Catch up

Wow- it's been a while. Partly because I have been busy with Hubby and the kids, partly because I've been very tired and also some days I haven't felt too well (nothing new there then!) In my last blog I said that I had lots to write about and I really do. So here goes...

The four of us spent the Easter weekend in Nottingham. While I was there I got a new sign for the bathroom.

Some of my guests haven't seen the funny side of it- maybe it's just a bit too descriptive! 

Anyway, in the 'Poo Room' I had my first bath since the op to remove my Stoma. It was very strange to lie in the bath and not have a bag of poo floating there! I did have to be careful though as you're not suppossed to lie in water with the Hickman line so I had to make sure that the bath wasn't too deep and that I kept the top of my chest out of the water as much as possible. I guess the reason is that if it's under the water for any length of time it gives the bugs a chance to get in. But it was still very relaxing and nice to have half an hour piece and quiet to read my book (which was The Book Thief by the way; a fantastic book. You must read it if you haven't already- thanks Kitty for the loan)

When I was in Nottingham my Mum mentioned about one of her colleagues using Pinterest. I hadn't been on it for a while so one night when I couldn't sleep I downloaded the app... and lost hours of my life! To those of you unfamiliar with Pintrest it's basically like an online scrapbook; a way of keeping and ordering pictures and web links of things you like, recipes, places to go, things you like etc. It's great for people like me that have a terrible memory. Now I see things online that I like the look of but don't have to remember where it is as Pintrest does it for me!

A few weeks ago I went to St Marks for a Physiology test. Beforehand I went to visit Irish Teresa (the lady I shared a bay with for 3 weeks on IFU in January). We had a great catch up and then she surprised me by giving me a gift of a relic from Saint padre pio. I have spent hours praying for his intercession and honestly believe that he can work miracles so to be given a relic, something so previous, was amazing. 

The physiology test involved having a probe inserted up my bottom and having to squeeze. It tests the strength of the anal muscles and as it turns out mine are a touch on the weak side. This may be why I'm having accidents and Dr7 thinks I will benefit from Biofeedback to strengthen them. 

I have to say though that in the days that followed the test I had a terrible pain; I was walking like John Wayne! I must admit that I panicked initially as I thought that the test had triggered off the pain in my rectum again and the thought of that made me despair. Luckily after a few days it wore off and it has been ok ever since. 

On the way back from St Marks I took a wrong turn and ended up getting a tad lost. I knew I was back on track though when I got to Poo corner. This crossroads got its name from my Dad (surprise, surprise!) Driving home from visiting me one day he and Mum pulled up at the traffic lights and saw a man pull his trousers down and squat. Apparently he actually did a poo on the street corner. My Dad took great delight in telling the kids the story who both insisted on being driven past it and having the exact spot pointed out to them. And so 'Poo Corner' was named. Big Fella actually cried when I was discharged from hospital as he wasn't going to see Poo Corner again! 

The kids are back to school and it's good to finally be getting into some kind of routine with them. Some mornings they have a hip hop class at school that starts at 8am and those days are challenging to get there on time. They do it on separate days which initially I thought was a pain but it is actually quite nice having 1:1 time with each of them. Big Girl enjoys going for a hot chocolate before school. 

I've been signed off work until the end of May, after which I am looking at going back. At the moment I am still very tired but hoping that over the coming weeks my stamina will build up and I will be ready to go back. It's been nearly a year since I've been at work so it will certainly be very strange to get up, get dressed in office attire and spend the day at work. I think I've forgotten how to type as I only ever used my iPhone or iPad- I can count on one hand the amount of times I've used the laptop in the last year! 

I have an appointment with the Occupational Health doctor before I return. It will certainly be very different to be attending the appointments when I'm usually the one making them and doing the referral paperwork.

You may know that doing a Skydive is on my bucket list of things to do. When I saw that the St Marks fundraising team had secured some places for jumps later this year I was ready to jump at the chance to go it ( literally!) I was so gutted though that when I looked into it further I couldn't do any of the three dates that they had. So I will either have to organise it myself for later this year or wait until next year. Watch this space! 

I've now been home for quite a few weeks. The longest I have been out of hospital for nearly a year infact. I did end up back in A&E the other week with my dodgy numb leg again but didn't get kept in. They need to do some more tests and I have now been put under the care of a consultant at Princess Alexandra hospital. Once I know more I will post an update. 

The May Bank Holiday weekends are perfect timing. It means that Hubby and the kids are enjoying 4 day weeks and we get extra time together as a family. We've only done simple things- go for a picnic, plant some vegetables in the garden, taken them swimming and spent time with Bestie and her kids- but that's just the way I like it. 

Talking of Bestie- today is her due date. She is due to pop at any minute and I'm on standby for her to drop the kids off when she needs to make a dash to the hospital. I can't wait to meet baby Bryan, as it's been nicknamed, and have baby cuddles. 

NB x