tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46454447049202542972024-03-19T02:15:19.680-07:00Dialysis Girl on TourFour kidneys, two transplants, one small girl, one big adventureDialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-79203162350630617632020-03-15T14:17:00.001-07:002020-03-15T15:49:02.035-07:00What to Expect When You're Expecting... A Transplant.<div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As you will have seen from the dates, I have not written my blog in a while for three simple reasons:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I forgot my login details </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I have been very busy (debatable)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Because I felt that what I had to say wasn't important...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">All of which are just excuses and, in reality, the last one is quite the contrary. I have a piece of artwork hanging in my living room that reads “be stronger than your excuses” so here goes...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">To tell this story properly it needs to be told in three parts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Part one: Post-transplant </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Part two: The six months after it</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Part three: Where I am now </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I tried to write all three pieces in one but it would’ve taken you all too long to read and you would’ve been bored, so here is part one!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Before I begin, I should point out that organ donation is one of the best things created by modern medicine. It saves thousands of lives a year but the more I talk to people who have received a transplant, the more I realise that everyone has absolutely no clue what to expect. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My story isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill transplant anecdote but there are bits in my next three posts that everyone who’s had a transplant will be able to relate to on some level. I feel it’s so important to talk about what happened and to show other patients (and in fairness, everyone else) that you’re not alone.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Plus, honesty is the best policy. Even though this wasn’t easy to write, and probably won’t be easy to read for some either, I feel that what I have to say is pivotal to transplantation. And, in fact, life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The last time I published anything of note was over three years ago. I was sitting in a hospital chair attempting to get some sort of positivity from the story I was writing. I was six weeks post (second) transplant and I was still in hospital because my new kidney had rejected, twice. I was under the assumption, like most, that once I had my transplant my life would be wonderful. As if Jesus would put his healing hands on my forehead and give me the gift of immortality. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I had all these wild, romanticised ideas about what my life would be like post surgery. I would be healthy, happy, get to lead a normal life again. I could plan holidays without making them near a dialysis centre. And I could finally finish university without any hiccups. My life plan finally seemed to be coming together. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">However, this was not meant to be. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remember waking up after my transplant in the high dependency unit with all sorts of tubes coming out of me – never fun – with my Mum and my boyfriend at the time, A, sitting next to me. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy507cPh0D10P9UcC4B66xG5ma9bzqP1d4E_YM57swHn7ZXxxKBJZLOppj-qb9i5S2cLNRrHYiv5GwtzFvFuwZAzZsBGVqK0XGUFkLZAC-7Gn_rvYkc1AsfNNh8jht6jGajbKlBhX70IAh/s1600/Snapchat-3594971390565179473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy507cPh0D10P9UcC4B66xG5ma9bzqP1d4E_YM57swHn7ZXxxKBJZLOppj-qb9i5S2cLNRrHYiv5GwtzFvFuwZAzZsBGVqK0XGUFkLZAC-7Gn_rvYkc1AsfNNh8jht6jGajbKlBhX70IAh/s200/Snapchat-3594971390565179473.jpg" width="112" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remember thinking morphine ruled (totally does) and being on the phone to all my friends and family telling them the good news.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They all cried – needless to say!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remember swearing profusely at my then 12-year-old cousin along with many other family members telling them how “f**king awesome” morphine was. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I also remember waking up just out of surgery and having a chest X-ray done. I was lying in bed and a cluster of nurses appeared out of nowhere, lifted my back up and propped a metal plate underneath me. Now, bear in mind I’m like... less than an hour out of surgery, higher than Pete Doherty during most of the early noughties and my scar is new. Even though I was on a ton of pain killers (woohoo), I could still feel my stitches pulling apart. In pain, I dug my (very long) nails into the nurse that was holding me up. She shouted: “Ouch! That hurt.” To which I replied: “Sod off. I’ve just had a transplant. You got nothing on me!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Still possibly one of the best things I’ve ever said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyway, I digress! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvTeuCm90eDPbAJRm5j7Qowd4dwQhW2L-UAjF4XNmMz7KyWHR54w-satf09VJ-TYWMdV7nHJW0p3vJoDdBCXD5K_TCKCyu3_okVrvvf06dZFB0stN25w9JnmgnSE3o1vcaLI7vc9RZ7I-/s1600/IMG-20160126-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvTeuCm90eDPbAJRm5j7Qowd4dwQhW2L-UAjF4XNmMz7KyWHR54w-satf09VJ-TYWMdV7nHJW0p3vJoDdBCXD5K_TCKCyu3_okVrvvf06dZFB0stN25w9JnmgnSE3o1vcaLI7vc9RZ7I-/s200/IMG-20160126-WA0001.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As the days rolled out after the transplant and I became far more </span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">sober, it was agonisingly obvious that the kidney wasn’t working. Having slept for nearly four days (and spending one burping out all the gas they'd pumped into me during surgery), it was time to do some tests. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was naive to be honest with you. I thought that everything was going fine, that it was just a lazy kidney and had taking after me. But sadly, it wasn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Less than 12 hours later, two doctors swung open my hospital room door and told me: “Your kidney is failing so we’re going to give you anti-rejection drugs. This is your only opinion but you may die if we do it. Let us know your thoughts”.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Well... they didn’t say those exact words but they definitely said “die” and “only option” which is never reassuring.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0p5WQ42tQVRNwzfpff9q93m90qMNxZnzKt_7b5eoz2-kyCV6RUDnsu75p8rSgigcOkav821uveQWf0nBGA23NFPgK-QaeGNB9QElTlhcb7hlX6rkDH877mquzsUwMmvVO-DuFc44o4EWy/s1600/IMG-20160126-WA0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="972" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0p5WQ42tQVRNwzfpff9q93m90qMNxZnzKt_7b5eoz2-kyCV6RUDnsu75p8rSgigcOkav821uveQWf0nBGA23NFPgK-QaeGNB9QElTlhcb7hlX6rkDH877mquzsUwMmvVO-DuFc44o4EWy/s200/IMG-20160126-WA0004.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They left me in a state of absolute panic. I called A and told him what the doctor said. I honestly thought I was going to die. This was it. If they couldn’t save my transplant I would be bereft of life, as John Cleese would say!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Frantically, A rushed to the hospital and was able to calm me down. Turns out, after minimal research(cheers Google), that the anti-rejection drug the doctors wanted to give me (that they said would kill me!) is given to almost every transplant patient in the US as a precaution. Honestly, doctors have no bedside manners sometimes...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This death-defying drug is known as ATG, antithymocyte immunoglobulin. It is essentially used to tear your immune system apart, which is exactly what it did to mine, so your kidney has a fighting chance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">For the next eight weeks I was in isolation battling severe rejection, contemplating life and wondering if it would all be worth it. Years later, I still asked myself that same question but we’ll get onto that in part three!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO6Bh2GZn1xXmRUchDJi63i7rHSJUAFHfNvhc6gOfFjwv6O-tKBAzN0qlj-eBdCb1qy1iQRp3XGgN8KH1XHVDgHmMvVWQ1S1mo15qGAH1sf8dSyiZDHnESZjUEvFchJwudXQ2hz50t5Xl/s1600/Screenshot_2016-01-28-17-21-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO6Bh2GZn1xXmRUchDJi63i7rHSJUAFHfNvhc6gOfFjwv6O-tKBAzN0qlj-eBdCb1qy1iQRp3XGgN8KH1XHVDgHmMvVWQ1S1mo15qGAH1sf8dSyiZDHnESZjUEvFchJwudXQ2hz50t5Xl/s320/Screenshot_2016-01-28-17-21-18.png" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Because of the ATG, my immune system is still weak even now, over four years later. By May, 2019, I was on my eighth urine infection of the year. I was in hospital for six weeks just after New Year in 2019 with a stomach virus which made me lose almost 4kg in two weeks, and I was only 51kg to begin with. On top of that I had the flu. In 2018 I had the flu, numerous UTIs and a chest infection. The year before that was the same.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This story hasn’t been written to scare people out of getting a transplant, or becoming an organ donor. It’s to let them know what can happen and to not be scared if a transplant doesn’t go to plan. Life is life; it isn’t perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I will no doubt be ill for a long time to come but I can’t help that. The way I look at it now is that everything will get easier as time goes by, not because I will actually get better but because I will learn to deal with what comes my way and remember that I’m no longer attached to a machine for 12 hours a week!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IqVSKt47PdaZQqX88M3e1I5fyBEynx5O8gtcFw8TkaHYuBeN8vG8KREZcOTk7dWEX0N0SmZU7sjmQVFl_Aah28DHf-7_rBa85fVkMNmRJedFX-P4RcVKA79WaWpEmQ3RE29VA3Oyst2M/s1600/IMG-20160209-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IqVSKt47PdaZQqX88M3e1I5fyBEynx5O8gtcFw8TkaHYuBeN8vG8KREZcOTk7dWEX0N0SmZU7sjmQVFl_Aah28DHf-7_rBa85fVkMNmRJedFX-P4RcVKA79WaWpEmQ3RE29VA3Oyst2M/s320/IMG-20160209-WA0001.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My advice for anyone waiting for a transplant is to get as much information as you can from transplant patients. You’ll have a better understanding of what may happen, how you might feel, what will happen if the kidney doesn’t work right away, all that jazz. And just because the kidney doesn’t work immediately doesn’t mean it’s rejecting. I know someone whose transplant didn’t kick in till eight months later and they spent that whole time on dialysis again.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">If you’re worried or just want to speak to someone, contact your local kidney patient association (KPA) - almost every renal unit in the UK has one and I’m sure other countries will have an equivalent. Each KPA is made up of staff and patients who are there to support all renal patients, my one is the <a href="https://gkpa.co.uk/" target="_blank">Grampian KPA</a>. There are oodles of other incredible charities that can help as well, like <a href="https://www.kidneycareuk.org/" target="_blank">Kidney Care UK</a>, the <a href="https://www.kidney.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Kidney Federation</a> and <a href="https://www.kidneykids.org.uk/" target="_blank">Kidney Kids Scotland</a> for paediatric patients, as well as online patient groups.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Us organ failure patients get ourselves into all sorts of situations but know that whatever happens, it will get better. It’s tough but you are not alone!</span></div>
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Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-24748685267063627042018-04-01T10:21:00.002-07:002020-03-15T14:01:47.454-07:00Once Upon a Time in the Land of Fate<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Let me take you back to a not-so-sunny day in September, 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A young girl in her early 20s was sitting on her sofa next to her friend discussing a potential university ski trip.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"You should come!! It would be so much fun", exclaimed the friend.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After a few moments of deliberation, the young girl said "f**k it, I'll come". And with that the deposit was paid and she started to plan her trip with her university friends.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They were due to go on 22nd January, 2016, for a week to "de-stress" after all of their exams were finished for that semester.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Her first step was to contact the dialysis travel company, one that she trusted and had used many times before. The lady she dealt with said that the trip would not be a problem and that everything would be sorted out as soon as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The young girl was so excited to finally go on a university ski trip, something she had wanted to do for years. She had heard about all the brilliant shenanigans that went on, including the (naked, drunken) midnight skiing. And even though she would never partake in such a frivolous activity... she was just thrilled to going.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A month went by and she hadn't heard anything from the dialysis travel coordinators which was not like them. She phoned them again and on answering they assured her that everything was getting sorted and she had nothing to worry about.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The young girl carried on as normal with her life and university studies, as well as attending dialysis six days a week. After another two months had gone by with no information given, the hospital started asking for more travel details and when they needed to have the blood tests completed by. The payment deadline was coming up too so she phoned the coordinators again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She was informed that the lady who was dealing with her request had recently had a knee operation and had not been into work, nor would be returning for another month. Feeling disappointed, the young girl asked if anything could still be done and if, in fact, anything at all over the last three months had actually been done.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Sadly, it had not but the dialysis travel coordinators said that they would try over the next few days to help. This was so unlike them. They had been fantastic over the last three years.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Feeling a little disheartened, the young girl phoned the ski travel operator and informed them of the situation. With the final payment due in two days they said that they could push back the payment deadline to give her time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Discouraged by all of this, she decided to phone her Mum who always had the perfect advice for everything.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"You know, Katie, I have a funny feeling something is meant to happen while you are away. It's like someone doesn't want you to go. Maybe just leave this trip and you'll get again."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">With that advice taken on board, the young girl decided to cancel the tip and, to be honest, she was ever so slightly relieved. The travel operator even gave her the deposit back which was very generous.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Six weeks passed without much thought about the trip. With exams over, the young girl just did what all students to best - sleep!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One morning, at 40 strokes past 2, the young girl received a phone call. Rummaging around her bedside table for her phone, she answered: "hello?"</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Hello Kate, this is the transplant coordinator from Edinburgh here. You can probably guess why I'm calling?"</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"No."</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Well, we have found a match for you. Would you like to get some things together, pick up your notes from Aberdeen hospital and come down to Edinburgh as soon as you can...?"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And with that, she jumped out of bed and packed her bag. Looking in the mirror, she knew this was it. She'd had a call before that didn’t go ahead but this time, it was hers!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As she left, she turned round to lock the door knowing that this was meant to be. Life would never be the same again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">With one final pause, she looked up at her trusty cat sitting on the top step, looking at her as if to say "good luck. I'll be here for you when you get home!"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It was a Tuesday. Tuesday, 26th January, 2016.</span><br />
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Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-67485146326869379042018-03-14T15:09:00.000-07:002018-04-01T10:29:13.284-07:00Don't Stop Me Now <span style="color: #4c1130;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Don't
Stop Me Now<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'm
havin' such a good time. I'm havin' a baaaaalllll.... Actually hate that song!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I am now back from an amazing week long holiday to Morzine, in the French Alps
with my Mum, Auntie and T (the boyfriend, not the friend. However they did use
to date when we were 14 which is a fun fact for you all!). Instead of staring
out and seeing mountains wrapped in glistening snow, trees tipped with frost, watching
the wonder of Mother Nature, I am now back to looking at a rotating washing
line! Harsh turn of events. </span></div>
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This last week has been really amazing for me in many ways. It was my first
holiday away with my Auntie since my transplant and we use to go away together
every year. It was so good to spend some quality time with my Mum and auntie on
International Women's Day and Mother's Day which has made me love and
appreciate them even more. It was wonderful to see T, who is fairly new to the
family, bond and get to know the two strongest women in my life. If he can cope
with them then he's doing well! And it was also an incredible time to look
around me and witness so many people doing something they love
despite their 'adversity'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
know many people will say how they have the most fantastic family but, sorry,
you are wrong. I do! During our trip my auntie, who is
outrageously ballsy, steadfast and hilarious, got drunk on
several occasions and made heads turn in restaurants because of her
shameless and unapologetic laugh. We played some sort of scrabble type
game and my Mum, auntie and T came out with words like "big wiener, slag
and fanny". I only made up sensible words, of course. And my Mum taught T
how to dance the Waltz at the bottom of the Bubble lift which actually makes my
heart melt. Family is everything to me and being close to people, family or
not, is such an important part of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So I have been
skiing since I was about three years old and it has always been a very family
orientated activity for me. I have been away with my parents, auntie, uncles
and cousins almost every year, minus probably six due to illness,
studying, etc. I was away over New Year with friends for the first time and
despite the flu, norovirus, a busted back on T's part and several tantrums
and throwing of ski poles cause I forgot how to ski, I had a great time! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Again,
and I stress this in almost every holiday post I write because something <i>always</i> happens
to me on holiday, it is how you just get on with things that are thrown at you,
not what has actually happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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During my New Year ski trip to Morzine, my parents were out with my sister who
brought her three girls out too (they are the most beautiful children on the
planet. I'm allowed to be biased, OK!). I was helping the youngest one learn how to ski and I realised that I could not do a basic snowplough turn, Goggle
it, which made me freak out hence the tantrums and pole throwing. Coming
out this time I was determined to get my ski level back up and I thought it
would be best to get a private lesson just to pick me up and get my confidence
back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Side
note: just because you are good at something and have been doing it for a very
long time does not mean you have nothing left to learn. </span></div>
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So the lovely lady at the B&B booked me for the lesson with a guy I had
heard about over New Year. When I found out he was going to teach me I was
thrilled. He is an instructor, obviously, has been doing it for over 20 years
and has one leg!! He skis with one ski, has a metal stick as his second leg and
poles with flat, mini-snowboard-like bottoms. He lost his leg, I believe, in a
motorbike accident when he was 18. He is now in his 60's. AND during the Summer
he teaches water skiing among other things. This guy was so cool! Wore a
snap-back and washing-up gloves as his ski gloves. I mean, ripped my skiing
ability to shreds but awesome guy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And
throughout the week I noticed more and more people with disabilities like his
going around skiing still and I found it truly wonderful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On
my third day I saw what looked like two slope rescue vehicles. It soon became
clear that it was two young boys with learning difficulties being taken round
the mountains by experienced skiers who were there to help and support the
boys. What a wonderful, wonderful thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
next day I saw another one-legged skier but this time on a chair about the same
height as a wheelchair and another one the following day. They were two
separate individuals as the chairs were different. But I just loved how those
people figured out a way to just keep doing what they loved and that
freedom that they have given themselves is such a joyous thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A
lot of holiday companies, like <a href="https://www.crystalski.co.uk/disabled-skiing/" target="_blank">Crystal</a>, offer adaptive skiing for their clients
and that is the way it should be. There are so many companies now that offer
safe and fully accommodating holidays for people who have both physical
and learning difficulties such as <a href="http://ski2freedom.com/en" target="_blank">Ski2Freedom</a>, <a href="https://www.backuptrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">Back
Up</a> and <a href="https://www.specialolympicsgb.org.uk/" target="_blank">Special Olympics Great Britain</a>.
This is my favourite part about humanity. The fact that we have the ability to
help others and actually do it! We are all equal and should all have the
means to enjoy life in any way we want. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
read an article recently in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/man-goes-backpacking-but-he-is-the-backpack_uk_56efb5c1e4b0cc1ede8c3988" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> about
a man with <span style="background: white;">spinal muscular atrophy who
wanted to travel the world. His friends decided to carry him on their backs
like a backpack for three weeks in 2016 and he has now travelled to Europe,
including S</span>kellig Michael (Luke Skywalker's new home). There is now
a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/wecarrykevanchina" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a> campaign for <span style="background: white;">Kevan Chandler so he can see more of the world as well
as a <a href="http://wecarrykevan.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>. I always say that you need to surround
yourself with amazing people and Kevan's friends are the perfect example of how
to be amazing! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This week has, yet again, proven to me that nothing should stop you.
Feeling trapped must be the most awful thing but there are great people and
organisations out there willing to help. All you have to do is look and just go
for it! </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One
final note: <span style="background: white;">Remember to look up at the stars and not down at
your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe
exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always
something you can do and succeed at. </span> It matters that you don't
just give up. Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018</span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><br /></span>
Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-51180230613752679072018-03-04T13:59:00.000-08:002018-04-01T08:27:38.809-07:00Back in the Swing of Things<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">For the last
two years, almost to the day, I have been somewhat of a... recluse. I think that
is fair to say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And here's
why...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Two years
ago, on January 26th, a beautiful soul somewhere donated her organs and I received
a gift that has changed my life which makes me Dialysis Girl on Tour no more (does
a little dance!). I am now Transplant Girl - Take Two - on Tour but that is
much too big a name to have, I feel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In later
posts I will talk a lot more about what happened during my time in hospital and
what has happened since. All the juicy details I know all you lovely people
like to read. For now, however, I am going to start off nice and light to get
back into the swing of things for me and, also, to ease you all in gently before
things get gory again!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I thought I
would start off where I ended things last time, with a post I did not get round
to publishing. It is also about being kind to people which, right now in the
world, is more needed than ever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So... here
goes. Dialysis Girl on Tour, but actually Transplant Girl - Take Two - on Tour,
take two. Phew!!!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Fit an
Affa Fine Quine"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(English
Translation from Doric - What a Lovely Girl)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
massively believe in Karma. If you do good then positive things will happen in
your life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This
is a short story about a little person who, to me, did a big thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Four
and a half years ago my beautiful cousin married the man of her dreams in
Edinburgh. I was, like, majorly excited - I absolutely LOVE a wedding
especially when it is a relation. I come from quite an extensive family so when
we all come together at events, like a wedding, it's the Scottish equivalent of
Hajj!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At
the time of the wedding I had been back on dialysis for just over a year and a
half and was still struggling with some of the side effects of the treatment. I
had also recently been told that I would have to re-sit one of my modules again
for university and basically do second year for a third time so I was feeling a
little.... disheartened.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzQlvmYp-X_zlXCfyWpTf3UnY9XyEMxpvC6MPw5geXclQnGjFhdSgFKRvx-J1zUrwsM3v6bwx3gelqLehlopDHstkx0CUxnkOw2nBz7ydcOlp9eOyN4VZ6UZGpCPjqhE9Q6n018ADHlUq/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzQlvmYp-X_zlXCfyWpTf3UnY9XyEMxpvC6MPw5geXclQnGjFhdSgFKRvx-J1zUrwsM3v6bwx3gelqLehlopDHstkx0CUxnkOw2nBz7ydcOlp9eOyN4VZ6UZGpCPjqhE9Q6n018ADHlUq/s320/IMG_2389.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Before
the wedding ceremony took place, several family members gathered together in
one of our rented apartments to take pictures, re-connect, chat about what
their children were now doing, you know, the usual thing. Then my cousin, one
of the many, came up to me and said "did you know J (the cousin in
question's daughter) wrote about you for her class project?". Stunned at
the sort-of-random statement, I shook my head.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Yes.
She had to write about an inspirational person and she wrote about you".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Trying
to hold back the tears I said thank you and spoke about how wonderful J was,
and still is (both then and now), and how grateful I felt.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGlrQjus-pGnCOtGo3ClB72xUQn6pUKs4r_JiHXd8PDtcu7VjsPg0fleIHFSuy-96poACETgoE2SvtY-VHFF14bUQmrV6z0zTimKhsZgf2fvTLRdKg2mY-ZMTqtGvMwXmuWNSZLdrOnEA/s1600/DSC00328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGlrQjus-pGnCOtGo3ClB72xUQn6pUKs4r_JiHXd8PDtcu7VjsPg0fleIHFSuy-96poACETgoE2SvtY-VHFF14bUQmrV6z0zTimKhsZgf2fvTLRdKg2mY-ZMTqtGvMwXmuWNSZLdrOnEA/s320/DSC00328.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You
may think that is was just a school essay but to me it was so much more. To
have affected someone in that way is such a glorious thing. To this day I still
get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I think about it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
Karma I am talking about is for J. The little girl who made someone who was a
bit down feel very, very happy and loved.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Recently,
and this is speaking from the present day, I was in Costco buying a few bits a
bobs, walking around with my pizza slice in hand, looking for the free samples cause
really, that's the only reason you buy the membership! That and family sized
bags of sweet potato fries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyway,
I digress.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">During
my walk I suddenly needed to pee - cause I can do that now!! - so off I go to
the loo. While sitting there I thought I heard crying coming from one of the
cubicles. I stayed there longer to see if I could hear more after everyone else
had left. After washing my hands a lady came out of the end cubicle who had
obviously been crying for whatever reason. Her English wasn't great but I asked
if she was ok. In her broken English she muffled out a "yes" and I
instantly gave her a hug.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
have been there. I have needed a hug from someone, anyone, when I have felt sad
and alone. I have been the person sobbing in the toilets for various reasons.
Mostly because my feet are sore but the shoes were so pretty I had to buy them
in the 3 even though I'm a solid 4/5 (boyfriend, take notes!!!)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyway!!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After
about 30 seconds I let go and told her everything was going to be ok before I
left. I do not know who she was, where she came from or what had happened. All
I know is that at that moment she just needed someone to be kind to her.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No
matter how small a gesture is, whether it be a smile, a compliment about your
hair, a hug or a chat with a glass of wine (bottle), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it's the tiny things that make such a
difference. You can change someone's whole day and even their outlook on life
by just being nice, even if it is to a complete stranger.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Peace
and love everyone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Till
next time,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kate
x</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">P.S.
Wherever you are Costco loo lady, I hope you're doing OK.</span></span></div>
<br /></div>
Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-23844467303005307342016-03-08T04:20:00.000-08:002018-04-01T10:29:20.088-07:00Sun, Sea and Parma Ham <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Sicily
was the first abroad holiday I had been on since going into acute renal failure
the previous year. So, when the
opportunity came to go on - a free - holiday again I jumped at the chance and,
surprisingly uncharacteristically, did not worry about where or when I was
going to get dialysis or, in fact, what the centre would be like. Or if they even spoke any English. I let the holiday dialysis company fuss about
all that whilst I just looked forward to some sun! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
other first for this holiday was the relaxation aspect of it. The K's (Dad's side) and the M's (Mum's side)
are the type of families who get up earlier on holiday than they do for work. Every year, almost, my Mum's side would go
skiing and if you were late for the 8am bus to the gondola or you could not
walk fast enough because your poles kept falling, well then, that was your own
fault. I remember not speaking to my uncle for a day
because he shouted at us for being late, which we were not. Or on the majority of holiday's taken with my
folks I was woken up at unsightly hours to go and see this special breed of
seagull that can only be found on this remote part of the Scottish Outer
Hebrides. On a trip to Majorca when I was two I was bitten by a pelican on the
beach. When I was about five, my parents
and I went to Florida and during, what should have been a pleasant tour round a national park, I
was locked in the car watching my Dad try to kill himself by getting up close
and personal with a 16ft alligator. Or
the time when we went skiing to Lake Tahoe and my Dad came back with a ripped
jacket and told everyone he was attacked by a bear. I was
so excited I told everyone... turns out he is just a bad skier who collided
with a tree! Not that I am complaining. I have so many incredible memories and have learnt
some vital life skills during these times, like, do not ever go near a hungry
alligator - very important when trying to remain alive! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My
Dad was fine, by the way, thanks for wondering.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So, the holiday to Sicily. It was
probably the first time I had experienced sun in 18 months (because Aberdeen is
sunny for all of 24 minutes of the year) and it was utterly glorious. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0k-B0yBjPB1qB8MmHcgFqIleWkRLjdaz9cy6jOkphGXF7_KweEpDhukOK3xW4NPyFtvCuIFB0WKo3xsP3AplgK1kDSENAXDCfGGpKmjkP3N2jmIthLPzF3rRm4veZDAdgJGdAIx35jtg2/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0k-B0yBjPB1qB8MmHcgFqIleWkRLjdaz9cy6jOkphGXF7_KweEpDhukOK3xW4NPyFtvCuIFB0WKo3xsP3AplgK1kDSENAXDCfGGpKmjkP3N2jmIthLPzF3rRm4veZDAdgJGdAIx35jtg2/s200/IMG_1516.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You know that heat that hits you as soon as
you walk off a plane in a hot country? Ah, sheer bliss. We landed on a scorching Saturday afternoon in
Palermo and drove for an hour or so to the idyllic <span style="background-color: white;">Hotel Alberi Del Paradiso in
Cefalu, just a short five minute drive from the dialysis centre. Once you
figured out the route.</span></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The day we arrived we relaxed at
the hotel. I am the sort of person who needs to unpack and settle before
exploring. Call it old-wifey-ish but I like to feel comfortable in the
knowledge that everything is in place. Once
that was finished, it was time to find one of my favourite things, Parma ham
(which was my main food source for basically the entire holiday). It was quite late after dinner so we trotted
off to bed.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nDny8CQmmIycVYLCWD6Hnwal3p0pGbPyAH49b9esHW3ARC3oIYMOdKVrkGUa32cvzfFdRunLGKexpHpJnnmcFoTVNNViXIoSNHH1BxAALGjbESsiMoVSVyuDB4yMpJ0IihMuVUdn-rp5/s1600/IMG_1622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nDny8CQmmIycVYLCWD6Hnwal3p0pGbPyAH49b9esHW3ARC3oIYMOdKVrkGUa32cvzfFdRunLGKexpHpJnnmcFoTVNNViXIoSNHH1BxAALGjbESsiMoVSVyuDB4yMpJ0IihMuVUdn-rp5/s200/IMG_1622.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-weight: normal;"></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have to say, everywhere else
you go to in the world (with the exclusion of the UK and America) they have the
most wonderful breakfast spreads. Each
morning I had croissants and pastries and ham and fruit and cake and ham - the
life!!<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DBpBa66T0n0Ss3iP1fZcFR34SYxPSiKJfAyQKnPplxgPNjMutngg2QPO_dz1Fb1CeKmMWCo9o3RjmUebWS9HrUZdcaTQ_8A40Bu0C9DpYDj1KRMJyQtKpdtjkPkoAE0fWQT4Ai5hY1Qf/s1600/IMG_1592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DBpBa66T0n0Ss3iP1fZcFR34SYxPSiKJfAyQKnPplxgPNjMutngg2QPO_dz1Fb1CeKmMWCo9o3RjmUebWS9HrUZdcaTQ_8A40Bu0C9DpYDj1KRMJyQtKpdtjkPkoAE0fWQT4Ai5hY1Qf/s200/IMG_1592.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAPyYAeB-d5yHPvOP2uPh5UNrcppt4lCcGl4HIrhe_EAqNr6QTPWLz_RLXhvlYXCakO5bukifIYFb0nrR-9LDTBvLfEHk0xkIAZgLtCb09G9azoy8lmft_ldq9oM4QP3dxMhn7XfBUKgl/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAPyYAeB-d5yHPvOP2uPh5UNrcppt4lCcGl4HIrhe_EAqNr6QTPWLz_RLXhvlYXCakO5bukifIYFb0nrR-9LDTBvLfEHk0xkIAZgLtCb09G9azoy8lmft_ldq9oM4QP3dxMhn7XfBUKgl/s200/IMG_1595.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On the first, official, day we
walked down to the centre of the city (town!). Cefalu is beautiful, peaceful, traditional and
perfect in every stereotypical Italian way. Friendly people, good food, washing
effortlessly swaying in the wind between two gorgeous ancient stone buildings,
gelato parlours around every corner and a striking white church in the centre
of the main square. It was, simply, faultless.
We strolled along </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">the beach and
sunbathed on the generous golden sand. It could not have been better - I'm
starting to sound like a travel brochure but it was stunning.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuH1mFBwV7SOII7hZPAJFQd1-mAlSb5M6qnKNTrnYGP7lgkhMQPkZ5YpsPwDLwGZDt6zz_RWsOixjOgvDBWIFC3ieeNGWqFMhmHykwSmbCa_vHBhLmjk4cNV0akNRVKpuYx9-USuvOBOy/s1600/IMG_1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuH1mFBwV7SOII7hZPAJFQd1-mAlSb5M6qnKNTrnYGP7lgkhMQPkZ5YpsPwDLwGZDt6zz_RWsOixjOgvDBWIFC3ieeNGWqFMhmHykwSmbCa_vHBhLmjk4cNV0akNRVKpuYx9-USuvOBOy/s200/IMG_1584.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For the next couple of days we
either sat by the pool - you must remember, this is very unlike us - sipping
cocktails or venturing out</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />around the city (town!) to take in the sights and
eat some spectacular food, which included Parma ham.<br /> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday was my first dialysis day
and I needed it badly. I had not had
dialysis since early Friday morning and was six kilos overweight in fluid. There
was some sort of confusion during booking. Something to do with me supposed to be getting
dialysis on the Saturday even though I had not arrived on the island - not our
fault. Nevertheless, the centre was
clean, which you would hope as it was a private unit and cost my parents
360Euros a session - cash. The staff
were extremely friendly but did not speak much English, luckily I had brushed
up on my Italiano, and the machines did not make an awful screeching noise
whenever they beeped. This was my first
experience of new, swanky, Western European dialysis machines. They are very
sleek. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Through
my 'vast' experience of travelling with dialysis, I find it better to have it
in the morning that way you do not waste the day. If you are skiing, however, evening is best.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Furthermore, if ever going
abroad for dialysis I would thoroughly encourage you to either take a good book
or download some movies/TV shows to watch while you are there. There is only so much small talk you can make
in a foreign language, no matter how lovely it may be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">On the Wednesday we travelled to the
picturesque, 14th Century town of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Castelbuono</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">Yet </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">again, stereotypically wonderful. Even
the meandering roads leading up the hills from the peaceful beaches we left
behind were tranquil (I need to become a travel writer. Think Bill Bryson would
take me under his wing?). The Castle,
which </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Castelbuono</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> gets its name, stood in all its glory at
the top of the town. There was some kind
of street flower exhibit on that the local children had produced. There were arrangements of all sorts of very
colourful flower pictures along the main street from Charlie Chaplin to Rodger
Rabbit. We spend the whole afternoon
there engorged in gelato and beautiful scenery before heading back for more,
you guessed it, Parma ham. And some
other actual food.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thursday
came and it was dialysis day again. When
I woke up I had this awful pain down the side of my left thigh but thinking
nothing of it I carried on and headed for dialysis. Throughout the day it progressively became
worse. Not to the point of "get me to a hospital" just "get me
some paracetamol". Unbeknown to me
until I arrived home I had shingles. Nothing
too serious unless you have not had the chicken pox - which my Dad had not had! There was nothing I could have done, it just
goes away after about ten days but bloody painful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
penultimate night was an experience. Now,
I get hangry (hungry and angry) but I think my Dad is worse. We sauntered down to a lovely, recommended,
restaurant which seemed attractive from the outside. I could tell by the time we arrived that my
Dad was hungry, more so than Mum and I, and we needed to get food fast. We sat
down and were ready to order within five minutes however 30 minutes had passed
before someone came to take our drinks order, this did not bode well. There seemed to be at atmosphere in the
restaurant which made us uncomfortable. After
waiting 45 minutes for our food order to be taken my Dad was becoming increasing
impatient. I think the thing that made
him hit the fan was when he saw the chef smoking in the kitchen. Have you ever
seen a red English man argue with a red Italian <span style="background: white;">maître d</span><span style="background: white;">'?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Good. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After a five minute show down, my
Dad walked out with us speedily behind him but by the time we had reached the
door, Dad had completely disappeared. He's
6ft 2 and walks like the BFG, Mum and I are both under 5ft 4 and walk like
oompa loompas. So, we slowly walked back to the car, peering
down every street to see if we could see a shining red stare glaring back at us
(Dad, in case that was not obvious). No
such luck so we drove back to the hotel. Once back in the room we found Dad bunched up
angrily on the bed watching BBC News with what I believe was his last Dime bar
and possibly a Snicker. Mum and I went
to the hotel restaurant for dinner, leaving Dad sulking in the room. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">By morning Dad had calmed down and
we spend a wonderful last day on the island. The meal at night was unruffled
and I did not have Parma ham. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijVo3LvQKpfMHcYQ1fx2fFltvlaOa7mEYQgIowDVZIWWK5s01AM9KvyrJev_cgZg3oIie5rHSksuswZNWcQzrO0U4_MGgAKEAFlUNRU4LIvPMQeh7ZSbGj4pAz95r-phXKLFVjbiZxl8j/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijVo3LvQKpfMHcYQ1fx2fFltvlaOa7mEYQgIowDVZIWWK5s01AM9KvyrJev_cgZg3oIie5rHSksuswZNWcQzrO0U4_MGgAKEAFlUNRU4LIvPMQeh7ZSbGj4pAz95r-phXKLFVjbiZxl8j/s200/IMG_1637.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have found that one of the main
issue with dialysis patients is that they are scared to go on holiday because the
units are unfamiliar and the way they do things is slightly different but, if
you think about it, the way Tesco and ASDA slice their bread is different,
doesn't mean it tastes any worse (bad metaphor but you get the gist). In fact, I have found holiday dialysis centres
far better, and more efficient, than some at home. Find a good dialysis holiday coordinator, out-with
your own unit, and let them help you with your holiday. They usually have more contacts and therefore
more destinations become available. They
will cost a little depending on where you want to go and for how long, etc but
they will handle everything for you so your stress becomes insignificant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Final word: I highly recommend
Sicily as a holiday destination, whether you are on dialysis or not. </span></div>
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Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-60020703440128378572015-10-21T10:44:00.000-07:002018-04-01T10:24:57.286-07:00My Kidney Does Not Work. I Do Not Pee!<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Never
judge someone without knowing the full story"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It is one of my favourite sayings. And it's
true - don't.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
would like to think I am not a vindictive or horrible person however I know I
can and, regrettably, have been because of how I was feeling on a particular
day and people probably judge me very much on that. It's genuinely not who I am
though. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Renal
failure, and everything that comes with it -physically and mentally, is not
known by many. Everyone knows about Cancer. It is a vicious disease and the
sooner we can get rid of it the better. Yet, renal failure patients go through comparable
things. Please do not think I am taking
Cancer lightly - I am <u>not</u>! I am merely pointing out the similarities between them in
terms of what we have to go through and the amount of side effects we have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
bet a lot of you who read this think that I go for dialysis, come home and
it's all la-de-da. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Well
it is not. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
have seen some horrific things and even experienced them myself. I want to
make that known so more people can appreciate what we go through and hopefully
join the <a href="https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-to-donate/" target="_blank">organ donor register.</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
main thing about renal failure patients that people should know about is that
most of us do not pee. This way seem like an obvious thing but the amount of
people who have asked me why is ridiculous. Think about it, our kidney's flush all
of the toxins out of our bodies and ours do not work therefore we cannot pee.
As a consequence, we retain fluid. Everything we eat and drink stays in
our body. We drink a cup of coffee (which we are not suppose to do),
everything in that stays in us. Even if we eat a strawberry (which, again, we
are not suppose to do) that is made up of 92% water, we retain that fluid. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A
couple of years ago I was out for T's birthday, you all know T. It was a milestone
birthday and we all went a little wild. Me more than most. I had dialysis of
the Friday night and went out with the girls straight after. On the Saturday
night she had a proper party and we all went out again. On the Sunday I went to
Manchester with my Dad to a football game at 06:30. I got to bed at 05:30! When
I went for dialysis on the Monday I had put on 6 kilograms. <i><u>6KG! </u></i>That is almost 3/4 of a
stone in liquid! At the time it was funny, I had never done that before. Looking
back however, I realise how much pressure and potentially fatal risk I had put
my body under. We have to be very careful about what we put in our bodies
whether it is healthy to a 'normal' person or not. I have put these photos in
to show you how bad it can get but these aren't the worst. I've deleted the realllly bad ones! The left photos are of me
going to dialysis and the right ones are of when I am done. At first
glance they are funny but it is actually pretty serious. I am very self
conscious about the pictures and don't like going out in public when I look
like that but it's the hard truth of what I go through on a daily basis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKT57ZCurkOvn2SsE2tzsmT_XS3ffzx_TFx7PeRHoPfzZqTAypOqGe6u4QvwWBc0uoD-n-SDRKns44-Wt9cE5r72fRSWtnXKzQccCbJSdIJtdC-ajDWyXwULa2XGAeJNeQXy9jmpOkgpY/s1600/20150922_093423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKT57ZCurkOvn2SsE2tzsmT_XS3ffzx_TFx7PeRHoPfzZqTAypOqGe6u4QvwWBc0uoD-n-SDRKns44-Wt9cE5r72fRSWtnXKzQccCbJSdIJtdC-ajDWyXwULa2XGAeJNeQXy9jmpOkgpY/s200/20150922_093423.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">High
potassium and phosphate are also side effects of renal failure. Earlier this
year I was suppose to have an operation on my <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dialysis/Pages/How-haemodialysis-is-performed.aspx#haemodialysis" target="_blank">fistula</a>
however on two separate occasions I was declined treatment because my potassium
and phosphate levels were too high which meant I was at risk of having a stroke
and a heart attack. This is not known by
many people, if any in fact. Furthermore, high potassium can cause extremely
itchy skin and I have itched so much before that I took three layers of
skin off my foot one night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtNZuT-2s5WsLOPtJXvJvRGjflugiQj9GGMR0T_xCTN88TmLmHJ43paAbbuzq9aY7jexeiFf8ZUCLJ-dAw4-aKDFsHpc6DO9OXJmPQlkV_zOGD1gBTyLe_vYOxBKVWxmUHu7IyEMgRG5A/s1600/20150922_131148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtNZuT-2s5WsLOPtJXvJvRGjflugiQj9GGMR0T_xCTN88TmLmHJ43paAbbuzq9aY7jexeiFf8ZUCLJ-dAw4-aKDFsHpc6DO9OXJmPQlkV_zOGD1gBTyLe_vYOxBKVWxmUHu7IyEMgRG5A/s200/20150922_131148.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Another
thing is that we get sick. Very sick. I am extremely lucky and have only been
sick a small handful of times on dialysis and that was at the very start of my
treatment but I know people who are sick every day they have dialysis and even
when they are not in. During dialysis the machine takes approximately 350mls of
our blood out of our body and pushes it through the filtration system. Some
people cannot handle that and are violently sick for the duration of their
treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In
addition to this we get severe <a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_cramps/article.htm" target="_blank">cramp</a>. Most
pregnant woman and athletes will empathise with this. It's awful. As I stated
before, most of us do not pee so during dialysis the machine, as well as clean
our blood, takes off the excess fluid that has build up in our body. We can
often misjudge how much fluid we take off during treatment and if we
have put on too much then we're more likely going to get cramp. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Cramp is the "<span style="background: white;">involuntarily and forcibly contraction of
the muscle that does not relax". </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5MqY80p_X29zL7zLdOXvhhI3r3G9yhaSM3oBb5yTyuoE0R1qtqnTbd3ntB-1SEkNHyi09St8ZCiurmq1GqP64m0e47Ri3PVXs6iZcWXIF3djPgDfn31yue9MkweBBx0IuFUm4m0060JT/s1600/20151005_085351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5MqY80p_X29zL7zLdOXvhhI3r3G9yhaSM3oBb5yTyuoE0R1qtqnTbd3ntB-1SEkNHyi09St8ZCiurmq1GqP64m0e47Ri3PVXs6iZcWXIF3djPgDfn31yue9MkweBBx0IuFUm4m0060JT/s200/20151005_085351.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzG_OlVBF9tE9APgME-h2u1lWslczF2Qeh5hgfEFzExtYj9dXGc8FoHQodq-0zVvAtW18lVi7uXubdSJRAN2sIuc9hAZKWetY7yzNQ3jKQH6TaCyj4qWYKPEh4E9330_iAstALwuXMinM/s1600/Snapchat-535739614744286511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzG_OlVBF9tE9APgME-h2u1lWslczF2Qeh5hgfEFzExtYj9dXGc8FoHQodq-0zVvAtW18lVi7uXubdSJRAN2sIuc9hAZKWetY7yzNQ3jKQH6TaCyj4qWYKPEh4E9330_iAstALwuXMinM/s200/Snapchat-535739614744286511.jpg" width="112" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">I remember being in the side room once
and I was just about to come off of dialysis when I experienced the worst pain
of my life. Luckily one of the nurses was walking past my door and she
immediately gave me some saline through my machine but that did not suffice.
The cramp started in my feet and worked its way up my body in every muscle
imaginable. This lasted for what felt like forever and before I knew it there
were two nurses around me and a doctor frantically trying to massaging my
muscles. The pain eventually subsided but I vowed to myself that I would never
feel that pain again. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Furthermore, we can also faint from time to time. As a
result of the fluid loss, again, our bodies sometimes can become low on liquids
and we completely pass out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHK5v5LWrb3tfBCQ0DBomXBG5rbwbxv7AKf3-kE_PRg_xxqfJ2UbGcIdHAN6WhuJk5711rNH16HQPYRoDQ4rBI2B38FRNliiAOKRSZP1W78NvQJFqq_F62hGD9xLHMnCkfSmAXLlRzORp/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHK5v5LWrb3tfBCQ0DBomXBG5rbwbxv7AKf3-kE_PRg_xxqfJ2UbGcIdHAN6WhuJk5711rNH16HQPYRoDQ4rBI2B38FRNliiAOKRSZP1W78NvQJFqq_F62hGD9xLHMnCkfSmAXLlRzORp/s200/IMG_1381.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We can also die on dialysis which is non-such-a-fun
fact! This</span><i style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"> rarely</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> happens I woul</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">d
like to stress, but it can and </span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">there
are so many possible causes of it including haemolysis. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><b><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="background: white;">"</span></b><span style="background: white;">H</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">aemolysis</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">is the rupturing of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>red
blood cells and the release of their contents into surrounding fluid (e.g.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_plasma" title="Blood plasma"><span style="background: white;">blood plasma</span></a><span style="background: white;">)". </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This
basically causes the red blood cells to explode and release deadly toxins into
our blood and can happen if the lines accidentally become kinked. I
would like to remind you that this genuinely hardly ever happens. But it can. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Several other things that can often occur in dialysis
patients inclu</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">de:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Low Blood Pressure (hypotension).</b> Low blood pressure may be accompanied by shortness
of breath, abdominal cramps, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting. If I have
overdone the fluid intake I can feel the fluid in my chest and sometimes cannot
walk very far (especially after the 6kg incident!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> <b>Sleep Problems.</b></span> People receiving hemodialysis often have trouble sleeping,
sometimes because of breaks in breathing during sleep (sleep apnoea) or because
of aching, being uncomfortable or restless legs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <b>Anaemia</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></b> Not having enough red blood cells in your blood (anaemia) is a
common complication of kidney failure and hemodialysis. Failing kidneys reduce
production of a hormone called erythropoietin (uh-rith-roe-POI-uh-tin), which
stimulates formation of red blood cells. Diet restrictions, poor absorption of
iron, frequent blood tests, or removal of iron and vitamins by hemodialysis
also can contribute to anaemia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> <b> Bone Diseases</b>.</span> If your damaged kidneys are no longer able to process vitamin D,
which helps you absorb calcium, your bones may weaken. In addition,
overproduction of parathyroid hormone — a common complication of kidney failure
— can release calcium from your bones.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <b>High Blood Pressure (hypertension)</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></b> If you consume too much salt or drink too
much fluid, your high blood pressure is likely to get worse and lead to heart
problems or strokes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> <b> Inflammation of the Membrane Surrounding the Heart (pericarditis)</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></b> Insufficient hemodialysis can
lead to inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart, which can interfere
with your heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of your body.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Access site complications.</b> Potentially dangerous complications — such as infection, narrowing
or ballooning of the blood vessel wall or blockage — can impact the quality of hemodialysis.
This has been a problem throughout my treatment and I have had to get 6
operations on my arm in three years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="background: white;">Amyloidosis</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></b> Dialysis-related <span style="background: white;">amyloidosis</span> develops when proteins in blood are
deposited on joints and tendons, causing pain, stiffness and fluid in the
joints. The condition is more common in people who have undergone hemodialysis
for more than five years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">·</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Depression.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(mayoclinic.org)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Just after I returned to college after I had been
in hospital for six weeks I was in the lift going from the basement level to the ground
floor. It was only one floor but having just come out of hospital I was
extremely tired and decided to take the lift. There was a lecturer in the lift
who asked me what floor I was going to and I said ground. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She proceeded to say "ah you're one of those
lazy students who can't be bother to walk up one flight of stairs!!". <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I wish I could go back and tell her exactly what
was going on in my life because I didn't say anything and shied away in the
corner. She was totally in the wrong and judged me before knowing the full
story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">People can be mean sometimes. I
know I have said and done things that I deeply regret because of how I was feeling
that day. I do not mean things personally, it is just word vomit. I also try
and understand why people say and do things because it is usually built up from
something going on in their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From now on, try not to judge
people based on how they act because nine out of ten times they will regret
what they say instantly!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Kate xx</span></span></span></div>
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Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-79218704108213960442015-09-29T14:20:00.000-07:002018-04-01T08:35:47.979-07:00Ignorance is Bliss?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnSGubMNDoizElSyeE5l-vi5mWz7y9UlAMNY3Wp0JiGtYlUSrtA0yWVfLnriU3bi4b_sa9qnBGaPY7t5N5LtFhFUqYp7GZ5nkGoeYoC6CoiDO2ft4UjPqFH8sPgT2Xr76JblJXWxBDxfZ/s1600/1443557456288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnSGubMNDoizElSyeE5l-vi5mWz7y9UlAMNY3Wp0JiGtYlUSrtA0yWVfLnriU3bi4b_sa9qnBGaPY7t5N5LtFhFUqYp7GZ5nkGoeYoC6CoiDO2ft4UjPqFH8sPgT2Xr76JblJXWxBDxfZ/s400/1443557456288.jpg" width="225" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Eww,
what's that on your arm??"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">That,
lovely person who is drunk and I have never met before, is what keeps me alive.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I
have had numerous people coming up to me in clubs, bars, shops, un</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i, you name it,
questioning me about my arm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I
am all for people asking what my <a href="http://www.uhb.nhs.uk/Downloads/pdf/PiRenalVascularAccess.pdf" target="_blank">fistula</a> is. It
is an interesting, yet slightly creepy thing and we, as the human species, are
curious creatures. That does not, however, give you the right to be a total douche.
You want to know more about my health and disease then by all means ask, I am happy to tell you anything. Just don't be so ignorant.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CXjgOFNNzIVzmd0fTTgqUA5BBFmx6b_XzauKLiV1SKt4Ex_Q3L7zHssZsc0qyjKoulLeYmdZf32Rc11_7jSzJg3SaoVBoz1_3kuT6HiXyPp-ZQ7mNlBNhTuZ3e7bNvu5tKqhxYdQYIse/s1600/1443557088743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CXjgOFNNzIVzmd0fTTgqUA5BBFmx6b_XzauKLiV1SKt4Ex_Q3L7zHssZsc0qyjKoulLeYmdZf32Rc11_7jSzJg3SaoVBoz1_3kuT6HiXyPp-ZQ7mNlBNhTuZ3e7bNvu5tKqhxYdQYIse/s320/1443557088743.jpg" width="180" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
use to work in a club and had to wear a dress that didn't cover my arms (or
much else to be honest) and three or four times a night I would have people
coming up to me and asking what had happened to my arm. It happened so often
that I came up with the story that I had recently been to Arizona with my Dad
and was bitted by a King Cobra. This story was foolproof until some biologist
came along and was like "yeeeah..... King Cobras are from <span style="background: white;">Southeast Asia!" Should've done my research!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The point is, I have to accept that my arm is a talking point
and I am totally fine with that. I adore my scars. They are the lines on which
I write my stories and the proof that I have battled relentlessly to get to
where I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have mentioned B briefly before in one of my past posts. We
have been close friends for probably just under five years and she is one of
the brightest, most loyal people you could even wish to meet and she, like me,
has scars. </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtpHxGKBBLRdJEvYhiDwdi3BcUj1ERc_Bpp3yogSLODXZRVI2Y9qd5pwJ05wQjVM_h9v3KK9AtaBqpTB9YT1lwqr4VGIwOstdYIaS_KSQBtQ5DiNA7wVyozHB8WB3s_L281g_xpUdeyIH/s1600/1443557754692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtpHxGKBBLRdJEvYhiDwdi3BcUj1ERc_Bpp3yogSLODXZRVI2Y9qd5pwJ05wQjVM_h9v3KK9AtaBqpTB9YT1lwqr4VGIwOstdYIaS_KSQBtQ5DiNA7wVyozHB8WB3s_L281g_xpUdeyIH/s320/1443557754692.jpg" width="180" /></span></a><span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'll keep her story short as to not embarrass her because I
know she will be. At the start of our fifth year at school, B fought severe <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.healthline.com/health/septicemia#Overview1" target="_blank">septicaemia</a></span> and had to basically get all of her organs
taken out of her body, cleaned and put back in again. As a result of that she
has a scar leading down her tummy. May I just add, she was in hospital for like
three months yet still achieved 5 A's! Incredibly smart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We had a conversation a few years after her op and she asked
me how I dealt with my scars. I said it like I did above. I love them but B
wasn't so enthusiastic.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I would just like to tell you now, B, that your scar is
beautiful and so are you. On the inside and out. That scar you have has given
you the determination to do everything you have over the past five/six years
and it is the reason you will become an amazing doctor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuMgeK6FamR6aBBKrcws497PnyJmPdxWjVpXmAhTZQQKKW2pONjz-pa1xY4nXlZGY0bN5Qx69_sZ8Rh0j913E7n9IlKU8ui3MeCR1pWFrtJp9ig_xbf8G-oQgfIs_HtzqmAGca3NSE1p0/s1600/20150929_205139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuMgeK6FamR6aBBKrcws497PnyJmPdxWjVpXmAhTZQQKKW2pONjz-pa1xY4nXlZGY0bN5Qx69_sZ8Rh0j913E7n9IlKU8ui3MeCR1pWFrtJp9ig_xbf8G-oQgfIs_HtzqmAGca3NSE1p0/s200/20150929_205139.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Your scars are something to be admired and cherished. I know
that my ex's and my current boyfriend love my scars and whoever you are with
should love them too. If they don't well..... bye bye. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I cannot tell you how strongly I feel about showing off your
scars, no matter where you got them from. Unless you are some crazy killer. In
that case, hind them. Ain't nobody got time for that!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Whether you have a chronic illness, Crohn's disease, are a transplantee, whatever, you have earned your
beloved life lines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Be proud of them. Show them off. And don't ever care what
other people think. You will always get the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"eww, what's that" kind of people but let me tell
you... they don't deserve an answer.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k4vAm5mge2II-W9kaxhAXXwRwh_fPLCp8JODS672zae8J3AnnSj4kOEBHmD3OZhv9wRW62ey36XOdlozIfwfKJm3EaVL7-mAGK-3nhZDg1K7COStJjJ-eRZ87Sw83QOtTtUcNsrwLDJh/s1600/1443557023858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k4vAm5mge2II-W9kaxhAXXwRwh_fPLCp8JODS672zae8J3AnnSj4kOEBHmD3OZhv9wRW62ey36XOdlozIfwfKJm3EaVL7-mAGK-3nhZDg1K7COStJjJ-eRZ87Sw83QOtTtUcNsrwLDJh/s400/1443557023858.jpg" width="225" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Until
next time,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kate
x</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-70210146336824779082015-09-25T08:25:00.001-07:002020-03-15T14:31:41.475-07:00Dear Friend, <div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Before I tell you about the next part of my
story, I would like to remember a very special lady who so sadly passed away
two weeks ago. This lady was on dialysis with me and I knew her for three
years. She, and her husband, never had a bad word to say and I have never seen
anyone love their wife as much as he did. They loved each other wholeheartedly
and supported each other through all of their tough times. She was a tremendous
women and fought so hard against her illnesses. Life is so short. You have to
grasp every day and fill it with happiness. You can never know when it may be
your last.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Rest in Peace, my love. I hope you are happy
wherever you may be x<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I ended last time with me being in hospital
with kidney failure, again. I was in a phase of my life where things clearly
were not going my way. All I kept thinking about was getting home and
continuing with my studies. However, my life had changed and I had to adapt to
it. As soon as I was discharged from hospital, with tubes still in my neck, I
started back at college. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Then ended up back in hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I had done too much far too soon and pushed
my body to do something it wasn't capable of doing. I should of let myself rest
but, for whatever reason, that is something I am not very good at. I need to
work or study or clean or do something. I cannot just sit and twiddle my
fingers but that was probably what I needed to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">During
the Summer of 2012 I lived in Aberdeen with my friend and in fairness, did not
really do very much apart from shopped. I tried to apply for university but
because I had not finished my HND at college, I did not qualify for third year
entry. I had dreamed about going to Robert Gordon University for five years and
I was truly gutted but, in true Kate spirit (yes, I used third person), I
persevered and decided to give them a call. I explained my situation and the
lovely lady on the other end said, "I'll see what I can do."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Even though I was not allowed into third year
I was however accepted into second year. I know, second year again! But I was
ecstatic and didn't care that I had to repeat a yea<o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">r. I remember my first day
at uni, being so scared yet so proud to have finally made it to where I had
always wanted to go. But things never stay the same for long.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Three weeks into uni I contracted pneumonia and
ended up back in hospital again. At Christmas I, somehow, managed to catch
meningococcal meningitis and pneumonia at the same time which lead me to not
being able to sit my exams. In April of 2013, same time as my exams again, I
had influenza A (really bad flu) and did not manage to submit a piece of my
course work. That meant that I had an exam to sit over the summer along with making
a documentary and developing a website with little information about how to do
either because I had been off for so much of the terms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2cuVFz29zJT4dZaugVLeu9RX25Mo2N_cibklqZI8kCCaf6WBQ0pa2SkK6fJb7H1K0e-_3EYXh4EcEcDXJmmjQ1V9Si-j0EkGlXkBW70XMNIo136run-juphwpnUOBnwvZNcfgOg5Fqla/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2cuVFz29zJT4dZaugVLeu9RX25Mo2N_cibklqZI8kCCaf6WBQ0pa2SkK6fJb7H1K0e-_3EYXh4EcEcDXJmmjQ1V9Si-j0EkGlXkBW70XMNIo136run-juphwpnUOBnwvZNcfgOg5Fqla/s200/IMG_3248.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">With a lot of work and help from my friends I
am happy to say that I passed the exam and handed in my website (albeit, I got
a D) but I didn't quite get my documentary done in time. And to make things
even more annoying because of the amount of credits the documentary was worth I
was not able to carry over that module whilst studying third year. So, again, I
had to re-sit second year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn_OottNW2CUSwxr5GgbcwjYP1CC_FpekgSn_SFOCPSGTPp4rRDVRb0pHGlKqKLHHkZvfnhDWcKgBpY2KAfEBaiFOeLcNGbUlI0RIR-C_DWGR71_c7uypBkjhQJBev0XcVF6DQI0v4G8l/s1600/IMG_4465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn_OottNW2CUSwxr5GgbcwjYP1CC_FpekgSn_SFOCPSGTPp4rRDVRb0pHGlKqKLHHkZvfnhDWcKgBpY2KAfEBaiFOeLcNGbUlI0RIR-C_DWGR71_c7uypBkjhQJBev0XcVF6DQI0v4G8l/s200/IMG_4465.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Whilst
studying part-time I worked for the majority of that year at a business
development and marketing company as their marketing assistant and I was so
lucky to be part of such an amazing and supportive team. In September 2013 I
decided to apply for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - which I will go into
detail about another time - and heard in the January that I was successful and
one of their 15,000 volunteers! I thought this was the perfect subject for my
documentary and while I was there I recorded a video diary. Safe to say I achieved
an A... PARTY!!!! So worth the wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">So, everything was finally picking up. I was in an amazing relationship with my
boyfriend, I had been awarded Student Ambassador of the Year by RGU for my
contribution to the students and The Great Scot of the Year Award for my
contribution to sport for the Commonwealth Games and my determination
throughout them. I was finally away into third year (thank the Lord) and moving
into my own Home... And got Eta. That was last October and since then, touch
wood, I have not been in hospital, apart from dialysis obviously, been on
holiday six times and finished third year with virtually no setbacks and
achieved another two A's. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8iPaEmlTo6sZcRh0x5acLoAh8xm9HsV7VuDBNiBQDSnGzduWcVMpv4b2kUjh7uafA757eA522V-suBhxIV3QtuvOIBEm0NzL-gWr3QiPwnf_s5ccNJarK8xmTlkJHbRiAMYPTsHWdKH0/s1600/IMG_6095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8iPaEmlTo6sZcRh0x5acLoAh8xm9HsV7VuDBNiBQDSnGzduWcVMpv4b2kUjh7uafA757eA522V-suBhxIV3QtuvOIBEm0NzL-gWr3QiPwnf_s5ccNJarK8xmTlkJHbRiAMYPTsHWdKH0/s200/IMG_6095.JPG" width="112" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsjIDXjJQBb6hJOGwR75l7ob_6tX9uS26h1xn0zhJQSUUgZtNUZrAvAWV32U82wnxToLcA9fgndxbupl7e4TyMffPX9OXeeI3vKxmI09XTvkB902fp0f1LGe1YjnMSBm6z4c0bBduH6Ta/s1600/IMG_3611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsjIDXjJQBb6hJOGwR75l7ob_6tX9uS26h1xn0zhJQSUUgZtNUZrAvAWV32U82wnxToLcA9fgndxbupl7e4TyMffPX9OXeeI3vKxmI09XTvkB902fp0f1LGe1YjnMSBm6z4c0bBduH6Ta/s200/IMG_3611.JPG" width="125" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">There is nothing more powerful than the
determination of your mind. Set yourself goals, write them down, make a dream
board, whatever it is you need to do to visualise where you want to be. It may
take you longer, you may need to take a path that you initially didn't want to
but that will only make you stronger and you will be so proud of yourself by
the end of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I fully believe that everything happens for a
reason. Yes, of course I sometimes get upset about my condition, it is only
normal, but I am not angry. So many good things have happened in my life in the
past three years. I have met some incredible people and work in places that I
probably would not have if this disease had not taken over. You have to look at
the positives of every situation and maybe they are not always clear at the
start. But you'll find them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Until next time,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Kate x<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uTBAeA3AMpj-zCE_uvGdYhbpfvWoUBWM3DcxMXCxBEgJwo5qmwUplurkMXULIKkFIDKdqS7sHpqyGj5UCKbb5p1dhkoAp81fruk4KY8f2FxvLHlEpZvJo9-sz9k0v4Au_cJ52TU1CfYI/s1600/IMG_5413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uTBAeA3AMpj-zCE_uvGdYhbpfvWoUBWM3DcxMXCxBEgJwo5qmwUplurkMXULIKkFIDKdqS7sHpqyGj5UCKbb5p1dhkoAp81fruk4KY8f2FxvLHlEpZvJo9-sz9k0v4Au_cJ52TU1CfYI/s400/IMG_5413.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-6785092989164909862015-09-13T13:10:00.000-07:002018-04-01T08:46:58.674-07:00Guys, my Feet don't Fit in my Shoes...<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">For
the last ten years I have made some amazing, lifelong friendships. I have
friends who tell me like it is. We may occasionally fall out because one of us
had a dream that one kissed another's boyfriend (just me actually!) but they
have been my rocks and were there for me when times got hard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Wr</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">iting this blog has made me reflect
on all the good times I have had and one memory in particular sticks out for
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFENoxaTgLoZMuN5SZlHQFY4AwzcpEcnyBzeNsixydzG0MYQ-hwLNMVzdFgjrx2HDIAX4XVZxbgPEIkiHoOEHbMb2uwruKYDfV3Ehyphenhyphen2sUOHLIXuBkVKOxZpsbA0ecRlYwf-73KGawbB9r/s1600/Me+and+Tova+cira+2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFENoxaTgLoZMuN5SZlHQFY4AwzcpEcnyBzeNsixydzG0MYQ-hwLNMVzdFgjrx2HDIAX4XVZxbgPEIkiHoOEHbMb2uwruKYDfV3Ehyphenhyphen2sUOHLIXuBkVKOxZpsbA0ecRlYwf-73KGawbB9r/s320/Me+and+Tova+cira+2007.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
have been friends with this girl - we'll call her T to save confusion - for
about 11 years now <o:p></o:p>and because we both came from the country we instantly clicked
even though we were complete opposites. T, when I met her, had never worn a
dress in her life and me, well, I use to wear heels to the farm! Country bumpkin
+ daddy's girl = perfect combination.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">T
had horses, and I loved them! I always wanted a horse so I use to go over as
often as I could to see them and go for rides, however, one day while I was over,
T's Mum asked us to clean out the stable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Well,
you can imagine my face when she said that. I do remember thinking "I
don't want to get my nails dirty!" - pathetic but it still happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So,
off we both go, me actually wearing wellies for a change, to muck-out her
horses in a sticky, muddy field. Everything started out great. We'd set
ourselves a target of having to fill a wheel-barrow full of poo before the next
car came past us. We had been working for about 45 minutes until we came across
a sheet of corrugated iron. This obviously had to be moved so that we could
continue working however we found this a bit trickier than we should of. We
both decided to take an end each and carry it over to the fence so we could
take it back to the house later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Now,
you recall the field being muddy and sticky, yes? Well as we were moving said
piece of metal my wellie boot got completely stuck in the mud. So did T's. Then
so did my other one. Then T's. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Two
girls, stuck in the mud, holding a piece of corrugated iron. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Every
time I moved I pushed T back. Every time she moved, I fell backwards. The mud
was so deep that it was physically impossible to get our boots out of it. We
struggled for a good 10 minutes trying to get out of this predicament until I
needed to go to the loo. I went from a scale of like... hmmm I could use the
loo right not to OH GOD, I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO PISS MYSELF in the space of 5
seconds. Stuck in the mud, legs apart and the inevitable happened. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">14 years
old, standing in the middle of a field and I peed myself. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I could feel a slow,
warm trickle down my leg but I could not stop it. I could not move because I
was fused to the ground, I could not let go of the iron sheet because it would
make T fall over and I could not for the life of me stop laughing so I just had
to let nature take its course. To be honest I wasn't even that embarrassed
until I had to face T's Mum and tell her what had happened, ask her for some
new trousers and get her to wash mine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It
is having memories like that that make sitting in a hospital bed bearable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">For
the next four years I studied alongside T at High School. I was certainly not
the brightest pupil and in most of my report cards my teachers would write,
"very bright young girl. If only she would stop talking so much and focus
on the tasks given to her". Story of my life! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I may
not have been academically clever but what I lacked it brains I made up for in
extracurricular activities:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: -18pt;">I
was part of the school choir, even though I cannot sing!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: -18pt;">During
my second and third year I entered myself into a speech making competition and
won both years</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: -18pt;">Leading
from that I use to give presentations to the school at assembly's and I spoke
at our final school prize giving in front of pupils, teachers and parents</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: -18pt;">I
helped organise a French exchange trip in my 5th year</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Whilst
studying for my highers in sixth year I was a Guardian for the new first year
pupils and a help and support student for a third year pupil who has autism</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">I
was a keen member of the Christmas Dance, Spring Fling and Year Book committees
and Vice Captain of my House (Delgaty Till I Die!!).</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(I literally just copied that from my LinkedIn
page because I couldn't be bothered writing it out again!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At
the start of my final year I started dating my ex. We were together for the
whole of 6th year and I had an amazing time. Not just with him but with all of
my friends. We, I thought, were a great group and we spent the majority of the
year annoying the janitor, playing the Xbox in our "common room" and
drawing mice on the walls. And studying, obviously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQHPki7IFkZgBSZzBx493v8NfTA46d4z9iqeS6tXiyFNEh3Pmb_wpF2e_VeD4Tkt6ufl5vM3J02StV6RIkzvK48g2M9A42I-41QWYtkKW5P1fF0ZaYX2EYUQX1Ryn-fIV3tYWsXTYJYBj/s1600/Me%252C+Leanne+and+Holly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQHPki7IFkZgBSZzBx493v8NfTA46d4z9iqeS6tXiyFNEh3Pmb_wpF2e_VeD4Tkt6ufl5vM3J02StV6RIkzvK48g2M9A42I-41QWYtkKW5P1fF0ZaYX2EYUQX1Ryn-fIV3tYWsXTYJYBj/s320/Me%252C+Leanne+and+Holly.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When
school ended, we all started our lives as almost adults. Starting uni, starting
work, travelling. My ambition was to go to university but because I didn't
achieve my grades, I started college studying Advertising and Public Relations.
There I met two of the best people ever, H and L. L once said to me "when I first met you, I thought you were a total bitch. You're alright actually"
and I have always loved her honesty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">About
3/4 of my way through first year of college I broke up with my ex. It was one
of the hardest things I have ever done and for a long time I really regretted
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
Summer of 2011 changed a lot for me. I was moved up to the adults hospital from
sick kids and it was a dramatic adjustment. I wasn't given the constant
encouragement to look after myself and I went completely off track. I still had
people looking out for me but I stopped looking after myself. I never would, or
ever could, blame my ex for what happened to me nevertheless the loss of our
relationship left me completely heartbroken and I started drinking a lot more
than I had ever done before. I moved into halls with H and we partied, hard.
Not ever thinking of the ultimate damage it was doing to me or my kidney. I
started working long hours whilst being at college and still going out
drinking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
thing that I believed triggered my decline was a tooth extraction a month
before I was admitted. I had my wisdom tooth removed and three hours later I
had a college presentation to do in front of a major client. Being immune
suppressed I was more susceptible to </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">infections
and colds and after the tooth extraction I became lethargic and weak. I did not
realise how much of a toll the extraction would have on my body.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I honestly believe there needs to be a
better support system in place at the hospital for young patients transitioning
up to adults. You go from having a paediatric nurse there for you 24/7 if you
need, to nothing. The dangers of not taking proper care of yourself when you
have an illness need to be made so much more aware to young people. Every kid
at 18/19 thinks they are invincible and even I thought that. If I had taken
better care of myself then my kidney would not have gone into rejection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUZkZfA7GZacWxmxZhrIu2QR47ccQukhCA4eHtX_ZdPh4_l0gICCjqmAOtdi8oeOPkyKsnjnXVNr2FcCub7OZe5LNuDk2xLeFr8R3ptOxZSwvMlgDSv8TJWRRpNTiyP2BmHspbGPcPv9n/s1600/Me+and+Ameer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUZkZfA7GZacWxmxZhrIu2QR47ccQukhCA4eHtX_ZdPh4_l0gICCjqmAOtdi8oeOPkyKsnjnXVNr2FcCub7OZe5LNuDk2xLeFr8R3ptOxZSwvMlgDSv8TJWRRpNTiyP2BmHspbGPcPv9n/s200/Me+and+Ameer.jpg" width="111" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Saying
that, every cloud has a silver lining. If this had not happened to me then I
probably wouldn't have made the fabulous friends that I have or gone to the
Commonwealth Games. I wouldn't of had Eta (my cat) and, most importantly, I
would not have met A - the most amazing and supportive boyfriend anyone could
ever ask for. But that story is for another time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
day before I was admitted into hospital I was over at T's flat with her flatmates
and our close friend's B and I. We were getting ready for a night out and I
turned to them and said "guy's, my feet don't fit in my shoes!" Thinking
nothing of it we made it into a joke and carried on with our night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFHypMK-tLAyoNHGTPCdyfy-iQIvhnGzwKy9txCO5TemGHtpA8z2V-tPVYdxxSr0RLOn_ffSbcmoofunyCWTp1BMsrVZLoSuIPMWojONM39VK_wdRqpiPBkBtqrDtVoEfa9ODUDNRhQHz/s1600/In+Hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFHypMK-tLAyoNHGTPCdyfy-iQIvhnGzwKy9txCO5TemGHtpA8z2V-tPVYdxxSr0RLOn_ffSbcmoofunyCWTp1BMsrVZLoSuIPMWojONM39VK_wdRqpiPBkBtqrDtVoEfa9ODUDNRhQHz/s200/In+Hospital.jpg" width="158" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
next day, on 21st January, 2012, 12 years and one week after my transplant, I
was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with chronic renal failure for the
second time. Really, the whole foot thing should of been a right give away! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was in hospital for six weeks with
tubes coming out of my neck and arms and on 12 different pills a day. I only
cried twice whilst I was in there and, as always, that was because of my Mum
not letting me feel sorry for myself and just getting on with it - an attribute
I am very proud of. I was in and out of hospital 13 times in 14 months. I had
to put my studies on hold for the time being and focus on my health.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9VqiTZzU4B5larBt5hsoiih_Ce9SuGX-db9ON8srXo2i4YW2HT8qKLuK8OUOvXJ4YAxeYaXLRYDwbXMh7URbdKRgmu525JeCY5Dn3LjsmJ8Jomg5z9p660KovyQDkmEmnavtTf7GG7-4/s1600/The+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9VqiTZzU4B5larBt5hsoiih_Ce9SuGX-db9ON8srXo2i4YW2HT8qKLuK8OUOvXJ4YAxeYaXLRYDwbXMh7URbdKRgmu525JeCY5Dn3LjsmJ8Jomg5z9p660KovyQDkmEmnavtTf7GG7-4/s320/The+Girls.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Without
my memories I would of been in a very bad place. My friends and family always
cheer me up whether I am with them or not and I am so blessed to have them with
me on my journey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Until
next time,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kate
x</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-18794560560113412582015-09-08T11:14:00.001-07:002018-04-01T10:23:26.405-07:00Reporting to you from a Big Pile of Excrement.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFII72ilMzzkXCZsV-FIHTipGjGKi3zzbGRUFigdYVA502v-tBjnmmJx9lBK7bBbFFzQHh_55cpDzTTmUKLe-sRvJ-Sbwx_fsiH1n8lD6ZZ2T-_0cvb9DwmOw490e-GdaSHkhtIt5ayhx/s1600/In+Portugal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFII72ilMzzkXCZsV-FIHTipGjGKi3zzbGRUFigdYVA502v-tBjnmmJx9lBK7bBbFFzQHh_55cpDzTTmUKLe-sRvJ-Sbwx_fsiH1n8lD6ZZ2T-_0cvb9DwmOw490e-GdaSHkhtIt5ayhx/s400/In+Portugal.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 13.8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 13.8pt;">I figured that I might as well start
from the beginning, easiest place to I suppose, and tell my story in four
parts: how I came to have kidney failure; my time during my transplantation; my
decline; where I am now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"Yeah, I ate s**t."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Always a definite ice breaker!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And, yes, it is true. I ate s**t. That is how
my kidney failure started</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I always try to make<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>my story humorous. Maybe it makes it
easier to deal with but the truth is I did, genuinely, eat cow<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background: white;">excrement<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>and contracted<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli_O157:H7" target="_blank">E-coli
0157</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>less than a week before my third birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(I must warn you now that I will probably be
quite explicit in describing medical things so if you're squeamish, look away
now).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I should also point out that I did not
intentionally eat said faeces. I grew up on a farm and our family dog rolled in
manure. I hugged the </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">dog and consequently got the manure on my hands. Me, only being
three, put my hands in my mouth... and that's how it happened!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Within a matter of hours of eating the excreta, I started to have all of the usual E-coli symptoms,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">low<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>fever,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>nausea,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>vomiting,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>bloody diarrhoea. My Mum, who clearly
knew something was wrong, took me straight to the doctors. She took me there
thr</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">ee times over the course of a couple of days but was told over and over by
the doctor that she was "a neurotic mother and your child only has a tummy
bug. She will be fine in a few days!" - this may be why I have doctor
trust issues!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">Anyway, on the third day my
Mum, bless her, rushed me to A&E where the doctors immediately spotted what
was wrong. I have never really heard what happened after that. All I know is
that a little boy, the same age as me, in the bed next to me, with the
same disease, died. I cannot begin to bring myself to think of the
pain that my parents felt and I can imagine the trauma has probably never left
them. Without my mum's determination, I would not be here, writing as I am.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">For almost four months I was
in intensive care, with my Mum constantly by my side. I was read to, soothed by
her kind voice and loving intent. I know that she always cared for me and she
would have never left me, loving me the way she always has done, every day.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background: white;">I was finally allowed home
after five months of being in hospital but I would never return to a normal
life. I was on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/peritoneal" target="_blank"><span style="background: white;">peritoneal dialysis</span></a><span style="background: white;"> for 12 hours. Every day. I was unable to do a lot of
activities children of that age are suppose to do like go swimming, go to
sleepovers with my friends, do any physical sports or eat chocolate, crisps,
chips, any sort of junk food (which, in hindsight, is not a bad thing).</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I was unable to do a lot of
t</span><span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">hings but there was one thing I was always extremely wealthy of,</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">Love.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCRcXbbP7Z6vrA15o2bvwWg5BYUZt2LVxHJeN5PQ8P3Rqhk2B-iHoVhdGGTFVcN6yPGLBssVkAs8P7zucpYVgJ9QZFAJt9WuQt45Jyz4SqfsfYKGoydGoPhhWgi-2hxdmso_uKxv7VT9b/s1600/Kate+in+Ward+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCRcXbbP7Z6vrA15o2bvwWg5BYUZt2LVxHJeN5PQ8P3Rqhk2B-iHoVhdGGTFVcN6yPGLBssVkAs8P7zucpYVgJ9QZFAJt9WuQt45Jyz4SqfsfYKGoydGoPhhWgi-2hxdmso_uKxv7VT9b/s320/Kate+in+Ward+8.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">There was not one day where
I did not feel cherished by those around me. Whether it was my parents, the
nurses who looked after me or my amazing relatives.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> Coming from such a strong family
has moulded me into who I am. We have laughed together, cried together and most
importantly supported and loved each other through hard times.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">No matter where you get love
from, may it be your family, friends, work colleagues, fourth cousin twice
removed, it is so important to have that network of people you can rely on
in times of need. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI6M2c3_O8LzxpEPj7VIXKthAYuryC3V_k6C0t7_xb2Y-64B6hcK-cSe4u-XIciFmIcRh3OZTouTVegQud8GZ8IpwKYUUc5YjENhGqnfSfwsjZhjIj64NQOkaspDxzgOsosniTNyHKSw5/s1600/Kate+%2526+Me+in+Hazel%2527s+Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI6M2c3_O8LzxpEPj7VIXKthAYuryC3V_k6C0t7_xb2Y-64B6hcK-cSe4u-XIciFmIcRh3OZTouTVegQud8GZ8IpwKYUUc5YjENhGqnfSfwsjZhjIj64NQOkaspDxzgOsosniTNyHKSw5/s320/Kate+%2526+Me+in+Hazel%2527s+Kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 13.8pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 13.8pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 13.8pt;">For four years I was
on PD dialysis until January 2000 when my Mum donated one of her kidneys to me.
Though I will never be able to express my gratitude, I hope she knows how
grateful I am for what she did for me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background: white;">So, even though I ate s**t,
those four years of my life, until my transplant, shaped me into who I am and -
not being immodest - I think I rock! Actually starting to sound like my
Auntie right about now...</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Until next time,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kate x</span></div>
Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com2Aberdeen, Aberdeen City, UK57.149717 -2.094278000000031257.0119045 -2.4170015000000311 57.287529500000005 -1.7715545000000312tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4645444704920254297.post-48047958943259864492015-09-04T14:37:00.000-07:002018-04-01T10:24:02.706-07:00The Start of Something New<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtm9iEWVNJ4rko8Vg63guaOnHfGRDcRP5f3fZtZRT-Ubjt6sKb93J14sH0u5i37nNaRbqM1MoArWRqsxBcAe04IeSRxJSWuxW3QiUl8lCno1rVegtU4Dr7HxGH5o_dADB872jrd7q9W6Zi/s1600/Getting+the+D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtm9iEWVNJ4rko8Vg63guaOnHfGRDcRP5f3fZtZRT-Ubjt6sKb93J14sH0u5i37nNaRbqM1MoArWRqsxBcAe04IeSRxJSWuxW3QiUl8lCno1rVegtU4Dr7HxGH5o_dADB872jrd7q9W6Zi/s400/Getting+the+D.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Good morning/afternoon/evening/middleofthenight,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My name is Kate. I am 23 years old. I have a cat called Eta. I have had chronic renal failure since the age of three. A disease I have suffered with for almost four years until my Mum (aka. my hero) gave me a kidney, which lasted for a blissful 12 years. Unfortunately this was not to last and sadly the kidney rejected on 21st January, 2012 </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and that is where my story begins.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have considered starting a blog for many years (and actually did but I forgot the name... and password... and location. Second time's a charm) and the time, now, feels right. On a daily basis, people say to me how well I cope with my disease, how well I look, how strong a person I am.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
But am I, really?</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
I have never been allowed to feel sorry for myself, that just wasn't an option. My parents always told me how lucky I was and I very much am. It is my hope that this blog will inspire people to be more pos</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">itive about life and realise how lucky they are because there are people out there going through a lot, lot worse than you - a fact that I was cruelly reminded of at the hospital only yesterday. </span><br />
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I also want to make people feel free, to not be held down by an illness. I have never been encouraged by my nurses/doctors to go on holiday, probably because they think I shouldn't or that I'm ill so I can't but that is sooo the opposite of what I believe. I have always gone on holiday and I have been very fortunate</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in that respect. Whilst on <a href="https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/peritoneal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">peritoneal dialysis</a> I travelled to Portugal, Florida and all over Europe with my family. During my time having a transplant I travelled to America twice, New Zealand, Hong Kong and, again, all over Europe. Now,</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> since my transplant failed, I have been to Italy, France, Holland and Austria. Sadly not international though... yet! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
I have big plans to travel more and I won't let dialysis stop me. I plan to move to London next year and start my MSc in Communications after I finish my current degree which has taken me three years longer than it should of because of my health issues. The key is to never give up and be as determined as you can. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">C</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">heery-Bye, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
Kate x</span>Dialysis Girl on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209776073727671278noreply@blogger.com9