Author: joannerambling

I am a mother and grandmother and I blog about my family and my life along with anything else that takes my fancy

WEEK 24 OF 2026

~ joannerambling ~ 1 Comment

Had a good sleep, slept for a bit over 8hrs, had a nice shower when I got up, I don’t shower every day because I don’t go out a lot, nor do I get dirty or even hot and sweaty so don’t see the point in a daily shower. If I don’t shower, I do have a good wash first thing in the morning.

Tim got a phone call asking if he could work today, he started at 11.30am and will finish at midnight.

It is now 9pm and I have had 3hrs of sleep, around 5.30pm I started to feel not with it as in extremely tired and unwell. So, I had Tasha come and help me get ready for bed and while I was getting changed, I decided to just go to bed. I must have fallen asleep very fast as the next thing I knew I had to pee and realised it was 8.55pm. I will stay up for an hour or so before going back to bed.

Steps: 4,502 = 3k’s

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After I went back to bed I slept well till 4.40am when I got up and I feel good this morning. It is a cold 10c or 50f and I have the heater on but will turn it off soonish.

I have had a good morning, went for a walk and did the housework.

Tim didn’t get up till around 9am, thankfully it is a public holiday here so no work for Tim.

Dave has finally had his surgery so now he just needs to recover.

Steps: 4,962 = 2.5k’s

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I slept well and got up at 4.40am, I had around 7hrs of sleep, it is 10c or 50f at 5.30am.

I was late going for a walk so only walked around the driveway as I don’t like walking on the road after 8am due to the amount of traffic. I also don’t like using the walker on wet grass.

Dave has at long last had his surgery and all went well, Sue and I may go and see him on Friday.

I stripped the bed and remade it with warmer sheets. I managed it but it wasn’t easy and left me exhausted.

Steps: 7,697 = 3.9k’s or 2.5miles

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Had a good night, I was up at 4.20am and had a shower straight after getting up. The temp this morning was 14c according to my phone, or 13c according to my watch and the laptop said 10c, this is normal and when I write the temp each morning, I pick a number like today I would normally say 12c.

It is a warmish day, I had two naps during the day, I did the usual housework as well as mopping the kitchen floor.

After that I sat in a darkish room and closed my eyes for 25 minutes.

Dave is doing ok, but not up for visitors yet which I get I have long thought when someone is in hospital really unwell people coming to see them may feel draining, especially if all one wants to do is sleep.

After lunch I decided I needed another nap this time I slept for 55 minutes and felt good afterwards.

Steps: 8,258 = 4.1kgs or 2.5 miles.

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I had a so-so sleep got around 6 & ½ hours, woke at 4.20am and got up at 5am the temp is 14c or 57f, it is wet outside but not raining.

I had trouble trying to dress ready to go shopping, I couldn’t put my pants on and just sat on the side on the bed staring at nothing till I thought to put my Beechband on.

After I did that, my mind became focus enough to ring Tasha for help, she came and helped.

Sue and I went shopping, no issues but as we were leaving the centre my feet started to feel heavy and I was glad   to get home and take my shoes off.

Steps: 9,399 = 4.7k’s or 2.8 miles

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Had a decent night, up at 4.20am washed and dressed, the temp at 5am is 14c or 57f, I managed to get 6 & ½ hours of sleep.

Sue and I have Dr appointments for our care plan reviews this morning. All went well spoke to the doc about the popping sensation and pain on the left side of my neck at the base of the skull.

Dave is being discharged today.

By 4pm I was so tired I had to close my eyes for 30 minutes.

I told Tasha not bother coming down tonight as I am fine and it’s cold and wet outside.

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I slept well but was awake and up at 4am after having nearly 8hrs of sleep. It is 12c or 53f at 5am, one thing I like about getting up that early is having how quiet and still the morning feels.

Sue locked herself out of her flat this morning and had to ring Sandy who was still asleep and get her to take the spare key over and let Sue into the flat, it was 9.30am.

Sue and I went to Kmart so she could get a new lighter vacuum then we went to see Dave. He doesn’t look good, he was sleeping on the lounge, and I thought he looks old and sick. Both Sue and I thought the same thing.

Tim is at work today and won’t be home till around 1am.

Steps: 9,846 = 5k’s or 3 miles

Going Home

~ joannerambling ~ 12 Comments

DAVE & LEIGH

Received this message from my sister in-law Leigh about Dave.

His Coming Home later today! 🎉At first, we thought a tad early since the drains only came out yesterday but after talking with Respiratory Team just now and worked through our concerns, we are now confident with his Discharge today! Follow up with GP next Tuesday, Follow up bloods and Xray in 4 weeks, fast tracked if he was to represent back to ED with complications!

Sue and I will go and visit him tomorrow.

DAVE & SUE

Update on Dave

~ joannerambling ~ 10 Comments

Hi all, I am posting this update about my brother, these are text messages sent by my sister in-law.

Sunday 7 June

We have some beautiful nurses today making regular calls to the Theatre team to see if his still to be done today, his still on the list for today so far and unfortunately just playing the waiting game again!

Cancelled for the 4th time, doing it all over again tomorrow!

I’m thinking they took him off the emergency list when his bloods improved so not so urgent but surely it would be making scare tissue and adhesions etc

Monday 8 June

They have collected him for surgery just now! 😔🎉Should be approx 1hr plus up to 2hrs recovery! Won’t know yet if he will go to ICU or a ward but they will call me when he hits recovery! 🤞all goes well and his recovery can start! Thank you so much for your love and support, will update again when his out! ❤️

And please sisters don’t panic if he does go to ICU they have a bed ready for him in icu just in case he needs it and it’s could just be a cautionary me to send him there because of his diabetes in her blood pressure

Tuesday 9 June

Hey all, his still in recovery, his asking to hold off visiting until he hits the ward as only 1 visitor at a time and his sleeping on and off still! His had a reasonable sleep overnight a little pain on coughing but has a pain button to press every 5 mins if needed! No details from the surgeon yet on how it went, didn’t have to open so just 2 chest drains for a few days and small wounds to heal!

At this stage he will get a bed F3 bed 12 but won’t be ready till 11ish but nurses talk will be 3pm lol.

I will add that on Monday Leigh told the hospital that if he didn’t have his surgery today, she wanted him transferred to Newcastle Private Hospital this is the hospital where they both work, Leigh as a nurse and Dave is in charge of the back-dock.

She filled in forms and lodged a complaint as Dave had been told he would have his surgery only to have it postpone 4 times and we all felt this was a joke

DAVE & LEIGH

Deadly or Dangerous Animals Down Under

~ joannerambling ~ 9 Comments

Hello everyone I have decided to do some posts about some deadly creatures found here in Australia, starting with one that we don’t consider dangerous but has caused around 20 deaths each year.

Most deaths are from falls while riding, with most victims being over 45 years old.

Horses are responsible for around 31% of all animal related deaths.

Around 3,000 to 4,000 Australians are hospitalised each year due to horse‑related injuries. Horses consistently rank as one of the top causes of animal‑related hospital admissions in the country.

These include:

Falls while riding

Being thrown

Being crushed or kicked

Farm accidents

Trail riding accidents

The most common injuries are

Fractures (especially arms, ribs, spine)

Head injuries

Soft‑tissue trauma

Internal injuries from crushing

Those most likely to come a cropper are those over 45 and children aged between 10 and 14.

Week 23 of 2026

~ joannerambling ~ 4 Comments

Had a pretty good night I got up at 4.10am as I was feeling restless, I have tossed a load of clothes on to wash, cleaned the kitchen and swept the hallway and loungeroom.

It is 11c or 52f at 5am, by 6am I started to feel really tired so I don’t think I will go for a walk.

At 6.20 Leigh posted to the family chat that Dave was back at the JHH, they rang him last night saying he had to go back due to his last blood tests showing what they think is Ecoli.

So much for him improving he is worse and now it looks like he will need surgery to drain the fluid from his long as it has increased during the week. This is serious Sandy came over and told me in person then she went and told Sue and will tell Jeannie as well.

Steps:7,630 = 3.8k’s or 2.3 miles

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Had a pretty good night I got up at 4.10am as I was feeling restless, I had a shower and dressed for the day it is 10c or 50f at 5.30am.

Went and had my CT scan done and after that Sue and I went to visit Dave and we are both glad we did as he didn’t look as bad as we both thought he would.

He is hoping to be operated on tomorrow.

I have had a great day Parkinson’s wise the best day I have had in a long time.

Steps: 7,633= 3.2k’s or 2.3 miles

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I was up and dressed by 5am after a nice 8 & half hours of sleep, it was 14c 57f not supposed to be as cold as yesterday, but we will see.

I am really cold this morning, but I still went for my walk.

Dave thought he was going to have his surgery today but by 5pm he was told that it might not be done till Saturday this is so frustrating.

I am so very tired this afternoon and will be in bed quite early.

Steps: 6,922 = 3.5k’s or 2.1 miles

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I slept straight through the night waking with the alarm at 5am, I had around 8hrs of sleep

It was 13c or 55f.

I was feeling good this morning but around 10am that changed I got a headache and started to feel like shit. Thankfully after around an hour I started to feel better.

I have spent an hour or so each day sorting out the spare room and I am nearly done, hopefully tomorrow will be the last day then I am going to start on Tim’s office which is a right mess.

Steps: 7,958 = 4’s or 2.5 miles

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I slept straight through the night waking with the alarm at 5am, I had around 8hrs of sleep

It was 13c or 55f.

I was feeling good this morning but around 10am that changed I got a headache and started to feel like shit. Thankfully after around an hour I started to feel better.

I have spent an hour or so each day sorting out the spare room and I am nearly done, hopefully tomorrow will be the last day then I am going to start on Tim’s office which is a right mess.

Steps: 7,958 = 4’s or 2.5 miles

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I had a good night and was up at 4.30 got around 9&1/2 hrs of sleep at 5am it was 14c or 57f.

I went for my morning walk, I am still increasing the walk slowly, but I am not comfortable walking too far from home.

It has been a warm day; I have done nothing much other than the usual housework.

Steps:6,431 = 3k’s or 1.7miles

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What a night only got just under 6hrs of sleep, was up at 4.25am. The temp at 5am is 12c or 53f and yes, I have the heater on.

I started to feel so cold I put a long sleeve singlet on.

Sue had her eyes checked and ordered new glasses. She also walked out with a headache, which has only got worse as the day has gone on.

After getting home I had to take off the singlet as I felt hot.

Steps: 4,910 = 2.5k’s

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JESSICA’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 37 TODAY

I slept straight through the night getting 10&1/2 hours of sleep it is only 8c or 46.4f.

I found Tim already up and at his computer. He told me he couldn’t get into Facebook or his emails, when I checked he was using a different browser and when I clicked on the one I use, he was signed into both sites. He said I never told him to use that browser, but I know I did.

The day has warmed up it is 18c at 2pm

Jessica came down to help Tasha with something and gave me a big hug and thanked me for her birthday card and gift.

Steps:7,555 = 3.8k’s or 2.3 miles

Caturday with Luca

~ joannerambling ~ 5 Comments

Hello everyone, here we are at another Caturday and today I’m here showing you some photos me the handsome tuxedo called Luca.

Here I am playing with a great toy

                                            Here I am hiding because I could

Here I am with Blain, oh how I love this boy

This is me and mum isn’t mum so beautiful 

Diabetic Retinopathy

~ joannerambling ~ 2 Comments

Let’s start with what the hell is wrong with me I wrote this and forgot to hit   publish on Tuesday and the Wednesday and now here we are at Thursday, talk about getting distracted and having a scatter brain. 

This week we are looking the eye condition called Diabetic retinopathy. This is a condition that some who has diabetes may develop it causes damage to the tiny blood vessels in the retina and can lead to vision loss or blindness if untreated.

It’s a complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes where high blood glucose gradually harms the retinal blood vessels. These vessels can:

Swell and leaks

Close off, stopping blood flow

Grow abnormal new vessels that bleed easily

Over time, this damages the retina and affects vision.

There are two stages the first is non‑proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). In this stage the following may happen

The blood vessels weaken and leak

The retina swells

The macula may swell known as macular oedema, this causes blurred vision.

The next stage is proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in this advanced stage, the following happens new fragile blood vessels grow, these can bleed into the vitreous (causing floaters or major vision loss) and scar tissue can form and pull the retina away as in retinal detachment.

Early on, there may be no symptoms at all.

However, as it progresses, people may notice:

Blurry or fluctuating vision

Floaters (dark spots or cobweb-like shapes)

Dark or empty patches in vision

Poor night vision

Sudden vision loss

How is this diagnosed?

To start with a dilated eye exam is essential during this the eye specialists may use the following.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure retinal swelling

Fluorescein angiography to detect leaking or blocked vessels (the dye test shown in the widget above)

Treatment depends on the stage, usually starting with

Control of diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol which is the foundation of preventing vision loss

Anti‑VEGF injections (e.g., Eylea, Lucentis) to reduce swelling and stop abnormal vessel growth

Laser therapy to seal leaking vessels or shrink abnormal ones

Vitrectomy surgery for severe bleeding or retinal detachment

Your risk increases when these things apply

Long duration of diabetes

Poor blood sugar control

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Smoking

Update about my brother

~ joannerambling ~ 12 Comments

Good evening, all! Yesterday I received these updates about Dave but decided to wait to post them here so I could share as much as possible. These were written by my sister in-law.

A bit of an update overnight, Daves ok but his back in ED but not by choice. We received a call from a JHH Dr at 9pm explaining one of his tests from Monday has come back positive for Ecoli in his blood. He asked Dave a series of questions and explained since he still isn’t well he needs to go back to ED for further treatment, we got up there about 9.30, he got a bed in ED maybe about 1am, bloods again, ECG, Xray and IV antibiotics, their waiting for the Respiratory team to start at 7am to see if his to stay in hospital for IV antibiotics or if he can go home on oral antibiotics. I’m heading back up there now after leaving at 3am to get a few hrs sleep so I can be there for when the Respiratory team is there. I’ll keep u all updated!

His had some sleep and pain relief, he asked for O2 just to make the alarm stop lol O2 is 93-96% ED Dr said from what he could see he thinks the Plural Effusion might be a bit bigger but wants to wait till he speaks to the team to see if he goes for further scans.

ED Dr has just come in, they’re going to do an ultrasound to see if there’s enough to drain so they can test it, then that may change the treatment and how long he stays in hospital.

Ok it is now 12.30pm and I just had a visit for my sister Sandy; she came to tell me the latest about Dave and it’s not good. He is going to have to have surgery to remove the fluid at the base of his lung which has increased from 1cm’s on Monday to 3cms now, the fluid is in bubbles at the base of his lung and Sandy said the area looks like a spider web.

This is not good in anyway at all and both me and Sandy had a cry, he will be in hospital for around 3 weeks, how soon the surgery will happen we don’t know yet.

After telling me Sandy went and told Sue and she also Jeannie, I am really concerned about him.

Monday update from Sandy

Respiratory team just reviewed him, Aiming for surgery tomorrow but could keep getting bumped due to other emergencies, they will try keyhole but may have to convert to open, will have chest drain post op for a few day, will be in hospital for a few days after the chest drains are removed then long term IV antibiotics but can be done as an outpatient everyday through the JHH. They are investigating his diabetes and waiting for a renal ultrasound to investigate his and manage his high blood pressure.

Me and Sue went and saw him today and we both felt better as he looked and sounded ok, he was in good spirits joking that he will be operated on tomorrow and home on Friday, but that’s not going to happen he should be in between 2 & 3 weeks.

I will end this with a big thank you to all who have prayed for Dave, it is very much appreciated by me.