Post Hosp Day Twenty-Three Update: Spoke Too Soon

Seems like I spoke too soon! Today was my worst nightmare come true!

Went to the doctors surgery to have my blood test - I'm still having them every three or four days because my warfarin dosage hasn't settled yet. I wait the customary thirty minutes in the waiting room (despite making appointments for a 5 minute blood test, they're always thirty minutes late!). The nurse finally comes to get me, and takes my blood. NOT!

She inserts the needle, and instead of a small prick, it is intense, excruciating pain! It really really %^$&#%^ HURTS! Seems that because my arms have become pin cushions from so many blood tests, the veins have scarred over and she was trying to take blood from a scar area. She tries again in another part of the vein - and again intense, sharp, horrible PAIN!! I feel light headed and dizzy like i'm going to faint again. The nurse gets me to lie down. I feel sick.

After five minutes the nurse tries taking blood from my other arm. She's a bit nervous, and so am I! You can cut the air with a knife. She gets it ok, but it hurts a little bit more than usual. And then i'm running out the door, sweating like crazy! I hate bloodtests!

Footnote: One hour later and the first hole she made in my vein is still bleeding!

Post Hosp Day Twenty-Two Update: Worst Nightmare

One week and counting until my worst nightmare comes true...... Ask any Aussie bloke to list his top three worst nightmares, and i'm sure that they will all have mine in their list! Next week the in-laws arrive!

Now I have to say from the outset that Yvette's family (parents and sister) are the loveliest people! And i'm not just saying that. However, the conceptual barrier that I have had since being born as a boy still exists - hate the in-laws! haha

As little boys we are taught that in-laws are all grotesque monsters who exist to make our lives miserable! It's quite ironic really, since our parents who we love will most likely become in-laws at some stage - and i'm sure they don't change overnight! In an effort to humanise mine in some way, I have adopted a special naming system for them. Instead of calling them mom and dad, or father-in-law and mother-in-law, or aunty and uncle, or by their first names (in case I forget them!), I have borrowed Yvette's familys method of naming. Yvette's mom is one of 9 kids, so they name them by order of birth - so Yvette's mom is number 4. So I call her number 4, her husband 4.0, Yvette's sister 4.1 and Yvette 4.2. I think it's quite funny, I hope they'll think the same!

In preparation for their arrival, we have to spring clean the house. Due to lifting restrictions, I can't do any of this - at last my injury is finally having some benefit! There's things to move, to clean, to tidy, to reorganise and so on and so on. Apparently however, we are not the only ones preparing for the visit. I hear that number 4 has been frantically practising mahjong with her friends - she has visions of playing me and taking all my money! She sees dollar signs in her eyes because she insists I play with Australian dollars and she plays with her currency (1 Aussie dollar = about 3 of hers!!). 4.1 has been busy learning how to use her digital SLR - she wants to show off to me how "good" her photography skills are! And I hope that 4.0 is ready for some male bonding - i'm planning on isolating him from the nagging threesome (imagine the poor man - surrounded by three endlessly babbling women!). I think lots of fishing, eating and drinking are in order!

Post Hosp Day Twenty-One Update: Frustrated Bystander

We've been looking for a bookshelf for our living room for ages now - and we finally found a decent one! Unfortunately, given the rules i'm given regarding lifting and Yvette's womanly strength, we need help to get it from the shop. Dad and Yvette go to get it - it's so frustrating watching them carry it upstairs into the house! And then Yvette gets all the fun of putting it together! It's not fair!

Dad also helps me dig up the vegetable garden so that I can plant some new vegies. This really irks me - I can't even use a fork to dig up the ground! He then proceeds to plant all of my seeds and seedlings! This is so not fair! The garden is looking good, some nice looking cauliflower and broccoli, and some different lettuce plants that we use for salad. I'm looking forward to showing it off to Yvette's mom when she visits in a week. I turn my head for an instant, and when I turn back Dad has uprooted my lettuce plants in one fell swoop! He reckons they're too old! Oh no! He then tells me that the cauliflower and broccoli need to be eaten now, so he cuts them and then digs the plants up! Noooooooooooooo! Now there is no vegie garden to show off to Yvette's mom, just a couple of small seedlings!

I'm really not enjoying watching people doing all the fun things! I think i'm going to write today off and go to bed!

Post Hosp Day Twenty Update: Sunny Weather!

Summertime at last! It's 35C today, and not a cloud in the sky! It's a glorious day, so Yvette and I head down to the open-air market for brunch. As we walk down we come across a group of 40-50 people, all dressed in red! I think they're part of some club - they're doing some sort of run, maybe for charity? Seems to me they're crazy - who would run in a 35C day?? My suspicions are confirmed when we notice three middle aged men wearing dresses and fishnet stockings - an unattractive sight on most days, but even more so in all red!

The market is very quiet - I guess everyone has gone to the beach. We have our brunch, ice coffees and glass of white wine in the shade. The perfect way to relax and unwind. And then we're off to the beach!

We head to our own secret cove, which we are pretty much guaranteed to have to ourselves. When we get there, the wind has swung around from the hot northerly to a cooler southerly. But it's still perfect for swimming. I walk out, but Yvette is a bit reticent - she is such a wuss sometimes! After 5 or 10 minutes I convince her to come out - it's beautiful!

The water here is shallow - we walk out 30 metres and the water is still only above my knees. It's crystal clear, I can see the crabs underwater on the sand! I chase them around in circles - they disappear by burying themselves in sand.

Yvette has a swim - but she won't let me. Something about not getting my scar wet.......

In a flash an hour has passed, and it's time to go home. I hope that this awesome weather lasts!