Moanalogue - February Edition

Well its now February (in Australia anyway )

Not much to report as I posted at the bottom of our 'January edition".

Hope everyone is feeling good

Take care

Jo

Jax, so glad you got the paperwork for the sticker, if only half filled out, don't you just hate that when that happens?   Can you leave it at the front desk and get her to fill it in or do you need to make another appointment?

Your right Jax, I think Jo is very brave, like you I'm worried and it's not me....we don't want to alarm you Jo, just that we care.  Two things I'm on count down for: 1) my appointment with Specialist  2) your appointment for the breast.  Mind you it does us good to worry about someone else other than ourselves.

Jax, how long have you been off work? Is it full or part time?

I've not done anything about the Tai Chi as I've been ill these pass 8 days with a full blown cold, and coughing all the time. Not sure if I should get it checked again, I saw GP last week and he said it wasn't on my chest and I should go back if it didn't improve. What do you think. Infusion in two weeks?

Well I'll sign off now as going to pick up my son from work along with the groceries I've bought him so he eats. He's on his own now (broke up with his partner of 3 years, so no lady to cook for him).  He's not useless just hates cooking. They used to share chores, she cooked every night while he did the laundry and cleaning.  I have him over at less once a week for dinner and his brother (the chef) cooks for him one night with his girlfriend, leaving him 5 nights to either eat out with friends or eat in with what I buy. Don't you just love them???

Well take care, hopefully this hot sticky weather will clear soon. Speak soon and hope all is well with everyone that posts here.

Peggy

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick hello as Im running behind on everything today.

Jaz - I envy you and your creativity - I dont have one artistic bone in my body (and if I did it would probably hurt lol)Doing a job you enjoy must be wonderful too.

Mags - hows that cold?

I had better get off and do my bits

Talk more when time permits.

Jo

The fentanyl is helping , she put me on a 25 mcg patch as well as a 12mcg patch and it just sort of pushes the pain back over there somewhere. Like its in another room, I'm aware of it but its voice is muffled, if that makes sense. Using the joints, I'm ok for a while then its back in my face again. Ice, heat, rest then have to play their part. Plus I slept last night! First nights sleep I've had in years! My worry is obviously March when I return to University teaching and on my feet all day, I start back at TAFE next Tuesday so it will let me know what I can deal with. I made another GP appt for nxt Thursday to report back on the patches and how I cope with work etc. My GP has referred me to a pain management clinic but I don't know how long that will take to get an appointment.

Trying to be positive.

Meanwhile my kitchen benches are in and looking wonderful. Just love that stone finish, the tiler is in today to put up the splashback. Very close now to being finished. Just need the plumber to connect up the sinks, gas hob etc....And then the garden, and then the landing and then the bottom staircase and then.... and so it goes on. The house is keeping my mind busy and cheering me up enormously. I keep walking into that huge space and thinking this is all mine soon. Plus we have always struggled financially and suddenly we are making it into the middle classes, great feeling, not that we will be well off, just that we will have the space we've never had in these small workers cottages we've lived in for sooo many years.

I am pretty excited. With all our water tanks and solar heating, we hope we can afford to live there too! It'll be interesting how our power bills etc compare. Using so much rain water will help. 18000 litres and the tanks are already full.

Jo You sound so busy yourself with work, kids and your breast to worry about, plus all your work as a forum moderator and now these headaches. Make sure you rest too. Forgot to say, just stop the prednisone now, under 5mg does nothing according to my rheumy, tough it out. It takes about 4-5 weeks of feeling crappy before your body adjusts, otherwise you're just prolonging the agony.

Mags, goodluck with those blood tests, thrilled to hear you're losing weight and your cold is getting better. Watch that cough. When are you off to Hamilton Island?

Ivy, thanks for your care.

Keeping the Faith thanks for your thoughts too. Great to know there are people out there caring about me. Warms my heartstrings, on that note, best wishes to all, golitho (Jax)

Post Edited (golitho) : 2/3/2010 4:13:14 PM (GMT-7)

As for the weight loss I'm just aiming for 5kgs as they same set a goal that's not too stressful to get to for the first month, but in total I'd like to lose about 20kgs. I know that sounds like a lot and it is but I'm not in any hurry so if it takes me a whole year that's o.k as long as it stays off.  My clothes are much loser now and I wont buy anything else as Autumn will be upon us soon.

I'm off to Perth in a couple of weeks (the week before my holiday) as I have to go on business to interview and train a new Merchandiser. Oh so don't want to go and know my body will suffer due to the long flight and on my feet for a bit, but hey what can you do? Takes all day Monday to get there and I'm coming back Thursday catching the 5.45am flight back in order to get me here at a reasonable time to drive back from Sydney to home (2hrs). Two days back, washing and ironing and off again to Hamilton Island for that break, boy will I need one!

I wont know the results of the blood tests until week Monday when we visit the specialist, fingers crossed. But today they should be discussing my case  keep fingers, toes and everything crossed for that one and hope they have some things for me to try. I just can't get it out of my head and will be pleased to see Rheumy and found out the results.

Meantime, of course just when you think your ticking along something throws a curve ball in your direction. My hubby has been having tests for a few lumps and it seems there is concern on two of them not being quite right, they others are all hot and two are cold and very large in his thyroid he got the results on Wednesday and is in for a biopsy on them this coming Wednesday. It certainly has made me stop thinking about all my troubles and woes, as I'm scared for him and me. He's always been so fit active and well until these pass few years.  He's mother has had cancer and Paul has already had some lumps removed many years ago.  Like you Jo a concerning time.

Well must make this short and sweet, going to Bathurst for a weekend of childrens Birthday parties, our god daughter and her brother are having a joint party.

Take care all of you, have a great weekend and be kind to yourselves.

Peggy

Anyway I still have to wait the 8 weeks for the remicade to get out of my system. So no big rush to make the decision. She thinks I should say yes.

Meanwhile I asked about the ankles/heals scenario and she will send me to have them x rayed and get cortisone injected under xray. So hopefully this will keep me going work wise. So progress has been made.

I also found out our dose of fish oil should be 2.7g of omega 3 per day. Thats 14 x 1000mg fish oil!!!

Or 5-7 capsules of concentrated fish oil. I asked her about freezing it and she thought that would work fine. So I'm ordering my fish oil concentrate and I'm going to freeze them and give it ago. Can't hurt. Ever since I met that guy in Qld only on fish oil I've been determined to give it a try.

My rheumy directed me to the website "Australian Rheumatology Association" it has lots of info on the meds, treatments, exercises, even Tai Chi, Mags. I was impressed, I didn't realise that resource was there for us. I'm so bad at researching things, get totally side tracked all the time.

Have a great weekend everyone, Jax

Don't you just love it I'd written a huge post and just lost the whole thing....

Jax, we don't know what the growths are that he has hence the biopsy on Wednesday. He went to the Nuclear Medicine Centre and had those special scans done which shows up 'hot' ones that are o.k and then 'cold' ones that aren't   that's what he has two of..... I can't think of my appointment on the 15th or my infusion on the same day until his is done.....

Have you had the coristone injection done before in the foot area? My rheumy wont let me have that as it will cause more damage to my foot...

Jo, when receiving a CV I always look more favourably on ones that come through with a covering letter. I'm old school and like a friendly brief introduction to who ever is writing to me. All to often CV's are sent with nothing and I think this is rude.  In your CV always include whether you have a car, mobile phone, fax, email and all computer experience no matter how small.  If you've done any other merchandising then make sure you give a really good full report on your responsibilities and duties within that job, along with the products you merchandised.  Hope this helps and feel free to ask anything else.

It's late here so signing off yet again (hope this one stays?). Not going to Perth until the 22nd of this month, I'm afraid I'm not looking forward to it as it's a long way to go and so busy while there. Hey ho never mind.

Take care

Peggy

Hey guys,

Thanks for the cover letter tips Mags - Im big on doing cover letters too - think I sold my soul in the last one I did  I need to find employment that fits in with my Crohn's, as although I am 'better' I am having urgency issues. need to find shorter hours with reasonable hourly pay - I'll just keep selling myself with my cover letter and CV.

Jax - try not to worry too much about the side-effects, I think what you said about the 'small percentage' is right, they have to list the 'worst case scenarios' so we dont sue them  Good luck starting back tomorrow - try not to overdo it.

Well I'll be off to 'sell' myself on my next application.

Take care

Jo

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick one today.

Wekcome back Craig - sorry that you are flaring, you seemed to have done so well there for awhile though  Keep posting to let us know how you are going.

Mags - good luck tomorrow with your husbands biopsies - will be thinking of you both.

jax - good luck with going back to work.

Will try and get back on tomorrow.

Take care everyone

Jo

Firstly thank you for all your kind thoughts and concern. He had he's biopsy and came out smiling (mind you that was because he was numb!) he said that the doctor took a lot of fluid and said in his opinion it looked ok but had to be sent of for checking. This takes 3 days and we have an appointment for the results next Tuesday evening. In no time at all Paul was in pain both in his neck where he had to have his head bent backwards and in his throat area.  This morning he said he feels very bashed about, but he was warned of bruising so we know that's why. I feel so sorry for him at the moment, he's so upbeat and said he's not worried but I know he is and will rest better once we know.  Even if it's o.k it looks like he will still have to undergo surgery as he has the two large ones that may just get bigger and his blood tests are slightly off. So we wait.

Me, I'm still swimming 3 times a week (god it's painful but hey - it's painful anyway). I've lost 1.2kg this past week so .4kg under 5kg in 4 weeks. Everything is lose and Paul said it's very noticeable now. I've set myself another 5kg limit and 6 weeks to achieve that as it will start to slow down now.

Jax, I'm glad your first day went well, god you must have felt stuffed by the time you got back. Any date on the move in to the new house yet?  You mentioned that you had family coming so will it all be ready by then?

Jo, how's it going with the merchandising jobs?  Any luck yet and in what field have you been working in? I look after the merchandising around Australia for our business which is in Men's wear. There are so many types of merchandising, which I think makes the job more interesting.  If you had lived in Perth you could have come along for an interview there.

Well must away, shopping to do and we have men just arrived to chop down some dead branches on one of our trees.

Take care all of you and have a great two days leading to the weekend.

Jax and Jo, take it easy.

Peggy