WELCOME 2012

1st to 6th January 2012

Happy New Year!
It is so hard to believe that another year has passed by and that it is now 2012, we have a Calendar at home and it has a little inspirational poem for New Year on it, it does not say who wrote it, I would like to share it with you all.

Happiness depends upon your outlook on life
Attitude is just as important as ability
Passion, find yours this year
Positive thoughts make everything easier
You are unique with special gifts, use them

New beginnings with a New Year
Enthusiasm, a true secret of success
Wishes, may they turn into goals

Years go by quickly, enjoy them
Energy, may you have lots of it
Appreciation of life, don't take it for granted
Relax take the time to relax this coming year.

Our 2012 started off with sweltering, humid, blistering heat, you could not do anything outdoors and if you don't have any cooling then the temperature inside the house is just as hot as outdoors.  It was good weather to read a book, watch a movie and drink lots of refreshing glasses of cold water with ice cubes in it. 

This week I have had quite a few appointments including physiotherapy, bone mineral density and an x-ray of my right foot.  At physiotherapy Kaitlyn had a look at my foot and decided that I should go for an x-ray to investigate whether I had a lisfranc fracture.  She also did a pelvis release to try to loosen up that area as I am all pulled up on my right side.  She gave me a new exercise to do which a Pilates one to strengthen my lower stomach muscles, you lie on the bed with your knees up and you flap your arms up an down on hundred times.   I have physiotherapy again next week to check on my foot which will be terrific, hopefully Kaitlyn can make it feel better.   I went for my x-ray which I am relieved to say shows that I do not have a fracture, so my injury this time appears to be a severe sprain.  I was also told that this x-ray showed that I had poor bone density and often people with this are not only prone to fracture but also to sprains. 

I had to have a bone mineral density test done, I have to have this because of the treatment that I have had, this test measures the absolute amount of bone it generally correlates with bone strength and its ability to bear weight.  Determining a person's Bone Mineral Density helps a doctor decide if a person is at increased risk for osteoporosis-related fracture. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, is the most common method to measure a patient's Bone Mineral Density. DEXA is relatively easy to perform, the scanner is a machine that produces two X-ray beams, each with different energy levels. One beam is high energy while the other is low energy. The amount of X-rays that pass through the bone is measured for each beam. This will vary depending on the thickness of the bone. Based on the difference between the two beams, the bone density can be measured. Scanning generally takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete and is painless. The patient needs to be able to lie still on the table during the testing. Bone density measurements are reported as a value in g/cm2 and as a T-score or Z-score, which describes your bone density measurement in relation to other people in a similar group – known as the ‘reference population’. The reference population for the T-score is young adults of the same sex as the patient, while the reference population for the Z-score is a group of the same age and sex as the person being tested. Osteoporosis is diagnosed if your Z-score is -2.5 or less. My last bone density test showed that I had osteopenia, osteopenia refers to bone mineral density (BMD) that is lower than normal peak BMD but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis.  My results showed that my femoral next BMD was 0.4640g/cm2 and a Z-score of -3.77 and my lumbar spine had a BMD of 0.5768g/cm2 and a Z-score of -3.10.  I have to wait for my results to be reviewed by Sydney before I know exactly what is happening with my bone density. 

My growth hormone injections which are Genotrophin mini quick unfortunately are causing me lots of grief.  I have been experiencing terrible pain in my legs throughout the night and it wakes me, so my sleep is disturbed as I have my injection at bedtime.  I have also been experiencing constant dreadful, throbbing headaches that start at my temples and go all the way around to the back on my skull, at times they are so horrible that they make me cry.  Also when I have the injection which ever leg I have it in (you have to use alternate legs) that leg becomes really heavy.  I have not noticed any growth as yet, apparently the first place people often start to grow is in their feet.  I was told that the side effects may not be pleasant and the doctor has been informed of the effects I am experiencing, he is away at present but I am hoping he will be able to do something to stop them. 

I was unable to compete at Interclub this week because of my foot which is still quite painful and I was told to rest it, I am hoping that I will be able to compete next week, if not I am sure it will be healed in time for me to compete at the ACT Junior Championships which are over two weeks the 3rd and 10th of February.  I did not feel alone not competing as Jarrett is still not able to run on the hard track surface just yet, although he is back at training again.  Nalani competed in javelin and shot put, she has gone up an age group so she has to throw a heavier weight implement, the javelin is now 600g and the shot put is 4kg.  So she threw personal bests because it was her first time throwing with the new weights. 

We have had a cool change come through and the weather is so much better than what it was earlier in the week, hopefully we will not have to experience those high temperatures again for a while. 

This weekend Nalani is doing her Road Ready Course, in the ACT this is how someone is able to obtain a learner drivers licence, they do that course for two days and also do a thrity five question test.  I am sure that Nalani will pass, she will then start learning to drive!

Wishing you all a splendiferous week, I hope that it is filled with much happiness and many rainbows.