WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

I have been seeing the physio once a week and she is as frustrated as I that there is no progress possible because as soon as she tries to get the knee straight, it pushes up against her and cancels out her effort. That’s why, 3 months after the op, the knee is still not straight (and I suspect will stay that way now, kind of frozen in that position). My bad luck, or is the Lord trying to tell me something?

     One of the children of the well known Drs. John and Gloria Brouckaert, passed away (inoperable colon cancer) and I was asked to take the cremation service as I have been a friend of the family for over 50 yrs. This family with its many kids and totally committed mom and dad, both doctors here at St. Mary’s hospital, kept me sane in those first years when I had just arrived in South Africa.Mostly a family affair with a good number of friends. It was lovely to see the family all pulling together to have a beautiful farewell for their sister. The service was on the 15^th at the crematorium.

     On the 16^th I concelebrated with a friend at Savannah Park.  First time in 3 months. It was the feast of the Holy Trinity and we used incense. He did the incensing and I stood back and leaned on something. ( I still easily lose my balance).ne

  On Tuesday, 18^th, I saw the Neurologist, Dr. Colin Wolpe and told him that the medicine we had been trying didn’t work at all. The spasms keep coming as they have since just after the knee op on Mar. 14^th. I was ready to give up but he said let’s try cortisone. He phone the doctor who did the op to check if cortisone would interfere in the healing process of the knee and was given the go ahead.

He then wrote out a long and complicated scrip. Beginning with 3 days of IV’s of cortisone followed by cortisone taken orally (pills),

               After trying here and there I managed to get all that was on the scrip.

The plan is now to use the sisters sick bay on Wed. Thurs. And Fri. this week to get the new procedure started and keep our fingers crossed that it shows some signs of taking away the spasms.

     In the meantime, I have been cleaning some of my drawers and shelves where some tiny mice have been nibbling away at a few snacks I had stored away.

    I had some visitors also who brought some delicious and pungent samosas. I love them.

Saturday the 22^nd we had the interment of Lizzies ashes underneath a tree in a friend’s beautiful garden. I am sure that she will be happy there.

    Yesterday, the 23^rd was the second time I was at Savannah Park since the op. It was the feast of Corpus Christi so there was a procession with the blessed sacrament which I sat out. I promised to try to say a Mass at the hospital on Wednesday at 6am. We shall see how that goes.

    I also managed to get to the Paulines bookshop to pick up a book for Nomonde…Angels Help from On High---stories and prayers. I wonder what she is getting up to now.

    Well, that brings us up to date. Let’s keep praying that this cortisone will do something good. Take care.

Patience… a day at a time.    Cas.

June 8, 2019

   Tomorrow  is Pentecost.

Wow, how time flies. It is already June 10^th and all my good resolutions to attack my blog have gone with the wind. But, here it is, Tuesday night, and I will try to fill you in on what has been happening since the last blog. Not much, really,

     The spasms have been continuing.

I noticed that my air time was being eaten up in huge chunks even though I hadn’t made any phone calls, like R60.00 at a go , in one day. I used to get R150 of air time that lasted more than a month and a half. Where was this going and how???

   June 27   After several tries by friends with no lasting results, I went to the provider, Vodacom, and found out that I hadn’t updated anything for years and the system was trying to do that on my air time because we have a wi fi in the house and it was when I was away from home that this was happening. It took two hours to remove the guilty stuff and R250 for the service. I will try to  download once a month and not let it updates pile up like that in the future.

     On the 28^th I had a dentist appointment with Sr. Michael, who has been looking after me (teeth wise, for more than 40 yrs. Now. I am convinced that the all powerful, all knowing God that I love and try to serve could have done a better job on teeth. God must have had his reasons why God gave me such disintegratable teeth. On the 28^th, I had a session with my

( My medicine is kicking in now and I am nodding off here so I had better give it up and try again tomorrow.) See you tomorrow.

It is tomorrow now (29^th). I am just as drowsy as yesterday. But here goes. Over the weekend (Friday 31^st to Sunday,June 2^nd ) I moved back upstairs to my own room. ( I had been moved down to the ground floor  after my knee operation and had been living there for 3 months) I had to keep going upstairs to get some underwear or a toothbrush or something that I needed from my room upstairs and I thought it is now time to move  back to my normal habitat. I needed lots of help since I am not supposed to be picking up and carrying heavy things since my spinal operation last November (am at the stage in my life where I am slowly but surely falling apart)

    Ever since the knee replacement op, I have been having spasms (I counted 5 a minute—that is 300 an hour which have been hounding me since the op on the 14^th of March.) An MRI was taken of my whole spine and the brain too but they could find no causal connection between them and the spasms. (I wanted to get an affidavit from the neurologist confirming that my brain is working ok show to my detractors). But, till now, they have not been able to find the cause of the spasms. They are treating the symptoms and not the cause(s).

     The physiotherapist is frustrated because when she tries to get my knee straight, the   she pushes down, the harder the spasm pushes back up to her so it cancels out her work so she gets nowhere.

   I am still able to drive (thank the Lord) without being hindered by the spasms.

I have seen the neurologist twice in the past 4 weeks and the physiotherapist also twice but no progress only upping the dosage of the pills I take and then monitoring to see if they are having any effect…. So far only a drowsiness that affects my sleeping positively. Otherwise the spasms keep coming

     I was supposed to go on my home leave this year but with this hanging over my head I had to cancel the trip. Hopefully next year. We shall see.

    In the meantime, I keep doing my exercises and some new ones to try to force the knee to its proper place, which takes a whole lot of care whingeing physio exercises. I am prepared to be like this if I Have to be but I would prefer to get this thing straightened out, (hey, I have got to go… I keep falling asleep. I will catch up with you all tomorrow.