I am all done. Currently cannot feel a thing from my chest dowm. The team were wonderful and we had fun teaching each other english and japanese. Back in my room being fed via my arm. I even got to see the offending item, the tumour was twice the size of the teste so I guess better out than in.

Well I am all checked in and had everything explained to me by Rika my fabulous interprutor. The gist of it is that as of nine tonight I am nil by mouth. This had me well worried as I thought the op was Tuesday night. That long without water who needs surgury,they would have schriveled driied and fallen off. First bit of good news is that there is no sign of spreading and bloods are normal for tumour markers,but we are not out of the cancer woods yet. Other bit of cool is I have a private room with awesome view.

I’ve been searching for this particular video clip for ages and finally found a reference to it.

Jebs Jobs – Episode #1

Enjoy, its an oldy but goody and there is now more stuff!

Well all the news is in and its being going so fast that I’ve barely had a second to write anything down. The ultra-sound on Wednesday did not go well and instead of going home after it I was directed to a doctor who broke the news that they have found a tumor in my teste.

A referral to the Jikei University Hospital has resulted in a confirmation that its a big tumor and probably malignant. Some shift around of doctors and I’m being admitted to hospital on Monday, with the slice and dice being done Tuesday. The hospital was incredible efficient and had me all processed in 3 hours! Blood, heart, CAT scan and x-ray. Well impressed.

Going to be posting updates here for people to catchup with whats going one.

Last night was awful, hardly slept at all. I could possible convince myself that maybe one of my dinner prawns wasn’t quite cooked as well as it could be, but I suspect anxiety over getting the pathlogy results was the real suspect.

It was probably exasperated by my little shopping trip to Odaiba to visit Toys R Us for a certain newphew (and I got what I think is a really cool toy so pain be damned), but I did overreach alittle.

To my wonderful friends in Boston who happily took the call at 2am JST and just talked to me until the painkillers kicked in, thank you! I really needed someone right then are there you were. I’ve been so lucky with a support network worldwide, and thanks to all of you who offered to talk at any time.

So what about the results? I’m just pussyfooting around here. Answer is that the tumour was cancer. 100% Seminoma. Due to its location (within the teste), sizing, blood markers etc I don’t require any further treatment such as chemo or radiation. It was caught so early in the piece that its not had time to send out little soldiers and create havoc else were. I do however have to have blood tests every month for the next year, the every two months after yada yada as there is a chance it will come back. But if it does we’ll be waiting for it!

I cannot tell you the relief that I felt. It was like I could feel my body stopping production of the stress hormones and the move to flushing them all out. Drained is a good word. After saying a rathter stumbled good bye to my interpretor I headed home.

On that I was so luckly to have her, she was there all the way through and told me that she was stressing for me as well! She is so lovely I don’t doubt it!

Now its head home try and eat something and let people know that things are looking great. I get the all clear for cancer and in a few days I get to go home to my family. Lifes looking pretty good at the moment!

Wow, I’ve been so lucking with the last few trips to Kyoto. All thanks to two really great friends. My one here in Tokyo (Di) and through her a new great friend in Kyoto (Faith). Faith lives in Kyoto and had been telling us the places to go and see without the crowds.

The first time we did it was a month ago on a long weekend when the place is just crowded with people for the long weekend. Thanks to Faith’s great advise we missed them all and saw some of the most incredible sights. Due to the massive accomodation bookings Di also came across a brillant little guest house in North Kyoto so far away from the crowds you are in the suberbs, but also so well connected to the transport system its dead easy. Each time we just tube under the crowds and leave them to total gridlock!

This trip which is the biggest weekend for viewing Akki (sp) the autumn foliage we again missed the masses and still got to see brillant stuff. Each time we stayed ahead of the crowds and moved to the next place, or more realistic we were just in places where the people weren’t.

Even on the way home, we found a santuary at the top of Kyoto Statation, go up two escalators and then no-one, just stare down at the crowds.

Everyone keeps asking me, ‘why do you keep going to Kyoto’. Well its just the most incredible place, there is such a peace there (when you get out of the tourist masses) , you find the most stunning gardens and temples. They also have the a calm about them. I’ll write more. Wanna see, go look at the picture via the website link and gallery.

Do not know why but I have fast and vivid dreams when I am here

Surprise surprise I am back on a train again heading off to Kyoto. It is becoming such a habit that the guys in the office don’t ask where I am going, they already know the destination. This time its to view the autumn foliage. It is a little late this year so the timing should be perfect. pics to follow.

This morning started off fairly much along predictable lines. Hit the alarm once to snooze for 5 minutes (I miss my UK clock that had a 9 minute snooze, 9 minutes is just about right, 5 is just rude!!!), then hit the alarm off and fell back asleep.

Finally cranked eyes open at about 7:50am, NOT GOOD, not only do I now have 10:30 to Midnight conference calls, someone is scheduling 9am ones as well. Luckly lunch is an eat affair to its only make breakfast, shave, shower, toss on clothes and we’re done. No worries, all executed, minor memo to get stronger flavoured cocoa as my Mocha smoothie was very much missing the cha.

Out the door, walkman on (this is Japan who goes anywhere with out music,!) In lift flicked on Sony, middle of an ATB Track, perfect beat, just have to move! Arrrhh lift is opening on the 9th floor. Very distraught japanese girl thinking "oh my god I have to get in the lift with him, not only can he not dance he lives in my bulding ‘dilema‘, does one run away on the pretext of forgetting something, but how do I tell the gaijin that I forgot to put on my lippy so he won’t think I’m being rude. Which I am, but I don’t want to seen that way." "Nothing to be done will have to get into the lift with him, so just smile, walkin turn around and stare into space and hope his failing limbs don’t hit me."

Poor girl, I hope she saw the humour of it all, I certainly didn’t expect the lift to open on the way down. The delightful thing is that there will likely be a sign in Kanji saying no dancing in the lifts, which will competely miss me!! hmmm just realised I wonder if someone else has been doing something a little more risque than dancing in the lifts as they had installed a monitor on the ground floor that shows the video feed from both lifts. Guess someone must have called a lift and had to door open on somebodies in flagrante delicto.

The beginning of November has not been that pleasant for me over the last few years, oddly in contradition to October when I seem to change countries. Six years ago November started off just like all the other months with nothing obvious coming up. I was living in Ireland at the time so I think Guy Fawkes featured somewhere, the weather was getting brisk and cold, but working late into the night at a cosy bar made that bearable.

Then my world started to collaspe.

Step 0.5 was getting a message to phone my brother. As my brother and I didn’t really chat all that much this could not be good. It wasn’t Mum had a lump in her breast and was off for a biopsy. Not good, but not earth shattering.

Step 1 – Nov 11 Sunday, closing the bar two guys in balaclava rush out of the toilets with pistol and shotgun, aimed and you can guy who and the manager. Being tied up pleading not to be shot is one of the more defining events in a life and not one I would wish on anyone. Wondering if, then hoping you would be shot first so you don’t have to hear the sound of the bullet still makes me go cold. Obviously I survived to write this story, but its taken alot of time to put some of the pieces back together.

Step 2 – Nov 13 – Tuesday, after 48 hours of puking and shitting and sweating everything out of my body, and when not visiting the bathroom paralysised under a montain of blanets by shock I emerged to view the world again, then got called by my father with biospy results. My mother had breast cancer. I remember very clearly two things from that day. a) walking into the bar and being asked if I was okay, my reply was not I’m not, I feel like I’m coming apart at the ends. b) walking into the main town looking at the sky and thinking well, you may as well hit me with the rest, cos I’m really down in the gutter and nothing else is going to hurt. Step 3 was the betrayel of a friend of 16 years who threw that all away to score a couple of cheap points in a deadly game that eventually lead to me packing everything into a box and leaving Ireland to protect my life, rather than remain and testify.

No – november is not a good month for me.