SPRING BEGINS

27th August to 2nd September 2011

'See everything as beautiful, sometimes it shines out at us but other times it is hidden, we may find it in nature, a piece of furniture, an artwork, in friendships or shinning out from a total stranger'

This week has been much quieter and not nearly as exciting as last week.  At school we have continued answering questions on The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in English, it is such a powerful and emotional story with such a tragic ending.  In Maths our unit on algebra is coming to an end with a test next Monday, in Textiles I have continued my cross stitch work which we will complete the unit on next week also and in Science we are still looking at the periodic table. 

Jarrett is back at running training again after a short break and it has provided me with the opportunity to practise my throwing.  I am able to stand to throw,  however I have to watch how far apart I have my legs because if they are too far apart then I off balance dreadfully and almost fall.  I think that I will be able to throw the shot put, discus and javelin further than last year when I had to throw from my wheelchair.  Being able to participate in the Athletics Carnival is so important to me, it was something that I loved to do prior to been diagnosed with cancer. 

I had to have an ultrasound, an ultrasound is used to demonstrate internal body structures, ultrasound scans work by sending out high frequency sound waves and recording the reflected sound or 'echoes' to create an image, my ultrasounds were on my pelvis and abdomen this week they are looking for answers from some of the results from other tests that have been abnormal.  For the pelvic ultrasound I had to empty my bladder and then drink 600ml of water in one go and then keep that in, it became quite uncomfortable when they were running the ultrasound scanner over my pelvic area, it also tickled a little and I was relieved when they let me let a little out.  For the abdominal one I had to fast for six hours before the test.  The pelvis ultrasound showed that I have little cysts on my uterus, which often burst and then that is a likely cause of the free fluid that showed in my pelvis in the MRI, these have to be watched in the future.  My abdomen one showed that my right kidney is much smaller than my left and that it has been damaged from the chemotherapy, this is something that I was already aware of and my kidney is only functioning at 75%.  My cholesterol has also gone up, so I have to see a dietician to organise a low fat, low cholesterol diet to see if that makes any difference.  The problem with high cholesterol is that if it is not controlled then it can lead to other serious health issues. 

This week I also had a physiotherapy appointment with Rhiannon, she worked on my right side as I had been having pain in my knee, hip, heel, arm and hand.  My arm was partly due to my throwing and partly due to having a little seizure the day before and my hand was from the seizure, it had tightened as it always does when I have one.  Rhiannon is always able to provide me with relief from my muscular aches and pains, if it wasn't for her I would suffer with pain and tightness that would impede on my daily life. 

In the Footy Tips I am still winning against Nana and Pop and unless I have an absolutely dreadful week and get them all wrong I will win this year.  The Wests Tigers are simply splendiferous, being in fourth place on the ladder now is so wonderful, I truly think that we have a chance of making the Grand Final. 

I wish all the Dad's a very Happy Father's Day for Sunday, Dad's make you laugh, give the most enormous, warm hugs and protect you from harm.   I have written my Dad an extra special poem and framed it as well as making him a card, I hope that he will like them. 

Thank you for the prayers for the people that I mention, good news on Stuart is that he does not have to have surgery just yet as the tumour is small, it will be monitored and may need surgery later.  To any of my followers who are going through a difficult time or have any injuries or illnesses my prayers are with you.