Month: November 2022

Over the last months—even before Annabell’s illness—I have been considering where to go with my posts. I did consider some time ago about closing it down and this is what I am considering again. I have kept it going because it has given me a good outlet and I actually enjoyed doing it,  but so very few people read or comment ( thank you all)  that perhaps it is time to go and that the  page has outlived its usefulness.  I will, however, keep it going until Christmas / New Year and then make the decision.

Benji and I still go out but  since we are surrounded by  Conservation Areas, National Parks and the Military PlayPen, this means that  much of the countryside and places of interest  are all barred to me because if I can’t take Benji, I don’t want to go there. And the further north you go the more  National Parks and Conservation areas there are. — From the SA State Gov. Web Page ::  There are now 358 parks and reserves in South Australia, which cover 22.6% of the state. All of these are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.::

I think people really do not understand the size of this state. I tell people that South Australia is bigger than either Texas or Alaska,  which does not register, so suggesting that I could go beyond the area of the National Parks is just  not realistic. I agree in preservation and conservation but it is  a large  area  ( 20 square klms)  that Wild Dog Hill Conservation Park covers.. For a start it is well off the main road and  is not really well visited, so a visit by a  Ranger every few hours would send a good message, particularly if there are notices that the area is patrolled by Park Rangers and  impose a heavy fine for breaches of the rules. Not to be Draconian but to send a message so that people stick to the rules and the wildlife is still protected. People who take their dogs with them on a holiday are “Dog People” and not  moved to break the rules nor let their dog run riot in a restricted area.

Before Annabell’s  current illness I took Benji to the Wetlands and the Ada Ryan Gardens and when she improves in health, I will try and get back down to the Wetlands again.   Between the cancer and the seizures, 2022 has not been the best year for Annabell and we are praying that 2023 will be much better for her.  My health is good, for which I am most thankful .

Fortunately the weather has been very good—warm and sunny, which makes a change from heavy rain and high winds over the last weeks. We are in the third day since she was released from hospital and already there is a really good change, She is sounding  very much better and although she is still using the walker, she seems to be walking and moving a lot better. However, a bit to soon to go back to her own room yet, so we still stick to the present arrangements for another day or so. I will do the shopping tomorrow ( according to the list I am given),  “give instructions to a wise man and he will be yet wiser”  and that should keep me occupied for a while.

Benji has settled down to the new arrangement. Now he just goes to sleep when the lights go out, which makes a great change from him  sticking a wet nose in my face. And you can’t  protect yourself because it’s dark and he is very silent.  Spent more time than anticipated at the shopping centre since I kept bumping into people and the only thing they asked was “How is Annabell?”   So inbetween  shopping I have been talking to people and answering questions. But as I said above, she really is improving and much better now than she was last week. Everything is improving – which is good and positive.

As I  mentioned in a previous post, Annabell was rushed into hospital on 14th November. She was taken from emergency to the High Dependancy  Unit where she remained for 5 days. She was then transaferred to the Womens’and Childrens’area where she remained for a further four days until she was released on Wednesday 23rd. Everything was going well and she was  not too bad, She watched TV for a bit and that was fine, then she decided to go to her room and  clean up some of the email, which was also fine. I went to do some work on my computer. Everything was well until I heard a cry and a thump. I remember thinking “Oh No!”and rushed through to her room and found her lying on the floor, awake and conscious but unable to move. I called out the emergency service, which took over an hour to arrive. The paramedics apologised for the delay and said they had a busy time. Anyway, they worked on her and  using a new – pretty groovy – collapasable  chair type thing were able to lift her.  She didn’t want to go to hospital but the para-medic said that her blood pressure was over 225 and, really,  they could not leave her. So at 1am we went to the empergency area of the hospital. She was looked after there until almost 2; 30am when she was moved to a  single bed room in the new area of the  hospital – which – of course – was at the other end of the complex.  I went with her and saw her settled,   then at just after 3am made my way back to the car, which was at the far end of the hospital. I dare say the walk did me the world of good! although I can think of other things to do rather than walking around  the outside a darkened major building, and into an equally darkened carpark  at 3am.

She remained there  for two days and was finally released at 10am this morning. At home she is very weak and I have to  look after her. She cannot get into her bed so she is currently sleeping in her very comfortable, electric, reclining chair. She is a bit unsteady on her feet so she has to use a walker that the hospital loaned me. for a few weeks. Because of  the arrangement, I have set up a camp bed in the lounge room so that I am on hand when she  “needs to move” I  help her out and then  back into the chair.  Benji reckons this is good with mummy and daddy  and him all sleeping together.

At the moment she is still sleeping and I have set up  a “mistress-servant” system   lol –in other words –  she has a small handbell which she can ring if she needs me or wants to move. I will let people at church know that  they can telephone and talk to her whenever they wish. The phone is next to her, so it’s not a problem. What I would prefer for the moment is no visitors. With the campbed, walker and other equipment, visitors would be an intrusion – well meant, of course. Also if the car in not in the carport it means that I am not home and since at the moment Annabell is still weak and has difficulty moving, getting out of her recliner –  moving the walker to the door could lead  to a fall and  she cannot afford another one.

I was told, however, that the brain scan results have still not come back from Adelaide. As soon as they do and Mr. Alam examines the  findings he will  consider what, if any action needs to be taken.

For the moment, she is tired and quite week, but in time she will recover. Perhaps not back to what she was, but whatever that is, we will live with it.

 

 

I will be  off-line for a little while. Annabell had a seizure yesterday afternoon and was rushed into hospital. There were two ambulances here and the paramedics worrked on her before transferring to the ambulance then, with  lights and sound switched on, took her to the emergency. The boys and I were there until 10pm last night and I have been there much of the morning. I have come home to  have a quick wash, get something to eat then get back up to the hospital. I wont stay quite so late this time as poor Benji didn’t get fed until after 11pm.  Apart from anything else she will need sleep and rest to recover. Mr. Alam is concerned with regard to the treatment being done  at Flinders. It is possible that the  units producing so much extra hormones into her system, may have a bearing on what’s happening.  I will be interested to know what he  finds out and then decides what to do.  I will try and keep you  up to date.

The other day a   storm front showed up on the radar out in the Bight. It hit Adelaide and caused a lot of damage. Lastr night I  saw another storm building up in the Bight and  now at 07;31 it has just started. I could see it in the far distance when I was out with Benji.  Yes, I thought I could get back before it hit and I did, but I kept a close eye on things. The bulk of the storm is below us but we are still getting a bit of a hit. I feel sad at this because today is the day of the  Children’s Christmas Pageant in Adelaide and it’s not looking very promising. It’s a big storm and we here are just getting a bit of a side-swipe with the bulk of the storm beneath us. According to the forecast this  wet weather will last until  late Tuesday.

This morning we did not use the stroller and we did not  do the three mile hike – we just walked to the end of the road and back about a mile and a half. This is generally what we do together  in the evening, Depending on the weather I might try and get down to the Gardens for a bit.. The morning in Adelaide started off  fairly reasonable but it didn’t take long before the rain started. Surprisingly enough  very few people left the pageant and it continued despite the rain.  One family made things quite clear,  “it’s been three years since we were here and rain or no rain we  came for the Christmas Pageant and we are not moving” And this was a sentiment throughout the morning and  it is estimated that about 280,000 people lined the route.

Elsewhere in the state the flooding caused major damage to infrastructure. Roads  north have been cut off and  truck drivers have been advised to get north  – “The Long Way Round”-  which is a major detour of about 3000km. and about 30 hours. – from Glengambo back to Port Augusta – from Port Augusta to Broken Hill – from there through the Queensland outback across  to Tennant Creek  and from there – north. Within the peninsula there has been major damage and the rail service to the west  and, of course, the north, have both been cut off. None of this is expected to improve over the next couple of days. If anything it will get worse as the flood waters make their way down the River Murray from Victoriia  to

South Australia, There is still a lot of rain out in the Bight, but by the looks of things it will miss us.

At their meeting last Thursday, Flinders decided not to make any changes to Annabell’s treatment for the moment. The Scan was good and they  have determined that,  while the cancer has not declined ,  it has not grown, nor has it spread. Although things have not done what was expected, the  current program is keeping it  contained. That being so all they have decided to do  for the moment is increase her medication from 100mg to 150mg and we should be back down again in mid March. By that time the new Lodge should be in use. I am looking forward to it but also quite sad since I will miss the Sulpher Crested Cockatoos at the Flinders Lodge. However, the new lodge is much closer to the city centre so it should be easy to get away when we have to leave for home.  In the meantime, she is very limited in what she can do and she has slowed down considerably. She really  has three speeds, slow, dead slow and stop.  However, if I even make mention of a wheelchair, I  just about get my head removed  :o) I walk a mile and a half with Benji faster than Annabell walks from the car to the supermarket  :o)

The day after we arrived home from Adelaide, I took Annabell to her doctor. That same afternoon we had a telephone call from Flinders requesting a CT Scan and they were emailing a Referral Form to me ( for her)  The form arrived and I shot up to the hospital to try and arrange things for Friday – or Monday at the latest. Flinders were going to discuss her case at a meeting on Thursday and needed the Scan Results. Well as it happened,  1) they did not do the scan required at that department 2. even if they did it was the wrong referral form and 3. they were closed on a Friday anyway. By the time I got home and called Flinders everyone was gone for the day.

Friday morning I telephoned Flinders again and the person I wanted was not available, but the nurse there said she would pass on the message as soon as she was.  At   about 10:30 I had another telephone call – from the local hospital – to tell me that they had a request from Flinders Medical to do a Special  CT Scan. They  are bringing in a team to do this at 12:30. We were there at 12:10. The scan was done and we went to Westlands for lunch- to break her fast-  and shopping.  Flinders phoned in the afternoon to tell Annabell that  they needed the scan for the  the meeting on Thursday when her progress ( or lack) will be discussed. They did tell us that the treatment of the last two years has not worked as they had hoped.  Centainly it has held the cancer in check for that time, but has not  destroyed the cancer cells as they had hoped. The meeting next Thursday will discuss where  we go from here. The Doctor we speak to apologised for the mix-up on Thursday.  The upshot of all this is –  I stress, Annabell takes everything in her stride.

Apart from a few

small showers, the weather, since we returned from Adelaide,  has been great, 29c Saturday, 28c Sunday, 30c today and 31c tomorrow and that, sadly is it for the time being – Wednesday back to rain and storms. I found this thing on the internet and I  think it’s just about right.

Wednesday- and the temperature for today is 35c – no sign of any storms or any rain anywhere. I had some odd looks from the  early morning drivers – I was walking on my own – no stroller and no Benji. He went into Annabell’s room and despite my rattling car keys and opening the door twice, he did not come out of her room, so I left  alone,  well me, passing drivers and 20,000 flies, oh and the joggers were out – first really warm day and look out for joggers. There was one jogger went past me – he was tall, skinny as a rake and I swear a half decent wind would have blown him over.  I had a look at the radar and found that there is a storm out in the Great Australian Bight which could be heading this way, but looking at the direction it will pass below us.

My son is working from home, but he is still available for an emergency call-out. This happened and he called me to ask if I

would come over and look after Connor for a while. I said I would. I arrived – he left. Connor is home because there was  some concern with staff at the school so a number of the students were sent home for the day- Connor being one. Actually all we did was watch children’s television and he played games with his tablet. Five years of age and he has his own tablet and cell phone. My son does not tell Connor what to do – he negotiates with him.  Then after all that, Connor does what he wants to do anyway. A lot of this is reflected in the present legal system – which is really a bit of a joke. We have serious problems with youth crime and violence and when I say youth what I mean is 12, 13 & 14 year olds, stealing cars, joy riding, breaking into shops and offices – attacking people. They get arrested and the magistrate gives them home detention or a suspended sentence. Sometimes they get a monitor bracelet, which they cut off – get arrested again and we go through the same pointless performance again. I don’t know what the answer is, but we can’t keep on going th way we are.

Wednesday 2nd Nov.

We arrived home just after 11am today. The drive down was fine until  Bolivar and the rain started and stayed with us all the way to the  Lodge. Once we had booked in to our room and Annabell had settled down I went to reception to book and arrange a taxi  to the Flinders Clinic for 05:30 Monday morning. The hospital had indicated that they would like her to be there for 6:10 am. We were up showered and dressed and downstairs waiting for the taxi – which never came We still waited and after some while the newspaper delivery  van arrived and I managed to get a taxi number from him. I called the cab company and they had a taxi  with us within  6 minutes. We just arried at the hospital when I had a telephione call. It was the doctor expressing her concern that we had failed to turn up and  they were worried about Annabell. I explained what had happened and said that I had just entered the hospital and  we would be with them in a few minutes.. We were 53 minutes late. However they took her right away and I  took off to Marion Shopping centre.. At 11-20 I was back at the hospital, went for coffee and at 11:40 the nurse called and said that Annabell was ready to be picked up. I told her where I was and  she said she would be down in a few minutes.

She took us over to the rank, made certain that Annabell was settled and went back to the clinic. We  spent a whole five minutes in the cab when the driver sunddenly announced that due to an emergency he would have to pass us on to another cab so he returned to Flinders Hospital, We got out and he sped off. The second taxi refused to take up because he didn’t know where the place we wanted to go was. The third taxi didn’t know where the place was but would take us if I  put the address into his tablet to he could set out  a route – this I did and even then he drove past the place and had to do a U turn.  Once I  settled Annabell down and made sure that she was ok, I went down to reception and reported the failure of the ordered taxi to arrive at 05: 30. She told me that they have been having some problems with this taxi company and the Cancer Council has made a complaint to the company.

Mid afternoon I walked up to Norwood Centre ( about three miles away) and did some shopping.  I just came out of the centre when the rain started so rather that hang aoubt for a bus I  got a cab back to the Lodge. I made her coffee and sat and watched TV with her for a while before we went  down to the kitchen and I cooked dinner.  Before setting off it had been my intention to get Annabell a new tablet. I did stop off at the shop on the Sunday but they did not have what I wanted. I  intended to get it on the Tuesday in the City after Annabell was settled down and ok. To be honest we were both so tired and  exhausted that I really didn’t feel like going and the rain didn’t really help. So no new tablet — yet.

We left Adelaide at 5am this morning and  apart from one  rainband we had a good drive home. The rain only lasted for a little while

John Jnr looked after Benji for days we were away – he generally does. When we arrived home, Benji was so glad to see us. He jumped all over me then ran to the door and stood there whining and kind of crying because one of his peepel was missing. Annabell, as I had said is very slow and Benji was anxious to see her. She had to get inside then stand still whilst Benji fussed over her – she couldn’t move. I think he was so glad to see her. I think he was glad to bee both of his peepel.

Tomorrow (Thursday) and I have to take her to her own doctor for a medical appointment. At this stage Friday and the weekend are free. It is not my intention to organise anything other than Church on Sunday morning and the family for dinner Sunday evening. I am looking forward to a restful next week. ( says he, with a smile on his face and hope in his heart!)