Typhoon

Well here is another update. After the 12 weeks of chemotherapy aka as "hell on earth" I had a CAT scan and It showed that the outside tumours had shrunk. I also had another cystoscopy and it showed that the tumours inside the bladder were gone. The Dr said that they would return once the effects of the chemotharapy had worn off. So on Thurs morning I am to report to the hospital at 0600 hrs for a seven hr operation to remove my bladder and prostrate. I will be in intensive care for a day or two afterwards, and I will be in hospital for 7 to 10 days after the operation. I'll let you guys know the results when I am able, There is wi-fi in the hospital but it is really slooooow. Wish me luck and I will be in contact in a few days. Tony

I was sitting on the couch reading a book and my wife was watching Downton Abbey. I happened to look up as the credits were being run and the name Matt Milne flashed on the screen. So I have to ask, is that the same Matt Milne as our esteemed composer?? If it is, he is indeed a man of many talents. Tony Footman, played by Matt Milne

As some of you are aware I am involved with the building of a WWII "Mosquito" Bomber. On the weekend a licensed inspectot came to view our progress so far. He was impressed with the quality of the work and the size of the project. The wingspan is 54 ft and the length is 46 ft.We had to remove all the wing panels so that he could see the internal structure. Good thing we only put a fraction of the screws in. We now have to put in all 50,000 screws now.The inspector was also impressed with the fuselage. It was manufactured in New Zealand for us. Below are a couple of pics. I am the guy on the right However we have run into a bit of a snag. We are missing portions of prints for the tailplane assy, so if anyone knows someone or has access to what we may need please put us in touch. Tony

Hi Parky Like you, I ran into some health issues and have curtailed my activities here somewhat. I hope yours have cleared up and you maintain a presence on these boards, your advice was always first rate. Tony

Ahh Olham, if only I wasn't a tea totaler It will have to be something else when this is over. Tony

Another Update. After the first session it was not as bad as I feared. It was worse They had me on some drugs that softened the effects of the chemo. I was cut off them on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday was absolute hell on earth. Wed I was ok and then I had another session on Thur. No extra drugs this time. and I was quite ill thru the weekend, Monday I was ok again. The nurse said I should have tapered off the drugs the first week. I have another chemo session on Thur and will see the Dr on the following Thursday, will let you know what happens then. And thanks Ohlam I consider you a true friend. Tony

Well Ihave to report to the cancer centre next Thursday at 10 o'clock for my first bout with the dreaded chemo demon. It will take 6 hours to put the drugs in. I think I would rather face the Red Baron. The doctor gave me 4 presciptions for anti nausea drugs of varying strengths. That does't bode well. He also said that the drug they giving me will not cause me to lose my hair. Well at least they have a plan. Tony

Thanks for the concern. I finished the chemo and as luck would have it, it failed to halt the tumours. As a consequence I will be having 2 rounds of chemo then If I am healthy enough my bladder will be removed, then 2 more rounds of chemo. This is the nasty type of chemo with the bad side effects, nausea and hair loss to name two. I have to report to the cancer centre Wed morning for indoctrination. I'll try to keep you advised. Tony

Last week I was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. I am scheduled for surgery on Nov 22, and will be given more info after the biopsy is completed. I made it through a knee replacement, a triple bypass, and a broken neck, but this one has me worried. The Doc says it was definitely caused by my 45 years of smoking, so I have no one to blame but myself. Tony

Every time you void your bladder you must pour 2 cups of bleach into the bowl and let it sit for 20 mins before flushing, you must wipe everthing down with bleach wipes if there is even the remotest possibility of it being contaminated. I guess this stuff can be nasty if it somehow gets into the bloodstream. The nurse who gave me the lecture scared me half to death. Tony

Well here is another update, sort of. Jan 29, first Chemo treatment. They put the concoction into your bladder and you have to hold it for 80 minutes, I lasted 5 mins, not a good sign Feb 5, 2nd treatment. This time I held it for 65 mins. Much better and the nurse said it will be effective. Feb 12 this morning I held it the entire 80 mins. So things are looking up, only 4 more to go. The Chemo drug is actually a weakend Tuberculosis bacteria and there are strict hygiene procedures involving a lot of bleach for 6 hr after the treatment. Tony

The following is stated on the downloads page: NOTE: Latest update patch always includes all previous improvements, changes, and fixes: Tony

I was a British Subject, a Landed Immigrant in Canada Oddly enough for 42 years i worked for the Cdn Gov in one capacity or another.

Here is the latest news. I finally saw the surgeon on the 18th and he told me that I had a choice, remove the bladder in a 7 hr operation or chemotherapy. Guess what I chose. I start the chemo on Jan 29th and it lasts for about 7 weeks. The procedure is that they pump the bladder full of the chemo solution roll you around to coat the inside completely and that is it for each treatment. The good thing is there are no side effects such as hair loss and nausea, You might feel a bit under the weather for a day or two. Oh, here is a bit of unrelated news. On Wed Jan 22 I will finally become a Canadian citizen. I have lived here for 65 yrs and thought it was about time. Tony

An excellent memory test is Memtest86. It is available here and is free: http://www.memtest86.com/ Tony

Well I had the second surgery and it seems the tumours had started to grow back since the last surgery 5 weeks prior. The doc says it is very agressive. They may have to remove my bladder. I won't know for certain until the pathology report. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Jan 7 to discuss options. Just hoping and praying until then. Thanks Tony

Well another round of surgery next Friday. This will not be as extensive as the last bit. It is to determine for sure that the tumours did not break through the bladder wall. So hopefully I will be in and out the same day. I'll keep you posted. Tony

I saw the Doctor this afternoon and he says they are pretty sure that the cancer had not penetrated the wall of the bladder ( a good thing), but to be sure i will again have surgery on the 20th of Dec. to confirm it. He also said that it was avery agressive form of bladder cancer and I may need chemo aterwards. Thanks for all the encouragement, it is much appreciated. Tony

Well this morning they got a cancellation for tomorrow and asked if I would like to go a week early. So the surgery is tomorrow instead of next week. They have wi-fi in there so I'll bring my laptop and try and keep everyone up to date. The only thing I'm really worried about is that they will release WOFF while I am in there. Thanks for all the encouragement, I really appreciate it. Tony

It is my birthday this Saturday and SWMBO said that she is arranging a flip in this as my birthday present WOOHOO I will have pics Tony

Well due to either weather or previous commitments the flight hasn't happened yet, probably in the spring now. In the meantime I have started volunteering to help restore this: Working on the leading edge of the wings now Pics next Tuesday Tony

Update, The flight has not happened as of yet we are going on Saturday to make the arrangements. As it happened last Saturday I was volunteering at a local wine festival and one gentleman came up and said "nice hat". It was a hat that I had purchased at a RCAF Museum n North Bay On. It has a RCAF Roundel on the front. He then asked me if I had been in the air force. I indicated that I had and we chatted for a few minutes and he told me that he was in charge of the Lancaster restoration project at the The Canadian Historical Aircraft Association. This is the same group that owns the Stearman so he invited me down next Saturday for a personal tour and make arrangements for the flight. So hopefully soon I will have a report. Just lately I have been extremely busy volunteering for different events in town relating to the War of 1812 and umpiring baseball tournaments I haven't had much free time. Tony

When we suspect a HD failure one thing we do is remove the suspect drive and connect it to another machine that has DiskCheckup 3.1 installed and run a diagnostic on it. DiskCheckup is a free download from here: http://www.passmark.com/products/diskcheckup.htm goodluck Tony

Wed morning I go on vacation. The hi light of the trip for me will be a visit to the Billy Bishop Museum in Owen Sound. I used to work in that area and would visit the town 2 or 3 times a week. As a matter of fact I used to go to a computer store that was right around the corner from the museum. At that time I didn't have much interest in history so I never visited it. We used to play hockey regularly against the Owen Sound oldtimers and then go to the local watering hole afterwards. Billy Bishop III was a member of that team, but to my knowledge no one ever mentioned his grandfather at these gatherings. I will try and get some pictures. Tony

Speaking of strange things happening in a ballpark, I was the base umpire when a large rat came out on the field from under the dugout. It meandered slowly to the backstop where it disappeared down a hole. The whole park was mesmerized and no one said anything. I went to the plate umpire and told him that he should try and keep the coaches in the dugout instead of letting them roam about on the field. It took him about 5 mins to compose himself and get the game started again. Tony