Happy New Year! Yes, it’s April 5, very late in the new year for my first blog post of 2023 but I have finally gotten around to writing something down.
I was actually asked the other day when I was going to write a new blog post which I believe is the first flicker of interest anyone has shown in all these years and I did reply that this blog was dead, however it does seem that reports of its demise are somewhat exaggerated. So, I am back for 2023!
Quite a bit has happened since my last post and today is basically a check in to let people know that Linda and I are going okay, battling along and still living contented lives.
Linda has had good health punctuated by the odd hiccup. Blood clots were discovered in her lungs, somewhat by accident early in the year which was quite distressing as the medicos had missed it on her scans but they were picked up by her radiologist and a potential crisis was averted-but it was a wake up call for us that this sort of life-threatening situation can come out of the blue. Her chemotherapy however is working well, and she is responding to treatment. Her bone cancer is stable, but we remain vigilant. Life can change in an instant and we take nothing for granted.
As for myself, well, my health has been fine, but I have had some cause to see medical professionals and been subject to a couple of invasive procedures myself. I had a bladder check-up last December, just making sure all is okay and no nasty little growths have returned. All good. After seeing my urologist who gave me the all clear Linda and I decided to go to Costco. Suddenly I get a phone call from my doctor telling me she wants to see me. Gulp! I had done a screening test for bowel cancer some time previously and a minute trace of blood had turned up in my sample. Now the doctor didn’t think much of it but she is required to investigate a little further under such circumstances. Thus, I underwent my first ever colonoscopy last Wednesday. These quacks are hitting me from both sides!
It went off without a hitch and the gastroenterologist found no trace that anything was wrong so that is a relief. The scariest part was running into the receptionist who I used to work with at Australia Post. She knew who I was but it took me a little while for recognition of her to bleed into my brain. The perils of getting older.
So, life goes on and Linda and I are enjoying ourselves, spending time with the people who mean the most to us and planning life adventures. I am hoping to be more proactive on this blog and share a little bit of the highs and lows of our life as it occurs in 2023. Let’s get moving!
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 