Spring, Snow and Feeling Inspired

No spring flowers, enjoying the orchids indoors instead

I am back home again now after a very positive hospital visit. I'd aimed to be home for Easter and today I cannot wipe the smile off my face because I've got to come home a whole week earlier than I anticipated. The up- titration of my intravenous medication went really well and I've managed to undergo and tolerate three increases. As each day went on, each day I was more and more chuffed, each day the doctors were more pleased. By Friday they said I could go home and it was smiles of delight all round; Rob and I were beaming and all the doctors and nurses were too! It had all gone unexpectedly well and the only reason they didn't go for a fourth increase was that it would mean a complicated switch to using two phials of Epoprostenol rather than one, which would be expensive as well as a whole new routine to adapt. One small increase wasn't really worth the expense or the hassle. We will start from there when they next need to increase and it will then be worth learning a new routine to make up the drug and the extra expense of using double the drug.

It's becoming the usual view!

I am so pleased how this has gone, not having to go through all the illness it has caused me in the past has been a massive bonus and to come home feeling as well as I was when I went in hospital is a first for me, and a wonderful and pleasant surprise. Best of all though is the knowledge that I am tolerating this drug, Epoprostenol, quite well and that gives me some security and promise for the future now; if things deteriorate again they will still be able to increase the drug now and I should be able to cope. For a long time, the ability to do this was unknown and it was always yet another major worry in the back of my mind. So the future while I wait this long wait now feels less frightening and I know there is still quite a way to go yet with increasing the medication, something I had no measure of confidence in prior to this week. The nurse even gave me some brand new pumps and spare kit for my IVdrug, so it feels like I'm starting over all again with this Epoprostenol, but this time on a much more and very positive note.  

Rob and I are feeling a bit shell shocked today, but for all good reasons!

Where are the daffodils?

I cannot thank the PH team at Papworth enough for all their love, patience and care while they looked after me this week. It is so nice to be with medical staff who know you well and all you have gone through; two of the doctors looking after me on the ward this week have been with me right from the very beginning of my journey with PH and were so supportive and encouraging, along with the specialist PH nurses and the other ward staff, many who have known me from day one as well. So, yet again, I can't thank them all enough. I also managed to see and chat to a couple of the Transplant Team too while I was there, which in turn helps me to get to know them better for when I go completely under their care. I was on the ward with my friend Sita too and it was really lovely to spend some time with her, she and Mikey are such an inspiration as they cope with one hurdle after another following Sita's transplant. It was so nice to see them both still smiling despite everything they have had to face.

I had been looking forward to seeing all the daffodils out in the garden when I got home, Rob had planted lots more bulbs in autumn, then we would get a good show to enjoy in spring. There hasn't been much chance of that though because, like everyone else, we have had heavy snow and it is still snowing heavily out there. The daffodils are now hiding under a thick blanket of snow, but I'm hoping they will be resilient and spring back when the snow thaws.  I am so looking forward to that, but for now I'm just enjoying simple pleasures, enjoying being home, having a lazy day and feeling very positive about spring when it decides to come, as well as having a lot more confidence in the future while I wait for my transplant.

If you want to sign up to the organ donor register click on: www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/

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