bazane

Sue I loved this post as it brings back so many memories, you are right a song or memory surfaces & usually i go to the bathroom where I can repair the damage so Baz doesn't see I have had "a few moments:. You are in the unique position of having to look after a Mother & Husband & you do a wonderful job . i worked in Nursing Homes for all my working life& some people never get the care & dedication you give to your Mum & Ray & I am sure that deep down they know & appreciate your Love. I think there is many" Beer Gardens" in Heaven where we will meet up again. xx Anne.

I know what you mean Sue, I never thought that I would get sick of the rain after years of drought but I would love to see sunshine & be able to mow the lawn ! Ray is is in good care at the Nursing Home by the sound of it & you are doing all you can for him so it is good that you are doing some stuff for you now, he is being well looked after & you are doing all that you can ! Take care, Anne x

Hi Sue Haven't been on here for so long & was wondering today how you were getting on, came onto the message board & looked for your posts, Baz has been in & out of Hospital this year since we came back from NZ (We had to go over for 3 months as my Dad had cancer he died 2 weeks after we arrived ) we sdyayed & made sure Mum was ok for 3 months after, Baz got sick & has been in & out of Hospital, much better now but has left him very confused... Glad that you are ok but seems Ray has gone down a bit ? I identify with the children as long as I am looking after Baz they don't want to know, his kids & mine I always tell him it is just us now ! You do a great job with Ray & your Mum. x Anne

I have just been reading through your blogs & identify with everything that you say, my husband also has aphasia & I also miss the sound of his voice, we still have a message he left on one of our phones which I have not changed & have been guilty of ringing the number to hear it once more , we also have a radio show he did the year he had his stroke (2004) on video & I still get that out & watch it as well. It is very hard to accept that person has gone & we have had to grieve & then get on with it but it is the hardest thing I have had to do in my life...as you would know as well!!I also have been shocked when my sweet husband has turned on me but I think it is fustration more than anything else & thank goodness it isn't very often ! I also am shocked when I laugh & stop & realise how long it has been. Laughter really is 'The Best Medicine'. All the best ,Anne.

Sue, You might have already gone on your holiday but wanted to wish you well & hope you come back rested . Ray will be fine as I know you already know. I identified with you reading all you can on Strokes Dementia etc as we all do, I guess I keep hoping for some major break through that will give me Baz back the way he was, of course I know that will not happen, but I still read all I can !! Will miss your Blogs but look forward to catching up when you come back, Anne.

:happy new year: Hope you are all looking forward to the new Year & I for one hope that 2008 brings some positive changes. We have had a bad 6 months as we have had problems with our Daughter & subsequently our Grand children have suffered & Baz & I can't do anything about it which is fustrating however another year is about to come in so a new start should bring positive changes I have not blogged for a long time but have been in here catching up on everyone. Baz is doing great,but a lot more has come back so fustration is always on hand,plus it is so hot here at the moment we can't really do anything except keep cool, he really enjoyed a quiet christmas & we have been doing literally nothing much since except the usual mowing of the lawns,keeping watering up so the plants stay alive!! We have given up theCommunity Radio as the travelling a hundred kilometeres weekly was getting too expensive, we have taken up with a Radio station based in town which only broadcasts in the immediate vicinity of the town, I have been voted Sponsorship coordinator so it was busy before Christmas organising Christmas sponsorship, we are looking forward to broadcasting our show in the New Year although we can't do live broadcasts anymore it will still be great & Baz is looking forward to it He has been out & about with the 4 guys who are running it They have been great with baz involving him in all the details getting it up & running & he has been out without me for the 1st time since his stroke 3 years ago !! I am going to blog more That will be my New Year resolution Happy New Year everyone & thanks for yet another year of support. Anne.

Sue ,Glad you & Ray had a good Christmas as we did Unfortunately we weren't able to see the Grandkids but spent a quiet day by ourselves which wasn't too bad, at least we got to watch some Christmas shows we usually miss out on since Christmas is usually so hectic! Baz was so excited about Christmas we had to get up at 6 am to open our presents! Hope you have a Lovely QUIET New Year tonight & your computer is up & running again soon. Love Anne & Baz.

Jean, Glad that Don is ok & you can relax now . Baz always likes to hear how Don is doing as they both have had a similar stroke & Aphasia. Hope you BOTH had a great Christmas & A Happy New Year!! (as well as Cooper) Love Anne & Baz

Kim, Baz & I send you our condolences & know that Chris is is in a lovely place now & you will meet up with him again one day. Anne & Baz.

Hi Billie Jo, What at time you have had but guess as you said you will not give up which is why you are doing so well !! At least they have taken a lot of blood so should be able to find something & be able to treat you,. I am a carer to Baz who had a stroke 3 years ago aged 58, he has been left paralysed down the right side can walk but nothing in the right hand & has aphasia so words can get mixed up, but life has settled down & I am glad he is still with me, we got married a year after his stroke .It is a terrible thing having a stroke but life does go on & it just has to a different life & one that takes a while to adjust to, you sound as though you have a lot of support from your family & that is wonderful . This is a great site with a lot of support & we look forward to reading your posts. Good luck,Anne.

Sue, Hope Ray has had a great Father's day as Baz has he is sitting with a big grin on his face watching Manly play the Dragons & winning!! The DVd you mentioned sounds great, could you tell me the name of it & I will look for it on the internet. You are lucky having all these groups you can go to & lucky Ray wants to participate Baz doesn't like to go anywhere that I don't go & has never liked Men's groups. Congrats on Oliver's birth & enjoy today with your family. Anne.

I feel bad when I looked at my blog entries & realised it has been over 5 weeks since I blogged, we have been flat out, but that is no exscuse as most of you are far busier than us. I have been catching up on the blogs & everything that everyone has been doing, it has been a great 2 hours & I always feel I am reading about Family. Baz is watching his football & I can have a few hours to myself to catch up on stuff, his beloved Manly team are winning & I can hear cheers every now & then from the lounge!! I joined Weight watchers & have lost 5 kilos much to my DRs delight & my diabetic Proffesser as I have also got my cholestrol down to normal & I am working on the blood pressure it is hard setting the alarm each morning & getting up when there is a frost to do the exercise bike :cheer: ,but it is paying off. Baz has also been watching what he eats & is drinking water again for the first time since the Stroke he only drank it before when he had too. Thanks Sue for the comment you wrote on my last blog, I do have access to the radio as we do the show & I promote strokes & Baz whenever I get the chance but there is a lot of ignorance about strokes & people are too busy with their lives to find out about them until it happens to someone they know. OOps the score is even on the TV & I can hear groans emitting from the lounge ... Baz told me the other day that his mind is getting clearer & he doesn't like what he sees, I told him that all that matters is we love each other & we are both happy..He wants to be able to do more around the house but I told him we are lucky I can do it & we will muddle through.. I will get him to read some more of the remarkable stories here on Strokenet as he feels better when he reads what other people have achieved.. Manly have won , he is happy for another week :big_grin:

Well Winter is on its way, the trees are shedding their leaves fast now & the fire is going every night! It is so pretty here at the moment though, the poplars are pure gold & there is a huge diversity of colours all around town from gold to deep red & in between. Baz loves it & when we go on a trip marvels at the scenery much more than he did before the stroke,I felt so sad the other day though when we went down town , he wanted to stay in the car as he was tired but I noticed that he had got out as he was too warm & was standing under the verandah of the shops, he was quite content to stand there as I finished the shopping , when I came back he was looking hopeful at people he knew as they went by but no-one had spoken to him & he couldn't understand why, he said "They don't want to talk to me", I explained that they were ignorant about strokes & felt embarassed so would rather not talk as they didn't know any better, I felt so sorry for him & thank God for our true friends who don't treat him any different than they did pre-stroke. No wonder he prefers to stay at home, I don't blame him but wish people were more educated about strokes & other disabilities as they are missing so much out of life by avoiding people that are different!!

Good on Denny. My husband also has aphasia & people assume he cannot communicate with them properly, it is good to hear inspirational stories about other people with aphasia & I get Baz to read them so he knows he is not alone!! Keep up the good work Denny :Clap-Hands: Anne.

Hi Ken, That was interesting what you said about the telephone line zapping your modem, I never thought about that & always pull the computer out from the power.So what is this surge filter & where do you put it???We had to get a new modem from telstra as ours packed up as well. What a pain it is !! Sorry about your friend, 64 is too young too die but unfortunately it happens more & more! I am sure you will be able to give out the lollies to the kids this Christmas & remember your friend as you do it. Best wishes Anne.

Sue, I have just read your last few blogs that I have missed out on I know what you mean about the slightest thing can turn you into a different person I also feel that,I think it is because we used to have someone to buffer it (Ray & Baz) & now we have to cope on our own & make all the decisions so it is easier to snap that probably we used to, also you have been through a lot these past few months & have had to reorganize your life once again! At least Ray is going back to daycare so you will have a bit more free time, but it does go so quickly doesn't it ... I have been cooking tea, cleaning up & trying to catch up on the blogs etc in between downloading a photo onto the gallery & now realise that I downloaded the same picture twice.. TOO MUCH to do, so I don't know how you do it. I am in awe of all you manage to do in one day & I am sure that Ray appreciates it. Hope your new bathroom is done or at least well on the way ! Thinking of you, Anne.

Hi Lesley, how terrific to see the familiar Kia Ora, I also am originally from NZ (Christchurch) now living in the Snowy Mountains Australia, you are a long way from Home but I read your profile & you have had an amazing life, you sound as though you have it all together . I wish you & George the best of Luck & welcome to the Blogging it is a wonderful site & thanks for giving me a little piece of nostalgia. Kia Ora, Anne.

Well we saw the first Black Swans swimming down on the river when I opened the curtains this morning, Baz was very excited as he loves to see the ducks & swans swimming down there !! We are still getting hot weather even though it is nearly the end of March, we will have to remember to turn our clocks back tonight as Daylight saving ends. :Clap-Hands: I have a book beside the TV remotes which I write down the tapes I have taped off the TV & what is on the them, Baz started it before he had the stroke & I have carried it on as I would never renmember what I had taped otherwise, I didn't have one written down & Baz must have remembered me saying what number it was, when I picked up the book I noticed that he had painstakingly written Bros & Sisters ( Brothers & Sisters) I had a little cry as it has been 3 years since he has even tried to write things without me spelling it out or telling him what to write !! The smallest things mean the most to all of us who are caring or surviving a stroke !!

Well I am trying to make good on my resolution & blog more for Baz & Me as it is good to bee able to read all the wonderful blogs & get to know people better. Baz is doing well, he is wanting to get out more which is great as we have had a lot of rain here & in the surrounding districrts & the whole landscape has changed everything is GREEN & wonderful, when we go out in the car Baz is in awe & says at least 100 times in our hour journey" look at all the green ' We are so used to a brown landscape as we have been in drought for 3 years. It's a shame that some of the Country is still in drought & not as lucky as us. The cows & sheep are in heaven, so full they are lying down contentedly instead of pawing at the ground for every tiny piece of grass they can find, our river was down to a trickle but now is flowing again & we are looking forward to sitting on our balcony & seeing the black swans come down the river again. The best thing I did was get the balcony built when Baz had his stroke so there was somewhere he could sit & enjoy the view, it was worth every penny to see the contentment on his face !