X Factor, Little Boots and Alicia

After reading back through my last update I can't believe that I didn't mention the X Factor! I like Joe best, closely followed by Lucie and Stacey. I can't stand the twins and don't understand what the general public must be thinking in voting for them! It's a singing competition and the twins can't sing, so therefore they ought to have gone out ages ago. I don't think it's fair that acts that can sing (such as Miss Frank, who I really liked) are going out while the twins are staying in the competition. And I was shocked to hear that apparently the twins received the most votes last week and are fast becoming favourites to win the whole thing! What a joke! Grrrr.

I've had trouble getting up this week and most morning I've had a lie-in til between 10.30 and 11.30am because I've just not been able to get out of bed when my alarm has gone off at 9.30am. My nocturnalism hasn't been too bad with me getting to sleep between midnight and 1am so far this week. Last night I attempted to get an early night by getting into bed at 11.30pm, but I didn't fall asleep til just before 1am. And I've been having quite disturbed nights with vivid dreams and waking up often for no reason, which is frustrating.

I felt very exhausted on Monday and was very fed up with it. Luckily I felt quite a bit better on Tuesday (with no tummy aches!) which cheered me up :D I had a bad headache that evening but luckily it cleared up quickly after taking some Paracetamol. And I've not felt too bad yesterday and today either, apart from being tired.

I had lots of trouble on Monday evening with my NG tube tape. The tape I've settled on using doesn't make my face sore but does usually partially come unstuck at somepoint during the night. However on Monday evening my tape fell off 4 times in three and a half hours before I even got into bed! Grrrr. I eventually worked out a more effective way to secure my tube using an extra piece of tape stuck down over the horizontal piece that prevents the horizontal piece from coming off my face due to the springiness of the tube. This isn't ideal though, so I've taken a recommendation from a friend about a different type of tape to try and I've ordered that from my local surgery. Fingers crossed.

I weighed myself on Tuesday like I do every week and I was expecting to have lost a little bit of weight (due to eating less because of having a sore mouth after my orthodontist appointment last week), but it was nice to discover that I'd only lost 0.2kg. I contacted my dietician via email and she said to continue on 5 nights of feed this week and then we'll review it next Tuesday.

I made a start on filling out my ESA medical questionnaire on Tuesday evening, but only did the easy bits then. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend but it's tricky and frustrating.

I heard from J, the psychologist at Hospital B, earlier this week with an appointment time to see her on the afternoon of the 11th November. Fingers crossed she'll be able to help my ME, so I'm feeling quite optimistic about seeing her. I'll let you know how it goes.

On Monday morning I put my watch on that my dad had put right for me the previous evening. It was showing the wrong time again! Grrr. So I've gone back to my old (and not nearly as pretty) watch for now and am hoping to revisit the little craft shop where I got my watch from soon to see if they've got another one in stock. If so I'll definitely check that I can adjust the time easily before buying it!

I've had quite a busy week so far. On Monday I met Claire at a local shop that was originally a garden centre but has now expanded and sells all sorts of things including art and craft materials, food, pets, clothes, books... We had a nice browse round and I completed my Christmas shopping! I also bought myself a rubber stamper which says 'Happy Birthday' so I can use that when I feel up to making birthday cards. And we had lunch in the cafe there. I was shocked to see a flashing sign telling me how many days til Christmas in the shop! And they had loads and loads of Christmas stuff for sale, it's not even November yet! I know I've done my Christmas shopping already but that has been my choice, I don't want to see Christmas trees etc in the shops in October! That's not right, lol. And then on the way home me and mum called in at Sainsburys for a big food shop.

Tuesday morning I tidied up my bedroom while listening to Mika really loud :D Then my old friend F came round for lunch and we chatted a bit and watched 2 DVDs together that afternoon :D We watched A Cinderella Story which I thought was very predictable and the characters were too over the top, they were like charicatures. It was ok to watch, but I wouldn't watch it again. And we watched Wild Child which I've seen before and really like :) And we've arranged another date to meet up because F couldn't stay for as long as she wanted to on Tuesday due to having a saxophone lesson that afternoon.

And yesterday I went into town for a couple of hours. I sorted out some confusion with my bank and enjoyed browsing round the shops. I was on the look out for some thick leggings, but the only ones I could find were very thin and I want thicker ones to keep my legs warm. So hopefully I'll be able to find some thicker and warmer leggings when I'm next in the city. I only spent £1.50 while we were out on a book from a charity shop. It's called The Likeness and is by Tana French. I've read it before and will definitely reread it now I've got a copy. I'd highly recommend it :) And then I helped mum with another Sainsburys shop. Neither of us can understand why we needed so much just 2 days after doing a huge shop, lol!

Last night I received a phone call from my best friend Lizzy (who I went to stay with in August) asking if I'd like to go and stay again before Christmas. My health isn't as good now and Lizzy is working more, so I'm hoping just to stay for 1 night this time, rather than 2 like I did last time. I need to work out lifts with my parents (hopefully I'll be able to get a lift there and then come home on the train like I did last time) and then I can phone Lizzy back and confirm to stay either the weekend of the 7th and 8th of November or the weekend of the 14th and 15th November. So that's not far away at all and is something to look forward too :D

I seem to have watched loads on TV over the last couple of days, lol. I recorded BBC Breakfast on Monday because they were interviewing Diana Vickers about the Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Last week I discovered a programme called Medical Emergency that is on Sky 3 every day and this week they followed a lung transplant story. So hopefully lots of people will have seen that and it will have got them thinking and talking about organ donation. I've also watched An Island Parish, The Gadget Show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Film 2009 and The Force. And I caught a programme on the music channels containing and interview with and performances by Alexandra Burke and another very interesting Horizon, but this was about the use of stem cells to help medical conditions and disabilities.

I've been listening to my Little Boots CD a lot this week in preparation for the concert tonight! I'm very excited :D Claire is coming round for tea and then me, mum and her will set off to the city for the concert, yay, can't wait :D Will report all about it tomorrow or at the weekend :)

Today although I'm very excited about tonight's concert, I'm also taking time to remember an inspirational little girl I met at Hospital B when I had my transplant, called Alicia. Alicia had her first multi organ transplant when she was just a baby, but required a second one when she was 10. Unfortunately her second transplant also failed and Alicia lost her fight for life 2 years ago today. Alicia was amazing, she was always smiling and making those around her laugh. She'll never be forgotten.

Alicia and her mum