tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88465923838566262602024-02-08T19:20:36.562+00:00ramblingsRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-82400762208970929422015-07-20T15:23:00.001+01:002015-07-20T15:30:11.908+01:00OopsWow, it's been over a year.<br />
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A super exciting year at that.<br />
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I don't actually have much to say and will probably disappear again (in fact, make that definitely), but I just wanted to check in and write something down at least.<br />
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So our boy is 14.5 months old already. He's been walking since 11.5 months and is just the nicest boy ever. He's so sweet and pleasant. He loves to read, dance, play all kinds of musical instruments, get arty with crayons and paint and play. We love him to bits, I couldn't be happier for having him around.<br />
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Health wise, things have been good really. I had a bad infection and virus in November which had temps up to 39.5, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis and dodgy lungs all at once. It was rough, but other than a few colds and a bit of infection (euch, all the joints in my body flared up, it was horrible!) at my birthday, my chest has leveled out again and seems to be doing OK. My annual review results were certainly good but I do have a daily productive cough which is a bit annoying. My OGTT said this time that I'm diabetic but my sugar diary so far looks good so I don't think I'll be started on insulin yet, probably just gonna have to keep an eye on them (as I have been since 2010 haha)<br />
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We've moved back to the mainland from Arran. We initially lived with James' mum for 6 months until we found a house to buy and sold our house on Arran, but we've been in our new house since March/April. It's still quite disorganised but we're trying...sort of haha.<br />
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Work is RUBBISH. I have 2 pupils. 2! I'm really limited for time obviously so that doesn't help, but it seems a Saturday just isn't a popular day any more so I'm stuck. I did apply for a piano teaching job with a council but I didn't get it. At least nobody can say I'm not trying. I'm giving it til Christmas then if things don't improve I'm gonna have to stop because I actually pretty much spend everything I make on petrol and time to get there. Naff.<br />
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I'm not posting photos of Ciaran on here as this is a public blog, but if you know me and want to see him you can either find me on facebook or on instagram (ruthjaymce)<br />
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xRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-21035257447486386372014-05-19T08:05:00.001+01:002014-05-19T08:05:40.661+01:00News!Been a while again!<br />
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There's been a lot going on in the McEnaney household. The main and most exciting event has been the birth of our first son, Ciaran Harris McEnaney. He is amazing.<br />
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The last trimester of pregnancy was pretty horrible in all honesty. Along with the diabetes I had major problems with my pelvis which ended up with me unable to walk without crutches and pelvic supports (and even then it was the slowest, most painful walk ever) and at 35 weeks my blood pressure shot up and I developed proteinuria and fairly severe swelling all associated with the onset of pre eclampsia so I was admitted at 35+5 for steroid injections and sliding scale for diabetic control and had my induction started at 35+6. Some Drs said I had pre eclampsia and others said I was developing it so I'm not quite sure where I lie there but either way it wasn't good.<br />
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Labour was interesting. I was hooked up to sliding scale on 1 side, hormone drip on the other, blood pressure cuff, O2 sats monitor, gas and air followed by an epidural, and right at the end another hormone drip. I literally don't think I've ever been hooked up to as many things at once before and I've been hooked up to lots of things. It meant I couldn't be as mobile as I would've liked, but when I tried the gas and air on the birthing ball I nearly fell off! In the end the best place for me was sat upright on the bed.<br />
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Another of the "complications" in my notes was that labour progressed very quickly. It was definitely less than 12 hours from arriving in the delivery room to actual delivery. I had the epidural in for 30 minutes before the Dr said I was ready to go and came back with a ventouse. Everyone had figured I was in so much pain because my labour wasn't natural and was being artificially managed, but it turned out I was much further on than they expected and it all got a bit frantic for a while. If I remember correctly the midwives count active labour from 5cm dilated and in my notes 1st stage active labour lasted 1 hour 20 minutes, 2nd stage lasted 20 minutes and 3rd stage 20 seconds (although that was "super actively managed" because my platelets and haemoglobin were rubbish and they thought I'd have a massive bleed without it).<br />
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Ciaran was delivered at 36 weeks exactly. 5pm on May 4th 2014.<br />
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The week following his birth is 1 I will hopefully forget in time but it's pretty clear in my mind at the moment. Having been moved to the post natal ward at 11pm on the Sunday, we were all set to leave on the Tuesday morning as Ciaran had managed to maintain his blood sugar and temperature for 24 hours but then the midwives noticed he was jaundiced and needed phototherapy. When they started on the lights he dropped his temperature and ended up in NICU to be warmed up and I was more or less ordered by the midwives to go to sleep because I was an exhausted mess. He did eventually come back to be with me on a bilibed (where the lights are below baby and they are in a little bag type thing so they can be covered rather than exposed with the lights above). He was taken off the lights after 2 days but by that stage had lost more weight than they would've liked so we still weren't allowed home until they saw he was gaining weight again. Once we had the all clear from the paediatricians and they had more or less said their goodbyes the midwives started their final checks on me, particularly my blood pressure as it had been a bit of a concern for a day or 2. I couldn't believe it when the result showed 175/100 and 169/104 and I had proteinuria again. The only good thing was my swelling was actually improving by this stage. However, that put a stop to our escape and I was howling. I've been on hypertension medication ever since, but it's been halved already so I'm hopeful when I return to the GP on Thursday that it'll either be reduced again or stopped. That night Ciaran was taken away to SCBU to be warmed up again and once again I was told to make the most of it and go to sleep but I was caught wandering around aimlessly at 5am. My haemoglobin also continued to drop so I had a nice little blood transfusion to try and pep me up a bit and have been on iron tablets ever since.<br />
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I can't believe how quickly things went downhill in the end. I was booked in for induction at 37+3 anyway, so wasn't a million miles off the end, but considering I should technically be 38 weeks at the moment it does seem a little bit weird.<br />
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So after 8 nights in hospital, 6 of them with Ciaran on the outisde, we were released on day 9 and spent a couple of days at my Mum and Dad's house with regular visits from James's Mum. We returned to Arran middle of last week and are really just trying to get into some sort of routine before James goes back to work tomorrow. It's a real shame his first week of paternity leave was spent in the hospital but Ciaran and I both needed to be there. Once the school summer holiday comes round it'll be good as he gets 6 weeks off to enjoy our boy.Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-65220005344030314622014-03-18T14:02:00.000+00:002014-03-18T14:03:28.325+00:00Diabetes, work and exhaustionI was right! My OGTT result was right below the cut off for gestational diabetes so I had to monitor my sugars 7 times a day for a week and the result of that is I'm now using insulin with my 3 main meals. I've been using it since Thursday and have already had to increase the dosage 3 times. I started out using it only with breakfast and dinner, increased the dose, added it in at lunch time as well, then increased the dose twice more. Finding it quite tricky to be perfectly honest. I seem to have a couple of days where the dosage I'm using works out fine then they jump up again. Pain. I'm sure I'll get them working out eventually though, just really want good control for baby's sake.<br />
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Only 2.5 weeks left of work and I couldn't be happier. I am completely exhausted and not sure if it's just pregnancy related or if I have an infection. I'm coughing during the night and waking up James and no doubt the neighbours, woke up at 6 this morning hardly able to get a breath in and some chest pain so had to get up to neb ventolin so I could attempt to get back to sleep. It took a while to kick in but thankfully did eventually and I got a bit more rest. Also completely sick of being sick after my breakfast in the morning. Only takes the slightest cough and that's me. Clearly everything is getting so squashed up now, although I've been throwing up after my breakfast for weeks now.<br />
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Think I'm gonna see how the next couple nights go and if I still keep waking up tight and coughing so much then I'm gonna need to be seen. Yuck.<br />
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It's not all doom and gloom though, I just don't really have much that's all that exciting going on. I have another scan next Friday and an appointment with OB so will hopefully find out if the diabetes and insulin use now means I'll be induced early or not. My friend's baby shower is this Saturday which is exciting! She's 35 weeks just now :)<br />
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<br />Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-50420041824110354162014-02-24T15:44:00.002+00:002014-02-24T15:44:21.853+00:00I'm so rubbish at this blogging lark these days.<br />
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I really don't have a lot to talk about and I think that's the main reason why I hardly ever write.<br />
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I'm now 26 weeks pregnant! Where has the time gone?! Things seem to be going well so far, lots of wriggling around in there and being kicked plenty too so that can only be a good sign. I'm being seen lots at both the CF unit and the maternity unit so I do feel like I'm being well looked after, even if it is a bit of a pain to get to all the appointments without a car (I leave mine on Arran because it costs a fortune to take it on the ferry).<br />
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Next week I have an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to check for gestational diabetes. All CF ladies who are going through pregnancy are offered this if they don't already have a diagnosis of CF-related/type 1 diabetes. I have to admit I'm not completely confident that I'll pass this test because I've been doing some checks on the advice of my CF dietitian and they've not all been within the recommended levels. This morning, for instance, my post-breakfast level was 12 and I was told it should be no higher than 8 in pregnancy so that's great :/ Cue me having a breakdown. Hormones are great fun.<br />
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I also have a scan, clinic appointment with the obstetrician and a consultation with an anesthetist next week. The anesthetic consultation is just in case I need to have an epidural/spinal/general at any point so they know what to expect, although I'm hoping to avoid these...<br />
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I have 6 weeks left to work and so wish I was able to finish in 3 which is when I can legally start my maternity leave. I can't because I have kids sitting piano exams in the last week of school term which means me doing an extra 3 weeks! I will get these 3 weeks at the other end though and really 3 extra weeks with baby is preferable to finishing work as early as possible.<br />
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My lung function is still sitting lower than we'd like but it didn't drop between the most recent clinic appointments so that's good. Annoyingly my lungs are a lot more productive than normal and the antibiotics I took did nothing for that, but consultants don't want me to have IVs unless I REALLY need them and seen as I don't feel horrific we decided to put them on hold again. They've basically been on hold now since Christmas and it's the start of March this weekend! I know it's a good thing I haven't deteriorated any further but it's damn annoying. Doesn't help that baby is squashing my lungs now and seen as I forgot my reflux meds last night (I was knackered) the combination of the 2 resulted in me throwing up 3 times in the half hour after breakfast. Well done. Won't be doing that again!<br />
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Anyway, moving on from baby/CF related things there really is very little to say. Work is ticking over and as I say will be stopping that soon. What else happens in my life? Nothing really lol. I have a spa appointment on Thursday though and I cannot wait! Body brushing and massage, yes please, and it's designed for preggos so I'm safe to go. Yay!<br />
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<br />Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-24561780110326753952013-12-31T11:46:00.002+00:002013-12-31T11:46:40.504+00:00Festivities and 2013Well, that's it, Christmas is over and the new year starts tomorrow!<br />
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Christmas was nice. It was very relaxed and easy going and really I've not done a lot. We were all spoiled rotten and I think we managed to spoil the people we bought for...I hope anyway!<br />
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We've had a busy and fairly eventful year when I think back...although no doubt I've forgotten a million and one things that have happened! We started the year being told we had to figure out what we were doing with the house and get the purchase through ASAP, which went so well it took until September 18th to finalise. Work has been fairly steady for me, even with the usual summer holiday dip, but I've come to expect that now and can at least attempt to compensate. We had a few weeks of unbelievable weather - both beautiful and our freak white out that caused us to have no power/heat for 6 days. Fun! We've been to a good few weddings which were all beautiful, seen our friends get engaged and have babies and all kinds of lovely things so all in all I think it's been mainly a positive year.<br />
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For my family it's been a mixed year. The biggest event probably being David going missing and his body being found a couple months later. My uncle and his partner are still fighting to find out what really happened to him and are trying to change legislation regarding pubs and drink spiking.<br />
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For James and I, after the house purchase, our biggest event has been finding out about little fidget pants McEnaney. I think that could be his/her new name, because he's certainly living up to it in there! It'll be our biggest event of 2014 too which is exciting. On Sunday I turned 18 weeks and James felt fidget pants kick for the first time. I've been feeling movement for a couple weeks but nothing that he could have felt. I've gained a massive 0.5kg on my pre-pregnancy weight and my nurse yesterday couldn't believe I'm 18 weeks because apparently I look too neat haha. At least I'm not having to be rolled about yet! That said I've a chest infection that hasn't shifted with 2 weeks of oral antibiotics so I've been put on another 2 weeks and to get IVs next week if it still hasn't budged. Lung function didn't even hint at budging. Could really do without being on more than 28 days worth but needs must I guess if it goes that far.<br />
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I can't really think of anything else to say at the moment other than I hope everyone has a healthy and happy 2014 and I hope our 2014 turns out to be as good as it's looking!<br />
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Much love xxxRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-85122154254092659142013-11-17T22:27:00.003+00:002013-11-17T22:28:25.125+00:00It's been SO longAlmost 6 months to be precise! What a ridiculous state of affairs. It's not that I've had nothing to write about, it's really just that some of the things I've wanted to talk about I've had to keep quiet...until now.<br />
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The summer was brilliant. It was very hot (often far too hot) but it made for lots of days spent wearing shorts/dresses and sandals. I managed to stay well most of the time because it was dry (I tend to fair much worse in the wet winter months) and got to enjoy myself! Only thing I will say is that spending an entire day at a wedding in 30C heat was a challenge too far. We were all ready to take a run into the sea!<br />
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We were told in July that our mortgage would finally be going through and we would be home owners, finally. That turned into our mortgage going through on September 18th, with only 4 days until the building society cancelled our offer and we were back to square 1. To say that was stressful is a wild understatement. We were constantly on the phone, constantly emailing, and constantly being pushed from pillar to post but THANK GOD it's finally through and we no longer have to deal with landlords. Phew.<br />
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A whole 5 days after our mortgage went through, on James' 27th birthday, we found out that I'm pregnant! Yes, I couldn't believe it either. Well, I could, because it wasn't an accident, but it was a bit of a shock none-the-less. I'm now just past the 12 week mark and starting to round out a bit, although I think this weekend it's mainly just my rubbish CF bowel that's making me look round lol. It's hard to tell what's causing it. Since getting pregnant, I've had a sickness virus and now have a heavy cold that I'm hoping isn't starting to descend to my chest, but I was awake during the night wheezing and whistling and just generally sounding and feeling rubbish so we'll see what clinic reveals on Thursday.<br />
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I can't really think of much else that's happened to be honest, because these 2 big life events have kind of taken over my memory, but I'm now in the run up to Christmas concerts and dinners out etc which are great fun when you can't drink! I've had 2 sober weddings already and man are they difficult. Not that I get completely plastered every time I go out normally, but a couple of drinks take the edge off certainly and make dealing with other drunk people a lot easier! To make matters worse, I had to use the excuse of "I'm driving" rather than just telling people the truth because we hadn't had all the necessary scans and tests.<br />
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Historically, my health has been pretty rubbish for me from January to April/May time, so I'm really hoping that this year things are different. I'll update after clinic on Thursday if I can be bothered.<br />
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Hope everyone else is keeping busy and well. xRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-38305567247743362142013-05-29T15:16:00.001+01:002013-05-29T15:18:44.414+01:00Annual ReviewYesterday was <i>that</i> day. Yes, that day we all hate - annual review day.<br />
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I left Arran on the 9.45am boat, sat about in Ardrossan for nearly an hour waiting for a train to Glasgow, then got another train out to the hospital and arrived at 12.50pm. My appointment wasn't until 1.30pm, so I just sat and tried to stay awake in the waiting room.<br />
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Clinic was late in starting, as usual, so at around 2 I was sent to X-ray, having only had a brief chat with 1 of the nurses, then told to go straight to physio then straight to lung function before heading back. Well, I sat in physio waiting room for half an hour and no sign of a physio! She eventually came but I only had 10 minutes of my appointment with her left so we did the 6 minute walk test then I left. I think I walked about the same distance as last year and my sats stayed mainly at 96 while walking and didn't drop below 95 which is an improvement on October. My lung function was up another 5% which was good news. All this walking and singing seem to be doing me good. Oh, and I only needed 3 vials of blood taken as I had full blood work done in February. Yay! We managed it in 1 go, which is a miracle considering the nurse just looked at my arm and my veins collapsed lol. It was VERY hot though so I think that helped.<br />
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My appointment with the Dr wasn't so great, if only because I don't feel I was listened to properly and didn't get the antibiotics I was hoping for to help my sinuses, just got told to eat ginger. Fine, I love ginger, and maybe they help a bit but my glands are all still swollen and the amount of horrible crap coming from them and the pain, I know I need an antibiotic! I'll give it a week. My chest was half sounded (didn't listen to the lower lobes and did a rush job) but apparently that was sounding ok.<br />
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I got a bit of a fright when I saw a letter written by a consultant to my GP about an x-ray taken in March, but having spoken to my GP today about it I feel much better. It said that the radiologist suggested I might have TB and that I should have a CT scan to investigate further, but I'm told apparently he/she didn't know I have CF and thought the CF changes were TB! Doh. Although, it does say as well that there has been deterioration since April 2012, particularly in the left base and upper right lobe. Bummer :/ I'm absolutely convinced that these are the areas I've been bleeding though, so totally not unexpected and having seen the x-ray when it was done in March I kinda knew it was coming, although I thought it might look better yesterday but it didn't.<br />
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Once that was all over I was ushered out mid-chat with the dietician because they were concerned I was going to miss my ferry lol, so I left the hospital at 4.45, got 2 trains back to Ardrossan then the 7.20pm boat and I was home at 8.30ish. Long bloody day.<br />
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But hey ho, at least that's it over for another year.<br />
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In real life, nothing much is happening. I'm practicing my piano a lot because I got some new pieces that I'm totally in love with. I'm still teaching, the invigilating for SQA exams finishes next week (thank god, never been so bored in my life!!) and in 5 weeks it's the summer holidays, wahoo!!Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-45897377769573532592013-04-23T17:10:00.002+01:002013-04-23T17:10:56.483+01:00Let's get the CF stuff out the way first! Good news is I haven't had a bleed for 2 weeks and 1 day. Woop!! I have, however, come to the conclusion that I hate using seretide. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be more or less cough free, but when I need to cough I can't and I can't feel anything at all in my chest. As well as the lungs, I'm having trouble with it because of my mouth. My tongue and throat are completely coated and scratchy and behind both my top and bottom lips are all red and white and blotchy. My lips keep splitting and bleeding as a result too and it's making me most unhappy! I haven't taken it since Saturday and although I'm wheezy and tight (which ventolin helps with) I can actually feel where the crap is and get it out...and it's really rather rotten still. To top it all off my sinuses are killing me.<br />
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On to real life. My exam kids did really well! One girl (age 12) got 138 out of 150 (distinction) and that included full marks for 1 of her pieces and full marks for aural. Brilliant! The only boy (age 8) got 125 out of 150 (merit) and unfortunately could have got a distinction if he had passed his sight-reading, which he failed by 1 mark. Completely gutted and I know he was a little upset about that but overall very pleased with his grade. They were both sitting grade 1 and did really well. The other girl sat prep test and received a great report.<br />
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I'm trying to figure out my work life. I'm totally stuck on what to do, as the piano teaching hasn't taken off as well as I'd hoped on Arran and the people I have keep taking lots of holidays, so I'm skint! I really don't want to stop teaching but I need some financial security, especially after the 3 weeks off over Easter (not my choice, just that everyone else took holidays :/ ) and the resulting bank charges etc. I called a couple of places today for application packs so that I can at least sit down and think about what to do.<br />
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My cousin, David, who went missing in January has been found. Or at least they think he's been found. My family are currently waiting for DNA results on a body found near where David was last seen, and wearing the same clothes. It's been a really difficult time for everyone so hopefully this will give them answers and they can put him to rest. I can't imagine what they must be going through, and they have been fighting to find him all this time.<br />
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Not sure there's much else to say...I'm sure there is but I can't think.<br />
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Oh, turns out that gin is actually quite nice! Just a by-the-by hahaRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-82504793004334864342013-03-29T17:19:00.001+00:002013-03-29T17:19:46.336+00:00progressWhat a mental week!<br />
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On Friday (22nd) we woke to our power going off and on every couple of minutes before shutting off completely...and staying off. No doubt most people saw Arran on the news and the absolute state of the place from the snow. Where we live is over the other side of the island from what was shown on TV and is more sheltered, so although we had loads of snow, we didn't have the 10ft drifts to contend with.<br />
On discovering the island still had no power on Saturday morning, James and I decided to head off the island to stay with my mum and dad. We had spent Friday night staying with friends who have a wood/coal fire so we could get a heat and spent the night playing monopoly by candlelight while drinking wine. Delightful haha.<br />
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Anyway, we took a visit back home on Tuesday to see our cat (who is being looked after by our neighbours) and found out our power had come back on via generator on Monday night, but that our boiler had given up! ARGH! By the time we left again we had got the hot water working but still had no heating. Fingers crossed it's working again when we go home tomorrow.<br />
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My exam pupils sat their exams yesterday and seemed to do really well! Couldn't be more proud of them, they really had worked so hard. I can't wait to see their reports and hope they are pleased with whatever grade they get.<br />
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On Wednesday I managed to get an appointment with physio up at the hospital, because despite all the physio I was doing in the 12 days since my clinic appointment, I was still barely shifting a thing and it was really starting to annoy me. On top of that, I was still coughing up blood every few days and seemed to bring one on during physio on Sunday night. I don't know if the bleeding has subsided or not as the longest I've gone without is about 6/7 days since January so I'm keeping my eye on that and hope to at least last 8 days this time. Who knows. Anyway, back to the point! My physio appointment went well even though we didn't manage to shift anything. She said she couldn't hear or feel a thing moving, and I could've been convinced there was nothing there if it weren't for the X-ray telling me otherwise, as well as the weird tickly feeling at the top of my chest. We decided I need to be back on hypertonic saline but because I can't tolerate the 7% I have to dilute it to 3.5% and hope it works. I also got an AD belt to try but can't decide yet if I think it's worth the bother, considering I'm using PEP and various nebs anyway. I'm finally starting to see some progress since then though and on physio's request sent her a disgusting picture and she thinks I have bronchial casts. Yum :/ Words cannot describe the taste....sorry, but I've honestly never tasted anything that made me want to throw up more.<br />
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I swear my life isn't all disgusting!!! Lol.<br />
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My sister is coming home tonight so I think we are going to get a Chinese take away and maybe a wee cider or something, but I'm completely knackered and working tomorrow morning so it'll not be a late night.<br />
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I would really love to get off to somewhere hot and sunny...Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-25825756181667915782013-03-15T09:00:00.004+00:002013-03-15T09:00:47.930+00:00the bigger pictureAfter spending all of Wednesday feeling anxious about clinic on Thursday it turned out to be the most productive visit I've had in ages.<br />
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For the first time in a year I saw a consultant. What a difference it can make having a different pair of eyes.<br />
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I was immediately sent for a chest X-ray because of the bleeding which was worse than my pre-IV X-ray. I also had a "bad" X-ray in October so there were a few there to compare it to. My right lung in particular is full of mucus plugs blocking off the lower airways and it's like trying to unstick glue. Even with the help of a physio there was no movement what-so-ever. The weird part, though, was that my lung function was actually up. Only slightly, but still up. I don't know sometimes.<br />
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I'm always being told "you're lung function is fine" even though I can clearly see and feel that it's been dropping. Finally, someone took the time to look backwards and see that in fact my lung function, although not horrendous by any means, was not "fine" - I'd lost about 15% in a year. On a good day. So because I complain of tightness a lot and not managing to get anything up during physio but ending up in a wheezy mess instead, he decided to try salbutamol through nebuliser, and although it felt like I'd inhaled water (honestly thought it had been completely useless), it put my lung function up to a figure I thought I'd never see again. Stoked. He changed my steroid inhaler to a better 1 too.<br />
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That does mean that I've come full circle on the asthma front - having had it as a kid, for it to bugger off, then come back. I don't mind though, now that it's been confirmed it's there, it can be treated.<br />
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As for the bleeding, nobody knows. I'm not allergic to my aspergillus, my bloods were fine, so I just have to hope it was maybe very irritated airways or something.<br />
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It was a weird atmosphere...relaxed but intense.<br />
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So I left on a bit of a high for a change. I went to visit a couple of very good friends last night for a catch up as I don't see them nearly enough with living on Arran. It was great to get some girly chat, as I don't have anywhere near enough female friends on Arran who are around my age. Or who I know well for that matter.<br />
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Anyway, I don't really have much else to say, just wanted to write what had happened at clinic because it finally feels like something good happened.Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-19869957283054743282013-03-04T10:28:00.000+00:002013-03-04T10:29:08.067+00:00FrustratedFrustrated is a bit of an understatement.<br />
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Yesterday was a bad day. I don't remember the last time my chest felt so crap. It was like someone had poured glue down into my right lung, I just couldn't get a deep breath in it was so tight. I did everything I could to try and shift the stuff that was stuck - nebs, inhalers, physio, fluids, taking the dog a walk - all of which worked a bit eventually but it wasn't straight forward. Literally 1 minute into my walk with Fionn I started having haemoptysis and coughed so much that I vomited. Nice. The rest of the day I had super gross sounding cough and continued to have blood, in varying amounts, til about 5/6pm (after it starting at lunch time).<br />
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I'm annoyed cause it's a big change for me but I feel like I'm the only person taking it seriously. The fact it's "normal" in CF patients doesn't matter to me. I want to know why it's happening and I want it to stop! I don't want to become part of the group of CF patients for whom coughing up blood becomes a regular and normal thing. It's not normal, end of.<br />
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I'm also frustrated because it puts me off doing the things I love. I don't want to sing for fear of setting it off again. I don't want to go for a walk/run because it'll probably start it again too. I know I need to do these things to keep my chest in working order, but it seems counter productive if it's going to cause bleeding, after which I'm not supposed to do much physio, and certainly not allowed to use my PEP, and nebs aren't advisable either. Point?<br />
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On another note, it's less than 3 weeks til the Arran Music Festival. I'm singing, playing piano solo, accompanying singers, and just generally running about like a headless chicken for a night! I'm hoping it'll be a fruitful first festival for me and maybe result in some more work. Fingers crossed.<br />
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So, I'm off to get dressed and take Fionn a walk before going a rehearsal for the festival and taking a few lessons later.Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-55031941748480966802013-02-21T16:50:00.003+00:002013-02-21T16:50:41.867+00:00bye bye IVs!IVs finished on Tuesday, yay, and got my line out today! My lung function was back up to what it was over Christmas which is good news, and almost up to my best reading in a year. Nobody could shed any more light on the bleeding, as nothing has really changed apart from the return of staphylococcus. After not growing it for around a year and stopping flucloxacillin in August (I thought I stopped it in October, but nevermind!) I have had 2 samples with a heavy growth (December and pre-IV). Sake. Dr was fairly insistent that I don't start back on fluclox though because of the bother I have with thrush, so we're just hoping at the moment that I'll manage without it. <br />
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I was really impressed with my numbers today because I've had some pain and a bit of a cold over the last few days but must not be on my chest this time.<br />
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I even managed to gain 0.7kg which is unheard of on IVs. I always seem to lose weight on them but I didn't have so much nausea this time so managed to eat like a complete pig and James kept buying me jelly babies and cakes, as did mum!<br />
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Next week we are hoping to have our house valued. I'm dreading it because our ability to buy it is based purely on how much they say it's worth :/<br />
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Work is going reasonably well. Feel a bit bored again and can't wait for the kids' exams to be over cause I'm sick listening to the pieces (regardless of how well they play them)! I'm anticipating a distinction and a merit for my grade 1s, although if the 2nd was to get distinction too I'd be over the moon! Only other exam this time round is a prep test, which doesn't get graded :)<br />
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BTW, stuff getting an epidural put in! I'm watching a midwifery program, apologies, and that looked painful.<br />
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I'm feeling pretty good at the moment, emotionally, and I am seriously enjoying seeing some sunshine :DRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-88477681988998552772013-02-12T22:49:00.000+00:002013-02-12T22:54:58.041+00:00Lots on my mind - bare with meSorry for this, it's going to be boring, but I feel I need to write it down because it's taking up too much mind space.<br />
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I'm sure you can imagine with having had a few episodes of haemoptysis (coughing up blood) recently it's been on my mind a lot. For the first few days this time it scared me - not because it hasn't happened before but because it was more than I've experienced - but now I'm less bothered. For 3 days I hardly slept, thinking about it constantly, worrying it was going to happen again and just generally freaking myself out. Wondering what it means for my health.<br />
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The fact is I still don't really know what it means for my health. All I know is it's just "one of those things" that sometimes happens in the lungs of people with CF and that I haven't had enough blood to warrant an embolisation (woop! :/ )<br />
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Anyway, I thought it had come from my right lung because I had some pain/tightness in there, but during a physio session in hospital I shifted old blood from left side, swiftly followed by more fresh blood. That confirmed for me it's my crappier left lung. In particular, the crappiest bit of my crappier lung! Thinking back to the 2 weeks ago when this all started, I remember feeling a pop at the bottom of my left lung when I went to bed during the day, followed by bit of a gurgle. It made me cough but I didn't think much more of it because sometimes things pop and gurgle and that's that.<br />
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What also came back to me was the blood from when I had the nasty cold, that I thought was sinus blood, but now I'm convinced it wasn't. I think I had a small lung bleed during the night while asleep, but there was so much gunk in my chest blocking it from rising to my mouth that it just sat there. I know this now because of the amount of crap that came up before the blood! Duh!<br />
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Anyway, tomorrow is the start of my 2nd week of IVs. I did feel a bit better before starting them after a week on oral septrin, but I decided just to stick to the plan of having IVs anyway. From Thursday til yesterday I thought I'd made a mistake because I wasn't shifting a single thing from my chest. I was just getting tight as heck and wheezy during physio, barely even coughing at all. I don't like to take any antibiotics unless I need them so I was getting annoyed with myself. This morning however was like a mass exodus from the lungs so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all, just needed time.<br />
<br />Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-12479955697131916292013-02-01T14:35:00.002+00:002013-02-01T14:38:14.819+00:00running<a href="http://vimeo.com/58668299">http://vimeo.com/58668299</a><br />
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I'm sorry this video is on its side, stupid phone couldn't rotate it and neither can any of the video programs on my laptop. Anybody got any ideas? Also, I tried to embed it but it was having none of it. Technology does not like me at the moment.<br />
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Ok, so that's a quick update that I made on Sunday 27th Jan. On Monday I felt even worse than I did on Sunday and took myself back to bed, only to cough up pure blood after 45 minutes, forcing me to cancel all but one of my lessons cause I didn't want a repeat performance infront of anybody, especially kids! Tuesdays lessons were also cancelled as I trailed my butt the 3 hours to clinic (living on Arran has a lot to answer for!! It only used to take me half hour) to be asked to go back next week to be admitted to start home IVs. I can't go home straight away because of levels and I ain't traipsing back and forward by boat all week. <br />
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So, I made it 12 days between clinic appointments lol. In that time my lung function dropped about 10% (not too shabby), my sats dipped a little but the biggest kicker was losing 2.3kg in under 2 weeks. What?! To some people it might not be much but when you're only 4ft 10 it makes you look quite skinny. My mum was so funny "What do you mean you've lost 2.3kg? How is that even possible without trying? They must've measured you wrong!" I think she's forgotten what CF is lol. If I lose another kg I'm right back to where I was in April, which is skinniest I've been since I was 15. Ah well. <br />
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So I've not done any running this week. My Dr asked if I think I'm doing too much, and at the time I said no, because I don't think I am, but then that got me thinking about what I actually do. I walk the dog 5 days out of 7, usually for an hour minimum. I sing in a choir and smaller singing group, as well as sing in my own time. I work for myself, which involves long Friday and Saturday every week as I drag my ass 3 hours over to mum and dads on a Friday, and then back on a Saturday, with 15 piano lessons in between lol. There's housework to do and last few weeks we've been stressed with so much other stuff happening. I don't think it's too much but maybe my body thinks otherwise...it would certainly explain why I'm so exhausted.<br />
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Hey ho, onwards and upwards as they say! Hope all you lovelies are well. <br />
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PS I have good news, but I want to wait til it's absolutely finalised before I share, so keep an eye out!<br />
<br />Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-50369067439592426982013-01-24T14:50:00.000+00:002013-01-24T14:50:19.464+00:00My Lagan LoveSo, yesterday I joined a ladies singing group called Vivace. I think there are 8 ladies who meet every week to sing with the aim to performing in festivals and at weddings etc. I've recorded myself singing the tune to My Lagan Love which is an Irish folk song. I'm slightly embarrassed about posting a link to it on here as it is terrible quality and not my best singing either (just can't get the first few words of each verse to sound nice!!!) but hey, I need to get over myself and stop being so embarrassed to perform, and you're all a nice bunch so seems a decent place to start. There were slightly better recordings but I had horrible throat clearing and coughing so they're no good! Damn CF has been ruining my performances all my life lol.<br />
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I also recorded myself singing and playing Brahms "Der Tod, das ist die kuhle nacht" but it's even worse quality and it goes very high so makes your speakers do that nasty buzzing that happens when a track hasn't been edited properly, or the performer has been too close to the mic (both of which are true in my case because the only place to put the laptop is right next to the piano and I can't remember how to work editing software....naff)</div>
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Please send thoughts to my family, and prayers if you're that way inclined. My step-cousin has been missing since 2am on Friday. Mountain Rescue, divers, police, everyone is looking for him and so far no luck other than his wallet. It's a terrible time but people have been so supportive to my Uncle Malcolm and David's mum Donna. It really is awful though, he's only 18 and just started studying at Stirling Uni in October :(</div>
Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-88661989011782367742013-01-18T11:00:00.005+00:002013-01-18T11:01:35.634+00:00busy doing nothing?Yesterday was clinic day. I hadn't been feeling my best the last few weeks after the cold from hell, with horrible chest tightness and coughing up lots of icky crap, but ramping up the exercise has obviously done the trick because lung function was only down 1%! yay! It was a very boring clinic actually, but that's usually a good sign that things are fairly stable. I got a new drug for my tummy called prucalopride (or resolor) which is a drug for adult women with chronic constipation who don't respond well enough to laxative therapy. Not a CF drug really but my friend was prescribed it by a gastro doc and the cf team jumped on it when they found out how well she was doing with it. I'm not gonna lie though, the headache is immense, and the dizziness, slightly numb mouth and nausea are pretty yuck so it better work!!<br />
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January is definitely the month for trying to get life back on track. This morning I have been on the phone to the bank setting up a payment plan to start repaying some debt. I've also filed a tax return and have nothing to pay (thank god, cause don't know where the money was coming from!) As I said I've ramped up the exercise, given myself a good kick in the butt and made myself get on with it, which is hard when all you want to do is stay in bed. I decided to run another 10k so started training for it last week (it's in 16 weeks, eek!) and it's been tough. Arran is not flat, it just isn't, everywhere you turn there's another hill, so running there is quite challenging, but as I said it's done my lungs the world of good because the more I clear from my chest the less tight it feels and the less I cough the rest of the day. Fionn has been running with me and trying to kill me in the process! The first day out he thought it was a game and kept running at me and jumping right up at me which nearly sent me flying every time, but now he just puts things down ahead of me and picks them up again just before I land on top of him. He obviously likes the thrill of nearly being stood on...weirdo. <br />
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We are still trying to find a way to buy the house we are living in, which is causing no end of stress, but think we might be getting somewhere after I had a meeting with a mortgage advisor yesterday and should start reapplying on Monday. All it means though is that I need to become a domestic goddess and get the house tidied for a survey...I am no domestic goddess, no matter how much I try and kid on I am...our house is a tip (apart from my teaching room, cause I'd die if people thought I was as messy as I actually am lol) so I'm gonna need to get cracking on that. <br />
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Next week I am judging Arran Young Musician/Singer of the Year....kill me now lol, and in March the Arran Music Festival is happening. I have a young singing pupil and a piano pupil both wanting to enter competitions taking place during the festival and James is making me enter (although I hope to enter the only non-competitive class). I have had some interest from people wanting lessons just so they can enter the festival competitions too, which is a bit weird but fair enough I suppose. My Saturday teaching sessions are starting to cause bother for pupils. They all want the early slots so they have the rest of the day but I can only teach 1 person at a time and the morning sessions are all gone! I think I'll be losing 2 in the next few weeks probably because they come from 1-2 and having tried it for 6 months are not happy with staying at that time. I can't take them another day unless they want to get the ferry to Arran, and actually to be honest I think the young boy wants to stop his lessons anyway. He keeps telling me how much he hates coming and how he wants to be at home lol. I just keep telling him I feel exactly the same and if he doesn't sit down and get on with it I'm gonna cancel his lessons for him. We definitely have a love/hate relationship, but it's quite entertaining.<br />
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Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you are all fine and dandy :)Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-3402398411868640012012-12-31T11:59:00.000+00:002012-12-31T12:03:20.050+00:0020122012 has, like most years, been a mixed bag. It has been amazing at times, but rubbish at others. I've been ill, people around me have been ill, even died from illness, but at the other end, I got married, more or less stabilised my work and turned my health around through hard work and refusal to let it stay bad.<br />
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There are people no longer with us who I will truly miss forever. They were lifelines when things were bad, offering support and comfort (from a distance, seen as we couldn't mix!) and just being there to listen to me moan and I hope I was able to do the same for them. <br />
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James and I had a fantastic wedding and really loved our honeymoon (take me back!) followed by a house move which wasn't so much fun and new work loads etc. We got a new rabbit after my wee sausage Coco passed away :( We also got our first dog, who is hilarious and just loves his wee life. <br />
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As for the end of 2012, it's been good. Christmas was lovely. We spent it with family and just chilled out. James and I have both been ill though. James woke up with a heavy cold on Christmas eve, followed by me on Christmas day. Mine is on my chest, with viral bronchitis, and I can't smell a thing! Boo! I have to go back to hospital 17th Jan for my normal clinic so it better have cleared up with the extra steroid inhaler doses and antibiotics to keep everything else at bay. My sinuses have been rubbish with it, really painful and bleeding while I've been asleep, leading to me coughing up a whole load of old blood when I get upright again. Yum :/<br />
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My mum has been coughing since October so my sister and I have been badgering her to go to the doctor for tests. Every excuse under the sun from her, but she better go because it's not just a wee pathetic cough, she says she can't get a breath in and ends up barking and gasping. Not cool, mum, get it sorted. <br />
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Today is new years eve. I'm supposed to be in bed still so I can last the night (cannot be bothered, but hey ho) but my stupid stomach woke me up and I caught Fionn chewing my mums new fat face scarf. Now I need to buy a replacement. Great. <br />
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I hope you all had a great Christmas and have a good start to 2013 when it comes. I doubt this post makes a whole lot of sense, but thought I'd just pop by to let anyone reading know that I'm still about and still just doing what I do. <br />
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HAPPY NEW YEAR when it comes :)Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-55769452004521631242012-11-15T15:12:00.000+00:002012-11-15T15:14:24.977+00:00Yoga Cures?Not sure about that yet, but after trying a few "flows" today for the first time in donkies ages, I'm able to say that it helps at least.<br />
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I tried yoga for a stiff neck and back, for hip flexibility, and for all over flexibility. The hip flexibility exercises are rough and I know I'm gonna be in agony tomorrow, but the neck and back exercise was best for me as my lower back always needs cracked out (well, "clunked" might be more appropriate) and instead of just lying on the floor and twisting my lower body as I usually do, I managed to "clunk" it out mid exercise and it's helping my muscles as well. Win. The only drawback is the pressure/pain in my wrists when I've been leaning on them a while.<br />
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I found videos on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraStilesYoga" target="_blank">youtube</a> of an American woman who makes it really easy to understand and isn't all foo-foo as a lot of instructors are. Her name's Tara Stiles, so check her out if you're interested. I've been reluctant to do yoga/pilates again for ages cause I didn't like the last instructor I went to (who was terrified of my CF and thought I'd die in her class) so this is a great find. The other thing is that I'm not interested in the spiritual side, I don't want to spend half my time doing hand gestures to the gods etc, and so far she's steered clear of all that. I'm doing it open up my body and hopefully create a happier mind due to having less physical pain to drag me down.<br />
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I'm quite confident to do lots of the exercises at home because of my dance history. I know how to keep my hips in line, I know how to tell I'm tense etc, but I doubt I'll be trying any handstands or anything on my own!<br />
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Anyway, I'm hoping to do some yoga each morning before I take the dog out, so I'll report back soon with how I'm getting on :)<br />
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<br />Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-16549349681828838172012-11-06T14:33:00.004+00:002012-11-06T14:34:59.086+00:00On a missionCan't believe this blog now has 100 posts! Most of them are complete and utter pants but heyho!<br />
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As the title suggests, I'm on a mission. It's obviously coming to that time of year when the weather is mainly rubbish, it's getting darker, colder, wetter, and more difficult to remain optimistic about life and everything involved in it. After my journey into the deepest darkest corners of my mind at the start of this year, I have decided I need to take steps to make sure I don't end up there again. There was the added complication of being unwell at the time and being given drugs which make you feel even worse, but there is always the possibility that could happen again anyway. As a direct result of feeling so crap I lost friends and wasted day after day wallowing in my own sadness.<br />
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I already feel a bit better now I'm walking with Fionn every day. We generally walk for between 1 hour and 2.5 hours each day, which is a lot but is starting to feel good. I think I've now managed a whole week without needing to sleep in the afternoon. My annual review lung function was done last week and had gone up by 3% (20% since April) so my lungs are feeling pretty good. My tummy is feeling better now my creon is sorted (1 creon for every 5g of fat) and although my sinuses are infected, I'm so used to them being painful that I barely notice any more unless they're particularly bad.<br />
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I have a set up a <a href="http://pinterest.com/ruthjaymce/" target="_blank">pinterest</a> and I'm using it at the moment to store things I can look at to keep my mind in a positive state. I generally don't go for the "inspirational quotes" type stuff, I find it all quite sickening at times to be honest, but I'm choosing some that strike a chord and remind me that I'm not actually useless, worthless or any of the other things that we can all feel at times.<br />
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Work is pretty steady. I'm up to a ridiculous 22 pupils: 4 on a Monday, 3 on a Tuesday, 7 on a Friday and 8 on a Saturday. Friday and Saturday are all on the mainland, so I still have a way to go to get busier on Arran but it'll happen (and thankfully I've filled the gaps left when 2 or 3 pupils left). I have 4 kids working towards grade 1 at the moment, although I'm anticipating only 2 of them will be ready for the March run.<br />
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Tomorrow I'm going to the choir conductors house to "audition" for solos. It's more a "come along and sing some stuff" and if I'm good enough I'll be added to the list of people who are willing to sing solos. The only solo available at the moment is no use to me because of the style, but I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for 1 that would suit me.Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-84312731719124782142012-09-27T21:15:00.003+01:002012-09-27T21:16:09.413+01:00So since last time things have been much the same to be honest!<br />
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I still feel I'm suffering the effects of the cold after nearly 4 weeks, although no where near as bad. Only difference is instead of the phlegmy horribleness being non stop and "viral" looking, it's looking more like infection and tastes awful. I've managed to get through most days this week without a nap though, so that's progress!<br />
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I fell out with creon. I stopped taking it, after over 2 years of trying to get my dosage right again. It's been driving me completely insane, and to be honest I just reached the end of my tether with it. However, after enjoying a lovely steak dinner on Sunday night for hubby's birthday, I spent all of Monday is serious pain and all the other things that go along with no creon, so I emailed my dietitian (Diane) and posted on the CF Trust forum to get help to start back on them. Diane and I decided to start again, as if I'd never taken creon before, and we're going to buid up based on symptoms. So today, I have had 6 creon - 1 with breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks, then 2 with dinner. Nowhere near enough, but better than nothing I suppose. I'm sending her a food diary via email tomorrow so hopefully I'll be on the increase over the weekend.<br />
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CF rubbish aside, Fionn and I have been having great morning walks. I started walking him last Thursday, starting at about an hour. Now we're up to 1.5/2 hours, depending on where we go. We have walked through Lamlash - on the beach, grass, roads, pavements - and have twice down to Glenashdale at Whiting Bay. Yesterday we did Glenashdale Falls and out to the Iron Age Fort, and today we came the opposite way, hitting the Iron Age Fort first, then the top of the falls and up to Giants Graves. It's been quite tough on my chest at times with a few steep hills I thought I was going to have to crawl up, but I made it and I didn't kill myself in the process lol. I'm using it to get myself into a better meds routine as well though, nebbing DNase before I go (I've been pretty bad at getting back into taking this properly since the move).<br />
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I've joined a choir as well :) It's predominantly elderly people, but that doesn't really bother me. They sing mostly light hearted stuff like Richard Rodgers (Bewitched, My funny Valentine etc) and a medley of songs from Guys and Dolls (love) but there are also a couple of more serious numbers so it's good fun.<br />
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I hope everyone is feeling well, much loveRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-68387391718394413352012-09-05T09:14:00.002+01:002012-09-05T10:02:34.193+01:00bad timingEver feel like your body is taking the piss out of you? Lol, that's how this week feels.<br />
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I got our border collie pup, called Fionn (Fin), on Thursday which was great. With each new day he gets more and more crazy so I can't wait til he's had all his injections and can go for walks instead of tearing through the house, jumping up on the couch and pissing off the cat.<br />
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Thursday my appetite was shocking, Friday was the same, then Saturday came and my chest went nuts. Come Sunday I was asleep practically all day, and when I was awake it was like my limbs were lead and just moving was so tough. Yesterday brought a full blown cold into the mix, blood streaking and just generally feeling lousy, so I gave in and phoned the CF team. I'm not gonna be seen unless things don't get better or get worse, but I started on a couple of orals that I have in the house in the hopes that it'll stave off any time off work. In the past I would just have gone up to clinic, but now it's such a hassle and I can't just go without telling anybody now either (as in, family etc).<br />
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Looking after a 13 week old border collie is tough work at the best of times, but my patience is wearing extremely thin cause I'm so tired and feeling poo that I just want to go back to bed.<br />
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Here are a couple of pics of Fionn when I just brought him home. He was such an angel that day lol<br />
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<a href="http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/?action=view&current=69a9cd6e.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="51c6267a" border="0" height="240" src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/69a9cd6e.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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not many border collies in the world with black, white, tan and grey/black spots.<br />
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<a href="http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/?action=view&current=83ea73a4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="240" src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/83ea73a4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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sleepy wee dog<br />
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<a href="http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/?action=view&current=1b0957ae.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="320" src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg562/silverchair87/1b0957ae.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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he has such a cute little face<br />
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PS I've decided after much discussion that the rabbit shall be called Gandalf. He has the coolest long grey/brown hair so it's quite fitting haha.Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-26550977161100926112012-08-30T09:43:00.000+01:002012-09-05T10:03:05.922+01:00Best. Clinic. Appointment. Ever.So, the title says it all.<br />
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Lungs were stable, weight was up, tummy was a bit rumbly but nothing major. To top it off, they've taken me off flucloxacillin. I feel a bit weird about it after being on it every day for about 15 years, but I haven't grown staph for about a year now and they think it should help with my "candida problem". It better! I'm getting sick to death of the constant low grade pain and the taste and all the symptoms that come with candida in other places. Delightful.<br />
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It was also a great appointment because I took along some wedding pictures which distracted everybody enough that there was nothing to moan about haha. Clearly this is the answer to getting through clinic appointments!<br />
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Well, we've been in our new house just under a month now (next Friday we hit a month) and today I am going across to the mainland to get a DOG!! We're getting a 12 week old border collie :) It's gonna be a nightmare to start cause he hasn't had any jags so can't do big walks, but we have both had dogs (James had a border collie) and we got Fudge as a pup, so I think we're fairly confident we know what we're doing. We also have the added bonus of a sheep dog trainer who lives next door. As you can imagine, he mainly works with border collies, which is even better.<br />
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Work is picking up, slowly but surely. I have 14 pupils on the mainland and all but 1 of them have been with me since before the summer. I even have 1 who has been with me since my very first day, which is brilliant. She did amazingly well in her prep test and is preparing now for grade 1 :) As for Arran, I have 1 singing pupil and 4 piano pupils, and I know I will have at least 1 more of each in the next few weeks once they have returned from holidays. I don't really want to do singing to be honest, it's embarrassing when things start shifting in the lungs and make me cough and splutter all over the place, but there has been demand for it so I can't really turn down the opportunity for more work.<br />
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I will post a pic of puppy once I've picked him up. Excited. And James is even more excited! lol<br />
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Hope you're all keeping well, and love to Gem who's having a rough time xxxRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-77180757909534652442012-08-16T10:42:00.003+01:002012-08-17T09:39:57.228+01:00little ScotlandWhere to start? So much has happened in the last month or so that it's hard to know...<br />
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Well, first off, our honeymoon was fantastic. I don't have any of the photos on this computer (I'm on James' laptop cause a whole row of my keyboard doesn't work, and the pics are on my dads computer anyway!) so can't post any on here, but there are lots of them on facebook :) We were in Vallehermoso, La Gomera, and it was relaxing, very interesting, traditional, and just great really. We both enjoyed it so much. You know when you go somewhere and really feel a connection...it was like that for both of us. The people were extremely nice, although they spoke very little English which was a challenge for me as I have never learned any Spanish. We did a few walks, mainly in the National Park (Garajonay), ate out, BBQed, went to beaches, museums, sun bathed, read lots and spent lots of time chilling.<br />
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On the Saturday before we left there was a festival on called "Atlantic Sound" (or Atlantico Sonoro) where they had lots of activities on during the day. James had a lesson on the didgeridoo, we both learned how to use the local "clay" to make a dragon tree each (mine was rubbish!) and there were other things on like yoga, pilates, African drumming etc etc. It was basically a hippy festival, it was great fun. That night there was a concert in the main square of Vallehermoso which was awesome! The first band were Spanish and had lots of percussion, including a tap dancer who was used as part of the rhythm section, it was very cool for a music geek. The 2nd band were African and also very cool, lots of drums and strange instruments I'd never seen before. We spent the whole night sitting outside 1 of the bars in the square eating pizza and drinking wine and Gomeron (the local grape brandy mixed with palm honey) and the most hideous shot ever which we could taste for at least 3 days after drinking it. Ew.<br />
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Our very last night was spent on Tenerife to make our journey to the airport home easier. Turns out Tenerife is a bit mad and they put lots of alcohol in their drinks. I didn't feel hugely drunk, or certainly not the drunkest I've ever been, but I had the most awful night. It felt like my lungs and sinuses had filled to bursting with mucus and I couldn't breathe properly in my sleep. James woke a few times worrying about how much I was struggling, and the next day I was very sick, which was no fun as half the day was spent in the airport. I was genuinely worried that I'd done damage thanks to not knowing exactly how much I was drinking. At least if you go out in the UK they have specific measures and you know exactly how much you're taking in.<br />
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Anyway! When we got home we started packing up the whole house for the move 6 days later. We moved last Tuesday and seem to be settling in quite well. James started back at work yesterday and my mum and sister visited me for a few hours as my sister goes back up to Dundee today and I won't see her again for ages!<br />
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As for the title of the blog, as most of you know we have moved to Arran, which is nicknamed "little Scotland", as it's mountainous at the north end and mostly farm land at the south, which is pretty much what mainland Scotland is like. We are living in Lamlash, which is only about 10 minutes drive from the ferry terminal in Brodick, and if you keep going on through Lamlash you hit Whiting Bay, which is nicknamed "little Yorkshire", which I don't think I need to explain lol.<br />
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Next week I have my first clinic appointment since moving which is gonna be a complete pain in the neck. It's on Thursday morning at 10.30, which means I need to be on the mainland on Wednesday night so I can be there on time. The other clinic option was Tuesday afternoon, which would be fine for getting off Arran and there on time, but there's no ferry to get me back! It's rubbish to be honest. Means I'm gonna be staying with mum and dad from Wednesday night til Saturday because I'm teaching on the mainland Friday evening and all day Saturday.<br />
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I also managed to freak out my new Dr surgery a bit, well, the sister anyway. She admitted herself that she doesn't really know much about CF and was a bit overwhelmed I think by my medical history. So today I'm going to meet my new GP because apparently they like to meet their new patients who have repeat prescriptions. Yawn.<br />
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This is a bit of a long blog, apologies, I'll try and update a bit more often so you don't have a book to read!<br />
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PS. James and I were very upset to find out that La Gomera has had serious forest fires since we left and that 25% of the National Park has been destroyed and will take at least 30 years to recover. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the west of the island, including from Vallehermoso. Gutted!!!Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-42556395365887922182012-07-15T12:23:00.001+01:002012-07-15T20:00:24.582+01:00Mrs McEnaney!It's official, I am now a Mrs! lol<br />
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This is just a quick post cause I can't really be bothered to write about everything and post pictures yet, I will do that after honeymoon and, lets face it, probably after we move house!<br />
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We had a fantastic day, everyone has been commenting on how fun it was and how much they enjoyed themselves. We got a lovely day (it only rained at about 8pm when we were all inside) and the castle was absolutely beautiful. I didn't see how it was decorated until I walked down the aisle, but it really was more than I could have hoped for, thanks to our friend Deborah who did all the flowers and setting up of the castle. <br />
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I was picked up in a 1947 Rolls Royce, previously owned by the Princess of Monaco (mad, I know), so the drive to the castle with my Dad, then on to the reception with James was extremely comfortable! Was practically a leather sofa on wheels lol.<br />
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I knew absolutely nothing about the piper we had (one of James' pupils from Arran :) ), and although I knew there was a car coming for me, I had no idea what it was. I also didn't know for certain what the first dance song was going to be...<br />
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The evening wasn't the traditional set up. We didn't have a table plan, we didn't have a 4 course dinner, we had about 130 dinner guests and they all heard the speeches and ate from a buffet of haggis, neeps and tatties or jambalaya (actually in most cases they had both). The speeches were absolutely fantastic, kept above the belt apart from 1 joke by the best man which had everyone in knots.<br />
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After that we cut the cake then had our first dance to John Martyn - Couldn't Love You More (utterly beautiful) which was performed by our friends Ciaran and Ian. The band (The Tatties) did an amazing job! I'm sure they enjoyed themselves too, and 2 members are our very good friends so that made it much more personal. They didn't play any Queen on James' request lol, but more soul and motown than they normally would. We also had another friend DJ for us, as we thought he did an amazing job at our engagement party.<br />
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It's been so nice to be able to pull friends in for jobs here and there, and I really don't think we could have done it without their generosity. My Aunt Rosemary made our cake as our wedding gift as well so that was excellent and looked great!<br />
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As I say, I'll post pictures another day, but I wanted to write something just now while it's more fresh. Our friend Sharon videoed the whole ceremony (which lasted 13 minutes btw!) and the speeches, as well as other parts of the day. She also drove James and her partner/best man to the ceremony lol.<br />
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I couldn't have asked for a better day. I danced my ass off, feeling like I might die off a few times in the process, and drank too much white wine. I was hungover yesterday and only started feeling better after a roll and sausage followed by a chinese, oh, and a sleep.<br />
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I'll report back after the honeymoon. We're off tomorrow night to stay at James' Nana and Papa's house as it's close to the airport, then Tuesday morning at 8.30 we fly to Tenerife South, before hopping on a ferry to La Gomera for 2 weeks! Woop!<br />
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PS not as quick a post as I thought, but not exactly an essay either! lolRuth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846592383856626260.post-40664380314420664752012-07-11T23:04:00.003+01:002012-07-11T23:55:39.748+01:00Almost Mrs McEnaneyTomorrow is my last day as Miss Ruth McDougall. By 3pm on Friday, I'll be known is Mrs Ruth Jay McEnaney. Weird!!!<br />
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Everything is all set. I have my beautiful dress, my bridesmaids are stunning as ever, and we're all beautified and ready to go. As is my mum, who is new to the world of spray tanning and visiting a salon in general lol. I think she's been enjoying being pampered though :) James' kilt is ready, as are the other guys' and I think they're all feeling ready now too. Although since yesterday, James has become quiet and is adament he isn't nervous...I think otherwise!<br />
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My hen weekend was great! We went to the Stirling Highland Hotel for a spa day, had a 3 course meal in the restaurant then out for cocktails in Stirling. We stayed over in the hotel and spent Sunday outside the castle then in a bar watching the tennis with more cocktails! I had a back massage and a manicure and felt very relaxed after about 3 hours in the spa pool. It was far too hot and made me struggle to breathe at times, but it was worth it lol. We were lucky to get there though, after my friend's brother managed to beach his car in my garden! Hard to explain, but he had completely blocked the driveway and couldn't move forward or backward. That was pretty stressful, but thankfully my neighbours were having work done and the guys came and jacked the car up about 5 times onto a pile of breeze-blocks so he could get out.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">James and a couple of his friends went camping to Tighnabruich and had a great time! Came home stinking and knackered, as you would expect. He's having a BBQ tomorrow with all the guys, provided the rain stays away long enough. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Speaking of rain, the forecast isn't great for Friday. Who'd have thought you'd have a washed out wedding in July....*ha*, but hopefully we'll get a window of dry to take some photos outside then we can get on with the party! Woo!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">So, seen as it's my last time, I'm gonna sign out properly</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Miss Ruth Jay McDougall </span>Ruth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08535239104336624488noreply@blogger.com3