LIVING LIGHTLY OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS
If you read my blog regularly (thank you if you do!) you'll know I chose "Live Lightly" as my Word(s) Of The Year for 2023. I've made a pledge to myself to chill out a little this year and to take things as they come, rather than trying to push too hard or trying to control everything. I hope my year will reflect taking life at a gentler pace and stepping lightly and slowly.
So, on that note, to wrap up March, I'll be sharing a few little highlights that contributed towards a lovely month....
FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS
We had a lovely trip up to the city to see our kids during March. It was a really fun time of sharing updates, memories, laughter, and food. It's always good to see the grandgirls on their home turf and to just spend time together as an extended family for a while. Our son had been to China for two weeks and had lots of travel tales to tell, and our daughter and SIL are planning to sell their house and move in a few weeks - so LOTS of updates for us all to catch up on. So many in fact that I didn't remember to take a single photo!
I thought I'd share this one that my DIL sent of the grandgirls waiting for their dad to get home from the airport.
BLOGGING HIGHLIGHTS
This month I did a little freshen up of the blog - I updated my slider at the top and put up a new profile picture (seeing the last one was a couple of years old). I was thinking about paying for a whole blog theme, but that came with the risk of breaking it again, so I looked at the two things that were bugging me - the slider that I couldn't remember how to change and my little round profile pic. I figured out how to change both and felt quite savvy by the end of it. I'm happy with how it's looking......and it saved me the cost of an update - win/win!
If you missed any of my March posts you can pop over and read them by clicking on the links below:
CREATING HIGHLIGHTS
I'm still playing around with collage here and there, plus some colouring in, and also a jigsaw or two. I thought I'd share my most recent March collages for those who are interested.
HEALTH STUFF (NOT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS...)
Well, it never rains but it pours. I used to be a person who went to their doctor every few years when it was time for a review. I never got sick and never needed to see a GP. Then my hip packed in on me last year and I spent all of 2022 - limping, losing more and more mobility, having a total hip replacement, and then recovering
Just as I was patting myself on the back and feeling like I was back on track, I remembered to have the blood test I was supposed to do last year to re-check my parathyroid levels (they were a little elevated). Lo and Behold......they were up even further and so was my blood calcium; and my Vit D was way down. Off to the endocrinologist, then another blood test, a urine test, a bone density scan (to check for osteoporosis - the biggest risk from this), then a 4D CT scan of my neck, and finally a nuclear medicine scan - where I was injected with radioactive stuff to find out which gland might be the dodgy one - apparently it will glow on the scan (it made me feel a bit like Spiderman). I have a follow-up with the specialist next week for my results, and then maybe a referral to a surgeon - it's made the quote below very applicable during this time....
MARCH'S LIVING LIGHTLY QUOTE
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Hi Leanne - Nothing like spending some time with children and grandchildren. The positivity is truly energizing.
ReplyDeleteAs we age, our body is bound to falter. It's a natural process, and we need to accept that reality. It's good to have the periodic medical review done. Today we have a lot of advanced medical tests, so why not use them. It's good to know what parameters are going wrong, so we can take remedial steps to set them right before it's too late.
Hi Pradeep - you're right about having access to tests and scans etc, especially as we aren't in the city. I was relieved that we had a visiting specialist and the facilities here to have the scans done without having to add travel into the mix. It would just be nice to not be dealing with it at all.....but age definitely adds some physical failings into the mix.
DeleteHi Leanne, overall it sounds like a positive month, even with the new health issues. At least you are getting on top of things quickly and will be past it soon. Family visits are the best medicine!
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne - I figure I'm reaching "that age" where health things pop up unexpectedly on an occasional basis and have to be dealt with. I think I'll feel a lot better about it all when I have some definitive answers and a plan.
DeleteI firmly believe knowing what is wrong and dealing with it is the best policy in life. Glad you are getting all the tests and figuring it out! Hoping for the best news possible.
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - that's exactly how I feel. I need some answers and a plan on how to proceed, then I just tick off the steps til the end (hopefully). What I don't need are questionable results, so I'm hoping for a clear diagnosis and then on to the next step.
DeleteHello Leanne, March sounds as though it was a mainly positive month. Time spent with family is always lovely and being too busy to take photos sounds as though you had a great time. The collages are so colourful; I particularly like the woman in the rain with the umbrella.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to read you have had some health issues but it is good that you were able to have scans and tests quickly. I hope you get the results soon and are able to get the issues resolved quickly.
Hi Elizabeth - it's always so lovely when we get to catch up with our "kids" - I miss that they don't live nearby, but I'm okay with it all when we see them and spend some quality time together. It was a lovely catch-up and so much better than facetime.
DeleteThe health issues are just another annoyance - I'm hoping they'll be straightforward and I can get through and tick them off before too much more time goes by. x
Hi, Leanne - Your granddaughter, and your collages, are gorgeous. Both so bright and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBTW - I agree that it gets harder and harder to avoid doctors as we age!
Thanks for your kind words - my collages do bring me a lot of joy - they use part of my brain that has been dormant for a very long time. And yes, I think you're right about doctors - I might start getting some value out of my health insurance in the days and years ahead!
DeleteHi, Leanne - I am not sure why my comment came through as annonymous. I am off to try to fix that now! :D
DeleteWhile the details of my health story is different from yours, the overall feeling is very similar. I hope this next issue gets squared away smoothly. Sounds like you had a lovely time with family. (I get it about forgetting to take photos!) Your collages are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle - thanks for the encouragement and to know that others battle health things popping up when you really just want a break from it all. I'm hoping this will be a lot more straightforward than my hip was - and more quickly sorted (fingers crossed). And yes it was such a nice time seeing my "kids" - something I really miss with them living a few hours away. And thanks for your lovely compliment about my collages. x
DeleteWishing you all the best !!! Take care of yourself
ReplyDeleteThank you so much - I feel like my body is not being my best friend atm - but hopefully I'll get it sorted in a shortish timeframe and be able to get on with things again. I wasn't expecting to be back at the doctor's quite so quickly!
DeleteOh I bet it was wonderful to spend time with your children and grandgirls again. I hope that your scans give you good news; or at the very least something that is easily treated.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne - it was a lovely time with the family - I love every moment we get to spend together - and I think I appreciate it even more because we don't see them as much as I'd like to. And yes, I hope the results are clear so we have the next steps sorted - I think it'll be a referral further up the foodchain - and hopefully they'll fix me (probably with surgery - but smaller than my hip op was).
DeleteHi Leanne. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I envy you for all the time you get to spend with your Grand girls. I miss mine so much. Take care and let me know how the tests go. xx Christina Daggett
ReplyDeleteI certainly feel for you being so far from your family Christina - living your life is so fabulous, but there's always a downside isn't there? I'll keep you posted on the results from the tests and what the specialist tells me next week. xx
DeleteI love the quote by Aldous Huxley—and I like the way you enhanced it. Your posts are so colorful and so much fun to read!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much - the Huxley quote resonated with me because it's so easy to get bogged down in the stuff you can't fix, instead we need to step lightly through it and let life take its course while we focus on the brighter aspects. :)
DeleteHi Leanne, I wish you well for your results, the waiting is often the hardest part. You have certainly had a barrage of tests and I wish you you well. That Huxley quote is perfect for your WOTY and should be emblazoned in every post! How sweet are your grandgirls waiting for their daddy to come home, I'm so glad you had time with the family recently. I'm counting down for our trip to see our daughter (for a very special birthday) and Dottie again! Take care x
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - distance certainly makes us appreciate how valuable family is and how much love there is. I imagine it gets multiplied even further when the distance is as immense as it is from here to the UK. And yes, there has been a barrage of tests and I'm pretty much over it all - I'd just like an answer so I can move on to the solution. Patience is a lesson I'm still learning at times... x
DeleteHi Leanne, some lovely highlights there for over the last few weeks. Your granddaughter are little cuties and I'm loving the new profile pic of you! So sorry to hear of your health dramas! I was unaware (not keeping up with everything these days). I hope the appt for the results goes well and it turns out to be an easily fixed scenario for you! I know that meanwhile, the waiting would be hard! Take care xo
ReplyDeleteHi Min - thanks for the compliment on the profile pic - it was well and truly due for a change and in the end I just got my husband to snap a quick pic so I could put it up in the new format. And yes, waiting is a pain - I want to get on with things.....if I need to have an op (which I think I do) I just want it done and dusted so I can forget about it all.
DeleteI love the colours in your collages Leanne. I know you've commented on your health-related learning on my post but it reminded me how incredibly slack I am about reading up on my own health issues. I was diagnosed coeliac about 20yrs ago and still don't exactly know what the issue is - something to do with absorption. Same with my underactive thyroid. Let alone my heart stuff.... Not sure why I stay in denial about that stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - I've decided that specialists tell you pretty much nothing - you have to do your own research so you know what questions to ask and actually understand what the long term outcomes are (depending on what you decide to do). There's a lot of gluten intolerance and coeliac stuff in my husband's side of the family (and it ties in strongly with depression for some reason). Our daughter now eats a mainly Keto diet and she's much healthier physically and mentally with less carbs floating around in her system. Denial works for a while, but just puts off the inevitable. x
DeleteI LOVE that last quote - I sort of needed something like that right now.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I've commented on your blog but I was in a while ago and noticed your new profile pic and really liked it. Your art is wonderfully colourful! Sorry to hear about the parathyroid issues, hope everything goes smoothly to have it sorted out. The series of exams sounds exhausting though. Personally I want to stay away from medical stuff if possible these days, probably an effect of my previous nursing career.
Hi Susanne - I think I did well to avoid most medical stuff til my mid 50's but now my body seems to be trying to make up for lost time! I'm hoping to get all of this sorted and behind me, and then not see the inside of a doctor's surgery for a long time. It's tiring and expensive chasing all this up and sorting it out - sometimes ignorance is bliss (well....until it catches up with you at least!) Lovely having you back to comment. x
ReplyDeleteA bit of a mixed bag for you, Leanne with the highs of seeing the girls and your creative work to the not so good health issues. It certainly keeps life interesting. Take care. x
ReplyDeleteHi Sue - yes it's been a bit up and down - I talk a lot about balance in life, but I think I'd like the seesaw to stay on the up for a while. I'm not particularly bothered by it all at this stage - I figure it's all small potatoes compared to the hip stuff from last year :) x
DeleteGlad to hear you are okay despite the seesaw ride. Thanks for linking up with What's Been On Your Calendar? x
DeleteHi Leanne, sending you positive vibes for your test results. Sounds like you had a lovely time in the city with the family. I love the photo of your grandchildren. They are very cute. By the way, I also like the blog changes.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen - yes it's always wonderful to see our "kids" and grandgirls - I don't pine for them while we're not seeing them, but I make the most of every moment when I do! And thanks for noticing the blog changes :)
DeleteI hope the health stuff is ok. I'm not sure I fully understand what you're saying but we are the age, as you say, that a simple visit to the doctor turns into a shopping list of lifestyle changes and further investigation. As for the art, it's lovely, I really like the umbrella one - the images and the colours work wonderfully together (and I also love you just presented them proudly, as you should!) #WWandP
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia - I still hear you in my ear telling me to own my art and enjoy it, and that's what I'm now doing :) The health stuff is what it is, one blood test that heads me off down the pathway of more tests, a specialist, and maybe a surgeon. It's amazing the way one little gland in your neck can cause so much strife when it misbehaves!
DeleteI love your art - it's so colourful and vibrant. Wishing you well re the outcome of the scans and love love love that pic of your grandgirls with the sign.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo - I was super impressed with your parrot art from your latest post - you are super talented - I might be coming to you for pointers soon. I should know the outcome from the scans etc next week - fingers crossed it's a simple solution to the problem.
DeleteI hope that in seeing all the lovely supportive comments about health (and ageing) you know you are not alone. Health is prime. My late mother had a saying that if you have your health, you have everything..however, I also point out we humans are not meant to live forever and of course bodies (and minds) break down in some ways. Each is different of course for us all. Remember too, that we cannot always "know" the reasons for this. I have come to my conclusion via my specialists (who in my case were very helpful because I am a questioner....) that my particular body is like "this". I put off two surgeries for years that could have given me quality of life earlier than age 72 and 73 but because head and neck cancer took precedence, I waited till "I" felt ready. You are doing well and sharing helps us all!! The signs from the granddaughters are so sweet. As always, I am grateful that you shared your post for Wednesday’s Words and Pics. See you again next week, when no more daylight saving in Australia for 6 months, means Eastern States will be all on same time! Denyse.
ReplyDeleteHi Denyse - I don't think I could have coped with this on top of my hip stuff last year. I really needed to have that done and dusted so I could focus on this next hiccup - and fortunately the time I lost hasn't impacted significantly on the outcome - it's just meant "another thing" to deal with when I'd have liked a bit more of a break. I think the body does start to breakdown a bit more every decade (no matter how much we stay in denial) and we just do our best to maintain and stay healthy - and deal with the setbacks as they raise their heads. x
DeleteNice work on your blog updates, Leanne. I can relate to that proud feeling when you figure out something technical on your own. I hope the test results are clear and easy to address. Sending positive energy your way!
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - I felt so proud of myself when I got things to work without paying for a big change. I'm quite content with what I had and just wanted a couple of little tweaks - I find it amazing how I forget how to things that I managed quite capably a year or two previously. It's like my brain filed it into archives and forgot how to find it again!
DeleteAnd thanks for your good wishes - the tests showed what I expected and next week the specialist will tell me what's next - onward and upward!
Love your collages, Leanne. I'm working on some but they're nowhere near yours in prettiness. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your visit to the specialist goes well and there's a simple remedy to your health issues. You are always an inspiration! ♥
ReplyDeleteHi Corinne - I hope you share some of your collages when they're finished - I've been following along with your FB posts and they'd be great for those too - often art reflects whatever is happening in our heart. x
DeleteLeanne, great pictures especially of your grand daughter...as someone who has dealt with many health issues over the last 20 years, it is better to go through all the tests and find out the issues and start treatment...You will feel better afterward....
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to stop by!!
Happy April!!
Hugs,
Deb
Hi Deb - you're right about getting onto things when it comes to our health. I thought about delaying it, but when surgery is the only answer, it's probably best to just bite the bullet and get the show on the road. I'll know more when I see the specialist next week (hopefully...)
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