For my first day off, I rested. I had a big bath and I went for a short walk to town in the sunshine. I spent the rest of the day chilling out, replying to letters and putting together some notes for Mum and Nigel's trip to London. I felt good for it. That was Tuesday, because last week I had Tuesday off. I went back to work on Wednesday and felt better.
Thursday - Michelle
On Thursday I had another lie in and drip fed some more spoons into the Royal Bank of Spoonage. In the afternoon I had a lovely day in Hale with my friend Michelle. I spent 6 weeks in hospital with Michelle last year - not only did we stay in the same building for 6 weeks but we stayed in the same room with little more than a few feet between us the whole time. We were both really, really sick at the time. I think I can speak for both of us in saying that we have seen each other at our very worst. We've kept in close contact since discharge and met up a few times, at first just chilling out and watching TV at Michelle's and then venturing out as we've both regained our strength - and it's taken time for both of us.
It's really good to go and see Michelle and we can talk about 'that time' now it's behind us - and we talked about it a lot! Sometimes it made us laugh and sometimes it made us sick. I've made a really good friend in Michelle. You don't always get the best residents when you spend time in an open ward (there were four beds and Michelle and I were opposite each other so she was stuck looking at my face all day - poor girl!) but Michelle is definitely the best resident and she was a great roomy all the way through. I really missed her at first when I was discharged because she'd been there all day every day for a month and a half and it was weird that she wasn't any more. We'd wake up in the night, have our obs done and then just leave our lights on and end up talking for another hour before we fell back asleep. We were both often ill in the night as well so it was good to have someone there casually going through the same thing and we'd just keep each other company. She spent MUCH longer on the ward than I did and remained there for another 2 months after I was discharged. Recovering from a dip when you have a chronic illness is such a shlep!
So, on Thursday I went to Michelle's and we went to a few cafés in Hale and spotted Michael Le Vell (aka, Kevin Webster) who was in Costa and just had a day of leisure. It was good to chill out and do something nice with a bit of spare time and a bit of energy. And it was nice to spend time with Michelle not in a hospital whilst we were both feeling 'ok' and both looking a little more alive.
Friday - Laura
On Friday I travelled down to Ellesmere Port to see Laura. Laura is my longest and probably closest friend. I met Laura as I was on my downwards spiral near the beginning of my illness. We were both young (Laura was 12 and I was 13) and yet she stuck by me completely unphased by everything that was happening. She lived about a 90 minute drive away but she spoke to me for hours every day and spent many weekends travelling down to see me. Often she would take a three hour round trip to come and see me for only a short time because that was all I could manage and she never ever gave up on me. Despite being stuck in my bedroom we had the best time. For two years I spent my time with very few visitors - people lose interest when you're ill, or they put off seeing you because they don't know what to say. Then one day, they don't know you any more. But Laura always made me feel like none of my crap was there. Even though I didn't know her until I was already sick she somehow still saw the person I was without my illness - the person I'd been before all of this. She preserved my sanity and I never got depressed. She's still here now and she is probably the only person in the world who I can talk to honestly and without any sort of filter. And I do, all the time. She makes me feel like my problems matter and at the same never says 'poor you' or makes me feel pathetic, however pathetic my problems are. I think good friends stand the test of time and ten years later, we're still just the same as we ever were. I'm proper lucky to have found this one.
On Friday Laura is going to Australia for three months to work in the Psychology department at a University and get work experience in a field that she's already worked so hard to get into. She deserves this more than anyone because she has worked so bloody hard and she is such a wonderful person. So last Friday was the last time I will see her now until she gets back in December, but I'm sure we'll keep each other updated on our every move as we always have.
So, last Friday Laura and I went to Chester Zoo. It was a really sunny day and we both said it felt like we were abroad. I'd forgotten how huge Chester Zoo was and I don't really know if we got round all of it because the map was absolutely awful but we still had a really good day and met loads of cute animals. As you might notice, I have a new header up on my blog - one of the Zebras that I spotted whilst at the Zoo. It was stood amongst the trees and I thought it would be a perfect picture for my blog and it turned out well despite my rubbish phone. I'm going to share some more that I took right here ☟
I stayed over at Laura's on Friday and then we spent the morning sat in pyjamas, hunting for a holiday for next year and we found a very attractive one in Agadir, Morocco, which we have saved to book when Laura is back from Australia! Oh, I'm so in need of some sunshine!
From Laura's I went to pick Sammy up and then we came back to Lytham for an early night and a carboot sale on Sunday.
Carboot sales are such early mornings! We had to be there for 7.30, which is quite sociable for a carboot sale but we were all done and had made a shocking £161 (and that's after pitch charge and initial float money deduction!) by midday. It was a bit sad to sell all my old dolls and toys because I was saying bye to my childhood - and pretty much all of it went! So it was very very sad but it has all been sat in the attic for years and so the money will come in more useful in my last year at University than my old toys will. I hope they have all gone to nice homes and will be loved as much as I loved them. We still have a lot left to sell because we could only fit half of it in the car so Sam and I are hoping to do another one in Southport this weekend.
This post ended up being a little more sentimental than I anticipated. I didn't really know where this blog was going to lead me or which direction it was going to take me in and I do feel like I am still finding my direction. I'm hoping to start posting some of my smoothie and soup recipes as I know there are a few others out there who have medical conditions necessitating a liquid diet and have asked me for recipes. I know 'healthy' people enjoy smoothies too so I hope that they can be appreciated by all! We're now heading into the winter months and so soup season is also upon us but in the world of a cold person like me, it's soup season all year round anyway. Once I have a bit of a plan sketched out for recipes I will start drip feeding them onto the blog - stay tuned!
Last little bits
Today I put another concert in the calendar for 2015 - I'm going with Katie to see The Vaccines on 4th December which is very exciting and something to look forward to. I've already been to so many gigs and shows this year AND V-Fest - I've done pretty well.
I also got my revised dissertation plan back from my dissertation supervisor yesterday saying that it is great and ready to go which is a huge load off my mind for third year! With my upcoming admission to the Intestinal Failure Unit on the horizon, I'm hoping to start it this week so that I can have the best chance of staying up to date. I do get the option of extensions when I go in hospital but I just find it best and less stressful to stay up to date because taking extensions just means I have more work to do later on and that tends to be worse (for me, personally). The modules for my first semester are also up on the online workspace, although I'm still awaiting the course details but it's all firing up again ready for the third and final uni year. It's so scary and these three years seem to have gone so fast (three and a half if you include my year nursing).
That's all my gossip for this time. Thank you again to everyone who simply reads this and as well again to everyone who says lovely things - it's so touching and nice to know that someone is actually interested in reading my guff. Love and spoons to those who need them ❤
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