We are off again

 

Hello internet friends, I have been a bit quiet on the blog front over the last few years, but we have been working, saving, recuperating, isolating and contemplating, finding our place in a world of uncertainty.  That uncertainty has made many people look deeper into what is important in their lives, and we have been the same. We did a quick trip to the South Island for a holiday but had to return due to a family member passing.

I also went to the World of Wearable Arts, after it was cancelled last year due to Covid.

I made a dress that was totally not practical or wearable on a day to day basis, but it kept me sane during lockdowns.

Our youngest Son got married in Wanaka

The past few years have been eventful, full of love and sorrow

But the year 2020 will be a marker in many peoples lives, for me it was not just about the onset of Covid times. I had been having health issues for a number of years and was having difficulty walking and getting up on to the boat. Doctors just said it was arthritis, and losing weight would solve the problem... yada yada yada. Anyway I happened to get an appointment with a specialist and he noticed that the calcium levels in my blood were raised. This began a barrage of testing and scanning to diagnose Hyperparathyroidism.

And no this is nothing to do with your thyroid. 

The Parathyroids (there are 4 of them about the size of a grain of rice each) sit behind your thyroid and excrete parathyroid hormone, which maintains the levels of calcium in your body. Well one of mine was not behaving and was excreting to much of the hormone which led to the calcium be sucked out of my bones, chucked into my blood stream and then excreted out through my kidneys. The symptoms are muscle and joint pain, chronic fatigue, memory loss, osteoporosis, kidney stones, heart arrhythmia etc, my Doctor called it the Moan and Groan disease. Normally this is picked up at an early stage but mine was not picked up until I had deterioration of the bone density in my lower spine, apparently (according to the specialist) it had been active for 10 years or more.

So 2020 was great for me, I had a diagnosis, a reason for my symptoms other than being "Fat". My operation was booked and then delayed by a month due to covid, but I had it and have only improved since then. 

So that brings us to now, I have handed in my notice after 4 years of full time work. I was not able to take extended leave over the summer so it was easier for me to chuck in my job. I hope to go back and do some casual work later next year, but we will see what happens. Again we are heading off sailing our amazing northland coastline, to see the history and wonder of our region. I am hoping to bring you along on our travels.