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A.L.L. Acute lymphocytic leukemia! Once the diagnosis was spoken what did we do? Hugged each other and then got as much information as we could for that moment to get some sense of control. Sherri, my daughter took control immediately. She wanted to know what to do and how to do it. I could see a determination arise in her. Shaun too. They were going to fight for their child. This is not going to beat them.

We sat with the social worker while little Josiah sat hooked up to his bloods. Colour returned to his face almost immediately. We had not realized just how pale he had become.

The social worker told them one of the family would need to become a full time carer. Sherri had just started a new job which is currently on hold.  She gave them vouchers, ideas, wisdom. She told them the protocols for treatment for the next few times. And she encouraged them to get support.

Family and friends immediately gathered around us. It was such a joy to for Sherri to have her younger sister Naomi here.

Naomi and her husband David live around the world. Literally. They are currently based in Haiti but can be anywhere at any time depending on natural disasters where David is head of disaster relief through Operation Blessing. We were so blessed when she called us on her birthday, excited because David had given her a ticket home.

Sherri is a shocker! We can never surprise her but I am pleased to announce we got her that time when Naomi sprung around the corner to greet her unsuspecting sister. She arrived a week and a half before Josiah’s diagnosis.

Then as sisters do her older sister Jo, came down from the next state to also support her. But I think the best support we received was the prayer support from around the world.

Facebook has become our friend. Delivering good news, and prayer requests. The support and encouragement has been tremendous. “Through a “friend”, we learned that Josiah means, “Healed by Jehovah”.

REFLECTIONS

This week I sat with him in hospital with chemicals flowing through his little veins. I looked over some of his new born photos and ones from the past year and I reflected.

Life is so precious. From one day to the next we do not know what is in store for us. We hold on tightly to so many “things” but when they are stripped away what is left?

You certainly see just how important our relationships are and are needed: With God – He was our first port of call. With family-we need each other despite our differences. With church – the support our church family give is amazing. With friends – a cup of coffee/tea, some empathy, some advice and more importantly words from scripture and prophetic words from God or just an ear. We were made for relationship. We are not islands. That is why facebook and other social sites are so popular. People want to connect! But that is another issue.

One thing we have had to do is learn to ASK. People want to help but they need to know how.

I thank God for this life He has given to each of us and I do not want to waste any of it. God spoke to me earlier this year and said that ALL things work together for good. ALL – that is also the abbreviation for A.L.L. This will work together for good and is doing so already.

What is happening in your world that requires a re-frame? Not all things are good but ALL things work together for good to those who are called according to His purposes. You are called to be a child of God. Embrace that and start to see His hand undo the tangled mess we call life.

It is a new day walk in His Grace and Love. Narelle

ALL Acute lymphocytic or Lymphoblast Leukemia – Who of us had heard of it? Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia! We stood silent, tears washing down our faces, my son-in-law, my daughter and myself as that title echoed through the hospital room. My 14 month old grandson and their first son played quietly in his cot oblivious to the words being pronounced over him.  Our lips quivered, our eyes washed, and our hearts beat loudly as those words came from the doctor’s mouth. People say sometimes when you get a shock you see or hear in slow motion. That is how I felt. I hugged my daughter gently on the shoulder but really felt like I couldn’t reach out to her any further in case I fell into a black pit or worse I broke down and set her off.

“Breathe” was the first thing I told myself and then, “Swallow”. Don’t you hate it when that lump wells up so hard in your throat?

We then asked a few questions. My daughter showing beautiful composure as she spoke with the doctor and got as much information as she could digest at that moment.

The one question I asked was did we miss something?

He had a few bruises on him. He had been grumpy, but no more than any 14 month old teething with a possible ear infection. He had been falling quite a lot but we both thought as he was holding his ear there was probably something wrong with his inner ear and therefore his balance. I had noticed that he was pulling his little shirt up and rubbing his belly. Perhaps he just had a tummy ache to match the ear pain. The bruising changed on the Friday from blue green ones to a couple of red welt types. He just wouldn’t settle though at night and by Saturday night she and her husband had had enough. She bundled him in to the car to take him for a drive. Somehow she made it to the hospital by about 2.00am. By 7.00am she was being transferred to the major hospital instead of the local one. Not only the hospital but the “oncology” ward.

The blood tests they took early in the morning showed he needed an immediate transfusion. Leukemia was being used in the same breath as immediate treatment. By that afternoon we stood around him as they hung his first bag of blood. His colour returned.

Did we miss something? I had had much sicker children and never taken them to the doctors. His colour although pale was nothing to us because he and his sisters are all pale. But the doctor assured us in fact we had noticed just about all that you would expect to see. Possibly the only thing we hadn’t noticed was acute lethargy.

By Monday morning we waited while he was sent to surgery to have a spinal tap to determine some of the extent of the disease and also the type. We waited for the results and now we were hearing them.

What do you do? What would you do?

Hashimotos what was that? Isn’t Hashimotos  a car or something?

Hashimotos or any thyroid diseases are debilitating.

Yes I am a 50+ female but was not expecting symptoms like dementia so early. Forgetting things was becoming a habit.  It wasn’t just a forgetting but a FORGETTING no memory of certain things.  The slow heart rate I had was not because I was one of those extremely fit athletic types. The stroke like symptoms and extra aches and pains and also the incredible weight gain even though I was exercising excessively were not normal. However, after collapsing as I said previously and numerous unsuccessful tests etc, Doctors “suggested” it might be time to visit some of their “other” colleagues. (Psychiatrists)I told him politely but firmly, “Thanks but no thanks” I was not experiencing some mental health issues, just because I couldn’t remember my birthdate or pick a black skinned doctors hands from my own.

I said last blog we should never just accept a no answer or the wrong one. So back to my doctor and all of a sudden she was thinking outside the box. Hashimotos. What is that I ask?

Thank God for Dr Sandra Cabot. I went home after speaking with my doctor and found a book on Thryoid conditions. Hashimotos was there. First thing that hit me was a symptom of a slow heart rate. I ticked nearly every box. Treatment…thyroxine. Within weeks two years of struggle started to dissipate.  Symptoms disappeared almost completely. I had to double the dose eventually but the results were staggering.

Lots of prayer went up too and I was well on the road to recovery.

Lessons learned.

1. Do not give up on your own beliefs.

2. There is always hope even in the darkest times – and there were some believe me.

3. Don’t accept the “inevitable”. I thought it was age starting to catch up on me but I know I can face the next 40 or so years, healthy, happy and whole.

4. Get a good doctor who is willing to think outside the box.

5. Research yourself – make some effort to be responsible for your own health. You are not a doctor but you do need to be accountable for your body.

Stay healthy. Live healthy and take care of yourself.  See you next time but in the mean time let me know if anyone else out there has had Hashimotos.

Sports injuries! I am going to whinge here. What was I thinking? Why did I not listen to my body that was telling me I had a sports injury? It has been two years exactly (give or take a day) since running my 10.5k run – the first for many years.. I had been careful not wanting to injure myself before the big event. But I did and despite the injury kept running ignoring the pain. Anyone will tell you that you shouldn’t run on an sports injury but I was determined.

Bad move. One TIA later – Transient ischemic attack – where the blood flow stops to the brain for a short time giving stroke-like symptoms for up to 2 hours and can be a precursor to a stroke. A few days after my run and continuing to experience excruciating pain in my lower legs, travelling up to the thigh and into lung area, my daughter watched me collapse on to the floor from my office chair.

Face planted in the carpet and unable to lift my head, she asked me if I was ok? I told her I was fine and would be up in a minute. To cut a long story short and after a rush to the doctors surgery – the slurred speech left almost as quickly as it came, the veering right into walls and posts did eventually stop. It wasn’t just a TIA but I will go in to that later.

The lessons learned:

1. Do not ignore pain in your body – it is there for a reason.

2. Do not ignore symptoms of stroke or possible clots – slurring, drooping, pain in extremities or lungs. I am  not a doctor check out other sites that give more details of what to look for.

3. You know your body well. Do not take no for an answer. A doctor told me once – “You know your own body and if you are saying this isn’t me – well chances are it isn’t.” Get some tests done and don’t give up on the first try.

4. Persist with exercise once you are right and adjust according to the injuries. Don’t give up on health.

5. A small dose asprin every day is a good thing to do.

Have a great day and its good to be back. Tell me of your sports injuries and how you recovered.

Well I have nearly reached the first goal I have set in my journey to jalking for the rest of my life. I know the life I want so have made sure I set goals. But they are no good without a plan. I have planned and this week it went slightly askew right at the last moment.  It has not been that easy but as tomorrow looms for the big Lake Macquarie 10.5 kilometer fun run I am a little nervous to say the least. I have had a set back with a swollen ankle and two knees swelling and aching very challengingly.

LESSONS LEARNED THIS WEEK.

1. Adjust the ‘plan’ as necessary to reach the Goal. This week I had to adjust my training schedule to relieve the wear on my ankle and knees. I could have made a choice to give up and forget it as it is too painful or readjust my plans to achieve my goal. I chose to readjust my plan.

I road an indoor bike, yoga, pilates and rested my ankles and knees. Oh and don’t forget the pain killers….

2. Keep focused. It was easy this week to loose momentum on the last run up to tomorrow.  But I had to work the mind and remind myself that I have done this run 2 times in the past few weeks and this week will be no different except for the other 1000 + people in my way! I think that will be my greatest challenge. Staying focused on my own run.

Well…the nerves are there, the clothes are ready, the shoes and strapping to go, just have to get the T shirt to prove  it this afternoon in my show bag of goodies they give us..

I have set the goal and now I will achieve the first of many in my ‘running’ career…

Check these two books out and see how to set goals to achieve the life you want. Get up get going! You can do what you set your mind to!

http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/self-improvement/settinggoals

http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/self-improvement/lifewant

My Metabolism seems to be metabolising.

2nd Day into my 3rd week.

Hal Higgdons training program is starting to look pinker as I highlight each day completed of my training. I am loving this. My right knee is feeling it as is my butt when I sit for too long but oh my goodness I can not begin to say how good I am feeling about myself and my goals reached each day.

The breathing with Tony Robbins 4 short – in through the nostril and 4 out through the mouth really is lifting my “state” as he says although the old sinuses are in a state after the first few times initially!

I ran 3.5m or 5.6 Ks  today and really felt great and pleased with  myself. One of the things I noticed was after eating my large breakfast, I really wasn’t too hungry the rest of the day. I actually felt that my metabolism, supposedly slow due to HRT, is starting to pick up.

I have a good book on my website which goes through the whole benefits of boosting your metabolism.

http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/diet/boostmetabolism

It is really in line with what I have been discovering myself but really offers some sound advice. Check it out!

Let the race begin!

http://www.digitalebooksunlimited.com/diet/boostmetabolism

http://digitalebooksunlimited.com/wellness/get-healthy/