Gartyhell July2009
So I type this from room 24 in ward 6C gartnavel. I’ve been in for a week now and in comparison to how I felt on my arrival I feel great.
SO where to start, I leave it so long between entries but this is only a guide for me to ho[pefully view post transplant. I finished another set of Iv’s three weeks ago and didn’t really feel any better for them. I was also started on a NIV, which is a non invasive respirator at night as I was told that my lungs were no longer getting rid of carbon dioxide effectively.
Getting told that was a bit of a downer, only another let down of these rubbish lungs I kept thinking but on another note I had hoped the NIV would give me back the ability to do a task without being totally out of breathe.
The NIV works by making you take big breaths as you breathe through the night- a time when generally you breathe at a shorter lower rate. By taking bigger breaths you are allowing the lungs time to exchange the co2 and O2.
I also started oxygen throughout the day also to give me more energy and allow me to put on some weight.
SO I started that and was due to go to Rockness the next week, June 12th. I didn’t want to miss it, as we were going as a group. Me, dougs, Amanda, eils and Paul. But I knew I wasn’t going to be up for much still feeling pretty pants.
Anyway we packed up and I collected Eils and Paul and Dougie drove the way to Inverness whilst I sat with my NIV on looking like a baby elephant.
We arrived on the Friday afternoon and had planned to go to ROckness on the Friday evening. Just Amanda, dougs and I as Eilidh and Paul didn’t have Friday tickets. We had some Chinese and I drove out to the festival. However, when I got out the car I just couldn’t get any oomph to walk.
It’s the first time ever I haven’t been able to push my body. I tried to walk but yards later I was doubled over trying to breathe even though I was on oxygen.
We sat at the side gates and waited to see if there was a wheel chair within the festival that we could loan. Dougie said lots of times for him to carry me but I wasn’t ready for that.
However we ended up waiting in the cold for an hour and half before saying we were just heading home again.
I felt bad for Amanda and DOugs but they wouldn’t let me wait in the car whilst they went to explore. I know its cos they are amazing friends but I felt terrible that my Cf had gotten in the way.
Onto Saturday and we tried again to see about a wheelchair, this time we got our answer in only about 40minutes which was better but no wheelchair throughout the whole of the festival. I know my mobility isn’t their problem but I thought they would have one. Anyway I let dougie the hero piggy back me to a place on the hill where we all sat and watched the main stage.
Bring on the boozing and the singing out loud to Dizzy rascal. Then bring on the rain, the rain that lasted quite some time. I had put a colour through my hair which ended up all over my colthes due to the rain. But I sat in the rain with an inflatable sofa over my head to try and ward off some of the rain(that was dougs doing) and I was laughing. Though my lungs were pants I was still out there doing stuff.
I ended up looking like a rather large baked potato wrapped in a silver blanket, again that dougs got me. And we were back home for midnight, my lips by this point were markedly blue and I kept getting told that by some idiot standing beside me in the taxi que. Did he not see the oxygen tubes!! NOPE he was steaming, but em I guess i was a bit too.
I had decided not to go on Sunday, the weather was meant to be miserable and again I knew
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