Sleep Clinic

Published July 5, 2019 by helentastic67

Sleep Clinic

A few months before Christmas, I had an appointment for a specialist clinic. It was the sleep clinic.

Never have two words put a greater fear into me. Well not fear perhaps, that’s exaggerating slightly, but still I sleep, I just sleep at the wrong times and I’ve just made it work and I don’t want to change.

The doctor told me he’d book me into the sleep clinic for a sleep-over. I was concerned I had sleep apnoea. (it’s not only when you snore, but when you stop breathing) I woke with my throat, glands in my neck and nose feeling kinda weird, sore and dry, plus a dream or two where I’ve felt like someone was choking me. So, sleep clinic good.

The doctor told me he wouldn’t get me in before Christmas, but maybe before Easter, which gives you an idea how much of a waiting list there was and also how he didn’t think I was going to be at a rick of dying before he would book me in. So, all was good.

Until, I got a call early December, they had a cancellation before Christmas, did I want to come in Early?

FYI: ALWAYS SAY YES!

So, I was booked in about a week before Christmas. I parked my laptop, took my overnight bag with my PJ’s and my toothbrush, my dinner and off I went. I caught the tram from my door and the extra baggage was pretty hardcore pulling me off balance, but nearly took me.

Hostage

Published December 24, 2018 by helentastic67

Hostage

There is a reference I often make to what it’s like having a disability and I’m certain people who have more severe disabilities than I, feel this way.

Disability Hostage

Now, I also premise this by saying I’m pretty sure my family don’t read my blog. So I’m good to go. I can write what I like.

Let me just say, the breakdown of my family is this. My parents are both still amongst the living (not complaining), they divorced when I was about twenty-five and I knew it was coming for the ten years before that. I have an older sister by two years, who I see once or twice a year (she lives closest), I have one surviving younger sister (16 years younger) who lives with my mum. My parents both live three and half hours drive away, my father, I see at Christmas when I’m up that way. He won’t travel to Melbourne to see me and if in town, he won’t bother to visit either. He has not seen most of the places I’ve lived, in the last twenty years. I think he’s seen one, he doesn’t call me, I call him.

Family

I speak to my mum twice a week and while that’s five times less than it used to be, we got along much better than we used to. Mum comes down every so often for serious appointments and such.

Ah, background done. Now to my point!

During smiley holidays and such (Christmas, Easter, what-not) I will go to spend time with family. It’s that or stay at home alone. So, I go and then I lose my independence immediately. I have my mum’s bedroom and I hibernate. I want a shower I have to negotiate when someone is prepared to assist me if I go outside, I generally don’t step off the verandah as the last time I went outside my mum called to me: “If you go for a walk be careful by the water tank there’s a snake over there!” I promptly went back inside to relative safety. Motivation to go anywhere is hard to draw on.

Snakes

To go anywhere requires someone to drive me either twenty minutes to a decent meeting place with medicine(coffee) or an hour where I can arrange to meet friends who might visit family once a year at Christmas time. Any of these adventures requires money I don’t have and logistical nightmares of being able to get home again when I need it.

Drive for coffee

I put my things in the fridge and when I go to get them out again, two other people have moved them to get to other things and I might be standing in just the wrong spot/angle and my things are in my blind spot and I can’t see the forest for the trees.

Fridge

The environment is a very comfortable space for the two that live there and throwing me into the mix I feel terrible to put someone out to be able to join in. Everything I can do to contribute, someone has to move things to prepare for me and I feel more of a hindrance than an adult. So, I hibernate.

Hibernate

Oh yeah, where I spend Christmas, I’m also socially isolated by other means, no mobile reception, I divert my phone and if they can’t remember their wi-fi password I’m screwed. So, hostage. Like I said.

Christmas Hostage

Christmas

Published February 26, 2018 by helentastic67

Christmas

And so, it is Christmas, or it’s just gone past for me, but due to my process of writing long hand, I imagine half of 2017 will have passed, also by the time you read this, might need to tap in my ‘B’ team to type some posts and ask my lovely Administrator to post more often.

Past Christmas

I’ll have you all know, I bought you all Christmas gifts, in the form of when my father gave me Christmas money, I put it all on my Visa. Then I spent most of it buying the things I needed and I paid all my bills.

christmas-shopping

I guess I should be appreciative I had money. It’s just kinda crappy, I couldn’t spend it on things I wanted and needed.

Wants and Needs

Even to have bought an archiving hard drive to rearrange some files, my other My Cloud 4TB’s is full already and while the process is tedious, even my brain is happy with that.

Computer storage

Christmas can be rather brutal in many families, mine is rather passive/aggressive. It seems Christmas is something to endure.

passive aggressive

For me it’s a time to catch up on TV shows. This year it was Divorce and Westworld, which probably left me less homicidal as the year I watch Sons of Anarchy (SOA) and gifts, I think everyone in my family is happy with books, mugs (just a special one) and alcohol. I’m still getting through my bottle of Bailey’s from last Christmas, but all the same.

Baileys Irish Cream

Today’s Lunch (Yesterday) – 20th December 2017

Published December 21, 2017 by helentastic67

Todays lunch 2012

Today’s Lunch

Warm weather really brings out the good in people in Melbourne. Was down here yesterday for a meeting. On the tram I used my super power of Tolerance. There’s a guy that got off the tram, I noticed he had a Jesus Badge on. I’ll just say Jesus had not taught him anything about deodorant. Hence my super power. Tolerance.

Jesus

Right now, Wednesday early evening I’m really glad I started this post yesterday. As today was in warp speed from about 12.30pm, when my carer left. I inhaled my pills and my mineral supplement and my juice. Then left on my scooter Hellonwheels. Her first journey out from my new place, the first 5 minutes and I was on familiar territory. That’s right no breakfast, no Young John, no time for diddly squat! Scootered to my normal parking location at acupuncture and crossed the street to catch the tram to Chiro. No time for lunch either.

Speeding

Hence, officially but not officially a normal Wednesday, good mental health day foodie post! Once at Chiro I had a small piece of Christmas cake. Seemed heavy on the rum but not complaining. Had my rib put back in, I was correct as predicted not tickle.

Chiro and then back on the tram north, no time for lunch then either. Picked up pumpkin bread for Christmas, two cannoli from another of my local’s, so I considered that lunch.

Got to have a microdermabrasion abrasion facial. I seem to get one once a year, not often enough. I have an ethic on my beauty regime that is I’m a high maintenance girl in a low maintenance way. Or maybe a low maintenance girl in a high maintenance way. Hard to choose. Anyway, after my facial I collected Hellonwheels, my dry cleaning and pumpkin bread. Scootered home via one of the many Burger places that have cropped up around Melbourne. You may recall I mentioned Coburger and Co some time ago? My local is Kustom Burgers http://www.kustomburgers.com.au/.

main-burger-kustom

I would like to include a picture of the delicious burger I ordered except after arriving home I inhaled it. I was a little dizzy by that stage. I really must prioritise regular meals in 2018!

Made it to 7.30pm before I crashed. Had a kip before getting up to pull the rest of the night together.

Nap time

Apologies for lack of photo moments today, so even the best laid plans and my ability to be flexible and roll with the punches food is often an afterthought. I can always eat later……….
This is always why my Wednesday plans are always so vital to good mental health. To more calm in 2018!

Mental health day

Just a reminder, for the next week the normal routine will be different. Stay tuned you might get a surprise………
Cheers,
H

Christmas

Hot off the Press – 18th December 2017

Published December 18, 2017 by helentastic67

;Hot off the Press 1812

Hot off the Press

Monday, off to the city to get shrunk! Ok, I see my psychologist, but it sounds more entertaining to use the other term. I’ve been seeing her for years and still not fixed!

We all know, good mental health is about maintenance. There is no fixing it. It’s ongoing,
scored a great book for free, just because I asked about it. I was informed they couldn’t sell it. So, I was gifted it.

T world

Had a few brief stops to gather more goodies for a parcel I’m sending to Texas, to a blogger friend.
Medicine while getting shrunk! My comic shop, much catching up to do. Tram home and my bag was so heavy I was co pulled to weigh it five kilograms! I don’t understand how I don’t have a fully blown second disc-bulge. Have some symptoms of anxiety and no idea why. Since, I live with a level of anxiety all the time, I just don’t know what I can do to alleviate these symptoms.

Bulging disc x

Tuesday, a quiet day at home massage, followed by a kip! Some admin and phone calls and then caught up on some TV.

I hope you saw my Wednesday foodie post? Ended the day with more medicine before my last appointment and this thing…

Chocolate thingy

Made it home and found my carer didn’t take the full bucket of water in the kitchen sink out to water the plants on my balcony. So, I had to, in stages. It was 40 degrees in the shade today and my first hot chocolate Calla Lilly has arrived. So, after watering the plants I had a kip for about an hour, but I just couldn’t make it. After my kip I smashed through all the rest of my chores and admin. Ironically, a friend said a while ago while we were discussing Banksie/life/the universe “back when Banksie was living with him!” What! He told me he went by a different name, let’s say “Fred!” because it’s been a while. It’s a very small world!
Banksie

Thursday, finally got my shed put up in the car park and funded by the NDIA. So, it has power and get back out on the road. Well, the footpath……..but still. I went up and down so many times to take the handyman down to B1, and collect the woman with the agreement for me to sign. Then had to go let my carer Sana in so we could do some prep work for my bread and butter pudding. Sana arrived in time to help relocate some gardening and cat supplies to the shed, clearing the last of the thing from my balcony and the main bathroom. Things can actually settle now. Thankfully.
Hellonwheels rides again!

Rides again

Friday! Please let this week be over! Have had a little migraine niggling behind my left eye the last two days. Finally got a commitment from mum for the days I would go up to her house for Christmas and when I would come home. Mum has to drive Three and a half hours each way. So, I could finally contact the three service providers to put my services on hold. By the end of the day, I already have to reinstate some of those services. Still trying to get everything done before Christmas! Snuck in a visit to Wilbur today. Bella has been hard to find. But Wilbur is usually sleeping, quite contented on the counter.

Wilbur

The bread and butter pudding has already started going out the door.

It’s already Saturday and I’m not yet off-grid. Not happy! Must quit! Actually, had my phone on over the weekend, but on silent. Megi, my old neighbour visited, and bought presents. Now I have to find someone to re-gift chocolates to. I did the sleep/eat/TV weekend. Very happy I didn’t attempt to do anything more.

Saturday

Starting the week with a rib out and it’s one that will not tickle when my Chiro puts it back in on Wednesday. Counting down to Christmas and going home. There are two fur-kids there of the cat variety. I will share some pictures for Christmas, it I might take a break from my Hot off the Press Monday posts so I can burn off some of my handwritten older posts. Feel free to offer constructive feedback. Definitely hit me with a Like. Have a great week!
Cheers,
H

New week

Today’s Lunch – 22nd November 2017

Published November 22, 2017 by helentastic67

Todays lunch 2211

Today’s lunch

There is always something instantly therapeutic about my Wednesday routine.
No Hellonwheels today as my scooter shed is not up yet and she is currently without power.

She is not the Mothers Cat in this case it’s my mobility scooter.

Today’s offering,
Zaffarino Arancini with the side salad.
(Mint, peas with saffron rice)
With Sicilian chocolate cannoli
(Breakfast)
Medicine!

Arancini Chocolate Canoli

Latte

And when I walked in I was greeted by this:
And it’s too soon!

Christmas deco Christmas deco 1

Christmas deco 2

Cheers,
H

Wednesday

Christmas!!!

Published March 14, 2016 by helentastic67

Christmas lights 1

Christmas!!!

So our Christmas lights have several settings. My sister the lighting tech support recently described one of the settings as the Epileptic Fit Setting.

I’m really lucky I’ve NEVER had an Epileptic fit!

At least not a Clonic Tonic (Grand Mal) seizure.

I have things that give me a migraine, but no epilepsy. Not complaining……just saying.

I once had an appointment with a room full of Neuro type specialists and they couldn’t believe I’d never had a fit considering the size and location of my AVM.

I told the Doctors I had been to my share of dubs and dance parties back in the day and stared at enough strobe lights.

Consider this as a silver lining.

I’ve never had an epileptic fit!