Jodine's Art Space: Family

Karma is pregnant again!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:13:58 GMT

Karma is PREGNANT! She just phoned me shaking and crying asking me if 2 lines meant she is pregnant! Lol. She is so very very happy and overwhelmed with joy at this moment. I'm gonna be a NANA!!!!! I am so happy I could just... She is due on the 14th of December, so still early days yet, but she has had it confirmed by the GP and is awaiting the results of her blood tests. Fingers crossed! Jx

Karma Miscarried...

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:48:50 GMT

Karma miscarried but she is feeling OK about it. She has been on Depo Provera for a long time, and it takes ages to get out of the system. She has been trying for a baby for about a year now, and this is her first pregnancy which suggests that her body is preparing itself for the real thing. Both myself and my eldest daughter Liesa miscarried on our first pregnancy's. It is very common. I'm sure she will continue to hae fun trying... hehe Jx

My daughter Karma

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:42:27 GMT

Here is a pic of my youngest daughter (19) Karma and her boyfriend Tawa (22). They came down from Whangarei for the weekend. It was great to see them. Tawa is an Arbourist. He's just finished his apprenticeship and is now working for Vectra doing council pruning up north. They make a great couple. They are trying to get pregnant...and yes, I will be a grandmother! I am surprisingly happy about it, but for my own selfish reasons. Besides (I keep telling myself), they are the makers of their own destiny and who am I to intefere with there journey. Who knows what the future may bring.

Another Suicide Attempt...

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:46:04 GMT

Liesa had another suicide attempt on Saturday 20th. I can't understand how mental health are discharging her from hospital and not locking her up. It might give her a wake up call. SOMEONE needs to be doing some assessments!

I really don't know what to do. She has decided to run away from Palmerston North and is catching the bus to Whangarei this morning to be with her sister Karma. Karma is worried. We are going to have a family meeting to see if we can all discuss this. I have asked mental health to give me a call, but she is a grown woman and I don't think there is much I can do.

If she keeps trying to kill herself, I will have no choice but to apply to the courts for her to be committed for assessment. J

Mother-in-Law

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:54:49 GMT

The Leukemia that was under control is now creeping back in to the picture. Her blood counts are UP. Joyce is deciding whether or not to go ahead with another treatment. We just learned that she is addicted to Morphine now... She can't feel her feet due to nerve damage. She was one of the first in New Zealand to take part in clinical trials in Stem Cell transplants, which worked and kept her alive. She is the only one alive from that group, and all the others were younger than her, but she was the only one who never drank or smoked and was fit. Just goes to show. She told us at the beginning of the year that she was not going to do another round of chemo because it makes her so ill and basically KILLS her as much as it saves her life... Christmas is being held at her place this year. She is only 61 or 61. Kens father is about 66. Both of them are just so young to die. J

Father-in-law

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:14:59 GMT

Well...he is at home again and seems to be stabilised again. This is a good thing. The emotional roller coaster is not so good...but still, it must be worse for him. Sister-in-law went home on Thursday. The hospital are going to try a half dose of chemo. Previously he was on a full dose, but this was killing his immune system and causing his temperature to rise and shutting down his liver. If they try a half dose, it might not be so bad, although the effectiveness of the treatment will be compromised. It is just a matter of time...and no one knows when. He has his friends with him which is great. Jx

SCRAP that. The nurse just informed us that this is NOT occuring. They are waiting on the results of more tests (due back on Tuesday). He is in denial and thinking things are oing smoothly, but they are not. He is on drugs that are making him forget things and he is repeating himself often... will keep you all posted. J

Suicide - Not mine!

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:03:58 GMT

My daughter decided to attempt suicide on the weekend when we were in Hamilton. She doesn't want to talk to me because she's 'had enough of (my) stupid opinions'. She is staying with her ex-fiance's parents, because she is not really allowed to be on her own... they should lock her up then! She is going back to counselling, again. I wish she would just KEEP going instead of stopping when it gets too hard. This is her second attempt in the last couple of years. I can't reach her anymore. I feel hurt and angry and I can't ring or text or anything. Ken is picking up the short straw there. And he is going through his own stuff. He says it distracts him from his father...but is that a good thing? I feel a little guilty as usual (its ALL about me!). My Narcissistic tendencies are rife but not as bad as 10 years ago, so I have grown. I think she has a mental illness. I guess it could be trauma but in my professional experience, usually there is trauma and an underlying illness that is created by it. I'm surrounded by impending DEATH. WE are surrounded by impending death... Jx

Liver Cancer

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:54:31 GMT

My Father-in-law is back in hospital again, in the final stages of Liver Cancer. I got a phone call from my husband this morning... looks like I may need to take some time off school and work to be with him and Ken. Its such a horrible disease. Ken's mother has Leukemia too but she is doing remarkably well considering she was given 6 months and she is on her 6th+ year of recovery! For some people, it just doesn't happen that way. I shall keep you all posted. J

It looks as though he has a huge build up of fluid in his abdomin that they are going to drain. He should be going home tomorrow. The hospital has done some more tests and we have not heard the results yet. We are going down in the morning. Ken is very stressed. We had an argument today over his attitude. A friend said to bite my tongue and just be there for him. God it is hard. How? He tends to push me away when he is coping with anyting emotional. Anyway, I will let you know the outcome. J

It is not good news. Results are back and there is nothing more the hospital can do for him now. They were unsuccessful in draining the 2 litres of fluid from his abdomin (only getting 200mls), and they cannot control his temperature. He is on intravenous antibiotics and painkillers. I think the end is near. It is strange because he is still lucid, but that might be the drugs. He is looking very yellow, especially around his forehead. I have heard that with Liver Cancer in particular, the end can come very quickly as the mestastises multiplies rapidly (10, 20, 40, 80 etc) and when it is rapid like that, it is almost impossible to stop. The liver will eventually shut down and his electrolytes will rise and he will go into complete renal failure. I think he only has weeks to live, if that. So sad. I feel utterly helpless. God knows what Ken is going through. I don't think it has hit him yet. He seems remarkably calm now. He doesn't get on all that well with his father, and has that stiff upper lip thing going (both of them), but I think that will soften. Everything around us is disrupted at the moment and there is nothing we can do about it but day to day. Work has come to a halt, uni has come to a halt... waiting, waiting, waiting for something to happen... or not happen, who knows what is around the corner or when. J

Just got back from Hamilton. Kens dad very tearful and thin, except for his belly that looks as if he is carrying twins and 9 months pregnant! They seem to also think the bloating may be a combination of fluid and gas... nothing a good fart won't fix! Yeah right! We are exhausted. On top of the stress of this, Kens brother is estranged from the family and caused a few ripples when he refused to let his daughter go and see Robert. Selfish bastard. I don't think I have ever seen everyone so angry. We are going back down to Hamilton again soon. Just came back to sort out clothes, animals, work and school. I don't feel like doing anything except shutting down but Ken, he just soldiers on like an everready battery. This is probably good as he processes things with his hands (being a builder), me, well I tend to hibernate... I havn't been sleeping either. Major insomnia. I have been watching my new favourite programme C1 on Sky (Cable). Anyway, I better go and sort some bills out. J

BABY ANNOUNCEMENT - SORT OF

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:33:59 GMT

Karma, is Trying to Get Pregnant!

My youngest girl Karma (19) and her boyfriend Tawa are trying for a baby. This will be my first grandchild. This is both exciting and scary. They have been trying since July when she came off the Depo Provera, so it could take a while. The freaky thing is that this is the next generation and that means I am will be entering into a new phase of the moon also... I have a thing about aging. I can't have any more children myself... after 3 ectopic pregnancies and a failed IVF cycle... I am looking forward to having a wee baby around. I just hope that she knows what she's doing at her age...but then again, do you at age 19? I was younger, and I guess thats my point, but in the long run it all works out. Why not wait a while, I think to myself? But you can't tell them anything, so I've just let her know that I will support her no matter what. Jx