Random Photos...

Ha!! I'm hanging on tight here! Think this was taken summer 2009 at Fortescue Bay on Tasman Peninsula.  Could be '08 or '10 as we camp there every summer.  Not all that far actually from Shippies, or Shipsterns Bluff, for those not in the know.  The place where all the real surfers go to catch the monster waves.  Maybe i'll drag the old blue coolie board out next year and have a go...lol

This little pic is a shot taken from the beach at Fortescue. We usually have between 30-40 people in our group including kids, and we camp for about 2 weeks.  We have a couple of power boats, a yacht or two, and kayaks for all sorts of on water entertainment.  We ski, biscuit, dive for abalone and crayfish (lobster), fish, sail, snorkel around the ship wreck, do bushwalks, eat gourmet meals made from our fresh catch each night, drink lots, some ppl chase kids and do the parent thing, the rest of us drink more and watch :) It is a trip i look forward to every year!!

The pic to the left is taken on the waterfront in Hobart, looking west towards Mount Wellington.  In summer the waterfront is a busy place.  We have the Sydney to Hobart yacht race between Xmas and New Year, the Taste of Tasmania and the Festival.  The rest of the year its a few seagulls hoping a tourist may throw them a chip!!!

Last week however, we had a whale come visit us. 

Thank you for the music...

I love nothing more than to open up my lungs and belt out a song or two!  Singing is a wonderful mood lifter.  Well it is for me.  For those around me it is not.  I love to sing.  I sing in the shower, around the house, in the car,and even when wandering around the supermarket or shops if i hear a song i like.  However, there is a problem.  Unfortunately for the listening pleasure of the general public, i am tone deaf! I cannot sing.  Despite years of being in school choirs, years of practice, years of thinking i sound okay. I don't.  I sound terrible.  I remember auditioning for the school choir in year 7 and the school had a policy of inclusion.  Don't know why they audtioned anyone but they did.  So after i "sang" my piece, i eagerly asked was a soprano or alto.  Mr Coad looked at me and said quite seriously "Neither. You're back row." I must have improved however because by the end of the year i was in the front row by speech night.  Mind you that could be because i was one of the few in full school uniform!! I stayed in the choir right throughout highschool.  i was also in the school band, playing flute, oboe and piccolo.  Mastered none of those but they all looked good. Got out of a lot of school for various performances in the community.  I knew what i was doing! 

Over the years tho i really did wish i could sing.  I went to church youth group activities and you do an awful lot of singing at church so i'd join in singing as loud as i wanted, thinking that church goers would be nice forgiving folk.  Several times i was asked to tone it down a little and once was asked to move to the back whilst they were recording the service and singing!! Then along came Deli.  I'd sing to her in my belly when she was all squirmy and kicking me heaps.  Didn't really seem to calm her much but a friend of mine who sang in a band used to be able to calm her just by speaking.  i played his music a lot.  Tim Slater.  The Talk. Wonder whatever happened to them? 
After Adele was born i used to sing to her all the time until one day when she was about 2 and she could finally talk properly.  We were in the car with my mum and i was singing away and Deli had her hands over her ears and yelled out "Mummy NO MORE. You are hurting my ears!!"  I was crushed.  Mortally wounded. If my 2 yo could tell that i couldn't sing then i was really bad.

I still love to sing but now its confined to the house when i'm home alone.  Or the car.  I play Singstar occasionally with close friends who are brave enough to put up with my Blondie impersonation and my version of ABBA.  I'm not too bad at ABBA.  I've been singing their songs since i was 10.  In fact for years i thought Napoleon wore suspenders, when really he did surrender in Waterloo!  Thanks Singstar for clearing that up!!! So if you ever meet me, we have a couple of drinks and i suggest karaoke or Singstar then you accept at your peril.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Oh and if you come to a musical with me ...... :-D

#stuffyoucan'tdowhenyourkidneysdontworkproperly

As has been obvious to many I have been unwell for the past few weeks.  Instead of trying to explain to everyone in 140 characters (impossible) i decided to blog. Usually the best place to start is at the beginning but i'm gonna start at the end!  I'm crazy like that. Live on the edge :0 LOL

So as you can tell by the title it is to do with my kidneys, although in reality it is to do with my brain.... lol  Confused??? Read on!!!

My kidneys decided they would like a rest and decided to only operate at about 10% of their full capacity about 4 weeks ago.  This obviously made me feel rather ill.  It's as important to pee as it is to poo apparently! You know the saying "if you dont shit you die"? well the same goes for peeing. 

My kidneys didn't make this decision on their own.  They were forced into it.  A "doctor", and i say that with much sarcasm, prescribed me two medications, in extremely large doses, that should NEVER be taken together.  I'll get to the why i needed these meds later.  So, i became ill.  My GP ran a blood test.  My kidney function came back as Stage 3 Kidney Failure (stage 4 daily dialysis, stage 5 transplant).  GP rang a Renal specialist who ran through my meds and immediately stopped the two offending medications.  To say he was horrified would be an understatement!   So I had scans and numerous other tests this past 2 weeks to be told last week that i have sustained permanent damage.  Not sure how much funtion will return.  Been "fitted up" for dialysis in case needed on more permanent basis.  Can now pee, feel better, and am returning to work on monday for 2 hrs, after 4 weeks at home.  Still require blood tests, fluid restrictions, iv topups, etc everyday and will need to be monitored for rest of life.  But, at least it  was picked up early enough.  Any longer and it would have been very serious indeed. 

Okay.  Why i needed the nasty meds in the first place.... i have a medical condition that's kinda rare.  There is no cure and treatment is usually trial and error.  LOL Big errors!!  It has several names, none of which really describe it well:
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension  - IIH

Benign Intracranial Hypertension - BIH

Pseudo Tumour Cerebri - PTC

Basically my body either produces too much cerebral spinal fluid or does not absorb the fluid it produces fast enough, or both.  The fluid pools in the brain causing huge headaches and various other problems.  Its a little like a brain tumour, as the fluid causes pressure on parts of the brain and affects the brain's function.  I've lost my fluency of speech, use of left side, had uncontrollable shakes, lost my vision.  But unlike a tumour , the pressure forms on different areas so its unpredictable and obviously can't be removed.  Obviously all those things i've experienced were tempoary and as soon as the pressure is drained via a lumbar puncture i return to normal.  The condition is not fatal, but it will cause blindness if left untreated or treatment is not successful. 

Treatment includes lumbar punctures to drain fluid, medications like diuretics (work on kidneys to remove fluid from body) or shunts in spine or brain venticles.  Shunts only have 50% success rate.  I'm not keen yet.

Fortunately, once the right balance of treatment is found the condition can go into remission and stay there for years.  I was diagnosed 12 months ago.  Had remission for 6 months.  Had 2 years of hell prior to diagnosis with no treatment or diagnosis apart from -"oh its migraines"....... So i do have some vision problems - i had perfect vision but now i have to wear glasses to drive, especially at night and probably should wear them more during the day!! 

Immediately prior to the kidney issue my neurologist and i were trying to get me back into remission after the meds i'd been on stopped working.  I'd been hospitalised for repeated lumbar punctures to drain the fluid as the pressure was high, had headaches, and was beginning to get the speech issues back. (normal pressure 5-12.  Mine 34-55) Thats when he decided to mix migraine meds with different diuretics.  Should have read his MIMS.  Pharmacist in hospital should have picked it up when dispensing my medications each day and upon discharge.  Lots of "shoulda"....

Soooooo....... now you know!!  I look normal.  The biggest problem for me on daily basis is having a headache.  Rarely take anything for it. No point.  Usually have a lumbar puncture once a month.  Doesn't hurt.  Is risky.  Weigh that risk against risk of losing vision if don't have it.  Choose LP.  And even though my kidneys did get f'ed up, the bright side of it all was that the 2 weeks on those nasty meds has appeared to put me back into remission.  Fingers crossed.  I fully intend to stay here forever.  2011 is the year of MY BIG ADVENTURE.  I am not gonna miss that because of a silly headache or peeing problem!! LOL

So #stuffyoucan'tdowhenyourkidneysdon'tworkproperly

Drink coke/caffeine based drinks/alcohol (i'm gonna ask the doc about that one again!!!)
Drink lots of anything - you swell up! I looked pregnant....
Pee - obviously
Wear shoes - feet swell
Stand up suddenly - you pass out
Eat - your body doesn't process toxins so you feel sick and vomit lots
Sleep - have to take meds every 2 hrs + 30 mins apart.  This is why i was always on twitter!!
Work

Of that list the first two only apply now thank goodness!!!

Note:
The link below is to a video made by a lady called Jenny who has IIH.  It does a good job of explaining the illness.  Everything she experiences, apart from surgery, so do i.  The surgery Jenny underwent is for a Lumbar Peritoneal Shunt, which is an option if i choose to go down that path.  If i cannot stay in remission this is the next step.  When i first saw this video i agreed with the sentiment behind the song "why did this happen to me?"  I no longer question the why - it just did!! The question i ask myself now is "what is the best possible life i can have whilst living with IIH?"  I'm on the journey!!

I had nothing to do with the production of this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDlYGzAAuE&feature=PlayList&p=EBD00308D7EF919A&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=23

Le Tour de France

This time next year, all being well, I will be in France watching a couple of the TDF stages live.  Its been a dream of mine for a while now.  I would have loved to have had the opportunity to see Lance Armstrong compete but, as this is his last year, that won't happen  I do hope to see him in the Hawaiian Ironman in 2011.  2011 is the year of MY BIG ADVENTURE. More about that later. 

So next year look for me at the top of one of the mountain stages and half way up the Col de Tourmalet - by far my favourite col.  This year the riders must conquer its slope's twice in 2 days.  Absolute torture.  The  rest of the time I'll be in a pub somewhere in France/Europe watching the highlights on tv, eating and drinking!!!

This years Tour has been one of carnage and drama over the first ten days.  So many crashes in the first few days  ruined the chances of several race favourites, including Lance; the complaints of the riders about the cobble stage; the go slow by the peleton.  All in all it has been fantastic for spectators and for tv viewing.  I watch for the scenic views as well as the cycling.  The history, the architecture, the stories told by the commentators all make for great viewing as the peleton passes through each small town.  Plus men in lycra with shaved legs aren't bad on the eye either!!  Or as is the case with the pic here- no lycra!!!!  So another week and a half of late nights and sleep ins.  Luckily for me i'm off work at the moment.  i couldn't have times it better if it tried!!  Although i am getting cabin fever and would much rather be back at work than lazing around home watching daytime tv and tweeting ridiculous amounts, trying to keep myself occupied. 

Naming rights....

I'm a weirdo.  I say that and mean it.  As far back as i can remember i have always named inanimate objects. Its a family thing, inherited from my mother.  The main objects i have named have been my cars, which is relatively normal. I think!!! My current vehicle is Harvey. He's a boring wagon. His name suits him.  He plods a long reliably doing his job of getting us from A to B.  We also have Poppy, an ageing, red Ford Fiesta, who is actually Adele's car but i tend to drive as she doesn't drive a manual.  Neither did i until recently.  That's another story. My previous car was Colin Malcolm, a Toyoto Camry wagon. Again a boring wagon, who liked to drink a little too much, resulting in problems with his head. And prior to that Lucy the useless Laser.  A contrary biatch of a car who had a mind of her own.  She was retired due to an unfortunate 'meeting' with a friends vehicle towing a boat. 

My reasoning behind naming my cars is that if i give them names, suited to their idiosyncracies, then they may be more likely to behave!  I have yet to prove this theory as i have not conducted a proper study! (I didn't actually call Lucy "useless" to her bonnet as i didnt want to affect her performance! ) And unfortunately, each car HAS  required large sums of money to be spent on their care and upkeep!!  The jury is still out....

At the moment Harvey is desperately asking for a day at the day spa.  He may get his wish next week!  Might even take him shopping for some new shoes if i'm feeling generous. :)

See i am a weirdo.......

You are what you eat...

I spent 3 hours this morning at the pathology lab having some blood taken. 3 hours was a dreadfully long time. They took a rather large quantity of blood. I'm not gonna go into details about the why and what for, but needless to say it's not because I'm fighting fit and perfectly healthy. Anyway, whilst I was taking a break from being stuck, I was people gazing and noticed that a lot of people were coming in to get tested for diabetes. They were all over weight, all about 50 years old, all complaininng about having to fast overnight and miss breakfast, all groaning and moaning about drinking a small bottle of glucose drink that actually didn't look to bad to me, and were all complaining about having one tiny little needle stick!!! Got me thinking. I asked the nurse how many of those people would return positive tests. She estimated about 80%! I was horrified. That was only 1 3 hr period in one centre, in 1 suburb, in one city..... It's an epidemic. I bet 80. % of those people left that centre and went to McDonalds on the way home too. It was just up the road. As was KFC and Souvlaki Hut etc.

On the opposite side of the lab is a new gym. Just opened. Car park was empty. Like the gym before it, it won't last. Yes it still is open. I don't know how it males any money. This new gym is open 24 hours. No classes. Minimal staff. No supervision after hours. It might have anchance. I bet not one of the 80% of the people insaw this morning will ever set foot in a gym. I bet they do go to McDonalds though. Even though it will kill them.