Today marks two important milestones: firstly my Hickman line is 1 year old and I have managed to stay out of hospital for a year too! I think this is the first Hickman line I’ve had that has made it to its first birthday, so this is quite a big deal. Most people have their lines in for years and years with no problems but in the past mine have blocked, split or become infected causing me to rack up a grand total of 17 lines in 10 years. But maybe my luck is changing… And the fact I’ve been at home without any inpatient hospital stays for a whole year is a milestone I didn’t think I would see. 2019-2023 was a particularly difficult four years where on average I spent more time in hospital than I did at home. And even when I was at home I was so ill I couldn’t get out of bed. There were some times during that period when I didn’t think I would live to see another Christmas because I was so, so unwell and I couldn’t see how I would ever recover. It was a long, hard slog and there were
Life's not been easy since losing my large bowel in 2009. Technically I didn't lose it in the same way you might lose your phone or your wallet- it was removed in an emergency operation after my bowel perforated due to Ulcerative Collitis. Since then I've been on a journey to get back to normal and still don't quite seem to have made it. This blog is a place to share some of the ups and downs, tears and laughter and hospital horrors that make up my life. Enjoy!