Hello again everyone, & sorry it’s been so long since the last update!
First and foremost, here is my (nearly finished), hopefully more permanent ‘blog’, which as you can see is more based towards Bravery Bottles (which incorporates care kits & teddies too).
Many of you are in the same position as me and are classified as ‘high-risk’ so, in the face of COVID-19, were shielding as I was. I don’t want to moan as I know I’m far from the minority amongst my friends and those reading this, but I struggled mentally a tremendous amount - far more than I imagined I would - and I’m glad that some measures have been lifted and we are on our way back to ‘normal life’ (although not without any interruptions I’m sure!).
Health-wise my body isn’t coping very well - in fact it’s not coping at all! I’m fainting a ridiculous amount of times due to my PoTS and the heat - enough to render me back temporarily permanently bed-bound. I’m tired ALL the time, I’m suffering from vertigo and sickness on top of that and the pain in my bladder, blockages in my catheter, the multiple catheter changes, and the inevitable never ending infection is a whole different story and is affecting my life on a scale so high that (although seemingly drastic), a Urostomy (with or without bladder removal), is the option I’ve opted for next (not that I had any other options to choose from!), and my next hurdle to overcome. If anyone has a Urostomy or anything similar, please message me (if you wouldn’t mind discussing it of course!).
However, on a more positive note, I’ve had a few changes in my life that have improved both my mood and my independence. The week before last, my family managed to arrange a surprise party for my mum which I was able to attend, and the reaction on her face showed the sheer shock and amazement of all of our family being together - myself included.
The following week I then went back to stay with my mummy last week for a couple of nights ‘respite’ and it was a really nice couple of days and a well needed break for us all; if only a couple of nights. An overdue trip to Bluewater, seeing lots of my family and friends, some much needed time with my mumma, and also having the sense of ‘independence’, knowing that I had planned a couple of nights away with my carers. (Dani & Clara - thank you both for coming!).
In other news, I have decided to enrol back onto my Law degree this year and try and press on towards graduation. My modules are my choice and so this academic year I am set to be studying ‘Mental Health Law’, Forensic Science in Criminal Trials’, Human rights and English Law’, and ‘The philosophy of Law’. It’ll be nice to have a routine and a focus again.
I have a few people to thank for their generosity and help over the past few months in terms of the project. Apart from the lovely ‘happy post’ from Megan, Naomi, Phee, Sophie, Lizzie (and anyone else I’ve missed out!), I’d like to especially thank:
- Fernie (& team), who donate 10% of their earnings from their business to a different nominated charity each month. I was shocked honoured to receive £125 from them; thank you to my Auntie Nessa for nominating Bravery Bottles!
- Amanda; the previous winner of the ‘guess the name of the zebra’ prize. A lovely email with photos of the zebra being very well looked after (!) and an unexpected £10 donation really did put a smile on my face.
- All of the regular stationery & office/admin equipment from Robert Sanderson; my grandad!
- All of the stamps that a few of you have been collecting. If you don’t know about this, EDS UK (the charity) ask for donations of used stamps which can turn into funds for them. You can send them to the address supplied on the ‘contact’ page and I will send them on when I have enough to make it worthwhile!
And yes, to address the elephant in the room, I’d like to introduce you all to my boyfriend; Sam. Unfortunately he doesn’t live especially close to me and he faces his own challenges with his health (which although he takes in his stride, we know will make it difficult for us to see each other regularly). However, he is so caring and supportive towards me, he makes me happier than he even realises! I hope that in the future, he might want to get involved in my blog and maybe my projects too. I have so much more that I could say, but there may be an update sooner than you think, so watch out for that!
Sorry for the overdue post - I have a few things planned so keep checking back and follow the ‘Bravery Bottles’ Facebook page.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post!
Katie xxx
