29 May 2015

A quick note to end the week, though there is not much to report. 
Yesterday I went to Warrnambool for an MRI of the whole spine, but haven't had the results back yet. With the weekend coming up, there will be no further news from that until next week. I'm hoping that despite several collapsed vertebrae, my spinal cord is stable - if that is the case there will be no spinal surgery recommended. My back pain is currently manageable, and surgery could make it worse. 
 
Meanwhile Brian has come down with a heavy cold, despite having a flu injection not so long ago. He is sleeping in another bedroom to try not to cough and splutter over me at night. It's been quite funny as we both normally begin our daily medication regime at 6am, so for the past two mornings Brian has rung me on my mobile to remind me to take my pills (saves having to just yell through the bedroom wall!)

27 May 2015

Yesterday Brian and I travelled to Melbourne and back, and I have decided ‘never again’ (in one day that is).

We headed to St Vincent’s hospital to see the neurosurgeon, Tiew Han. This is the surgeon who operated on Brian’s neck 4 years ago, and much to our surprise he looked at Brian and said ‘don’t I know you?’ He either has a photographic  memory, or Brian said something funny as he was coming out of anaesthetic that has given them something to laugh about ever since (thanks for that suggestion Jeanie).

After studying the scans, the neurosurgeon remained undecided and has ordered an MRI which I am having in Warrnambool tomorrow. Because my back pain is able to be managed at the moment, he is reluctant to do anything unless the spinal cord is being compromised, and the CT scans weren’t quite definitive enough. He’ll ring me when he gets the results of the MRI. All in all it’s good to know that it doesn’t appear to be urgent. He suggested getting the hip procedure done first to improve my quality of life. So we’ll wait to hear.

Brian managed the driving well, and in fact has been feeling quite good. We are cautiously optimistic that the bladder procedure he had last week has been helpful.

Meanwhile I didn’t have the happiest of trips, starting off with a headache which (with 9½ hours of driving for the day) progressed to nausea. I will simply say that I am happy that someone invented ‘sick bags’ which I keep in the car, and I was extremely happy to arrive back home and crawl straight into bed!

However it was lovely to say hello to brother Geoff before we headed back home.

22 May 2015

There’s been a little bit of movement afoot.

When I rang for an appointment with the neurosurgeon who visits Warrnambool, I discovered there are no appointments available in Warrnambool until September. The next option is to travel (again) to St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and they happened to have a cancellation for next Tuesday (26 May), so that is what we have taken. Mind you, I had a phone call about an hour later from the receptionist, saying that they just had a cancellation for that afternoon and would I like to take it (in around 2 hours time…)

So we’ll see what the neurosurgeon has to say about stabilizing my spine. We are hoping to do a trip there and back in a day, so hopefully our bodies can cope with that.

Brian had his procedure on Wednesday – came through it fine, but has been sore and uncomfortable ever since, so we hope that settles down very soon. It can apparently take up to two weeks before we know if it has been effective for him or not. If he is unable to drive to Melbourne on Tuesday, we have a friend teed up with Plan B!

I had an interesting email the other day from my 9-year-old grandson.

“Dear Nan, Do you have superpowers? Love Liam”

Hmm, that one was fun answering!

18 May 2015

Several weeks have passed since I last updated this blog, and I have been getting some subtle reminders so I guess I’d better get into it! Thanks to you all for your continued interest, concern and prayers. It means a lot to know that although Brian and I have to take a quieter profile, you haven’t forgotten about us.

Over the last couple of weeks there have been some delightful surprises, including:

·         A packet of licorice tea to enjoy (nearly as refreshing as licorice ice-cream)

·         A packet of new Lindt Sea Salt Caramel chocolates to taste-test – an interesting taste sensation

·         A lovely visit from Simon & Caitlin

·         A veritable army of helpers to help us prepare for and celebrate Adrian’s 30^th birthday.

·         And even a glorious autumn day today to enjoy a drive with Brian around Bridgewater Bay and along dirt roads through the native bush at Mt Richmond.

Adrian’s birthday party provided a wonderful example of the amazing community of family and friends who surround us. All it took was the suggestion, and friend Jen took off with the idea and became my hands and feet in pulling together an open lunch after church on Sunday! The hall was decorated in red and blue (Adrian’s cricket club colours), delicious food was supplied by numerous wonderful friends and over 50 people enjoyed lunch, games and a chat, and duly celebrated the occasion. I felt so unbelievably blessed last night as I reflected on this. Perhaps I can even say I am thankful for the ways Brian and I have been forcibly disabled, because this has highlighted the generous and servant hearts of those around us. I thank God for them all.

Another proactive effort for me has been to finally get my act into gear and organize to go twice a week to the swimming pool for exercise. It must be doing some good as I am quite stiff afterwards, despite the gentle nature of the exercises. It is quite good to be in the heated pool as the water gives buoyancy and support, and I can exercise different muscles. Between swimming and my twice-weekly exercise program I have never in my life been so proactive about exercising! Considering my otherwise enforced inactivity, it must surely be helping??

Health-wise, nothing much has changed.  My oncologist roared with laughter after chatting with me about my recent visit to the orthopoedic surgeon when I commented about her possible intention to inject concrete into my compromised pelvic bone – cement is the word, not concrete! I’m on a steep learning curve!

In the meantime I am being referred to a neurosurgeon to investigate how my spine can be stabilized. I haven’t heard yet when this appointment will take place but after exploring several possibilities, we will be seeing a neurosurgeon from St Vincent’s hospital – Mr Tiew Han – who travels to Warrnambool to consult with patients. This would be a huge help for us - if surgery is required it would take place at St Vincent’s but all pre and post appointments would be much closer to home. Interestingly, Tiew Han is the same surgeon who operated very successfully on Brian’s neck 4 years ago (inserting a plate and 6 screws) so we feel quite happy about that as we were happy with his professionalism and care.

In the meantime, on Wednesday this week Brian will undergo a procedure here in Portland hospital which we hope may help with his debilitating bladder problem. It is just a day procedure, but we are praying for anything that will help relieve some of his uncomfortable symptoms. 

 

 

 

Adrian's birthday - Sonya I need you, I'm getting too short!!!

Don't photos make great cakes!