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.