mini-update on Teresa's "paws"

Teresa enjoying her morning walk in the woodlands of Namadgi (June 25, 2007)

Hello again Everyone,

I've finally added pic's to the posting titled "Reconnecting with my Sydney Seed Mates" ... so scroll down 2 postings & you can see the splendour of the Blue Mountains & the splendid Seed Mates who I reconnected with over the Easter long week-end ...

It's only a few more days until the appointment I have with the neurologist (Dr. Andrews) ... here's the update I have for you from other appointment I had last week (June 18th) with the Occupational Therapist.

The main advice the OT Doctor (Dr. Wharfe) offered was for me to search out some orthotics to help support my high arch, which will help redistribute the weight acorss my whole foot, instead of bearing the majority of the load on the front part of my foot. He didn't have anything extra to offer up to help my fingers, but encouraged me to keep doing the stretches I have been doing for the past couple of months. He figures I am experiencing some carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrists as a result of using my trekking poles while wearing a heavy pack ... this is really unfortunate since my "sticks" have been so instrumental in helping me negotiate my way down the steep hillsides that we have been trekking down.

At any rate, according to the folks I have been consulting, ... physiotherapists, massage therapists, & doctors, ... the tingly/numb sensations that I have been experiencing in my toes & fingers will likely persist for some time (months) even without doing any major backpack hiking. Soooo, lately, I have found myself waivering between moments of despondency, frustration, helplessness, just to mention a few of the challenging minds that have been arising for me ... On the more positive side, I've also been of the mind that I very much want to at least push forward to complete my Certificate IV requirements ... with the idea that after I go up to Kyogle to do my ASSIST & ASSESSMENT courses (the plan is for me to head to Kyogle on Friday, the day after my neuro appt. ... not sure yet if the neurologist will have any opinions that may alter these plans, we'll see ...). I could then back off of the major backpacking after these two Kyogle courses, until I can get things back on track for my tender little tootsies/paws. We'll see what's in store for me once I have my appointment on Thursday ... if I need to just really back off of the heavy pack trekking, then I'll figure out the best way to cross that bridge.

The past couple of weeks here at the national base have had me keeping busy with odd jobs for folks here at OBA ... revising/editing a new aspiring leaders journal for course participants, photocopying, cooking in the kitchen on the week-ends ... baking cakes & muffins for a couple of courses that have run over the week-ends has been the best part ...

Teresa's specialty ... Never Fail Chocolate Cake

NFCC all served up & ready for the Aspiring Leader participants

... of course, another culinary highlight was making perogies & lazy holubchi (cabbage rolls) with the help of Vilas, Bianca, Lisa, & Radu, with Bjorn cooking them up in the big pot on the industrial size gas stove). Everyone enjoyed the perohy, even though some of them were a little on the less intact side of things, they were still quite tasty!

"many hands make light work" ... thanks heaps, Radu, Vilas, Bianca, Lisa, & Bjorn :)
finishing off the reemainder of the perogy dough & getting ready to eat them!

everyone enjoying the Ukrainian "feast"

Vilas has been in on all the fun with me baking up cake & muffins & the Ukrainian food too. Yesterday, Radu decided he also wanted to be a "Muffin Man," so he made the banana muffins & I made the apple cinnamon ... they smelled awesome & tasted quite delicious ... thanks guys, for being my Muffin Men" :)

Radu's banana muffins

Despite this additional time on base ... my main accopmlishments for my Cert IV were during the first week here, when I did the 3 written driving exams. The bulk of the rest of my time here has been allocated as work time ... & eventhough I asked for today to be an RDO so that I could make more progress on some of my assignments, I have not made much headway on anything in particular, just a few little things. I have been very diligently doing my stretches & getting some swims in & one bike ride ...

Some highlights of my time here at Tharwa in the month of June has been my visits, swimming excursions & DVD movie watching with Vilas, plus the fun we've have cooking yummy food up in the kitchen & tasting Vilas' excellent Indian dishes ... as well as reconnecting with Lisa now that she has returned from her month long yoga retreat in Bali, and ...

this morning, going out for a walk on the little interpretive trail at the Namadgi National Park Visitor's Centre where I came across TWO mama kangaroos & their little joeys having breakfast with their heads fully tucked into their mama's pouches ...

breakfast time for the little joey ... how cool!!!

curious joey checking out the 2 legged observer, while Mama munches on her own breakfast :)

wood ducks on the pond behind the Namadgi N. P. Visitors Centre

Missing all of you heaps and looking forward to sorting out my path forward as I learn more about how I can take care of my "paws" and still do the active things I enjoy doing ...

I will add a little update note on Thursday night after I return from my neuro appt. and my Shiatsu massage appointment (I've had a couple of these treatments so far & they have been very helpful ... thanks to Brett, I started exercising my hands with some Chinese meditation balls, & I now know 3 Qi Gong movements to help with my tingly "paws."

I'll be in touch again soon ...

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa