Up The Farway Tree

Onwards and Upwards

Thank you for all the lovely supportive comments on my last blog entry - it really helps to know that my friends and family are there for me during both the highs and lows. You will be pleased to read that this entry will be a 'high', although this is largely due to the Chocolate Brownie Sundae containing 38.9g of sugar (approx 8 tsps) I have just consumed. Sugaaaar Rush!

Yes, I am trying to put some weight on again, and this time I used the method of adding lots of random deserts to my online Tesco order based purely on total number of calories. The chocolate brownie sundae has an amazing 780 calories in one serving so that was first in the basket. I don't even like sundaes but with that many calories I figured if I could even eat half it would be a roaring success. I suggested to Andrew that he could help me eat it, as it did really look rather daunting with all its chocolate mousse, brownie pieces and fresh cream. Funnily enough he agreed to help with little persuasion. Between us we managed to tackle the beast and polished off the 780 calorie, 165% of daily recommended saturated fat dessert. The initial glory of a job well done soon gave way to us both lying on the sofa feeling rather queasy and all together not very well. It's rather fortuitous I added that bottle of Gaviscon to the shopping list then.

I have been getting out quite often with the portable oxygen. Unfortunately I have found the cylinders too heavy to carry myself, so either Andrew or mum has to come along as professional oxygen cylinder carriers. This does take a little practice however, as clearly my tubing is connected to the cylinder, so I am therefore connected to the other person. A strange shuffling dance ensues whereby we slowly move around the shop (or where ever) with me intermittently shouting directions "left ahead" "over to that shelf" "Stop here" "Ahhhhhh" (thats me being pulled by the nasal oxygen specs when the other person walks in different direction). All good fun though. Hopefully things will get a bit easier (in fact I thought today I wasn't quite as breathless) because I would like to get out to the shops on my own again and be able to walk around a bit more freely. Always good to have a goal to aim for - and if all else fails I am trying to build up some arm muscles so I can maybe carry the cylinder myself.

I have been signed off work for another couple of months, and then I will take it from there. At the moment I would not have the energy to manage at work, and to be honest I was struggling significantly for quite some time before this. Whether I do get back to work before my transplant looks doubtful, but nothing is impossible. I will just concentrate on the eating, exercising and such like for the next couple of months and see where I am at the end. Fortunately I am not yet bored (mostly because mum is keeping me busy by making sure I get out of the house and don't become a recluse) but I have a few ideas for things to keep me occupied should my brain begin to wilt.

Seb is at least pleased to have me around most of the time, or at least I think he is. He likes to act a bit casual about these things. He prefers hanging out with Andrew at the moment because he is digging in the garden (creating a rockery) which is far more interesting. Seb follows behind, poking his nose into each new hole dug and generally making a nuisance of himself. If all else fails he likes to run off with a gardening glove or anything else he can find lying around. Mum was trying to hang washing out today and stopped to talk to my neighbour. When she turned back the peg bag had disappeared, although there was a small trail of coloured pegs leading to the culprit. He hasn't yet worked out the concept of covering his tracks, although I suspect its only a matter of time.

Butter wouldn't melt...