We left our house just after 10am on the Wednesday, I had to call into my pharmacy to pick up an emergency prescription because after stopping one of my medications on Monday in preparation for my impedance test at Harefield this week I was suffering from awful acid reflux (heartburn / burning throat) & I really didn't want it to ruin our trip, especially as I had booked a nice meal for that evening. The trip wasn't bad, I had prepacked some nice baguettes for us to save spending stupid money at the services & Stef only stopped once for his Costa Coffee fix. We finally arrived at our B&B just before 2pm. The owner Mrs Strange greeted us & showed us to our room. The building was beautiful, a lovely old farm house with huge garden & surrounding fields. We sat in the garden for a bit & then decided to take a wonder (by that I mean drive as we were in the sticks!) into the village were I had booked our meal for the evening...
The Birthday Boy
Stef's Little Gifts From The Babies & I
Burford was beautiful, very small with tiny little shops on either side. We easily spotted the restaurant we were going to be dining in later that day so knew exactly where to come. After looking around for a while we sat in the sunshine with an ice cream each before returning to the B&B to relax & shower before going out.
Ready For Our Meal
We dined at The Golden Pheasant, we had already looked at their menu after I had enquired by finding them on the Tastecard website so knew there would be dishes on there we liked. The food, service & atmosphere was amazing... Not to mention the price. I used my tastecard which gave me 50% off our starters & mains. (Every little helps!) Stef had thai pork, prawn & crab cakes to start whereas I tucked into a lovely bacon & chicken carbonara. He then had a lovely rare steak with all the trimmings (Jealous!) & I tried to polish off what was like a posh shish kebab, lovely lamb cubes with feta, salad & tisziki on flat bread. The staff were really friendly & we had a lovely evening. We weren't back to the b&b late as wanted to have a clear, fresh head for the following day....
The Better Half Of Me
Waiting For My Food!
I was up early doing all my nebs & medications before I could shower & left Stef to doze in bed, it was his birthday after all.... We made our way down to breakfast & must have entrigued all the other guests (which were all male businessmen!) about our stories of snake keeping & the fact we were going to Crocodiles of the World that morning. Their faces were a picture.... After we packed, paid & loaded the car we excitedly drove towards our destinaton. I wa soooo freaking nervous I can't even tell you! Ten minutes later we had arrived, we parked up & found the entrance & waited. I could hear Shaun upstairs on the phone, we were in the entrance / gift shop bit, so as we waited, we looked at all the goodies & decided what we were going to be taking home with us! A few moments later, he was there, stood in front of us, Croc Man, Shaun, & founder of Crocodiles Of The World. An inspiration to me, from once being so poorly & achievening his life long dream... & of course, well.... Yummy. LOL
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He then started showing us around & introducing us to all his crocs & gators. We were chatting away around the centre, about the different species & his plans for the future. We met his water monitor who climbed out for a lick & a cuddle, he was gorgeous, then we got the chance to hold a baby croc & talk to another keeper Jamie. After taking lots of photo's we made our back to the gift section & found Shaun, picked up some goodies, I had a few pics with him (well it was a given wasn't it?) chatted a while longer then said our goodbyes. It was the best experience we could have hoped for. We loved every single minute. Thank you so much to Shaun for inviting us up & taking time out of his hectic day to show us around personally. I will never forget it & must certainly intend to go again!
The Goodies We Brought Home
Little Nile Crocodiles
A Little Nile Saying Hello!
Me With Shaun! 'Croc Man'
Gorgeous!
One Of My Favourites!
Baby!
Stef With The Baby
Loved Every Minute!
I was back to reality with a thud the day after we returned home, my lungys havent been good for a while but I've been so drained at the same time, I really didn't feel well at all Friday or over the weekend. I was very headachey & I'm having a lot of trouble with my back at the moment, I was going to Harefield first thing Monday so I just held tight til it arrived & off I went with my bag packed, ready for clinic, impedance test & an overnight stay in Parkwood.
I had all my tests done early other than x ray so that after the ng tube was inserted they could see if it was in the right place or not, I was ready as I could be to see Anne but nervous as hell because I just know my body, & my body does not like things going up my nose & down the back of my throat no matter how 'thin' they might be. I was right, it took Anne 3 attempts, lots of tears, abit of vom & tremendous amounts of gagging but I eventually did it. Anne was great, she said I did brilliantly, I dont know if it was from when I broke my nose when I was little, but the tube just wouldnt go down the back without lots of wiggling, I also have a really sensitive lining but we got there. I was incredibley sore & irritated but 24 hours later it would be out so I just had to concentrate on the bigger picture. Hopefully this may give me answers as to why my lungys have misbehaved sinced the beginning of the year...
Yuck! :(
As I was staying the night there was no rush for me to be seen by the doctors so I said they could put me on the bottom of the list & I went to the pavillions to have a drink & get some space. When I was seen later that day, my dr said they think the impedance test should be positive considering the symptoms I show & the way my lungs have been over the last few months. I have been kept on all the same medication & treatments as I am still bringing up lots of secretions & very chesty at times, which I need to keep clearing. I mentioned the problems in my back & she thought the swelling could be due to the high dose of prednisilone I am on & the posture of my breathing when I am finding it difficult, nothing more was really said so I think I'll bring it up again with my CF team when I see them week after next. My potassium is still extremely low even though I take sando k twice daily so I must ensure I dont miss a dose, & I've been told I need to eat more, although I thought I had actually put on a pile of weight! It was late by the times I got out of clinic, so walked to get a kebab (worse idea in the world with that fecking tube down my throat) & retired to my room in Parkwood, I was exhausted, after a phone call to Stef, I turned off the tv & found myself asleep before 9.30pm....... At 10.30am the following day my tube was removed & I was free, I then just hung around like a piece of the furntiure & annoyed Chris ( a fellow heart transplant patient) until I was picked up at 4.30pm & got home just before 9pm. It was heaven to be home, but I was drained & went straight to bed. Another trip over, for now at least.
Yesterday was a strange day, I was 11 months post exactly. I was running through the last 11 months in my head, looking at how far I had come, crying one minute then smiling the next. Then came the news my mum had put our dog down, Rolo. We had him as a family dog from day one, he was 17 years old so had had a great life, but he was very old & the last few days he had become really poorly & it wasn't fair to keep him going like that. My mum also has my labrador Codie, who she took on when I was too poorly & taken into ITU in 2009. Codie has lived with my mum & brother ever since & her & Rolo were best friends. Now he has gone I don't know what she'll do, she is only 8 bless her, she'll need a lot of attention now, I think she will pine for Ro a lot. My head was all over the place for the rest of the day, I was devastated losing our dog but it was for the best, I was just gutted I couldn't say goodbye. I still felt really drained & I couldn't work out if I was feeling ill or not. I just didn't want to talk / move / do anything really. I was glad when the day came to an end to be honest.
Rest in peace Rolo, I love you lots puppy dog xxxx
Whilst writing this, I recieved a call from Heart Radio & have just finished a small interview piece with them on CF & Transplant as part of CF week which is this week! They have my number so will be calling to let me know hopefully if & when it'll be aired. I hate my voice, especially recorded & I could feel myself getting quite shakey with some of the questions asked, but hopefully if people do get to hear it, I get my point across, reach out for more awareness & have done my donor proud.
Which now, before I sign off & hope that this blog hasn't sent you to sleep, leaves me to next week... We have a friends wedding to go to on Saturday, I have missed many this year due to being unwell & complications, this will be the first I have attended, & although I may not be able to stay for the duration, it should be a lovely afternoon, especially if the weather holds out. Plus any quality time spent with my husband is a complete bonus in my eyes. Then Tuesday, (2nd July) Stefan & I celebrate two years of married life together. A special meal is booked for us on Friday evening at bistro called Memories, very apt I think! Then, on Saturday 6th I turn 30. 30 years old. I don't feel old, because of my donor I get to celebrate these special milestones with my husband, family & friends. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for my hero & their family. I am utterly blessed & thank them every single day for giving me the best gift anyone could possibly give. I wrote in my blog last year that I would be having a big party regardless of if I had recieved my transplant or not, but this is not the case. Over time, you think about whats more important in life. To me, making memories with people that care about you & enjoy your company, no matter how small or insignificant are whats special. It's not about the presents, the cake or how pissed up you can get.... So I plan to just take each day as it comes & celebrate my day of birth with special people who I hold dear to me, to make the most of every second & be thankful that I am still here. Here's to turning 30 & whatever my life will bring after that.........
Thank you as always for taking the time to read. xxx
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