Hi All!
I have moved to a new blog for now... it has more of the feel I was going for. I hope you'll enjoy reading there as much as you have here. Here's the link to my new blog:
http://mysimplelifedownunder.wordpress.com/
I hope to see you there.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Colonoscopy and Gastroscopy all done and dusted!
Well colonoscopy and gastroscopy are over and done with now. No polyps were found, thank goodness! Which should mean no cancer. In 2 weeks time I go back to my Dr. for the rest of my results. Fingers crossed everything is healthy and normal. I'm still feeling a little worse for wear (had the tests done yesterday morning), I'm mainly just tired with a bit of a sore throat. I think the gastroscopy has flared up my reflux and that's what's causing the pain. Now to those of you interested in finding out just what is involved with a colonoscopy and gastroscopy, read on.... (warning some may find it a little gross to read)
I started my special diet 3 days before my test. Then the day before I had nothing but clear fluids. (My advice is to eat some chicken broth, drained chicken noodle soup, plain jelly and barley sugar on this day to keep your energy levels up). I was silly and only had jelly which meant by the end of the night I was feeling pretty faint. Also drink plenty of water and other approved fluids such as apple juice (no pulp).
I took my first dose of picoprep at 3pm. This was one sachet of picoprep mixed up in 250ml warm water. The stuff was nowhere near as nasty tasting as what I thought it would be. It tasted like juice with a bit of a salty aftertaste. I spent about 2 hours in a panic crying my eyes out before drinking it when in reality I should've just downed it. It helped to drink the prep through a straw and follow with sips of apple juice. The first lot of diarrhoea wasn't that bad and I started to think "this is pretty easy" but then by the time dose 2 was due, I was glued to the toilet with watery diarrhoea. I attempted the 2nd dose at 6:30pm but only managed to drink about 200ml because I kept running to the loo. It was after the 2nd dose that I started to feel pretty shocking. My heart was racing, I had a bad headache, felt nauseaus, was shaking all over and felt like fainting. Dave said I was probably dehydrated so after demolishing another 6ooml bottle of water I started feeling well enough to take the 3rd dose at 9:30pm. The diarrhoea lasted all night and I still had it at the hospital the following morning, which I was not expecting. So I had very little sleep. Good thing was that I had no cramps and only a little bloating with the picoprep. I also managed to drink about 3.5-4 Litres of fluid throughout the day which helped to keep me hydrated.
At 7:15am yesterday I arrived at the hospital and waited to be checked in. This was the easy part - though I still managed to freak out a little. They did pre-admission checks and then I was taken to my bed where I got undressed and into a robe. The nurses were lovely and did their best to keep me calm. Then the Dr. came and sprayed the back of my throat with this awful tasting local anaesthetic which I had to gargle and then swallow. This was to stop gagging during the gastroscopy. Yes it was awful but I didn't have to put up with it for long before I was put under sedation. They wheeled me to theatre where they laid me on my side, put a bite piece in my mouth to protect my teeth and then bam I was asleep. Next thing I know I was waking up and ready for juice and sandwiches. Overall the prep was the worst part of the experience and now the sore throat from the gastroscopy. The actual procedure was a breeze - I can not recall anything from the moment the sedation kicked in.
And that was my experience. Am I grateful for having it done... ask me in a few days when this feeling in my throat disappears and I will probably say yes. Remember that I am not a medical professional so always follow your Dr.s advice and check anything you read on the internet with a Dr. before following others advice. I hope writing about my experience helps others to get the tests done. Remember prevention is the key to good health and early detection can save your life.
I started my special diet 3 days before my test. Then the day before I had nothing but clear fluids. (My advice is to eat some chicken broth, drained chicken noodle soup, plain jelly and barley sugar on this day to keep your energy levels up). I was silly and only had jelly which meant by the end of the night I was feeling pretty faint. Also drink plenty of water and other approved fluids such as apple juice (no pulp).
I took my first dose of picoprep at 3pm. This was one sachet of picoprep mixed up in 250ml warm water. The stuff was nowhere near as nasty tasting as what I thought it would be. It tasted like juice with a bit of a salty aftertaste. I spent about 2 hours in a panic crying my eyes out before drinking it when in reality I should've just downed it. It helped to drink the prep through a straw and follow with sips of apple juice. The first lot of diarrhoea wasn't that bad and I started to think "this is pretty easy" but then by the time dose 2 was due, I was glued to the toilet with watery diarrhoea. I attempted the 2nd dose at 6:30pm but only managed to drink about 200ml because I kept running to the loo. It was after the 2nd dose that I started to feel pretty shocking. My heart was racing, I had a bad headache, felt nauseaus, was shaking all over and felt like fainting. Dave said I was probably dehydrated so after demolishing another 6ooml bottle of water I started feeling well enough to take the 3rd dose at 9:30pm. The diarrhoea lasted all night and I still had it at the hospital the following morning, which I was not expecting. So I had very little sleep. Good thing was that I had no cramps and only a little bloating with the picoprep. I also managed to drink about 3.5-4 Litres of fluid throughout the day which helped to keep me hydrated.
At 7:15am yesterday I arrived at the hospital and waited to be checked in. This was the easy part - though I still managed to freak out a little. They did pre-admission checks and then I was taken to my bed where I got undressed and into a robe. The nurses were lovely and did their best to keep me calm. Then the Dr. came and sprayed the back of my throat with this awful tasting local anaesthetic which I had to gargle and then swallow. This was to stop gagging during the gastroscopy. Yes it was awful but I didn't have to put up with it for long before I was put under sedation. They wheeled me to theatre where they laid me on my side, put a bite piece in my mouth to protect my teeth and then bam I was asleep. Next thing I know I was waking up and ready for juice and sandwiches. Overall the prep was the worst part of the experience and now the sore throat from the gastroscopy. The actual procedure was a breeze - I can not recall anything from the moment the sedation kicked in.
And that was my experience. Am I grateful for having it done... ask me in a few days when this feeling in my throat disappears and I will probably say yes. Remember that I am not a medical professional so always follow your Dr.s advice and check anything you read on the internet with a Dr. before following others advice. I hope writing about my experience helps others to get the tests done. Remember prevention is the key to good health and early detection can save your life.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Things can only get better...
Things are starting to run a bit more smoothly around here. Maybe my star sign was right when it said my life was getting better and better. I am excited but nervous about Thursday - I'm petrified of doing the tests but I know that once they're over, I will once and for all know what's been going on with my health. Stressing about my health over the years has caused me a lot of worry and prevented me from doing a lot of things, so as much as I don't want to receive a vague diagnosis of IBS, it will certainly be a lot better than being diagnosed with something more sinister.
I also got in an argument with Jesse's father over the weekend but it turned out to be a productive one. I tested the boundaries to see if he would still let me move over East with Jesse. Unfortunately he's changed his mind and is no longer letting me move so as dissapointing as that is to hear at least I have some closure there. I was still hanging onto the hope that I could move but now I know I have a few more years yet here in Perth so I can finally start making my house into a home and concentrating on finishing my degree. I also now know that I will have to fight that little bit harder for Jesse in mediation and possibly court but eventually he will be old enough to decide where he wants to live for himself and then finally I may be free to live where I want to live. In the meantime I'll take each day as it comes.
Now that I know I'll be here for a few more years at least, I am going to put some grand plans into action. My brain is overflowing with ideas for the house and garden and I can't wait to start working on them. I'm going to fence the front yard off and that will become Jesse's play area. It will have a trampoline and a slide, (possibly a cubby house), a built in race track for his little toy cars and a few veggie patches. This will also be the yard the cats play in. Then out the back I'm going to put in a hillshoist, finish the paving, lay new turf, buy myself a chook house and a few chickens, plant fruit trees, passionfruit vines and maybe include a raised garden bed or two. I may also check with a builder about extending the bathroom out a bit so I can finally have a laundry or maybe creating a lean-to out the back so I can do all of my washing there. The back yard will also be where the dog plays. Then inside I'm going to finish tidying up the house and selling all my unwanted stuff on Gumtree, paint and reorganise Jesse's room as well as put shelves in for all of his books, rearrange our bedroom to include more storage and then get onto Dave about finishing the major renovations (redo bathroom, install splashback, kick-boards and exhaust fan in the kitchen, finish the skirts and perhaps put in a sliding door to out the back).
I have also applied for another job at the local supermarket. It's 10 hours a week and I am hoping I get it. It will do wonders for our budget and it will make me feel worthwhile to be earning my own money once again. I have done a huge overhaul of our budget and despite being on a tight income we are doing really well. I'm so proud of my money saving efforts. If I get a job and we stick to my savings plan then in about 3 years time we should have approximately $40,000 saved for a house deposit. Which means Dave and I can finally buy and own a house together. I am aware though that sometimes life gets in the way so I won't be too hard on myself if we fall a little short. I will post up a detailed overview of our budget soon which will hopefully help others to get on the budgeting bandwagon.
Well that's all for now. Hopefully I will post again soon. I'll most likely be glued to the loo on Wednesday; and Thursday I'll be in hospital but I will keep you updated on how everything goes. Wish me luck!
I also got in an argument with Jesse's father over the weekend but it turned out to be a productive one. I tested the boundaries to see if he would still let me move over East with Jesse. Unfortunately he's changed his mind and is no longer letting me move so as dissapointing as that is to hear at least I have some closure there. I was still hanging onto the hope that I could move but now I know I have a few more years yet here in Perth so I can finally start making my house into a home and concentrating on finishing my degree. I also now know that I will have to fight that little bit harder for Jesse in mediation and possibly court but eventually he will be old enough to decide where he wants to live for himself and then finally I may be free to live where I want to live. In the meantime I'll take each day as it comes.
Now that I know I'll be here for a few more years at least, I am going to put some grand plans into action. My brain is overflowing with ideas for the house and garden and I can't wait to start working on them. I'm going to fence the front yard off and that will become Jesse's play area. It will have a trampoline and a slide, (possibly a cubby house), a built in race track for his little toy cars and a few veggie patches. This will also be the yard the cats play in. Then out the back I'm going to put in a hillshoist, finish the paving, lay new turf, buy myself a chook house and a few chickens, plant fruit trees, passionfruit vines and maybe include a raised garden bed or two. I may also check with a builder about extending the bathroom out a bit so I can finally have a laundry or maybe creating a lean-to out the back so I can do all of my washing there. The back yard will also be where the dog plays. Then inside I'm going to finish tidying up the house and selling all my unwanted stuff on Gumtree, paint and reorganise Jesse's room as well as put shelves in for all of his books, rearrange our bedroom to include more storage and then get onto Dave about finishing the major renovations (redo bathroom, install splashback, kick-boards and exhaust fan in the kitchen, finish the skirts and perhaps put in a sliding door to out the back).
I have also applied for another job at the local supermarket. It's 10 hours a week and I am hoping I get it. It will do wonders for our budget and it will make me feel worthwhile to be earning my own money once again. I have done a huge overhaul of our budget and despite being on a tight income we are doing really well. I'm so proud of my money saving efforts. If I get a job and we stick to my savings plan then in about 3 years time we should have approximately $40,000 saved for a house deposit. Which means Dave and I can finally buy and own a house together. I am aware though that sometimes life gets in the way so I won't be too hard on myself if we fall a little short. I will post up a detailed overview of our budget soon which will hopefully help others to get on the budgeting bandwagon.
Well that's all for now. Hopefully I will post again soon. I'll most likely be glued to the loo on Wednesday; and Thursday I'll be in hospital but I will keep you updated on how everything goes. Wish me luck!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Taking back control!
Something my psychologist said today really triggered something inside of me. She was talking about control and basically pointing out to me that I am happiest and at my most comfortable when I feel as though I am in control of a situation. And I realised something... it is when I feel out of control in a situation that I start to despise it or become anxious about it. Here are a few examples:
I get angry about Tessa when she misbehaves and I often take my temper out on Dave because he is the one who promised to walk her, train her and bath her as she is just WAY too big and strong for me to handle. My suggestion so far has been to find her a new home but Dave refuses to accept this outcome. So I realised something today when I was out the back sweeping the sand in between the cracks of our newly laid pavers. If I want something done I have to do it myself. I HAVE to take control. We had pavers laid on Monday and Dave was told to sweep the sand in between the pavers as soon as the sand dried. It didn't get done so instead of me nagging Dave about it - I went outside today and did it myself. And the dog behaved around me and came over for a hug and a pat. And I thought - I can do this. I can get on top of things in the backyard and I can train you Tessa!
I am also incredibly anxious about the colonoscopy and gastroscopy as you probably know. Surprise surprise... perhaps it has something to do with how very little control I have over the situation. So you know what? I have to find the things that I can control about the situation. And that is I can follow the correct diet. I can do the bowel preparation. And most importantly as soon as I have the tests done I will once again be in control of my own health. What is more important or gratifying than that?
I also get frustrated when the house becomes untidy or stuff is left laying around. I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the housework. Instead of sitting around stressing about what needs to be done... I need to quite simply get off my bum and get stuck into it. Less clutter will make me feel more in control. Less clutter also makes the home look and feel more welcoming and it will give me a sense of pride and a feeling of happiness at a job well done.
Lastly I hate hate hate that I have to rely on Dave to financially support me and Jesse. I also hate that we live in HIS house. As much as I appreciate what he does for me and Jesse, I wish more than ever that I could be bringing in some money of my own. Or that the house was in both of our names. I realise I have no control over the latter but I can certainly do something about making some money of my own. Yes I have been searching and applying for jobs but maybe I can try harder. Put myself out there that little bit more. And then bit by bit I can save up enough money to hopefully be able to put a deposit down on a house of my own. That would be taking control of my financial situation once and for all. And it's not like it will be this way forever. I have already put steps in place to make sure that I can always provide for me and my son by pursuing a joint degree at University. This joint degree will give me the qualifications that I need to enjoy a well-paid, long-term career: Teaching. And you never know my writing might take off and then I'll have that to fall back on to as well.
I have learnt a very important lesson today and that is "In life focus only on the things that you can change and not on the things that you can't". There is no point stressing about or giving too much of your time and attention to the things that you can not change. Take control of your own life and tread your own path. Today I feel enlightened and extremely grateful that I have come to this realisation. I hope this helps at least one other person out there to also realise that if something is making you unhappy or anxious, there is something you can do about it. Take control of the situation - live your own life!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Reports are in
Report cards came in and Jesse is doing fantastically. He is excelling in mathematics which is strange because I sucked at it hehe. But I guess he gets that from my father who used to be an accountant and my sister who absolutely nailed intro-calculus in high school. I'm excited to see what he learns next semester now. It is so enjoyable to watch Jesse slowly progess to being able to do all of these amazing things. I'm so proud of my little man. Everybody reading this, give your kids a kiss and praise them on something they have done well today. Love and recognition go a long way in the eyes and hearts of our little ones.
Ok enough stalling, back to cleaning...
Jesse's first day of Pre-Primary.
Ok enough stalling, back to cleaning...
Just a little update
The appointment with Jesse's speech pathologist went really well. I hadn't noticed just how often Jesse stuttered so it was handy to have it pointed out to me during an activity that the speechy did with Jesse. The speech pathologist has designed a program for me to do at home with Jesse and it's pretty easy to follow. I started to implement some of the speechy's suggestions last night but noticed that Jesse didn't really like when his bumpy speech was pointed out to him, even though this is what I was told to do. Hopefully with a little work from the both of us we can get on top of his stutter.
The vet appointment went ok. I was told there wasn't an awful lot I could do that I hadn't already done. Apparently the spot on is working but my poor cats are still crawling with fleas. I keep trying to pull them off but the cats don't appreciate this and start to scratch and bite at me. They will tolerate me brushing them but all that's doing is removing the excess fur and not the fleas. Luckily the pest man is coming tomorrow. I can't wait for the place to be sprayed. As soon as I finish writing this I will have to do a quick tidy up of all the rooms so it's easier for him to spray. Speaking of pets our dog crawled under the temporary fence in our backyard this morning and destroyed everything under the neighbour's back patio. So she isn't in the good books with the neighbours at the moment. If insurance hadn't stuffed us around we could have had our fence fixed over a week and a half ago. Instead they keep delaying paying us out our claim which is only resulting in more damage being caused to each property by the two dogs. Not to mention the cost of putting up the temp fence! Ah insurance gotta love it!
On a totally different note, I'm still spending WAY too much time Googling colonoscopies. I really need to stop that! I am becoming incredibly nervous and I'm trying really hard not to cancel it this time round. I know I need to do it but I am really really not looking forward to doing the bowel preparation. :( This time next week I'll be glued to my toilet seat. Yuck!
Also went ahead and booked the trip to Cairns last night. A holiday should do us all some good and I can hardly wait. It will be so good to visit my hometown again and catch up with family and friends. I also want to see if I can still handle the heat and humidity over there as I am considering a permanent move back to the East coast of Australia sometime in the not-so-distant future. I've picked the hottest time of the year to go - it will also be cyclone season and stinger season. So if I can handle it at its worst then I'm sure I'll be loving it at its best.
That's about all for now. Hopefully once things have settled down a little I can get back to focusing on restoring the balance in my life. My goal has become a little lost in all the problems that have kept cropping up lately. But hey I guess this is what life is all about - still managing to balance one's time appropriately even when the unexpected arises.
The vet appointment went ok. I was told there wasn't an awful lot I could do that I hadn't already done. Apparently the spot on is working but my poor cats are still crawling with fleas. I keep trying to pull them off but the cats don't appreciate this and start to scratch and bite at me. They will tolerate me brushing them but all that's doing is removing the excess fur and not the fleas. Luckily the pest man is coming tomorrow. I can't wait for the place to be sprayed. As soon as I finish writing this I will have to do a quick tidy up of all the rooms so it's easier for him to spray. Speaking of pets our dog crawled under the temporary fence in our backyard this morning and destroyed everything under the neighbour's back patio. So she isn't in the good books with the neighbours at the moment. If insurance hadn't stuffed us around we could have had our fence fixed over a week and a half ago. Instead they keep delaying paying us out our claim which is only resulting in more damage being caused to each property by the two dogs. Not to mention the cost of putting up the temp fence! Ah insurance gotta love it!
On a totally different note, I'm still spending WAY too much time Googling colonoscopies. I really need to stop that! I am becoming incredibly nervous and I'm trying really hard not to cancel it this time round. I know I need to do it but I am really really not looking forward to doing the bowel preparation. :( This time next week I'll be glued to my toilet seat. Yuck!
Also went ahead and booked the trip to Cairns last night. A holiday should do us all some good and I can hardly wait. It will be so good to visit my hometown again and catch up with family and friends. I also want to see if I can still handle the heat and humidity over there as I am considering a permanent move back to the East coast of Australia sometime in the not-so-distant future. I've picked the hottest time of the year to go - it will also be cyclone season and stinger season. So if I can handle it at its worst then I'm sure I'll be loving it at its best.
That's about all for now. Hopefully once things have settled down a little I can get back to focusing on restoring the balance in my life. My goal has become a little lost in all the problems that have kept cropping up lately. But hey I guess this is what life is all about - still managing to balance one's time appropriately even when the unexpected arises.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Busy day ahead
Jesse's speech pathologist met with me this morning and told me that Jesse's stutter is becoming more pronounced so he wants to implement a program that can be used at home to help him with his stutter. So I have to head down to Jesse's school early this afternoon to go over the program with the speech pathologist. Hopefully we can once and for all conquer Jesse's speech difficulties.
Then this morning I have an appointment with the vets. I've rung them in frustration over the flea problem. Despite treating my cats only 2 weeks ago with the spot on flea treatment Chrissy is still crawling with them. So hopefully they can offer her some relief. We're also waiting for a call back from a pest exterminator who can hopefully treat inside and outside our home as soon as possible as our place is jumping with fleas and I'm getting bitten all over!
Then I will have to wash everything!!!!!! And find someone with a dryer who is willing to let me use it so I can get everything dry.
SOOO much to do... I thought I would be spending my winter break reorganising the house and just doing a bit of a general "spring clean" but instead I am dealing with a flea infestation! Sometimes I wonder why all this stuff keeps happening to me. Why nothing ever seems to go my way. And I'm beginning to believe that this year has well and truly been sent to try me! I can't wait for 2012 to be over. I hope 2013 offers much more prosperity.
I guess the good thing about being so busy is I haven't had much time to think about my upcoming tests... which reminds me I have to confirm my appointment time today. When I get a spare minute I start to think of them again and the nerves kick in. I so can't wait for them to be over and done with. I've also decided to treat myself to a holiday just for getting through this year so when 2nd semester of uni ends I'll be jetting off to Cairns in tropical Far North Queensland! YAY!
Then this morning I have an appointment with the vets. I've rung them in frustration over the flea problem. Despite treating my cats only 2 weeks ago with the spot on flea treatment Chrissy is still crawling with them. So hopefully they can offer her some relief. We're also waiting for a call back from a pest exterminator who can hopefully treat inside and outside our home as soon as possible as our place is jumping with fleas and I'm getting bitten all over!
Then I will have to wash everything!!!!!! And find someone with a dryer who is willing to let me use it so I can get everything dry.
SOOO much to do... I thought I would be spending my winter break reorganising the house and just doing a bit of a general "spring clean" but instead I am dealing with a flea infestation! Sometimes I wonder why all this stuff keeps happening to me. Why nothing ever seems to go my way. And I'm beginning to believe that this year has well and truly been sent to try me! I can't wait for 2012 to be over. I hope 2013 offers much more prosperity.
I guess the good thing about being so busy is I haven't had much time to think about my upcoming tests... which reminds me I have to confirm my appointment time today. When I get a spare minute I start to think of them again and the nerves kick in. I so can't wait for them to be over and done with. I've also decided to treat myself to a holiday just for getting through this year so when 2nd semester of uni ends I'll be jetting off to Cairns in tropical Far North Queensland! YAY!
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