Up The Farway Tree

I survived the first week back at work and despite being absolutely exhausted, I have at least made a start and will just take it a day at a time. Unfortunately I have been coughing a lot more this week. Since I am otherwise feeling ok, I have, by a process of deduction, concluded that I am in fact allergic to either early morning starts, or work, or a combination of the two. I have yet to decide on a treatment plan. Avoidance seems appealing, but perhaps not practical (largely from an earning money stand point). Desensitizing would involve going into work late and then over a period of time starting a little earlier every day. Again, appealing but verging on grounds for dismissal. So I guess I will have to adopt the "complete exposure therapy". In simple terms this means stop whinging and get the hell on with it. This is my new motto. I think it has a certain ring to it.

Healthwise, I'm still having problems with my peg tube. I got so disheartened and frustrated by it this week, that in a little hissy fit I may have phoned the CF team and demanded its removal. This was met with a slightly flustered response, a degree of umming and ahhing, followed by an urgent appointment with the doctor to "discuss". Discussion ensued, and I put my case forward that pain from peg site was limiting both physical activity and eating. Both of which are fairly crucial to my well being. Obviously I cannot simply stop my overnight feeds, so would need to resort to nasogastric feeding (shoving tube down nose on nightly basis). From the doctors perspective he was concerned, firstly, that removal of tube would not eliminate the pain, as the cause is not entirely clear. Secondly that the original peg was so difficult to insert that having another one should NG feeds fail would not be a simple procedure, and lastly, that transplant team would, in light of current poor weight, conclude that he had in fact lost his marbles. We came to the mutual conclusion that I should NG feed for 10 days and then review whether I still wanted peg tube removed.

I have therefore NG fed for past 3 nights, and it has been ok (well as ok as shoving tube down nose can be). However I do have some niggling concerns about this route. The main one is chronic sinus problems making NG tube painful, my motivation to use NG tube if feeling very unwell and also the fact I cannot disconnect it easily. I had therefore found myself having to carry the entire feeding pump and litre bottle of feed with me to the bathroom at 3am (in the dark). Clearly if I just happened to be consuming any whisky liquers prior to bedtime, this could prove dangerous, and at worst fatal.

Strangely the peg tube hasn't been as sore since I commenced the NG feeds. This could be one of three reasons: 1. Total co-incidence 2. Not using peg is allowing it to settle 3. Peg tube over heard discussion about imminent removal and is now pretending to behave in order to avoid expulsion. (Sometimes at night I think I can hear a small but definite "mwah haw haw") So in summary, I will NG feed for 10 days and then review. If peg improves I shall keep it for time being but it will be strictly placed on a good behaviour order.

My other news involves Seb and his hardships. This week I had to take him to the vet with a sticky eye. I really did not want to be charged £30 for a 3 minute consultation to be informed he had conjunctivitis, so had been bathing his eye with saline for a few days and hoping he has just poked it with a twig or something, and it would spontaneously improve. After 5 days, I thought I was perhaps being neglectful and suddenly panicked at the thought of Seb going blind (queue sad music and camera shot panning in to small dog with one eye and single tear drop). Spurred on by by melodramatic thought process, I hastily made an appointment with the vet for that afternoon. After checking in at reception I sat down in the waiting area, and Seb jumped up and sat in the chair next to me. We sat like this, side by side, for a few moments before I noticed the receptionist looking at us with a somewhat bewildered, yet amused expression. I slowly realised that it was perhaps not normal for the animal to also sit on a chair while waiting to be seen. However at £30 a pop, I figured Seb was entitled to lie down across 3 chairs should he feel like it. After all he is the patient. The outcome was that I left after 5 mins with bottle of eye drops and a dog with one eye dyed bright orange.

I have since been experimenting with ways of getting these drops into the dogs eye (i.e not on his head, eyelashes, nose or living room rug). My first approach was stealth like, and while he lay asleep I swooped down opened one of his eyes and fired in the drops. Needless to say he did not stay asleep for long and has now taken to sleeping with one eye open. Just to be sure. The next approach involved me holding a treat in front of him as distraction, while Andrew came in from the side and unexpectedly squirted some drops in his eye. I tried this one by myself earlier but he has cottoned on, and managed to somehow watch the treat with one eye, whilst never losing sight of the eyedrops with the other. I am currently still planning my third ambush. It may involved me dressing up as a giant dog treat, but I have yet to determine the final details.