MetaFilter

What's the deal with your nickname? How did you get it? If your nickname is self-explanatory, then tell everyone when you first started using the internet, and what was the first thing that made you say "wow, this isn't just a place for freaks after all?" Was it a website? Was it an email from a long-lost friend? Go on, spill it.

Now-retired web designer / technical writer in Topsham, Devon. My family is from the Isle of Wight. I play bayan (5-row B system chromatic button key accordion). In December 2013, I self-published a biography: A Wren-like Note, the life and works of Maxwell Gray (Mary Gleed Tuttiett).

Unfortunately, in the late summer of 2012, I was diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary: moderately advanced metastatic cancer in various lymph nodes, where no original tumour is findable. It's not curable and has a pretty bad prognosis - the median survival rate is three months after diagnosis - but the lymphatic-only pattern is one of the longer-survival groups, and I'm still around over two years later.

The general plan has been palliative chemotherapy. I've had two series: a cisplatin-docetaxel course, and a second-line GemCarbo course early in 2014, with some local radiotherapy to neck and chest in late 2014 - early 2015. Overall, I had two-and-half years, very fit and symptom-free, after diagnosis.

However, things have escalated very fast since April 2015, and as of May 29th, the oncology team and I are agreed that further direct treatment to the cancer is unlikely to be of benefit. I'm taking various drugs for cough, inflammation and pain, and that's it. This is, basically, endgame. I probably won't be posting to MetaFilter further. My very best wishes too all.