Another update.......

It's almost mid-August. More than half of 2014 had already gone by. Ruth came over to to visit during her semester break in July. For the past year, she had been complaining of pain in her lower abdomen, frequent passing of soft stools and mucus in her stools. She want for consultation and was advised to do a colonoscopy to ascertain whether she had any bowel disease. She was anxious and the diagnosis kept us worried. I quickly booked the procedure and the gastroenterologist did the check up a week later.

We prayed hard that everything would be alright and it was a relief that her colonoscopy went on well. There were no symptoms of any bowel disease but she had to pay attention to her diet and consume more fibre. Her dad was diagnosed with Crohn's disease two years ago and we were worried that she might have inherited the disease from him. Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the bowel. It most commonly affects the lowe small intestine and the large intestine, but may involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends through the entire thickness of the bowel walls. Such inflammation can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and a range of other symptoms including fever and weight loss.

With her colonoscopy behind her, she enjoyed the rest of her holidays and managed to reconnect with some of her high school mates. Hubby also visited for 2 weeks and we had a great time together. We managed to visit some of the landmarks in Perth and he also "enjoyed" the cold weather! 

Just a note....

I am really ashamed. My blog's gone stale. Time flies and its more than a year since my last update. Well, I guess is plain laziness and busyness.

Fast forward, quite a lot had happened. On my 53rd birthday this year, I made a decision to go back to college for additional qualification and certificate. After leaving the university some 30 years ago, it was  challenging to settle in a classroom routine. I had always being active and staying in class for 5 days a week can be quite daunting.

My course was for 4 months, with 3 months of theory and 1 month practical placement. I managed fairly well, albeit the study lapse and occasional short term memory loss. No doubts there were assignments, tests, workbooks that set my adrenaline rushing and brain thinking!

I had completed my theory and in the midst of finishing my practical placement in an aged care facility near my place. It is truly an eye-opener seeing older people succumbed to the ravages of dementia, senility and other diseases. Ageing  is a continual process of development, change and decline that starts at conception, taking one through adulthood, and into the later years. Something that will affect us sooner or later..