I'm feeling really fed up with everything today. I'm exhausted yet again and I find it very difficult to be positive and optimistic when I feel like this. I can't settle to do anything because I'm so tired and it doesn't help that I know I should be revising. However when I feel like this I just can't take any information in, no matter how hard I try. I'm also worried about my exams as I've not been able to get into school for a few days this week, so don't know how I'll feel next week and for the rest of the exam period. And when I'm exhausted I can't remember things, so am dreading the exams. I really want this referral to the M.E. unit now as I feel I need to learn some coping strategies and I'd really like some support, but I don't know if the referral will happen at all now and even if it does I can't see it happening in the near future.
Sorry for moaning, I usually try to keep my posts positive, but just feel like I need to write everything down and then maybe I'll feel better. Hopefully my next post will be more positive. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Exams and health
Last week Mrs K (deputy head of sixth form) spoke to Mrs M (head of sixth form) about my situation with the exams and they decided I'd need to at least plan to attend all the exams to qualify for resits. But if I'm too tired to make it in for an exam I can let them know and then they'll just tell the exam board that I wasn't well enough to sit it. So I'm going to try to attempt as many exams as I can in May (they start next Monday!), but I know I've got the resits in November if I need them. So I'm still trying to attend all my lessons.
Last week I had quite a good week and managed to attend school everyday and went to the majority of my lessons. I also managed to do quite a bit of revision in my free periods :) However this week isn't going so well. I didn't manage any revision over the weekend as I was so tired, and struggled at school yesterday. I didn't make it in to school today as I just felt exhausted when I woke up. I went back to bed for 4 hours this morning, but still feel very tired. When I'm so tired I can't revise as I just can't take anything in. I'm quite concerned about my exams, but will just try my best as that's all I can do.
Yesterday evening I received a phone call from my GP. The local ME unit is receiving too many referrals, so they're trying to put people off being referred to them. So my GP is really struggling to get me a referral as the unit keeps writing back to him with different sources he can go to for more information on various things. They also sent him a list of questions that he had to ask me over the phone yesterday, and he's going to get back to them with the answers and then see what they say. I'm so frustrated as I know I really need this referral, but it's now looking more unlikely that I'm going to get it :( And the unit have also added another blood test to the list of blood tests they need for a referral, but I'm going to wait til hospital B next ask me to have bloods taken (which will probably be at the end of May) and just have the extra test done then, rather than having an extra blood test just for this one thing.
My weight has stayed about the same this week, which I'm surprised at as I'm still struggling to eat as my teeth are quite sore from the braces. The orthodontic treatment I'm having at the moment is because my teeth are very overcrowded. So the plan was for me to have 4 teeth extracted to create more room in my mouth and then to have fitted braces to straighten out my teeth. But for some reason my orthodontist decided to fit my braces before the teeth extractions. So at the moment the braces are trying to move my teeth, but there's no room for them to move because my teeth are so crowded, so I think that's why they're so sore. At the end of May I have an appointment with the orthodontic surgeons to discuss the extractions, and then after that meeting I should get a date for it. But I really don't want my teeth to be sore for all that time, and it's making eating very difficult too. So I'm going to try to contact the orthodontist and see if my initial consultation with the orthodontic surgeons can be brought forward, but I don't know if that will be possible with my exams.
Last week I had quite a good week and managed to attend school everyday and went to the majority of my lessons. I also managed to do quite a bit of revision in my free periods :) However this week isn't going so well. I didn't manage any revision over the weekend as I was so tired, and struggled at school yesterday. I didn't make it in to school today as I just felt exhausted when I woke up. I went back to bed for 4 hours this morning, but still feel very tired. When I'm so tired I can't revise as I just can't take anything in. I'm quite concerned about my exams, but will just try my best as that's all I can do.
Yesterday evening I received a phone call from my GP. The local ME unit is receiving too many referrals, so they're trying to put people off being referred to them. So my GP is really struggling to get me a referral as the unit keeps writing back to him with different sources he can go to for more information on various things. They also sent him a list of questions that he had to ask me over the phone yesterday, and he's going to get back to them with the answers and then see what they say. I'm so frustrated as I know I really need this referral, but it's now looking more unlikely that I'm going to get it :( And the unit have also added another blood test to the list of blood tests they need for a referral, but I'm going to wait til hospital B next ask me to have bloods taken (which will probably be at the end of May) and just have the extra test done then, rather than having an extra blood test just for this one thing.
My weight has stayed about the same this week, which I'm surprised at as I'm still struggling to eat as my teeth are quite sore from the braces. The orthodontic treatment I'm having at the moment is because my teeth are very overcrowded. So the plan was for me to have 4 teeth extracted to create more room in my mouth and then to have fitted braces to straighten out my teeth. But for some reason my orthodontist decided to fit my braces before the teeth extractions. So at the moment the braces are trying to move my teeth, but there's no room for them to move because my teeth are so crowded, so I think that's why they're so sore. At the end of May I have an appointment with the orthodontic surgeons to discuss the extractions, and then after that meeting I should get a date for it. But I really don't want my teeth to be sore for all that time, and it's making eating very difficult too. So I'm going to try to contact the orthodontist and see if my initial consultation with the orthodontic surgeons can be brought forward, but I don't know if that will be possible with my exams.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Back to school
Today I returned to school after the Easter holidays. I managed to get an appointment to see Mrs K (deputy head of sixth form) at break today, which was great as I thought she'd be much busier. I told her how I've been feeling worse over the holidays and as a result have been struggling with my revision. So I suggested just sitting exams in 3 of my 5 subjects in May - Japanese (because I really like it), English (because I think that qualification would be worth getting as I can see myself possibly working in journalism in the future) and environmental systems (because it's mostly common sense, so I shouldn't need to do any revision, but could hopefully get a good mark in the exam), and planning to take the other exams (in biology and psychology) as resits in November. She's emailed the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) to ask about how this would work, as she suspects that to qualify for resits, I may have to attempt all the exams next month. Mrs K said she expects a reply within the next couple of days, so we need to wait and see what they say.
Also at school today we had a meeting of the yearbook committee where we saw the proof of the yearbook for the first time. There were some problems, such as all the pages being printed in colour even though we had requested just a few middle pages in colour as we can't afford more, and some changes in some of the fonts. But that's easily sortable. However the big problem is that the yearbook is more expensive than we anticipated. Because last year's yearbook didn't sell very well and they were left with lots of unsold copies, we've decided to only initially order 100 this year (there are about 140 pupils in our year). It works out at £21.90 a copy, which we think is very expensive and we're unsure if people will be happy to pay that much. We can't get the price down any more, so we're going to try to organise some fundraising so we can reduce the prices of the yearbooks. But our exams begin in 2 weeks, so we've very little time and everyone's very stressed with revision at the moment, so I'm not sure what fundraising will actually happen.
Today my Taylor Swift album arrived from America (this was my second attempt at getting hold of a copy), and I only ordered it in the middle of last week, so I was surprised it arrived so soon. I'm currently putting it onto my iPod (via my very slow laptop), so will let you know what I think of it after I've listened to it a few times.
Also at school today we had a meeting of the yearbook committee where we saw the proof of the yearbook for the first time. There were some problems, such as all the pages being printed in colour even though we had requested just a few middle pages in colour as we can't afford more, and some changes in some of the fonts. But that's easily sortable. However the big problem is that the yearbook is more expensive than we anticipated. Because last year's yearbook didn't sell very well and they were left with lots of unsold copies, we've decided to only initially order 100 this year (there are about 140 pupils in our year). It works out at £21.90 a copy, which we think is very expensive and we're unsure if people will be happy to pay that much. We can't get the price down any more, so we're going to try to organise some fundraising so we can reduce the prices of the yearbooks. But our exams begin in 2 weeks, so we've very little time and everyone's very stressed with revision at the moment, so I'm not sure what fundraising will actually happen.
Today my Taylor Swift album arrived from America (this was my second attempt at getting hold of a copy), and I only ordered it in the middle of last week, so I was surprised it arrived so soon. I'm currently putting it onto my iPod (via my very slow laptop), so will let you know what I think of it after I've listened to it a few times.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Pink
Yesterday we planned to set off to Birmingham mid-morning and spend the day there before the concert that evening. However, we were delayed and so didn't leave til midday. My dad went out fishing yesterday early in the morning. Then mid-morning, when we were almost ready to leave for Birmingham, my dad rang - he'd fallen in the lake! Muppet! He was soaking wet and so mum had to take him a change of clothes. And on the way my mum had a little accident with the car - she had to drive up onto the pavement to avoid another car driving into her, and damaged a wheel. Luckily the car was ok to drive to Birmingham, though the steering wheel constantly vibraterd throughout the hour and a half journey!
So we eventually got into Birmingham at about 2pm as we'd stopped on the way for lunch. We got a bit lost in the centre of Birmingham as the Sat Nav confused us, but it didn't take long for us to find the NIA. We parked in the NIA car park at 2.30pm, but had some trouble with the ticket machine. It cost £6 for 4 to 8 hours or £8 for up to 24 hours. We knew the concert would start at 8pm, so thought we'd best go for £8 to be on the safe side. But the ticket machine didn't accept notes and we didn't have £8 in change on us. We found a change machine in the car park, but it was out of order, so we asked in an official looking office, but they didn't have any money. We were advised to go to a local newsagents over the road and buy something with a note to get some change, but not to tell them why we wanted the change. Mum bought some chewing gum, so we headed back to the ticket machine with £8 in coins. Then we discovered that the ticket machine didn't accept £2 coins. Grrr. After asking lots of strangers if they'd got two £1 coins to swap for a £2 coin, but having no luck, we paid £6 for a 4 to 8 hour stay and hoped that the concert would finish by 10.30 (which of course it didn't, but we were ok).
We walked into the city centre, where we did some shopping and stopped for a coffee. I didn't buy anything at the shops, and all my mum bought were presents for a couple of friends' upcoming birthdays. I was very tired during the day. While wandering round we spotted a local newspaper which had reviewed Pink at the NIA the night before, so we bought a copy and got very excited. Later in the afternoon we made our way to a Japanese restuarant we'd passed earlier to have tea. The restuarant was really authentic with sushi going round on conveyor belts and lots of Japanese staff and customers. I had some green tea and a starter (because it wasn't long since we'd eaten lunch) of crispy duck spring rolls with plum sauce. And I also finished off mum's dish of chicken and noodles when she was full. It was good fun re-learning to use chopsticks. Mum gave up and just used a fork!
After our meal we made our way back to the NIA as the doors opened at 6.30 before the concert began at 8pm. Me and mum both wore feather boas (I took mine off later though as it was too itchy) and I had purple nails and mum had pink nails. And my mum has purple hair too, so we looked the part! We didn't have to queue to get in, which was nice. Headed to the merchandise stands first where I spent quite a bit of money on a programme, a tour t-shirt, a set of 4 button badges and a (printed) signed photo. Then we headed into the arena. Our seats were in the second row from the back, so we were quite a way from the stage, but we were very central.
At 8pm the support act came on. They were called Raygun and I didn't really like them. They played 7 songs and finished at 8.30pm. Then there was a half hour break where the final people found their seats, visited the bar, went to the toilets...
At 9pm Pink came on! :D The concert was fantastic! She performed around 20 songs - 9 off her Funhouse album, 7 songs from her back catalogue and 4 covers. The set list can be seen here. From her Funhouse album she performed lots of good songs (such as 'So What' and 'Funhouse', but unfortunately she didn't perform 'Sober' - my favourite song and one the review had said she'd done ariel acrobatics to on the previous night. I've looked on the Internet since and 'Sober' is on the set list, so I'm puzzled as to why she didn't perform it last night. I thought the 7 songs from previous albums were all good choices. I thought the covers were mixed. 2 of them I didn't know, but she covered 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley which was very good and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which was amazing! I sang along to most of the songs and so am losing my voice now from all the singing!
There was an acoustic set partway through the concert, which was a nice contrast. Pink played the piano and guitar herself during some numbers, which we were very impressed with. And during other sections of the concert there were some very impressive guitar solos by the main guitarist when Pink had costume changes. Pink had lots of costume changes and I liked most of her outfits, though some of them were very daring.
The staging was fantastic. The set was great - there were screens at the back of the stage where they played videos and animations during some of it, there were slides on the stage itself, giant inflatable characters popped up during 'Bohemian Rhapsody', a bed appeared for a pillow fight during 'So What'... There were lots of dancers dressed up and doing acrobatics. During the last 2 songs ('Get the Party Started' and 'Glitter in The Air') some of the dancers and Pink performed some spectacular aerial acrobatics! :D
The concert was brilliant, better than any concert I've ever been to before, and I'd love to see Pink again. I'd highly recommend her concerts :) I'm hoping they'll bring out a DVD of the tour eventually as I'd love to watch it again.
Pink performed for almost 2 hours! After it finished we had to queue for quite a while for the toilets, but that was ok because my mum started chatting to some complete strangers in the queue, which passed the time a bit! Then we went back to the car, which we'd parked quite near the entrance. However we soon realised there was a problem. Mum had left the headlights on, so the car battery was flat and we couldn't start the engine. This was just after 11pm, eek! We didn't know what to do so rang dad, and woke him up! Mum wandered round the car park in the hope of finding some jump leads, and luckily she found a man who had some with him. So we got the engine started. We sat in the car and waited for a while (I'm not sure quite why we had to do this, I know nothing about cars) and I ate some sandwiches. Then we set off and didn't get lost on the way home :D We got home at about 1am, tired but very happy! :D
So we eventually got into Birmingham at about 2pm as we'd stopped on the way for lunch. We got a bit lost in the centre of Birmingham as the Sat Nav confused us, but it didn't take long for us to find the NIA. We parked in the NIA car park at 2.30pm, but had some trouble with the ticket machine. It cost £6 for 4 to 8 hours or £8 for up to 24 hours. We knew the concert would start at 8pm, so thought we'd best go for £8 to be on the safe side. But the ticket machine didn't accept notes and we didn't have £8 in change on us. We found a change machine in the car park, but it was out of order, so we asked in an official looking office, but they didn't have any money. We were advised to go to a local newsagents over the road and buy something with a note to get some change, but not to tell them why we wanted the change. Mum bought some chewing gum, so we headed back to the ticket machine with £8 in coins. Then we discovered that the ticket machine didn't accept £2 coins. Grrr. After asking lots of strangers if they'd got two £1 coins to swap for a £2 coin, but having no luck, we paid £6 for a 4 to 8 hour stay and hoped that the concert would finish by 10.30 (which of course it didn't, but we were ok).
We walked into the city centre, where we did some shopping and stopped for a coffee. I didn't buy anything at the shops, and all my mum bought were presents for a couple of friends' upcoming birthdays. I was very tired during the day. While wandering round we spotted a local newspaper which had reviewed Pink at the NIA the night before, so we bought a copy and got very excited. Later in the afternoon we made our way to a Japanese restuarant we'd passed earlier to have tea. The restuarant was really authentic with sushi going round on conveyor belts and lots of Japanese staff and customers. I had some green tea and a starter (because it wasn't long since we'd eaten lunch) of crispy duck spring rolls with plum sauce. And I also finished off mum's dish of chicken and noodles when she was full. It was good fun re-learning to use chopsticks. Mum gave up and just used a fork!
After our meal we made our way back to the NIA as the doors opened at 6.30 before the concert began at 8pm. Me and mum both wore feather boas (I took mine off later though as it was too itchy) and I had purple nails and mum had pink nails. And my mum has purple hair too, so we looked the part! We didn't have to queue to get in, which was nice. Headed to the merchandise stands first where I spent quite a bit of money on a programme, a tour t-shirt, a set of 4 button badges and a (printed) signed photo. Then we headed into the arena. Our seats were in the second row from the back, so we were quite a way from the stage, but we were very central.
At 8pm the support act came on. They were called Raygun and I didn't really like them. They played 7 songs and finished at 8.30pm. Then there was a half hour break where the final people found their seats, visited the bar, went to the toilets...
At 9pm Pink came on! :D The concert was fantastic! She performed around 20 songs - 9 off her Funhouse album, 7 songs from her back catalogue and 4 covers. The set list can be seen here. From her Funhouse album she performed lots of good songs (such as 'So What' and 'Funhouse', but unfortunately she didn't perform 'Sober' - my favourite song and one the review had said she'd done ariel acrobatics to on the previous night. I've looked on the Internet since and 'Sober' is on the set list, so I'm puzzled as to why she didn't perform it last night. I thought the 7 songs from previous albums were all good choices. I thought the covers were mixed. 2 of them I didn't know, but she covered 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley which was very good and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which was amazing! I sang along to most of the songs and so am losing my voice now from all the singing!
There was an acoustic set partway through the concert, which was a nice contrast. Pink played the piano and guitar herself during some numbers, which we were very impressed with. And during other sections of the concert there were some very impressive guitar solos by the main guitarist when Pink had costume changes. Pink had lots of costume changes and I liked most of her outfits, though some of them were very daring.
The staging was fantastic. The set was great - there were screens at the back of the stage where they played videos and animations during some of it, there were slides on the stage itself, giant inflatable characters popped up during 'Bohemian Rhapsody', a bed appeared for a pillow fight during 'So What'... There were lots of dancers dressed up and doing acrobatics. During the last 2 songs ('Get the Party Started' and 'Glitter in The Air') some of the dancers and Pink performed some spectacular aerial acrobatics! :D
The concert was brilliant, better than any concert I've ever been to before, and I'd love to see Pink again. I'd highly recommend her concerts :) I'm hoping they'll bring out a DVD of the tour eventually as I'd love to watch it again.
Pink performed for almost 2 hours! After it finished we had to queue for quite a while for the toilets, but that was ok because my mum started chatting to some complete strangers in the queue, which passed the time a bit! Then we went back to the car, which we'd parked quite near the entrance. However we soon realised there was a problem. Mum had left the headlights on, so the car battery was flat and we couldn't start the engine. This was just after 11pm, eek! We didn't know what to do so rang dad, and woke him up! Mum wandered round the car park in the hope of finding some jump leads, and luckily she found a man who had some with him. So we got the engine started. We sat in the car and waited for a while (I'm not sure quite why we had to do this, I know nothing about cars) and I ate some sandwiches. Then we set off and didn't get lost on the way home :D We got home at about 1am, tired but very happy! :D
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Sleep, shopping, babysitting and Pink!
I had an awful night on Tuesday. I went to bed at 11.15pm, but didn't actually fall asleep til 2.45am! Then at 4.30am a thunderstorm woke me and it took me a while to get back to sleep again. Most days during the Easter holidays I've been lying in til 10 or 11am, but on Wednesday morning I got up at 9am as me and mum planned to go shopping and mum wanted to go in the morning. Surprisingly I felt excellent yesterday, less tired than I'd felt for a couple of weeks, despite having only around 6 hours sleep! How weird! Shopping was great yesterday as we went to a town we've not been to for a while, so it was nice to have a change of scene. And I bought myself a DSi :D Very exciting! So I've had lots of fun yesterday and today playing with my new toy ;)
Last night I slept much better, but have been feeling very tired again today. I got up early again this morning as I looked after H from 9.45am til 1pm while her mum went out. That went fine though and we spent the time playing on H's Wii and having an Uno marathon!
On Tuesday I re-ordered Taylor Swift's CD from a different seller on Amazon Marketplace. I received an email yesterday saying it had been dispatched, so hopefully I'll get it this time, fingers crossed!
My dietician replied to this week's email about my weight. She's pleased I've not lost any more weight, but is a bit concerned that me being under my ideal weight could be contributing to my overall tiredness. So I'm going to email her a food diary later this week, so she can see exactly what I'm eating and drinking each day.
I'm very excited about tomorrow as me and mum are going to see Pink in concert :D The concert is in Birmingham, so we're going to drive there mid-morning and do some shopping and wandering round the city tomorrow before seeing the concert in the evening. I'll tell you all about it at the weekend :)
Last night I slept much better, but have been feeling very tired again today. I got up early again this morning as I looked after H from 9.45am til 1pm while her mum went out. That went fine though and we spent the time playing on H's Wii and having an Uno marathon!
On Tuesday I re-ordered Taylor Swift's CD from a different seller on Amazon Marketplace. I received an email yesterday saying it had been dispatched, so hopefully I'll get it this time, fingers crossed!
My dietician replied to this week's email about my weight. She's pleased I've not lost any more weight, but is a bit concerned that me being under my ideal weight could be contributing to my overall tiredness. So I'm going to email her a food diary later this week, so she can see exactly what I'm eating and drinking each day.
I'm very excited about tomorrow as me and mum are going to see Pink in concert :D The concert is in Birmingham, so we're going to drive there mid-morning and do some shopping and wandering round the city tomorrow before seeing the concert in the evening. I'll tell you all about it at the weekend :)
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
An update
Sorry I've not written a proper update for a while. I've really been struggling with my tiredness over the last week and a bit; I've just been feeling exhausted all the time. I tend to explain my health as having good days and bad days - during the Easter holidays though I'd say I've only had bad days. I'm really really fed up with it now as it's preventing me doing so much and I just want to get on with my life. My exams are due to start in just less than 3 weeks and I don't know what to do because I can't manage to do any revision (as well as feeling tired, my memory is rubbish, I can't concentrate and when I read I can't take anything in) and I know I won't be up to taking the exams. I've been talking about it with my parents a lot this week and also to my good friend Claire. I can't make any firm deicisions til I've spoken to Mrs K when I go back to school on Monday, but I think I might try to sit the exams for maybe 2 of my 5 subjects next month and then depending how my health goes, either sit the others in November or May or just leave with 2 International Baccalaureate certificates. I want to sit my 2 Japanese exams next month as that's my favourite subject, but haven't decided what other subject I might take yet. This week I've been doing nothing really, as I just don't have the energy to do anything more than watch TV, surf the Internet... I'm also beginning to have difficulty sleeping, some nights now it takes me over an hour to get to sleep and last night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. Sometimes I try going back to bed during the day, but when I get up again I'm just as tired as I was before. I heard from my GP, Dr I, last Wednesday and he said that all my blood test results had come back clear, so he's now sent off the referral to the CFS unit. Hopefully it won't be too long til I receive an appointment, but I expect it will be a couple of months.
I've tried to do a few things this week though despite being so tired. I babysat for H on Thursday which was fine, as she's no trouble at all and it wasn't for too long. I went to the theatre on Saturday night with my family. The play was fantastic and very clever, though I was very tired throughout the performance. My friend Claire came round yesterday and we watched a film together and chatted for ages, so that was nice. And today my best friend, Lizzy, rang me and it was lovely to speak to her as I've not spoken to her for a while. That really cheered me up, so we're trying to arrange meeting up sometime soon :D
And very excitingly, my tickets for the Pink concert arrived in the post on Saturday. I can't believe the concert is on Friday - just 3 days to go! I'm sooooo excited :D I really hope I'm not too tired on Friday though.
I think I'd mentioned in previous posts that I'd ordered Taylor Swift's first album from America and was eagerly awaiting it in the post. Last week I received an email from Amazon saying that the marketplace seller I'd ordered it from had stopped trading with Amazon and if I hadn't received the album then it looked unlikely that I'd receive it. I filed a claim and got my money back, but I'm disappointed that I never got the CD. I've been looking around on the Internet for somewhere else to buy it from, but I'm quite wary of using Amazon Marketplace again after that experience, but the other option would be to order it from a website I've never heard of. So I've not ordered another copy yet, as I'm still thinking about it.
I've been watching lots of TV this week as I've not been able to do much else. I watched The Apprentice on Wednesday, which I really enjoyed. Usually I like a couple of contestants each year, but this time they all seem horrible characters! I was surprised that Majid went out this week, I really thought James should have gone after being in the boardroom twice in a row. I also watched the Doctor Who Easter special on Saturday. I really like David Tennant and am not looking forward to a new doctor next year. After all the hype I expected Planet of the Dead to be amazing, but it wasn't. I thought it was good, but not as good as I expected. On TV this week I'm watching a series called Lifegivers which is on BBC1 every morning from 9am til 9.45am. It's all about blood and organ donation and I think it's really well made. I hope it raises awareness of the need for organ donors, though I think it's a shame that it's not in a prime time slot. Have a look if you can and let me know what you think. I can't wait for the return of Ashes to Ashes next Monday :D
Last Tuesday when I weighed myself I was really disappointed to find that my weight had dropped. I emailed my dietician to let her know and received a reply saying she was quite concerned. However, when I weighed myself again this morning I was relieved to find that I'd not lost any more weight :) So I'm waiting to hear from my dietician to find out what the plan is, as I know I'm still quite a way under my ideal weight.
I've tried to do a few things this week though despite being so tired. I babysat for H on Thursday which was fine, as she's no trouble at all and it wasn't for too long. I went to the theatre on Saturday night with my family. The play was fantastic and very clever, though I was very tired throughout the performance. My friend Claire came round yesterday and we watched a film together and chatted for ages, so that was nice. And today my best friend, Lizzy, rang me and it was lovely to speak to her as I've not spoken to her for a while. That really cheered me up, so we're trying to arrange meeting up sometime soon :D
And very excitingly, my tickets for the Pink concert arrived in the post on Saturday. I can't believe the concert is on Friday - just 3 days to go! I'm sooooo excited :D I really hope I'm not too tired on Friday though.
I think I'd mentioned in previous posts that I'd ordered Taylor Swift's first album from America and was eagerly awaiting it in the post. Last week I received an email from Amazon saying that the marketplace seller I'd ordered it from had stopped trading with Amazon and if I hadn't received the album then it looked unlikely that I'd receive it. I filed a claim and got my money back, but I'm disappointed that I never got the CD. I've been looking around on the Internet for somewhere else to buy it from, but I'm quite wary of using Amazon Marketplace again after that experience, but the other option would be to order it from a website I've never heard of. So I've not ordered another copy yet, as I'm still thinking about it.
I've been watching lots of TV this week as I've not been able to do much else. I watched The Apprentice on Wednesday, which I really enjoyed. Usually I like a couple of contestants each year, but this time they all seem horrible characters! I was surprised that Majid went out this week, I really thought James should have gone after being in the boardroom twice in a row. I also watched the Doctor Who Easter special on Saturday. I really like David Tennant and am not looking forward to a new doctor next year. After all the hype I expected Planet of the Dead to be amazing, but it wasn't. I thought it was good, but not as good as I expected. On TV this week I'm watching a series called Lifegivers which is on BBC1 every morning from 9am til 9.45am. It's all about blood and organ donation and I think it's really well made. I hope it raises awareness of the need for organ donors, though I think it's a shame that it's not in a prime time slot. Have a look if you can and let me know what you think. I can't wait for the return of Ashes to Ashes next Monday :D
Last Tuesday when I weighed myself I was really disappointed to find that my weight had dropped. I emailed my dietician to let her know and received a reply saying she was quite concerned. However, when I weighed myself again this morning I was relieved to find that I'd not lost any more weight :) So I'm waiting to hear from my dietician to find out what the plan is, as I know I'm still quite a way under my ideal weight.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Post Donor Day Press Release
Donor Day praised by PM
as Holly’s two-minute heroes campaign
signs up thousands
An inspirational young campaigner was celebrating today after her efforts were praised by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Holly Shaw, a 21-year-old kidney transplant patient created a national awareness day, Donor Day, on Tuesday 7 April, as part of her ongoing campaign The Gift of Life, which aims to raise awareness of the shortage of organ donors in the UK.
In a statement on the No 10 website, the Prime Minister said:
“I want to give my support and thanks to Holly Shaw and all those involved in her campaign. Joining the organ donation register is a selfless act of kindness which can save many lives and offer new hope for potentially thousands of families across the country.”
Despite the vast majority of Brits supporting organ donation, just 23% have signed the register. Holly’s campaign aims to make it easier to sign up and spread the word. Donor Day was built around asking people to go online and sign the Organ Donor Register and then promote the fact they had done so via their social networking status. In addition, Holly coordinated an army of volunteers to man Donor Desks up and down the country - to talk to people about organ donation and encourage them to sign a registration form.
The registration forms are now being collated, website hits and text sign ups counted – but all early indications point to a terrific spike of activity, with in people joining the Register in their thousands.
On Tuesday afternoon, the campaign had become the second most re-tweeted tweet on Twitter. By 5pm, there had been over 3,200 online registrations via www.organdonation.nhs.uk – more than 15 times the average daily registration rate. There was also an increase in calls to the Organ Donor Line.
Holly said: “My aim was for Donor Day to succeed in saving lives by encouraging more people to sign the Organ Donor Register. I’m ecstatic, and a little overwhelmed, to learn that the campaign generated such a brilliant response. The day was a fantastic experience, and to receive a personal message from No 10 was the icing on the cake!”
Holly is one of the campaigners in Channel 4’s Battlefront initiative; a multi-platform project aimed at 14 to 21-year-olds which encourages young people to get actively involved in campaigning about a cause in which they believe. Her campaign mentor is serial entrepreneur, Oli Barrett.
Oli said: “I’m incredibly proud of what Holly has achieved. A 15 fold increase on the average daily sign up rate is amazing. I hope that the impact of the campaign will be felt far beyond a single day; I think we can expect more sign ups to come in throughout the Easter period thanks to the online buzz created around the issue.”
As the campaign began to build earlier this month, ahead of Donor Day itself, NHS Blood and Transplant reported an increased pattern of activity. Since 1 April, the daily registrations have increased three-fold – from an average of 205 per day to an average of 674 per day.
Gordon Brown’s support on Donor Day followed other high profile endorsements of Holly’s campaign. Earlier in the week, she received positive messages of support from X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, singer Connie Fisher and actress Nina Wadia, while the promotional photocall was attended by actress Fay Ripley and lead singer of Soul II Soul, Melissa Bell who last year announced that she is waiting for a kidney donor and is on dialysis three times each week.
· There are more than 8,000 people currently waiting for a transplant that could save or transform their lives
· Each year, around 1,000 people die due to the lack of donor organs available
· 90% of people in the
· You are statistically more likely to need a transplant than become a donor
· It takes just two minutes to sign the Register. Visit www.thegiftoflife.org.uk or www.organdonation.nhs.uk / text GIFT to 64118 or telephone 0845 60 60 400
Press Release By Amy MacLaren from Colman Getty.
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Donor Desk and Drinks Reception
Me and mum running a Donor Desk in our village library
The room in the posh members club where our drinks reception was held
Mum and me at the drinks receptionDonor Day Photocall
The Donor Desk
Fay Ripley giving Donor Day her support (I'm on the far right of the photo)
Melissa Bell (Alexandra's Burke's mother) giving Donor Day her support
Holly - the star
Emily and HollyWednesday, 8 April 2009
Yesterday was Donor Day
I had a fantastic day yesterday :D
During the day I ran a Donor Desk in my village library. It's quite a small library, but I did speak to the majority of adults who came in yesterday. No-one was opposed to organ donation and a few were already signed up or carried a donor card. I answered lots of questions, such as reassuring people that they weren't too old to join the organ donor register or that they could still be an organ donor despite having diabetes. Two people signed up there and then (one online and one filled out a form and then went off to post it) and I gave out around 15 leaflets to people who were going to go away and think about it or talk to their families. I told some people my transplant story, which I think really inspired them to think seriously about organ donation. I feel my Donor Desk was quite a success despite only being held in a small village library :)
Yesterday evening I attended a drinks reception in a very posh members only club in London to celebrate Donor Day. It was great :) I went with my mum and at first I felt very uncomfortable as I'm not really a social person and I felt a bit out of my depth, especially as I didn't know many people. But as the evening went on I felt more comfortable and found people to chat to. It was great to meet so many people who were also passionate about organ donation for various different reasons - some had received transplants, some were waiting for transplants, some were from donor families... I spoke to some new people and some that I'd met on Monday at the photocall. And I also met Sarah for the first time, which was lovely. However, the camera crew were present, so cameras were rolling for most of the evening, which made it a bit uncomfortable, especially as I was trying my best to avoid the cameras! So we're going to try to arrange to meet up sometime soon for a meal, where we'll be able to chat a bit more without the cameras :)
Yesterday there was quite a lot of publicity for Donor Day. In the morning Holly was on GMTV and she was brilliant. GMTV have put an article on their website which you can read here. Holly was also on Sky News yesterday evening and The Guardian online published an article which you can see here. The Metro changed it's masthead in support of Donor Day (see here) and published an article in it's paper and also online, which you can read here. The photos in The Guardian online and in The Metro were from our photoshoot, but I've been cropped out of both of them! The Mirror also interviewed Holly yesterday, but I don't yet know when they'll use it. On Twitter a message about Donor Day was the second most popular retweet yesterday, and Bill Bailey and Alan Davies gave us their support. And the most exciting news was that Gordon Brown gave Holly his support - visit his website here and it's the first link under latest news - and has invited Holly for tea with him at Number 10! Wow!
Last night we discovered we wouldn't hear the sign-up figures for Donor Day til today, but there were some interesting statistics. This month so far (so from April 1st til April 6th), not including Donor Day, the average number of people signing up to the organ donor register had tripled from around 200 per day to over 670 per day! And that's before Donor Day itself!
The number for yesterday's online sign-ups has just come through. Yesterday 3222 people (15 times the daily average) signed up to the organ donor register online! That's just online! I think that statistic shows just how influential Donor Day was :D
Well done Holly and everyone else involved - we made a difference!
During the day I ran a Donor Desk in my village library. It's quite a small library, but I did speak to the majority of adults who came in yesterday. No-one was opposed to organ donation and a few were already signed up or carried a donor card. I answered lots of questions, such as reassuring people that they weren't too old to join the organ donor register or that they could still be an organ donor despite having diabetes. Two people signed up there and then (one online and one filled out a form and then went off to post it) and I gave out around 15 leaflets to people who were going to go away and think about it or talk to their families. I told some people my transplant story, which I think really inspired them to think seriously about organ donation. I feel my Donor Desk was quite a success despite only being held in a small village library :)
Yesterday evening I attended a drinks reception in a very posh members only club in London to celebrate Donor Day. It was great :) I went with my mum and at first I felt very uncomfortable as I'm not really a social person and I felt a bit out of my depth, especially as I didn't know many people. But as the evening went on I felt more comfortable and found people to chat to. It was great to meet so many people who were also passionate about organ donation for various different reasons - some had received transplants, some were waiting for transplants, some were from donor families... I spoke to some new people and some that I'd met on Monday at the photocall. And I also met Sarah for the first time, which was lovely. However, the camera crew were present, so cameras were rolling for most of the evening, which made it a bit uncomfortable, especially as I was trying my best to avoid the cameras! So we're going to try to arrange to meet up sometime soon for a meal, where we'll be able to chat a bit more without the cameras :)
Yesterday there was quite a lot of publicity for Donor Day. In the morning Holly was on GMTV and she was brilliant. GMTV have put an article on their website which you can read here. Holly was also on Sky News yesterday evening and The Guardian online published an article which you can see here. The Metro changed it's masthead in support of Donor Day (see here) and published an article in it's paper and also online, which you can read here. The photos in The Guardian online and in The Metro were from our photoshoot, but I've been cropped out of both of them! The Mirror also interviewed Holly yesterday, but I don't yet know when they'll use it. On Twitter a message about Donor Day was the second most popular retweet yesterday, and Bill Bailey and Alan Davies gave us their support. And the most exciting news was that Gordon Brown gave Holly his support - visit his website here and it's the first link under latest news - and has invited Holly for tea with him at Number 10! Wow!
Last night we discovered we wouldn't hear the sign-up figures for Donor Day til today, but there were some interesting statistics. This month so far (so from April 1st til April 6th), not including Donor Day, the average number of people signing up to the organ donor register had tripled from around 200 per day to over 670 per day! And that's before Donor Day itself!
The number for yesterday's online sign-ups has just come through. Yesterday 3222 people (15 times the daily average) signed up to the organ donor register online! That's just online! I think that statistic shows just how influential Donor Day was :D
Well done Holly and everyone else involved - we made a difference!
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Quick update
I've had a fantastic time today. I've just got home after a long day, so am going to bed now and am looking forward to a long lie-in and relaxing day tomorrow. But I'll update my blog tomorrow with more details of Donor Day :)
Monday, 6 April 2009
London
This morning I attended the Donor Day photocall in London. It was great to meet other transplant recipients :) I finally got to meet Holly S - the organiser of The Gift Of Life campaign, of which Donor Day is a part of. She's had a kidney transplant and is such an inspiration :) I also met Emily who is the vice chair of Live Life Then Give Life and has had a double lung transplant, Emily's sister Abby, Holly C who received a kidney from Oli, Audrey a liver transplant recipient and a few more people whose names I can't remember including an amazing young woman who had given permission for her mum's organs to be donated after she died. I felt really comfortable surrounded by other transplant recipients, especially when Emily had to run off to find her immunosuppressant tablets which she'd forgotten to take! However, I am a bit annoyed at myself for not talking to people more, as although I'd spoken to many of them on the Internet before, I'm always quite shy when I meet people face to face.
We were filmed for a Channel 4 documentary which will be on TV in May (will let you know the date and time when I know) and there were lots of photographers there. Loads of photos were taken, so look out for them in the news tomorrow to promote Donor Day! And we got some celebrities involved too - Fay Ripley (most famous for being in Cold Feet, but I didn't know her, lol) and after I left Melissa Bell (Alexandra Burke's mum!) turned up.
Tomorrow is Donor Day. Look out for Holly on GMTV in the morning, and keep an eye out for the photos in the news. If you see any photos, please leave me a comment to let me know where :) Donor Desks are going to be appearing all around the country - including one run by Holly S and Emily in Canary Wharf in London. I'm running a smaller Donor Desk in my village library. The aim of Donor Day is to get as many people to join the organ donor register as possible, so please spread the word by talking to family and friends, blogging about it, changing your Facebook status...
The photocall today was quite hectic, so we didn't get much chance to chat. But I'm really looking forward to the drinks evening tomorrow as it'll be a chance to talk to people more :) And it should be more relaxed, so I'm hoping I wont feel as shy as I did today. After the photoshoot in London today I took the opportunity to go shopping and bought myself an outfit for tomorrow. The drinks evening is being held at a private members club, so I didn't want to go in jeans! Today I bought some black trousers and a nice shirt - not too smart, but not as casual as my normal outfits ;)
I'm now feeling really tired, so am going to try to relax a bit this evening, ready for a busy day tomorrow. Will try to update again tomorrow or Wednesday.
We were filmed for a Channel 4 documentary which will be on TV in May (will let you know the date and time when I know) and there were lots of photographers there. Loads of photos were taken, so look out for them in the news tomorrow to promote Donor Day! And we got some celebrities involved too - Fay Ripley (most famous for being in Cold Feet, but I didn't know her, lol) and after I left Melissa Bell (Alexandra Burke's mum!) turned up.
Tomorrow is Donor Day. Look out for Holly on GMTV in the morning, and keep an eye out for the photos in the news. If you see any photos, please leave me a comment to let me know where :) Donor Desks are going to be appearing all around the country - including one run by Holly S and Emily in Canary Wharf in London. I'm running a smaller Donor Desk in my village library. The aim of Donor Day is to get as many people to join the organ donor register as possible, so please spread the word by talking to family and friends, blogging about it, changing your Facebook status...
The photocall today was quite hectic, so we didn't get much chance to chat. But I'm really looking forward to the drinks evening tomorrow as it'll be a chance to talk to people more :) And it should be more relaxed, so I'm hoping I wont feel as shy as I did today. After the photoshoot in London today I took the opportunity to go shopping and bought myself an outfit for tomorrow. The drinks evening is being held at a private members club, so I didn't want to go in jeans! Today I bought some black trousers and a nice shirt - not too smart, but not as casual as my normal outfits ;)
I'm now feeling really tired, so am going to try to relax a bit this evening, ready for a busy day tomorrow. Will try to update again tomorrow or Wednesday.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
My plans for the Easter holidays
I've got 2 weeks off school now for the Easter holidays. My final exams start 4 weeks tomorrow and I'm taking a total of 13 exams in 5 subjects, so there's a lot to revise! I've hardly done any revision so far, so really need to do a lot over the break :(
But I've got lots of exciting things planned this fortnight too to break up the revision :)
Tuesday 7th is Donor Day, so I'm doing quite a bit for that. Tomorrow morning I'm going to London to take part in a photocall for the media to promote Donor Day. Then on Tuesday I'm running a Donor Desk in the village library (where my mum works) to talk to people about organ donation and encourage them to join the Organ Donor Register. And on Tuesday evening I'm returning to London to attend a drinks evening to celebrate Donor Day :D It sounds very exciting and quite posh, so I'm unsure about what I'm going to wear as I only own jeans and casual tops! Maybe that's an excuse for some shopping while I'm in London tomorrow ;)
I'm looking forward to promoting organ donation and having the opportunity to make a difference. And at the photocall and the drinks evening I'm really looking forward to meeting people who feel as passionately about organ donation as I do, especially:
But I've got lots of exciting things planned this fortnight too to break up the revision :)
Tuesday 7th is Donor Day, so I'm doing quite a bit for that. Tomorrow morning I'm going to London to take part in a photocall for the media to promote Donor Day. Then on Tuesday I'm running a Donor Desk in the village library (where my mum works) to talk to people about organ donation and encourage them to join the Organ Donor Register. And on Tuesday evening I'm returning to London to attend a drinks evening to celebrate Donor Day :D It sounds very exciting and quite posh, so I'm unsure about what I'm going to wear as I only own jeans and casual tops! Maybe that's an excuse for some shopping while I'm in London tomorrow ;)
I'm looking forward to promoting organ donation and having the opportunity to make a difference. And at the photocall and the drinks evening I'm really looking forward to meeting people who feel as passionately about organ donation as I do, especially:
- Holly S - the organiser of a fantastic campaign called 'The Gift Of Life' of which Donor Day is a part of. Holly S has recieved a kidney transplant herself and you can read her blog here.
- Emily - the vice-chair of a fantastic charity called Live Life Then Give Life. Emily T has received a double lung transplant herself and you can read her blog here.
- ~ Abby - Emily's sister. Abby is 18 like me and has been great to chat to about braces ;)
- Holly C - a kidney transplant recipient. You can read her blog here.
A good week
I've had quite a busy week.
On Tuesday night I went to bed quite late - around 11.45pm. Then at 12.15am the house phone rang, waking us all up. My dad ran downstairs to get it as when the phone rings that late we worry about my nan. Just as dad got to the phone it stopped ringing, but he checked the number and discovered it was my older brother Chris. Dad tried to ring him back, but it was engaged, so left a message on his voicemail assuming he'd just rung the wrong number. It took me ages to get back to sleep. When I asked Chris about it later in the week he blamed it on his girlfriend Sophie, who'd been playing with his new phone!
I really like my new phone, especially the 5 megapixel camera :D I didn't like any of the ringtones that came on it though, so yesterday I managed to get my dying laptop to turn on and then sent some of my favourite songs from iTunes to my phone via Bluetooth. So now my ring tone is 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift :D You might remember a while ago I said I'd ordered Taylor Swift's first album 'Taylor Swift' from America as it hasn't been released in the UK. I ordered it from a seller on Amazon marketplace just over 4 weeks ago, who said it would be dispatched the next day and with me in 1 to 3 weeks. No sign of it yet :( And while I was playing with my phone yesterday I cleared all of my photos off of my old phone, and then gave it to my dad. He played with it for ages yesterday afternoon, but still doesn't know how to use it!
On Wednesday morning my brace broke again (the second time in less than a week!) as the wire came out of one of the brackets. So I rang the orthodontist and arranged an emergency appointment for Friday afternoon. I thought I might have a long wait, as they were going to fit me in whenever they could, but I only had to wait for 15mins. It was quite an adventure getting there on the buses though, as dad couldn't get the time off work to take me. Hospital A, where the orthodontist is, is just the other across the city from my school and the journey takes around 20mins in the car. It took 45mins on the bus! My brace was easily fixed and the orthodontist put an extra bit onto the bracket that the wire had popped out of, so it shouldn't happen again. He also cut off a very sharp wire that had been cutting my cheek and gave me some more wax. I was also shown where to purchase an oral hygeine kit in the hospital to help me care for my braces. It cost £14 - for some mouthwash (which the orthodontist said he wasn't sure whether I should use), some paste (used to protect my mouth from the sharp brackets, just like the wax I already have), a mouthgard (when am I going to use that?!), a travel orthodontic toothbrush (I already have a proper sized one which is fine) and a weird looking toothbrush for brushing my teeth while I have braces (I've already been given a special brush to use from the hygeinist). So I don't think I'll use anything from that!
When I had my braces fitted I had to explain to my orthodontist about having to avoid tap water, so they'd use sterile water in my mouth instead. He didn't believe me!!! In response he said, "We don't like in a third world country, the water here is fine to drink."! He knows from my notes that I've had a small bowel transplant, so I don't know why he didn't believe me. So this week when I returned I gave him some information I'd printed off the Internet all about the parasite (Cryptosporidium) that is sometimes found in tap water and could be dangerous for me. Then he said he understood, but I didn't get an apology!
After the orthodontist on Friday I went into town until my dad could pick me up after work. I had a nice time wandering round and didn't spend too much money. I only bought a new belt, which was something I really needed. I've always had trouble with belts as they never have holes in them small enough for my waist. But a few months ago my friend showed me a different style of belt which would fasten anywhere. So a few weeks ago I bought 2 very cheap from Claire's. However because they were cheap they soon broke, so I looked for a new one in town on Friday. I found 2 other shops that sold them, but in one the cheapest belts cost £21!! So I found one cheaper in a different shop, as I wasn't prepared to spend £21 on a belt.
I've had quite a good week this week and haven't felt too tired :) I didn't miss any days off school this week, but did miss a couple of afternoons for various appointments. On Wednesday I had 2 free periods in the afternoon, so mum picked me up early and together we went to the cinema to see 'The Young Victoria' at last :) My mum loved it and I quite enjoyed it. I thought Emily Blunt was fantastic. However, I found some of the film quite slow and this was the day after the late night phone call, so I was very tired, so I nodded off! But I did see most of the film :) On Wednesday evening I watched the second episode of The Apprentice, which I really enjoyed. I couldn't believe how clueless both teams were though! And I was very surprised at who was fired (I won't say here incase anyone reading has recorded it but not watched it yet) as they were supposed to be favourite to win the whole thing!
On Thursday mum picked me up from school at lunch time to take me to Hospital H to have the relevant blood tests needed for my CFS referral. It went really smoothly and only took one attempt to get all the blood :) A total of 15mls of blood was needed! And on Friday I had another encounter with needles when I had my 3rd (and final) HPV vaccination at school. My first 2 went really smoothly, so I assumed this one would too. But the nurse asked me if I was on any medications! I'm not on too many now, and I think I remembered all but one of them. Then she asked me why! At this point I was sitting at a little table with her, surrounded by 4 or 5 more tables where my peers were sitting. None of them know about my transplant, which is my choice, and the way I wanted it to stay. So I tried to reply to the nurse quietly hoping no-one else heard, and I don't think they did. Phew! It turned out that the nurse used to be a heart and lung transplant co-ordinator, so once I told her I'd had a transplant she was really interested and asked me loads of questions! Eventually I got my vaccination. It hurt, but I expected it too, and my arm has been very achy since.
On Friday evening my friend Claire came round for tea. It was the first time I'd seen her for 3 weeks, so that was lovely. She doesn't have digital TV so I always record the best/funniest music videos from the music channels to show her. Claire's a huge Take That fan, so I showed her their 'Up All Night' video and she also liked Lily Allen's 'Not Fair' video. We had a laugh at Girls Aloud's 'Untouchable' video. It's quite new, so I'm not sure if you'll have seen it, but their outfits are ridiculous. They look like they're wearing strips of bin bags and clingfilm!
After a really good week I then felt rubbish yesterday. I was exhausted and couldn't concentrate on anything. When I have a few good days or a good week I wonder if I'm actually better than I think I am, because I feel so well. But then when I have a bad day or bad few days I realise that actually I'm not right, and as a result feel quite down and fed up :(
While I've been writing this very long post (sorry), I've been eating lunch. I had white bread sandwiches, which is the first thing I've chewed since I got my braces! My teeth didn't hurt while I ate :) But my back teeth don't quite meet properly, so it was hard work, but I feel more positive about my braces now.
On Tuesday night I went to bed quite late - around 11.45pm. Then at 12.15am the house phone rang, waking us all up. My dad ran downstairs to get it as when the phone rings that late we worry about my nan. Just as dad got to the phone it stopped ringing, but he checked the number and discovered it was my older brother Chris. Dad tried to ring him back, but it was engaged, so left a message on his voicemail assuming he'd just rung the wrong number. It took me ages to get back to sleep. When I asked Chris about it later in the week he blamed it on his girlfriend Sophie, who'd been playing with his new phone!
I really like my new phone, especially the 5 megapixel camera :D I didn't like any of the ringtones that came on it though, so yesterday I managed to get my dying laptop to turn on and then sent some of my favourite songs from iTunes to my phone via Bluetooth. So now my ring tone is 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift :D You might remember a while ago I said I'd ordered Taylor Swift's first album 'Taylor Swift' from America as it hasn't been released in the UK. I ordered it from a seller on Amazon marketplace just over 4 weeks ago, who said it would be dispatched the next day and with me in 1 to 3 weeks. No sign of it yet :( And while I was playing with my phone yesterday I cleared all of my photos off of my old phone, and then gave it to my dad. He played with it for ages yesterday afternoon, but still doesn't know how to use it!
On Wednesday morning my brace broke again (the second time in less than a week!) as the wire came out of one of the brackets. So I rang the orthodontist and arranged an emergency appointment for Friday afternoon. I thought I might have a long wait, as they were going to fit me in whenever they could, but I only had to wait for 15mins. It was quite an adventure getting there on the buses though, as dad couldn't get the time off work to take me. Hospital A, where the orthodontist is, is just the other across the city from my school and the journey takes around 20mins in the car. It took 45mins on the bus! My brace was easily fixed and the orthodontist put an extra bit onto the bracket that the wire had popped out of, so it shouldn't happen again. He also cut off a very sharp wire that had been cutting my cheek and gave me some more wax. I was also shown where to purchase an oral hygeine kit in the hospital to help me care for my braces. It cost £14 - for some mouthwash (which the orthodontist said he wasn't sure whether I should use), some paste (used to protect my mouth from the sharp brackets, just like the wax I already have), a mouthgard (when am I going to use that?!), a travel orthodontic toothbrush (I already have a proper sized one which is fine) and a weird looking toothbrush for brushing my teeth while I have braces (I've already been given a special brush to use from the hygeinist). So I don't think I'll use anything from that!
When I had my braces fitted I had to explain to my orthodontist about having to avoid tap water, so they'd use sterile water in my mouth instead. He didn't believe me!!! In response he said, "We don't like in a third world country, the water here is fine to drink."! He knows from my notes that I've had a small bowel transplant, so I don't know why he didn't believe me. So this week when I returned I gave him some information I'd printed off the Internet all about the parasite (Cryptosporidium) that is sometimes found in tap water and could be dangerous for me. Then he said he understood, but I didn't get an apology!
After the orthodontist on Friday I went into town until my dad could pick me up after work. I had a nice time wandering round and didn't spend too much money. I only bought a new belt, which was something I really needed. I've always had trouble with belts as they never have holes in them small enough for my waist. But a few months ago my friend showed me a different style of belt which would fasten anywhere. So a few weeks ago I bought 2 very cheap from Claire's. However because they were cheap they soon broke, so I looked for a new one in town on Friday. I found 2 other shops that sold them, but in one the cheapest belts cost £21!! So I found one cheaper in a different shop, as I wasn't prepared to spend £21 on a belt.
I've had quite a good week this week and haven't felt too tired :) I didn't miss any days off school this week, but did miss a couple of afternoons for various appointments. On Wednesday I had 2 free periods in the afternoon, so mum picked me up early and together we went to the cinema to see 'The Young Victoria' at last :) My mum loved it and I quite enjoyed it. I thought Emily Blunt was fantastic. However, I found some of the film quite slow and this was the day after the late night phone call, so I was very tired, so I nodded off! But I did see most of the film :) On Wednesday evening I watched the second episode of The Apprentice, which I really enjoyed. I couldn't believe how clueless both teams were though! And I was very surprised at who was fired (I won't say here incase anyone reading has recorded it but not watched it yet) as they were supposed to be favourite to win the whole thing!
On Thursday mum picked me up from school at lunch time to take me to Hospital H to have the relevant blood tests needed for my CFS referral. It went really smoothly and only took one attempt to get all the blood :) A total of 15mls of blood was needed! And on Friday I had another encounter with needles when I had my 3rd (and final) HPV vaccination at school. My first 2 went really smoothly, so I assumed this one would too. But the nurse asked me if I was on any medications! I'm not on too many now, and I think I remembered all but one of them. Then she asked me why! At this point I was sitting at a little table with her, surrounded by 4 or 5 more tables where my peers were sitting. None of them know about my transplant, which is my choice, and the way I wanted it to stay. So I tried to reply to the nurse quietly hoping no-one else heard, and I don't think they did. Phew! It turned out that the nurse used to be a heart and lung transplant co-ordinator, so once I told her I'd had a transplant she was really interested and asked me loads of questions! Eventually I got my vaccination. It hurt, but I expected it too, and my arm has been very achy since.
On Friday evening my friend Claire came round for tea. It was the first time I'd seen her for 3 weeks, so that was lovely. She doesn't have digital TV so I always record the best/funniest music videos from the music channels to show her. Claire's a huge Take That fan, so I showed her their 'Up All Night' video and she also liked Lily Allen's 'Not Fair' video. We had a laugh at Girls Aloud's 'Untouchable' video. It's quite new, so I'm not sure if you'll have seen it, but their outfits are ridiculous. They look like they're wearing strips of bin bags and clingfilm!
After a really good week I then felt rubbish yesterday. I was exhausted and couldn't concentrate on anything. When I have a few good days or a good week I wonder if I'm actually better than I think I am, because I feel so well. But then when I have a bad day or bad few days I realise that actually I'm not right, and as a result feel quite down and fed up :(
While I've been writing this very long post (sorry), I've been eating lunch. I had white bread sandwiches, which is the first thing I've chewed since I got my braces! My teeth didn't hurt while I ate :) But my back teeth don't quite meet properly, so it was hard work, but I feel more positive about my braces now.
Friday, 3 April 2009
Donor Day
Tuesday 7th April is Donor Day.
Could you repost Holly's flyer somewhere to help spread the word and encourage other people to spread the word?
Thanks.
P.S. To find out more about donor day visit Holly's blog.
Could you repost Holly's flyer somewhere to help spread the word and encourage other people to spread the word?
Thanks.
P.S. To find out more about donor day visit Holly's blog.
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