Hi, I'm here

Ahem.....been way too long aye! I hate to admit this, but I forgot my bloody blogger password and didn't know how to get another one.....I guess if I had asked Erin what it was you just might have heard from me abit earlier lol. You know us men, hate asking for directions and in my case, hate asking for bloody passwords hehehehe.
But I bit the bullet ASKED Erin if she happened to know my password....(duhhhh, she set it up for me) and here I am.
Whats happened since last time: I decided not to go with the peg at this stage, then I got sick (caught a heavy flu) and thought to myself well ain't that just TYPICAL Erin and I had discussed the pro's and the con's but she left the final decision up to me, and I just wasn't ready to have it. Since then, I have been progressively getting less mobile. While I was sick, my arms and legs got a lot weaker and I haven't got the strength back now that I'm feeling better. I can still stand at the toilet, but can no longer get myself up off the toilet seat, so I'm using a commode now, its just so much easier for Erin that way. Have received a big box of external catheters to use at nights, because in this cold weather I'm wanting to GO all the time BUT I haven't wanted to use them, and I haven't used them yet. Erin instead put an electric blanket on my bed, something I've always hated and I slept like a baby, all night long without waking to go to the loo. Then I got sick again, and two of our kids got hit bad with the flu and it all got abit much for Erin who had to ring her mum to come and take the older of the two kids to her place for a few days and she hated having to do that.....but she was running around like a chook without a head from room to room with tissues, and cough medicines and anti-biotics as well as having to go to work. Thank goodness for our older two boys who were home with us when she wasn't. Also thank's to Erins job who are really understanding of our situation and are ultra flexible where Erin's work hours are concerned.
So thats been my exciting life since my last post....lol. I'm still positive, I'm doing ok considering, and all my kids are back to their healthy fighting selves oh and I've put my password somewhere where I can find it.....So, I can't use that excuse again.
Wrap up warm, everyone, its cold out there at the moment, look after yourselves and your loved ones.
Bill

Hi, its been a while

Just touching base to let you know everything is good, in fact I'm feeling better then I have in a long time. I have to do things alot slower, but I'm still doing everything for myself. Speech is still really good, eating etc is still really good.
Had an appointment with the gastroenterologist this week, to talk about the insertion of "the peg". I am going to have this done in the next few weeks. As I explained before, I don't actually need it at the moment, but with winter coming on it would probably be in my best interests to have it done now before the cold weather hits just in case I catch a cold/flu and can't eat or I need to take meds which I can then take via "the peg".
Family is good, Gary #4 son started intermediate this year, Pakura #3 son is in his last year at college, Patrick #2 son starts a new job next week......yipeeeeee, Timoti #1 is happy in a relationship and living with his partner Loren, and last but not least Heni our baby girl (she's 8) is enjoying getting spoilt rotten by her brothers, the lil rat!
Thats about all for now but will try and make more effort to update my blog from now on.

Happy New Year everyone!

Well, thats another Christmas come and gone. I ate everything I'm not supposed to eat....lol and enjoyed every minute of it. So far there have been no consequences, so fingers crossed, its going to stay this way for a while. My two sisters were back from Aussie for the Xmas break and together with my mum, step dad and one of my brothers came down to see me before they flew home to Brisbane. Yet to catch up with another brother (lives in Kaitaia) and sister (lives in Auckland) and their families but hopefully will get to do that sooner rather than later. Erin and kids all well, I'm well, no drama's to speak of.
Confined to my wheel chair 24/7 now, still able to do most things for myself though. Only drawback is starting to get pressure sores now coz I'm always on my "you know what" but I suppose things could be worse.
Just before xmas a couple of my mates called around with notebook and pen in hands wanting to know what we needed done around the house in terms of maintenance etc......so like a good soldier I told them what I wanted and they are planning to come around with the rest of the rugby boys to paint my roof and do a few fix-it jobs for me in the next couple of weeks, I'm looking forward to that. If I can figure out how to put pictures on here I'll take a few and put them on here, I wouldn't hold my breath though. Thats all for now, will get back to you all after the boys have worked their magic on my roof......

Brief update

Have had some difficulties since leaving hospital, but for the time being at least have managed to overcome these and I'm doing fine now. My biggest problem right now is coping with a modified diet. Mashed everything....thats what I'm eating at the moment. My "team" have taken me off foods that don't require a lot of chewing or that are too dry.....I am also going to be meeting with the specialist to discuss having a "peg" inserted. I can only explain this how I understand it so the words I use might not be right sorry. A "peg" is a tube that is inserted into your stomach that when required is used to feed someone who for whatever reason cannot take food orally anymore. "Liquid meals" (can't remember the name of the stuff) but for those Kiwi's who have seen the smoking add on tv with the guy who has a trachy????? (cant spell it) he has a peg and shows how to use it.....
Anyway, I don't actually need to use the peg right now but my brush with pneumonia left my "breathing capacity" in a pretty bad way. After a certain point surgeons will refuse to do the operation required to insert the"peg" so I'm having to consider having the operation earlier just in case! Thats how I understand it anyway. Other then that I'm algud. The warmer weather has made a huge difference, I can get outside, even manage to do some work at a snails pace, but it makes me feel useful again. Keeping myself occupied during the day is easier now that its warmer which is just as well because TV sucks at the moment.....same ol movies on Sky movies, no more rugby to watch on Sky sport, have watched just about every old Western and Kung Fu movie that was ever made....lol. Erin reckons if she has to sit through Lonesome Dove one more time she'll walk out.....whats wrong with Lonesome Dove, its a classic?
You probably won't hear from me again until the New Year, so I want to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.
Bill

Hospital was the pits!

I hated being in hospital. Had a really bad experience in the ED and that just put me off the whole rest of my stay there. I get pretty quiet around strangers anyway, but when you're having things shoved up your nose and down your throat without really understanding what the purpose of everything is, you get "anti everything". For a while there I was my own worst enemy in hospital. Erin reckons I was tensing up everytime the curtain opened and some new face with these (pasted on smiles, well thats what I thought anyway) popped there head through with yet another breathing machine/excercise/drug, you name it I had it. So I was really fighting all the good work they were trying to do for me, at the time I didn't see it that way tho! It wasn't until I got home and we talked to our usual team of "experts" that we understood fully why what happened.....happened!

The reality was, all of the staff at the hospital were really nice, did things really well, but I had really bad anxiety attacks when ever anyone came near me. We weren't prepared for the treatment I received in ED neither were we prepared for certain questions that were asked but as was explained to me later, when you arrive in the ED you are treated for what you "present with" and I presented with a pretty bad case of pneumonia so they had to do some quick work to get me breathing properly. Not nice, not nice at all.........

But........it brought home the need for me to not be so bloody stubborn in the future. When I'm feeling crook, don't argue with Erin about going to the doctor to get some antibiotics. That could have saved me a whole world of problems, but nah.....I knew better, I can shake it, I'm tough.....eah you find out just how tough you really are when you're on a bed with some male nurse saying RELAX Mr Gardiner, as he's shoving a tube up my nose to suction phlegm from my lungs.....and no I didn't know how to spell "phlegm" my walking dictionary of a wife told me.
Short story is......PREVENTION....DONT LET IT GET THAT FAR....GO TO THE DR, GET YOURSELF ANTIBIOTICS and DON'T BE STUBBORN.

Had a whole lot of questions slung at us from all directions, words like incubation, entubation, resucitation, how's, what if's and all that jazz....we weren't prepared for those.........educate yourselves on the meaning of those words, because believe me we were both shocked at how serious things really were. Because I hadn't had any major medical issues since my diagnosis, we had become pretty blase about the whole thing.....then POW....down I went with pneumonia and it knocked me bad.

But I'm back, a hell of a lot wiser, a hell of a lot more wary, but still positive, although I have to admit it has taken me a real long time to get back to positive again.....I've had some other issues since I've been out of hospital, but I'll save that for my next post.

If there was one good thing about my hospital stay, it was that my mum just happened to be in Tauranga for something totally different, Erin managed to contact her while she was here, so she and my Aunty Anne, and my nephew Bobby made a point of calling in to the hospital as well, that was choice. I thought to myself, come on then you nurses I dare you to come and upset me while MY MUMMY and MY AUNTY are here.....hehehehehe!

Just while I'm on the subject of family....I need to say a huge thank you to My Aunty Pipi and her husband Stewart, who offered me a glimpse of some alternative/hollistic treatments in Auckland. Took my son and I into their home for the night and took us to see her Doctor......that was great and we all really appreciate what you did for me.....we had made arrangements for another appointment but for one reason or another I haven't been able to get there again. Pipi, if you get around to reading this......THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Until next time,
Bill

Quick update:

Hi,
Bill is home and recovering well. Just needs to bide his time and concentrate on himself instead of everyone and everything else for a while.

Erin

Hi, Erin here!

Hello folks, just letting you all know that Bill is in Hospital at the moment with pneumonia. He is doing well and responding to treatment well and according to the Dr's today should be well enough to come home tonight or tomorrow. (He has been there since Monday morning). Bit of a wake up call for our kids and me, yet another curve-ball in this disease for us to learn about. Unfortunately it seems we have to learn everything the hard way, but we'll file this away under "experience gained" and baton down the hatches for whatever gets thrown our way in the future.
Will keep you up to date while he is recovering. Thanks for caring everyone.
Erin