I Hurt All Over..

Ugh the past couple of days have been very tiring. Firstly my stomach decided to flareup with all the pain pills I have been taking so I have felt very knackered and exhausted with that. My good old hip has been quite sore - more sore than normal and I don't know why.

Plus I twisted my ankle on my good leg and that's been aching like hell up to my knee.....with my stomach not well it's making my whole body ache too. I was ment to go see my sister's puppies again today but had no energy. Was also planning on settup up a mini studio and take some portrait photos of the kitties but don't even have the energy for that :(

I am so over pain, so over my hip. My next checkup is next week in CHCH but nothing has really changed since 6 weeks ago if anything I have a little more pain. Physio is frustrating as the cupping is not getting easier and doesn't seem to be making huge headway. I am also feeling funny pains which I think are coming from my screws - god I really don't want to get them out!! If they irritate me it's another op and they cut through the previous scar and take them out. After that it's 4-6 weeks on crutches so the holes where the screws were can heal otherwise there is risk of fracture if you don't.

It's just started raining here and is pretty blustery outside. Maybe it will be a nice weekend??

I am also starting to get my photography business up and running, starting the company registration etc so that's exciting.  Ordering one of my new lenses next week - Canon 50mm f1.4 (nifty fifty) and a speedlite flash, yay! My biggest lens I am saving for is the "L" Series 70-200mm f2.8 IS by Canon, it is pro series and is an insanely awesome piece of glass and with IS (built in image stabilization) it's perfect. Comes with a perfect $3,000 price tag though!!! The other lens after the 50mm that I will be getting is the Canon 85mm f1.8 USM which is around $600 so that's not too bad!

Currently watching LA Ink with Kat Von D - so much better now she has her own shop and away from the Miami Ink boys. Her shop is totally awesome, pink with ornate mirrors and this massive carved reception desk.

Sunday Lovely Sunday

Well it bucketed down yesterday afternoon and during the night. Woke up this morning to a brisk spring day, lots of sun with just a little cold easterly blowing. Looked up at the hills (Hunter Hills) and there was a fresh dumping of snow! Made me feel like it was winter again lol. Aparently Lake Tekapo also had snow on the ground and just checked out the webcam up there and yes it's a little white!

It is supposed to be 21oC tomorrow and I think around 16oC today so we might go for a day trip somewhere tomorrow, somewhere scenic so I can take some photos!!

The Pool - we managed to drag ourselves to the pool yesterday and happened to time it with a ground of around 10 boys who look between 8-10. Century is a decent sized indoor pool but when you have that many screeming boys in one place it felt VERY VERY small.  We got in and I went through my exercises (much prefer our spa it's soo much warmer) I think the pool was around 20oC so I got cold quickly and it's not like I was swimming lengths to keep warm!

We got out after around 20mins and as we passed the strange looking lifeguard she commented we wernt in for long - I explained that I was recovering from hip surgery and only here to do physio exercises, she sort of mumbles after that. Plus the air was very heavy with the chlorine smell and I felt quite sick. The only other pool option is Maori Park but that doesn't open till November - it's heated but open air.

I think I will try to do most of the exercises in the spa!!! We do have a pool but it's empty as needed a clean badly and not heated so there is no way I would get into the water - unless thrown in..

So today I am awfully stiff and catchy - about to do my swiss ball exercises to loosen things up, I hope :)

Fingers crossed everyone is having a great long weekend!

Bad Weather Has Arrived

Well it wouldn't be Labour Weekend without rainy cold weather! Hit here about an hour ago but Craig managed to get the lawns mowed and the Spa refilled! 

Recently downloaded Greys Anatomy season 5 episode 1-5, it's going to be a good season I think! we have also gotten up to date with Weeds - I think it first aired on TV 1 in NZ but we were never really interested, but watched the first season and got hooked. Just watching the end of season 4 then that's it till season 5 starts next year in the US.

Off now to the Pool to do my exercises not that I can muster the energy to go out in the cold weather!

Physio

My Physio appointment last Monday was different - as I told her about the "new pain" she came to the conclusion that it was a type of joint pain. She tested again the angle I could bring my leg up to my chest and since I managed 105oC last time i was hopefull........ I got 70oC.

Grrrr so her explanation was she thinks thick scar tissue has developed in the muscles in the groin and deep around the hip capsule it'self which is in turn stiffening everything up - even though I am doing my stretches and exercises. So she decided to put my leg in to various traction positions to try to loosed the scar tissue etc.

For those who have not had this done it basicly involves a seat belt and a towel and the physio wraps the belt around her then also around my leg which was bent up when lying on my back. Once all was clipped into place she the proceeded to lift the leg with pressure and stretch the joint area as well as moving the leg in all different positions. Yes it hurt but it did loosen the joint a little and when I left I could get 90oC. Still not 105oC but at least an improvement on when I went in! Oh and one of the traction positions was to wrap the towel round my foot then attached the belt to my wrapped foot and the physio pulls the leg. - Basicly the position your leg is in if you have the keyhole hip surgery. It felt WEIRD, it was quite a good feeling for a bit but as she stretched I felt lots of fibres/ligaments/muscles go pop & creak then it started to hurt. So I kindly asked her to stop.

I didn't get any manipulations or cupping this time, didn't miss it at all!! :)

Long Weekend Is Here!

Yay - I really don't know why I am so excited as I'm not working anyway lol but I do get to spend quality time with my partner!

Well things have not been too rosy with my hip over the last couple of weeks. It was good to get Pink Ribbon Day done though :)

Last week I increased my strengthening exercises to twice a day plus pool physio then I started to get bad pains deep in the joint when lying on my good side in bed (even with pillow between my legs) and also when switching to lie on my back. This was a different pain again from what I had been getting - was not nerve or muscle pain, felt deep in the joint like "bone pain". So hard to describe to those who haven't experienced anything like us hipsters.

I am wondering if the two screws are starting to irritate the bone.... if that happens and it gets bad it's up to CHCH again for another op to cut me open and remove them. Then it's on crutches again for 4-6 weeks while the holes where the screws were knit over. Ugh I don't want to think of that. My scar and op area is still insanely sore as it is, I think I can feel it cringing at the thought of more surgery!

Off to the pool 7.30am Sat - if I can get out of bed, apparently the weather is supposed to turn crappy for the long weekend (surprise surprise) so if it gets as cold as they say my op hip is going to tell me about it, cold weather aggrivates it chronicly.

This post has turned into a bit of a rant :) We have been very lucky with the weather though and over the last week we have had beautiful spring days. On Sunday Craig and I went for a drive out to Cave via the scenic route and went to the lovely stone church there. It's open to the public and can be hired for weddings. Managed to get some lovely photos, here are a couple;

Yes I have been SLACK....

I had intended to write in this blog every day but that kind of went out the window over the past few weeks!

So here is a little run down on what's been happening... I turned another year older at the start of Oct and am now the ripe old age of ..... 27! I though I would feel different at this age, strangely I don't but I know I have changed since I was 21... 3 years till I am 30 - in the olden days I would be married, have had all my children and look after the house and children all day whilst my husband brings home the bacon.

Career-wise since my hip has enabled me time to breath/think I am at least certain  that once I get my Dip in Photography that will be my main career choice with my Massage Therapy complementing it.

I also attended my niece's 4th Birthday in late Sept - which was a lot of fun, I was the queen of fairy bread lol. I got her lots of girly things & it was fun shopping for them!

Physiowise it has been prett painful - we are down to once a week for hands-on manipulations with cupping/accupuncture and I wish I could say each week the muscles around the hip/butt were slightly improving but they aren't as yet. The other week the cups got put on around the glute muscles and "Migratory Cupping" was done - which is when the cup is suctioned onto the skin and moved up and down in strokes along the muscle.

Now unless you have had this done I do not think you can comprehend the pain - the first 3-4 sweeps are pure insane agony, it basicly feels like the muscle fibres are ripping and separating (which the sort of are) them after those passes it does ease as the muscles loosen. At one point it was so sore I could not muster myself to say anything and as a reflex ended up bursting into tears and flapping my arms.... not pretty!!

Yesterday's appointment only involved deep tissue massage and normal cupping - that was bad enough as I had not been for a week & a half and everything was very tight. For my recovery I am now supposed to go to the pool 3 times a week & complete my 20 strengthening exercises on the swiss ball twice a day...... any one got spare energies for me :)

One good thing was my flexibility has improved & I can now bring my knee up to my chest to 105oC - considering my first visit was 680C then it went to 75oC so there is improvement there, yay.

Joint pain is still there.... but I don't want to go into that today.

PINK RIBBON DAY - For the last 5 years I have organised the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal for Timaru, Temuka, Fairlie & Geraldine & this year no one else came forward to organise it & I didn't want to let everyone down so with the help of great friends & family we pulled it off for the 6th year.

What first got me interested in making a difference was seeing my grandmother go through Breast Cancer when I was in 7th form. She knew she had a lump but waited far too long to tell anyone about it & when she did it was in an advanced stage. So she had the double mastectomy followed up with radiation therapy & jumbles of cancer fighting drugs. However

complications from the radiation therapy caused numerous blood clots which in turn caused her to have two large strokes

with the second one leaving her unable to speak & function.

I remember visiting her is hospital and holding her hand looking into her eyes - you could see there was light there and

her brain was still active but she was unable to communicate. Her eyes sparkled and that was enough. I spent time

with her and later that night she passed. She was only 65.

So I decided I wanted to do something to make a difference and to increase awareness as if she had told people earlier

the outcome would have been a lot different. SAVE BREASTS SAVE LIVES is one of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's

motos. So to all that are reading this - do regular breast checks - it doesn't matter if your 15 or 50, male or female!

Breast Cancer does not only effect the older generation - however most of the public think this. Also MEN CAN GET

BREAST CANCER TOO - every year around 20 MEN are diagnosed with breast cancer - so get checking boys, you have

breast tissue too.

This year for the appeal we were so lucky with the weather - it was on Friday 10th October & that was the National Street Appeal

Day. We had a beautiful sunny spring day with light norwesters in the afternoon bringing the temp to around 20oC.

Everywhere was busy & people were so generous - thank you to all that donated! This year there was a increase in

men donating - even teenage boy & they put their pink wristbands on or their pink ribbon without a second thought.

At the end of the day everywhere you went someone was wearing a band or a ribbon & to me that means we

did our job. Business men in flash suits looked very smart with their pink ribbon or wristband on :) So far we have raised

around $6,500 with more to come in before the end of October, so I anyone want a Pink Wristband or Pink Ribbon

let me know!!

You might be wondering how my hip coped with all this running around - little things called PAIN KILLERS got me through it!

I have managed to get myself off the Morphine and am now relying on Codine in highish doses and hoping my tum handles

it ok. Friday night I was wrecked, Saturday we were at Pak & Save collecting & I did 3 hours and crashed in the afternoon.

Sunday - well I am not sure where Sunday went lol.

But I managed it through everything that was going on and that makes me proud as I know the money raised will

help in the fight against Breast Cancer.

My new Goal it to be fit enough to do the RELAY FOR LIFE in March 09. So I have something to work towards! Off to get

some lunch now & will post again this afternoon - promise!!

Catchup Time

It has been some time since I last posted, the past few weeks have been a bit of a struggle with one thing & another. My hip is still showing little improvement & I have been sleeping huge hours – much more than normal & very tired. I have also had bad heavy sore heads which makes it hard to concentrate. I stood on a rusty nail from our building work and it went straight through my shoe into my foot and had to have a tetnus booster which flared up my arm and has caused a lot of pain the last few days – plus my foot is bloody sore. So it has been fun & games lol. Here is a bit of a summary on what's been happening with my hip;

Physio;

First week in Sept my physio was away and had another at the practice. It was not the best session as she thought I should have been further ahead than where I was and wanted to know why I wasn't doing this and I should be doing that etc etc. She also was a lot more aggressive and did some of the deep tissue massage over my scar which my normal physio was working up too but it was still not quite ready for rough treatment. I left feeling quite out of sorts & I am sure the physio I had is very good at their job I just don't think she gelled with my situation & I do understand it is hard picking up someone else's paitient! Luckily my physio was back the next week.

When I saw my normal physio again she did quite a bit of deep tissue work as things had gotten a little stiff and put more cups on than usual – quite painfull as she is getting closer & closer to the incision line.

On Friday I was given my swim program which I can start this week and we also made the HUGE step to the gym the have attached to the physio & started a Swiss Ball program. I was a little nervous as did not know how my hip was going to handle it. Things were pretty unstable as this was the first time I had “worked out” since mid 2007.......!

Hip was quite twingy in the groin, deep in the joint & of course all of the surrounding muscles :) It did not feel to good sitting on the ball as the pressure on the joint sitting was still quite painfull. All my muscles are completely wasted – which I pretty much knew already and it's going to take a LONG time to start building them up again, without increasing the pain levels to the joint/groin area.

I have approx 15 Swiss Ball excercises to do as well as my stretching program and my new swim program which I will start later in the week.

I have my 3 Month post surgery checkup tomorrow in Christchurch so will be interested to see what my specialist says, wonder what he will say about the groin pain..... things are still healing so I think I am going to get a “It's normal and will come right with time...” sort of answer.

Will update tomorrow when we get home :)

Rain, Rain, Rain

The nice weather lasted till Saturday then the rain came back! The river photo in a past post is back again, it has been raining steadily since Sunday morning and things had not really dried out from the last lot of rain so there is a lot of surface water lying around and everything is sooo soggy. It looks like the weather is here for a few days too. Crap.

I took little Elli to the vet this morning to get fixed - was so hard to get up at 7.30am, my fingers were so sore. These haven't improved & are not chill blanes - the pain is right in the joints and the get very swollen & stiff. Have been told it is just a winter thing, but it's a huge pain.

Poor little Elli, she has thankfully gotten over her first heat and has been back to normal since Saturday. I can pick her up between 4-6pm so will get her after my physio appt at 4pm. Made a nice cosy bed for her and will lavish her with lots of treats & cuddles. She is really my little baby as Craig got her for me when she was 6 weeks old just after my first operation (Scope in Dec) and have been with her everyday (We are keeping her inside till shes bigger as there is a nasty cat a couple of houses down and our other cat who is 4 has had some awful run-ins with it) So yes I got a little emotional dropping her off!

Hip hasn't really changed still bit catchy - will see how it goes after physio today. I am really craving bad food....takeaways???

When will I have a good day again....

I woke up this morning to my nose blocked, swollen sore neck glands, finger joints so sore I couldn't clentch my hands and my hip sore and catchy. Grrrr. I hate being sick - I have not had a cold of the flu since November last year! I only hope I don't get a roaring fever as that will set my hip right off.

My finger joints have not been co-operating at all, I have been keeping them warm etc but to no avail - it's just not nice! For my massage course I need to massage people and get the hours for my record book. I gave Craig a massage last night - I think the antiflamme rub helps my fingers a little but they throb afterwards and go really stiff. I wish it was arthritis as then I could take something for it. I just have to wait for summertime.....

My Massage Course is going good, however I have fallen way behind with assignments and am stressing a little. It is hard to concentrate with my head foggy from pain killers and just the overall tiredness from everything I have been through. I am trying to stay confident but finding it very hard to stay motivated at the moment. I am still in bed (12.46pm) and don't want to move as it hurts everywhere.

I had another physio appt yesterday. More cupping!! Which I actually love and it really works well on me. I first had them placed again on my lower back, 2 on my bum with one on the very tender piriformis muscle, one on the outside knee joint and one on my calf. I was so amazed at how quickly my knee joint had healed and it was hardly sore - whereas the last two times it was nearly too sore to massage. The cupping works great to separate the tight & toxic muscles and increases the bloodflow hugely to that area and just works so well. Then after the cups were on for around 15mins my physio got into more deep tissue work on my lower back, bum, hamstring and calf. My physio was actually able to do deep tissue massage on my calf which had not been previously possible. My hamstring is not sore at all which I am thankfull for, just a little tight. My lower back seams to be improving also which is good as it was so tight it was pretty much siezed.

Next I got to roll onto my right side (ouch as the bursa on that side it still not 100% happy from favoring that side so much) and my physio started working on my IT band and the muscles round my incision. She started on the bottom of the IT band near the knee however I couldn't tolerate the pressure so she decided to cup the muscles first to get the bloodflow into the area and try massage after. She put the first cup around 3cm up from the knee and she managed 2 suction pumps (the feeling of being cupped on very sore muscles is hard to explain - to not put you off it very much feels like the muscles are tearing as they are sucked into the cup. However this only lasts till the bloodflow gets going and it actually feels GOOD and RELAXING!) Then she moved about 5cm above that one - much closer to where the incision is. This one she only managed 1/2 Suction Pump as it was super, super sore/stuck etc. The cup managed to stay on through and did manage to increase the bloodflow to the area. It was quite cool this time as I could actually see the cups on and working. The cup near my knee looked like a mallowpuff - that's how much skin was sucked into the cup and was a deep purple colour with the increased bloodflow.

After around 10mins my physio took them off the tried again to rub along the IT band. What a huge difference! She was able to massage alone the band with much less pain! She was not going as deep as she had on my back but still it was a big improvement, I was so amazed and really think many people with tight IT bands could benefit from this. She moved over my thigh muscle next - I was expecting it to be very sore as it has wasted away a lot and I had a lot of trouble with it cramping badly after the op. However when she started it did not hurt at all!! Yay one muscle that was not sore! She got in quite deep and still no pain, wasn't untill she got to the outer edges of the muscle - round the IT band and my incision did I feel any pain.

My next appointment is Monday 4pm and am looking forward to it. The weather has turned today, we have had two beautiful sunny springlike days here but this morning it is overcast, quite windy and there are some very dark clouds down south! It looks like this weather is here for the weekend too.....9 days till Springtime!!! I hope the weather starts to really improve, I love spring & summer. We have lots of lovely spring flowers out in the garden at the moment and it's lovely!

Cromwell Trip, Kitten on Heat & Sore Joints!!

Well hopefully the title got you interested in reading more! Lol. There was a couple of birthdays in Craig's family who are in Cromwell so we left Timaru round 6.30pm Friday - we decided this was the best time to miss the snow as it's snowing quite frequently down there at the moment, especially through the Lindis Pass.

I must say it was the most beautiful night to travel, we went through the Lindis around 8.30pm and it was clear skys, snow on the mountains & up to the roadsides & was also nearly a Full Moon so the light from the moon reflected off the snow and made it so bright we could have driven with our headlights off! I would have stopped and taken photos however it was -6 at the top of the pass and just a tad too cold for my hip etc!

Photos from the weekend can be seen on my online gallery under the Canon EOS450D folder - www.aspiregallery.smugmug.com

Takes 3 hours from here to Cromwell with a good run on traffic and since it was night time we managed to miss all the camper vans & tourist buses, Yay! So it was a good trip there.

Saturday we went to Queenstown but it was raining and slushy so we just had some lunch and made out way to Arrowtown which was clear just overcast and managed to get some nice photos there and through the gorge on the way back to Cromwell. Sunday morning we woke up to it snowing in Cromwell and left for the journery home around 10.30am. Took some lovely photos of the mountains reflecting off the lake just out of Cromwell - it was soo still & beautiful! Also stopped at a few points in the Lindis and got some more lovely photos.

Was good to get home though as this was my first big trip since my op and my hip was protesting a little at all the travelling and not being in our own bed.

My mum came in Friday night and looked after the cats till Sunday & when we got home we were greeted like we had been away for a week! So lots of cuddles were given :) That night Elli (who is 8 months now) meowed a lot more than normal and from 2-5am meowed non stop and kept jumping and flicking the door handle in her room and thumping back on the floor. We let her out and she just wanted to play so I gave her some food and she stayed calm till the alarm went off at 6.30am. During the day she wanted constant attention (more than usual!) and during the night kept meowing crazy sounds. I heard her a few times during the night but she was more settled. This morning though she was really crazy, meowing CONSTANTLY, needing lots of cuddles and sticking her bum in the air - oh and sitting her bum on our other cats head! Not lady-like at all! So you can see where this is going..... my baby's not a baby anymore and is ON HEAT. She was too young before my operation to get her fixed and there has not been a good time till now to get it done. She isnt an outdside cat yet and our other cat has had his snip snip so no chance of her getting pregnant. Rang the vet and have booked her in for next week, though I don't want to take her as I don't want to cause her pain :( Has to be done though as we can't take this through the season every few weeks or so! At least I can look after her now as I am pretty mobile.

My cleaning lady who is supplied by ACC came this morning and she has cats.... Elli sniffed & sniffed & sniffed her then proceeded to follow her around crouching down and sticking her bum up and meowing weirdly at her! Luckily she loves Elli and has a good sense on humor lol. Poor wee kitty, she is currently zonked on my lap (finally) so I have a little peace from the meow's. I have set up lots of toys like a jungle gym to keep her occupied so hope that helps keep her mind off the breeding track!

Lastly my finger joints have been playing up - swelling up and very tender. I had this last winter and was tested for rheumatoid arthritis but the bloodtests came back neg. Come summertime my joints went back to normal but they are very painfull while they are inflammed & not helping me as I am studying Massage Thearapy & makes it hard to practice on people with it like that! My thumbs are the worst and as I am still using my crutches (down to one mostly) it's not that easy getting around at the moment. Roll on the warm weather...... PLEASE!!