Thursday, 7 May 2015
#SSS 10th May
So, after my last post, I went for a lovely afternoon tea, with Anna, Nikki and Kirsty at the mount. It was very nice!
Straight after this little over indulgence, I went to the shops and got some new trainers!
My plan is to hit the gyms! Get fit!! Try the Snowdon walk with LimbPower, with my new leg. Start getting fitter and stronger! Gym ever week without fail. Continue eating healthy and NutriBullet before gym! Walk every day! Without fail! Hula hoop every evening, 30 mins, while Eastenders is on! These are my get fit rules and regulations! :) I'll start it all on Tuesday! It's Dad's 50th tomorrow so there will be celebrations and chocolate all over the house!Also, you should never start a diet on a Monday!
Last Sunday blog post was a sad day! Sunday 26th my dear friend Lauren had some sad news, her lovely Grandad Frank passed away. So I sent the family a card. I couldn't make his funeral last Friday, I would have loved to have gone to show my support to the family. He's been in my thoughts and prayers anyway. Lots of love to all of the Cullens! xxx
I went to see a therapist last week at West Park. An OT lady dealing with getting people back into work, who have a neurological condition or illness (or in my case, injury).
It was only a small group of people and we're all meeting up again next Thursday to meet a lady who deals with CVs. So that should be useful anyway.
Whilst there it made me think just how incredibly lucky I am!
I know I'm still very forgetful and maybe a little more credulous than before my accident. However some people are living with really visible conditions. Like speaking to some people there it was really apparent that they had something not fully working. Like their speech was a little sluggish. I could have been a million times worse then I am now, you really do not know how lucky you are until you see comparisons.
I will never take my present situation and recovery for granted! I will do my very best to get better and stronger each day! No more lazy mornings, sitting around in my PJs watching Loose Women! I'm going to make the most of my life.
I know I've probably said all this before, but I'm seriously on a mission now! So I'm just writing this so anyone reading it can remind me if they see me slacking!
Straight after this little over indulgence, I went to the shops and got some new trainers!
My plan is to hit the gyms! Get fit!! Try the Snowdon walk with LimbPower, with my new leg. Start getting fitter and stronger! Gym ever week without fail. Continue eating healthy and NutriBullet before gym! Walk every day! Without fail! Hula hoop every evening, 30 mins, while Eastenders is on! These are my get fit rules and regulations! :) I'll start it all on Tuesday! It's Dad's 50th tomorrow so there will be celebrations and chocolate all over the house!Also, you should never start a diet on a Monday!
Last Sunday blog post was a sad day! Sunday 26th my dear friend Lauren had some sad news, her lovely Grandad Frank passed away. So I sent the family a card. I couldn't make his funeral last Friday, I would have loved to have gone to show my support to the family. He's been in my thoughts and prayers anyway. Lots of love to all of the Cullens! xxx
I went to see a therapist last week at West Park. An OT lady dealing with getting people back into work, who have a neurological condition or illness (or in my case, injury).
It was only a small group of people and we're all meeting up again next Thursday to meet a lady who deals with CVs. So that should be useful anyway.
Whilst there it made me think just how incredibly lucky I am!
I know I'm still very forgetful and maybe a little more credulous than before my accident. However some people are living with really visible conditions. Like speaking to some people there it was really apparent that they had something not fully working. Like their speech was a little sluggish. I could have been a million times worse then I am now, you really do not know how lucky you are until you see comparisons.
I will never take my present situation and recovery for granted! I will do my very best to get better and stronger each day! No more lazy mornings, sitting around in my PJs watching Loose Women! I'm going to make the most of my life.
I know I've probably said all this before, but I'm seriously on a mission now! So I'm just writing this so anyone reading it can remind me if they see me slacking!
I'm working on a little powerpoint presentation to go with my talk at the BCNA roadshow next month! Where I'm talking about my injury, methods of recovery and ways to improve the injured cells. If you want to see it, come along to the roadshow. If you know anyone living with any type of neurological condition, and there are many! Tell them to come, there are lots of interesting material on help for various conditions and it's always useful to find new levels of support.
I met a lovely lady last week! A woman contacted me through LimbPower. LimbPower are planning on arranging a 'get together' for a confidence building event. So the lovely Linda drove to Tettenhall to meet me for a little lunch and natter. We went to my local and had a nice bite to eat and chat. Of course we discussed legs! I had only got my new suction socket leg to take home with me the day before. So it's still very early for me to say how good it is. It does let a bit of air escape, which lets out a very embarrassing noise. If you see me out and about and I'm walking around farting really loudly, it's always my leg!
I had Botox!!!!
May 1st I had three injections in my forehead! It didn't hurt, was fine. It will relax my face on the right side which will hopefully get my damaged side, on the left, working a bit harder! Fingers crossed it will get the nerve working more. I'm going to ask my surgeons to take a nerve from somewhere else too. The body is full of them, surely another one could be whipped out and put into my left eyebrow! Fingers crossed it'll all work out for me anyway! No doubt it will, I've been extremely lucky so far with all the hard work that's been done to improve me. I'm extremely grateful to the NHS and to the surgeons that have worked on my burn scars!
Eeeeek, the LimbPower games are on next weekend!!! I'm really looking forward to it! I'll let you know how it went in my next post anyway!
It's my Dad and Uncle Mark's 50th Birthday tomorrow!
So we're going for a nice meal to celebrate this evening. I'm really looking forward to it! :)
Big massive Happy Birthday to them both!
Here is a little treat for my daddy!
May 1st I had three injections in my forehead! It didn't hurt, was fine. It will relax my face on the right side which will hopefully get my damaged side, on the left, working a bit harder! Fingers crossed it will get the nerve working more. I'm going to ask my surgeons to take a nerve from somewhere else too. The body is full of them, surely another one could be whipped out and put into my left eyebrow! Fingers crossed it'll all work out for me anyway! No doubt it will, I've been extremely lucky so far with all the hard work that's been done to improve me. I'm extremely grateful to the NHS and to the surgeons that have worked on my burn scars!
Eeeeek, the LimbPower games are on next weekend!!! I'm really looking forward to it! I'll let you know how it went in my next post anyway!
It's my Dad and Uncle Mark's 50th Birthday tomorrow!
So we're going for a nice meal to celebrate this evening. I'm really looking forward to it! :)
Big massive Happy Birthday to them both!
Here is a little treat for my daddy!
HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!
Sunday, 26 April 2015
#SSS - 26th April @Burnaid @KPFoundation @BCNA2013 @whynotppl @TinieTempah @jameelajamil
So in the last 2 weeks, I've had my stitches out - it felt ok. A little unnerving but not painful. I did jolt my arm down and elbow the nurse in the face, which I felt bad about, but it should have been expected really. I've been told to massage a lot to get the firm tug of the skin down. It's improving more and more each day, so I can't complain. All the hard work is definitely paying off!
I went to see Shrek with Alex and her boyfriend Daniel, with a charity called Burnaid last weekend! Fay, a lady who I see at the QE about my burn scars, called me to ask if I wanted to go. Very kind of her. It was nice to have a get together with others too. Burns, I can imagine, can be a lonely, isolating time for some people, especially if they look different to the norm to most of society. It's very sad for them, but it's true.
I had very visible burn scars on my face and of course people are going to look, it's not nasty, it's just general curiosity. I would, and still do, do the same. I'm lucky that my scars are on the side of my face, it's not so directly visible to being looking front on. But even if it was, it would be embarrassing to have people starring at you. Some times if someone is so different to the norm, people can't help but stare. They may be looking and think that poor person, they must have been through a lot. That's what I would think. It's natural to look and wonder with curiosity.
Manners should stop you from offending someone with a long stare though. It's rude and you shouldn't. You should also teach your children this too. Today I was in TouchWood Solihull, looking for some nice shoes for my brothers wedding and a young girl with her mom, was looking at me. It doesn't bother me at all! I mean it, I'm not offended by a young child looking at a big red scar down my face, I would do the same at that age (and at this age, I would do the same without making it obvious).
I looked back at her and smiled a few times, then she started pointing and tugging at her mom. Her mom turned to see what she was pointing at and made eye contact with me. I said to her there and then, you should tell her not to point, it's rude. And the mom pulled her daughter to the side and had a word with her. That's good parenting!
It's fine to stare, I totally understand it, but pointing is just rude, no matter how old you are and no matter what it is your pointing at. If you want to tell your mom something, talk to her and tell her. Don't point kids!
Anyway, I was shopping for some heels to wear to my brothers wedding this August. I couldn't find anything nice to fit my ridiculously flat foot! I need a new foot shell on this leg, I need one with a curve to it, to at least sit on a slightly curved shoe. I'm not looking for a 6" pair of heels, I'm talking a slight in-step in the heel of a wedged shoe!
This is the shoe I've got my eyes on anyway, which I thought would be fine to wear with my foot. Carvela - Kurt Geiger click here.
I need a slight curve in my foot cover though. The current one is completely flat, so wouldn't fit nicely in this curved sole. I'm seeing my prosthetist this week so I'll ask hime about it! Fingers crossed it will be achievable anyway! I'm on a mission to get into these shoes.
I have, not so gracefully, accepted the fact that I can never wear high heels, with the strain on my knee joint. But I can wear a little wedge like this surely!!!
If they'd try a little harder for me, I will be able to get my prosthetic foot into this! I'll be nagging my prosthetist Tim about this anyway. I suppose I shouldn't nag him for this while I'm STILL WAITING FOR MY NEW LEG! I've been waiting for like 8/9 months for this new suction socket leg now. It's ridiculous! Anyway, I won't moan about that on here! It's a suppose to be a blog about things that make me smile, when I think about how long I've been waiting for this leg, it makes me want to scream, not smile!
I went to see Shrek with Alex and her boyfriend Daniel, with a charity called Burnaid last weekend! Fay, a lady who I see at the QE about my burn scars, called me to ask if I wanted to go. Very kind of her. It was nice to have a get together with others too. Burns, I can imagine, can be a lonely, isolating time for some people, especially if they look different to the norm to most of society. It's very sad for them, but it's true.
I had very visible burn scars on my face and of course people are going to look, it's not nasty, it's just general curiosity. I would, and still do, do the same. I'm lucky that my scars are on the side of my face, it's not so directly visible to being looking front on. But even if it was, it would be embarrassing to have people starring at you. Some times if someone is so different to the norm, people can't help but stare. They may be looking and think that poor person, they must have been through a lot. That's what I would think. It's natural to look and wonder with curiosity.
Manners should stop you from offending someone with a long stare though. It's rude and you shouldn't. You should also teach your children this too. Today I was in TouchWood Solihull, looking for some nice shoes for my brothers wedding and a young girl with her mom, was looking at me. It doesn't bother me at all! I mean it, I'm not offended by a young child looking at a big red scar down my face, I would do the same at that age (and at this age, I would do the same without making it obvious).
I looked back at her and smiled a few times, then she started pointing and tugging at her mom. Her mom turned to see what she was pointing at and made eye contact with me. I said to her there and then, you should tell her not to point, it's rude. And the mom pulled her daughter to the side and had a word with her. That's good parenting!
It's fine to stare, I totally understand it, but pointing is just rude, no matter how old you are and no matter what it is your pointing at. If you want to tell your mom something, talk to her and tell her. Don't point kids!
Anyway, I was shopping for some heels to wear to my brothers wedding this August. I couldn't find anything nice to fit my ridiculously flat foot! I need a new foot shell on this leg, I need one with a curve to it, to at least sit on a slightly curved shoe. I'm not looking for a 6" pair of heels, I'm talking a slight in-step in the heel of a wedged shoe!
This is the shoe I've got my eyes on anyway, which I thought would be fine to wear with my foot. Carvela - Kurt Geiger click here.
I need a slight curve in my foot cover though. The current one is completely flat, so wouldn't fit nicely in this curved sole. I'm seeing my prosthetist this week so I'll ask hime about it! Fingers crossed it will be achievable anyway! I'm on a mission to get into these shoes.
I have, not so gracefully, accepted the fact that I can never wear high heels, with the strain on my knee joint. But I can wear a little wedge like this surely!!!
If they'd try a little harder for me, I will be able to get my prosthetic foot into this! I'll be nagging my prosthetist Tim about this anyway. I suppose I shouldn't nag him for this while I'm STILL WAITING FOR MY NEW LEG! I've been waiting for like 8/9 months for this new suction socket leg now. It's ridiculous! Anyway, I won't moan about that on here! It's a suppose to be a blog about things that make me smile, when I think about how long I've been waiting for this leg, it makes me want to scream, not smile!
So last weekend I went on a little trip with my Godmother Margaret, to look at a venue I was considering for my friend Alice's hen weekend! It's not until next year, but theres no harm in looking around for a cool place to have it! It was a lovely sunny day too, so it's always nice to have a little spin out in the car. I won't say were we went, as it's a surprise for Alice!
I was a little disappointed with the venue I went to though, it wasn't as nice as it looked online, so the hunt is still on!
I was a little disappointed with the venue I went to though, it wasn't as nice as it looked online, so the hunt is still on!
After this little spin out I went for a meal with Nan, Alex, Dan, Grace and Isabelle. Got home to Nanny Js and had a secret little cry. I was feeling a bit low, it might have been all the lads that were out that night, in our restaurant. It made me reminisce on the life I had before my accident and how much I miss it!
It was just a small little dip anyway, I woke up the next day feeling fine! Still smiling! :)
It was just a small little dip anyway, I woke up the next day feeling fine! Still smiling! :)
So I'm booking tickets this week for a little trip with Alex and the KPFoundation. A weekend away, meeting other burn survivors. I'm looking forward to this trip with Alex! It will be a nice get away, to a beautiful place on 6th June. I'm very much looking forward to it.
This week I'm going to be focusing on my presentation for BCNA Their next roadshow is in June and I'll be doing a little presentation there! Talking about my brain injury and how it's effected me etc. Eeeek, I'll be polishing it up this week and doing a few trial runs so I've got it down to a T by June! :)
I went to see a lovely lady called Kay at West Park, a therapist dealing with getting back into work. They hold an event on a Thursday, I didn't make it last week, so hopefully I'll get to it this Thursday!
I'm excited to get back on to the paid employment ladder! I've missed it!
I'm excited to get back on to the paid employment ladder! I've missed it!
So I've paid my £15 for membership with Why Not People , their first gig will be held on 1st July with Tinie Tempa! I'm really looking forward to it!
So I don't have much more to tell you really. I'll hopefully be updating you with more info next time re working/driving again!
It won't be long until I'm doing both of these again! Fingers crossed by at least September! I'll give myself a few more months to heal up and recover fully! Plus I need to focus on the voluntary work I'm doing at the moment for Black Country Neurological Alliance!
I'm meeting a lovely lady Linda Chen next week too, to talk about help for the amazing organisation LimbPower!
Exciting things on the horizon!
Until next time,
Peace xxx
Sunday, 12 April 2015
#SSS 12th April - New horizons
Happy Sunday everyone!
So whats been going on, hmmm well a lot has happened since my last post actually.
It was a lovely little trip! Friendly taxi guy chatting away on the journey there, even though it was like 9am and I was tired! haha
It was lovely to get there and meet everyone. "Shared experiences" is a programme on Radio 4, where a group of people get together and talk to Fi Glover about their life experience.
On this programme there was me talking about becoming an above knee amputee, Sian was talking about her experience as a below knee amputee, and David was a lovely man who had become paralysed from the neck down in a diving accident in Australia!
It was just like a friendly chat with them all really.
The recording was at the end of March, but it will be aired on BBC Radio 4 at 3.30pm on Tuesday 2nd June. I'll give you all a reminder closer to it being aired so you can, if you want to, give it a listen.
They left a wobbly bit of skin under my chin, it's an extra piece just wobbling down. They wanted to leave it until all of my swelling etc has gone down, incase I needed it elsewhere. I think it's all fine though so hopefully they'll be taking that extra piece of skin off soon.
I have an appointment this week with my surgeon, so I'll have a chat about it all and find out what the deal is, what the next plan of action is.
It's a never ending trail of operations really. There is always something that could pop up. There is always a new product to try and procedure to do, so it's hard to put a time on it really. I can't know when it will be finished with!
I'm very lucky though, imagine if this was me in a 3rd world country, with no facilities etc to do what they have done to me. I am incredibly lucky! We all are! You reading this right now, you're lucky to have the technology to do so. Never neglect your understanding of just how lucky you are to be in your situation. No matter how shitty your day has been, you are so much better off than others, think about that the next time you moan about being stuck in traffic on your way to work, or forgetting your lunch. No matter how rubbish your day is, there is alway someone out there who would LOVE to be in your shitty situation! Just remember that one! ;)
My time in the QE hospital was great. Nice and relaxing, a good looking male nurse helping me out, decent food, nothing to complain about at all! Big up the NHS!
I had a lovely visits from my friends. A lovely card and chocolates from Poppy & Skippy. A visit from Alice, Pad & Fiona, they brought me a few lovely little treats! My dear friend Lauren came to see me too, I was having a little bit of a freak out while Lauren was with me! I was thinking I looked like a Walrus! I was thinking about a film I saw ages ago called Tusk, where the guy is amputated and then skin is used to cover him up into a Walrus looking creature! It really was NOT a good thought to have in your head while your taking doses of Morphine!
Now my operation is finished with I need to focus on the work I'm doing at the moment with BCNA. I could do with having a meeting with these people to discuss my ideas etc.
I haven't been doing an awful lot for them, other than tweets and posts here and there. I did do their last newsletter but the next one won't be going out till June, so I just need to stay focused on their social media and also work on my presentation!
In my preparation for this, I had a look at some TEDx talks, I found this one with a young man talking about his brain injury.
I personally don't think my injury is at all noticeable, but it will be interesting to talk about the things I have struggled with and the things I've done to try and help my situation.
You never know, if it's any good the TEDx Birmimgham might give me a call ;)
So I would LOVE to do a sky dive to help raise money for this little girl! Hmm I probably shouldn't! Too many scars etc.
I couldn't do one when I was travelling through Australia, because of the scars I have at the back of my head, from my brain tumour as a child. So I doubt I'd be allowed to do one now! With even more scars! Not to mention my poor little brain! It's had some bashes in its short 26 year life! And it's still sparkling like a diamond! Imagine how intelligent I could have been, haha
If you click here you can see his site and the work he does.
He has helped so many people all over the world who are amputees. He does a pioneering surgery to implant a prosthetic leg into the residual limb. It is so cool! It's definitely the way that surgery is going. I predict in 20 years time, all amputees will have this!
I have made friends with a couple of people who have had the surgery, just to hear more about it, pros and cons, the lot.
I'm hoping to get as much information on the surgery as possible, until I'm 100% certain I want it! It is certainly a life changing thing to have done, but so new and fresh that there is bound to be some problems further down the line. My dear friend Gemma had a very similar procedure in Europe somewhere, she has had it for over 10 years and it has been great for her and he active lifestyle. However, she has recently had trouble with an infection in the open wound that the prosthetic is attached to. After 10 amazing years with it, it is only now that she is having to deal with the infection. Her leg had been taken out and she is moving around on crutches until it's all healed up and can go back in. That could be a matter of years! What a bummer! I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to me, I'm not sure that it would with the different/more advanced procedure from Munjed in Australia, but with the small possibility of it happening, it is enough to put me off the thing all together!
Munjed is back to England in June, to do a conference talk on it all, so I will get myself to this to ask all the various questions I may have. In the meantime, I'll be asking a few new friends who have had the surgery done, Michael, Mitch, Shone, Belinda, and Viktoria La.
Any questions I have about it I can ask away to any of these lovely people. I'm about 70% towards wanting it done, but I need to be 100% until I'm ready to for it!
So, I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with my prosthetist Tim Howard. I really really REALLY hope things speed up with this. I'm sick of this uncomfortable strap attachment, I really want my new suction socket leg, I feel like I've been waiting for it for years!!!! It's probably been about 6 months since I started waiting for it, when I first had the mould of my thigh made. It literally feels like 6 YEARS AGO!!!!! I'm sure it will be well worth the wait anyway, fingers crossed I'll get it soon.
Until next time, have a good couple of weeks everyone!!!
So whats been going on, hmmm well a lot has happened since my last post actually.
BBC Radio 4
I went down to Bristol a couple of weeks ago, to a BBC studio to do a little talk with Radio 4 shared experiences. I went down to Bristol in a taxi, payed for by the BBC - I met Sian there, a lovely young girl who lost her leg to a taxi cab in New York! It was so lovely to meet this lovely lady. So many people make friends online these days, it just feels so much nicer to meet your new cyber friend face to face!It was a lovely little trip! Friendly taxi guy chatting away on the journey there, even though it was like 9am and I was tired! haha
It was lovely to get there and meet everyone. "Shared experiences" is a programme on Radio 4, where a group of people get together and talk to Fi Glover about their life experience.
On this programme there was me talking about becoming an above knee amputee, Sian was talking about her experience as a below knee amputee, and David was a lovely man who had become paralysed from the neck down in a diving accident in Australia!
It was just like a friendly chat with them all really.
The recording was at the end of March, but it will be aired on BBC Radio 4 at 3.30pm on Tuesday 2nd June. I'll give you all a reminder closer to it being aired so you can, if you want to, give it a listen.
My operation was a great success!
All 3 of my pouches have been removed from my shoulders and chest and the skin has been pulled up and over the burn scars! All is covered up now, apart from the top of the scar by my ear, which is nothing really. So it was all well worth it!They left a wobbly bit of skin under my chin, it's an extra piece just wobbling down. They wanted to leave it until all of my swelling etc has gone down, incase I needed it elsewhere. I think it's all fine though so hopefully they'll be taking that extra piece of skin off soon.
I have an appointment this week with my surgeon, so I'll have a chat about it all and find out what the deal is, what the next plan of action is.
It's a never ending trail of operations really. There is always something that could pop up. There is always a new product to try and procedure to do, so it's hard to put a time on it really. I can't know when it will be finished with!
I'm very lucky though, imagine if this was me in a 3rd world country, with no facilities etc to do what they have done to me. I am incredibly lucky! We all are! You reading this right now, you're lucky to have the technology to do so. Never neglect your understanding of just how lucky you are to be in your situation. No matter how shitty your day has been, you are so much better off than others, think about that the next time you moan about being stuck in traffic on your way to work, or forgetting your lunch. No matter how rubbish your day is, there is alway someone out there who would LOVE to be in your shitty situation! Just remember that one! ;)
My time in the QE hospital was great. Nice and relaxing, a good looking male nurse helping me out, decent food, nothing to complain about at all! Big up the NHS!
I had a lovely visits from my friends. A lovely card and chocolates from Poppy & Skippy. A visit from Alice, Pad & Fiona, they brought me a few lovely little treats! My dear friend Lauren came to see me too, I was having a little bit of a freak out while Lauren was with me! I was thinking I looked like a Walrus! I was thinking about a film I saw ages ago called Tusk, where the guy is amputated and then skin is used to cover him up into a Walrus looking creature! It really was NOT a good thought to have in your head while your taking doses of Morphine!
DVLA
So, I've got my amended licence back from the DVLA! Yipeeee!!! it's a relief to just have it back anyway, I know I can't do anything with it yet, as it's not next on my list of priorities that Alex wrote out for me! (Back in my blog post in march).Now my operation is finished with I need to focus on the work I'm doing at the moment with BCNA. I could do with having a meeting with these people to discuss my ideas etc.
I haven't been doing an awful lot for them, other than tweets and posts here and there. I did do their last newsletter but the next one won't be going out till June, so I just need to stay focused on their social media and also work on my presentation!
TEDx
They want me to do a presentation talk on my brain injury to share at the next roadshow event! Eeeek, I've never been a good public talker, I don't have a great deal of confidence talking to a large group of people! At least they'll all be strangers who I probably wont ever see again. I'll get a little powerpoint presentation done this week for me to practice my talk!In my preparation for this, I had a look at some TEDx talks, I found this one with a young man talking about his brain injury.
I personally don't think my injury is at all noticeable, but it will be interesting to talk about the things I have struggled with and the things I've done to try and help my situation.
You never know, if it's any good the TEDx Birmimgham might give me a call ;)
Peggy & Burt
My dear friends Sam and Emma O'Brien have both got new pug puppies!!! They are so so cute, I can't wait to meet them! I need a little date, a puppy date, to just meet up and play with them! I can't wait. Little Peggy Sue and Burt! You can see the two cuties on my friend Lauren's Instagram, if you click here.
Charlotte Trust Fund
I've never met this little lady Charlotte, but I've befriended her mom on Facebook. She is a very young quadruple amputee! She lost her hands and feet to meningitis! But the brave little girl is pushing her way through her young years with a huge smile on her face! Such a little cutie. Anyway, there is an event coming up this summer, to help raise funds for her. A sky dive event, you can see her page on Facebook here.So I would LOVE to do a sky dive to help raise money for this little girl! Hmm I probably shouldn't! Too many scars etc.
I couldn't do one when I was travelling through Australia, because of the scars I have at the back of my head, from my brain tumour as a child. So I doubt I'd be allowed to do one now! With even more scars! Not to mention my poor little brain! It's had some bashes in its short 26 year life! And it's still sparkling like a diamond! Imagine how intelligent I could have been, haha
Munjed Al Muderis - Osseointergration
I had a lovely little chat with this friendly man the other week. It was the day I was released from the QE hospital. My new friend Michael Swain called me, while he was with Munjed. He was heading to the airport to fly home to Sydney, so i was very lucky to briefly catch him before he flew back!If you click here you can see his site and the work he does.
He has helped so many people all over the world who are amputees. He does a pioneering surgery to implant a prosthetic leg into the residual limb. It is so cool! It's definitely the way that surgery is going. I predict in 20 years time, all amputees will have this!
I have made friends with a couple of people who have had the surgery, just to hear more about it, pros and cons, the lot.
I'm hoping to get as much information on the surgery as possible, until I'm 100% certain I want it! It is certainly a life changing thing to have done, but so new and fresh that there is bound to be some problems further down the line. My dear friend Gemma had a very similar procedure in Europe somewhere, she has had it for over 10 years and it has been great for her and he active lifestyle. However, she has recently had trouble with an infection in the open wound that the prosthetic is attached to. After 10 amazing years with it, it is only now that she is having to deal with the infection. Her leg had been taken out and she is moving around on crutches until it's all healed up and can go back in. That could be a matter of years! What a bummer! I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to me, I'm not sure that it would with the different/more advanced procedure from Munjed in Australia, but with the small possibility of it happening, it is enough to put me off the thing all together!
Munjed is back to England in June, to do a conference talk on it all, so I will get myself to this to ask all the various questions I may have. In the meantime, I'll be asking a few new friends who have had the surgery done, Michael, Mitch, Shone, Belinda, and Viktoria La.
Any questions I have about it I can ask away to any of these lovely people. I'm about 70% towards wanting it done, but I need to be 100% until I'm ready to for it!
So, I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with my prosthetist Tim Howard. I really really REALLY hope things speed up with this. I'm sick of this uncomfortable strap attachment, I really want my new suction socket leg, I feel like I've been waiting for it for years!!!! It's probably been about 6 months since I started waiting for it, when I first had the mould of my thigh made. It literally feels like 6 YEARS AGO!!!!! I'm sure it will be well worth the wait anyway, fingers crossed I'll get it soon.
Until next time, have a good couple of weeks everyone!!!
Sunday, 29 March 2015
#SSS - March 29
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!!
It's my little brother Ben's 22nd birthday today, so I hope he is having a ball in the Dam with lovely Kathryn!!! (Bring me back a cookie)
So what's been going on with me. Well, I had my pre op! My actual operation is TOMORROW!!!! I'd like to share pictures of my 'before and after' with the construction that is going on. So if you'd like to see it, stay tuned ;)
I probably won't post them on here. If you or if anyone you know is going through a similar type of operation, and they'd like to see what is it's like, feel free to drop me an email to ... me@kellyssmile.com and I'll show you the before and after pics :)
I'll no doubt look a bit odd, but it may help someone out there searching for information on this procedure of reconstructive surgery, just as I was searching the web when I was first told about it.
Yesterday was so lovely! I went down to Elstree with Anna to a 'Meet up' with LimbPower friends and other amputee friend I hadn't actually met before! It was so nice to see them all, and to make a few new friends. It's a shame they're all so far away, I would love to have a meet up with them all more often,. It's a good job theres a few events throughout the year where I might catch some of them. It was cool to meet a lady who had a Genium leg, the new cool prosthetic that I've been eyeing up! I know I shouldn't really look into getting new cool legs at this stage, with my months of operations ahead of me, but it's always nice to see what options are there for me, once I am ready to do more.
Adam, from the Hare & Hounds, kindly gave me a room at the pub for me to hold a fundraising event. I was planning on throwing a little gig there, where all friends could come along, pay for entry (which tickets would go to my fundraising pot) and we could all have a fun night together. I thought this would be a great idea to help me raise a bit of money for my Genium. But really, I should put all of my focus into my current situation. My operations need my full attention. Alex is my little angle, she does look after me so much. If I'm honest, she has always been the more mature one between us, but she is so good at helping me improve, I must be very annoying when I get told I should do this, then I forget and do that. She set me up with a list of priorities, I have typed them up and printed them out to follow them rigidly. It's a list of 1 to 8 things I should focus on. 1. being my operation,
2. being the volunteer work I do for BCNA. I literally can NOT do the next one on the list until the previous one is complete. So I can't go looking for a job, a car and a leg until my operations are finished with! I can't move in with Alex until 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 are all complete! I do try to do all things at once, so this list is vital for me to stick to and to improve.
I can NOT and will not be doing anything like booking rooms and various other fundraising activities for the new leg, until my operations are finished with, my memory & volunteer work has improved, I'm walking confidently on my new suction socket leg and I'm driving again. There is no point in jumping the gun and causing problems, unnecessary stress and potentially damaging the improvement made so far.
Priorities:
1. Operation
2. Memory - volunteer work
3. Walking - suction socket leg
4. Driving/memory - focus
5. Fundraising - new leg
6. Car
7. Job/studying/memory?
8. Move in with Alex - when 1 to 7 are complete :)
Before op (CAN DO):
Twitter - BCNA
Blog
Write ideas down
WALK
Memory games /aids
Before op (CANT DO):
DVLA
Look at cars
talk about jobs
no recruitment people
no fundraising - no acting on - just write ideas down
Bless her! She has set me these important reminders of what I can and can't do before my operations are finished with. I'll hopefully stick to them! :) Thank God the blog is in my cans!
So I go in tomorrow morning, at like 7am I have to get to the hospital! Wow that is early! At least I'll just be hopping onto a bed and going back to sleep! They can't expect me to have a conversation at that time in the morning! I'll be looking forward to going back to sleep!
I think I'll be in the Q.E for a few days after the operation, so if anyone is free for a visit, please do pop in with some skittles or something.
Errmmm well, I have to admit, for some reason, I'm a little nervous about this one! I'm not normally. I think it's all of the anticipation and stress of it being previously cancelled. It's such a massive relief to have it moving forward! I was so stressed about having to wait longer and longer for this day to come that now it's actually here, I'm a little scared!
It will all be fine, I know it's just physiologically built up inside me. I will be fine, it will be fine and It's a positive move forward. there is nothing for me to worry about at all! I'm fine!
Until next time, have a lovely Easter and peace out. x
Sunday, 15 March 2015
#SSS 15th March - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there! Especially to mine, over in Ireland! I wish I could fly over to see her today!
It's lovely having Mother's day on the same day as the St Patricks Parade too, it would be lovely to be necking back a few Guinness's with my mom!
It was my grandads birthday on 12th, so a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Paki-Joe
And it's beautiful Alice O'Riordan's birthday today, so massive happy birthday to that little lady!
Hmmm. so, there must be many Hozier fans out there? He's wicked! I love him! Alex first introduced me to him, before he hit the charts etc. We both loved his song, Take me to church.
He's a cool guy!
Anyway, I found tickets to see him in May, and as a surprise birthday present for Alex, I bought 2 tickets! You can see below the price I paid for the two of them.
Alex, is actually away that weekend, so she can't make it, I would LOVE to go, but I can't really handle going on my own, plus I don't know what will be going on with my ongoing reconstructive surgery, I will probably be unfit to go.
So if anyone wants then, they're up for sale! If you know anyone who likes him, will you please pass this info on to them. I'd really like to sell them and get my money back, so I can look at getting Alex something else for her birthday,
If you want to come with me, let me know, if you want to buy one of them or both of them, let me know! Drop me an email to me@kellyssmile.com
Did you all watch the people strictly?
I was tuned in especially to watch Cassidy Little on it. Check out his story and his performance here.
Anyway, I found tickets to see him in May, and as a surprise birthday present for Alex, I bought 2 tickets! You can see below the price I paid for the two of them.
Alex, is actually away that weekend, so she can't make it, I would LOVE to go, but I can't really handle going on my own, plus I don't know what will be going on with my ongoing reconstructive surgery, I will probably be unfit to go.
So if anyone wants then, they're up for sale! If you know anyone who likes him, will you please pass this info on to them. I'd really like to sell them and get my money back, so I can look at getting Alex something else for her birthday,
If you want to come with me, let me know, if you want to buy one of them or both of them, let me know! Drop me an email to me@kellyssmile.com
Did you all watch the people strictly?
I was tuned in especially to watch Cassidy Little on it. Check out his story and his performance here.
He won!!!
Soooo, what else has been going on with me... I spoke to Rebecca from Pitch Consultants, a lovely lady who I knew from my time working with One Black Bear. It was nice just to catch up with her and update her on my current situation.
I'm not quite ready to get back into work just yet, with ongoing surgery etc, however I'm itching for it! I can't wait to just get back onto the ladder and work a normal 9-5 again! Fingers crossed it won't be too far away from me anyway. I do have plenty of time to at the moment to focus solely on my recovery, hopefully in about 6 months time I'll be ready to get back into work.
Soooo, what else has been going on with me... I spoke to Rebecca from Pitch Consultants, a lovely lady who I knew from my time working with One Black Bear. It was nice just to catch up with her and update her on my current situation.
I'm not quite ready to get back into work just yet, with ongoing surgery etc, however I'm itching for it! I can't wait to just get back onto the ladder and work a normal 9-5 again! Fingers crossed it won't be too far away from me anyway. I do have plenty of time to at the moment to focus solely on my recovery, hopefully in about 6 months time I'll be ready to get back into work.
The DVLA still haven't got back to me with my amended licence, their 3 week window closed on Friday, so I am set to harass them tomorrow! :) I have looked at a few cars I can get with the needed adjustments made etc, the Fiat 500c is what I'm after. A cute little car to get around in, it will do the job and will be a good way for me to start off with something small and manageable.
I've been advised to get a bigger car though. Easy to get in and out of. I think the fiat will be fine though, I need to go and practice getting in and out of the drivers side, I will do that as soon as my licence is posted back to me! Fingers crossed that will be this week!
I've been advised to get a bigger car though. Easy to get in and out of. I think the fiat will be fine though, I need to go and practice getting in and out of the drivers side, I will do that as soon as my licence is posted back to me! Fingers crossed that will be this week!
It turns out, I should have been seeing a therapist at the QE called Sally. She is a therapist who will help me use my face in a way that will benefit the damaged nerve/muscle on my burnt side. Sally will hopefully help me get my smile back even more :)
I went back to the QE last week for a check up on my pouch, all was fine. I'll need to contact them weekly before the operation on the 30th. I guess the strain from the pouches could damage the skin, we can't have damaged skin on damaged skin!
Things are all on the way up anyway! I'm very pleased with my progress and the continuous improvements. I'll keep you all posted with it anyway.
Until next time, peace out!
x
Until next time, peace out!
x
Sunday, 1 March 2015
#SSS COME ON IRELAND!!!
My dress has arrived! My darling friend Alice, kindly asked me to be her Maid of Honour! I was so so happy when she asked me.
The idea of planning a hen weekend excited me the most, I hope she doesn't regret her choice!
There is a slight possibility of this being the case when she see's what I've got planned for the hen weekend! She is certainly in good hands for this sort of mischief ;)
Just look at it! It's amazing! I love it!!!!
I'm going to get my ass in to gear and make sure I look hot in it!
This is the image Alice first sent me. I think it is gorgeous, however I did think it was a little too similar to a wedding dress. She found a cute blue version of this though, so I'll be wearing this but with a light blue underline of the lace.
I'm pestering my prosthetist to get me dancing in heels for the wedding! April 2016 is roughly what we'll be working towards!
It's an exciting and achievable goal to go after too.
I'll start off on a 3" this year, build up my confidence in it and then by the wedding in 2016, I'll be dancing all night in a nice pair of 6" heels :)
I can't wait!!! It's all so very exciting. I will hopefully be looking a lot better too, following my face reconstruction surgery. You never know, I may even have myself a date for the wedding ;)
My operation was supposed to have been done now, the original date was like 2 weeks ago, since then it has been moved to the 16th March AND now it's the 30th March!
I hope it doesn't get moved around again. It's very disheartening when you build yourself up for such a big and positive change and then it gets canceled on you.
I can't moan though, it is just cosmetic, there must be someone who needs the hands of the surgeons more than I do, like I probably pushed back a few operations with surgeons the day I was rushed into hospital. I can't moan about them not being free for me on the date they provided when they could be helping someone or even saving someones life, as they did with me.
I've applied for a job!!!
Well, I noticed that Channel 4 were hiring for work in the production side for the Paralympics, it's perfect for me!
I enjoyed working in media/marketing so I'd love to go further with my current skills and even more so, to be helping with the production of the Paralympics! It's just perfect for me!
Fingers crossed they'll like my application and get back to me with positive feedback.
I had to do a youtube video talking about the reasons I'd like the job. It was very new to me, this youtube recording! I'm no Zoella!
So hopefully I will hear back from them! It's only been a week since I posted it and I'm sure they have plenty of applicants to go through. Oooooo fingers crossed for me people!!!!
Also, I have been chatting to a lovely lady, Ezinna, who is the Charity Services Manager for the KPFoundation. I met this lovely lady at a workshop Katie Piper held at the QE last year. She is going to be back in Birmingham this month and would like to have a catch meeting with me. She's looking for help with the social media strategy for the foundation, and also interested in having a guest blogger connected to their site. Of course I am now an expert in both of these fields ;)
Ezinna would like to chat about how I could help with launching the foundations online peer support service and any other ideas I could help them with. It's a very exciting prospect and I'm very much looking forward to catching up with this lovely lady! Being a guest blogger on the website would be so cool too! It will hopefully help others living with burns if I can share my progress and positivity.
I will be sharing before and after pictures of my scars and reconstruction, which I hope will help others in my shoes - or shoe ;)
When I was first told about this pioneering treatment for my reconstruction, I searched the web looking for people who had dealt with this. I wanted to see how well it looked and what to expect. But I couldn't find anyone to follow. I guess a lot of people are more shy and insecure about their injuries/burns. Hopefully my before and after pics shared in my blog, will held someone out there looking for this, just as I was.
I'm going to see my surgeon this week. On Tuesday I have a meeting with him to show him how my pouches are doing, with the added pressure from the strain and time I'm waiting for the final operation. I'm praying that things will all go smoothly and it will all be worth the wait.
I'm (not so patiently) waiting for my licence to be sent back from the DVLA. They are making the necessary changes to my licence before I can get back out on the road! Hopefully, the way things are all going for me at minute, I will hear back from them soon enough and then the world is my oyster!
Anyway, Ireland and England are playing today in the 6 nations.
COME ON IRELAND!!!!
I'm half and half people, I support England in Football and Ireland in Rugby.
(I don't really like nor follow football, I'm a rugby girl! My opinion on the two countries are similar too)
Peace out x
The idea of planning a hen weekend excited me the most, I hope she doesn't regret her choice!
There is a slight possibility of this being the case when she see's what I've got planned for the hen weekend! She is certainly in good hands for this sort of mischief ;)
Just look at it! It's amazing! I love it!!!!I'm going to get my ass in to gear and make sure I look hot in it!
This is the image Alice first sent me. I think it is gorgeous, however I did think it was a little too similar to a wedding dress. She found a cute blue version of this though, so I'll be wearing this but with a light blue underline of the lace.
I'm pestering my prosthetist to get me dancing in heels for the wedding! April 2016 is roughly what we'll be working towards!
It's an exciting and achievable goal to go after too.
I'll start off on a 3" this year, build up my confidence in it and then by the wedding in 2016, I'll be dancing all night in a nice pair of 6" heels :)
I can't wait!!! It's all so very exciting. I will hopefully be looking a lot better too, following my face reconstruction surgery. You never know, I may even have myself a date for the wedding ;)
My operation was supposed to have been done now, the original date was like 2 weeks ago, since then it has been moved to the 16th March AND now it's the 30th March!
I hope it doesn't get moved around again. It's very disheartening when you build yourself up for such a big and positive change and then it gets canceled on you.
I can't moan though, it is just cosmetic, there must be someone who needs the hands of the surgeons more than I do, like I probably pushed back a few operations with surgeons the day I was rushed into hospital. I can't moan about them not being free for me on the date they provided when they could be helping someone or even saving someones life, as they did with me.
I've applied for a job!!!
Well, I noticed that Channel 4 were hiring for work in the production side for the Paralympics, it's perfect for me!
I enjoyed working in media/marketing so I'd love to go further with my current skills and even more so, to be helping with the production of the Paralympics! It's just perfect for me!
Fingers crossed they'll like my application and get back to me with positive feedback.
I had to do a youtube video talking about the reasons I'd like the job. It was very new to me, this youtube recording! I'm no Zoella!
So hopefully I will hear back from them! It's only been a week since I posted it and I'm sure they have plenty of applicants to go through. Oooooo fingers crossed for me people!!!!
Also, I have been chatting to a lovely lady, Ezinna, who is the Charity Services Manager for the KPFoundation. I met this lovely lady at a workshop Katie Piper held at the QE last year. She is going to be back in Birmingham this month and would like to have a catch meeting with me. She's looking for help with the social media strategy for the foundation, and also interested in having a guest blogger connected to their site. Of course I am now an expert in both of these fields ;)
Ezinna would like to chat about how I could help with launching the foundations online peer support service and any other ideas I could help them with. It's a very exciting prospect and I'm very much looking forward to catching up with this lovely lady! Being a guest blogger on the website would be so cool too! It will hopefully help others living with burns if I can share my progress and positivity.
I will be sharing before and after pictures of my scars and reconstruction, which I hope will help others in my shoes - or shoe ;)
When I was first told about this pioneering treatment for my reconstruction, I searched the web looking for people who had dealt with this. I wanted to see how well it looked and what to expect. But I couldn't find anyone to follow. I guess a lot of people are more shy and insecure about their injuries/burns. Hopefully my before and after pics shared in my blog, will held someone out there looking for this, just as I was.
I'm going to see my surgeon this week. On Tuesday I have a meeting with him to show him how my pouches are doing, with the added pressure from the strain and time I'm waiting for the final operation. I'm praying that things will all go smoothly and it will all be worth the wait.
I'm (not so patiently) waiting for my licence to be sent back from the DVLA. They are making the necessary changes to my licence before I can get back out on the road! Hopefully, the way things are all going for me at minute, I will hear back from them soon enough and then the world is my oyster!
Anyway, Ireland and England are playing today in the 6 nations.
COME ON IRELAND!!!!
I'm half and half people, I support England in Football and Ireland in Rugby.
(I don't really like nor follow football, I'm a rugby girl! My opinion on the two countries are similar too)
Peace out x
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