swilkinson

Staff - Stroke Support
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Everything posted by swilkinson

  1. I agree , I had that cruise on the Ruby Princess and if I hadn't been on it because of my friends need I wouldn't have gone. But a couple of days on the Murray River would be fine. I am planning some travelling by train later in the year if that is feasible. At he moment Omicron is raging here so will have to wait and see.
  2. Thanks George for the wise words. I guess because the Covid came to Australia on a cruise ship I wouldn't consider a cruise till all this is over. I do need to make some travel plans for this year, time is fleeting and I am getting older by the minute. Will have a think about my options. I am considered a vulnerable person because of the lung damage caused by the RSV virus thirty years ago so when people say " this one is mild and we'll all get over it" I have my doubts.
  3. swilkinson

    Shine

    My word for this year is SHINE. I am not sure for the moment exactly what that means but I am determined not to let the new form of Covid take the colour out of my world. The numbers of cases is high, the government in its wisdom no longer publishes statistics or areas affected so we live in ignorance BUT I will not be afraid. Fear is why my three grandchildren in Adelaide have not come up to stay with their mother this summer holiday. Fear is why there were no Carol services and we are back to wearing masks in church. Fear is a kill joy. So I have to be fearless. I have to do as much as I can to live a normal life. That has been easier with Trevor and Alice here the past week. Living with an active nine year old is very stimulating. Each day is a different experience and it starts when we get up and finishes when we go to bed. I really do wonder each day what exactly we did with our time but who cares? This is summer. Admittedly it is a wet summer but between showers we do outdoor things and when it rains there are movies to watch, card games, pictures to draw, stories to tell. I had Shirley and Naomi, Cate from church, Garry one of the Muffin Break gang and myself on Christmas Day for lunch which went well. Cate stayed for the afternoon. Then Peter came down for a few days and we did old people stuff, morning tea or lunch out, drives along the beaches, two of the flatter beaches we walked along. Nice to have him here as I enjoy his company. Then Peter went home and Alice and Trevor arrived so it's been so busy the past few weeks. A contrast to some previous years when I have been on my own most of January. Each day is a blessing when you have company as a widow. Trevor always tackles some of my odd jobs. It is good to get the back door to slide properly and a good time to buy something for him to set up so I bought new handsets for my landline and a hard drive to store photos on. We took down the Christmas lights and I'll get some help with high cobwebs. Between times he and Alice do whatever you would do at a summer holiday cottage. I love to see them relax and enjoy the coastal lifestyle. Where they live it is hot semi desert country so a trip to the coast does them good. This is a short update but there are things to do today. Stay safe, keep well, I'll be back soon.
  4. I have my son and granddaughter from Broken Hill here for two weeks but the South Australian kids wouldn't come up here to their mother for fear of being "trapped". I guess different people different attitudes.
  5. I just had a booster, no problems with the two Astra Zenaca but the Phizer caused two days of pain from around the injection site. However if that is the price of keeping well I am all for it.
  6. ASHA Bonnie meant a lot to me because as Tracy said the people on here understand us much more than our friends do. So they become our friends who just live in another place. I'll always be grateful to the people I've met on here.
  7. Since we've been out of lockdown the time has gone so fast! There is so much more to do than housework, crocheting and gardening. There is more social activities in my Iife and more charity and pastoral care work. I did get away to Armidale for a week which was nice but in that week weeds sprang up, spiders got busy spinning webs and there seemed to be so many extra small tasks to do when I came back. So the weeks fly by. I have been writing Christmas cards and starting to collect the goodies needed for Christmas Day and the week before New Year. Only four of us for Christmas Day lunch and then I'll be alone for dinner but friends are calling in later in the week. Then the day after New Year Trev and Alice arrive from Broken Hill. I am so looking forward to seeing them, they will be here for two weeks! So I'll be busy till mid-January. Hopefully further Covid restrictions will not prevent that from happening. Are you still worried about Covid? Some people here are. It has really got seriously depressing as far as some people are concerned. The weather isn't helping with a lot of gloomy days and much less warm and sunny days than usual at this time of the year. I am not unduly worried, with my past medical history I take each day as it comes. I try not to waste days so if I can do outside work that is fine, if not there is plenty to do inside. I want to do more traveling once Covid is not dominating our thinking. It would be great to visit old friends and catch up with my sister-in-law in Queensland. But the borders are only just opening up again and school holidays are coming so March or April will be soon enough. Unhappily I am not getting any younger and am aware that my health may be an issue in the future. For those who knew her sadly Bonnie Stockman has just died. Bonnie was my supervisor when I first became a chat host. She was so lovely to me, even sent me postcards, she said to show me she was a REAL person. Many people wil remember Bonnie from back then. Sadly her husband John died and she changed over to Widowed Village where I became reacquainted with her. I have been so thankful for the wonderful people that I have met because of Ray's stroke journey both here and in my local life. I still have morning tea with some of the caregivers I know and love from Ray's Stroke Recovery group WAGS. And I stay on here because I have made many good friends on this site. Good bless you all.
  8. swilkinson

    roadblocks

    Does massage help? I read somewhere that that is helpful. On the whole caregivers are not able to overcome the survivor's free choices. I found that with Ray, that "No" meant "#@% No!!!" And that it can become a medical problem.
  9. It's a bit of a mixed bag, some people are going out and about, planning interstate holidays and family reunions and others hardly come out at all. So talking to friends some will do meet ups and some think next year is soon enough. No-one seems very excited about Christmas, so no parties just meet ups. I went to one end of year gathering and was the only person dressed in Christmas gear which was really unusual. And some still think there will be future shut downs.
  10. My bad days were when I saw couples doing what Ray and I used to do. Now it is sometimes just seeing couples. I think there will always be reminders of the way we were. Luckily most people don't notice so we put on a brave face and just get on with it.
  11. swilkinson

    New everything!

    Love those successful moving stories, enjoying Iife is a priority after all we have been through, whether caregivers or survivors.
  12. Tracy, good to hear about the lighter, healthier you. Happy to hear you have a new part time job, earning money does give you a boost. Take it slowly and you'll get there without stressing out. And I too am glad to have the blog community of Strokenet back in action again.
  13. ASHA, you have not only lived that life but inspired others, me being one of them. I was thinking a few weeks ago that one of the reasons I got through the lockdown so well was that I was able to go with the flow, doing whatever was available to do. Thank you.
  14. As of the first of November I am allowed to travel . It has been a long time coming. I have been fully vaccinated since the end of June but the State government has been slow to release us from the Greater Sydney area.. But that is set to change on November 1st. We will still be masked and social distanced but we can move around again. Now that is something to be happy about. During lockdown and the past three weeks my life has been very routine. Gardening has been a life saver, something to draw me outside, mild exercise and because the kids next door were also outside, interaction with others. The past three weeks some more shops opened, we were allowed to sit and drink coffee, I actually went out to lunch once and the Lions Club met last Tuesday for dinner. It is not freedom yet but at least some social encounters can take place. I know in a few years we will laugh at our panicking about this virus and the government response but we are all afraid to a certain extent of dying or having an illnesss which will have life long side effects. In 1990 I had a virus that required ten days in hospital with some fairly experimental drugs that eventually saw me cured. However a third of my right lung that was compromised then is now hardening. So I didn't come through it unscathed. I think the same may happen with Covid. So we soldier on. The strokes Ray had taught me to just get on with life. At times when I didn't know what to do I just did the next thing on the list. Sometimes I felt like giving up but who would have looked after Ray if I did? Sometimes when I was in chat or when I posted something on here someone made a kind comment and that was enough to lift my mood and the kindness and concern by people who I hardly knew gave me the courage to go on. So thank you to all those who offer others encouragement on here. I know sometimes we seem to have do little to offer but our comment and the comments of others build us up and encourages us to go on. I don't need to be here now in a way but I still want to stay and interact with others who are in the same position Ray and I once were. Basically I want to express concern and repay the kindness that wa once shown to me. That is important to me. So I hope that those who read this will soon be enjoying some new freedoms too. I hope that you can plan some reunion on Thanksgiving Day or at Christmas or whatever festival you and your family celebrate. I hope your circumstances improve and you can move around freely again. And we then can truly appreciate the true meaning of freedom in a caring community.
  15. I will add my prayers too. You guys are all very special to me.
  16. Nancy, in the last nine years since Ray died I have gone over and over what I could have done differently, what we could have done to prevent his stroke etc. But every time I come back to what I would have lost I had never met the people who have been so important in my life since then yourself included.Then I come to the conclusion that life is how it is meant to be
  17. I try to be positive about the lockdown which looks Iike going on until the end of October. I have a daily diary on Facebook that a lot of people seem interested in. I do try and keep in touch with as many people as I can because I have time. Housework can wait. But it is sometimes emotionally tiring as most people are going to tell me their problems. Anyway one day this will be over and I can't wait for that to happen.