Long overdue...

Yeah, I know. I've been terribly slack lately. And because of my slackness and crap memory, I'll prob leave heaps of stuff out of this entry. Nevermind. Here we go...

So I'll start with the most recent things. Christmas - it was really nice this year. It was very hectic, but I enjoyed it. I had to work Christmas Eve, but afterwards I went to my uncle's house as my dad's family celebrate Christmas eve with a big dinner. I missed on the food obviously, but it was good to catch up with my Melbournian cousins for a couple of hours. Christmas morning we (Alice, Lucy, Sam and myself) woke up quite early and all had showers and stuff before we did the presents. I can quite happily say that I was quite spoiled this year. I got an awse non-stick fry pan, very nice bathroom towels, cutlery, books, chocolates and money. Yes, I know alot of that stuff was qutie domesticated, but I guess that's just where I am in life at the moment, and I'm loving it!! I got Al a fishing rod (as well as one for myself) and a fondue set, so really my presents to her were for me also. Hehe.

After opening the pressies, Alice and I went to my mums to exchange gifts with her and Dana. We then went to breakfast at my auntie's house. That was your typical woggy affair - tonnes of food, tonnes of shouting, and a bit of arguing. I like it. I ate a little too much there, and we had to quickly leave to go to Alice's aunties for lunch. That was really nice, but I couldn't eat alot because of stupid breakfast. Hmm, this is dragging on quite a bit. Ok, quickly now. Dinner was spent at Alice's dad's house, which was very quiet and nice. I was in bed by 11:30 completely buggered, but crazy party girl Alice went across the road to party for a few hours. All in all it was a very nice day.

I'm really struggling to think of what else has been going on. The weather has been quite shitty lately. Too cold for my liking. Take Christmas day - it usually is quite warm, around the 30's, but this year the top was 20. Bloody rediculous if you ask me. But by the end of this week it's going to hear up again, which I'm really looking forward to.

Alice and I are going down to Yorke Peninsula for new years eve to Holly's parents farm, so we're really excited about having a couple of days to just laze around and do nothing. We have to come back on Tuesday, but then we have to go back the following weekend for a wedding. Not that I'm complaining about the wedding, but it's a kinda long drive for twice in a week. Oh well, such is life. :)

Health is going along alright. I ran out of meds a week or so ago, and started to get a bit more productive, which wasn't fun. But I made sure to get some more drugs, and now things have cleared up again. :)

Meh, this entry is crap. I can't be bothered trying to remember things and make this more coherent. All I can do is try to do better next time. :)

Rating: 7.2

What I'm listening to: No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

Weddings, the beach, trials and fondue

me and the bride and groom
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Well, once again I have left it too long to write, so I have heaps to tell everyone about.

We'll start with the highlight - last Sunday I was invited to a Christmas lunch with some very close friends of mine Alex and Monica. There was only a few of us, as well as their parents. After hanging around in their apartment for a little while, there was a knock at the door and a woman who none of us had met before walked in with a book in her hand. Yep, she was a celebrant. The sneaky buggers had ditched their plan of getting married in April next year and decided to spring a surprise wedding on us all.

So the ceremony was very nice indeed, with lots of bubble making its way around the room. Then of course there was the food, the REAL reason I was there ;). But it was so good to see them finally tie the know (they have been together for 7 years since high school) and it's awesome to have another couple of friends who I can say are married. It did make me think about my own situation with Alley as well... to those who know us know that marriage is something we CONSTANTLY talk about, so much to the point that it's quite rediculous as we have planned out everything, even though I haven't actually proposed yet. Eh, one day... hehe.

On Wednesday I decided to go for a bit of a scoot to the beach since it was such a nice day outside. I drove down to Brighton since I hadn't been there this year yet, and it was just awesome. I forget how good the beaches are here so close to the city. I walked out on the jetty and had a bit of a ol yarn with an old fisherman there and while we were talking we saw a dolphin swim casually past. Really nice like... although something not quite as nice is that there have been quite alot of shark sightings already. Some just metres off the shores at Brighton, Glenelg and West Beach (for those who aren't aware, they're the metropolitan beaches). But it's really made me want to go fishing again. Haven't done it for YEARS and I think it would be a really nice and relaxing thing to do this summer.

I have also started to participate in a gastro trial thing. Basically I think the jist of it is to measure how quickly someone with cf digests things. My first day involved fasting from 10pm the previous night, going in at 8:30 in the morning, drinking a glucose drink, then sitting in front of a machine for 3 hours (i had a little break every hour). After that we went to another room where I had to stay in there for another 3 hours. All the while of this sitting I had to have 10mls of blood taken every 15 mins.

Luckily I could bring in Charlotte so I could pass the time watching NCIS, Simpsons, Robot Chicken and Scrubs. AND I get paid for it. So there are 2 more days left, where I get to eat packet mash potato and then test to see how long that takes to go through my system - both with and without Creon (my pancreatic enzymes that I have to take whenever I eat).

We also hosted another dinner the other night with Peter, Trudy, Kate and Wayne. We were quite excited as we were doing fondue... mmmmmm, soooo good!!! However, as usual, it wasn't the smoothest of evenings. Wayne was the first casualty of the night, having stabbed his hand with the fondue prongs things. Quite badly actually... but it wsa his first time, so you can't blame him. Last time we did fondue I managed to do the honours... it just happens.

Anyway, so after we fixed all that, Kate had started to feel a bit queasy. She had been stung by a bee a few days before, which has really swelled up quite nicely. After being a bit sick, we thought it be best to take her to the hospital to make sure that there was nothing seriously wrong with her. After their departure, Alice, Pete, Trudy and me finished off our fondue evening with the dessert fondue.

It was an awesome evening - despite the obvious casualties that had occured. Hey, it's fondue. Something's bound to happen.

So I think that's it... since it's going to be 38 today, I think I'm gonna make another trip down to the beach. But I'll make sure to get some sunscreen this time so I don't burn up like last time. Idiot. Tonight is John Woods cd launch at the Grace Emily, so that should be a great night. He also won the dB's readers awards for best solo male artist. Woot!!

And then tomorrow night Taasha and Trsistan from The Audreys are doing an acoustic thingy at the Wheaty, so I'll try to get along to that. They also won an award for dB, as the best band. So go them.

I guess I better mention something about my health - I ran out of hypertonic saline and ventolin a few days ago, and have already noticed a slight increase of cough and productivity. So I'll make sure to get some more today, as I really don't wanna get sick again. But apart from that little niggle, I'm not feeling too bad at all. Still gotta do more exercise, but you're all used to me saying that so I won't feel too bad. ;)

Rating: 7.5

What I'm listening to: The Audreys - Between Last Night and Us

Anniversaries, gigs, cars and the beach

going...
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Hi all.

Lots has been going on, so let's see if I can remember it all and have you slightly entertained for the next 10 mins or so... (yes, this will prob be a long one).

As some of you may well know, our beloved car Uby hasn't been feeling the best of late. In fact, I think it's safe to say that she's dying. So much so that last week we decided to try and find a cheap run-a-round to replace her. On a drive to Elizabeth, she got a temperature and we had to leave her on the side of the road all night (not the best idea in Salisbury). Anyhoo, she survived another day. But on Wednesday of last week I found another car (this time not so far away) for $900. We went and checked her out, and she is a beauty!! She is a lovely silver Nissan Bluebird Series III wagon. Pretty much like an updated Uby. Her name is Supa Upa. She is awesome. :) We're hoping she'll be able to do the trips to Maclaren Vale and Victor (since they will be done quite regularly over summer).

Speak of last Wednesday, it was also the first night I had ever been to the famous curry night at the Exeter. Man, was it good!! There was quite a nice table of us (me, Al, Holly, Jess, Andy, Sarah and Daniel) and we all chowed down on some delicious curry before sitting outside enojying a lovely pint in the beautiful spring weather. I thoroughly recommend anyone who hasn't tried it to do so. It's on the top of my list for when my international friends come over here. :D

Last weekend we went to see The Audreys at the Gov for their first show after their totally awesome award at the Arias this year. And may I say, it was the best I've seen them. MUCH better than the last gig they did during their national tour. They're really taking off, so I'm hoping they'll play a few more shows before deserting lil ol Radelaide for the limelight of the big cities.

Thursday night was the 2 year anniversay for Alice and me. Aww I hear you all say. It was a lovely night. I got it off work, so we went for a drive down to Glenelg since we realised we hadn't been to the beach for almost a year, got a yiros and some chips, and sat there watching the sunset. It was actually a really nice night. It's been a while since I was able to sit with my best friend and being completely calm and away from all the hecticness of life and work. Then after that we went to the house where we were to be house-sitting until this Monday.

And finally the weather is really starting to get nice. We had a pretty warm day of about 36 on Friday and Saturday, so after I finished work at 4 on Sat, I picked up Al from work and we went down to the beach to have a bit of a dip and to get some colour. I'm determined to get to the beach at least a couple times a week this summer. It's just too good to pass up.

I've also been working alot lately. Not that I'm complaining since my goal is to save money over the next year, and obviously in order to do that I have to work. But it's just annoying having to work alot to save money. Hehe.

I think that's about it... my health isn't doing too badly, although I'm bit more clogged up since the last few days I've been a bit slack with my physio and stuff. Also, I knocked off my nebuliser pump the other day, so I had to race down to the Asthma foundation on Friday afternoon to get it before the weekend, otherwise I would have had to wait until Sunday. The CFSA was kind enough to help me though with a rebate of $200 on my new pump. Pretty ace there.

Well, it's getting late and i'm falling asleep, so I think it's time to head off. I'll write more later in the week when I've remembered what I've forgotten in this post.

Rating: 6.8

What I'm listening to: Yann Tiersen - Amelie soundtrack

The weekend and clinic

Howdy all.

Time for another update in the life of Jaan. Thrilling tales they are!

So i'll start with the weekend. Didn't do a whole lot on Friday - caught up with some friends and had a drink at the Ex. The weather was awesome and we were lucky enough to get a table outside, so that was fun. Then Alice and I got take away from Danny's Thai Bistro and went back home to eat that and watch the first few episodes of 'Dead Like Me'. Very cool show indeed!

I had to open the shop on Saturday, but that night since Al had gone down to Yorkes for a wedding, I was on my lonesome, so thought I would treat myself to a gig. The Vasco Era were playing at the Gov. I first saw them last year sometime when they supported the Violent Femmes, and they were fantastic. I have seen them a couple of times after, but none this year, so I was well excited to see them again since we struck up a bit of a friendship when we first met.

Anyhoo, to my surprise I found out that a friend of mine from primary school (Joel) was in the support band, so I spent the night with him and his band mates. The Vasco Era played an awesome show, and I forgot just how energetic they are live. Joel then was talking to me about an after-party he was having at his house and how everyone was going to be there. I was quite tired and couldn't really be bothered going, but I asked where he lived, and he told me Edward St, which is literally around the corner from my house. So I thought I may as well pop in.

That pop in lasted till 4:30 in the morning when the cops decided it was time for the party to end. But it was a great night. And in true rock 'n roll style, the band was there, and EVERYONE was drinking it up something chronic. Even ol Jaanie had a couple... but luckily since I only lived half a minute walk away I didn't need to worry about drink driving. Hehe. I managed to take a couple of pics from the night, so have a look at my pics page for that.

And now to today - clinic. I only realised this morning that I had it on when I looked in my diary. This last week I had started to feel a little crappy - tired, lethargic and my cough had gotten a little bit more productive. I was really hoping I wasn't getting sick again as this is what happened when I first started getting sick a few months ago. But today things seemed to really clear up. I had my pft's (lung function) and was hoping for the best. Quite often, you go in feeling tops, and the results are shite. Other times, you go in feeling crap, and the results are better than you expected. So while I was feeling quite good, I didn't really have high hopes to have great blows.

But when I read the percentage, I was stoked - 62%. I was 55% when I was discharged about a month ago, and that was up from 35% when I was really sick. So that's pretty darn good. Especially considering I still haven't really started my routine of exercising (I'm planning on starting swimming REAL soon - honest!). So things are looking quite good indeed.

One last reminder for those who read this in time and live in the vacinity - Alice's exhibition is tomorrow night, so that's what's on the cards for me. It's at the Light Square Gallery and goes from 6 to 8. Should be a great night, so come along if you can muster it.

That's all for tonight. I'm getting very sleepy and my neb is just about finished.

Why have they stopped showing 'Scrubs' on tv in the mornings? They hadn't finished the season yet...

Rating: 8

What I'm listening to: Cake - Fashion Nugget

Update 100!

Wow, can you believe that? I've spewed 100 meaningless posts from my grubby little fingers. Thanks for sticking by me all! I like it how people read my thoughts. Especially when I don't see alot of you very regularly.

So, what's been going on? Well, first thing's first - I am in love. Her name is Charlotte. She is absolutely beautiful!!! I've done things with her I never thought possible. I can't believe it took me this long to afford her. But she was well worth the price. I am talking about my lovely new MacBook Pro. :) Man, she is the bomb. You guys would love her! Hehe. Alright, enough of that. But there was a little drama when she was delivered. It was Friday morning, and because the fortress is so impenetrible, the delivery guy didn't knock on the door to get my signature to deliver it. Even though I made sure to stay home so that I could be there when she came. I went outside to find the little slip in the letter box saying that I had missed him, so I rang the company to organise when to pick it up. But they told me that it wouldn't be available until Monday morning. Oooh, I was pissed! So I had to wait all weekend knowing that my new baby was in the same town as me, and I couldn't do a thing about it.

And to top the weekend off, I had to work 11 hours on Saturday, and 10 hours on Sunday. I was well buggered... but I need the money so I'm not going to complain again.

Last week I had another ENT appointment, and that went rather well. He was very pleased with how everything looks up there, and said there isn't any swelling or infection at all. The headaches have also stopped, so it pretty much feels like it's healed 100%.

My general health is also still going strong. Although yesterday I noticed a little more persistant cough... hopefully it was just a one off thing. I'll double up the physio today to make sure. But yeah, I'm feeling great still, which is a change from a few months ago. I'm planning on starting swimming again in the coming weeks. I need to do something else, otherwise I'll just fall into the same pattern as before and prob get sick before I knew it.

So I think that's all... but one last thing before I go, I wanted to mention Alice's end of year exhibition that's been keeping her uber busy and stressed. The opening is next Wednesday, the 15th of November from 6-8 pm at the Light Square Gallery, 39 Light Square (the big arts TAFE building). So if you're in the area, please come along. She will be very appreciative, but more importantly you can look at some great artwork as well as have a free drink!

Rating: 7.8

What I'm listening to: Fuel - Sunburn

CF Ball

tasty eyeball
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Hey all.

Saturday night was the annual 65 Roses Ball (for cf). Our table consisted of myself, Alice, Pete, Truds, Lucy, Sam, Holly, Jo, Jess and her brother Chris. We had 4 ball virgins (Lucy, Sam, Jo and Chris) and I think I'm safe to say they had a great night. The theme this year was chocolate! So good. There were big chocolate statues of characters like Yoda, Scooby Doo, and that one eye monsters from Monsters Inc. Also, scattered on every table were heaps of Cadbury Roses. Mmm... Jess and Truds actually got a bit carried away by going to all the other tables and displays and knicking all the strawberry and pepermint flavoured ones. Damn they were tasty...

So all of us (barr Jess and Chris) met at the fortress beforehand to help each other get ready. Well, the girls anyway. Us boys were ready in no time. We're so smart... We tried to get a Des's minibus for all of us, but when I rang them and told them what time it would be needed, I was treated with a laugh and the response "Not a chance in hell". Fair enough... two cabs it was.

This year it was held at the Wine Centre. Having never been there before, I was quite impressed. It worked really. well. After arriving and getting to our tables, there was much schmoozing to be had. Surprisingly there weren't alot of people I knew there. Maybe about 5 or 6 cf's in total. But we made sure not to waste any time before we starting hitting the free alcohol. And this year I was VERY pleased to see that the beer was sponsored by Coopers. About time they put a good beer there...

Amanda Blair was hosting the night, and it was quite a shock. It felt like we were at school again. She was telling everyone off for talking and not being quiet. I liked it however. It was a good change from the past hosts who couldn't shush a room if their life depended on it. I think some of us may be in the Sunday Mail too... but we'll have to wait on that one. ;)

The 3 course meal was very tasty indeed. Entree was antipasto stuff with meats and that. Main was either a chicken dish or a beef dish. I chose beef. Damn tasty. Dessert was some chocolate cake thing, but since it had cream, I decided against it.

Halfway through the ball, they held auctions for some coolio prizes, such as signed guernsey's, getaway's at B & B's, things like that. Unlike 2 years ago, where I was stuck with winning the auction for the signed Crows footy guernsey for $550, this year, the auction items went for ALOT more. I"m talking each one at least $1000. It was incredible. While it sucked that I couldn't bid on anything, it was really good seeing how much money was being raised. There were also heaps of silent auctions, but I didn't really look at the prices of them.

So the rest of the night involved drinking stupendous amounts, dancing like there was no tomorrow, and catching up with old friends (and new). Another new feature this year was that an acutal after party had been organised. Granted, it was at the Royal, but it meant that we actually had somewhere to go to continue the drunk chats we were all enjoying so much. Slowly, people started to drift home, and when Holly and Jo said they were going to a Halloween party, I took that as my cue to head to bed myself. 3:30am, not a bad time.

I had to work on Sunday, but I was quite surprised with how well I was feeling. I had to do a bit of extra physio Sunday night to couterract the lack of physio on Saturday, but I feel like I'm back to normal again. Lungs are still quite clear, and my headaches are becoming less and less frequent. It's a lovely day today so I think I may as well go for a nice walk. Especially since I'm not working... Ooh, I think I'll go into town to have lunch with Al. Yeah, good idea Jaan.

So there are quite a few pics I put up, feel free to take a squizz. Some of them are good. Some of them not so...

Rating: 8

What I'm listening to: KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope

Update number whatever

Hey all.

It's been a while, so I thought I do another wee post. Although, nothing much has been happening, so this will prob be the most boring one to date. Oh well. You're still gonna read it, aren't ya? Yeah, you know you are...

So the health thing is going pretty good. My lungs have still remained clear, which I'm even surprised at. I'm not complaining mind you, but I just would have thought I would be feeling alot worse since the op. My nose has been very clear and nice to breathe out of, and the headaches have started getting less and less extreme. Although, I'm still needing some panadeine forte every now and then just to take the edge off.

I've been working heaps. Both Saturday and Sunday I worked from 10 to 8, so I'm a bit tired from that. Ooh, funny story from work. You see, I had to open on Sunday, and the restaurant next door decided not to open, so the gates were all closed and locked. Since I didn't have a key for the padlock, I had to climb over the gate to get to the back door of the store. I started to climb it, but when I got to the top, I was a bit off balance and decided to get back down and try again. However, my pants got caught on one of the spikes, and I was left hanging there, ripped pants and all, and a very strained neck. I kept me helmet on though, so even if I did fall on my head, it wouldn't have been that bad. But the last few days I haven't been able to move my head much. It really hurts actually. But it was a funny situation so I won't whinge about it. He he.



And last night we went to Coriole for a family dinner. Was real nice. I haven't been up there in ages so it was good to get back up there again. But that's all from me. Alice is still super busy organising her end of year exhibition, so I'll remind everyone when that's on so you can all get down and have a looksee. Should be alot of good stuff there.

Rating: 7.9

What I'm listening to: Hmm, what HAVE I been listening to... Ah, I'll go with the Beach Boys. Yeah, that'll do. :)

Oh yeah, and last night, thanks to a call from Pete, I bought myself a brand spankin new MacBook Pro. Oooh yeah! I'm so excited I think I may wet my pantaloons...

Another update

It's been about a week since I last wrote, and even though not alot has happened, I need something to do while I wait for the fridge to defrost, and I'm in a typing mood. Anyone ever get in those moods where you just wanna type? Or write? I like writing... but not too much because then I get writers cramp. And being a lefty means smudging when you write for an extended period of time. But it's mainly because of the fridge (why I'm typing this, not the smudges. Fridges don't cause smudges).

ANYWAY, yes. Not alot has been going on. I haven't gone back to work yet as I'm still getting quite nasty headaches every now and then, and they get really bad when I flush out my sinues. So I don't think I could handle 6 hours of serving people and stuff. However, I'm running extremely low on cash so I'll prob need to go back next week regardless of how I'm feeling. Bummer.

I went to the ENT doctor on Wednesday for a post-op check up. He took quite alot of crap out of my nose (clotted blood and stuff) and since doing that it's even clearer than it was after the op, which is nice. He said everything's healing really well, and there aren't any concerns about anything. The bone in my upper sinuses is still quite raw, but healing nicely, which is why I'm still going to be having headaches for a while. But again, nothing that wasn't expected or too serious.

As for my chest - since I'm still not able to do full blown physio yet, as the pressure is a bit too much on my nose, I can't get all the crap that's been collecting in my lungs since the op. It's still not too bad, which is surprising, but it's definitely not as great as it was before I went in. But with each day things get a little easier, so I'm still hoping that it won't get too bad that I won't be able to recover fully from it.

So tomorrow we're going bowling with Lucy which should be some fun. I'll try not to win by too much and make them feel bad... that's about all the plans I have. And back to our fridge - it's completely knackered. The stupid thing has completely frozen up on us, even on the lowest setting, so everything inside is frozen. The poor cat has had to wait until lunch time for his breakfast to defrost. The girls can't eat anything healthy because all the vegies froze and then went all gross after they defrosted. It's just crap. So hopefully we'll be getting a replacement fridge on Sunday, but until then, we pretty much have to do our shopping day by day. Yes, our lives are really exciting at the moment.

Alice is also a bit sick at the moment. Poor thing. It's holidays for her, which is usually the time where her body decides it's time to have a break from being healthy and shuts down for a bit. Nothing serious - runny nose, sore throat, a bit of pain. She should be better in a couple of days. Otherwise I don't know what I'll do - we can't have both of us whinging our heads off!

I think that's about it. Either way, I'm going. I've put up some new pics also if you wanna have a look. Nothing too exciting - just of us the other day when it was real nice outside. :)

Rating: 6.3

What I'm listening to: José González - Veneer

Back home again

close up
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Woot! Finally, I'm back in the comforts of 'the fortress'. It's damn fine to be home! :)

So I went in to the Royal Adelaide Hospital to start iv's again on Wednesday last week and didn't really do a whole lot until the operation on Friday. I then went to the Memorial Hospital from the RAH and got admitted there. It was all done fairly quickly as I was meant to be admitted at 11, x-ray at 11.30 and op at 1. But since I took my sweet arse time getting ready, we didn't get there until about 11:20am, so eveything got postponed. I ended up being in theatre at 2.

So I got dressed up in the swanky clothes they provided, laid down on the table, and as per usual, due to my crappy veins, it took a couple of goes to get the drip in. Finally done, I felt the sitng of the anesthetic enter my veins, and I was off in la-la land.

Four and a half hours later, I hear the familiar sounds of the recovery room; nurses talking, machines beeping, footsteps all around me, and the lights. Such bright lights! I remember the first thing I checked when I woke up was if I had a catheder or not. You seee, the surgeon told me that this procedure can sometimes take a while, like 8 or 9 hours, and if that was the case with me, they would have to insert one to help my bladder. Definitely something I didn't want. But luckily it only took 4 and a half hours, so as I woke up, I remeber checking down there, and thinking, 'Thank God!'. It then wasn't long before I felt another familiar feeling - sick. So I leant forward and out spewed the magnificent dark red blood that had been filling up my stomach for the past few hours. Yum. I was also sweating prefusely and was extremely hot. They had to put an ice pack on my neck but that didn't really help. So put that together with throwing up, being connected to 5 billion machines, all sorts of tubes in your arms and on your chest, your nose completely packed with gauze and bolts in your head, and these compressor things on your legs to stop DVT, and I wasn't a happy chappy.

There's not much to remember from the recovery room. I was pretty out of it. I hate waking up from an anesthetic. All you want to do is to be able to function properly and be alert, but your body just doesn't want to. So annoying. I was then wheeled into the Critical Care Unit where I was to spend the whole night.

My mum and sister were there to greet me, and it wasn't long before Alice came down from work and spent the evening with me. Even though I was really out of it and pretty much just sleeping, it's so nice just to have someone there when you wake up for a minute. So comforting. I love it. But then she had to leave, and I had the whole night ahead of me. I couldn't wait.

Still connected up to all the machines, along with the compressor things on your legs, and only being able to lie on your back and move your head from side to side, doesn't leave a whole lot of room for getting comfortable to sleep. So your night consists of about half an hour naps. The night goes sooo slow. And all the time you are still feeling sick and miserable, just waiting for the next day to come.

Strangely, I remember waking up from one of my naps thinking that it could only have been 2 or 3am, but I saw the sun light coming through the curtain. Ahhh, I couldn't believe it. Such relief! It wasn't long then before I hear the familiar voice of Alice talking to the nurses and walking up to my bed. Such a good girl - 8am and there to be with me while I wake up! :)

The next hour is spent with me talking, trying to sit up, drink a bit of water, bascically doing everything I can to just feel a bit more 'with it'. I then get out of bed and walk down to the shower, trying not to fall over. Lotsa fun. The surgeon then came in, took the packing out of my nose, which wasn't as bad as last time thankfully, and said that I could go back to the RAH when I was ready.

Mum came, picked me up, dropped me back in my old room at the RAH, and I spent the next 5 hours watching footy on my bed and half falling asleep. So nice to be back.

On Tuesday they took out the pins in my head. They put two pins in your forehead to help keep the sinuses clear of infection after the op. They flush saline through them about 4 times a day. It works pretty well. Only it hurts. You know the feeling of an ice cream headache? Well, this is ten times worse and you have to take quite a few pain killers just to take the edge off. But they say it has to be done and it really keeps it cleaner, so who am I to disagree.

I think that's about it... so like I said, I got back home yesterday, and am feeling great for that. I'm still getting headaches, but they aren't as bad as they were a few days ago. I'm feeling healthy, and I can breathe perfectly through my nose, but I'm still quite lethargic and flat. But that's from the anesthetic. It'll take me a while before I get back to my normal self. It could be a week or two, or a couple of months, but it will happen eventually. I just gotta make sure that I keep up with physio and exercise in the mean time so that I can make that recovery time as quick as possible. And now that my sinuses are clear of infection and stuff, that shouldn (theoretically anyway) make my lungs a bit better. AND the weather is getting really nice, which is making me want to get out more and do stuff.

Oh, one last thing. Last night we went to see Ben Folds and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Simply stunning. I mean, if you're not a fan of Ben Folds, then obviously it wouldn't have been the best night out. But the arrangements of the orchestra was just beautiful, and along with some of his songs, well, we just loved it. We managed to snag tickets 3 rows from the front, and being seated and all, it was so nice to not have to stand up for 3 hours, being pushed by sweaty fat men, and to even be able to have a snack! But yeah, he was awesome, and had lots of funny tales to tell, as always, but being in Adelaide, which is now his second home, it had an extra intimacy feel to it. He even told us of his addresses, one being William St, where we are! Pretty cool...

I think that's enough for now. Cheers for all the words of love and support that you've been sending to Alice and I. It means alot.

Rating - 6.5

Going in tomorrow

Not a long one this time. Just letting you all know that I'll be going back to the RAH tomorrow to get settled in before the op on Friday. I reckon I'll be in till Friday next week. I have no idea how the recovery will go, but I'm hoping it will go alright considering how good I'm feeling at the moment. Lungs are still fairly clear and I have heaps of energy. I think the weather has something to do with it as well...

But as for other stuff, nothing has really been going on. Working. Oh, and since yesterday was such nice weather, I decided to try and get a tan by riding my scooter all day. Lotsa fun. Didn't get any colour, but it was still fun. I went to Ikea for the first time. I know everyone pays it out, even me, but man, they have so much crap there that you could easily get suckered into buying. Luckily I only had my scooter so I couldn't actually buy anything as it wouldn't fit in my bag.

But yes, that's it. All going well I'll be back on here in a week or so. Woot!

Rating: 8

What I'm listening to: Zero 7 - The Garden

Going good so far...

So things have been keeping very good since my last post. I haven't gotten any sicker, which is great since last time I started to get worse after only a week. I'm really hoping that the meds worked properly this time and that I'll stay good for a while.

Anyhoo, like I said last time, I have to go back next week to get the op on my sinuses, and I got the phone call today to say that I'll be going in to the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Wednesday. So I'll be in there till Friday, where I'll then go to the Memorial for the op, then back to the RAH on Saturday and spend the next week there. What fun. But since I'm feeling so tops, I'm hoping that the recover shouldn't take too long.

The only little piece of info is that Becky (a dear friend of mine who has been living overseas the last 2 years) surprised us with being back in Adelaide on Wednesday night. Twas quite a shock. A good one though. So another one of my friends is back in town. It's just like the old days. So much fun.

And the weather is getting soo nice. I love it! Although, it's not so great for the farmers or the water supply. If we don't get a nice downpour soon, there will be some full on water restrictions here, which won't be so much fun. Especially if we're going to have a stinking hot summer. Let's all put our collective thoughts, prayers, vibes, voodoo magic together to get some wet happening!

That's about it. I may write more before I go in, but if nothing happens, then I probably won't. Woot.

Rating: 8

What I'm listening to: KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope

Back home!

gee
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Hey all youse guys!!

How ya doing? Well, as for me, I'm doing bloody super! I got out of hospital on Wednesday and so far things have stayed just as great health wise. I had lung function on Tuesday and it went up to 50% from 37% the week before, which is pretty impressive. If you remember, last admission they went up a whole total of 5% in a month, so I'll take 13% in two weeks easily. :)

This hospital admission wasn't as bad as the last one... last time I wasn't getting any better, and because I was feeling so shite, I didn't want to get out and just spent all day watching tv in bed. The weather probably had something to do with it as well... those few days a week ago where the weather was perfect and sunny I went into the botanical gardens and laid down on the grass and enjoyed outsideness again. It'd been a while. It was awesome though - Alice and I played cards and listened to music, and Peter, Ben and myself listened to music, talked about how great we are, played some cards, as well as watch some cute ducklings make their way around the trees.

So basically now my lungs are clear, and I'm only coughing up a little during physio. In between physio sessions, it's pretty much a dry cough, and I can't remember the last time it was this good. The only thing left for me to do is get my fitness up. At least I can walk to the shops now without dying on the corner.

I have to go back however in 2 weeks for my sinus operation. They have to clear out all my sinuses, and it's going to be a fairly big job, so that will prob set me back a little bit. I'll have the operation at the Memorial Hospital, then go back to the Royal Adelaide for a week afterwards to have some more iv's to get me over the anesthetic.

It looks like I'm gonna be skint as well for the next month. So far, the op is going to cost me at least $600, so I'm not too happy about that. I always thought having private health insurance would actually cover you for everything, but I guess I was wrong. This is the first year that I've had to actually pay for my own insurance, so maybe that's why I was a bit surprised. The folks probably paid all this stuff in the past. Anyhoo, enough whinging. It's all good. Hopefully this should be the end of medical stuff for a while and I'll be able to run around creating havoc through summer. :)

So that's the scoop. I'll go back to work next week, which won't be too bad since I need the money and something to do during the day. We still have two extra tickets to the Ben Folds concert we need to sell, so if anyone's interested, gimme a call and we can organise something. It should be a great night!

Just want to say a huge thanks to all who sent good messages and vibes my way while I was in hospital. I must admit, I was feeling down right shit and wasn't too sure whether I would get really good again. But I did so there's not too much to worry about just yet. Alice definitely deserves a medal for all she put up with. I couldn't ask for anything more. She's a trooper!

Ben leaves back for Montreal on Monday, so I think tonight we're heading out to the Elephant Walk for some loverly deserts. He comes back in January though so there won't be enough time to miss him too much.

Enough. I've finished. :)

Rating : 8

What I'm listening to: Sparta - Wiretap Scars

P.S. there are some new piccies up if you're interested in seeing what I get upto in hostable.

Going into hospital

Orright, so here's the deal. I'm feeling right shite, so I'm not going to spend too long on here.

Since my last post I've been getting worse each day, to the point where I am out of breath watching tv, and having coughing fits every 10 mins or so. Sometimes so much that I'm throwing up. Not much fun.

And my nose has also been getting worse. Increasingly congesting up, more and more snot coming out, and now I've started getting the sinus headaches. Not really surprising though after seeing the results from my CT scan. Every part of sinus you could imagine is completely blocked up. And not just by polyps - that has now led to infection and fungus. Mmm, lunch anyone? So the docs think that this could be a main cause in why I've been feeling so crap the last few months, since this sinus issue is something that has been brewing for quite some time now.

So when I had my appointment with my ENT (ear, nose & throat) doctor, he was telling me that the only procedure that would get rid of most of the infection was a big one - not only do they have to scrape out all the polyps and stuff, they also have to drill two holes in my forehead so they can screw in two metal plug things to flush my sinuses with saline for a week afterwards. I'll make sure to take pics of that one. This is what I had done last time, which they said I shouldn't have to have done again. Yeah, maybe if I actually went to an appointment afterwards to keep an eye on the wee little buggers it wouldn't have got to this point... However, that's not the end of it. They have also decided to shave back all the bone in my upper sinus, so basically it'll be one big chamber, rather than little caves everywhere. It should all be good as long as they don't scrape into my brain... but this means that the op is going to take about 4 hours, rather than just half an hour (I think...). Not that I'll be conscious to be aware of it, but it just means that it's more anesthetic in my system, which means a longer recovery time.

The original plan was to do it while I was having a routine 2 week IV admission, so that the antibiotics would help me get over it. However, I got the call yesterday from the chest clinic saying that I'll be going in Wednesday (tomorrow) so when I went to book the op, they said the original date of the 31st of August had been taken up, and the next available one isn't until the 22nd of September. Such a spew... but not much I can do now. If something get's cancelled before then, I'll be going in early, but I doubt that will happen.

So now it's back to me going in tomorrow for 2 weeks of rest and antibiotics. Let's hope that this admission works a tad better than the last one - where I didn't get better for a month and they couldn't figure out what was wrong.

I'll still have my mobile on me and turned on so if you wanna send lovely text's my way shoot! I may not reply since I am a lazy bastard, but I'll be happy. :)

That's all for now. I'm out of breath typing this so I'm off.

Rating: not really much point, but what the heck! 3

What I'm listening to: The Bedridden - Live at the Crown and Anchor

P.S. I've updated some of the music I listen to section. Some new stuff. Most of them are now the myspace sites, purely for the benefit that you can hear some of the music from that site rather than their homepages... also, you can still access their homepage from their myspace page. Woot!

Weather's getting warmer, but I'm getting sicker

How much does that suck? Usually with the warmer weather, I get heaps better. But as I've said before, this year is a bad one and shouldn't be compared to previous ones. So since my last post, my health has deteriorated a bit. My chest has gotten quite a lot tighter, pretty much as it was when I last got really sick. The only thing different this time is that I don't have any of the other symptoms I did before - headaches, fevers, stuff like that. So that's good. However, still feeling royally shite. I get puffed out walking to the toilet, and the other morning I woke up at 4am and coughed for about 2 hours straight. Not much fun. I'm really hanging out for another dose of IV's, but I have to wait to see when I can have my sinus surgery.

Now that I made a lovely segway, I can continue. I had my ENT appointment on Tuesday and as expected, the doc saw polyps. But before we can decide what to do, I had to have a CT scan of my sinuses to see just how badly they are blocked. I had that done later that day, but have to wait until Wednesday next week to see him again. Then hopefully we can decide what action to take. There are a couple of different procedures, so we'll make a decision then.

One last bit of news is that sadly, last week I had the unpleasant task of taking my beloved dog Mitzu to the vet to be put to sleep. He was fairly old, so he had a good run, but his time was up. He was blind, deaf, slightly senile and in his last week, he was sleeping pretty much non-stop and wouldn't eat much. It was sad, but it was the right thing to do. It's just weird going back to mums now because he was such a part of that house. It's so different to not hear him running around the corner or his nails on the floor boards. Oh well, it mostly always happens sooner or later.

So I think that's about it... Like I said before, the weather is getting nice. We are having a couple of days where it's reached 20, with perfectly clear skies. Beautiful. The nights are still chilly, but I think the worst of winter is now behind us and we have a nice hot summer to look forward to. It's about time if you ask me.

Next Thursday The Audreys are playing at the Gov, so it will be awesome to see them again. They are doing so well at the moment - they've just got back from a tour of Canada, the States, Europe and the UK. Insane. I'm not sure if it's sold out yet, but for those who are in Radelaide and can make it, definitely go check me out. My lovely friend Holly is also playing supporting them, who is an absolute pleasure to listen to also. And then the week after the Vasco Era are playing at Jive, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it. If I'm still feeling the way I am now, probably not. I don't think my lungs could handle a night out in a smoky place.

Anyhoo, I'm off to do physio and try to make myself useful at home somehow...

Rating: 4.5

What I'm listening to: nothing at the moment. ipod's been playing up.

P.S. Remember a while ago I was talking about Sia's film clip that I went to the filming of? Well, there's a copy of it to see, so have a look. It's cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VvbSOYJamA

Polyps, Muffin, Toby and Birthdays!

his name is toby
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

A little bit to get through, and I have to go to work soon, so i'll try not to have too much jibberish...

So since I finished my IV's a month or so ago, my nose has increasingly been getting blocked up and more and more snotty (yum). This is because of my polyps (basically pea sized growths of skin that grow in your sinuses). When I was on IV's, I didn't really notice them because the antibiotics shrink them and I could breathe fine. But now that I've been off them, they've grown back and because of it, my left nostril is pretty much completely blocked up. Sleeping is getting more difficult, and I have the attractive look of boogers making their little appearances constantly.

I have an appointment with the ENT (ear, nose throat) doctor next week, so hopefully I can book in a time to have the operation which is needed to remove them. This totally sucks because it means I need a general anesthetic which wreaks absolute havoc with my lungs and takes me about 6-8 months to completely recover from. SO, since I need to have them out eventually, and it's only going to get worse the longer I leave it, and the longer I leave it the bigger the op will be, I decided to get it done now and even though that means another admission, the 3rd one this year, I'm ok with that.

Hmm, these sentences are really long winded and don't read very well. Tough. These are my words and I'm sticking to it. :)

Muffin is going awesome. He's still psycho, but at least he knows who we are now, and dare I say, loves us. He is the cutest cat I've ever seen, however he is the biggest wimp. The moment we leave, even if it's just to the toilet, he starts to cry like a little baby. Oh well. He stops after about 5 mins.

Toby - yes, I made a new purchase on Monday. I had the idea to get a scooter last week, since petrol prices are going up all the time, and since I don't actually own a car anymore. So I started looking, and low and behold, I saw the add for a postie bike. Well, these are WAY cooler than your average scooter, so Eros and I went to see it on Monday and I bought it on the spot. So pleased with it. The guy was asking for $1300, but I offered him $1000 to which he relunctantly said yes to, and threw in a helmet for good measure. What a nice guy. Except I had to ride it all the way back from Salisbury, and being my first real time on a bike, twas a bit scary. But soon enough I got the hang of it and was riding like a pro in no time - one handed, looking around, even having a smile on my face. Anyhoo, the bike is sweet so look out for me on the roads!!

And finally, today is Alice's birthday. And for the first time in a whlie, I had some nice ideas for pressies. Since she's always borrowing my explorers during our cold spell, I thought she deserved a pair of her very own. She also steals my dressing gown, so she is now the proud owner of one of them too. And finally, since she loves mushrooms, I thought I would get her a mushroom growing kit. How cool is that?? Fresh musshies right at your door. :)

Phew. I think that's about it. We're going bowling on Saturday night, so looking forward to that. It's the lock in thing where there are all these crazy neon lights and you can win prizes and everything. Woot!

Rating - 6.5

What I'm listening to: Zero 7 - The Garden

P.S. More pics as well. :)

We have added a new member to the family!

cute
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Everybody welcome Muff (short for Muffin).

I went and picked him up today. Now, I've never been much of a cat person myself, but isn't he just adorable?? Soo cute!

Anyway, enough from me. :D

Another update from the pen (well, keyboard in this case) of Jaanie

close up 2
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

So we've had a bit of rain, but not alot. I'm annoyed at that. I want our typical winter - lots of rain, not too cold, and that's about it. Maybe a thunderstorm thrown in here and there for good measure. I'm sick of this dry, crisp and freezing cold weather we've been having. And what about the poor farmers?? Poor farmers... but apparantly by the weekend there should be some more water falling from the heavens. Let's hope so.

Anyhoo, so the weather has been annoying me, but that's about all I can complain about. Things have been pretty quiet since my last post. Worked lots on the weekend, and started playing squash again regularly. That's been fun... however I cough alot while I'm playing and once I get home, which in turn gives me headaches for the rest of the day. Quite annoying. But if it's keeping me healthy, then I'm not going to complain too much. But I've now realised that the meds I'm taking at the moment have done all they're going to do, so the rest is up to me to remain healthy - which quite frankly is a tad annoying. I had just gotten used to the meds doing all the work and me getting better in the mean time, and now it's all up to me again?? Geez...

The other piece of news to tell is that (finally) I got my 3rd tattoo done yesterday. Alice and I had half designed it, and the tattoo guys did the rest when I took it in a couple of weeks ago. It took about an hour to complete, and it hurt far more than what I had expected... I mean, I have 2 other ones, but they are small and are on my arms. So I was basing the pain on those two... friends who have had tatts on their back told me that it hurt, but I didn't really believe them... Man, was I wrong. It was some of the worst pain I've ever experienced. There were a couple of points where I actually thought I wouldn't be able to complete it. But nevertheless, I stood strong (well, sat strong anyways) and it was well worth it. I love it! Now it's just a matter of deciding what I wanna do to it next...

Oh, one other bit of news is that we may be getting another housemate - of the animal kind. We have the option of bringing in a small kitten to our family, which would be sooo cool. I just have to make sure that we are allowed to have one at the house... hopefully so. It would be so awesome though to have a pet again. Not that I don't have one at the moment. Mitzu is still alive, but he lives at mums, so I don't see him that much. And he doesn't see me either - he's pretty much blind. Chuck in deafness and being cenile, he's not the most fun pet to have. Hehe. He's alright though. In fact, I think I might go and see him today...

That's about it I think. I saw on the news a few days ago that there are some people trying ot push a law so that everyone automatically becomes an organ donor. Personally, I think that is the best idea ever. Fair enough if you have a reason to not donate, be it religious or whatnot, but for all those who are just too slack to register or don't really care, then it's pretty unfair to those of us who might need a tranasplant later in life to miss out due to someone's slackness... well, that's my opinion anyway.

Alright - enough ranting!

Rating - 7.0

What I'm listening to: Zero 7 - The Garden

P.S. So as you can see, I've put more pics up. Have a squizz by clicking the "My happy snaps" link to the right.

Vineyards and good times

vineyards
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Hi all,

A very quick one here. Just got back from a deliciously awesome dinner at Coriole with Alice's mum and step dad. It was a bit cold and wet, but still beautiful nonetheless. I've uploaded quite a few pics so when you get time have a squizz.

:)

Clinic yesterday

This won't be a long one, as there's not alot to tell since my last post. But yesterday I had my clinic appointment, and it didn't go too badly. My lung funcion went up to 58%, which I was a tad annoyed at. I've been feeling really good lately; my chest is really clear and I started squash on Monday, so I was expecting it to be a little higher than 58%. I was thinking more in the 60's... however, the doctor told me that since I was very sick, it will take a little longer than usual for me to get back up to my best, which makes sense. So while I wasn't that happy with the results, it's really not that bad and at least it's getting better. I can't really expect anything more than that. I have another clinic in 2 months so barring me catching another bug, it will be a while before I have anything to report from there.

The only other little bit of stuff to tell you is quite a funny story. I thought of an awesome present to get Alice for her birthday, which was tickets to Ben Folds with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. So I was all sneaky and ordered them online and whenever she said we should go I was even cleverer and said that I was pretty sure they had all sold out etc etc. Anyhoo, the other day and she asks me if she can borrow my pension card. I knew this meant that she was planning on buying something that required it, and I immediately thought of tickets to Ben Folds. However, I couldn't say anything of course in risk of blowing my surprise to her. So like a chump I held my tongue and waited to see her later in the day to see what she bought. Low and behold, when I saw her, she presented two tickets to Ben Folds. How we laughed. Great minds do think alike. At least I have a back up plan for her bday...

So now we have 4 tickest, so if anyone is interested in going, lemme know and we can give them to you (in exchange of some Australian currency of course). ;) If not, we'll just get them refunded or something. But I thought I would ask all of you since we have them, and by the time you are going to buy them from Bass, there might only be crap seats left. Plus, because we are student and pensioner, they are the cheaper tickets too.

Well, that's all. I'm off to have a shower and then get the kids (Alice, Ben and Claude) together to go and have a nice dinner at Coriole. Yum yum.

Rating: 7.2

What I'm listening to: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (still)

Thursday the twenty ninth of June, at one o one in the pm

Alroight, there are some things I wanna get off my chest.

First: I'm so disappointed that we are no longer in the World Cup. I stayed up to watch the match, and up until the last 10 seconds, it was the most exciting match I had seen yet. In my mind I was all prepared to go into extra time, so I was only half watching and half eating vita-weats with salami, pickles and cheese. Then I heard the whistle. I couldn't believe it. It was over. There was no way he was gonna miss a penalty. I was just lost for words.

Now don't get me wrong - I have no problem losing. We prob wouldn't have won if it went into extra time anyway. They had only 10 players for almost half of the match, and we just couldn't penetrate their defence. All to their credit. If we had gone into extra time and Italy scored in the first minute, I would have been so proud and happy that we got that far. It was just so disappointing for it to end the way it did... so cheap, so soft, so nothing of what we had been about during the entire Cup. But oh well. Shit happens, let's just hope that this has given more to soccer in Australia, so that in 4 years we can hopefully go back and have another crack.

The second thing I wanted to talk about: I saw The Omen last night, with some free movie tickets I got for Christmas. Man, talk about a crappy film. Now, I did go in thinking that I wouldn't like it, but I didn't think it was going actually be a really bad film. I haven't seen the original for a couple of years, but I don't remember the script being that bad. And apparently this new version stuck quite true to it. Or maybe I just made that up... I can't remember. Anyway, it really made it clear to me that today's movies are all about the cinematography, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it's in the right context. I mean, if it's an arty movie or whatever, and the story relies on the way it's being shot, then sure, go for gold. But when it's a movie that revolves around the plot, there's no need for fancy close ups, shaky cameras, loud, stupid sound effects that are just stupid. There were so many points during it where I found myself laughing out of embarrassment to Alice. She was laughing too... The script was really poorly written - rarely do you watch a film where you can imagine the words typed up on a piece of paper, but with this one you can. So many cheesy lines... it was bordering painful. ALSO, I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it, but the where some air is injected into a drip is totally ludicrous. I've injected more into my line from time to time, and I'm still kicking and breathing.

Anyway, enough ranting. :) Apart from these two things, not a lot has been going on. I'm still working, which is alright, but I've noticed that I'm a bit more exhausted than I was previously. Nothing too bad, but enough to stop me wanting to go out and do anything. Plus the fact that at night it's fricken freezing outside. I'm seriously starting to get worried about the weather here - it's so dry and cold. No rain whatsoever. Winter should be full of wet and water. But not so far...

My chest is pretty clear still. I've finished the prednisolone, so I've had to make sure I'm really keeping up to date with all my physio and stuff. I've noticed a very slight increase in sputum when doing physio, but that's to be expected as I finished the course of steroids. I'm just hoping that I can keep on top of things from here on. I'm going to start up squash again next week, which should bring me back up even more. I have a clinic next Tuesday, and barring catching another bug, I should be alright for that. I'll let you all know how it goes (obviously).

Hmm, I think that's all I had to say. If not I'll type it up when I remember it.

Big love to you all

Rating: 6.8

What I'm listening to: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium. Man, this is a good album. It's grown on me so much, and it's steadily becoming my fav Peppers album. :D

What's with this weather??

I mean, seriously, it's cold. Really cold. I don't ever remember Adelaide being this cold. The other night it got down to 0.2C... I'm lucky I have nothing to do at 8am except keep my bed warm. But feel for Alice - she has to leave for TAFE at that time, so the poor lass is freezing her wee bum off walking to the bus stop. Stupid weather...

Anywho, enough of that. So what's been happening with me? Well, for starters I've done a couple of shifts at Alpha again. Nothing too strenuous, just a few hours on Tuesday and a few more last night. I don't think I'm able to do a full shift yet, especially at night since it gets so cold and Alpha doesn't have the best heating system... But I'm hoping in a few weeks I'll be right to get back to my normal shifts. It is good to have money again.

And as far as my health goes I'm quite happy with my progress. I don't know if it's the prednisolone, being back at home, or I've had enough time for my body to recover, but I'm still getting a bit better with each day. My chest has cleared up to the point where I don't even cough up alot during physio, and between physio sessions I pretty much have a dry cough. I can't remember the last time I felt like this.

I don't know if any of you read her blog, but Alice is now actively taking part in my physio. Instead of me just doing breathing cycles to clear my lungs, she does PD (posteral drainage), which for those who can't remember seeing me in hospital when I was a young rascal, involves me lying down, and someone (in this case Alice) thumping me on my chest and back to losen up all the gunk. Some people don't find it that effective, but I find it's working a treat. So I'll keep on doing it until either I think it's not doing alot of Alice can't be bothered... but I don't think that will happen. She is just too darn nice!

So all is good in that respect. However, I still don't have alot of fitness. Being sick for as long as I was certainly took it's toll on my body, as I still get out of breath walking down the block. But I'm continuing my little walks to try and build that up.

As far as the house goes - we've decided that we're not going to jump the gun and think about moving out... yet anyway. We've decided that we're really going to keep it clean, but on top of that, when we find out if we can extend the lease, we might fork out the money to get our room re-carpeted and re-beaded around the edges. That should help quite alot. Other than that, I don't think there's alot more we can do - any other house that we would want to rent would probably have the same problems, except it would be twice as expensive and in a twice crappy area. So really, work that out... Unless we get a unit, but there's no way us 3 want to do that. So it looks like it's Norwood for the time being. And for those who we haven't invited over yet - don't feel bad. We still love you. It's just that things haven't been that great to have company. But as things improve I'm sure you'll be getting your invite in the mail (and by mail I mean either a text or email). Good ol um-personal technology. :)

I think that's about all... so how's about them Socceroos eh? Twas a mighty fine game against Japan. I was getting very frustrated and thought all was lost towards the end, but then they pulled out 3 goals and all was well again. I wasn't going to get up to watch the Brazil game, but then I thought to myself, when will something like this happen again? We prob won't win, but we could draw, which would be totally awesome! Call it wishful thinking, but eitherway I'm going to be patriotic and set my alarm for 4am. Who's with me??

Rating: 6.3

What I'm listening to: Kate Havnevik - Melankton (I thoroughly recommend this one - I go the cd last week and haven't been able to put it down yet). Click here to check her out.

p.s. I've put a few new piccies up. Nothing exciting or interesting, but fun nonetheless :)

One week (and a coupla days) on

So here I sit - 1:05am on a Monday morning (1:30am now after re-reading - oh yes, I did professional writing at uni remember) and not alot to do. The UK Grand Prix finished (and Webber crashed out in the first bloody lap), Mexico are playing Iran in the World Cup (but I can't be bothered watching it), so I thought I would post. Seems only fair...

Firstly, I have to mention some awesome news. Alice has decided to start her own blog! How awesome is that?? I think she did catch the bug from posting for me while I was in hospital. Not only that, but she's really keen to get some sort of support network/group for partners of cf's going, since there isn't alot in that area here. I think it's a great idea - it's definitely something she would be able to do really well. So to all those who think may be interested in reading (and even if you're not, go read anyway since she is just the best person ever) please go over and have a look, as well as telling anyone who you think may be interested in it. The address is http://alicepotter.blogspot.com/ She is really keen to talk to others, so even if you want to say hi or send some loving words, she'll be very glad to hear it. Of course, if you think you would like to get in contact with her in regards to cf stuff, that'd be even better.

Now onto me, since that is why you all come here after all... ;) The last week hasn't been incredibly eventful; I haven't done alot of outings or anything. We have hosted a couple of dinners which have been very lovely. The company is always good, and especially if it means that you don't have to leave your own house! We had Kate and Wayne over for some nice red chicken curry, and then last night we had Dan and Ben over for burritos. Mmm. Good stuff.

As far as my health goes, things have been on the improve. Very slightly mind you, but still getting better, and not worse. My lungs have cleared up a bit more since last time, but I think this is the best they're going to get. It's at the stage where I will cough a bit up during phyiso, but throughout the day it's pretty much a dry cough. It feels good to be able to have a nice sounding cough again. My throat however is still a bit sore, especially when I'm doing lots of coughing, such as during physio. But this is another thing that I think I'm going to have to get used to - that my throat is not going to be in pristine condition again. If I'm doing physio, I'm coughing lots which is going to irritate my throat, and if I'm talking for more than 15 mins the same affect happens. It's not too bad though - it's just adjusting which is the tough part.

There is something else that I'm not too happy to report - we're thinking that it is possible after all that it is the house that has contributed to making me sick. I'm not a happy chappy. I love this place. It's awesome. It's in the best location and it's so friggen cheap. But since it is old, there are probably some little nasties lurking around in the walls and floor. I came to this conclusion because I asked Ben and Claude whether they had noticed anything since staying here, and they both said that they are wheezing a bit, which doesn't normally happen. But Alice and I are defiant - we are going to really make an effort to keep the place spotless (vaccuuming as well) and replace things like the old curtains to see if we can't combat this. It's just too good a place to give up. A good test will be when I go back to clinic in 3 weeks to see what my lung function is...

The prednisolone doesn't seem to be having any real nasty side affects apart from my non-sleepiness. The other night I made myself go to bed at 4 am just because I thought it was the right thing to do. Not because I was tired at all... but if that's the worst, I'm not going to complain.

Aside from physio, the little walks I'm making myself do to try and improve my fitness, and eating, I'm afraid I haven't got alot to tell. I have been keeping myself busy though on the Sia forums... man, I tell you what guys, if you ever need to find a nice forum where the board memebers aren't jerks that accuse you of being an effing moron for not knowing who "the artist" collaborated with when they were in high school, check this one out. I have a link to Sia's site on the right. It is the most loving group of people I have ever met (or not met, as in this case) and make you feel very welcome. And it's very easy to get sucked into posting the most random stuff... well, if you are up till 4 am every night, you need something to do to keep yourself occupied. Yes, I am a nerd.

That's it. I think my typing is waking up Alice. I'm signing off now.

Rating: 5.8

What I'm listening to: Zero 7 - The Garden

Jaan is back in the building!

being cosmopolitan
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Hey all!

Yes, it's true: I'm finally out of hospital. While it was fun to start off with, after 4 weeks it kinda got a bit boring. But before I go on, I wanted to say thank you to all who sent me messages and emails. Alley made sure to relay them to me. And while we're on the subject, how good a job did she do at keeping you all in-the-know about how I'm doing?? Let's all give her a round of applause (Yeah! Woo! She's the best etc...). In fact, I think she may have even taken to the idea so much that she might even start her own blog... it might have an interesting spin on it from her perspective about things. What do you think? Let me know...

Well, I'm back at home so I guess I should get everyone up to speed. I won't go into too much detail as to what I was doing in hospital since Alice has already mentioned it. But I'll give a brief rundown... Basically the docs couldn't figure out why I was so sick so they decided to change my antibiotics for another two weeks (which meant I had to be re-admitted). But they didn't seem to do anything... so much so that they decided to put me on Prednisolone to see if that helped. It's an antiinflammatory so they concluded that it may help with my poor lung function. I think the doc said, and I quote, "We're clutching at straws" when I asked what was wrong with me. Nice and promising... but they had no other option. Every test they did came back negative and pointing to the fact that I had nothing wrong with me.

In saying that, I've noticed that my lungs have cleared up quite alot over the last month, which is very nice to not be coughing up crap all the time. But I'm still very short of breathe. To give you an idea: I get puffed out talking for longer than 5 mins, letalone going for a walk or going out. Not the best sign. But theoretically, the Prednisolone should help that a bit. At least I'm hoping anyway... So I'm home for 3 weeks on that, and then I have another clinic to see where I'm at. We won't get ahead of ourselves, but if for some reason I don't get better, then I'm pretty sure I'll have to have another admission. But I'm not too fazed by it. I've already conceded that this year isn't going to be a typical year for me. I've already gone in for iv's twice this year (which is doubled what I normally do).

Surprsingly my state of mind isn't doing too bad. When I first went in, I was feeling very crap and sorry for myself. And I have to admit that when I wasn't getting any better it was hard to try and be optimistic. But after I was re-admitted, I changed my expectations and things seemed so much easier to cope with. I stopped thinking that the iv's would miraculously make me better in a few days, which is what they normally do. I just took each day as it came, and I was much happier. In the last week I was sure I wasn't going to get much better, so I wasn't so disappointed when they put me on the steroids and said there isn't a whole lot more they can do for me. Even if it wasn't the right thing to do (consoling to the fact that I wasn't going to improve much), I definitely think that it helped me get through this admission. If I still had that same expectation, I would have been much more upset and shocked that I wasn't getting better and that I had to go home with that on my mind.

Another thing to keep in mind, as the doctor and psychologist told me, is that it's not uncommon at all for cf's to have a back to back admission; something which I had never had until now (which explains my freaking out). They said that quite often cf's will sometimes have 3 admissions in a roll and then be back to normal afterwards. It's possible that I just had a really bad strain and it will take me a bit more time and treatment than usual to get better. Also, at 23, it's really good that I only go into hospital once a year for antibiotics. Alot of other cf's go in much more, so putting that into perspective, things aren't as bad as they may seem. Even if my year consists of 3 or 4 admissions in it, that's not necessarily a bad sign if my lung function doesn't decrease overall too much. It just means that it takes a little more to keep me healthy. Afterall, my lungs and body aren't what they were when I was a teenager, so it's expected that things will decrease a little. AND let's not forget the fact that cystic fibrosis is a degenerative disease... and we all know what that means. But that doesn't mean that I've given up trying to get better. Not at all. I'm just saying, that IF I wasn't to get much better, then I think I would be able to handle it adequetly, something which I definitely wouldn't have been able to do before this admission.

But enough of that. Now that I'm back home, things are nice. We had an inspection, so for the first time since we moved in the house is looking spotless. So much so that we really want to try and keep it clean. Let's see how long that lasts... but it's going good so far. I still haven't gone back to work yet, and I feel really bad about it. I've taken so much time off. But since I still am not a helluva lot better, I don't think I would even be able to do a shift straight through. It's quite pathetic really... but I'm not going to convince myself otherwise and get sicker.

I think that's about all from me... probably something else, but I've forgotten if there is. Thanks again for all your support during this time. It makes it that much easier to cope with. But don't you worry, I'll be back.

Rating: 5

What I'm listening to: The String Quartet Tribute to System of a Down

P.S. I've put up some pics from my time in hospital. Not the most exciting, but they're new!

more news from jaan to alice to everyone else...

hello again. i was at the hospital with jaan today when some of the doctors came in and said "we have no idea why you still feel sick so we might give you some prednisolone and see what that does". they think jaan might have a fungal infectional in his lungs - which is weird if they would give him pred. for it cos the internet told me that if he had a fungal infection he shouldnt take that sort of drug... - but hey. we'll see. i think the intern's exact words were "we are clutching at straws now" so that instills enormous amounts of hope in their future diagnosis. i think it will be good when we get the next lung function results back because then we can see if its cf sick (he says he still feels cf sick) or sillyness with his throat or something else...

okay, so if jaan does go on this inflamitry steriod prednisolone, it could have side effects. the most common is mood swings and "changes in behaviour" so that should be fun... i think we should all avoid him for a bit. well, at least do what he says for a while... (dont tell jaan i said that). there are also other icky side effects but ill elt everyone know them when/if they happen. and if he wants everyone to know.

but mr. jaan is happy. ive had comments from others saying its good to see him so chirpy and "himself". i like it when jaan smiles a lot, and he is at the moment. again, its the "acceptence of the feeling sick" he says that is making him happy. its hard to explain... especially when its not me who feels this way. ill let him do that on his next entry of his very own.

anyway. thats the next update. i hope everyone is well and happy.

love alice

update

hello everyone, its alice again. Jaan is still in hospital and will most likely be there til the 3rd or 6th, depending on how well he goes with the aztreinum. He seems a lot happier than he has been for the past 2 or so months, so thats positive. he tells me he's getting used to feeling sick all the time and cant expect to miraculously get better in the sapce of a week like he used to. i feel like his attitude is a step forward psycologically and a step back phyically, but its not like he's not trying to get better. double negative... he IS trying. it will just take a bit longer than it used to. but its good to see a happy Jaan. im not sure what else to say. i just thought i should write something to keep the poeple who read this blog up to date. so there.

love alice

alice is taking over jaan's blog...

hello again. the antibiotic is Aztreinam. its a strong one, but here's hoping that it kills whatever infection the cef didnt want to get rid of. jaan will probably be in the Royal Adelaide for about 2 weeks for the full course of the Azt (we're on abrieving terms now...) so you'll all have to talk to me for a bit. sorry. im a bad speller and my writing isnt as witty as jaans, but hey. tough luck! heh heh!

love alice

another quick update

its alice again, another quick let-everyone-in-on-the-deal post. i lied about the antibiotic starting with the letter S, it starts with the letter A. again, i dont know its actual name. that might be in the next post... anyway, jaan has to do four one hour iv sessions with this new drug, 6am, 11am, 6pm, 11pm. he will find out in a couple of days whether he still has mrsa. if the test is negative again, this will be the third test where it's absent from his body, therefore he cant use any of the side bathrooms and showers. which is pretty funny because one of the bathrooms is being re-tiled so he has to use the public toilets and go without a shower for a few days - unless he comes home, which i recommended to him. but good news about not having mrsa though! ill sign off for now. bye!

love alice

hello. my name is jaan...

no, its not. its alice! filling in for jaan and the writing of the blogs and the what-not. this will be a short one to fill everyone in on what's going on. jaan is back in hospital for a week or so because the doctors told him he had to. i mean, come on. 5% more in lung function? talk about annoyingly crap! so they're putting him on a new antibiotic that starts with the letter S... thats all i know. ill write another short blog soon because its fun to pretend to be jaan on his blog. "hello, im jaan..." and also i will let everyone know whats going on. yay! love alice.

my rating.... lets say 7.5... ha!

Iv's no more

Well, that's not entirely true. In fact, it's none-true. I got up this morning at around 9:50am to the sound of my mobile ringing. I decided that I wasn't going to get there in time to answer it, so I left it. When I finally decided to check who called me, I remembered that I had lung function sometime in the morning. It turned out that it was at 9:20am, so I had missed it by quite some time. Oh well, shit happens.

So I got my crap together and drove to the clinic. Even though I had missed my lung function appointment, they were able to squeeze me in. I did my test, and out the results came. Not as good as I had expected... Now, we all remember that my lung function was a record low 45% when I started my antibiotics 2 weeks ago. Well, today it was a whopping 50%. 5 whole percent difference. That's all my lungs have decided to improve by. I can tell you I wasn't all that impressed. That's only 1% higher than my previous low. Pretty crap to put it frankly. So the docs decided that I am to stay on the antibiotics until Monday. It probably won't do much, but it can't do any harm.

So that has been my day. And to top it all off, my throat is now sore again. I woke up this morning with quite a tickle, and now it's sore, dry and inflamed. Woot. AND my nose has been runny all day. These aren't great signs... let's all hope I haven't caught another bug. That wouldn't be good.

Anywho, I'm feeling crap so I'm not going to write any more. One last thing - for those of you who are in Radelaide, try and get to the Exeter on Monday nights this month to hear some lovely tunes from Cookie Baker. It will be good. I promoise.

Rating: 5

One week on

I came home from the hospital on Friday. As good as it is to come home, there are parts of hospital that I miss and are nice. For one, Foxtel. I forgot how great it is to wake up to Simpsons during the mornings on the weekend. So theraputic. But on a more serious note, being admitted for the week really gave me time and a place to completely tune out, rest and concentrate on getting better. Since you are in a hospital ward which is very boring and sterile, it's hard to relate to the outside world. While this may seem depressing, the distance and separation you feel from the outside world actually makes it easier to think about nothing and to completely rest, both mentally as well as physically. Being at home, you have little niggly things that are on your mind, such as keeping the house clean, cooking all your meals, just normal stuff that may not be such big issues, but when your sick, it's nice to not have to think about them all. And being in hospital means you get waited on hand and foot. Another little perk... But after a week, I was ready to come home, so here I am.

My health has definitely gotten alot better since I was admitted. My lungs have cleared up enormously, and I'm no longer having fevers and chills. I still get quite short of breath, but that's only because I don't have my fitness back. I'm pushing myself to go on small walks each day to try and build that up. Slowly but surely. This virus that I had really knocked me back. Never that much before. So it's going to take a bit of time and effort to get things back to what they were. It was actually a bit scary for a while. I'd never been that sick, and to feel like you have absolutely no control over something you once thought you did is a big challenge. I'm hoping that I dealt with it alright, but time will tell.

Aside from health stuff, not alot has been going on. I haven't really gone out or anyhting, for one because I really don't have the energy, but also because I don't want to ruin the good progress by going somewhere where there's smoke and crap like that. Oh, there are a couple of things actually. Hehe, silly Jaan and his forgetfulness...

Last weekend, Sia (a singer from Adelaide who lives in London) came down to Adelaide to shoot a film clip. She's really taken off in the States now, so I guess another single was calling out to her. There were about 30 extras, all running around in crazy costumes doing crazy things in a park in Stonyfell, and it was such a blast to be a part of. The song is Sunday, so keep an eye out for it when it gets released, and those of you from Adelaide just may see some familiar faces... So that day was very fun and interesting (from a filmmakers point of view watching them shoot the clip). That was followed by a night of catching up and drinking at the Exeter. But since I really wasn't feeling that great, I was only out for about an hour before heading back to the hospital.

The other bit of news is that my friend Ben who moved to Montreal a year ago is back in Adelaide for a few months. It's good to have him back and to have him staying at The Fortress is a nice touch as well (that's what our house is called now). Friends are nice to have. Espcially when you come to the realisation that you have no friends in your home town because they have all moved away overseas (by friends, I mean those REALLY good friends that you don't have to organise things with. You know, the ones you can just pop over, say nothing to, do nothing with and then part without feeling like you have to apologise for being boring. Not to offend the friends I have here, all of youse are awse. But everyone has those couple of people they are really close with, who are the true meaning of a best fried. Bah, nuts to you if you don't get me).

So that's about it. I have an audiology appointment today (because Tob, one of the antibiotics I'm on, has a nasty tendency to make you go a wee bit deaf), and I think that's about it. Thanks for all your comments and sms's'ss. It's nice to know peopel are thinking about you.

Rating: 5.7

What I'm listening to: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

Details of clinic and PICC line

nice and clean
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Sorry I didn't write yesterday like I said I would. Although I think George was the only one who probably noticed... Anywho, I had clinic on Tuesday and as I said before, it wasn't the best news I could have hoped for, but I wasn't really expecting anything else. I'll go through the whole clinic procedure for those who may not know what a 'clinic' is.

I made it to clinic without passing out in the car, which is always an awesome way to start the day. Got to the clinic and made my way to the scales to weigh myself (the first part of the clinic). I was 72kg - a loss of 2kg; that's in two weeks mind you. Not bad (if I was a tad on the heavy side). However, since my goal is to always gain weight, not the best thing. I haven't really had much of an appetite at all lately. The thought of any food other than cucumber, lettuce (basically water) makes me feel really queezy, so no real surprise that I had lost some weight. Also with infections and stuff, a bit of weight is going ot be lost with your body fighting it. You'll be glad to know that since then however I have got my appetite back a bit...

So lost some weight, as I expected, then I made my way to the seating area. I saw Craig, or Bones as he's called, who is an awesome cf guy who by now must be in his 40's. Great guy and good for a laugh. We discussed how there should be a lounge there for cf's while we wait the hours to see the doctor. Except I don't see it being very easy to grab a spot on since cf's aren't the most considerate people you meet - especially if they are in clinic and are feeling shite.

So I sat there for about 15 mins and then I was called into the lab where they do your lung function. Now the way they measure your lung function is quite simple - but also a bit of hard work, especially if you're having trouble breathing at the start. There's a computer, a big box with a big plastic hose coming out of it, and a mouth piece on the end of that. When ready, you take a big deep breath in, preferrably the biggest you can, then you breath out as hard as you can into the tube. Once the initial force of the breath is out, you have to keep breathing out until there is absolutely nothing left in your lungs. Then there is the obligatory coughing, spluttering, redness in the face, headaches and general crapness. Well, when you're well there isn't so much of that. But with my form lately, I'm genuine in saying that I was lucky not to pass out. There are usually 3 breaths done and the best gets the tick as the one the docs use.

So my results were as follows. 45% for the FEV1 (which is your ability to exhale air in that first second (hence the 1)). 74% for my FVC (full volume capacity). And finally 17% for my MMEF (which is your small airways). The MMEF doesn't really mean alot with cf since your lungs are screwed anyways. The one the docs mostly look at are the FEV1 and the FVC. The lower your FEV1, the more blockage you have, which is why I usually only refer to this one when I'm discussing my lung function (and a big cheers to co-chief Kenny for giving me all the definitions...).

So now that lung functions are done, I go back to the seating area and chat a little to whoever's there, but not a whole lot since I can hardley breathe from the lung function. Finally, maybe half an hour later, it's time to see the doctor. They bring you in their little room, talk about how you've been feeling, which in my case is that I can't breathe and nothing's working, and discuss what options to take from there. So since I've been sick for quite a while, and my lung function has decreased more than 10% in two weeks, it was decided that I better get admitted into hospital for 2 weeks of iv antibiotics.

My PICC line (basically a drip that is designed to last up to 12 months) was scheduled to be put Thursday (today) and so I got dropped off and went to radiology. The procedure for a PICC line is a little bit gruesome, so if you don't wanna know the details go to the next paragraph. You first take off your top, lie on the table with the arm you're getting stuck laying out to the side on a board. The doc then gets the ultrasound machine and searches your arm for a nice juicy vein. Once they find one, they get all steralized, clean your arm up all bacteria-free like, and get ready to start sticking you. The order of the steps vary from doctor to doctor, but this is what they did today (and coincidently the way I prefer it). They start with a local anaesthetic at the point where they are going to put the drip in. If you haven't had a local before, it stings like absolutely buggery, but then leaves you with a nice numb pin cushion. They then get the ultrasound on your arm again to find the vein and get a big needle to make the first hole into the vein. It's cool to watch because you can see the needle entering the vein wall on the ultrasound. Way cool. Once they get the needle in, they thread a tiny metal tube up your arm. You can't really feel it, but if you concentrate hard enough you can feel the pressure of it moving inside your arm. Now a little more local for the scapal, which is used to make the entry hole bigger. After this, they get a really big plastic needle canula thing, about 3 inches long, and push that over the tube, into the entry wound and into the vein. This part always hurts a bit. The pressure is quite tough on the arm, and the feeling of it trying to be squeezed into the small hole in the vein is quite unusual. Think of it as, well, someone trying to shove a big plastic tube deep into your arm. Often this is the part that causes the most blood. Today it was quite excessive... I couldn't actually see it, but I started to feel something very warm drip down my arm for about half a minute or so. And the blood that comes out of a PICC line is very dark red, very thick and literally oozes out. Nice. Once in, the metal tube is removed and they replace that with a plastic tube (which is the PICC line) and thread that up through the vein and all the way to your heart. The big plastic needle canula thing is taken out and you are left with a nice blue tube entering your arm and worming its way to your heart. To make sure it's in the right place, they take a live x-ray to see where it is. Lastly is the dressing which is pretty uneventful...

So there ya go. That's what the last few days have had in store for me. My arm at present isn't feeling too bad - just a very deep, dull pain in the muscle. Kinda like if someone were to punch you very hard in the middle of the muscle. I get admitted into the ward tomorrow sometime, and I'll be there until early next week. If I'm lucky enough, I'll be able to go home next week to do the remainder of my IV's at home. Let's hope that nothing is seriously wrong with me that would want them to keep me in the ward.

Rating: 4.9

What I'm listening to: Sia - Colour the Small One

Update coming your way tomorrow

I wanted to write something tonight, since I had my clinic today, but I'm a bit tired to go through all the details, so I'll do that tomorrow. It's not the BEST news I could have hoped for, but I'll elaborate more tomorrow.

Sleep well.

Hopefully the worst is over

Hi all. Well, since my last post, things haven't really been getting better. I'd love to say they have, but truth be told it's been staying the same, if not getting worse. I haven't worked for the past week. And what's even more annoying, it seems each day there was something else wrong. As I said last time, it started off with a very dry, sore throat. That lead to a couple of days where I wasn't able to cough easily and the mucous sarted building up in my chest.

After seeing the doctor and getting my stash of goodies, I thoguht the worst would be over and I would start to recover. I only worked till 8 on Wednesday night, and only till 7 on Thursday night because I just had absolutely no energy. I was feeling faint and my legs were shaking from walking to the till and back to the staff area. Talk about fitness! It's weird how you can be quite fit and doing heaps of exercise, but then throw in a few days of nothing and it completely disappears and leaves you pathetic. Saturday was the same story. On Sunday I had the full blown fever and temperature, chills and headaches. It wasn't pleasant. Especially since Alley seemed to have finally caught my bug and was feeling miserable with me. Imagine that sight - two sad-sacks feeling sorry for themselves whinging in bed all day. Woot.

I tried to recover as much as I possibly could on Monday and Tuesday so I might be able to work on Wednesday, but along with the fever, I was feeling really nauseous and couldn't really get out of bed. So Wednesday night had to be cancelled. Then yesterday afternoon I had the worst gut aches I've had in years. I was unable to move off the bed for about 2 hours, then it suddenly vanished. Quite strange...

So, I've come to the conclusion that I've had pretty much every symptom that can be related to a virus, so therefore I should be on the mend as of today. I'm set to work at 4, and I'm really hoping that now the only health problem I have is my lungs, and all I need to do is clear them out. That I know how to do... and since I'm not working on Friday, if I can make it through tonight, then another day to recover before Saturday should be all I need. I have another clinic on Tuesday, so I'll be sure to let you all know how that goes. If things haven't improved that much, it looks like I might need to go in for IV's again, in which case it will be the first time in about 5 years that I've had to have IV's more than once a year. Sign of the times I spose... but we'll take this one step at a time before we get ahead of ourselves.

Only other bit of news is that my friend Ben who moved to Montreal about a year ago is coming back home for his summer holidays for about 3 months. Should be good to see and hang out with him again. Good times. Oh yes, and my phone has stuffed up. I really have a bad relationship with all things electrical...

Rating: 5.0

What I'm listening to: Guster - Keep It Together