Bitz 'N' Blogs with CJ Cross

Hi! My name is Ceej. I like to write stuff!

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  • The Life and Times of Patient 277****. Part 1. Box Hill Hospital

    As I write this, my hip replacement is done. However, before I get to how life has been post surgery and what my plans are for the foreseeable future, I’d like to go back to the before.

    Before it all happened.

    Sunday February 23rd 2025

    I had it all arranged. Hubby and I were to spend the night at The Quest apartments in Mont Albert the night before my surgery date as it was as close as we could get to Box Hill Hospital – given I had to be there at 6:30am the Monday morning.

    We’d packed everything expecting a smooth run. I was excited, nervous and scared shitless all at the same time. I tried not to let it bother me as we made good time to our destination, instead choosing to focus on the fact that for the first time in months I’d be able to have a decent shower ( I had to be washed in this antiseptic soap stuff the night before and the morning of my surgery) and a good night watching Netflix and sleeping in a – hopefully- comfy bed.

    We’d bought dinner from home . Most Quest apartments come fully equipped with everything you need to cook a meal so we were set for a quiet night in.

    Upon our arrival we were told that the Disabled room that was booked for us was currently occupied by someone else because our booking was overlooked in the system and consequently not paid for. This meant we had to cough up our own money to pay for a non disabled room ( Not happy Jan!) and after much back and forth, we were eventually given a plastic outdoor chair for me to sit and shower on. It was hell but we managed. The rest of our night wasn’t that great either – with most of the cookware filthy dirty and unclean. Thankfully the microwave worked – so we still had our spaghetti – without the garlic bread.

    Stress set in and I couldn’t sleep. I think I managed about two maybe three hours ( if that) before it was time to get up and get ready for me to go to Box Hill Hospital.

    Monday Feb 24th 2025

    By the time we got down stairs our lovely taxi driver was waiting. This to, was organised and paid for in advance ( Wait for it!) but to no one’s surprise, we also had to pay for that . Granted it was a grand total of $6.00 but still.

    Anyway, hospital admissions opened at 6:30 am sharp and I was the 2nd person to be called up. It wasn’t long before I found myself getting prepped for surgery and by 8:15 am I was with the anesthetist – Candy her name was. Lovely, nerdy woman. Full of silly jokes, Star Trek references and bright, hot pink hair.

    They gave me a spinal and by god that hurt. Having to guide her where to aim the needle was painful but surprisingly it didn’t take that long because, as I was so dutifully informed, not many people tend to tell them what’s going on and just sit and suffer. ( Like why? Is my question.)

    A few minutes later I was wheeled into the theater and I noticed all the 3D pictures on a screen in front of me.

    “Is that me?” I asked surprised

    “Yes!” Candy informed me while she plugged me into all the machines . By this stage I was numb from the waist down and had no idea they’d inserted a catheter until someone announced it was done.

    At this point, I was starting to get a little freaked out so I squeezed Candy’s hand and told her that she was my friend and not to leave me. She assured me she wasn’t going anywhere and that I’d be OK.

    I wanted to meet the Doctor doing the operation before anything happened. They let me say hello which was nice. It was also comforting now that I think back on it. Knowing you’re in good hands always helps . Or at least, it helped me anyway.

    The last thing I remember was talking to Candy about something star trek related before I fell asleep. Oddly, I remember thinking ‘I’ll just take a nap. I must be tired’ and I could hear myself breathing.

    Unlike my previous surgeries, this one was different. Hand on heart I swear I was out for a total of 15 minutes!

    The next thing I know I woke up . There were bright lights and a clock on the wall. I looked at the time . It was Midday.

    There was a nurse at the foot of my bed. “Hello” she said, smiling at me “Welcome back! You’re in recovery!”

    Shortly thereafter I was taken to the 9th floor. I was put in room 31. A room to myself. Hubby was with me by this point and I don’t remember much except vomiting alot and feeling quite ill. I do remember having a nosebleed but that didn’t last long.

    About an hour or so later I was moved again. This time to the far end of the ward which I shared with about four other people. I was moved to make way for an infectious patient ( Or that’s what they said anyway) and to be honest, that was perfectly fine with me. Being in a room on my own would’ve drove me nuts under the circumstances so I was glad to have company – even if that company didn’t say much.

    I stayed at Box Hill Hospital for about a week. The first night or so I was on oxygen. It was weird having a peg in your nose helping you breathe but I got used to it soon enough. They woke me every few hours to check my vitals – that’s how I became known as 277**** . The nurses were lovely and helped me when I needed it.

    I later found out that not only had I had a full replacement of my right hip but they’d also straightened my pelvis and lengthened the muscles in my right leg so it was the same as my left – which meant I grew a few inches taller! Wah-hoo!

    I had been warned that they’d waste no time getting you up on your feet and the very next day after surgery that’s exactly what happened. I met with an in house OT who got me out of bed and gave me a gutter frame. I managed to walk a few small steps ( about 10 meters) before I became to overwhelmed and cried. Over the next few days I kept moving my legs – either by using the frame or simply just moving my legs up and down side to side.

    I was once asked if I was bored while in hospital. Short answer? No. Not for one second. There was always something happening on my ward. From the woman with multiple personality disorder complaining of severe pain, to the man who was so out of it he had no idea where he was ( poor guy) to the main attraction, a feisty old Italian woman named Rosa – who, despite having had a full knee reconstruction was determined to go home. I felt so sorry for the nurses, constantly run off their feet shouting “Rosa! Where are you going?!” or “Rosa! You’re in Hospital! You can’t go home yet!” or “Rosa! Have you fallen off the toilet again?!”

    ( At time of writing I do so hope Rosa has gone home to her family and that she’s healing well)

    While in Hospital I had my support workers and my Hubby by side helping me where they could. Hubby was very hands on with everything – which the nurses appreciated as it gave them a bit more time to assist other patients.

    What I will say is – I became an expert at rolling! Not being able to take myself to the toilet, I had to wear a special pad most of the time. My nickname became “Rolly Corie” which amused everyone to no end.

    By Friday morning, I was told I was being moved to the Peter James Centre to continue my Rehabilitation. By midday I was taken to the transport lounge – where I had a spot of lunch and by 5pm I found myself in East Ward of the Peter James Rehabilitation Hospital.

    But this blog is long enough for now. You shall read all about that when I get to part 2 in the next day or so

    Cheers and thanks for reading

    CJ

  • Three Weeks and Counting

    So, here we are.

    Three weeks and counting

    My official date for surgery ( barring any situation whereby someone requires immediate attention) is February 24th 2025.

    I’ve been on a waiting list since May last year so, the fact it’s only taken 9 months to get to this point is pretty good.

    I’m not nervous – well, at least not at the moment. For a few months I was pretty much shitting myself b/c I slipped and fell down the “What if” rabbit hole

    • What if ….I’m knocked out and they leave me there?
    • What if…. while I’m knocked out and they have a fire drill?
    • What if… I have my surgery in the morning and it’s Taco day ?
    • What if … I’m awake and the radio is playing Christian music?
    • What if… There’s a $100 note on the ceiling and I can’t reach it?

    So yeah, I’ve been there. It kept me awake for months. Trust me.

    Anyway, like all my surgeries, ( I’ve only ever had two) this one is also during the hottest month of the year.

    In case you’ve not been following along, I’m due a full right hip replacement due to severe osteoarthritis of the hip joint – full bone on bone. I’ve spent the last year or so either getting about in a wheelchair or a walker and, after a rather nasty fall a year ago, here I am .

    The initial recovery time is 6-8 weeks and then a further 6-12 months to be fully back up and functional.

    So there’s that.

    Other than that, It’s been stupidly hot – which is why this blog is coming to an end at this point because my brain is melted

    Ceej

  • 2025…. Already ?

    I know. It’s been a long time between blogs.

    Life kinda got in the way, you know?

    Good news is… I’m back and regular weekly posting will resume shortly . Hoping to give you some great blogs this year as there’s a lot going on right now I want to share with you.

    Let’s do this!

    Ceel

  • Somewhere within 90 days

    Good morning!

    Today is Sunday 13th October 2024 and I am on a waiting list for a full right hip replacement .

    Am I scared? Yes. Of course I am . I’ve not been under the knife since 1995 and well, to be fair, I’m not the happy-go-lucky- teenager I once was.

    It was roughly around Christmas time and the surgeons all had Christmas trees on their scrubs.

    I was chatting away to the anaesthetist ( quite the friendly chap if I recall) who was telling me they listen to music while they work, when I noticed a $100 note on the ceiling.

    I was midst asking him why it was there when he knocked me out cold. Very clever tactic if you ask me.

    Now, at 47… I don’t know what to expect. So yes, Things would have undoubtedly changed no doubt but still, I am a wee bit stressed about it. The thing that stresses me out the most is that I will wake up alone and no one will be there there with me after surgery.

    Anyway, best not dwell on such things. Don’t want to feel any more anxious than I already do

    In other news my Change of Situation ( my 3rd in as many years ) has been submitted to the NDIS – in the hope of getting Psychology reinstated onto my NDIS plan and Bathroom modifications approved – so that I can shower again. I have had to be bed bathed for the better part of a year because I cannot get into the shower in our bathroom .

    I tried to discuss this with our Landlord when he popped by unexpectedly back in June this year – but I was completely ignored and he said ( and I quote) ” You can do whatever you like as long as I don’t have to pay for it” So that was that.

    This week I am having ramp builders over to install mini ramps at my front door so that it is easier for me to get the Wheelchair out of my house. They’ve tried already, once before, but got the measurements wrong – so had to go away and do them again. Hopefully, they’re correct this time.

    On the work related front, tomorrow I start with a new team and a new Manager. Haven’t had an introduction to either yet, so we’ll see how things go on that score. Having been with the same team for just over 4 years, getting to know new people will be good – although, how that is going to workout I don’t really know – Given that my old team day in the office was Monday’s ( and I could join Team Meetings) and my new team – is Tuesday and I don’t work on Tuesdays … So we’ll see how stuff works out .

    I have begun a clean eating journey. It’s only been 2- weeks so far. I also do set exercises twice a week. I tried to weigh myself the other day however, I don’t think the weight was accurate as the ground was uneven. Need to do it again shortly to get some idea how much I weigh. NGL, I know I am over 100kgs.. It’s just a question of by how much.

    As “Pete” from Maroondah Hospital said ” The best thing you can do is lose weight – which I know is pretty hard when you’ve got a bung hip” but I’m still trying anyway.

    Currently, Hubby and I are doing a Simpsons watch. We’re almost up to season 9. Enjoying watching so far. I still can’t wrap my head around how many seasons there are ( so far) but yeah. Speaking of the Simpsons, I’ve rediscovered “The Simpsons- Tapped out” which is a fun little game. Sadly, it’s going to vanish from the app store at the end of the year. It’s been a game for 12 years the developers are calling it a day in the next few months. Some stuff stopped working at the beginning of October – but I can still play the game for the moment – so it’s all good.

    Other than that, life continues and goes on.

    More updates when they come to light

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej

  • Life Update

    Well,

    Here we are. At this point in proceedings I had hoped to give everyone a date as to when I was to receive my hip replacement surgery date.

    Sadly I have not. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the year. Let me tell you how things went.

    I arrive an hour early for my appointment at Maroondah Hospital Acute Outpatients department

    I am told I need to get x-rays ( despite bringing the x-rays I had done at Box Hill Hospital back in May with me) so I go do that.

    Around 45 mins later I am called into a room. I meet a “Doctor” who prefers to be called Pete. We have a quick chat. He gets me to sign some kind of consent form and proceeds to tell me the risks of my operation including but not limited to:

    • Blood loss
    • Infection
    • Numbness / nerve damage
    • Heart attack
    • Stroke
    • Several other not fun things I can’t remember at the moment

    He did tell me that a full recovery will take 6 weeks and that they’ll get me up walking the day after the surgery ( He did mention the Spastic Diplegia and asked me how long I’d had it for. )

    I enquired about rehab and he said “It could be organized if I needed it”

    In the meantime I had to lose weight which he said ” I know is hard with a bung hip”

    So there you are.

    I just have to wait for a phone call / letter to see when my surgery date is and God knows when that will be .

    From tomorrow ( Monday – for those wondering) I begin clean eating. In the hope that I can lose some weight before my op.

    I have no idea how much I weigh. ( last I checked was at the beginning of the year and that was 103. 9 kgs or 229.06lbs) so I’ll have to figure that out somehow.

    In other news – things regarding the NDIS are slowly happening. Had some new taps and things installed in the bathroom the other week so now I’m just awaiting approval for the shower to be useable .

    Anyway, I don’t really have much else to say so I’ll just end this here

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej

  • Holiday Update

    I was going to write a holiday update …. but now I don’t have the spoons

    I know, I’ve been a bit slack with updates over the last few weeks. Sorry about that

    Will come back when I’m ready to write, I promise

    Ceej

  • *Blinks * …. September? What?

    I know.. I know… I still need to finish off my February Respite weekend, but somewhere along the line – I ran out of spoons for blogging and so, I took a break.

    Anyway, I figured, since it’s been such a long time since I updated my site.. Today would be a good day to do un update in dot points

    • Hubby and I are currently taking a week off work for Holidays
    • Tomorrow ( The 16th) is our 18 year Wedding Anniversary
    • Over the next week or so we’re doing all the adult-y things that need to be done before the end of the year
    • On the 25th September – I finally get the date for my Hip Replacement surgery
    • The weather has been bollocks
    • NDIS stuff is happening slowly ( Another C. O. S could be in the works)
    • I’m tired. But what else is new?
    • I’m overweight . But what else is new?

    That’s about it.

    Till next time,

    Ceej

  • Respite. Day 3: A Morning of Rest and a Visit to the Melbourne Aquarium.

    Given that I am now sitting down to write this in July, I hope I can be forgiven for not remembering how our morning started .

    I do know we slept in. And I do know Miss C made us scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast.

    It was a lazy morning. Originally we had planned to meet up with my friend Jo and a few others for coffee however, like us, they were completely exhausted after the events of the day before and so it was taken as a given we weren’t going to meet up that morning.

    After finishing breakfast and getting ready for the day, the first thing on our to do list was popping into my workplace to say hello to everyone.

    I hadn’t seen the inside of an office building since the 17th May 2020 and so, when arranging my respite at the beginning of the year, I asked my manager if I could come down and say hello.

    Of course, the answer was yes and so down Miss C and I went to Burke St ( PSA – My workplace has since moved elsewhere at time of writing this blog) and popped in for 20 minutes to see everyone.

    Seeing my workmates was nice and I must say they were VERY impressed with Eleanor Wheelie (who wouldn’t be) and after about 15-20 minutes we left to get on with the rest of our day .

    As we were going to the Aquarium, we decided to park at the Casino and make our way from there. The weather was lovely and warm ( It was still Summer time, remember?) and the wander across South bank was lovely.

    I had never been to the Aquarium before and I was very much looking forward to it.

    Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the outside of the building was covered in graffiti, there was rubbish strewn everywhere and the entrance was almost impossible to find.

    Once inside, it was even worse. I found it dirty, smelly and the staff very much unhelpful to those of us who were there that day.

    That aside, here are some photos from the time spent there

    After a good look around and Miss C purchased my little penguin friend, we decided to go and find a bite to eat for lunch. We found a nice take away place along South Bank that had delicious souvlakis and chips and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

    As we were leaving, we were stopped by a gentleman who said he found it fitting Miss C was “flexing her muscles” in the sun. We were both bamboozled by the exchange and with that, decided it was time to head on back to the Quest apartment.

    We spent what remained of our afternoon and evening watching movies and relaxing ( aside the mystery person who wanted to “share” our Netflix/ Disney logins. We soon put a stop to that by blocking them) and then went to bed.

    Tomorrow (the Tuesday) would be my last day of respite and a visit to the Botanical Gardens – but that will need to wait till my next blog .

    Cheers for reading

    Ceej

  • Respite. Day Two. Hublander – Part 3

    *Blinks*

    What…. Who … Where … Oh. Right. I see.

    I know. I’ve been promising the third installment of Hublander for weeks but life.. You know?

    Anyway, since I have a little bit of time up my sleeve this morning, I figured I’d get cracking with the third ( and final) installment of Hublander 2024

    Now… Where was I?

    Oh yes, Autographs.

    After Sam finished his panel, it was time for the autographs.

    The autograph line went something like this ( And this is from memory so bare with me)

    Sam, Charles, Duncan then John.

    First, was Sam.

    In the lead up to the event, my friend Jo and I decided to have some specialized Sassenach belt buckles made for him as a gift. ( At time of writing, everyone has seen these so it’s not a surprise.)

    I must admit, whilst waiting in line to give him the buckle ( complete with personalised belt) I was kinda nervous. In fact, it was the only time throughout the entire day that I actually felt nerves.

    Sam’s personalised belt

    Anyway, after getting the nod of approval from both Sam’s handler Steve and the Security guy – I gave Sam the belt. He liked it and said thank you . He then signed a photo for me

    The photo sam signed after I gave him the belt buckle

    After getting my photo of Sam signed, I had an anxiety attack (I need to point out – this event was my first “Peopling” event in 4 years. I was bound to feel overwhelmed) and if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of my Support Worker, Miss C -I never would’ve gotten any of the others signed. She was able to get John Bell to sign his photo of us for me. Unfortunately, I missed out on getting my photos with Charles and Duncan signed. Oh well. There’s always a next time.

    It was after 5pm when Miss C and I were finally able to leave . We went back to her car and sat and scoffed everything we’d bought to eat with us that day – as we were starving.

    The next part of the event was to be held at The Pullman Hotel in albert Park.. but we weren’t due there till 7pm. Given we still had time to spare, we decided to go back to the Quest Apartments and drop everything off. I waited in the car while she ducked inside to take everything to our room.

    We then headed off to the Pullman for the Platinum Ticket meet and greet.

    Once arriving, I went inside while Miss C went and parked the car. Upon her return, we found where others were waiting and then asked a lovely member of staff for the nearest disabled toilet. (After a million hours I finally got to go! Hurrah!)

    The meet and greet was up on the first floor in a conference room just after you got out of the lift. There were about 5-6 tables and each table has a food platter with a mix of things on it such as fruits, cheeses, dips, crackers and cold meats. Each person got two tokens for a drink ( I just had water) and we all just found a spot to sit.

    The meet and greet was supposed to start at 7:30pm but the boys were late. Around 8pm, Sam poked his head in to apologise to us all for being late and to let us know they were just finishing up their meals and getting their drinks and then they’d join us.

    The meet and greet was wonderful. Sadly, Duncan was feeling unwell so he was unable to join us.. So Steve took his place.

    Each table got about 15-20 minutes with each guest and we just got to chat and ask them whatever we wanted. Steve was absolutely hilarious and was wonderful to chat with. Of course, Sam booed him and told him to go away when it was his turn to sit with us.

    I have to admit, by this stage Sam was just about dead on his feet ( Charles and John were in fine fettle and wide awake. HAHA! As was Steve!) and was struggling to stay awake- the poor love. But, he managed and answered all our questions and told us of some things that were happening for him and his hopes for when Outlander ended.

    It was closer to 10pm by the time all was said and done and everything was wrapped for the day . Each table got their photo taken with the cast before they left – to make up for the fact Duncan wasn’t able to take part

    Group photo at the Pullman Hotel

    Which was lovely

    Miss C and I left the venue and made a quick pit stop at the local Mcdonalds so I could grab something to eat. ( While the platters are nice, they don’t fill you up)

    By the time we got back to the Quest Apartments it was after 11pm and we were exhausted.

    Suffice to say I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It was a big day. A wonderful day and one I won’t ever forget.

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej

    PS As mentioned in another blog, David Berry couldn’t attend due to Covid so he signed photos for us:

  • A (Long Overdue) Life Update

    Three things have struck me as I sit down to write this blog

    1. The last time I wrote a blog was May 11th
    2. According to my WordPress phone app – I have a draft blog just sitting there that’s incomplete … and yet, I cannot locate it when I login on my desktop.
    3. Point two is going to irritate me for a very long time

    Anyway,

    Time for a life update.

    Since my last blog I found that I simply did not have the spoons to write anything. I was feeling exhausted all the time and writing the blog on a weekly basis was starting to become something I felt I was obligated to do – which meant I quickly lost interest as it was no longer something I considered to be fun or enjoyable anymore.

    I’ve often been told as soon as something I’m interested in becomes “work” I lose interest . It’s the truth. I have no desire to put any effort into the things I enjoy. I simply wish to enjoy them. I have a 9-5 day job and because I’m getting paid an hourly rate – I’ll put in as much effort as is required thank you very much.

    Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to make money from writing – but yeah, I’m just not cut out for that I’m afraid .

    Melbourne has been bitterly cold of late. In fact, they’re saying ( whoever they are) that this year has been the coldest year on record.

    I have to agree. It’s been baltic ( thanks to my Scottish friends for that one) and as a result, my Husband and I have discovered the joys of sleeping with socks on. ( Although, in my case it’s been socks and tracksuit pants. I’m finding I’m feeling the cold a lot more than usual this year)

    We’ve also been going to bed a lot earlier than normal in an effort get the required 8 hours sleep that everyone goes on about. These days we tend to go to be anywhere between 8:30 -9:30pm. Personally, I have woken up feeling slightly more refreshed than I used to be. Not so sluggish and desperate to fall asleep in the middle of the day.

    Speaking of sleep, if there’s one thing that can make you sleep for extraordinarily long periods of time, it’s Covid.

    That’s right! It was our turn to get Covid. After 4.5 years of successfully avoiding it, both my Husband and I came down with it shortly after the King’s Birthday long weekend.

    Now, if I’m being perfectly honest, the version of Covid we were hit with, whilst not great, wasn’t the worst thing we’d ever been hit with. In fact, we’d had colds worse that it. However, given the risk of passing it on to someone more vulnerable than ourselves, we kept everyone at a distance.

    This meant that my Support Workers couldn’t come and assist me or take me to my required appointments ( Not that I went to them anyway) and so for two weeks, Himself and I managed to get by while dealing with Covid. I will say, over the last two weeks we have slept a lot… Often close to 10 to 11 hours ( Minus those days where I was well enough to work and had to get up by 6am) and it’s been lovely. Sadly, this is due to come to an end from tomorrow as Hubby has to go back to work – So, it’s back to 4am starts. Boo!

    In other news, we recently got the kitchen taps fixed in our rental. It’s taken well over 20 years to have them repaired, but it finally happened. I grant you, they still cannot be used due to the fact that there’s massive wood rot at the back of the sink and the Kitchen pipes are old and cracked but, at least, they look the part and that’s all I can hope for, for now.

    On the NDIS front, aside from just about everyone I rely on ( from the coordination side of things) suffering some kind of personal meltdown, family drama, or work related debacle, ( Note: This is not a dig- It’s the truth) everything goes as smoothly as to be expected.

    This week I am getting a quote on a couple of mini ramps to be installed out the front of my house ( Our Landlord gave permission for this – which is nice) So I will let you know how it all pans out.

    Mr Jetson has recovered from his surgery! Yay! He no longer needs the cone and is back to his usual scheduled programing ( meaning he’s all about food and nothing else) He’s taken to sleeping between Hubby and I on the bed at night which is nice. It seems to be the only time he allows pets and cuddles. We bought him his very own grooming brush the other day.. hopefully he allows us to groom him and get the knots out of his coat.

    Over the last few weeks we have watched the following on TV

    • Bridgerton (S1 -3)
    • Sweet Tooth (Se 3)
    • The Simpsons (We’re currently making our way through, from the very beginning)
    • Dr Who (Se 1 – if you’re one to accept that. BTW – Who IS that woman in white? The new Master?)
    • The Bad Batch (Se 3)
    • Marco Polo ( Se 1 – not yet finished)
    • SHOGUN (Se 1)
    • The 3 Body Problem ( Se 1 – Not yet finished.. .Although to be fair, it’s actually doing my head in)
    • The Acolyte ( Se 1 – Not yet finished. We’re still sitting on the fence atm)

    What have you been watching? Please let me know.

    On the home front, the last 3 weeks have been spent dealing with the Maroondah City Council. The amount of run around to get a Hard Rubbish collected was absolutely ridiculous!

    I booked a standard collection on May 30th and after much back and forth over the phone and via the chat portal – we were given dates that our rubbish was to be collected – followed by excuse after excuse why it wasn’t. My favorite excuse being “Oh, it depends on who is driving the truck as to whether we enter your unit complex”

    It took until I contacted my local MP before anything was done. It seemed they had a word to the Maroondah Council CEO to intervene on our behalf to get it taken away. We’ll have another one later on in the year. I hope we don’t run into issues next time.

    Finally, as some of you may recall, I wrote about the issues I was having with my right hip. It was determined ( after CT scans and X-rays) that I have severe Osteoarthritis in my hip joint – to the point its bone on bone.

    I have since seen the Surgeon and he wrote a referral letter to Outer Eastern Health regarding my situation.I received the letter a few weeks ago and they’ve deemed me Non- Urgent (meaning it’s not broken, cancerous or life threatening) and so I should expect to hear something in the next two months about a date for the operation .. otherwise I have another appointment with the Surgeon in August to see how things are going.

    There’s lots of other things happening – but they’re not important right now and this is a long enough update as it is.

    Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my Respite series – I will get to finishing that soon, I promise .

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej