Magnetism

Let us always meet each other

with a smile,

for the smile

is the beginning of love.

~Mother Teresa




Must have got a taste for outings after going to Noosa.  We decided we wanted a long weekend  away and were going to go on a road trip to Lightening  Ridge which is in the north of  NSW.  The plan was to leave Friday morning and come back Monday.  Then Glen was watching the weather report on Thursday evening and noticed that it was 28C in Townsville.  We weren't enjoying the unusually cold winter (for Sydney) and decided to go there instead. So booked flights and accommodation for Magnetic Island, which lies just off the coast of Townsville in Queensland, late on Thursday and flew out Friday morning.  Great spontaneous choice!  We had a fabulous warm and sunny weekend.  Glen has a cousin living on Magnetic Island so we caught up with him and his partner.  Coincidentally I have a cousin living in Townsville who I had seen about once in the last 45 years and that was about 20 years ago, so we caught up with her on the Monday as well.  So it was all good.

Magnetic Island is situated in North Queensland's renowned Great Barrier Reef region about 8 km out from Townsville, a pleasant ferry ride.  The majority of the island is national park and there are about 2000 inhabitants.  It features spectacular natural landscapes and seascapes including granite boulder-strewn headlands, hoop pines, sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs.  One of the highlights was walking to Balding Bay which can only be reached on foot or by boat.  The walk was pretty strenuous but definitely worth the effort, the small bay was stunning and the water warm enough even for me to have a swim.  The apartment we rented was right on the water and we saw several turtles surfacing.  On one walk up to some old world war II relics and stunning views we saw 4 koalas, delightful.  The rent of the apartment included the use of a little convertible Golf car so we zoomed around in that.  What a fabulous weekend.


We arrived home on the Monday and I had missed an infusion on the Friday, so back to it on Tuesday.  I was feeling particularly woossie and put the needle into the port through a little crater in the skin that was basically scar tissue from the long term needle placement in Germany.  I don't usually use that point but it has the advantage of not having any sensation left.  Unfortunately I had a bad reaction as I think the skin at the bottom of the little crater had gone and left the port exposed to the open air and the disinfectant.  Not sure if it got infected or just inflamed but it was very unpleasant.  I started on some antibiotics but by Friday decided I needed to get it fixed.  So this morning I was back in St Vincents Hospital, where I had the port put in last year, for some surgical repairs.  The doctor really wanted to replace the port and put a new one in in a different spot but I convinced him to try and just repair the skin by excising the little crater.  Hopefully it will all work out.  In any case I am home now and have taken some pain relief medication as the local anaesthetic has worn off.  At least I will have another little break from infusions this week and I plan to go visit my mother at Tea Gardens.
 
Had my regular blood tests and all is fine, kidneys & liver functioning well, blood counts all good and Tumour Marker reasonably low at 29 (started at 80).  Still need to get my mercury levels rechecked.  Then in September/October another scan and more blood tests for Greece.

Looking forward to Spring's warmer weather and longer days.

Surviving and thriving.
Linda