As the weather got colder things slacked off a little as I stopped walking Dexter so much as I really hate and struggle in the cold. Ive been having lot of muscle problems since my collapse mainly from when I was stiff in bed for so long so that often gets me down as its painful and hard to get around. But I was busying myself for Christmas and getting ready for the festive season. Christmas day was lovely there was me, Neil, Dad, Nicki (sister), my older sister and her 3 children and my brother and his son who ive never spent Chritmas day with before so that was extra special. Sat down for dinner and what happened next was a complete shock as Neil got down on one knee and propsed it was amazing. Been waiting 8 and a half years and was totally not expecting it. Made it very special!
The next few days were busy just seeing the rest of the family for Christmas and then was thinking about celebrating our engagement but that never happened! Neil fell ill and then I did. I spent all between Christmas and new year with what I thought was a nasty cold and feeling pretty rotton. Then as soon as the CF team were back 2nd Jan I got my dad to take me straight there as I was feeling so poorly. Had temps of 40 degrees and was shivering like mad. Swab came back I had influenza A, couldnt believe it. I have my flu jab every year and never had flu but this year this strain has mutated since the jab so people are not protected. So many people and especially CF people have been really ill with flu this year. I was in hospital for 3 weeks where my SATS were so bad I was on oxygen all the time. I was really breathless and struggling to get moving again as its such hard work.
So 3 days after being admitted my sister was due to look after Dexter for the day when she rings me in a panic to say Papworth had called with a possible set of lungs!! I was so scared and absolutley gutted because I was always going to be with her through the whole process but because I had flu I wasnt allowed anywhere near I was devestated. I wanted to hold her hand and be there when she woke up if it went ahead. A few hours later she was told it was happening and was whisked off to theatre. It was her first call and she had been waiting 19 months when she got the call. I was so upset but my amazing friends came up to hospital and one stayed late and one stayed in a chair all night next to my bed so I wasnt alone, Couldnt have got through that night if they were not with me. I didnt sleep a wink was just waiting for updates. But the operation went as well as could have done and she was being woken 5 hours after coming out of theatre, That night she was sitting up in bed eating jelly and ice cream! She's now home and really starting to get going with her new gift. I think about the donor a lot and at the gift they gave so that my sister can live. It really is the most selfless thing you can do.
So after being home for 10 days and starting to feel better I started to feel breathless so drove myself down to leicester to get checked over and xray showed my lung had collapsed again. Was so gutted to have another big collapse. So had a chest drain in and luckily within a week it was up and the drain is now out. Having a cheat drain put in is one of the worst things I've been through and I've now had 3. Having it removes isn't nice either I came over all dizzy and nearly fainted. Safe to say with everything that's happened recently the panic attacks are back. So I am now being refered for a double lung transplant too. I am struggling a lot with this at the moment but I will blog about that another time when I find the words. So all in all its been a life changing christmas and start of 2015.
