Discussion group, hair cut and Barnardo's

Sorry it's been a little while since I last updated, hopefully this update wont be too long, fingers crossed.

My tiredness and energy levels have been up and down this week. My mood has too - most of the time I've been fine but I have felt very down on a couple of occasions for no obvious reason. On Sat night my legs were sore which is unusual for me. I started Amitriptyline on Sat night after stopping Spasmonal because it didn't seem to be helping my tummy pains at all. My tummy pains seem to have been different this week than usual and maybe slightly better, but not dramatically better. I'll keep going with the Amitriptyline and see what happens. My nocturnalism seems to have been better some nights this week (but not all) and I seem to have been getting to sleep quicker once I've got into bed, which may be due to the Amitriptyline.

One day this week I received a write-up of my last clinic in the post from Hosp A. The letter has been written to my GP but I received a copy too. On the envelope and in the letter Hosp A got my house number wrong. Hosp B have always had my postcode wrong! :P Most of the letter was accurate but I wasn't very happy with my consultant from Hosp A saying something along the lines of 'It was agreed that Molly's fatigue is probably not due to M.E. but is probably transplant related' That was not agreed, that was just his view!

I finally got my dad to check my email to S, the transplant co-ordinator from Hosp A, and after finalising it I sent it. I received a brief response from S saying that she'd be in touch again after her week off, but the follow up at Hosp B sounds very similar to Hosp A so she thinks my transition should be simple. I wish I was that confident!

On Tue morn my weight was up to 53.3kg. It was 52.1kg a fortnight ago (when I last emailed my dietician at Hosp B) and 52.8kg last week (when I just did my weight for myself). I emailed both of my dieticians to let them know. My dietician from Hosp B was very impressed and I also got a nice reply from my dietician at Hosp A.

On Sun morn me and mum went out to the local carboot sale. We both found it quite disappointing so hopefully it'll be better next time. I didn't buy any DVDs, just one PS2 game.

On Mon I felt quite tired so didn't do much. I wrote a letter to my AYME buddy Kate and went round to the post box to send that and also to the surgery to put in an order for some more high calorie puddings. I didn't feel up to going to Alf's parents' evening with my mum and dad but I'm sure there'll be more chances for me to see his college. That evening dad went away to stay in the fishing lodge that his sister rents for a couple of days while he's on annual leave from work.

On Tue I walked round to the local shop to buy the new Radio Times and some milk and to post a rental DVD back. That morning I phoned Barnardo's to chase up an application form and the manager answered the phone. She asked if I'd been in for an interview so I told her that I'd just been asked to fill out an application form. She said she'd just got back from a holiday but she'd like to see me for an interview, so could I pop in at some point on Wed or Thur. Eeek!

On Tue aft Chris and Soph came round to compare PS games, but Sophie forgot her 4. She told me what they were though and I wouldn't have been interested in borrowing any of them. Chris and Sophie are both quite busy at the mo but they might borrow some of my games another time. We played on my PS2 together which was fun :) After they'd been round for a while I got very tired so went up to my bedroom to relax while they used our Internet because they've not managed to get the Internet set up at their new house yet. Chris did some job hunting. He's still got his current job but they've just lost some housing benefit I think so are struggling to afford the rent on their house. I'm sure they wouldn't have any problems though if they stopped spending so much on things like alcohol, cigarettes, going to the pub etc! So Chris is looking for a job where he can earn more money, but dad doesn't think he'll be able to get a more highly paid job in what he wants to do (bar and restaurant work).

On Tue eve I didn't feel too tired so went to the teenage discussion group in the village. This time rather than being held in a room in the church it was held at B's house because she couldn't get anyone to babysit for her 2 young daughters now we've changed the day. There weren't many of us there - just A and B who run it, me, my friend V and another girl we both know, K. V has told me that she can't stand K, but I thought she did very well at hiding that. The discussion was based around another 10 min video, but it wasn't quite so religious this time. I got a bit frustrated when I was trying to be 'normal' and A briefly mentioned my medical history. I also found it frustrating when B was talking about how her sister had ME and had recovered really quickly when she stopped multitasking and watching TV and I felt like it was pointed at me (I'm sure A had told B about me having ME), but I'm sure nothing was meant by it. I'm really pleased that I didn't say anything either time. The rest of the evening was good though :)

I had quite a busy day on Wed. In the morning I went to my local hair salon for an appt with my normal hairdresser (who has cut my hair since I was tiny). My hair really needed trimming but I'd kept putting it off because I don't like having to be sociable at the hairdressers :P I asked my hairdresser's advice on stopping my hair from looking so thin (I'm sure it's a side effect of some of my medication but it seems to come and go despite the doses of my medications not changing). She said she could see where it went thinner, so the best solution would be to cut my hair there, so I agreed. I don't like other people washing my hair so just went for a spray cut. However when she sprayed my hair it went wildly wavy and stuck out at all angles :P Luckily she managed to tame it a bit before I left the salon. I had 2 or 3 inches cut off which is more than I'd usually have, but my hair still ties up. And I like it, it looks much thicker now and is easier to wash, brush and care for now the split ends have gone.

On Wed aft I went to Barnardo's in town to see the manager. She seemed nice and younger than I'd expected from hearing her on the phone. It wasn't really an interview, just a short informal chat. She asked me if I'd ever done any volunteering like this before (which I haven't) and asked whether I'd like to work out the front or in the back, so I told her about the conversation I'd had with someone on the phone who had suggested that I work out the back so I'm under no pressure to go in unless I feel up to it. She gave me an application form and asked me to return next Thur to be shown around, shown how stuff works and what I'll be doing.

Then I tried to trade in my 5 unwanted PS2 games (there might be more I don't want when I've played them all a bit more, but they're the only ones I'm certain I don't want at the mo) and the shop said they'd definitely be interested and although price would depend on the actual games and the condition of them they would be able to offer me a couple of pounds for each. But they can only buy a certain value of games and consoles each day and they'd already bought their limit that day. So I'll have to go back a bit earlier another day and hope that they wont already have bought their limit. In the charity shops I bought a PS1 game and 2 DVDs (Burn After Reading and He's Just Not That Into You) for £1.50 each. Then I helped mum with a big Tesco shop where I bought The Hangover on DVD for £5.

Yesterday I helped mum with a quick Tesco shop but didn't buy anything myself. Then we called in at the cinema where we pre-booked tickets to see The Blind Side tomorrow. We ate our sandwiches for lunch in the car on our way to visit my Nan. It was lovely to see her and she seemed in good spirits :) But I became very tired while we were there so don't think I was very good company. On the way home we called in at a local shop to buy some croissants and I posted a rental DVD back. I was very tired that evening so relaxed for a while before doing a crossword with my mum which we both enjoyed. Then dad got back from his fishing break which he seemed to have enjoyed. After dad had been back a little while he said there was something different about me so asked if I'd got new glasses. When I told him I hadn't he then realised I'd had my hair cut!

One day this week my mum's friend called round with a big fleecy jacket that she didn't want any more so she wondered if any of us wanted it. It's mine now and I love it, it's so warm :)

On Wed when I'd been telling my hairdresser about Alf's college course and his love of exotic animals she told me about a exotic pet shop that she'd accidentally stumbled upon in a neighbouring village. I'd never heard of it before, but I told Alf who looked it up on the Internet last night. He thought it looked really good so went to have a look at it with dad this afternoon. They don't have any job vacancies for Alf or any chance for him to volunteer but they've taken his details and he will be able to do his work experience there. It's good that it's so close, he'll be able to walk or cycle there across the fields.

This morning I had a shower and it got me thinking. Although I find showering quite tiring at the moment, it's now much easier than it used to be for me because I don't have to spend time before showering waterproofing a central line or spend time after showering changing an illeostomy bag.

I'm having a very down day today :( Firstly Claire text mum to cancel this evening. She was going to come round for tea and bring her mum with her who we've never met before, but she's cancelled and I don't know why. However they're still going to my mum's knitting group, but I don't attend that, so I wont get to see Claire tonight or meet her mum :(

Then I overheard Alf talking to my parents about the possibility of him getting a pet. I've wanted a pet for years and my parents have always said no, so I was surprised that they were thinking about letting Alf have one. So I asked mum if I could have a pet and she said no, which I thought was very unfair so I got quite upset. Mum didn't seem to understand that I like animals as much as Alf and how much I want a pet. Alf isn't going to be getting a pet in the near future but if he makes a big effort with his college work and gets good grades then he might be allowed a chameleon or some other kind of reptile or amphibian in a tank in his room, which he'll have to take full responsibility for. At the end of the conversation it looked more like if Alf is allowed a pet I might be allowed one too, but nothing has been decided yet. If I am allowed a pet then it will have to live in my bedroom (so not a dog or cat) and be totally my responsibility. However due to my transplant I wouldn't be able to have a reptile or a bird, so I think it'll have to be a small mammal. And I'll have to get my consultant's permission too. My consultant at Hosp B has always said no to pets (although I do know other small bowel transplant recipients who have pets), but I think my consultant at Hosp A might say yes ;)

Tomorrow afternoon me and mum are going to the cinema to see The Blind Side which I'm really looking forward to as I've been waiting for the film to be released in UK cinemas for ages! And on Sun if the weather is good we'll go and browse round the local carboot sale. My only plan for next week at the moment is going to Barnardo's on Thur (and maybe getting into town a bit early to try to trade my unwanted PS2 games in), but I'm sure more things will crop up, they always do.

I've played on my PS2 a bit more since my last update. On Sat I played on Sonic Heroes a bit more on my own and tried out World Rally Championship 3 with dad. It was his choice but we both had a lot of laughs playing it because we were both appalling! I was marginally better though, so beat him :) On Sun I tried out a few games - Who Wants to be a Millionaire (just like the TV prog), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (not sure if it's my kind of game, so need to spend a bit more time playing it), Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (I expected it to be some exploring and some fighting but it is all fighting so I didn't enjoy it), The Italian Job: LA Heist (I am awful at racing games, so that wasn't very successful!) Tony Hawk's Project 8 (bashing the buttons doesn't work, I need to spend some time learning and practising) and SSX3 (same thoughts as Tony Hawk's). On Tue I tried out the multiplayer options on Sonic Heroes with Chris and Sophie and then played Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Sophie. And on Tue I also tried out a new game, Lemmings for the PS1, which I loved (it's just classic Lemmings), but I got really frustrated when it would save and even complained to the eBay seller who I bought it from. After Googling the problem I discovered that you can't save PS1 games onto a PS2 memory card, but instead need a PS1 memory card. So I apologised to the person who sold me Lemmings and bought a PS1 memory card from eBay which I'm now waiting to be delivered. At the moment Alf is trying out my Need for Speed game.

This week I bought a PS2 game called Canis Canem Edit (aka Bully) from the carboot sale and a PS1 game called Jak and Daxter from a charity shop in town. I've not tried either of them out yet though. I've bought some PS2 games from eBay such as Escape from Monkey Island and Sonic Mega Collection. Escape from Monkey Island has arrived in the post already along with Need For Speed Most Wanted which I bought last week but I've not tried either of them out yet. I'm waiting for Sonic Mega Collection to be delivered. The PS1 games I've bought from eBay are Lemmings and Oh No More Lemmings and Crash Bandicoot 3, which have already arrived though I've not tried out Crash Bandicoot 3 yet, and Croc 1, which I'm waiting for. On Wed eve I decided I'd stop buying PS games from eBay while I tried out the ones I'd got but that didn't even last 24 hours because yesterday evening I couldn't resist buying the PS1 game Spyro Gateway to Glimmer from eBay :P But I checked my bank balance online the other day and it's looking good so I'm ok to buy a few games until the novelty of the PS2 wears off :)

A few days ago the next handheld Nintendo console (which will come after the DS series) was announced. The current name for it is 3DS, but I'm sure that'll change before it's launched. It will incorporate 3D without the user needing to wear special 3D glasses. You can read more about it here. I think it sounds quite exciting.

I've only watched one film since my last update which was called Fish Tank. It wasn't a cheerful film, but was very well made and acted and definitely thought-provoking. I'd recommend it if you want a gritty realistic film that makes you think. On the DVD was also a short film called Wasp that had been the inspiration for Fish Tank so I watched that too.

Since my last update I've discovered the BBC series Outnumbered as I rented the first series on DVD from Tesco DVD rental. I'd seen odd parts of the special episodes for Comic Relief and Sports Relief before so wanted to see more. This week I've watched all 6 episodes of series 1 (plus the cast interviews on the DVD) and I love it :D The first disc of the second series arrived this morning from rental and the second disc is in the post to me, so I'm looking forward to watching series 2 before series 3 starts a week tomorrow. This week I've also begun rewatching series 2 of Ashes to Ashes in preparation series 3 starting on TV next Fri. So far I've rewatched the first 3 episodes of series 2. I can't wait for series 3 :D You can see the BBC trailer here.

I seem to have watched quite a lot on TV, from the hard disc recorder and on online TV catch up services since my last update. I watched the last episode in the current series (and the last ever with Jonathan Ross of Film 2010, 2 episodes of Tracy Beaker Returns, the latest episode of Married Single Other which was very sad (the first 3 episodes were light-hearted and funny, but the next 2 episodes were very moving and a depressing. I wonder how it'll conclude on Mon), a really interesting documentary about refugees from Burma moving to the UK called True Stories: Moving to Mars (I was especially interested in this because Lizzy's husband is from Burma), the first episode in the new series of Children's Hospital, the latest episode of One Born Every Minute, both parts of an interesting BBC programme called Famous Rich and Jobless, 4Music: 4Play: Marina and the Diamonds (It's on the hard disc recorder and I've watched it a few times now), a Neil Sidaka prog with mum, Fri Night with Jonathan Ross featuring Lady Gaga (I thought watching it might help me to understand her but it didn't!), Boyzone Tribute to Stephen Gately (I only watched because I heard Mika had sung on it), Alexandra Burke performing her next single, All Night Long, on Dancing on Ice and Pixie Lott performing her latest single, Gravity, on the Alan Titchmarsh Show. I've now watched everything that I wanted to on the hard disc recorder in preparation for reformatting it, but there are still a few programmes on it that mum wants to watch.

I've had 2 songs stuck in my head a lot since my last update. I got Caravan of Love stuck in head after it was sung on Married Single Other and then again after I heard it on the radio a few days later. I don't mind that song though. More annoying was getting Telephone stuck in my head. Usually when the video comes on the music channels I flick to another channel but I thought I'd watch it through - big mistake! I don't like the song but it's very very catchy! While I was looking for that on Youtube I spotted a link on the side of the page to a Lady Gaga video I was sure I'd not seen before. Although I don't really like Lady Gaga I thought I'd have a look because her videos are always really weird, but to my surprise this one is quite normal!

I'm currently listening to The Family Jewels by Marina and the Diamonds to cheer me up. It's definitely my favourite album at the moment.

Mika was interviewed by Jools Holland on Radio 2 on Mon eve but I missed it on the radio so listened to it on iPlayer last night instead. You can listen to it here but only til Mon (Mika comes in 24 mins into the recording). Mika's latest single Kick Ass (the theme tune to the film of the same title) will be released on Mon and I'll certainly be buying it.