St Vincent's Hospital Darlinghurst - Male Nurses

Where in the world are the MacArenas? Part III

2012-05-21T16:46:00.001+10:00

To see you know who and to enjoy some much needed R & R, we’re going from

33°52'8.11"S151°12'25.43"E

19°15'27.46"S 146°49'4.43"E

Then

16°55'24.78"S 145°46'25.34"E

Where are we leaving from?
What is our first destination?
What is our second destination
Why are we going?

Destination clues not only abound here:

Aon / Eins

Dó / Zwei

Tri / Drei

Ceathair / Vier

Howzat

The Agony and the Ecstasy

2012-05-13T00:17:00.001+10:00

To Mum: This will be the first time that I will be unable to say to you, “Happy Mother’s Day.” You see, Mum passed away recently, while being comforted by family members. Mum, If only you could be with me now so I could hold you in my arms. Mum, you will always be in my heart and mind. Your loving son – Peter.

To Nicole, our beautiful daughter in-law, “We love you heaps and Happy Mother’s Day.” The birth of your second child in April; a boy called, Riley Arthur, has brought a ray of sunshine into our lives once again.

To my loving wife, I love you so very much. “Happy Mother’s Day” and thank you for being my Florence Nightingale. You are amazing and I do not know where I would be without you.

You might also like:

Isn’t life just grand

Mother’s Day Tribute

Where in the world are the MacArenas? Part II

Howzat

View Posts by Topic

2012-04-06T14:55:00.000+10:00

The list below contains major topics for the period: May 1 2007 until 11 August 2011. Clicking on any of them will take you to posts with that label, aka, Tags.

Anzac Day	Aldara	Australia	Australian
Baby Boomer	BCC	Bilobed Flap	Black Saturday
Blogger	Blogger Blog	Blood	CA Awareness
Children	Christmas	Class 75	Communication
Counselling	CSS	Darlinghurst	Dorsal Flap
Downunder	Dying	Dynamic Drive	ED
Family	Father’s Day	Fatherhood	First Grandkid
Firstborn	Friends	Garling Report	God
Good News	Grandchild	Grandparents	Healthcare
Hindsight	Hosp Training	Howzat	HTML Tables
Humour	Img Protection	Insight	Kevin Rudd
Life	LinkWithin	Live Writer	Love
Male Nurses	Marriage	Mohs	Mothers Day
NBCC	New Parents	Nose	NSW
Nurses	Nursing	Open Source	Pagespeed
Pain	Poetry	Private Cooke	PTS
PTSD	RN	Santa	Skin Cancer
St John of God	St Vincent’s	Student	Suicide
Sydney	Townsville	Tribute	Web
Widget	WW1	150th	1970’s
1975	Friends	All Topics	Home

Enjoy!

Where in the world are the MacArenas? Part II

2011-10-06T08:08:00.001+11:00

Following on from my last post I can now reveal that we, Grandma and Grandpa MacArena, travelled from Sydney to Townsville to help celebrate our granddaughter's second birthday. Yes, Emmi turned two and she have a whale of a time with presents galore festooning the family home from pillar to post.

Are we feeling guilty for spoiling her while we were there? Not on your Nelly, and I can assure you there is more of that to come. Who can blame us?

Now, without further ado, here are the cream of the crop happy shots – Enjoy!

Emmi after blowing her candles out

Emmi playing mother with one of her many dolls

Princess Emmi preparing dinner

Emmi with her birthday hat and dummy in toe

Emmi the Cowgirl

You might also like:

How quick they grow up

Wedding day bliss

You know you’re getting old when

Howzat

Where in the world are the MacArenas?

2011-09-02T12:58:00.001+10:00

To be with you know who we’re going from

33°52'8.11"S151°12'25.43"E

19°15'27.46"S 146°49'4.43"E

Where are we leaving from?
What is our destination?
Why are we going?

Destination clues:

Aon / Eins

Dó / Zwei

Trí / Drei

Howzat

How quick they grow up

2011-08-29T22:29:00.001+10:00

My, how quick they grow up. One day a baby and the next, a young lass with a fondness for prancing and dancing and chattering away in pretty girl’s dresses. Yes, our one and only grandchild is on the verge of turning two.

Becoming a grandparent makes you feel old doesn’t it? Where I stand, I’m well and truly on the road to being really old. With the decades behind me tallying just over five, they’ll surely outweigh the ones that lay before me; that’s life.

But you have to admit, while grandchildren remind us of our own mortality, they bring out the youth in us and rekindle our knee high to a grasshopper memories. And wasn’t I perfect little Angel back then; not.

Boy, in those days the years took forever to go by, unlike today when everything flashes by so fast; if only we could slow things down.

Separated by time and distance we can’t see our granddaughter as much as we like but she can rest assured that we love her dearly.

Mind you, with holidays just around the corner, paying a flying visit to see the apple of our eye will do everyone good, especially Ma and Pa and you know who.

You might also like:

Isn't Life Just Grand

Ten Steps To Happiness

Emmi's Easter Sunday

Howzat

Image Protection: CSS Image Layering

2011-08-02T00:14:00.001+10:00

Unlike my last post this example of image protection uses the z-index property to place a transparent image on top of the image you want showcased.

What did I want to achieve by this and what other resources did I use?

(1) Saving the image by right clicking will only save the transparent image
(2) Google’s URL shortener was used to convert the normal image addresses
(3) The benefits of URL shortening are detailed here
(4) Low resolution images
(5) No click link to a larger image

Before I forget, many thanks to MediaCollege.com: Free video, audio and electronic media resources, who I looked to for guidance as I went about trying to replicate their example.

Now, while web feed results were a mixed punch it appears I’ve overcome a few hurdles in getting it right here.

First hurdle:

Formatting a centered HTML table and inserting into this two images (one transparent and the other the image above) inside a div. They were then positioned using CSS, and the transparent image with its greater z-index number being placed on top of the mousetrap image. (see code below)

Second hurdle:

My blog HTML gives post images the background colour of my post area. This gave my transparent image a background colour which hid the image I wanted visible. (see bolded text)

.post img { margin: 5px; padding: 5px; background: #f0f0e9; border: 1px solid #f0f0e9; }

This was overcome by giving the transparent image a transparent background in my code (see code below).

Third hurdle:

My level of CSS skill and all things like that in general.

A gentle reminder

For us bloggers it’s impossible to prevent images from being copied. The good news is that we can make things hard for novices.

Open Source Code

Other Open Source Image Posts:

Image Slicing and URL Shortening

LinkWithin Alternative Howzat

LinkWithin Alternative Howzat Part II

Howzat

Image Protection: Image Slicing and URL Shortening

2011-07-19T12:10:00.001+10:00

Much has been written about web image protection, and for us bloggers it’s impossible to prevent images from being copied. The good news is that we can make things hard for novices. In this example of image protection, I’ll go through what I did to get the image below.

Image splitting

(a) Resized the original image to fit my post area using an image editor
(b) Divided the image into four equal parts using an image editor
(c) Each image is exactly: width: 186px; height: 248px
(d) Saved each image for a low resolution
(e) Uploaded images to Picasa and copied URL’s

Shortened the image URL addresses

(a) Went to Google URL shortener and signed in
(b) Pasted the long URL addresses into: Paste your long URL here
(c) Clicked: Shorten
(d) Copied and saved the shortened URL addresses
(e) More on Google Shortener

Reformed the image using a HTML table

(a) Formed the source code below and text in Windows Live Writer
(b) Pasted code also works in bloggers editor without error
(c) Linked images to homepage
(d) Saved to Local Draft
(e) Previewed before posting

Gaining access to Google’s URL shortening statistics

(a) Added .info to the shortened URL addresses
(b) Placed the URL address into the search bar and hit enter
(c) Reviewed the stats
(d) Stats: Number of clicks, referrers, countries, browsers and platforms

As to whether the change to a Google Shortener URL address makes it harder for web crawlers or anyone else for that matter to come across images, I don’t really have an answer for that.

If ever an attempt is made to save the supposingly whole image, only one quarter of the image will be saved. Touch wood, the user won’t realise their mistake until it’s too late. My testing shows that when I right click to save an image, it will saved as, depending on the web browser, a jpg, image file or a HTML document.

To enhance the illusion I’ve added two borders to each table. The images also have no alt attributes but all have the same image title, so no matter where the mouse cursor goes, the viewer will get the same message; less descriptive the better.

Image 1: Top Left	Image 2: Top Right
http://goo.gl/7YkKm	http://goo.gl/l3o7X
http://goo.gl/7YkKm.info	http://goo.gl/l3o7X.info

Image 3: Bottom Left	Image 4: Bottom Right
http://goo.gl/4Q28z	http://goo.gl/TFrqZ
http://goo.gl/4Q28z.info	http://goo.gl/TFrqZ.info

Above are the shortened image URL addresses plus their info links. The first link will reveal the image, and the second, the statistics. The names I’ve given the images assisted me in placing them into the table, which you will see perhaps, depending on your browser, if you attempt to save any – please don’t. I suggest you name yours without similar name guides.

My Open Source Code (Proviso: don’t save the images):

Tips for using the source code

(a) Replace my shortened URL’s for yours
(b) Replace my homepage http address for yours
(c) Change border colour #cccccc to suit
(d) Change width and height to suit

News For Bloggers who use Google Plus and Picasa Web

Google Plus images are from your Picasa albums. Currently, if you delete them from Google Plus, you’ll be deleting them from your Picasa web albums. The end result is that your blog images will be lost unless you have backed them up. More on that here.

Open Source Image Posts:

Open Source Image Gallery - Bonza

LinkWithin Alternative Howzat

LinkWithin Alternative Howzat Part II

Howzat

Should America Embrace Military Isolationism?

2011-06-28T10:28:00.001+10:00

As America prepares to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, some quarters, as reported by President Obama, are giving thought to America retreating from their responsibility as an anchor of global security, and embracing the isolationism of the past.

If this was to ever go ahead, you’d have to wonder what the world would be like without their presence in conflicts that demanded swift and affirmative action.

Military isolationism in bygone days was far easier but now conflicts are only a stone’s throw away in time for caring nations such as America and its allies who, like good neighbours going to the aid of another, see it as their duty to protect others from harm.

But it seems everytime they do, unjustified criticism and retribution are sure to follow. No wonder certain quarters are talking of military isolationism, and who can blame them.

America has gone out of its way without fear or favour, and at an enormous financial and human cost, to protect their own and others – no matter what faith or belief - who also find themselves in the crosshairs of violence and terrorism, freedom and prosperity.

Uncle Sam

The largest contributor to the United Nations and its most valued member, America desperately wants to bring its sons and daughters home from war torn areas, and to rebuild its nation that happens to encompass many nationalities and religions like its allies, and resolve serious home issues.

Spending what must seem a lifetime of armed conflict protecting themselves and others they always find time to assist in natural disasters and give financial aid to those in need abroad.

It’s only right and about time other capable nations who are closer to conflicts to play a more active role and to take up the baton that the United States has held for so long.

Ridding this world of terrorism and tyrants who persecute the innocent is a big ask. But you can rest assured those who contemplate making war on others will find great nations, like America and its allies, although war weary, more than capable of rising up to meet the challenge.

As for Australia, even though a poll reveals 72% of Australians want their troops home now from Afghanistan, no decision has been made to reduce their numbers and will remain until 2014 as will the good old U S of A.

Now for my friend's latest posts:

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

(dis)Credit

No Illusions, Pulse of Motherboard

Howzat

Looken back Looken forward

2011-06-05T12:04:00.001+10:00

Have you ever considered what you’d be doing at the age of sixty? Nearing the big six-0 myself, I look back and then forward with a touch of humour:

The big 1-0 comes without a care in the world and a number one cut care of dear old dad, budgies are a breden, schooling and churching a plenty and much to my disliken, face cleanen and hair groomen with a hanky corner soiled by a father’s spit. To top that off, never a day went by where I wasn’t caught glued to the box or the fridge door.

The big 2-0 comes with a scent of luven in the air with the promising twinkle in thine eye being spotted by the old fella in bed twenty six, whose back we’re rubben. While I’m on that, snitchen more of his fruit cake would have avoided getten sprung perving at my future wife’s pins.

The big 3-0 has us with three growing lads in toe with grey hairs a starten as I go about worken more than a playen; justly deserved I’m targeted by a wife’s scorn. The family home now a home away from home for all and sundry, I perform the miracle of the loaves and fishes on a near daily basis.

Something old, Something new

The big 4-0 has three big kids thinken of leaven home, all come in handy though when needen a lift, a quick buck when confronted by a centre console threadbare of churchies or needen a changen of clothen. My saving grace in the garden comes as the better half saves my skin by getten me a ride-on mower. Hee-Har, I’m a cowboy!

The big 5-0 comes with a sober fury and kids spread from the Top End to the Sandgroper state. Even though we’re separated by distance they’re still very close to our hearts, God love’em. Now grandparents and in-laws for the first time, we pray the other two follow suit before we kick the bucket.

The big 6-0 just a stone’s throw away, we’ll be looken forward to see’en more of the kids, both big and small, while tryen to keep their inheritance afloat as long as we can, touch wood. To our family and yours, lots of luv and luven.

Family and Never Grow Old Blogs:

Never Growing Old

Larger Family Life

The Road Less Traveled

Howzat

Woeful Ode to Complicity

2011-05-23T10:14:00.001+10:00

Poor old Fred, my friend, never to be seen again, what a pity? Having spent a lifetime spitting in the eye of danger while surviving on measly pickings and very little pay, lady luck failed him two days ago, resulting in Fred kicking the bucket in spectacular fashion.

Head down and tail up for all of his working life, forever toiling away under treacherous conditions, Fred put his noggin on the chopping block more times than I’d care to remember. This devil-may-care lifestyle would ultimately be his undoing and cut short a life that promised oh so much.

A likeable character in the prime of his life, short in statue, bright eyed, light footed, with a lion’s mane head of hair; Fred was loved by all except for a tall dark shadowy figure, who shall remain nameless for now.

I had known Fred all his life and saddened by his loss, shall always remember him as a creature of comfort. No matter what time of day or night, he always had an insatiable appetite and a smile on his unshaven face, which would become even broader whenever the opportunity of breaking bread with us presented itself.

Ange de la mort

For those unknown to him, Fred would pepper them with indecipherable chatter before sulking off. Yes, this much maligned behaviour of this solitary individual was typical for his kind, but for the most part it was done not to offend, but to survive the rigors of his highly dangerous lifestyle.

Now that Fred is gone, life is much quieter and the tall dark shadowy figure that so detested him has taken on the broad smile that good old Fred wore upon his cheery face.

Now, please raise your glasses as I propose a toast to Fred. “Thanks Fred for bringing both excitement and wonder to my life. May you find happiness wherever you are and may you never again be caught by the short and curlies.”

§ § §

How did Fred die? For a crime scene re-enactment photograph that will explain everything, click here.

What others are saying:

Ode To Imperfection

All In My head Ode

An Original Acrostic Poem

Howzat

Mother’s Day Tribute

2011-05-08T15:12:00.001+10:00

To all the mums out there, no matter where you live, Happy Mother's Day. Yes, where would we be without you?

It doesn't seem right that only one day of the year is celebrated as Mother's Day, considering the love and effort mums put into their families. Often putting aside their own needs to keep the family unit whole and well provided for, they truly deserve the title of, Saint.

Background chrysanthemum image ℅ Wikipedia

If only Mother's Day was everyday. That said, it's up to each and everyone of us, especially husbands and sons, me included, who have been guilty of dragging the chain or shirking their responsibilities, to make that dream come true.

A man of few words, I can't express enough how much my mum and my better half mean to me. If only I had done more in the past, and with that said, I will do my hardest to be a more loving and caring son and husband in the future.

What others are saying about Mother's Day:

Posie Patchwork 'The Blog'

Vintage Sunday

Farmers Wifey

Howzat

Republicans and Monarchists

2011-05-05T14:54:00.001+10:00

Among the two billion viewers, Australian Republicans and Monarchists alike celebrated the recent Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Australia, a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state along with its twenty two million occupants, cast aside republic debate for this joyous occasion and sure as the sun rises in the east, no one was disappointed by the display of love, pomp and ceremony.

Who wouldn’t feel happy for the couple, especially when we take our minds back to the death of William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

By my reckoning, the last time the popularity for the Royals spiked this high was when Diana came into the picture. A much needed shot in the arm for the Royals, this Wedding captivated the world, and perhaps put thoughts of an Australian Republic on the back burner for another generation to work out.

Public Domain Image ℅ Wikimedia Commons

The next shot in the arm will come when we see William and Kate as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, which includes Australia. Much like the latest news on Osama bin Laden, wouldn’t that be another breath of fresh air?

So, where to from here for the establishment of an Australian Republic? A republic referendum held in 1999 was defeated and I haven’t heard boo from the republicans since. Have they given up the ghost? Do we really need Australia to be a republic?

What are my thoughts on an Australian republic? I’m in favour of Australia becoming a republic but I must say it’s not on the top of my priorities list nor do I think Australia is ready for one. This is certainly not a case of me having the attitude of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” as I am very proud of my country as it is, and, when we become a republic, I’ll be just as proud. What are your thoughts on an Australian republic?

What others are saying:

The Monarchist

Personal Reflections

Rafal Heydel-Mankoo: Reflections of a Young Fogey

Howzat

Emmi’s Easter Sunday Surprise

2011-04-24T12:26:00.001+10:00

Short and Sweet

Happy Easter Everyone

Emmi's Highlights:

Bonza Emmi

Isn't Life Just Grand

Ten Steps To Happiness

Howzat

News Media Conundrum: Disasters & The Viewing Public

2011-04-20T23:50:00.001+10:00

The past twelve weeks have been tremulous to say the least, with all that’s been happening here at home. That said, I have no right to complain nor should I feel sorry for myself.

Why? During this time I saw the worst of what Mother Nature and man-made creations can throw at others, and that my woes pale in comparison compared to the their plight. Not since 9/11 have I been so totally mesmerized and shocked by TV coverage of horrific events.

First we had the floods and Cyclone Yasi in Queensland, followed by the Victorian floods, then the earthquake in New Zealand, and lastly, the earthquake and nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

Click city and country names for more information

Interactive Map – background image courtesy of Wiki Commons

(Feed & Google readers click here for map)

Thanks you: The Art of Web

We’ve all seen the aftermath of disasters but in their case something was different. Here, we observed the disasters, as with the giant tsunami that rolled into Sendai, Japan, as they unfolded on continuous live TV coverage.

The feeling of helplessness and doom brought on by the footage that included injured persons, was so overpowering that it would rattle even the most seasoned rescuer and make ordinary human beings weep.

Now this brings me to the role of the media. While they have a job to do and knowing that we can switch off in more ways than one, continuous live TV coverage of disaster zones can take its toll on the viewing public. For example, viewers who go on to exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

So when do we say, enough is enough? And what do we do with the ones that have been negatively affected by what they have seen on TV? Should TV networks play an extra role during disasters and give on-air advice on stress and grief management? Should airing time limits be set for TV networks during disasters? For me, writing and talking about it has helped me immensely.

What are your thoughts on the repercussions of continuous live TV coverage showing graphic and horrific images?

How do you cope with televised disasters?

Do you believe the News Media has a duty of care for its viewers while televising disasters?

Australian and international blogs:

Farmers Wifey - Blog from Queensland

Our Great Southern Land - Victoria

Random Meanderings - New Zealand

Yuji Blog - Japan

Howzat

Dorsal Nasal Flap – Post Mohs Surgery: Part II

2011-04-01T02:39:00.001+11:00

Following on from Dorsal Nasal Flap - Post Mohs Surgery: Part I this pictorial documents my recent:

1. Two stages of Mohs surgery to remove nasal basal cell carcinomas

2. Dorsal nasal flap for nasal reconstruction

3. Dressing removal post-surgery

Mohs surgery involves the removal of skin cancers with a high degree of precision and minimal loss of normal tissue under microscopic control. First developed by Dr Frederic Mohs in the 1930s, it has undergone a vast improvement since then and is now reported to be an effective way of removing skin cancers in cosmetically sensitive areas such as the face and nose.

As with my previous Mohs surgeries there was no prior fasting for a procedure that would see me in the operating room at 8.00am and heading for home at 1.30pm.

Marked area contains nasal basal cell carcinomas

First Stage: While in the operating room my nose was made pain free with an injection of a local anesthetic. Once the visible portion of the skin cancers were removed by scraping, the Mohs surgeon excised a thin circular horizontal layer of nasal tissue (see fig 2) containing a:

1. Multifocal basal cell carcinoma (BCC)

2. Micronodular BCC

3. Small margin of healthy looking skin

On the completion of the first stage a dressing was applied to my nose and I was returned to the recovery room. There I waited for the excised nasal tissue to be prepared and microscopically examined. Unfortunately the results revealed that the cancers had not been completely removed.

Second Stage: I was returned to the operating room where the surgeon removed a layer of nasal tissue from the same area. As the results revealed the tumors had been completely removed on this occasion there was no need for further stages of Mohs surgery.

Post-Mohs nasal defect (fig 2)

It was now time to reconstruct my nose using a dorsal nasal flap. Using the image above to explain the procedure:

1. An incision was made along the outer blue line

2. Skin and underlying tissue bounded by the incision line freed to form a flap

3. Freed tissue rotated down into the defect

4. Wedge shaped wound skin edges above the nose drawn together

5. Fine suturing to hold the skin in place (see fig 3)

For those more technically minded, the online PDF article “The Dorsal Nasal Flap for Reconstruction of Large Nasal Tip Defects” by Dr Marc S. Zimbler, MD, FACS, explains the dorsal nasal flap procedure far better than I could ever give.

Nose three days post-dorsal nasal flap (fig 3)

Returned to the recovery room with a dressing on my nose I was discharged in the company of my wife a short time later.

Part of the post-operative instructions included removing the dressing three days later, and as you can see from the image above my nose looks well and truly on the road to recovery.

Related and Previous Mohs Surgery Articles:

Aldara Skin Cancer Treatment

Dorsal Nasal Flap - Post Mohs Surgery: Part I

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries - Part II

Howzat

Dorsal Nasal Flap - Post Mohs Surgery: Part I

2011-03-21T23:53:00.001+11:00

This article is an update to Aldara skin cancer treatment: A Patient's Perspective and part one in a series of articles covering my personal experience with nasal reconstruction after the surgical removal of two basal cell carcinomas in close proximity to each other.

First off, good news, as my face and nose recovered well after the completion of the Aldara skin cancer treatment. Slight skin redness remains but with the help of celestone cream it shouldn’t be long before it’s all gone.

The pain and suffering associated with Aldara has been well worth it going on the results thus far and my treating Mohs surgeon appears quietly optimistic that the treatment has done it’s job of removing precancerous lesions (solar keratosis) and superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCC).

Postop dressing after Mohs surgery and Dorsal Nasal Flap

The Aldara treatment was a prelude to Mohs surgery to the left side of my nose, with a dorsal nasal flap being utilised straight afterwards to close the defect (hole).

This day only surgery took place on the 21 March, 2011 with the biopsy confirmed superficial multifocal basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and a 0.4 mm thick micronodular BCC being removed after the consumption of oral valium and an injection of a local anesthetic. As you can see by the image above, I’ve arrived home from this procedure with a whopping big dressing.

The grand opening (removal of dressing) for my nose will occur on the Wednesday 23 March, 2011. Touch wood I won’t need any correctional surgery.

To Mum, Jayne, Moonshadow, Max Coutinho, Livingsword, Lynda Lehmann and Michele, I thank you all for expressing your concerns and for passing on your best wishes. Yes, it’s been greatly appreciated and welcomed.

Check out my personal articles on:

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries

Aldara Skin Cancer Treatment

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries - Part II

Howzat

Aldara Skin Cancer Treatment: A Patient’s Perspective

2011-02-23T12:31:00.001+11:00

This pictorial chronicles a course of Aldara cream 5% (Imiquimod) to my face and nose to remove precancerous lesions (solar keratosis) and superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCC). The treatment is the prelude to further Mohs surgery to remove a biopsy confirmed superficial multifocal BCC and a 0.4 mm thick micronodular BCC to the upper left side of my nose.

Why bare my soul and skin here?

Becoming a near total recluse during this treatment I put my mind to good use by putting this together. It is not my intention to upset but to educate, especially when so many are unaware of the physical changes that occur as a result of Aldara cream skin cancer treatment. Formulating this has also helped take my mind off the treatment and my almost shaved head.

Why Aldara?

1. Best approach for my extensive facial skin lesions
2. Recommended by my treating doctor (Mohs surgeon and Dermatologist)

What’s Aldara?

Aldara is an immune response modifier – that is, it works by stimulating the immune system to treat certain diseases of the skin, such as skin cancer. The subsequent inflammation, as you can see in the pictures below, is a sure sign that Aldara is doing its job of destroying skin lesions.

An added benefit of Aldara treatment is that skin lesions not visible to the eye become visible and treated at the same time as the visible skin lesions.

Aldara application instructions

Once daily, except for rest days, an amount of Aldara the size of a pinhead was gently rubbed into a section of skin with a clean fingertip. Being careful not to go over areas already covered, this was repeated until all sections of my face and nose had absorbed the thin film of cream. All of this was done before going to bed and washed off ten hours later.

Please note: These instructions are specifically for me, as Aldara treatments can vary depending on the condition, patient and doctor.

	My Aldara cream application regime
	Weeks	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Face	4	yes	no	yes	no	yes	no	no
Nose	6	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no
	Tue & Thu – add extra to nose

	Amount of Aldara cream 5% (Imiquimod) used
Face & nose days	Entire contents of one 250mg sachet
Nose only days	Pinhead amount

On a side note spreading that extremely small amount of Aldara about was a hard task, but not as hard as winning The Ashes (Test cricket series played between England and Australia) which we lost just recently.

Face and nose Aldara treatment phases


Week 2	Week 2	Week 2

Face and nose skin reaction due to two weeks of Aldara treatment


Week 2 + 5 days rest	Week 2 + 5 days rest	Week 2 + 5 days rest

Face and nose treatment suspended to allow skin to rest


Week 4	Week 4	Week 4

Severe facial skin reaction to Aldara by the end of the four week face treatment. Note the extreme inflammation and swelling to my face, nose, lower jowls and throat.


Week 4 + 7 rest days	Week 4 + 7 rest days	Week 4 + 7 rest days

Marked improvement after resting with only red blotchy skin, moderate facial swelling and minor sores on face.


Nose - Week 2	Nose - Week 4	Nose – Week 5

Progressive nasal reaction to Aldara and rest
Final two weeks of Aldara treatment commenced week five but not yet completed.

Image thumbnails – Click to enlarge
All images copyrighted to me – permission needed to publish and link back required

I was advised at the end of week four that if the swelling increased I was to attend my local doctor or hospital. Thank heavens it didn’t come to that. Valium (diazepam), my wife’s tendering loving care, staying indoors, Nurofen Plus, Panadol, sleeping tablets, writing and photographing local wildlife here and there and everywhere helped take the edge off the pain and discomfort.

Superficial multifocal and micronodular basal cell carcinomas

Insert revealing a biopsy confirmed superficial multifocal basal cell carcinoma
and a 0.4 mm thick micronodular Basal cell carcinoma to my nose (reference)

§ § §

Mohs surgery to remove both nasal basal cell carcinomas is expected to take place late March, although I believe this could be put back until my nose heals well enough for surgery.

Further updates will be forthcoming once my face and nose have fully recovered from the Aldara treatment. I will also be posting an article on my Mohs surgery.

One last thing, my Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd digital camera died so I’ll have to resort to using my father’s Box Brownie for future posts.

§ § §

To our friends in New Zealand, especially Christchurch, our prayers and thoughts are with you during your time of grief and despair as a result of the recent earthquake.

§ § §

Check out my personal articles on:

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries

Melanoma - The Silent Killer

Skin Cancer Nose No Boundaries - Part II

Howzat

Rainbow Lorikeet Pictorial

2011-02-13T17:03:00.001+11:00

Finally, here are the pictures of the Australian Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus) that I have been waiting for so long to put up here. The only reason I got so close was that I was camouflaged by my homemade bird blind: Two wheelie bins for sides, a sheet of cardboard with a spy hole and a blanket for a roof.

I used my Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd digital camera as I did with the Common Koel but this time I used the flash as I did with the Australian Garden Orb Weaver Spider.

Two Rainbow Lorikeets feeding on Sunflower seeds

Rainbow Lorikeet hanging out for a feed

Rainbow Lorikeet coveting his mates Sunflower seeds

A Rainbow Lorikeet feeding while his feathered friends look on

Three Rainbow Lorikeets pigging out

Two curious Rainbow Lorikeets

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Common Koel

Garden Orb Weaver Spider

Three Peas In A Pod

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Australian Garden Orb Weaver Spider

2011-02-05T15:32:00.002+11:00

Yes, I'm still a recluse and I'm still playing around with my Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd digital camera to occupy my time. I've tried another of times to photograph a Rosella or a Little Wattlebird to show you, but they're far too elusive. So this Australian Garden Orb Weaving Spider, Eriophora sp. (Araneidae) will have to do.

Having nothing better to do at 1.20am (It’s bloody hot here) I ventured out into the front yard and photographed this little orb weaver spider trying to catch dinner; bugs and the like. The body is only about three quarters of an inch, and about an inch and a quarter long taking into account the legs, all eight of them.

Garden Orb Weaving Spider - top view

Orb weavers are fairly harmless, but if you happen to get bitten the symptoms are usually insignificant with perhaps some minor or mild local pain, numbness and swelling. If you're really unlucky nausea and dizziness can occasionally occur. Mind you walking into their web could be enough to send you over the deep end, either that, or give you a coronary.

Garden Orb Weaving Spider - bottom view

As for our family up in the far north of Queensland, Cyclone Yasi, although devastating to others, left them pretty much alone, thank God.

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Malaysian Spiders

Spiders of Australia

Zane Photo Blog

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What Australian Bird is That

2011-01-27T10:06:00.001+11:00

Bird photography is certainly one way to relieve the boredom while my face undergoes six weeks of Aldara skin cancer treatment. Living the life of a recluse during this time has had its benefits though. Through patience and sheer good luck this fine specimen popped up in front of my camera lens, but what Australian bird is that? It’s got me stumped, what about you?

What Australian bird is that? Common Koel

Prompted by Lynda Lehmann recently to showcase my photographs, this image of an unknown bird is the best by far. Now, if you know the birds common or scientific name, please leave your answer here.

UPDATE

My friend at Birds In Backyards has informed me that the bird is a Common Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) – a member of the cuckoo order and on my reckoning an adult female, as it has been seen with an adult male. (blue-black in colour)

Some further checking reveals that it may be a Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephalus) rather than an Asian, Black-billed or Pacific Koel – all of which come under the name, Common Koel.

Common name: common koel / cooee bird / rain bird / stormbird / eastern koel

You might also like these images:

Three Peas in a Pod

Fallen and Forgotten

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Peter Chen – Blogging Teacher Extraordinaire

2011-01-25T00:05:00.001+11:00

Web content is king, right? Perhaps, but without the support from experienced bloggers in the form of mentoring, blog design and search engine optimization (SEO) tips, we’d find it even harder to make a dent in the ever expanding blogosphere.

Since the conception of this blog in 2007 I have been lucky. Having a long standing relationship with a number of bloggers, one stands out as a blogging teacher extraordinaire.

Peter Chen, aka Enviroman, is a blogging legend known to Google’s Blogger Help Group Blog*Stars and bloggers alike, a retired associate professor and author of many informative blogs including the famous: The Original Blogger Tips and Tricks

Why the news of Peter Chen on my niche blog? Firstly, to pay tribute to Peter for years of advise and secondly, to publicly thank him for asking me to be a guest writer on his blog.

Here’s the link to my guest post: Windows Live Writer Table Plugin

Why this topic? Windows Live Writer, with its ability to make HTML tables in a flash among its many talents, is my favourite blogging tool.

For your viewing pleasure:

Windows Live Writer Table Plugin Guest Post

Windows Live Writer Republishing

Google's Blogger Help Forum

Howzat

Health Risks of Renewable Energy Targets

2011-01-12T23:47:00.001+11:00

In Australia, the land we call “The Lucky Country”, soaring electricity bills due to the renewable energy targets (RET) and the subsequent need by electricity suppliers to upgrade to meet this challenge will increase the health risks for impoverished Australians, especially the elderly.

Electrical bills have increased by 60 to 300% for households around the country, forcing many into “fuel poverty” as they contend with spending 10% of their annual income on energy costs. Bill shocks will continue as the Australian Federal Government strives to force consumer demand down.

Already the highly vulnerable contend with electrical costs by:

1. Living at home with no electricity supply.
2. Using candles and torches to light the home.
3. Using unsafe flammable liquid lamps, cooking devices and heaters.
4. Washing in cold water, winter and summer.
5. Fans, heaters and air conditioners left unused.
6. Cold meals, winter and summer.
7. Cutting back on medications.
8. Cutting back on food.
9. Little or no social life.

With more Aussie Battlers likely to suffer the same fate, poor physical and mental health issues as a result of soaring electricity bills.

Renewable energy targets may add to the 1.6 billion people

living without electricity around the world (source)

In general, the days of paying a electricity bill off in one payment are gone. Electricity suppliers have been inundated by those struggling to pay their electricity bills, with extensions being granted to pay them off over a period of time; much like a personal loan.

Even though many of us have cut down on the usage of air conditioners, clothes dryers, pool pumps and installed energy efficient devices around the home, we’re finding these measures are not enough as our bills continue to remain frustratingly high, and for some, with no logical explanation.

Although state governments have introduced a range of electricity rebates they’re obviously insufficient in assisting impoverished Australians – New South Wales (NSW) has a rebate of only $145 per year. The positive step would be to increase rebates to such a level to negate any suffering, especially when state governments are set for a GST windfall on the back of increased power bills, with up to $550m a year from NSW and Queensland alone.

It appears the full impact of the renewable energy targets has been underestimated and something must be done now to prevent further suffering.

§ § §

1. Are you suffering from fuel poverty?
2. Have you experienced electricity bill shock?
3. What have you done to lower your electricity bills and did it work?
4. Do you know of anyone that is living without electricity?
5. Can you explain why your electricity bills are so high?

§ § §

What's happening in Australia right now:

Queensland Premier’s disaster relief appeal

Australian 2010 - 2011 flood disaster images & info

Facebook's Queensland flood Page

Howzat

Open Source Image Gallery - Bonza

2011-01-04T13:20:00.001+11:00

Behold, Emmi, the apple of her parent’s eye and that of her grandparents. Now, to showcase Emmi’s Christmas day I’ve come up with, Bonza, a simple open source image gallery that contains no JavaScript. (see source code below)

If you pass your mouse cursor over the four quadrants of the image, four different clickable smaller images of Emmi will appear along with text describing the shot. Try it and see what you think.



Bonza

Now for the source code: Yes, it looks gobbledygook. Don’t worry, just copy and paste the code below straight into the “Edit HTML” section of your blog post, or, into the source section when using Windows Live Writer and then follow the instructions below.

<div align="center"> <table style="margin: 0px auto" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" border-spacing="0"><tbody> <tr> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb2mqPiOiI/AAAAAAAAKGU/aCxI9DkciDo/emmione.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 6px" onmouseover="this.src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb2mqPiOiI/AAAAAAAAKGU/aCxI9DkciDo/emmione.jpg'" title="Emmi on Christmas Day" onmouseout="this.src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbnnpcVvxI/AAAAAAAAKFM/4F9l6O-ziH8/emmitopleft-1.jpg'" border="0" alt="Emmi" align="center" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbnnpcVvxI/AAAAAAAAKFM/4F9l6O-ziH8/emmitopleft-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="bottom" /></a></td> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb21OcLQ8I/AAAAAAAAKGY/Topy5cbm2I0/emmitwo.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 6px" onmouseover="this.src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb21OcLQ8I/AAAAAAAAKGY/Topy5cbm2I0/emmitwo.jpg'" title="Emmi admiring a Christmas present" onmouseout="this.src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboAfn904I/AAAAAAAAKFQ/fRN3ZHdtVMY/emmitopright-1.jpg'" border="0" alt="Emmi" align="center" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboAfn904I/AAAAAAAAKFQ/fRN3ZHdtVMY/emmitopright-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="bottom" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3DHXnFJI/AAAAAAAAKGo/fnZTE9cI7aA/emmithree.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 6px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" onmouseover="this.src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3DHXnFJI/AAAAAAAAKGo/fnZTE9cI7aA/emmithree.jpg'" title="Emmi on the phone thanking Santa Claus" onmouseout="this.src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbodFa12II/AAAAAAAAKFw/5QBwfHqV8Hs/emmibottomleft-1.jpg'" border="0" alt="granddaughter" align="center" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRbodFa12II/AAAAAAAAKFw/5QBwfHqV8Hs/emmibottomleft-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="top" /></a></td> <td width="91" align="center" border-spacing="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3QA4ex8I/AAAAAAAAKGs/FuLh6jaPB1o/emmifour.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="padding-bottom: 6px; border-right-width: 0px; background-color: #cccccc; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" onmouseover="this.src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRb3QA4ex8I/AAAAAAAAKGs/FuLh6jaPB1o/emmifour.jpg'" title="Emmi deciding which Christmas present to open first" onmouseout="this.src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboKHK7LpI/AAAAAAAAKFg/fgRFXM7iQVY/emmibottomright-1.jpg'" border="0" alt="granddaughter" align="center" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tpq91pcqIw8/TRboKHK7LpI/AAAAAAAAKFg/fgRFXM7iQVY/emmibottomright-1.jpg" width="186" height="248" valign="top" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <div align="right"><a style="text-decoration: none" title="Get this" href="http://stvincentsdarlinghurstmalenurses.blogspot.com/2011/01/open-source-image-gallery-bonza.html"><font color="#c0c0c0">Bonza</font></a></div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div>

Further Instructions:

1. Divide main image into four equal parts. (here, each quadrant is 186 x 248 pixels)
2. Change blue code to their http address.
3. Their http address appears twice in the code.
4. Select four separate smaller images for the mouseover effect.
5. These will be the same size as the quartered main image. (186 x 248)
6. Change red code to their http address.
7. Change green code for image click event.
8. Adjust image width (186) and height (248) in the code to suit.
9. Adjust background-color: #cccccc; image alt and title to suit.

Note:

1. Tested in IE8, Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 8, Opera 11 and Safari 5.
2. Some web feeds are devoid of the effect but the click event remains.
3. If using the source code please retain the credit.

If you have any questions I will endeavour to answer them the best I can. Well, that’s about it, enjoy.

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Year In Review Ditty

2010-12-26T00:11:00.001+11:00

Another year over, another one starts, is there no end to it?
Perhaps one day, but lets make hay before the ozone depletes!
‘Tis was a good year though, with an heir turning one and a wedding to boot.
Newly anointed parents have done more than their fair share.

Now with Ma and Pa Kettle hankering for a bakers dozen across the lot,
And two other sons itchin for a courtin and a hitchin,
There’ll be no rest at Malfunction Junction until the deeds done.
Yes, by hook or by crook we’ll settle for no less.

Base Images ℅ PhotoXpress

For the last twelve months we’ve been going hammer and tongs,
Thankfully post ankle-biters leaving home renos are completed.
Friends made on the way will always be remembered,
As long as meat pies are left off the daily menu for another twelve months.

Did you have a good year? Will it be remembered above all others?
What were the highlights? What were the lowlights?
As we celebrated Christmas may we all welcome the New Year in.
May peace and happiness follow us until the end of our days.

New Years Eve Events & Specials:

City of Sydney NYEX

The Year That Was

New Years Eve

Sydney Harbour Bridge Webcam

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