actually I have had it for quite some time and suspected BCC, but given everything else going on, I kept putting off seeing the Doc and getting a biopsy. It is large enough to require a bit of plastic surgery when it is removed to rebuild the side of my nose. It should all happen in the next month or so. It isn’t any big deal though, I’ve had a couple BCCs before which were removed without a problem. The spoils of my ill spent youth on the beaches of Southern California!

That’s all that happened recently.

You all take care of yourselves and each other!

Regards, Eric

Posted in Carcinoid Cancer, Fremantle Hospital, lu-177 CLEMENT study | 2 Comments »

Autumn Update

April 8th, 2009

Hi Everyone,

I guess I would have to say that no news is good news. My Carcinoid continues to remain quiet (and I dare say in some sort of remission) and as before I am feeling ever so good and keeping absolutely flat out busy. The results of our February trade fair in Sydney were our best over and we have just this week finished filling the orders. We have at least a dozen more that have come in since, so everybody is jumping, including me.

My eye surgery went exceeding well, near perfect vision in the left eye now, although the doctor wants to do a little cleanup of some left over plaque next month after we return from China (more on that in a minute). It is such a change to more or less see the same with both eyes. I’ve missed having proper depth perception for several years and it is taking some adjusting to, to be accustomed to having full sight again! I will undoubtedly need reading glasses at some point, but actually except for reading fine print, I don’t seem to have much problem.

My weight program continues with also good results. I’ve lost over 15 kg since December, so now I am halfway to where I want to end up. It has taken some time to break through the 100Kg mark, but now that I have, weight seems to be coming off a little more easily. None of my clothes fit anymore, but that is a nice problem to have.

For a few weeks Leonie has been planning a buying trip to China, and I decided I would like to accompany her. So we fly out to Ghangzhou on April 23, spend 3 or 4 days attending the China Import/Export Fair, then take the train to Hong Kong for 4 days to visit two trade fairs there, and then back to Ghangzhou for another trade fair. Looks like we might have a couple of days off, unless we fly to Qingdao where we have been invited for a factory visit. We get back on 8 May, so it will be a very busy two weeks. Then we have to start getting ready for the second Sydney gift fair in July. It is an amazing pace we maintain, and thank God, that I have the energy and health to do it.

Oh, and as if that is’nt quite enough, I have a small basil cell carcinoma (BCC) on the left side of my nose that I need to get rid of next month as well. I’ve had a couple over the last 20 years or so, the result of too much sun when I was younger without doubt.

Take care everyone, stay well — be well
Regards, Eric

Posted in Carcinoid Cancer, cataracts, eye surgery, weight loss | No Comments »

New Medical Adventure

January 13th, 2009

Since things are seemingly quiet on all other medical fronts… that is the carcinoids are staying inactive, my Bali bike injuries are virtually healed and I am on a serious weight loss program (8½ kg in the first month)… I decided now was a good time to take care of that pesky cataract in my left eye. Vision in that eye has seriously deteriorated over the past 18-24 months and my optometrist felt is was time to do something about it. I had an IOL (Interocular Lens) implanted in my right eye several years ago, but its vision was never as bad as the left eye is now. This afternoon I have an appointment with my eye surgeon, to review my case and hopefully set a surgery date. It is no big deal, having had it done once, I know the process and it is realatively quick, done without general anaesthesia and the results are pretty much instantaneous.

I know my brain will have to adjust, it has been using the left eye for close work and the right eye for distance for several years now and it will have to readapt to using both eyes for distance. New glasses will take care of the close work. I am so looking forward to having “normal” vision again.

I’ll Keep you all posted as things progress. Take care and be good!

Eric

Posted in Carcinoid Cancer, cataracts, eye surgery, lu-177 CLEMENT study | 1 Comment »

Six Months Post Treatment - No Issues

December 21st, 2008

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven’t updated lately.  I had a bit of a motorbike accident in Bali in November which layed me up for a while, so I have mostly been dealing with recovering from those injuries.  All is much better now, broken collarbone is healing well, other injuries have healed but an internal infection in the left ankle is still giving me some grief.  I just got back to the shop for the first time in almost 7 weeks last Thursday.

In October, just before the Bali holiday, I had my 6 month post-treatment MRI scan with a follow-up with Dr Harvey Turner at the end of November.  Our visit with Dr Turner was all positive, all reports are good with no indications of tumour activity or growth.  Dr Turner expects that based on the study results thus far, they we can expect at least 18 to 24 months without reoccurance.  Thus far, in all his cases, he has only had to do a retreatment on two patients.  I will continue to have 6 month interval follow-ups for the foreseeable future to track any possible developments.

One of the interesting developments in patient care is a move by the Western Australian Department of Health to create a Centre-of-Excellence for Carcinoid Cancer for  Western Australia.  It will be run out the three teaching hostpitals in Perth where a standing board consisting of experts in the treatment of Carcinoid Cancer will review the care of all Carcinoid patients in the state and develop individual treatment plans for each patient according to established treatment protocols.  WA has already established its world reputation in the area Cardinoid treatment due to the efforts of people like Dr Harvey Turner, Dr Phil Claringbold and surgons like Harsha Chandraratna and many others.  For me it represents assurity if I require more ongoing treatment in the future, I am in excellent hands.

My focus now is accident recovery and weight loss.  I am on a serious program of weight loss control for a serious problem of overweight.  Thus far I am having excellent results, but I have a long way to go to get to my most desired weight (like 25-30 kg!).

All my wishes to all of you for a joyous and festive holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year!

Eric

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Months on and no change (that’s good!!)

September 26th, 2008

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have been so quiet recently.  Actually I have been far from quiet, but I also have been at times far from my computer or far from time to edit anything.  It really has been months since I posted.  In the meantime, Leonie and I have travelled to Turkey, Italy and Singapore on a mixed business and pleasure trip, did a major gift fair/show in Melbourne in August and Lee has just come back from a large fair/show in Sydney (I stayed home for that one, too much to do here!!),

I guess one could surmise that life has been a bit frantic for us since mid-May.  At last we think things will start calming for a bit, at least for the next few weeks.  Of course, that is just as we start coming into our busiest retail season.  Lee has some tentative plans for a return trip to Turkey in December, back to Sydney in February and now she is talking about attending some shows in Guandong Province, China in April.  I don’t really know how I keep up with her, it is a real challenge sometimes.  Fortunately for me, the Carcinoid is not an issue right now.

Everything has been great for many months now, I feel great, I do not really suffer from any of the normal symptoms, although we know there are still several small tumors in the liver.  I am scheduled for my definitive MRI next month at Fremantle Hospital to determine the overall efffectiveness of the study treatment.  I will be very interested in the results of that scan (if I can fit it in my schedule…hahahah  like I wouldn’t miss it!!).

Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know I am feeling very good, I am very busy and life is good, exciting and still fun!!.  I still run the junior staff into the ground any given day and I really do need at least 27 hours days, if any are available, to fit it all in.

Take care,  God speed, and good health to all.  I promise not to be so sporadic in keeping my blog up to date in the future (God willing and the clock slows down a little!)

Love and blessings to all…

Eric

I

Posted in Fremantle Hospital, lu-177 CLEMENT study, procedures | 4 Comments »

The Crunch is Here

May 16th, 2008

Blessings to Prof. Turner and Fremantle Hospital! It’s a good thing that the Lu-177 Clement Study has been as beneficial to me as it has been, and had no lasting side effects. I seem to be fully recovered and have a very sustainable energy supply. That is essential givern that we are being buried in business commitments and there is really no time to stop for the next several months. Our plans for travel to Istanbul at the beginning of June are set, and our Distributors there are eagerly awaiting our arrival. Products for the EuroAsia show are in transit and with the exception of a couple of minor items to be done in the next couple of weeks, we are ready.

My brother Tony has been in touch, and he and Anne are on their way to Florence where we will meet up with them in mid-June for a long overdue holiday and family visit. So looking forward to that.

We have to be in Singapore by 2 July for the show there. Production is under way, and our son Chris will have to see that the shipment leaves on time in early June. Yesterday, I turned the whole manufacturing production for the day over to him and our stalwart Stacey. They did a fantastic job. There is still a lot to be done next week, but we are on track to get the production ready. I will cut short my participation at the Singapore show to get back to Western Australia to prepare for the Melbourne Gift Fair in August. Still tons of stuff to be done there. Displays to be designed and build, product production to arrange and make, and I am either building or having built a special pallet case to transport our show fittings, fixtures and products back and forth between here and the Eastern States. As soon as we get back from Sydney in late August we have to begin preparing for the Sydney Gift show in September. God, it is hard to keep track of it all, but we are using good planning tools to do it.

Along with all that there has been a surge in our wholesale business that is really keeping us hopping! You can see why I started out saying thank you to the Fremantle Hospital and Prof. Turner and his gang!

I’ll stay in touch as much as I can. Blessings to all

Eric

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Full Speed Ahead

April 25th, 2008

Now that we are four weeks + post treatment, I find that I am back to some sort of normalcy for me. Which is very good considering the somewhat daunting tasks we have planned for this winter. All of June we will be in Turkey (for business) and Italy (for pleasure). July is Singapore for two weeks on business. August we’re in Melbourne on business and September we are off to Sydney on business again. Then comes the holiday rush after that!

Other than a low white cell and platelet count, all side effects of the treatments seem to have move on. We have been majorly busy getting a large shipment of soap and bath products off to Turkey these three past weeks, so I have hardly had time to think, let alone write anything. As potentially exhausting as that was, I stood up very well and had enough energy to spare to do a few things around the house that have been waiting for several months to get my attention. Emotionally, I think knowing all the treatments are behind me has certainly been a boost too. I will look with interest to the results of next November’s MRI scan, but my body says things are well under control right now.

We are back to the gym as well, but still not as often as we would like or as we need. Just too many demands for our time recently, but we are gradually increasing our presence there. It feels good and our intentions are good as well, we just have to make more time available for ourselves in this case.

My commitment to the study still requires five more weeks of blood samples, but that is a small burden compared to the benefits I have derived.

Bless you all, take care and keep well, …be back soon

Eric

Posted in Fremantle Hospital, lu-177 CLEMENT study, procedures | 2 Comments »

All Over bar the Shouting

April 4th, 2008

Hi Everyone,

Well, it’s all over, for the most part…..

We’ve finished my last treatment of the clinical trial and the immediate follow-up scans. I do have blood work to be taken for the next 8 weeks, but other than that it’s done and over. How do I feel? Great! What’s my attitude? Positive and happy!

I had the normal, for me, side effects of mild occasional nausea, a bit of tiredness, (and a bit of ill temper as well) for the past week and a half, but I know from previous treatments, that by this weekend, everything should be back to pretty much normal. There were only two of us from the original four at the day clinic for treatment this time. Both of the missing participants had had recent surgery. One had a hernia correction unrelated to carcinoid, and his platelet count was too low; and the other had a bowel resection (we don’t know the cause, but assume it was carcinoid related).

Prof. Harvey and I discussed my initial results while reviewing the scans taken over the four treatment sessions since last July. There has definitely been a reduction in the uptake of octreotate on the smaller tumours (an indicator that they have been significantly reduced in size and activity) and with no growth on the others and no new tumours! They have appeared to have been hit quite hard by the treatment. A much more definitive MRI scan will be done in six months to determine the overall effectiveness of the trial. Possible ‘one shot’ future treatments with a single follow-up scan might be on the table if it is found necessary or the tumours appear to be becoming active again.

It is time for me to name names and thank the staff and doctors at Fremantle Hospital! Specifically and not in any order, Brenda and Jenny (Dr. Turner’s PA) at reception, Julianne and Sarah (Nuclear Technicians) who did my scans and kept me comfortable during those long scans; Paul and Phil, nuclear physicists; Jim, Bill and Jazz who managed and oversaw our day treatments; and most certainly Professor Harvey Turner! The dedication, warmth, sympathy and kindness shown by all the staff and doctors at Fremantle Hospital has been utterly fantastic. I can only say thank you and God bless you all!!

I’m off Sandostatin now, unless the symptoms show up again and so life is returning to normal. I’ve spoken to two of my daughters (Melanie and Allyson) in the last 48 hours (their birthdays are only two days apart) and they are naturally pleased and happy with the results and how I am feeling. I’ll call my third daughter (Cyndie) this weekend and see how she is getting on and fill her in on the latest (BTW it’s Cyndie you see in the background of the above picture while watching a sunset over the Indian Ocean).

Leonie has been very busy setting up a new website, Carcinoid Cancer Resources for Australians (www.carcinoid.com.au). It’s not fully functional yet, but it is getting there quickly and I expect she will be spending much of her time over the next three days getting it into order.

More to come (there always is…) Stay well, be good,

Eric

Posted in Fremantle Hospital, lu-177 CLEMENT study, procedures | 2 Comments »

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