Medical history part 4 (post transplant)

In the last 2 years since my transplant my health has been great (minus the current hiccup with my energy levels) :D

My medications have reduced from 14 different medications to just 6 and I was taking over 80 tablets a day, but now I'm just taking 9! I came home from hospital on specially made enteral feeds overnight every night plus 3 bolus feeds a day. Now I have standard enteral feeds just 3 nights per week! I was hardly eating anything immediately after transplant, now my eating is heading towards 'normal'! As I said in my my previous post I appear to be in the tiny proportion of transplant patients who don't get rejection in the first 2 years (fingers crossed). I had my illeostomy reversed in July 2008 (at 20 months post transplant), which was great as it now means I can eat when I want, wear what I want and it has given me a lot more confidence. After my transplant while I couldn't mix with lots of people I continued to have home tutoring and then sat and passed 4 GCSEs at home. I already had 2 GCSEs, so 9 months after my transplant I returned to sixth form (full time), without having to repeat a year. Most of my friends at school have no idea I've had a transplant! In March 2008 (16 months post transplant) I was well enough to go on holiday with my family to Florida, which was granted for me by the Make-A-Wish foundation. And now in less than 2 weeks I'm going on a school trip to Japan, without my parents!

I know a little about my donor. She was called Ellie and she died aged 19 from a brain haemorrhage. Her sister wrote me a card just 3 months after my transplant and since then we've been in contact via email. I'll always be grateful to Ellie and her brave family for giving me this gift of life. I just can't express my thanks enough, as I know without my transplant I wouldn't be here now.