Sunday, 2 August 2015

2 August 2015



So.
I’m limited to a wheelchair for most of the time.
Well what do I do all day, and how do I pass the time without going stir-crazy?
I’ve decided to go through the past week- which has been quiet as far as medical appointments go – and give you a bit of an idea of what goes on in my life.

Ø  I have twice attended the cancer rehab exercises. Exercises are determined according to the individual needs of each participant, and the mean trainer (actually he is very nice!) has just adjusted mine yet again and I have discovered just how poor the muscle tone is in my legs and tummy areas. Never mind… I’ll keep on trying…

Ø  My friend Jen has taken me to the pool for exercises. She too can be quite mean, keeping me on task, and insisting I do impossible things like standing upright in the water whilst keeping my tummy and backside tucked in. Here’s proof that we really do go down the ramp and into the water… 

Entering the water down the ramp

Ø  While attending the rehab exercises, a nurse found me to give me my monthly injection of Denosumab. No side effects.

Ø  Brian and I went down the street several times for shopping. Sometimes I sit in the car watching the world go by, and other times I wheel myself around, as I did this week, discovering that a lot of the Aldi ‘Specials’ displays are too high to be wheel-chair friendly. I guess that’s what little kids feel like all the time.

Ø  Went to Centrelink – TWICE – because on entering the premises the first time, we saw a lengthy standing queue as well as every waiting chair occupied. So we turned around and lumbered the wheelchair back into the car and went home! Several days later we tried again with much better success, though the assistant was unable to answer our query – and neither was anyone else at the centre. Ah well…

Ø  Enjoyed several lovely visits from friends. We have also enjoyed the daily visits from our ‘paperboy’ – Brian’s orchid-hunting mate who has generously brought his newspaper around after reading it, for the whole period of Brian’s foot surgery and recovery (can that really be 7 weeks now?) We’ve enjoyed these daily visits and discussions and debates.

Ø  On receiving the papers, we copy the puzzles page so Brian and I can then each tackle our favourite daily puzzles. We are particularly competitive with the ‘Target Master’ – making words from the 9 letters – and there can be some serious debates as to the spelling and validity of some of the words!

Ø  Preparing meals. I do most of the meal cooking, but Brian is also very helpful and does his share. There is not too much else that is done, although I did make a gluten free slice out of sorrow for Brian last week (as we had been given some delectable but gluten-filled nibbles! Thanks so much Cait!)

Ø  Brian and I have not found it easy to attend our usual church home group this year, but we were given the dvd being used by our group, so we enjoyed watching and discussing this together.

Ø  Had a visit from one of our visiting nurses. My main issue is getting the back pain under control as I commonly have a period in the afternoon where the pain breaks through and these dear nurses are great with their suggestions of working through these sorts of difficulties.

Ø  This week I played piano for church so we had a band practice at our place on Saturday – so much easier to practice in the coziness of home. I somehow managed to play this morning, but it was actually Adrian (on guitar) and the singers (including Brian) that did the job so well.

Ø  Won’t go into boring details like reading, doing some proof-reading for a friend, and routine household chores. (The dusting only gets done up to as high as I can reach, so if you visit, don’t look any higher than around eye height.)

You’ll be glad it’s not been a busy week!

Blessings to you all. 
This should help you read your doctor's writing

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

28 July 2015



Time seems to fly by, but I have been getting some not-so-subtle reminders to update this blog (er... thanks Coral!)
Even though I think nothing much has been happening, when I reflect on the previous blog I see that things do in fact change without realizing it.
Firstly, Brian is feeling much better now and his foot has been healing very well. Next week he will be going back to Ballarat for a final xray and review of his toe and we expect a good report. He is walking pretty well, and is managing the usual household chores of washing, ironing and taking out the bins etc. Today he went for a drive around the tracks at Cape Nelson and after sitting in the car patiently for a time (at a very secret location) he was rewarded with photos of a “Rufus Bristlebird” – highly prized as they are hard to find and hop about very quickly on the ground, making them very difficult to photograph. He’s happy!

I am going along as per my ‘new normal’. Back pain has been somewhat persistent, and my new definition for ‘disabled’ has nothing to do with things like wheelchairs, but rather pain. As you would all know in varying ways, pain has the capacity to be very disabling, and the challenge is to manage it. At the moment I am pretty much on top of it, after doubling my Lyrica tablet, and then doubling it again. The trade-off for being better managed is that I am a bit sleepier than normal and my head feels slightly dipsy (some of you would sat that’s pretty normal!) Night-time sleeping is good though! 

Yesterday I had the second of my monthly injections of Denosumab (for bone strengthening). I don’t seem to be having any side-effects from this, which is good. Other than that, I am keeping up with my exercise regime – so important when I am otherwise unable to be very active. I have also had some surprise visits, flowers and a wonderful book – thank you!

Meanwhile, winter has made its presence felt with some very cold weather, and even snow in the Grampians. It’s improving a bit now, but it really doesn’t make much difference in our cocooned little world indoors. However we try to go for little drives or take the ‘long route’ home just for variety. 
This little fella was in the gum tree right near our nature strip.

Wind tower right behind the Portland smelter

Pine logs ready for export to China

Thursday, 16 July 2015

17 July 2015



I can’t believe another week has gone by. It’s amazing that Brian and I can live a fairly sedentary life and yet the days can still fly by. It’s been a very cold and wintery week and quite easy to be indoors. However that has not stopped me going off with Jen (in the rain) to the pool for swimming exercises. I believe these exercises are very helpful as I can actually walk and move pretty normally in the buoyancy of the water. Brian has had a breakthrough too and started a bit of driving - down the street a few times. I think it might have caught up with him today as his foot has been a bit sorer. Nevertheless it is wonderful to be more independent again.



I had my visit with the oncologist yesterday. Things are going along ok for me, though I am still tweaking the medications a bit to get the best relief for the pain in my back. My white blood cell count is a bit low, but not dangerously so (due to the chemo drug which I take daily). According to my last MRI there are no further collapses in my two collapsed vertebrae, so the pain is likely to be either nerve or muscular. Anyway, he suggests we wait a few weeks before exploring any possible hip surgery as I find it difficult to sleep on my back at the moment (and I would need to do that if my hip is attended to). So there will be no major procedures happening for the time being – not so easy for me when I’m a person who normally likes to know what’s going on and when!   



This week I had some delightful surprises with unexpected letters from two cousins that I haven’t seen for some time – thanks Joan and Wendy! What an encouragement to hear from you both! Thanks also to other regular pray-ers and those who have lifted our day with chats, letters or even home-made cappuchinos!



Meanwhile there have been southern right whales making their way right into the Portland harbour. I am cross that I missed this one that frolicked round the harbour for a number of hours before heading back out to sea! Hopefully I’ll hear in time if another one appears close by – they are such amazing creatures.  




Now to settle down and watch a bit more of the Tour de France…