If Only They Could Talk.

It's been A LOT longer than I would have liked since writing my last blog. And as ever, it's not because I've been having a quiet life. My days have been primarily full of hospital appointments, dental appointments, optician appointments and occupational health appointments, appointments about my research project, hair appointments and appointments I haven't been able to attend due to my health, again.

September started nicely with a great birthday, which was mainly because I had the first of my baby vaccinations again! A mile stone in the path towards getting back to university. The girls from home and I all celebrated the weekend before with a meal and seeing Bridget's Baby. Lucy and I also went to see Later with Jools Holland being filmed, which was incredible! We saw Sting, Jack White and Kings of Leon, to name-drop but a few!

However, October didn't want to continue the string of good luck I had been having. It started off with a septic elbow the week I was aiming to move in with my aunt and get all my research project conquered. Instead I found myself once more in A&E, this time being moved from Maidstone Hospital to Pembury. It began with excruciating pain overnight and then during the course of the journey to hospital my temperature went up by over a degree (which isn't good). Once at Pembury it then took them 3 days to operate, even after tapping it as soon as I arrived and seeing I needed surgery ASAP. That's another procedure that I feel for animals over even more now - although for septic joints they tend to get surgery within 24hours. It was absolute agony, and I think the rest of the ward discovered that too. I was once again admitted for nearly a week, meaning I missed the second CLIC Sargent award ceremony I had been invited to. Although, this year I have the pleasure in helping with the organisation of the next, hoping it will be bigger and better than ever before. So, if there are any celebrities out there who would like to make a guest appearance, we, and all the invited teenager and young people, I'm sure, would adore it.

The end of October picked up with Dad's retirement and Lottie's graduation from student vet nurse to Registered Vet Nurse. I am so incredibly proud of both of them. I was also given the great news that I could move to monthly ECP treatments, which only helps things, what with uni from January. Also, since I was unable to see Ellie on her birthday due to said septic elbow, she very kindly took me with her to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time play, which was outstanding! We also went to a Ceilidh (after a small incident of me nearly bleeding everywhere after my stitches were taken out of my elbow - turns out they give more heparin in my ECP treatments than I realised, and please note that no, I did not dance as a result). Lucy joined us for it, along with a lot of Ellie's other friends, and for her Halloween party. A great time was had by all! I am already looking forward to this year's!

The theme was "dead famous people from the last decade"

November started as well as October finished, with me finally moving in with my aunt, Boo, and a weekend at Grace's for fireworks. I had a brilliant time, and a lovely catch up. Really can't wait to see them again soon! Lucy, Ellie and I also had our very yummy afternoon tea at the Secret Garden the weekend after. It was a belated birthday present from Lucy for us both, but one we were both more than happy to wait for! The weekend after brought the London Vet Show, which was great for trying to get my head back into things before uni, and a screening of Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them at the Harry Potter Studios with Lucy. Yes, I have visited there again...And again, it was brilliant!

Bonfire night

Afternoon tea at The Secret Garden

I then had a mock OSPVE (It means Objective Structured Practical Veterinary Examination - yes, I had to Google it too), which made me realise that maybe I can remember some bits and pieces from uni. Having said that I wasn't allowed to do any barn stations, so I can't say I was truly in my 'uncomfortable zone'.

However, in December things started to slip again. A lung function test revealed that although my lung volume is normal, they are functioning at around 50% of what they should be. Probably mainly due to a couple of bouts of pneumonia and the time in a coma on a ventilator - but that's a minor point. It's basically scar tissue on a minute scale in my alveolar that is causing the problems that I have. My eyes were also a constant struggle, making staring at a screen for any length of time extremely difficult. Hence, why my research project still hasn't been handed in yet, and why my blog has taken several months to make an appearance. My intrathecal chemotherapy also didn't help that at all before Christmas. I spent a week lying on the sofa, my head pounding and unable to focus on the TV...let alone a job application or my project.

After multiple problems at the doctors, I was finally able to get the remaining vaccinations I needed to get back to uni, and luckily I was cleared to go back to uni on a half-day phased return protocol by the return to work coordinator. I have also had to see a couple of podiatrists to get me back on my feet for uni too! Although, just as I thought it was going swimmingly, I got shingles, right as I was supposed to start back. Now, even healthy people feel awful with shingles and I felt pretty rotten. I dragged myself through my half days in Internal Medicine, only to collapse on my bed as soon as I got back to my room to snooze. I tried pushing myself to do more than my half day though, which I did manage a couple of times, but due to yet more appointments I only got 4 half-ish days in the department, not the 10 I was expecting and hoping for. 

I did, however, due to my exhausted state, manage to rearrange my remaining EMS (work placements vet students have to complete before graduation) weeks with an amazingly supportive practice just down the road from my parents in Norfolk. They made me feel so welcome, and really understood that I was still having to ease myself back into it all. By the end of the two weeks I was even surprising myself doing much more surgery than I thought myself capable of. It's very strange knowing that I could do something well before yet my muscles having to relearn it because my hands feel so different now, and my strength is so far from what it was. But my confidence is growing with every day I'm back in my natural environment.

Since then I've completed both of my last rotations - cardio and critical care - both of which I found my personal experiences being a great advantage to remembering certain topics we encountered - such as, mitral valve regurgitation, nasogastric tubes, and the effects of midazolam. Between rotations I had a few appointments, one with a new pain clinic consultant, who did look at me like I was clinically insane for wanting to continue in fulfilling my dream of graduating, but give him his due, I'm weaning off the oxycodone and coping with my peripheral neuropathy so much better already.

So, all in all, 3rd March 2017 was a pretty good day - a) Ed Sheeran's album was released; b) my inpatient in ICU was still alive and doing well (yes, these small things are a massive deal); c) it was my last day of rotations/in the QMHA.

MASSIVE MILE STONE REACHED.

Standard 'last day in the QMHA' pic

This week I have enjoyed a couple of lie ins until ooo about 8.30am - rebel. Have got nearly all of my research project done. Just 57 words stand between me and its submission now. I've also been making sure I practise as many of my practical skills each day as my hands can possibly cope with. My real OSPVE is in 3 weeks - oh yay.  I did also find some time to have a very lovely, chilled lunch with Steph, from my rotations family, who I hadn't seen for nearly two years - so so good to catch up, though I fear we could have sat and chatted all day!

So, what's the plan now? Well I've officially given up with those. But the next stage is to successfully complete a week of EMS with Grace at her very kind practice who have agreed to let me see practice with them. Then it's my OSPVE... And a couple more weeks with the lovely Norfolk practice I went to; my three elective weeks; a tonne of revision; and then, FINALS. In less than 13 weeks... In between, I have a couple of ECP sessions, an intrathecal and a number of other appointments. But one day at a time!

I'd really appreciate it though if all you lovely people would please keep your fingers crossed for no major disasters in the mean time...as I may need all the luck I can hope for to get through the next 3 and a bit months...thank youuuu!

Much love to you all xxx