Back to back.

Found this photo taken across the city from my front door patio of the yachts racing in the clipper ship race.

Am sitting in my lounge slightly sweltering - the temp must have been in the mid 30's today so I resorted to having the air con on for a period of time.  I just realised I could move the fan from the corner of the lounge where it has spent the winter and bring it forth to cast a breeze, but at the moment, that would mean moving which could just possibly break my train of thought, as my brain is in wilt mode, lol. 

Another week has passed in an almost blur and now Christmas is officially just round the corner, 23 days and counting.  Last Friday whilst I was in bed lurking with a book, I got a ring from the person who now looks after the little lad I was particularly fond of  to ask if I would like to have him for a visit Sunday.  It came out of the blue and as I had not seen him for over 2 months I immediately said yes.  We decided after lunch would be good and so it came about.  The lad himself was not 100% well but found the toys he had played with last time and we got the playstation 2 out having a go at sing star and another game I had in between playing pirates and putting up my Christmas tree.  I had started the morning by going to the Farmers market looking for some fruit and veg but didn't fancy much there and bought a lavender rock salt heat/cold pack for my back instead.  I then shot into town to find there were stalls all up the main street with about three other shops open and I decided to buy myself a Christmas tree.  Oh the decisions, as the size goes by how many tips to the end of the branches each tree has - the higher the amount of tips, the denser the tree.  I cut to the chase and said I would have the $20 one which suited my budget and just happened to be mid tip range.  I had the box in the lounge so the lad asked what was in it and when I said a Christmas tree, he asked if he could help put it up - no problems.   I found some tinsel and ornaments from the tree we had in the boarding house at Tardun, and had bought some little candy canes to go on the tree and away we went.  I did the top bits and the lad did the bottom bits more with enthusiasm than talent I have to say.  On one branch I have 5 ornaments hanging down the bottom and there are empty spaces in other areas but what the heck, a bit of juidicious placing of tinsel and hey ho, good to go.

On Saturday evening after grocery shopping, I had decided with some trepidation to fire up my barbeque to see if it still worked.  I say with trepidation as there have been programs on tv re explosions after barbeques being left over winter and leaking when first started again.  I moved the barbeque away from the house a bit, turned on the gas and then the switches - they had been left switched on so it started automatically with a bit of a whoosh, and then had to watch as this moth (large) that had camped under the grill over winter tried to fly out, failing to do so and then being cremated on the spot - not nice.  On Sunday, with food in the house, and the house splendidly clean and tidy I decided to invited the  workmate and family to barbeque dinner - only to realise half way through the day, it was a year ago on the Friday that I moved into this house.  Threw a lettuce salad together,  made a tabouleh salad, home made hummus and home made parsley pesto to go with a raw vegie platter and did baby potatoes with fresh mint from the garden  with chops, sausages  and steak that the boys cooked for me while I finished the salads off.  It was all very tasty and well received.  Bronwyn's mum and dad came too as they were heading back to Philip Island on Tuesday so it was a bit of a farewell for them too.

I had been to the chiropractor on Thursday last but my back continued to ache with a nagging, dragging ache that was only mildly dissipated with pain relief.  I had my next appointment on Monday morning and told the chir practor I was not impressed, that I had not seemed to be getting any improvement.  He said the only thing that would help would be to take time off work completely until it got better which was all fine and good but a tad unrealistic.  I had three afternoon shifts starting that day then two days off so we agreed to taking the three days off to see if that would work and I was to do next to nothing, lying down rather than sitting otherwise moving about as best as I could.  I have used cool packs on my lower back area and at last ( a very quiet yay),  yesterday I felt better than I had in weeks (after another treatment too) and today I am the best I have been yet.  I have two 12 hour days this weekend so if it all goes to custard, not sure what next.  The chap I have been seeing is a locum so get the main guy back from holiday next week and a review at the same time. 

Friday 16th
Have just realised I never posted this one so will do so now and write an update to follow :)

What a difference a week makes :)

Just to let you know I AM still alive and slightly kicking after my "heart" episode which on some further investigation has uncovered a non-life threatening but progressive pain in the anatomy none the less.  I worked the previous Monday night without incident though with my back still aching from the weekend/week before.  By Wednesday (which I thought was Tuesday, due to sleeping a good amount after Monday's night shift, and duh) I had a pain in the chest again, took asprin and breathed through it and decided to make an appointment at the chiropractor to sort my back which was not improving.  I have to say, this experience could not have been more different to the last torture chamber episode (written up in earlier post during the year) although I was a touch apprehensive at the start of the procedure.  I had to get down to nickers and don one of those gorgeous gowns all things medical seem to have a preponderance of.  (Knickers were on the right way this time so off to  a good start, lol).  A young bloke  (slightly older than Doogie Howser as most people are these days, lol) appeared and started by introducing himself with a firm handshake (scored points right there!!) and then proceeded to get me to answer a range of questions about various parts of anatomy and their workings.  He asked if I had had many falls - yes I said, from horses as a child, and lots of trips and falls over the past few years which I put down to clumsiness and multi-lens glasses.  He then asked if I had ever had a car accident - I haven't I said (he was most surprised at that) and then got me stand in front of a mirror facing him while I had to do some balancing tricks with my eyes shut, before turning me to face the mirror while he explained how out of wack (my words, not his medical term, lol) my spine was.  He said my pelvis was twisted (like the Brunhilda of my last experience had told me)  and my left leg was about 2" different to my right which was throwing my whole posture out, most likely causing pinching of nerves.  Good oh.  He got me to get on the purpose built table in the office and placed a pad of something under my right knee and something under my left lower thigh and left me like that for a few mins before using the staple gun thing a couple of times on my upper spine.  In the short space of time it all took, my pelvis had straightened somewhat and I was sent off to get xrays of my spine and a further appointment booked the next morning. 

I hied myself off to St John of God hospital and within about 10 mins was once again getting into another hospital gown before being led into the xray room where the woman asked if it was possible I was pregnant (before she took my xrays).  Bless, after laughing out loud and thanking her for the compliment I had to stand still, breath out, breath in and snap after snap was taken.  Front, back and side views all loaded onto a CD which when I was dressed again, I took back to the chiropractor so he could read them before the next morning's appointment.  It was around 11.30am and I had had nothing to eat at that point since about 10pm the previous night so decided to head to the Geraldton Regional Hospital to get my fasting blood test done but damn, the fates were against me.  After circling all the car parks twice and starting to feel light headed with hunger I gave it a miss and delivered the CD instead, before heading home for some sustenance. 

The short version is basically my spine is in poor shape.  The chiropractor has seen worse but it would seem time is of the essence.  I have mild spondylotic changes in the lumbar, thoracic and cervical vertebrae (curvature of the spine).  He drew a line on my xrays  where my spine should be, and I could definitely see the curve well below the line.  The front on view of my spine looked a little zig-zagged to my eye, and the tilt of my pelvis was again obvious to the untrained eye.  It would seem I have degenerative disc disease, mild osteoarthritic changes in both hip joints, and shading on my spine in several places would indicate arthritis happening in neck, middle and lumbar regions of my spine - who knew!!  So, after all this, because of my tilt and right leg compensating for the left leg, he could pretty much put all my symptoms of the previous Sunday (my imagined heart attack/angina all down to skeletal issues.  The plan is to have two sessions a week for four weeks which hopefully will put me in better shape and then a review.  The first two sessions did not make much of a difference to the by now chronic back ache but am feeling much better after yesterdays session.  Rather than the brutal crack, thump and wallop mode that I previously experienced, this practice follows a much more holistic and gentle approach by letting the body right itself as much as possible.  I am also on light duties at work for the next two weeks and he suggested mowing the lawns on my hill was probably not the wisest as I am trying to get spine functioning how it should.  So for the first time I am pleased that my back has given me enough gyp to see someone about it instead of taking pain killers until it went away.  I would never have had an xray to say the least or thought that I was so out of wack except once again, it was obvious when I was stood in front of the mirror with my shoulders on a complete tilt.  When the chiro told me that this was all part of the aging process for me now my response was, that I had had a good time getting to this place, lol and forewarned is now forearmed.  Thoughts of do I want a long time or a good time sprang to mind but I think with some minor changes I can do both, heh heh.  I had my first night back at work after a day off on Sunday and managed ok.  I had babies changed and delivered to me to feed, then picked up from me and put to bed, was able to sweep the floors but did not have to mop, and did folding and surface cleaning that did not involve bending or lifting and felt good at the end of the shift this morning so will see how we go.

Because of my confusedness with the Tues/Wed timing, I missed going to Rotary last week and did not go this week because of my shifts at work but have received an invitation to join so will organise having a coffee with the membership director later in the week.  I had a chuckle because the person who invited me along referred me to the chiropractor I am now going to, and would you know it, another woman from Rotary is one of the receptionists there. The small world of Geraldton!  

Last Sunday  one of the women from work came over for a scrap booking day which was fun.  She has done heaps and I have lots of resources, have just needed the prompts to get going.  It was a perfect day, nice and sunny even if blowing a southerly wind most of the day and we sat in the sun room overlooking 180o of the Indian Ocean whilst working at our respective projects.  I have No 1 grandson's 2nd birthday just about sorted, lol. 

I had a laugh earlier when reading niece Laura's blog,  http://www.hungryandfrozen.com  describing costumes various members of the family wore to a dress up 21st last weekend midst her food blog.  I had a moment when reading that her mother went as the ugly sister when the thought - she needed a costume for that, flashed through my mind lol.  It was a fleeting thought and a comment I am sure Kay would appreciate with the wit in which it is said, heh heh - ahhh the days of sibling rivalry that make such good stories now at family gatherings. 

Have just looked at the time and I need to get some sleep before tonight's shift so will stop and hope to finish this off at work early next morning.

Later:
Have just fed one of the babies and he is back in bed, all the chores are done except some school lunches so have snuck on here while we have a movie on the telly to pass the time away before the next baby awakes. Its 4am and have to say I am feeling a tad weary. I am thinking of having something to eat or maybe a coffee and that should ping me awake again. I weighed in earlier tonight and have officially lost 7.2k woohoo which is timely re my back, so all good.  I need to move before I doze off so will post this now. Looking forward to another warm day today, it was 36o yesterday and too hot to walk outside in bare feet.

What it takes to have a night off work, lol and minor car blip :)

Posting is top of my to do list today, so here goes.  Have just got to remember I have the sprinklers on outside watering the garden so that hopefully my new lettuce plants survive.

Speaking of survival, both the car and myself have had near misses so to speak,  this last week. I was driving back from work just after midnight last Thursday night, admiring all the twinkling lights at the port, thinking how great it was to see lights on all through the night, much like the steel mill at home (kind of pyschological support when you live on your own and yes it was a long thought, lol) when glancing down, I noticed a light that said "engine", was on.  Eeek!!!!  Thinking that I was about to cook the engine, the dilemma was to keep going or stop,  but as I was still aways from home and not wanting to walk  at that time of night I decided to put a few words upstairs and crept home - about a mile.  I was going so slow it took me three goes to get up the hill which is my driveway,  and when I stopped the car, ?smoke/steam was pouring out from under the bonnet with that horrible rancid metal smell that indicates something is extremely hot.  I stood contemplating the car for a moment once I was out, pulled all my things out in case it was smoke not steam in case it was going to burst into flame any moment, then when it didn't immediately do that, left it over night to cool down.  The next morning I checked the oil and water - the radiator was nigh on empty and the oil was ok so topped up the radiator, nothing appeared to leak out anywhere and with a certain amount of trepidation, turned the engine on.  No light appeared, the car kicked over and woohoo it gets to live another day.  I need to get it to the garage for a service I guess as the last thing I need is for the engine to go bang on the way home from another night shift.

Had a nice evening on Saturday as I was invited to the exworkmates' place for dinner to celebrate their eldest daughter leaving school - where did the time go!!! ( and she has her full licence now).  Barbeque dinner and a fierce game of scrabble afterwards with Nana (as the grandparents are visiting for several weeks) Gerard and family friend.  The tiles were reasonably kind to me, I haven't played scrabble for ages and it was fun with all the banter around the table.  I was moving gingerly as after spraying weeds with roundup earlier in the week, then sitting for two days at a work conference, my back had gone out.  I was coming right but unthinkingly had lugged several heavy bags of groceries into the car prior to dinner and by the time I was ready to go home I could barely move.  Decided to have an earlyish night, took voltarin,  and woke up bright and early the next morning so thought I would check out the state of the nation on the computer for awhile, whilst  the rest of the world woke up.  I remembered I had washing to hang out so at 7am went out to the line and while I was (slowly) hanging out various items I started getting a pain in my chest.  It started as a sort of pressure and then seemed to get more and more somewhat back labour pains (for those playing at home) or an elephant with its foot on your chest .... Great I thought, I am standing here outside on the lawn with just a dressing gown on (was about to have a shower as well), and I am going to drop down dead on the lawn in all my glory, lol - charming indeed.  (I figure if you go to the worst scenario and work backwards, it is never so bad, lol).  I got back inside (phew) and not only was the pressure getting heavier, I started getting pains in my jaw and pressure/pain in my left arm and for good measure felt like I wanted to throw up.  Went to go to the loo in case of being sick and decided I needed to sit instead.  Great, now I am in another position where I could die in extremis as have heard tales that a lot of people die on the loo with a heart attack ( it is getting better and better by the moment).  I have also heard that if you think you are having a heart attack you should cough, so there I was sitting and coughing and when able to move again, hied myself out of there.   OK, now I was getting a little more concerned and as I was thinking - drive or ambulance to the hospital to get this checked out, friend Donna rang.  She was being smart on the phone at the start thinking she had woken me up until I groaned and as soon as I told her how I felt, she dropped everything and zoomed over to take me to the hospital.  I opened the front door (again in case I karked it on the spot, lol) and went to throw some clothes on and not long after Donna arrived. Fortunately I had piles of laundry on the bed, grabbed knickers, threw a sleeveless dress/long top and a pair of jeans on.   Got to the hospital which is not far away and after explaining symptoms, was whisked straight into A&E and into a bed. They put an oxygen mask on me (nearly made me gag and felt very claustrophobic at first), then put my finger in something like a peg (I think that reads oxygen stats) and a blood pressure gizmo on my arm that continued to take my blood pressure automatically every 15 mins or so for the rest of the day.  Someone came and took blood and was so good at it, I didn't realise till later that she had put a leur in as well.  While that was happening, another nurse started placing these round plastic dots  with what looked like a dome in the middle about my person and then was hooked up by a variety of plastic wires to the heart monitor.  The good news is that the results were pleasingly dull and boring, all was well.  The nurse came to explain what they were doing by taking bloods and apologised for using technical terms to start with.  I said I knew exactly what she was talking about as I had worked on the heart ward at home (albeit as a social worker but I learned the lingo, just not how to read the heart monitors which is no bad thing for a social worker, lol) and to fire away.  I knew that if I had had a heart attack it would show in the troponim levels in my blood - an amazing diagnostic tool that can  tell when and if an attack  has occurred - something to do with enzymes in the blood.  Mine were negative but the hospital protocol is you have to stay there for 8 hrs for another blood test to make sure before you are sent home.  Somewhere around 10.30am I asked if I could pay a visit to the loo as my eyes were about crossing and after being unhooked, got there and had to laugh - a whole new meaning to not getting your knickers in a twist when I found that in my daze, I had mine on back to front.  I thought they felt a little unusual but on a scale of 1 - 10, at the time, that was not the end I was most concerned about.

I have to say, the staff were amazing and I felt I was in very good hands.  I was moved to a side room as time went on with another woman who was having angina for real and who was later sent by air with the Flying Doctors to Perth for more specialised treatment ( she had been having angina for three days and was diabetic to boot !!!).  I was given asprin early in the piece to take and by 11am was feeling a little peckish.  Was given sandwiches and then must have dozed and missed lunch so was given more sandwiches with apologies late afternoon.  Got to experience watching tv in hospital - the screen fixed from the ceiling above the foot of the bed, hand controls much the same as the controls to move the bed and the speaker/volume of the tv is in the hand control so several people can watch different channels and nothing can be heard much further than the bed you are in - brilliant, can I take one of them home, lol.  Dozed in and out of watching a V8 race - part of the series which finishes this coming weekend,  and then the beginning of the "Return of the Pink Panther",  which looks so dated now. As my 8 hrs were coming to an end, another blood test was taken, all normal and was allowed to go. They took the blood from the leur and unfortunately the protocol for doing that is the first 5ml is thrown away and the next amount drawn up can be tested (in case of impurities), so that was a bit of a challenge to lie still while needles were about my person.  This week I have to have a cholesterol blood test done and have to do a stress test.  I have to say I felt a complete fraud after the first hour with nothing further happening, not even a twinge of anything but was reassured I had done the right thing at the time.  They gave me a medical certificate for work for that night and then it was time to go home again. 

The workmate had said the night before, why didn't I ring them when the car was on the blink the previous night, they would have come and got me, so I had promised if I needed help again I would ring,-  so rang her phone - no answer, rang Gerard - no answer, rang eldest daughter- no answer and last but not least rang the home and this time got Nana who said everyone was at work but Grandad was out and about picking one of the boys up and he would come and get me.  I found a seat outside the hospital and was happy to sit in the afternoon sun which warmed up my bones without being unpleasant and was just day dreaming away when   popped up one of my ex Tardun neighbours beside me.  She had been driving along the highway, past the workmates car which had broken down just after picking up the others from work and even though she was on the way to a birthday party with her two young boys, she deviated to come and pick me up to drop me home. Bless.  Am happy to report all is well since.  Had an early night Sunday, slow day Monday with an afternoon sleep then worked night shift and then slept again yesterday afternoon and am now back in sync again.  One of the nurses at the time said there could be a variety of reasons for the pain/pressure I experienced, reflux, gall stones etc etc so will just have to see how things go.  The other thing I am thinking is that my whole system is out of whack with my back out, so it could be something to do with that.  Watch this space.  The good thing is if I get a similar pain again, I will take an asprin and if not gone in half an hour, will have to do the whole process again.  Forgot to mention they took an xray as well so not sure when I will hear about what that indicated if anything.

Have just rung for an apt at the chiropractors and realised it is Wednesday, not Tuesday like I thought and I have missed the Rotary meeting this morning - buggar.  (small pause while I go and turn the hose off).  Donna and I both weighed in at weight watchers last night and despite all odds I have lost 1.2k over the past two weeks.  I was extremely surprised at that as last week I was at conference for two days (previously mentioned) and the food there was rubbish.  All scones with cream, pastries, and very unappetising dinner of buttered chicken and horrible braised steak, lots of bread and pasta and bowls and bowls of lollies on the tables during the day.  The venue was sited right on the coast on the main highway to Perth with beautiful views of ocean, port and sand dunes.  Inside think 1970's budget hotel as to decor etc.  The conference itself ranged from tedious to slightly interesting though the murder mystery dinner the first night was a lot of fun.  We all got dressed up, most were Hollywood stars or other famous musicians and you had to ask one and all who they were and what was their clue to piece it all together.  It was great to see all the costumes and watch people get into character.  My CSI training came in handy, lol, I guessed the who but not exactly how.  It was reasonably obscure and I thought it had to be from exactly the clues we were given which it wasn't.  All good fun though and a great way of mixing people up.

Big news of the day today is the visit by Barrack Obama to Australia.  He will be in Canberra today which is pretty much in lock down mode by all reports on the tv, and is flying to Darwin tomorrow where he and Julia Guillard are announcing closer military ties of some sort - again according to the reports I am listening to with half an ear - have just heard next report and marines are going to have a base in Darwin -- hmmm wonder if any jobs are going up that way, lol.   He has bought his Presidential limo with him, all bullet proofed etc but egg on the faces of the men in black, who left info in a rental car with most of the President's movements today.  Big oooooops.  It was noted he comes with more security people than the Queen did when she was here earlier in the month ....

Am about to go out into the garden to peruse and clip dead heads of some plants.  Am eating cherry tomatoes daily off my plants and I see a couple of beans are ready.  Have planted new bean plants and am hoping the locusts have all moved on as about three plants only survived from the last batch.  I want to mow the lawns but not sure how sensible that is with my back being the way it is.  A pox on feeble body parts!!!!  I did carefully, spray the weeds out front yesterday morning as it must have been the only windless morning in weeks.  Did not lift the container of spray this time but moved it about on the ground slightly bending to spray - all good with no ill effects afterwards that I noticed.  The weeds out the back are dead or suitably dying so have been picking them out of the path which is beginning to look great again.  Have forgotten whether I mentioned the purchase of a worm farm in my last post and am happy to report the worms appear to be growing and multiplying and I have fed them the first lot of vegetable scraps.  Am disposing of all poisoned weeds at the tip so none of those going in the compost or to the worms. 

Am feeling peckish and it is time for lunch. Will go harvest some more tomatoes and work from there - have some ham in the fridge so may make a mini pizza, hmmmm choices.  Air Force 1 has landed, 20 mins early as he arrived with a tail wind.  Non-stop reporting on telly for the afternoon such is the newsworthiness of it all. 

And just in case anyone is concerned about my dramatics above: I AM ALL GOOD :):):)