Bitz 'N' Blogs with CJ Cross

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

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Tag: Life

  • The One Where Eleanor Whillie Showed Up! ( And other things!)

    For those playing at home, I have a Floof sitting on my desk …Well, I did have until I moved a whole bunch of stuff off my desk for her to sit next to me and she moved on … Pfft! Cats!

    But I digress.

    I apologize for not writing a blog last week but I had all the things happening all at once.

    For a start I had my 1 week off in October ( I had an appointment with a Rheumatologist mid week so it made sense to simply take the week off ) The good news is, I DON’T have Rheumatoid Arthritis .. The Bad news is .. We’re still no closer to figuring out the cause of all the things that are wrong with me .

    That aside, In some absolute epic news .. After 7 months of waiting, wondering and a new OT later – ELEANOR WHILLIE is finally here! I’ve had her a week and my god she’s awesome!

    The Picture I’ve posted doesn’t do her justice but It’s just so you can see what she looked like

    She’s got

    • A horn
    • Sensors ( for when you’re too close to something)
    • A convenient carry basket ( that can carry 6kgs of stuff)
    • The ability to become a manual wheelchair – for a brief period of time if required
    • The ability to be controlled via an app on your phone
    • The ability to lock down completely when I am away from the chair at any point
    • The battery can be removed from her to be charged ( requires only a standard powerpoint)
    • She’s occasionally passive aggressive and will tell you off if you try and do something its not made to do .
    • She has 4 speeds ( and three levels of sensitivity for the control stick) and at full speed can go 8kms /5mph
    • Distance before battery dies – 18kms /12 miles (Which, according to Google is from about my house to Menzies Creek)
    • She’s pretty much an all terrain dealo – can go anywhere within reason.

    Eleanor Wheelie. C2 Whill Electric Wheelchair.

    So, as you can see – she’s a wealth of fun and activity!

    So far, I’ve taken her out to the following places:

    A Cafe

    A Reserve / Mini Museum

    The local shopping precinct

    And so far, things are going OK. There are still a few things to tweek and fix

    (such as the seating and back support) but other than that – she’s a dream to use!

    In other news – I seem to have injured myself. At time of writing, I have torn a groin muscle on my right side. About a week ago I lost my balance in the bedroom while trying to turn off the bedroom light. My right leg slid out sideways and the rest seems to follow in a game of 1-player -only – Twister that left me doing the splits. Suffice to say that two days that followed were some of the most painful I’ve ever experienced and my ever loving but long suffering Hubby had to stay home with me for two days just to see me to rights.

    I’m currently taking Prodeine every 6 hours for the pain and so far… It’s taking the edge off .. but that’s about it. The only saving grace is the Wheelie Walker my Physiotherapist gave me – I can sit on it and be pushed from the toilet to the bathroom or my office if need be. ( Ironic really when you think about it – Given it was given to me to assist with walking. I found the frame to large and the wheels to cumbersome for turning corners)

    Will keep you updated on my progress

    On that note, it’s almost 5pm and I should post this before I forget… again

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej

  • The One Where Life Got in the Way

    *Blinks*

    Ok then, so it appears I have missed a week. Apologies about that. It seems I was required to Adult for a bit. I promise it won’t happen again.

    To be perfectly honest, I don’t really have much to say at the moment .

    Things are moving along ( as far as the NDIS is concerned) and hopefully, I’ll have my new Day chair soon.

    I have no idea what’s going on with Eleanor Wheelie – That’s my electric wheelchair for those playing at home- but after weeks and weeks and weeks of stressing .. I’ve decided not to worry about it too much at the moment.

    In fact, on advice from just about everyone – I’m going to stop stressing about a lot of things. I’ve been doing it for about a year and a half and I’m exhausted.

    Even writing this blog – I’m tired …

    My husband has the weekend off work so we’re just spending quality time together

    My apologies this is short – but sometimes that’s all there is

    Ceej

  • The One About The Time I Was Late

    Tuesday .. 10.45am

    As I sit here and prepare to summarize the week that was – the rain falls steadily outside my window – washing away a weeks worth of dust, pollen and all manor of allergies with it.

    On Sunday – the day I usually set aside for writing about me week, Hay fever had well and truly owned my ass – to the point that i blew my nose so hard and so much .. I made it bleed.

    Therefore, I had concluded that I was in no fit state to write anything.

    Thus, here I am.

    Normally, at this time I am just about ready to jump into an hour long session with my Psychologist but today’s session has been moved back till 2pm. ( That actually works out kinda well TBH – It means I go straight into my PT session afterwards. It also means I don’t have the time to sit and dwell on things that were discussed either- Yay doing the things back to back)

    So, to begin….

    Workwise it has been pretty quiet – not the norm for an 8am -4pm shift but this week it was rather dead. Whether it was due to school holidays or the buildup to a long weekend ( Victorians had a long weekend due to the AFL grand final, QLD had a long weekend due to it being their turn to celebrate His Majesty’s Birthday and NSW for the NRL grand final) or that people were just not wanting to deal with my workplace this week – who knows.. but it was quiet nonetheless.

    On the personal front – the body has been rebelling quite a bit and my pain levels being almost unbearable. I have cut back on a lot ( So long “Holiday diet!”) and am currently going through a process of elimination regarding what foods/ drink causes pain flare up and what doesn’t. The most recent victim was lemon, lime and bitters. Yep. Turns out 3 lemon,lime and bitters is enough to make ones feet and legs swell -So they also end up on the “Nope, you can’t have that” pile.

    *Sigh*

    On that note – I am off to get some lunch. Apologies that this blog was late (and short) and hopefully, with the help of the Good Lord and a poke with a sharp stick – my next blog will be on time.

    Cheers for reading

    Ceej

  • Holiday Wrap Up

    Sunday.

    10:31am. It’s the last day of our Holidays and I’m eating salted caramel crackers and chocolate mousse dip.

    It’s lovely outside. I should be outside getting a decent dose of Vitamin D .. Instead, I am inside at my desk and writing this blog ( interspersed with watching Tik Tok videos of the recently reformed BackStreet Boys – and honestly,it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen – and didn’t know I needed) They’re old – and they admit it with no shame whatsoever. And, TBH I respect that.

    We got a lot done over the last two weeks. All the things that we kept putting off due to work and other commitments that are part of our daily routine. However, all but a few of those things have now been ticked off the to do list. Which I am very happy about.

    We celebrated our 17th Wedding anniversary over the break. A low key quiet affair. Hubby purchased a new guitar and I got a fancy new foot massager . Both of us have been using it and it’s done wonders for our feet!

    I spent a large chunk of my holidays chasing up NDIS stuff – in particular my Day Chair and Eleanor Wheelie ( my new electric wheelchair) as well as getting everything prepared for my S100 review. At time of writing this blog – the quote for the Electric Chair has been put forward, the quote for the Day Chair has been received but not submitted ( yet) and all documents required for my S100 review have been filed and prepared for submission.

    Side note: I was able to get my shoes from Dr Comfort. However, they don’t fit *grrr* so I am wanting to see what I can do about that. Stay tuned for updates on that.

    I have no doubt whatsoever that upon my return to work – It’ll be spent chasing up aforementioned things to ensure they are taken care of ( Will it ever end?)

    Speaking of Return to work – another thing I was able to complete was my extension of Work from Home. So, there’s that done and dusted.

    This two weeks off was for the sole purpose of getting all the loose ends tied up and I am glad we were able to do that. No, we didn’t go anywhere ( minus that one day where we went out to breakfast) and we didn’t do anything FUN per say however, what we did do needed to be done and now we no longer have to worry about it .

    For now though I am going to enjoy the rest of my day

    Cheers for reading

    Ceej

  • A Holiday Update

    *Blinks*

    Hello Tuesday…. Where did you come from? You kinda snuck up on us real quick…

    To be honest, this update should’ve been written as per my normal Sunday blogging schedule – but both Hubby and I ( My husband more so than myself TBH) have been running around like blue-ass flies trying to get all the things we couldn’t get done due to having to work. So far, we’re about 3/4 through our to do list.

    We’re also on the 2nd week of our Holidays and today ( well, this afternoon anyway) Hubby is going to get an eye test and I am off to get my hair done… and provided I get home from the HairDressers in time – I will also have my PT session at 3:30pm this afternoon.

    Another thing that’s occurred is that I now have seem to have developed a rather nasty case of Chilblains. Thankfully, I was able to get in an see my GP last Friday and get a script for some cream to put on it. I am also grateful to my Husband who went out yesterday to get it for me.

    For those who are not aware as to what Chilblains are – see below :https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/chilblains

    So yes, not great. Apparently, a lot of folks I know had them as children but like all things with yours truly, I never experienced these things as a child so I get the displeasure of dealing with it now as an Adult… And I gotta say.. It’s not fun. That said, the cream I have works a treat and it’s doing the job quite nicely.

    In other news, We celebrated our 17 year Wedding Anniversary over the weekend. It was a low key affair with a lovely dinner and a bottle of wine while watching Futurama from the beginning ( It’s been a long time and neither of us can remember much of it) I treated myself to a Foot Massager from Amazon while Hubby purchased a new guitar. His first one in quite a while and I have to say – it’s really rather lovely.

    Oh! We scored a Green Waste bin from the local Council – so that’s another thing we can scratch off the to do list. Normally, it wouldn’t be an issue but the last time we asked our neighbour if we could use her Green Waste bin – she allowed it – only to become rather petty shortly thereafter and keep it locked in her garage for several weeks afterwards – preventing Hubby from being able to complete the gardening that he needed to do. Now with one of our own.. we’re all set to go! *

    Tomorrow Miss Floof is getting clipped and groomed. Thanks to a local community site on FaceBook ( Meta if you’re one of them) I managed to find someone who was willing to take our baby girl on. She’s quite knotty and tangled – She loathes being brushed- so we’ve no choice but to do it this way. We’re hoping to be able to get her used to brushing after this – as it will make both her life and ours ( and that of our cleaners) much easier!

    Hay fever seems to be the bane of my existence this year with it making a triumphant return after an almost 8 year absence. Those who know me know I despise sneezing ( it’s the most grotesque of all the Human bodily functions in my opinion) so the very fact that I am now dealing with seasonal bullshit on top of everything else is complete and utter bollocks!

    On that note, boys and girls I shall end this blog as I feel another coffee and some breakfast coming on

    Thanks for reading

    Ceej

    *As a rule there is one Green Waste bin between two in the unit complex we live in. Everyone else understands this bar our neighbour at #8

  • The Midweek Catch Up Blog

    Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlefolk of internet land. As promised, this is your Midweek catch up blog.

    I don’t generally write blogs during the week as I am working however, my Husband and I are taking some time off from work to tie up some loose ends and do the things that we’ve had to put off doing for months – consequently, we’ve spent the last few days doing just that.

    So, where were we? Oh yes, I know. My last blog covered what was one of the longest weeks of my life. If you would like to know why ( because of course you do!) you can do so here:

    The Week That Felt Like a Year
    My latest blog about the longest week in my life .

    To start with, that blog pretty much ended up with me watching the livestream of my Grandfathers Funeral. He was 93 years of age when he passed and by all accounts had a wonderful life with his Wife of 63 years, Pat and her family. From the bits that I could piece together, my Poppy met Pat when they were living in the same area in Victoria when he was 31. ( This tells me he met and married my Grandmother, June when he was in his 20’s. I figured all was not well between them when my Mother was born and they divorced shortly thereafter)

    I saw my Mother and Sisters in attendance as well as various members of Pats family and friends – Most of whom I’d never met.

    Still, it was a lovely service and I shall forever remember my Pop as a kind man with an awesome sense of humour and a big smile!

    From there it was just the countdown to two weeks away from work. I continued following up on all things NDIS ( At time of writing this blog, I am STILL waiting for one more piece of evidence to be submitted for my NDIS plan – Review of a review. I had an in depth conversation with my Support Coordinator G about where we’re at with it.)

    On the plus side, I was finally able to order my new shoes from Dr Comfort! (Yay!) and the long awaited quote for the Day Chair came in – Ironically, it now needs to be put on hold as Hubby and I are currently exploring other options on how to get one elsewhere.

    As well as this, I have arranged to have a catch up with my new OT, Alana. She will be picking up where the lovely Triza left off – as she has since moved on to greener pastures in the pursuit of bigger and better things.

    Tomorrow I have my visit with my Remedial Masseuse and then it’s off to my Fathers for a morning cuppa.

    Friday I find out the results of the bloodests I had on Monday and speak to my GP regarding all the forms I need her to fill in 😀

    I am unsure whether I will be able to post another blog on Sunday – as it’s my 17 year Wedding anniversary and I believe Hubby and I have plans… So, there may be another midweek blog next week as well!

    Till then, thanks for reading,

    Ceej

  • The Week That Felt Like a Year

    I honestly don’t know how to start this blog .. other than by saying it has been one of the longest and most difficult weeks of my life

    It’s been one of those weeks where I find myself wondering what it was I’ve done that was so God awful wrong that life felt like it needed to kick me in the teeth multiple times before throwing me head first into a bin and telling me to make sure I took myself out.

    Pretty much, yep

    At the time of writing this blog, I am all over the shop as far as the NDIS is concerned. In short, I have all this amazing funding – but no way of being able to spend it (How it NEEDS to be spent)

    Allow me to explain.

    I have been on the NDIS for approximately 15 months. In that time I have had more ups and downs than a Yo- yo and it’s not only left me exhausted to the point of delirium – but more confused than when I started and at a complete loss how some people are

    A) Able to make their skin stay on and

    B) Remain actively employed.

    When I first applied to be a NDIS Participant (as we’re known) I was accepted due to the fact my Allied Health Providers had given sufficient evidence that proved they were, in fact, treating me for my Cerebral Palsy.

    Cool beans. Excellent. So, I have my Exercise Physiologist, my Chiropractor, my Remedial Masseuse and my Podiatrist all covered by the NDIS. Hooray!

    Over the next few months we bring in an Occupational Therapist, A Physiotherapist and a Psychologist and everyone is all going about their business and getting paid all while doing their bit to improve my mobility, my mental health and my overall well being.

    (For most of my time on the NDIS I’ve been fighting for a Change of Situation- which means my current plan needs to be looked at, reassessed and a decision needs to be made as to whether or not an increase in funding is required. At time of writing this blog -I have been granted extra funding – we just need to remember that)

    So, here’s where things stand.

    In my new plan I have funding allocated for my Occupational Therapist, my Physiotherapist and some new dang-fangled individual called a ” Therapy Assistant” and between the three of them – they are supposed to better improve my life. Meanwhile, my Chiropractor, my Remedial Masseuse, my Exercise Physiologist, my Psychologist and my Podiatrist have all been given the ass with the NDIS claiming “There is no evidence to suggest that these services have helped prevent the deterioration of the Participants current condition”

    In saying that, InstaCare – the NDIS provider who pay all my invoices for me – claim that all my Allied Health providers are there and accounted for and can, as per normal, submit invoices for payment and, according to them.. I have enough funding over the next two years to cover those costs.

    Consequently, seeing as everything is as clear as mud at this point – it’s now pushed through what’s called an S100 (a review of a review) which means more letters of support, which means more documentation ( that may or may not be read) which means more waiting around while things are discussed, debated and determined which means I am yet again dicked around by a Government department who couldn’t organise a pissup in a brewry.

    Thankfully, I have lodged a formal complaint with NDIS Minister the Hon Bill Shorten MP – or his office anyway- and they have informed me they intend to respond to my concerns no later than Tuesday this week.

    I have no idea how long any of this is going to take- but it’s gonna be a long and bumpy road to get shit sorted out.

    In other news, yesterday I got to go out with my Support Worker ‘Miss M’ and she took me to get some desperately needed underthings. Much to my delight,I found some that were brightly coloured and ridiculously comfortable! (Not to mention reasonably priced to boot. So yay that!) Shout out to the lovely staff at Femmeline in Main St Croydon for their helpful staff – especially since I was in a wheelchair- and amazing expertise in helping me find the most perfect fit! It was also while there that I found out that there are 28 Cafes in Croydon and ‘Miss M’ and I decided to visit one called “The Famished Wolf” for a bite to eat. ( Side note: Between leaving The Famished Wolf and getting back to my house we counted 9 Cafes in Main St. We’ve decided we’ll go back sometime soon and find the rest!)

    I was having quite a good day until late yesterday afternoon when I received a message from my Sister telling me that our Grandfather (on my Mothers side) had passed away earlier in the week. Last Tuesday in fact. The only reason anyone in our family found out was due to the fact a distant relation contacted my Mother to pass on condolences.

    We have since found out my Grandfather had not been well for quite some time – Throat Cancer – and a few weeks prior to his passing he had also had a fall and fractured his hip. Our family was not made aware of any of this, during this time, and I must confess to being a little upset about it. *

    I’m sure His family had their reasons but still, when something like this happens you would think they would at least reach out personally and inform us themselves.

    At this point we have not been made aware of any funeral details so we can do is wait.

    I guess we’ll see what the week brings eh?

    Ceej

    *For those playing at home my Grandfather was Married twice. Once to my Grandmother (Dec) and then to Nanna P . Lovely woman I thought. **

    ** Full name not given for reasons

  • The update about the update that never happened …

    Ladies and Gentleman,

    Twice now I have failed to write a blog.

    On Thursday I was to wiped out from my two appointments and Sunday I lay down for a nap and overslept

    Add this I have been dealing with quite a nasty bout of sciatica, a MONSTER Aunty Flo (now since finished) and life kicking me in the metaphorical balls….. I just haven’t had the spoons to write anything worthy of note

    So, please bare with me as I struggle to get through the obstacles thrown at me this week and I promise I will get back to writing my blogs as soon as I’m able

    Thanks for your patience

    Ceej

  • Postponed

    Hello everyone!

    Due to the body not cooperating – This week’s blog has been postponed until Thursday.

    I expect to have it uploaded by Thursday afternoon at the absolute latest

    Thank you for your patience

    Ceej

    PS: To make up for the fact there is no blog today – please enjoy the funny meme I chose for this week’s header!

  • The One Where I Lost All Faith

    No, this isn’t a post about the Great Beardy Sky man – so back away with your precious bibles and sit down.

    Nor is it an Outlander reference (IYKYK) because frankly I’ve dealt with enough emotional turmoil this week and I have no desire to self inflict anymore on myself right now. (Look at me taking the advice of my Therapist and not punishing myself! Whoo- Hoo! Go me – Oh.. wait.. No …wrong kind’ve … You know what? Never mind. Don’t mind me… I’m FINE!)

    Despite the image header chosen for this blog ( Why do I do this to myself – JHRC) this week’s blog title stems from the fact that this week was a week I lost faith in not only the system ( The NDIS) but also people in general.

    To begin with, on Thursday Aug 3rd 2023 I had my Change in Situation meeting via the NDIS. For those that are not aware, a Change in Situation occurs when someone’s NDIS funding has either run out early or is deemed inadequate for the person’s needs. Evidence needs to be provided of course and if successful- the application is renewed and funding is increased. That is the short version . And, in a perfect world, the short version would be all it would take to get you over the line.

    Unfortunately, this is the NDIS and naturally if you’re not prepared to jump through hoops while trying to make sense of something that have been lost, found, copied, faxed to a completely different office, left sitting on a desk for three months before being buried outside, forgotten about, remembered again only to be made triplicate and then those triplicates duplicated for security reasons before being handed to you to sign off on with a BIC pen that ran out of ink 2 weeks before your scheduled appointment.

    Okay .. so I may have exaggerated that slightly but given that this is my second Change In Situation application that took seven months to complete and submit- (even the submission was not without its complications) it’s closer to the truth than anyone would care to admit.

    Anyway, my Support Coordinator G and the her Manager J joined the NDIS representative and I for the meeting at the required time ( G in person J via TEAMS) and off we went.

    The next 3 hours were excruciating to say the least. I swear as I sit here and write this – I have never heard someone speak so much unnecessary gibberish in all my life! As the meeting wore on – I could honestly feel my brain packing a suitcase and telling me that I was entirely on my own as it DOES NOT get paid enough to put up with that type of shit! (And honestly, if it left at any point during those three hours – I would’ve given it a standing ovation)

    By the time all was said and done – Myself, G and J felt we’d been pulled through the ringer and the three of us spent the next hour trying to figure out what the heckin’ heck just happened and what the next steps were moving forward. (Hint: We still don’t know and there’s still another 14 days to wait. With that and a provider of mine with two unpaid invoices outstanding due to my funding allocation being exhausted – the next 14 days are gearing up to be a whole lot of fun indeed)

    If you asked me just a few days ago what I had hoped to achieve with that Change in Situation I would’ve told you the following:

    • Access to the community via a broader range of activities ( Over time. Small steps required given that I’ve spent the better part of 3.5 years at home unable to get out without help)
    • Respite – The ability to be able to go away on holiday and enjoy myself with friends. ( I’ve not done this in almost the same amount of time)
    • More help via Support Workers
    • Eleanor Wheelie! (My long awaited electric wheelchair)
    • Proper time frames for when things were going to be happening/taking place

    Instead, what I got was :

    • A whole lot of gibberish that made no sense
    • The feeling that the NDIS representative had no clue what they were talking about
    • The moment I heard the rep say the words ” Oh wow… I’m just .. trying to ..Imagine your life” I knew the entire conversation was a lost cause and that G and J would have to go in and fight harder for what it was I wanted.
    • Being told a whole bunch of things weren’t going to be requested because the NDIS delegate wasn’t going to approve them due to ” trying to find the best value for money”
    • Being made to feel like I was being ignored and overlooked
    • No idea about the when/ where/ how and why of anything

    That night I fell into a funk and I haven’t really come out of it . I’ve learned not to get my hopes up. I’ve learned that you cannot rely on a system that was designed to help those of us with lifelong disabilities ( Thanks a lot Liberal Government) and that just makes me really sad.

    If I’m honest, at this point in time, I expect my funding to be cut to even less than it was the first time around and the whole things just turning to shit . I’ll keep everyone posted with updates as things progress…

    But for now .. I wait.

    In other, less stressful news (I hope) I have taken a mini Social Media hiatus for the month of August. The last time I did this was a few years ago and I found it very beneficial for my mental health. I have deleted TikTok, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter (X) because, with the exception of TikTok which was proving a distraction than anything else…. The other platforms were making me angry. For a number of reasons ( A majority of which have to do with the Outlander Fandom – and while I will not be discussing specific situations today – let’s just say I am better off not having access to those platforms at the moment. For everyone’s sake.. Not just my own.) and so, taking a well deserved break is just what I need to refocus and recharge the batteries.

    At the beginning of this blog I said it’d been a week where I’d lost my faith in people but that to is also Outlander Fandom related BUT… given that it’s almost 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon … I am going to put that off till next time. You’ll want to pull up a pew for that one, I assure you!

    Thanks for reading

    Have a great weekend

    Ceej