#2341 Tuesday 31st December 2024

 New Year's eve ....  Best wishes to you all for 2025

At the moment we are at an all time low so the new year will be much better for us.  We're selling stuff to get through the business end of year close down.  I've already sold my trailer and hopefully the car will be sold in the next few days.    Kaylia is unaffected by this .... she is focussed on having four new calendars on New Year's Day.

#2340 Wednesday 25th December 2024

Christmas morning.....  WHO SET THE ALARM!

We were awakened much earlier than anticipated...,.. a decent sleep-in was planned.  The puzzle now is who set the alarm?  Naomi?...... Nooooo.   Me?..... Nooooo!  It only leaves Kaylia.  She is fixated on opening her presents ..... so it means that she has worked out how to set the alarm.  She is familiar with the clock as a timer so she has investigated the other functions of the clock on her iPad.   I'm impressed.

#2339 sunday 22nd December

Phew it's hot!  ..... but at least we're not on fire.

We head down to cooler weather in Busselton tomorrow.

Happy Christmas.

#2338 Thursday 19th December

This is for those days when you Jes caint talk proppa.....

#2337 Tuesday 17th December

 

This is the Christmas letter which I recently circulated. I hope it is legible.

Kaylia is off with Jenny today ... Jenny is a carer who provides us with respite under the NDIS.

Several people have commented on the health issues .... it's funny ... these issues don't seem to be such a great problem to us ..... but I guess that could be because the issues are constantly with us.  I am much more concerned with the chronic pain in my right wrist.  I've already had as much treatment for the problem as I'm prepared to do .... so I just have to live with the pain.  (Any further surgery on the wrist would be a repeat of the nightmarish surgery in 2011 .... so no way!)

I'm much more conscious of the lingering effects of the childhood abuse ..... for instance it is difficult to make and maintain friendships.  I'd like to meet up with fellow Landrover nuts .... I have contact details for several "nuts" .... but I can't get myself to make the move!

#2336 Friday 13th December

We're at the Workpower site in Malaga waiting for the support person who will look after Kaylia today. She will spend time at a site that prepares goods for op shops.  She seems to enjoy these times although it can be hard to tell.  The routine of the weekly activity is very important to her.  The activity itself is teaching her skills.

Routine is vital to managing Kaylia.  She insists on a regular routine at home ..... tea at 5pm followed by time on her tablet (Youtube) till 7pm .... then medicine together with a talk with daddy where we review the coming trips for the next few months.  (This way she always has an idea of where she is in 'time')

My health: On Tuesday I had a visit to a urologist. More tests to decide whether to remove the kidney.  I have an "oncocytoma" which may or may not be a problem. The urologist has a case conference with his peers for unusual patients .... apparently I am unusual.   Next visit Feb 4th.  An oncocytoma is a growth which may be a problem depending on how fast it grows and where it is located.

#2335 Monday 2nd December

Kaylia's fine!   She's such a beaut person these days.  I get a bit annoyed by her "looping"  (constant repetition of a phrase) but she can control that if I tell her that it's too much.  ...... but she listens really well. For example, today we were all in the car and the front seat people were discussing cooking the sausages for tea - whether to bake or to fry.  Big ears in the back seat immediately pipes up..... "PAN" (ie fry)

My health... How am I? A bit confused about that actually.... there are several possibilities going on and it's hard to decide which is the real cause.  I had stopped using the CPAP machine (I got sick of it). Now that I'm using the CPAP again, my energy levels are a lot better. I think the kidney problem is causing pain ...... but it's so hard to tell. I see a urologist next week.

#2334 Wednesday 20th November 2024

 It's really good to receive responses to the blog ... it makes me feel that my efforts are not wasted!  .... and it also reminds me to write further blog entries with news updates.

What's going on?  

Kaylia is very happy and healthy.  When I drop her off at the Workpower centre (so that she can have a day of movies, bowling and activities) ... the staff often comment on the relationship that Kaylia and I have as she is nearly always "smooching".  She has Wednesdays and Friday at Workpower, Monday and Thursday mornings are for her Curve Style business.  (Selling clothes on eBay) Monday and Thursday afternoons are with Jenny.  She has speech therapy session  on Tuesday morning  ..... and then Tuesday and Saturday are also with Jenny .... usually going to movies, shopping, drives.  Kaylia obviously enjoys her days.

Naomi is establishing her business as a clinical psychologist.  Healthwise she needs to have  a gall bladder op .... this is not very urgent and she is managing the day to day health effect.  She's waiting for a suitable space in her work program to allow her to arrange the hospital visit.

Me .... my 5 day hospital visit 2 weeks ago was due to sepsis .... the culprit for this seems to be a lesion on my left kidney which is bleeding.  This lesion was found a few years ago and the biopsy showed it to be benign .... no action needed.  A scan 2 weeks ago shows that the lesion has enlarged.  My theory is that when I fell in April and landed on the end of a steel pipe, the impact damaged the kidney as well as the ribs.  Hence the bleeding.  I'm told that the symptoms I have had since April might be explained by this. (It seems to be causing pain in the kidney region and lethargy. I'm having to rest much of the day.)  The next step is to consult a urologist so that he can decide on an action plan.  My preference will be surgery to remove the lesion and stop the bleeding.

#2333 Saturday 16th November

 After the doctor visit this week, I need to see a urologist to examine the kidney issue.  To get an appointment with a urologist is not easy!   While waiting I have to take it easy.

#2332 Monday 11th November

Still feeling crook...... I see the doctor on Wednesday.  I hope there's an answer.

I've been scrounging...... a house is going up a few streets away and their scrap pile had a heap of steel frame offcuts.

These are just the sort of scraps that I like making into useful things.  I don't have the energy at present .... but I can dream.

2331 Thursday 7th November

"Oh America, what have we done?"

#2330 Wednesday 6th November

I'm still crook..... I spend most of the day resting.  I see the GP next week and I really hope we can fix me!

These tyres are specially made for Rump supporters.

#2329 Saturday 2nd November

Phewie! I'm still not well. Last night is was up with a session of nausea.  Today has been more of coping with no energy.   After the hospital stay, I'm realising that the "no energy" condition has been there for some time.  It's confirming my theory that the ribs injury is tied into the kidney problem. The impact was all in that area.

#2328 Friday 1st November

 I'm not out of the woods yet ..... I'm home but I'm still quite weak.  I spend the day mostly in bed.

My theory is that the problem (that caused the hospital visit) was fixed .... but the internal bleed that caused the problem has not been addressed .... and it would not have been found if the infection had not caused serious problems.

#2327 Wednesday 30th October

Time drags by when you're not having fun 😊 

There are no signs that I'll be going home.... and it's not clear why!

I spend time listening to ABC news radio ..... The broadcast this morning of the speech by Kamala was powerful.... and scary at the same.  I can only hope that Trump is not elected.

At the moment I'm measuring my urine output and I find that I need to use a continence pad.  This morning the nurse brought in some new pads.....  and they are of the pants type and they only stretch as far as my knees!  Try again.

2:10.   I'm going home! Yay!  Kaylia will be very happy.

#2326 Tuesday 29th October

My condition is bouncing like a yo yo.  My temperature goes down to normal and then it goes up again.  There's been no response from the doctors about what their proposed treatment is. The frustrating thing is that I feel the current issues are a consequence of the broken ribs in April.... and the decision makers don't take any notice of my ideas.

Kaylia is consistently just wanting me to go home

Later... the doctors just been and he has no clear answers.  The cultures of my blood don't show any infections in the blood but it doesn't explain why the temperature goes up and down. When temperature doesn't fluctuate I will probably be sent home...  But not today!

The plan is to control the infections..... and after everything has settled, we can look at fixing the bleeding lesion on the kidney.

4.30.  I've just been enduring a long session with an elderly woman in the room across the corridor..... She has been calling out "Can someone help me" in a pitiful voice.  This carried on for a lonnnnggg time.  I went over to see if I could help..... The hospital staff say "she's not in my ward". .... Sheesh. If I were able to help I would probably have been reprimanded.

She's quieter now..

.....and then a canula ( which had just been inserted) fell out when I was in the shower.  I pressed the wrong call button.... and people came running! 

#2325 Monday 28th October

We were supposed to be in Albany for a few days.... but instead I'm in Midland hospital! It seems that when i broke 3 ribs in April, the impact may have damaged my left kidney and the kidney is now enlarged and bleeding. The bleeding causes other issues  the doctors are still working out what to do.

Watch this space! 

One gratifying aspect is that Kaylia is really missing me.

Yesterday I was feeling as though I should be going home.... but the today I'm just asking if anyone got the details of the truck that ran over me!  I feel terrible.

#2324 Wednesday 16th October

See.... ?  My ideas aren't so wacky after all!

#2323 Tuesday 8th of September

I was given a full set of wheels for the Landrover today. Four with good tread and one brand new.  They're wide wheels so it will be interesting to see what they're like on the road.

#2322 Saturday 5th October

Perspective..... and context...... are very important!

..... as with this sign, so events our life need to be seen in the right perspective..... so we don't get upset when we don't need to.

I've had a good morning...... Yesterday I stripped two large pallets that I've collected..... and today I've de-nailed all the timber that resulted. So I now have a good stock of pine timber that I can use to start my next project...... which is to construct items that I can sell.

#2321 Wednesday 2nd October

 Life is very pleasant these days .... Kaylia is in a very even mood and we have none of the meltdowns and upsets that we used to have.   I really can't think of anything that I would change at present .... apart from her verbal language ability ..... she is very routine-bound but this has its benefits - we usually know exactly what is coming in the day.  ..... and she's very happy to chug along through the routine.  In the afternoon I'm often needing a sleep .... and she just waits till I've had enough time!

On the weekend just gone, I joined a few fellow Landrover owners for a "British Car Day" at Burswood.  there was a good range of different models. (My vehicle is the brown one next to the person in red.)

We have a little trip down to Albany planned for the end of this month.