28.08.18 – Holiday Season

Ive been waiting for a chance to go abroad for a long time. No care as to where or when. Just somewhere sunny and chilled. Italy was exactly what I needed. There were 12 of us flying out to Lake Garda. It was such a beautiful location, with restaurants and bars all along the promenade. We spent our evenings having dinner together followed by soaking up the nightlife, which usually ended up dispersing into 2 different age groups. I ended up floating between the two as I wasn’t feeling too great on the first couple of days and so didn’t fancy staying out all night. I was advised by my consultant to try and get my bloods taken at some point during the holiday. This is always so much more complicated than it has to be, and ended up not being able to get them done. I thought that next time it would be a good idea to bring a brief history, list of medications and recent blood results if possible. It’s all in filed, so I should take it with me next time.

We hired motor boats to head to different parts of the Lake. We took food and drinks on board to stop and have our lunch by the shore. We jumped into the lake off the boat, most of us with our phones out taking videos or photos for our Instagram feeds. I felt sore after, as I ended up jumping in and swimming with everyone else. It was probably the most amount of exercise I had done in a while so I got tired very quickly.

I did find it quite challenging to wear a bikini with my scars on show, but I managed it. I did have a few people staring at my stomach, but I didn’t mind that at all. I know you can barely see them, but I felt more confident than I ever had before. I’m stronger mentally and physically so I assume that’s helped my confidence.

We headed back home on Sunday evening and was up early the next day for bloods, an ultrasound, see the Medical Team and a discussion with the Transplant Co-ordinator. She discussed life post liver transplant which was basically her advising me on how to keep well. For example:

Avoid live vaccinations

Drink plenty of fluids

Drink the RDA units of alcohol only on special occasions.

Always remember to take your Prograf, and if you’re unsure whether you’ve taken a dose or not, don’t take another.

Certain foods to avoid such as raw meats and sushi

Avoid certain antibiotics

There were other points she went over, but it was mostly common sense. She gave me a leaflet on what to write to the donors family. I recon I’ll be able to write soon, within the next few months. I want the family to receive some form of closure, and to know how their relatives organs have changed lives.

Hope you have enjoyed your summer!

🌼🌸🌻💐🌷🌹🌷💐🌻🌸🌼