APRIL 2017 - BOWLING, MOVIES, ILLNESS, INJURIES, & PHOTO FUN

ALWAYS CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO GO TO THE WEBSITE, AS SOMETIMES PHOTOGRAPHS DON'T APPEAR ON THE EMAIL. 

I have a few things to chat about for April as it's been a month of doing a few things, as well as hanging around at home for various reasons.

TEN PIN BOWLING
The month started off with the social wheelchair/disability group ten pin bowling. We've done it once before and it was so much fun. It's really set up for wheelchair/disabled and kids, as they offer a couple of things to help out. Firsts of all there are rails that come up on the side of the alley, so that the ball doesn't go into the groove when heading towards the pins. The second tool is a gadget that can be moved to where you stand to throw the ball. It's like a very tiny version of a ski jump. you place the ball on top (at about waist level in height), and then it just rolls down the lane. The key is to pick a heavy ball, and turn the ski jump on an angle so it bounces off the side rails and heads to the centre of the pins. As well as looking at which way the alley/aisle slopes. Much like putting when playing golf. Oooohhh yes, we were all very competitive, and had sooooo much fun!

CATCH UP ON MOVIES
It was a month for catching up on a few movies I'd been wanting to see. THE BOSS BABY, THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS, AND GHOST IN A THE SHELL.. Have a look at the movie review page to see more.

MOVIE REVIEW PAGE

MUM WAS VERY ILL WITH PNEUMONIA
School holidays started in Melbourne on April 1st thus Mum had a two week break from teaching. She got sick the last week of term, last week of March, and just thought it might be a cold. However, she went to the doctor on the 3rd, and was diagnosed with pneumonia! In 50 years of teaching she has never had a sick day. I have never seen her so ill, and of course was very worried about her. Not to mention being very frustrated with my stupid disease and body, as I wasn't able to look after her in a way I wanted to.
I stayed at home for a couple of weeks and took some photos of the garden, worked on the website, managed the social network groups, and somehow was just busy. She has recovered well and is about 90% of the way there. She was really knocked around, I'm so glad she is such a strong and amazing person.

HURT MY SHOULDER
The Thursday before Easter I did Mum's grocery shopping and as I was loading a bag into the boot of her car, I damaged something in my shoulder. Yip, I still think I am in my previous body lifting weights, and just a paraplegic. My body quickly reminded me that isn't the case. So, I spent Easter in excruciating pain, and not being able to move my arm in ways I wanted it to go. What a knob! I've since seen a physiotherapist and have damaged a muscle in the AC joint. He reckons it'll take about 4 - 6weeks to heal. 

MY 6 MONTHLY DOSE OF HOOKWORM ARRIVED
I also received my 6 monthly dose of HOOKWORM. I've been having every 6 months for the past 6 years. Between the Hookworm and the Rituximab treatment I have at the hospital every six months, I have managed to stay out of hospital since February 2011. I receive 35 larvae which I put onto a band aid which I then stick to my arm for 12 hours. I can feel them go into my skin within 10 minutes, I feel pin pricks, it's amazing! Then they work their way to my lungs, start forming and I cough a little, which enables them to go into my stomach and work their way to the small intestine to start their magic. They stop the B cells in my body from attacking my Myelin sheath around my nerves, and keep my hay fever at bay. I love them! 

THE DISEASE IS BEING NAUGHTY
Late yesterday afternoon I felt restless for no reason, and found that a section of the skin on my left leg was sore. I just thought the fabric of my pants had been rubbing against it as the skin was "burning". It took a few hours to twig that it's the same burning I get on my left upper body when the disease is a little active. It is so painful to touch and comes up red on the skin as the nerves are aggravated due to all the confused messages from the damaged nerves on my spinal cord. Plus, heaps more that is going on inside that's too complicated to explain, however to me it feels as though I am severely sunburnt. It's on my left leg (the one that has no movement), and starts just below my knee and finishes up about halfway up my thigh, and bands all around the leg. It is also not bending, so I have to drive up to the wall and push my toes up against it to make it bend. I'm also having much more stiffness attacks in that leg, and as I'm writing this it's spasming away and jumping up every 5 seconds or so. It has been for about two hours. I also have my left shoe off as I think the nerves are feeling a little "sunburnt" at the back of my foot as well. 

PHOTOGRAPHS
It's Autumn and the garden is changing colour and so many ways each day. Have a look at the latest photos on the JAPANESE GARDEN page, as well as the NATIVE GARDEN page for updates. I am in heaven.

JAPANESE GARDEN

JAPANESE GARDEN 2

NATIVE GARDEN 2

NEXT WEEK
We have a public holiday here on Tuesday which means businesses won't be functioning until Wednesday or Thursday as many people take Monday off. 
My priority will be to bring my RITUXIMAB INFUSION forward ASAP so I can sort out what's happening with the disease. I'll also be seeing my neurologist. 

I have a NDIS meeting to go to re "what to do and expect, and how to apply". LOL...I am still very sceptical about the entire process. What this space as I'm sure there will be a few blogs coming along soon in relation to NDIS. 

Ice skating with my fabulous friends in the Meetup social group on Sunday. I can't wait as they are so much fun!

Last but least I've been playing with some new apps that adjust photos. Enjoy :)