TESTS IN HOSPITAL

28th May to 3rd June 2011

This week Winter began, we were fortunate to have glorious days with the sun shinning and just a slight chill to the air but I think that is all about to change next week as forecasts of only eleven degrees are predicted.  Winter may be cold but it is also a special time because it is Jarrett's 16th Birthday on the 4th of June and my Nana's Birthday on the shortest day of the year, the 21st of June. 

On the weekend I could not go for my walk with my rollator because of my stress fracture, however when Jarrett was doing his running training  at Stromlo I was acting as Nalani's coach, guiding her in her running, telling her to watch her arms and to not drag her feet as she ran. I also taped out a beat for her on my leg so that she could work out a pace.  On the Sunday Mum pushed me in my wheelchair around the perimeter of the AIS and I breathed in the fresh scents of the early morning air, it was refreshing.

At school we have again been extremely busy, I had a Maths test on the Monday during the double period, it is extremely difficult for me to cope with test situations, they are so strenuous for me, my eyes began to flicker endlessly and pins and needles started to run up and down my right arm.  It is so frustrating to have all this happen when you are attempting to do a test.  At the completion of the test, I was utterly exhausted and unfortunately had a seizure where I experienced pain in my right arm, felt so strange, then found that my arm had dropped and I was weak and so tired, I had to sleep.  My eyes had dilated and my body had gone limp, luckily by the evening I had made a recovery except I felt very weakened. 

In English we are now looking at Shakespeare, we were doing some work on Romeo and Juliet which is a romantic tragedy.  We are also going to do Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice, sometimes the language is extremely complex and often it can become rather confusing.  I have finished writing my moral tale for the Year 1 and 2 classes, I am so excited about the finished product, for illustrations I took photographs on my digital camera, I used my bears to tell the story and it looks brilliant. 

I have almost finished my art sculpture, papermache can be very messy and sticky and trying to papermache around fingers of the gloves was actually quite challenging.  I am now up to painting it, my base is blue, like the sea and my hands appear to be coming out of the sea reaching as if in prayer to the sky, I have used a bright yellow for the hands.  I thought that a quote for my emotion could be:  'having the emotion of hope in your heart is like rising out of a deep, dark sea of hopelessness and reaching up to touch the brightest, glistening star in the vast sky of hope'.

My heel has remained excruciatingly painful, especially if I attempt to put any weight on it, I actually almost jump out of my skin if any weight is put on it.  So I have been taking pain killers and resting it hoping that it will recover quickly so I can get on with my goals.

This week also was one that I had to spend time in hospital having more tests, this time I was having three endocrine tests, a lucrin one, a senacrin one and an arginine one.  I had to have a cannula inserted and initial bloods taken, then I had an injection of lucrin into my quad muscle, as well as the senacrin put into the cannula.  Bloods were taken regularly for a few hours then I had the arginine put through an IV into my cannula and had bloods taken every fifteen minutes for two hours.  It was all too much for my poor vein, it gave up, they tried a warm blanket on my arm, numerous saline flushes into the cannula and pushing on the vein to try to encourage it but it was bone dry, not a drop of blood came.  So I had to have another cannula inserted, this time into my left hand, when it went it the blood began to flow, it came so freely that I had blood dripping down my hand and onto the bed sheet, it resembled something from a horror movie.  Once it was capped off it stopped.  I had fasted since dinner the night before so by the time the testing was completed at 4pm I was famished as well as feeling really dizzy and a little nauseous.  The tests had been exhausting, once I had something to eat all I wanted to do was sleep.  I thought that they took so many vials last time, well this time, there were thirty vials that were taken, so that is the new record, I hope that never gets beaten.  This morning I had to have another blood test, we had to tell them not to use my right arm, I pleased when the blood came easily from the left arm vein as previously I have had troubles with it.  I see my endocrinologist again in July, he will then let me know the results and if I have to have more tests. 

I also found out this week that I will be going to Sydney in early August for several appointments including MRI's, a lumbar puncture, neuropyschological test as well as seeing a neurologist.  It will mean a week away from home and school.

Tomorrow is Jarrett's Birthday, I hope that I am feeling a little better so that I can help him celebrate his special day.  Then on Monday he is running at Stromlo in the ACT Schools Cross Country Championship, he is in the 16/17 age group so he will be running against boys who are twelve months older than him, his hope is to come in the top five, I think he will be able to do it, he is my champion, if he does well he will be chosen for the ACT team to compete at National Cross Country. On Tuesday he begins his Year 10 exams for this Semester, so it is a huge week for him.

Wishing you all a splendiferous week ahead, I hope that you all keep warm during the Winter.