Well, it has been a crazy month - September…must be the weather.
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| Starlight rooms wonders - Poppy is kept busy while Elise is in physio |
Firstly…health - good. Elise’s health has been stable. We are starting to notice hints of the effects of immune suppression. This week - conjunctivitis, UTI, coughing - cold? hay fever? Fortunately Elise seems to have conquered the UTI using the old fashioned method - lots of water, Ural sachets and cranberry tablets.
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| Conjunctivitis - at least it clears up quickly with drops |
Rheumatology news - boring, we may reduce the prednisolone 1mg and drop the pill when we like. I think we’ll wait a bit longer for that. Dropping steroids isn’t easy and we’ll be in for a rough week.
Foot - healing slowly, apparently it has been overexcited…how can a burn be overexcited!? Well, apparently it doesn’t want to stop growing tissue which means that new skin isn’t forming. So a different cream and more dressings - every 3 days at home now and fortnightly hospital dressings. We have met all the Monash plastic surgeons now, they are lovely people. It is getting better and the sore area is much smaller.
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| Finally on the mend - a few more weeks to go, notice all the light pink new skin |
2 BIG NEWS ITEMS
1. School fundraising day. Heatherton Christian College went to a huge effort to raise funds to help towards school mods for accessibility. The school wasn’t built for wheelchairs and Elise can’t access outside the main buildings. So a fundraiser was organised (we did nothing thankfully) called 10,000 reasons - after the Christian song. It was a colour fun day, with sporting activities and colour (apparently cornflour mixed with dye - washed out beautifully). Amazingly $28 000+ was raised! We are very very thankful for all the generosity and hard work put in. Most of this money will be spent on concrete! Concrete paths for access around the school.
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| The kids really got into it |
Video of Fletcher's - Ivy and Jai winning the primary school section fund raiser.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DIiIbD75OZMCQpXD3
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| I think the amount is a bit higher now |
2. Finally Jesse’s pod - as people like to call it - was delivered. This week the deck was built including a ramp so Elise can get in. It is very small 10 square metres, to comply with building reg’s of a portable building. For those who like to know - it is made of SIPS panels slotted together (insulated 3.2 rating walls and floor). Cedar outside and double glazed windows…much needed otherwise it would become a hot oven. Provision for reverse air-conditioning is inbuilt. Stuart is currently painting the inside while Jesse relaxes on Palm Island….a beautiful tropical Island of QLD with a closed Aborigine community listed as a very dangerous place! Due to high levels of early death. Pleasant. Actually, Jesse is at Palm Island on a 12 day school mission trip, 3 days training in Townsville and the rest on Palm Island.
The pod is a new room for Jesse, Elise and Poppy share a room which is now difficult due to the circulation space for her wheelchair. So Poppy is going into Jesse's old room (after a major repaint etc...thanks Jesse for the soccer ball holes!). Jesse will move into the pod - the cheapest and quickest way to gain more room. Due to an unfortunate situation of living on a flood plain (a very dry one), new permanent buildings have to be built 1.1m above ground. So, we are going small and portable...it sits on the ground on pads and can be lifted out at any time - we expect it to be on the next edition of Monster Moves.
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| It was very exciting seeing the pod being lifted in - it just fitted between the trees |
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| Nearly finished - just deck oiling, inside painting and some garden work to do |
Stuart made a quick video of the colour fun day:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BXINyEV2EZaW9OoH3
