Random Thoughts...

I read somewhere that bloggers should try to stay away from the word 'random'. Probably because it's used too much, but I'm too lazy to think of an alternative word now!

I discovered this picture on my laptop just now, and had completely forgotten about it. I was taken about 7 months ago, on Christmas Eve. I was nearing the end of my 3 weeks of IV's, so I was looking pretty good here. I'm actually wearing those same jeans today, lol! (although they're a lot tighter now!) Not looking very happy though... Sorry for boring you guys with an old pic!

One of the readers, Jen asked about why I'm staying in Joburg. Sorry for only answering now, but the week's been a bit hectic! Port Elizabeth is a 11 hour drive away from JHB, and 1hr 40 mins by plane. Apart from the fact that my Drs want me to stay here, I also feel safer here. If I feel crappy like I did yesterday, it's so easy just to drive to the hosp and get myself checked out. If I was in PE then it would've been a bit of a problem, especially since none of the Drs there know ANYTHING about transplant. I do enjoy JHB though, just wish some of my PE friends could move up here!!! But they all think JHB sucks and don't get how I can like it here, lol!! So I'll just have to make enough new friends.

On Tuesday night when I was laying awake not feeling too good, I suddenly remembered something about my old lungs that I haven't even THOUGHT about since transplant... I used to spend the entire night on just 1 of my sides, trying not to turn around. This was because more often than not I would start coughing up blood if I turned around. It couldn't have been the sudden movement, as it happened even if I turned slowly. Probably has something to do with gravity!! But anyway, it's just weird how I haven't thought of it since!!! Glad I did though...

Feeling A LOT better than yesterday!!! My appetite still lacking a bit, and thought I was going to be sick when I went out just now to go buy some food! They were making something oily in the shop, and it smelled DISGUSTING!!! Ugh...

Going for bloods and x-rays and lung functions tomorrow, so it's going to be a busy morning!! Will let you know how it turns out!!!

Home and resting...

I was only supposed to come back from Pretoria this afternoon, but I've been feeling so crappy that I decided at 5am this morning that I'm coming home and seeing my Doc on the way back! It's still my cold, but my lungs were weezing a little too, so it seemed like I was starting to get a chest infection. So now I've got antibiotics and my prednisone has been pushed up for a week. That should sort it out. I slept quite a bit after I arrived home, and feeling LOTS better. What a relief.

It's quite funny, I've coughed up a bit of mucus, and it feels strange. Almost fake. CF mucus is hard-core sticky mucky greenish brownish junk. What I coughed up this morning was watery, and weird and shoudn't even be called mucus. Feels like I'm coughing up someone else's junk!!! Which is probably true... in a weird way! Anyway, I prefer someone else's pathetic-excuse-for-mucus than my old stuff. Gross. (I hope no-one was eating while reading this, lol!!!)

So I don't really have much other news... will be doing the same tomorrow as today... reading, sleeping, chilling. Nice. Oh, and on Tuesday morning my FEV1 was 96%, and FeNO 14.

And last but not least... MY SISTER TURNED 21 YESTERDAY!!!!! Geluk met jou verjaarsdag sussie!!!!!

Sunday.

So tomorrow I'm quickly going to the hosp for a FeNO and flow loop (FEV1), and then off to Pretoria. My nose is still stuffed up, but the results better be fine, because I'm sick of it jumping around.

Julian and I went to the Rosebank African craft market and the rooftop fleamarket, which was nice enough, but I was a bit irritated generally and hungry and just felt like going home. I did take pictures of some cool stuff though. The yellow man is a mime artist! Oh, and I loved that scooter full of bling!

I made us some yummy pasta when we got home, so felt better after that! Well anyway, I'm going to love and leave you now 'till Wednesday! I'm making brownies when I get back then, because last week was my turn to take eats to church cell group, and I wasn't there! So they all went hungry... So this week I'll be taking brownies! Just hope they come out OK!

Rather Depressing Saturday Evening...

I'm sitting on my own on this cold Saturday night, listening to the Marie Antoinette soundtrack and thinking WAY too much!! Didn't feel like cooking for one (and too broke to buy take-aways) so I ate toast and smoked mussels for supper!!

My friends in PE are having a braai (BBQ) tonight, and I wish with all my heart I was there!!! Laughing and talking a bunch of crap!!! Especially since I'm ABLE to laugh now. Hopefully I'll be there for a visit again soon. Miss them so much! Even missing an ex boyfriend who stayed a friend but whose new girlfriend doesn't allow him to have contact with me!! Sorry, I'm losing track of where I was going with this, lol!

Feeling a bit sad tonight, although not sure why. Various things probably, and def as a result of all the thinking and feeling a bit lonely. Had a cool day though. Went shopping (window-shopping for me!!) with Pat and her friend Mary. Very nice! Tomorrow Julian and I are going to visit another tourist destination after church, which should be fun as well. At least it won't be a boring day!!

Monday morning I'm going to go blow a quick FeNO and flow loop, and then it's off to Pretoria again 'till Wednesday. Wednesday night is church cell, Thursday night is a tx network meeting (haven't been to one of those before...). So it's going to be a busy week!

I'm just drinking some hot water and lemon juice for my kidneys that work so flippen hard, and then I'm off to bed!!!!!! And hopefully fall asleep FAST.

Back in Joburg!!!!

This week has been pretty busy, and I'm glad it's Friday evening at last!!! Plus I survived my first almost-cold!!!! My sore throated-ness is completely gone, and sinusses better/ almost gone. Can't say the same for my poor dad though... he has serious flu, and has evacuated to Pretoria in order not to come close to me!!! So I'm alone for the weekend, which suits me just fine!!

My favourite friend from Pretoria, Patricia, is coming through to JHB tomorrow, and will probably spend the night here!! Going to be lots of fun!!

Got myself a DVD for tonight, so I'm going to be chilling and watching that and eating something yummy I got for dessert (because I DIDN'T get something nice on my anniversary on Tuesday!!). But first I'm catching up on facebook and all the blogs I read while listening to Coldplay!!!

The extremely cute and funny pic on the left here is just because I miss my kitty's SO MUCH... Next time I'm home in PE I think I'll be spending an entire day just with them!!!!

I'VE REACHED THE 6 MONTH MARK!!!!!!!

So in a few hours time, my lungs and I have been together for 6 months... 6 wonderful months. Unfortunately what I got for my 6 month anniversary was a cold :-( My first cold with my new lungs. My throat is SORE and my nose/sinuses are irritating. That's it luckily, but it's just an irritation, and it means I'm not playing squash today :-( I'm also not used to not feeling 100% anymore!!! Before, with my old lungs, I would hardly notice a sore throat or runny nose. When you can't breathe it's irrelevant. Now I notice it, and I actually saw my Dr about it... Strange...

On the up side though, popped in to see the Dr this morning just to get something for my throat and sinus issues, and my lung function/FEV1% is 98% again!!!! I'm SO surprised, because with my throat being on fire and blowing hard being painfull, I thought it would be down a lot since Friday, not up by 6%!!!! And, weirdest of all, my FeNO is HALF of what it was on Friday, being 9!!! I'm REALLY also not sure how that is possible, as a throat or sinus infection would cause a HIGHER reading... So either all the machines were broken, or God is good. The latter being an understatement!!!

My meeting with the ODF went well. We discussed future events and talked about raising awareness etc. ALSO... I'm going to be writing a letter to the donor family this afternoon... It's something I feel very strongly about doing, so I'm glad I'll be doing it now.

Tomorrow morning it's off to Pretoria again!! So you'll only be hearing from me again on Friday evening.

P.S. this is my 200th blog post!!!!

Today 6 months ago...

Today 6 months ago was the most hectic and emotional day of my life. Well maybe second, after TOMORROW 6 months ago... because today 6 months ago I got THE CALL... Wow, it feels ages ago, but also quite recent, although SO much has changed since then. My whole life has changed. New city, new friends (well, I'm getting there), new car, new lungs, new apartment, new almost-everything, with most importantly being obviously NEW LUNGS!!!! So tomorrow will be a big day for me, although I wish I could be celebrating it with the people who stood by me in the hard times, ie my friends in PE!!!

I DO have something important/exciting happening tomorrow though... Have an appointment with someone of the Organ Donor Foundation, which should be interesting. Also might be playing squash in the afternoon, which would DEFINITELY be a good way of celebrating!!!!

The rest of the pics are of yesterday, at the Emmerentia Dam/Joburg botanical gardens. (not the same place as the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens...)

Great Sunday and weekend!!!!

The weekend has been really great. Cinderella was SO cute and funny, and the actors' interaction with the kids made it even funnier!!! They def did my fav fairy-tale justice!!

Went to church this morning, and afterwards went out for lunch/tea with guy called Julian. We then went to the top of the highest building in Africa!!! The Carlton Centre. It's 50 storeys tall... Took some great pics!!! Afterwards we went to the Emmerentia Dam/Joburg Botanical Gardens (not the same as the Walter Sisulu gardens), which was lovely as well, even though it's winter! At least the weather was nice... perfect JHB winter day.

Posting all the Carlton Centre pics today, and the rest tomorrow... Oh, and another one of my Facebook friends, Evlyn from Australia, got lungs yesterday!! Wish one of my SA friends could get some lungs...

HAPPY 90th B-DAY MADIBA!!!!!

So Nelson Mandela is 90 today!!!! Everywhere you look/go/listen you just hear people wishing him happy birthday and talking about it. Even at the hosp there were black and white balloons (mmm... interesting choice of colour...) everywhere! Took a pic from my phone!! There was even a huge poster on the wall in the main passage where you could write him a message... I didn't bother, because it's not like he's going to read all of it!!!


So here are my pretty new CT scan pics... and
then the old one just for comparison... (I'm sure I don't need to tell you which is which...) The fine white lines are blood vessels, and the 1/2 biggish 'holes' are my trachea and stuff. Apparently they look fine and there's nothing to worry about and I can relax. No rejection or anything. FEV1% was 92% today. So I'm officially not worrying anymore, and can breathe again. Pun intended. FeNO ( I THINK it stands for Forced expiratory Nitric Oxide) was 18 again. Still want that a bit lower.

A guy I know and have been chatting with over the web now and again, Matt Todd, got lungs during the night!!! SOOO excited for him!! Visit his Caringbridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewtodd. Seems like he's doing great!! Gina is still struggling with pneumonia, and isn't doing too well... I REALLY hope she pulls through, no-one deserves it more than her.

Did some hard gymming late this afternoon, and watching a dvd with my dad tonight. The only plans I've got for the weekend so far is going to the Children's Teatre to see Cinderella with Aerin and Jenny. Looking forward to it a lot, as it was my favourite fairytale as a child. Even my imaginery friend's (yes I had one...) name was Aspoestertjie, which is the Afrikaans version of the name Cinderella!!! And going to church on Sunday and having coffee with a guy from church afterwards. So should be fun. Enjoy yours!!