Now the research begins...

Ok, so we have established I am crook, we now have a better understanding how crook, and we are starting to get to the final recommendations of the exact way we will proceed together with the timing.

I have been flat out so far: 1) dealing with the logistics of the Toop&Toop business (thanks to our team who are amazing), and 2) on discovery of what we are dealing with health wise. Thank goodness Sylvia and I had everything in place for 4 weeks away on our family holiday which has actually made the logistics pretty easy on the work front. My appointments were all in Europe over the next month and no noses out of joint cancelling those appointments. So for the next month I only have to deal with the reality of the impact of what cancer can do to your best laid plans.

So work is all set. Monday morning was our departure date, all good...and by the way, my last auction for a while SOLD this morning, a big thank you Kay for organizing a high for me on my last "suited work day" before heading off to get well.

Now I am extremely good at real estate, I am even good in business stuff, and have a fair idea on Vineyards, but medicine, I am definitely just a babe in the woods.

I have had more advice in a week than in a lifetime, and it has all been for all the right intentions. I have got books, web addresses, Doctors names, people to speak to, miracle cures and what to eat, what to do and what not to do.

I must say, I have appreciated every single bit of advice, thank you, but the overall effect is that it does tend to do your head in. So I have decided how I am going to handle it moving forward.

I am going to take on board every lead and every bit of this advice and sift through it, investigate what I believe appears to be useful information, get second opinions on the direction I feel is right for me...and then just treat it like any other business decision, and make the call.

So next week will all be about processing information, seeking further input to my questions, getting second opinions on the way I feel I want to go, and then making the final decision "with speed, not haste"... as one wise Doctor advised me along this journey.

This morning I had breakfast with Gordon Pickard and one of his Specialist mates (Bernie Booth was at the restaurant too so had a great chat to him...thanks so much for support BB, maybe send us some listings??) to start to work out the way the medical people think and how they operate as a profession. It was very useful and helped me understand more about the world of medicine. I have DVDs I am picking up today on alternative thinking, which is part of formulating my own views. I will coffee and talk to people who have gone through this themselves and survived to see what they think. And I will be very busy getting prepared to sign off on my course of action. I feel I want this all done this week as the treatment needs to actioned either way.

At this stage, I have to say, I think the advice has been sound and well considered. Basically it looks like Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, and then surgery.

The great news, it seems we got it reasonably early, excellent stuff as it gives us more options all around, and much better odds. I should run a book!

So...a busy week at home rather than in Europe...and I have to say it didn't help having my mate Doddy and Moira just check in as they boarded their plane to Vietnam this morning. Good on ya Doddy...VERY envious!

Kids are good, Sylvia is a legend, all good so far. A few good wines over the weekend and some good Port Adelaide footy I hope.

Must go, catching Veitchy for a bite to each and a chat.

PS. Big hug to Karen and David Raffen for last night, they just got home from OS too and made is a sensational dinner on the way home to the farm last night. The support from you guys has been amazing.