Ill :(

Sorry it's been a while since my last blog update, but I've not been very well this week. I've got a tummy bug, a cough (which has gone to my chest) and a cold. Yuk :( The tummy bug came last Monday and although I'm slowly getting better, I'm not there yet. And the cough and cold show no signs of going yet.

I spent last Wednesday and part of Thursday in Hospital A. When I developed the symptoms of the tummy bug on Monday night I was immediately quite worried because the symptoms are very similar to those in rejection of the small bowel. So I contacted Hospital B on Tuesday and a registrar said that because I hadn't got a temperature it was unlikely to be rejection, but I should get checked out at a local hospital anyway. I decided to go to Hospital A (the adult hospital I'm currently transitioning to) rather than Hospital H (my local hospital) because Hospital A isn't much further away. So I rang Hospital A, which was big palaver as I found it really difficult to get hold of the right contact, and arranged to go in for lots of tests on Wednesday. On Wednesday I couldn't see my consultant (Dr W) as he wasn't in that day, but saw his fellow consultant (Dr M) instead. He was great though. I was put on a drip because I was dehydrated and had lots of blood tests, x-rays... done. I went home that evening after being rehydrated, but returned the following morning for more blood tests. Luckily all the tests came back clear, indicating that the cause was probably viral, so I'd just feel better in time. I also discovered on the Transplant Kids message boards I use that some other children from Hospital B's team at the British Transplant Games had been ill at the start of last week, so it looks like there might have been something going round there.

It was great to have the opportunity to give Hospital A a test run and to get to know how it worked a bit better. All the staff on the Gastro Ward there (where I was treated this time) were really friendly and I think now I'd feel more confident if I needed to spend time there again. The woman in the bed next to me had also had a multi-organ transplant, so I spent some time chatting to her, which was nice. I had 3 sets of bloods taken over the 2 days and was very proud of myself because I had all of them without cold spray, which I usually use to numb the skin beforehand. The spray means that having blood taken hurts less, but it also makes the veins constrict, so makes the nurse's job harder. And I also escaped to the shops on the Concourse briefly where I bought myself a couple of magazines and a nice t-shirt :)

I've not had to return to the Hospital since last Thursday, but have been keeping the team there updated on my progress with phone calls. My tummy quickly settled during the days, but still is causing me some trouble at night, which keeps me awake. This was a bit better last night though, so fingers crossed I'm now on the mend. I'm not very good at drinking, as I never feel thirsty, but have been making a big effort with it while I've been ill, so have managed to prevent myself getting dehydrated at home. I've not been eating properly for a week though, so am quite nervous about weighing myself tomorrow as I know I'll have lost a significant amount of weight. Hopefully I'll be able to build my eating back up relatively quickly though once I'm completely better and get my weight back up a bit.

I've not done much at all this week as I've felt awful and had very little energy. I've spent quite a lot of time relaxing and watching DVDs though, which has been nice :) I discovered a great Sandra Bullock film called '28 Days' which I would highly recommend, quite enjoyed 'The Holiday' though thought it was bit long, loved re-watching 'Bridget Jones' Diary', got very confused by 'Crash' and had a good laugh with my mum at 'Intolerable Cruelty'. I went shopping briefly on Thursday as Hospital A is on the outskirts of the city and bought a friend's birthday present, a t-shirt and a much needed new pair of slippers. And because I was feeling a bit better today I went into town where I bought some very cute ladybird earrings and a travel Cribbage board. I used to be able to play Cribbage, but hadn't played for a long time, so last week my dad re-taught me and we've enjoyed playing games together in the evenings. Our Cribbage Board is quite big though, so I thought it would be very handy to buy a travel board for taking into hospital with me in the future. After my trip into town earlier this afternoon I've been feeling exhausted, so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting some help and advice tomorrow at my ME appointment. Will let you know how it goes.