Birthday fun and sunday challenge

Well I did manage to be out for my birthday!! I was determined and stubborn (as my docs told me). At ward rounds on thursday they told me I could go home as my counts had jumped right up. I had to wait to have a bag of platelets just to make sure I was topped up over the weekend. So after I was told at 10.30 I could go I finally got out at 7.15 on the night. Well what more did I expect really?? But at least I was home for Friday and that was the main thing!

On friday I managed to wake up nice early as I have been for the past week. So at about 5.30 I got up and opened my presents. :) I got a very nice Thomas Sabo charm bracelet and some charms. I got 2 from my mum and 2 from my grandma....and then kept recieving them through out the day ( I ended up with 11 on friday night) I also got a very nice jewellery box from my mum that matched a box I already have to keep random bits and bobs in. Alot of cards from hospital and such of the like.

We then went into Beverley to pick up some decorations my mum had ordered to brighten my hospital room up incase I was in but since I wasnt they decorated the lounge quite nicely! Banner, balloons and starry hanging things :D

Also had a Thorntons mint ice cream and changed my bracelet for a bigger one because apparently I have fatter wrists then my mum thought! Oh well. Me and mum then took a drive to the hospital to drop off some mini cupcakes for the nurses...was very nice to be able to walk in and straight back out again!!!!! And the cakes seemed to go down rather well!

I had quite a few visitors throughout the day and since im still on pain killers which make me drowsy was fighting to stay awake by tea time. So we didnt go out for tea like we normally would have we got La Scala take away instead for a nice little treat.

On saturday me and Paul took a trip into Beverley and did quite alot of walking. Since I havent walked alot in about a week because of the virus and been in alot on pain my feet are now really hating me and all the little muscles hurt :( but it was a very nice day and I took my charm count up to 12 since Paul bought me another charm...and another Thorntons mint ice cream :D

So this is what my bracelet looks like now...

We went out on Saturday night for tea...to somewhere which the name I forget. An Italian near Hessle Foreshore...it was very nice but since I went for a few days without eating I struggled somewhat to finish my spag bol. Was still very nice!!!!

I had a nice little challenge lined up for sunday. The race for life in brid. On the hottest day of the year when last week I could hardly stand up I was in so much pain. But so as not to let myself down I was damn well doing it and finishing! So me, my mum, olivia (my friend) and Paul set off for brid. I was quite impressed that it took me till half way round the nice hilly course to start feeling crap but as usual i did it in style. I decided quite quickly that I needed to be sick so that I did, had a nice little sit down and drink and set off again. After that I had a few sit downs and drink and a very nice lady gave me her pink sparkly hat so my head didnt get burnt! Im very proud that I managed to finish with a reasonable time of one hour and 15 mins. Considering 6months ago I couldnt walk and after last week I am very pleased with that! And I wasnt last! yey

My feet dont hurt any more for doing it but when I told my doc this morning I thought she was going to kill me...but hey ho

So I was very tired after that, slept on the way home, soaked my feet, went to cott parks for tea and sat outside away from the flies and had a relatively early night!

I had to get up this morning for a lung function test at 9 am then to the ward for a bone marrow biopsy...gas and air is a great thing!!! A lady then came to see me for my opinion on some decoration for their new teenage ward (basically 4 rooms in a corridor between ward 32 and ward 33) so after talking to her and putting green stickers on what I liked and red stickers on what I didnt we came home.

So quite an eventful weekend all in all...and quite tiring!! but good and I dont have to go back to hospital until next tuesday...good times :)

Looking up

Well I know I havent blogged for quite a while but to be fair iv been quite ill again so really havent had any energy.
After I went home on Tuesday after spending all day at the hospital feeling crap it only really got worse. I had really severe pain all over...muscles and bones. It was not nice. I just generally felt pretty bad. So on Wednesday lunch my mum came home from work and brought me back into hospital where they gave me some form of morphine...Emma had written me up for 5mg but only wanted them to give me 2.5 to start with. The nurse not believing in doing things by half (a woman after my own heart) gave the whole 5 in one go so I felt a little spaced out after that!! Was alot of fun :) not a good as the gas and air though! Anyway that still didnt really help the pain and they eventually decided it was probably a virus of some sort. They took swabs and bloods and such and said I would probably spike a temp at some point...which i did, at half past 2 in the morning. Earlier that night Id also randomly thrown up even after they had put antisickness drugs down my line. But when I hadnt eaten in days there was not alot to come up so that was mostly just painful! So after seeing the on call house doctor (who didnt say alot or write in my notes at all) I was on antibiotics and iv fluids had a chest xray and all the normal stuff. Once the fluids went up I started feeling better. Now the overall pain has gone but they have started me on injections to try and boost my bone marrow called GCSF. They stimulate bone marrow so causes alot of bone pain. My back is very painful but they are giving me a combo of iv paracetamol, oramorph and tramadol. It doesnt go away even with all of them but it eases slightly. And means im very sleepy and keep falling asleep... not a bad thing when I went for a few days with no sleep to speak of so im just catching up now. Im also very sore to touch so every time I move it hurts my muscles.
The injections seem to be working though as yesterday (wed) I had 0.2 neutraphils so hopefully today when the docs come they will have gone up more and they will let me out tomorrow as its my BIRTHDAY!! YEY It would just be nice to spend even some of the day at home and have tea with my family not nasty hospital food.

Iv also sent off my second nail assessment...thats been slightly put on hold until im feeling better as I cant really sit up very well without my back hurting. Im writing this now sort of half sat half lying down and its really hurting....so on that note I will update later :)

And the bad days... :(

Since I started writing my blog everything seems to have been going pretty well, not feeling too bad and even the chemo has been ok but the bad days do very much come back with force! I finished my chemo on Saturday and although felt a bit sicky was feeling ok. I went home but for the past few days have literally just been lounging around...not in a good relaxing kind of way. In the kind of way where you just want to sleep and dont know what to do with yourself. Iv been sick a couple of times (im sure everyone will want to know that) and keep waking up throughout the night. Last night I had quite a bad night could not sleep and then at about 2.30 birds started tweeting outside my room...all well and good very nice dont mind too much but I just wanted to sleep! Im back in hospital waiting for my blood results now...hopefully they will give me some nice big bags of red blood so I dont keep trying to pass out!! Although that feeling is interesting id much rather stay on my feet for now! I also have half lost my taste and get a tingly feeling in my mouth when I swallow...or cry which is unfortunate as im feeling quite emotional!

My doctor came in not so long ago and to try and cheer me up drew some bum cheeks on the board...ill get a photo of that up when I can cause its actually quite amusing.


I got my first assignment feedback from my nail course yesterday...was all very good comments and I passed YEY. So im going to send off my 2nd one and get that sorted. I gave my grandma a manicure on friday and my friend kimberley one on saturday before I escaped hopsital... not very good pics but hey ho

I seem to have a football fan in the room opposite me...there is Sky england buntin hanging across their window...im bored of the football already! It is a girly mans sport. Italy had been playing not even 30 seconds yesterday and one of them was rolling around on the floor in apparent 'agony' next minute hes up and running again...play a real sport you big bunch of wusses!!!

More chemo :(

Dont think iv posted since Iv been back in hospital. I came in on Wednesday (I think) at 9.30 in the morning and like I knew I would sat around until they did my chemo at 10pm. So was not very impressed I had to spend all day at hospital when nothing was been done. Im in room 14 now (new room) so here are the views I get from my window....






Not too bad...no smokers corner or anything equally as nasty!! The clock nearly went flying out of the room last night...although it has no second hand it still tick. The night before the nurse put it in the bathroom for some strange reason so I did hear it but last night I was too tired to get up and managed to get to sleep...untill stupid o'clock in the morning when I woke up then again at about 7 when they came to take blood.
My friend Olivia came yesterday (looking VERY brown from her holiday in Corfu so I was not impressed!!) but was good to have a nice catch up and congrats to her for passing her uni exams and therefore her 1st year at uni!!!!!!!!! She seemed very shocked about this since all her revision time was spent i think looking for us tutu's to do the race for life in (www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/emilypierce1 if again you want to sponsor me) but I always had faith in her! :)

My new jewellery from myvintage.com came yesterday...a cupcake ring (which I immediately broke so need to fix it with superglue when I get home) and a geek glasses necklace....

How clever am I? ^^^ :S

But this I am LOVING!

i swear I could have spent a fortune on the accessories on this site!

Im hoping to be getting out tomorrow after my last lot of chemo in the morning...they are getting all my drugs ready and such so I can go...back to the ward on tuesday for blood tests then when my counts start to drop ill be back in. This will not last up to my birthday as I refuse to spend my birthday in hospital...im hoping to have a 'shindig on the ramp' so need to decorate and also that weekend am doing the race for life so if the docs think I will be in...they can very much think again!! :) I am stubborn and thats how its staying!!

Ask me for directions...if you dare!!!

Havent posted anything in a few days...iv been out and about doing stuff.
On Friday my mum and me went for a ride out to Castle Howard. It was very warm so I had to be careful not to burn. It was also very warm wearing my hat so that wasnt good. Also, in my infinate wisdom I decided it would be a very good idea to fall over on some concrete steps. I grazed my arm :( and it very much hurt. So that wasnt very good either but other then that it was a nice day and I got to do a little shopping which always cheers me up. Heres some pics of castle howard....

The map that I should have been following but im not good at directions!

Some ducks in the fountain

The BACK of the house...wish ours was like that!!!

On Saturday my mum and me went for a 3 mile walk (as were doing the race for life on June 27th... www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/emilypierce1 if you want to sponsor me) I was very pleased that i managed it given circumstances.

I then went for a nice little jolly out with Millson in the afternoon (she was ON TIME...omg) so did some more walking in Beverley and went to Cott for an ice cream...She has gone to America for a whole month so I will be missing her :(

On saturday night I stayed at Pauls as we were going to Goole for a karate competition on the Sunday. I wasnt competing dont worry!! Everyone did well and it finished pretty early so it wasnt a really long day like normal.

Yesterday (Monday) I walked to the gym and did a session, I then had a review and went for a manicure. I spent pretty much all day there so it felt a little like old times even if I couldnt train as much as I wanted!

I was not impressed with clinic today...got to go in for more chemo tomorrow so there is a chance i may be in for my birthday (and the day im doing the race for life) I refuse though so ill just escape. No matter how much people try and make it nice in hospital its not going to happen!!!!

So iv been at home all day sulking! But I did find some really cute vintage stores online...i may have ordered a couple of pieces of jewellery but i didnt spend much so ill let you know what they are like when they arrive :)

Card Making

When clearing out my boxes in my room yesterday I found a whole bunch of random drecorative stuff and some blank card and envolopes...in my infinate wisdom I thought I could start card making....im thinking of ways to raise more money for my race for life sponsorship so im doing a sweepstake on how long it will take me (with me not beeen able to walk not so long ago it could be quite amusing so if you want to join that let me know asap but I thought I could also get some more cheap decorative bits and start selling cards for a donation to the sponsorship. Im not sure yet so let me know what you think of thses cards and just remember my supplies were limited so proper ones would be much better and more carefully done :) There very simple so dont expect anything too intricate of these.....

For the summer

More Autumn like

Just to say

Starry

An owl outside my room

Im glad to say the owl is outside my room at home...YEY...im back home!

I got let out yesterday afternoon so am very pleased as im not at hospital until Tuesday. Thats a whole week!!! Its nice to be home but I have to say my room is a complete tip at the minute as I was having a bit of a clear out today. Today hasnt been massively productive its gotta be said. Since Iv been in hospital my whole body clock is out of it! I woke up around 11 to the sound of the dog barking. Got up, grandma had a rant about college (the attendance office phoned, obviously not realising a. I have leukemia so cant go in and b. IV QUIT!!!!!!!!!) once I had got washed and dressed to a relatively presentable standard I proceded with the phone calls my mum had left me. Had a bit of a clear out, went for a nice walk in the sun with my mum and by the time I got home I was going round to Pauls where we watched 17 again, which wasnt actually too bad. So thats my day.

When I was eventually allowed out of my room at the hospital I went for a walk upstairs. Not so exciting but I figured it was a change of scenery. I thought I would share with you my environment....