LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

27/06-28/06/2010

The last two days have been spent watching a stupid amount of movies and eating a stupid amount of food, whilst being on three seperate planes for a stupid amount of hours!!

We departed Brisbane (flying Emirates) on Monday morning (AEST time) at 2:30am. My aim for the tripwas to not sleep until the second seven hour leg of the trip - not easy!!

I struggled to stay awake, but kept myself entertained watching movies and television series'. Ben slept quite well, but, admittedly, he had me annoying him which probably made it more difficult (woops!).

Before I knew it we were at our first stop - Singapore. It was 8.30am (Singapore time) and we had a very quick 30mins off the plan to refresh ourselves and move our legs a little bit.

Round two of the trip was by far the longest and toughest part of the trip to get through. Ben and I watched more movies and had a (small) nap, which was the only sleep I had for the entire 24 hours.

After arriving at our second stop in Dubai, I was ready to quit and spend 4 weeks there rther then getting back on another 7 hour plane ride!!! By this stage I could have killed for a shower and my bed, but the best Dubai could offer was A LOT of Duty Free shopping (which we didn't indulge in) and a Caeser Salad.

The airport was soooo massive so travellers should NOTE: save money on for the trip home to spend duty free at Dubai... Singapore does not have as much variety unless you walk out of security, and we didn't have the option.

Unfortunately, we had to get back on our flight and finish our final leg of the journey (it couldn't come any sooner).

As I write this we are only 46 minutes away from touch down in London - AH!!!!

This whole experience/ journey I am about to undertake still hasn't hit me - I would never of seen myself doing this 12 months ago, and I guess I have to attribute a lot of it to Ben!

Once we arrive in London, Ben and I are staying at Katelin Kennish's place in Arno's Grover which should be good... although right now all I am thinking about is getting in a solid 12 hours of zzzzz's!!!

I am looking forward to the next four weeks I have ahead of me, and I am grateful to be doing it with someone who I feel very safe with - that security is second to none for me, especially because this is my first trip overseas without my parentals!!!

43 minutes to go...

Lauren, xx

NOTE : The Emirates service was extremely good.. great food, great staff and great entertainment!

The Viskies Dive into the Thick of it!

Dysphagia is a medical condition which affects 35% of elderly people in aged care facilities. Sufferers of this condition have experience pain and/ or have great difficulty swallowing foods, liquids and sometimes even saliva. Inevitably, an inability to swallow certain products has been found to lead to a struggle for sufferers to get a sufficient intake of nutrients, and has led to starvation in the past.

Luckily for our ageing population, five student engineers from the University of Queensland, called “The Viskies,” have developed a revolutionary product to assist those suffering from dysphagia. Student engineer Grace Soh tells that “around 10% of the elderly who suffer from dysphagia in aged care facilities die chocking from consuming incorrectly thickened fluid.”

The Viskies believe they have found the answer to this issue – ‘The Viskimetre.’

The aim of The Viskimetre is to provide dyshpagia sufferers with a product that is a 'one-off' purchase, easy to use and is accurate in producing the appropriate thickness of liquid, suited to a range of sufferers.

This product works by applying pressure in the form of weight on the top of the Viskimetre. It drains all the liquid out and uses a gravitational force to measure the thickness. Student engineer, Mr Enrico Hadde explains that “the weights have been manipulated to drain the liquid quickly; in 15 – 20 seconds,” and says the product “…is really simple, anyone can use it.”

The Viskimetre is proposed to be the only portable viscosity measuring device on the market and a much more affordable ($50 one-off payment) alternative to the current 'premixed/' packaged options, and other recommended maneuvers and medical tests available.

Upon completion, The Viskies have said that they hope to see their product available in chemists, hospitals and in particular, aged care facilities.

Having more alternatives for sufferers of dysphagia to explore is a would come as a sigh of relief for speech pathologist and deglutitionist Dr. Julie Cichero. She believes that dysphagia is a serious health care problem in Queensland and that there should be more attention given to dysphagia sufferers in the state.

The Viskies and their mentor, Dr. Timothy Nicholson, strongly believe that The Viskimetre has the potential to change the health, safety, and life span of sufferers, as well saving them money and allowing more choice in the products they consume.

If you, or anyone you know has troubles swallowing, please consult your health care practitioner, or find out more information through this site supported by Dr. Julie Cichero's: http://www.nofussfeeding.com.au/index.htm