Shenanigans around the globe

I was inspired by a tweet by Life-With-Endo to write another post about living with endometriosis (I promise I'll write about more trips...once I go on some). Everything I say is from my own account, I am not speaking for all endo-warriors. I have also learnt a lot about this condition since my original post. (Incase you don’t make it to the end...yes endo sucks but I ultimately love my life) There’s a common misconception that endo is basically extremely painful periods, this is false. The cells are not exactly the same as those that line the uterus but they are similar. They do bleed during menstruation, this is painful as the blood has nowhere to go so it just pools in different areas of the abdomen cavity. These patches of endo can be super deep in the tissue, causing scaring, fibroids and nodules. These in turn can cause pain at anytime, this can range from cramp to feeling like you’re being stabbed with a hot poker.  I have rectovaginal endo, it’s in my Pouch of...

So, after leaving a nightshift to go to a&e as I thought my appendix was rupturing (very different pain from endo) I’ve been diagnosed with a 4cm ovarian cyst (that’s walnut sized to help you picture it).  The doctors were nice, the nurses not so much. After almost 5 hours in a&e, in which a cannula was inserted into my arm and bloods were taken. I was told to go home and return in the morning for a CT scan to look for kidney stones. I asked if they’d scan my uterus/ovaries too as I was pretty sure it was gynae related, she said no. Luckily for me organs are pretty squished down there and my ovaries showed up on the scan anyways.  It took them a long time to offer me pain relief, the first being a diclofenac suppository (apparently that route is more effective for kidney stones). The nurse let me do it myself, which lessened my embarrassment, although F couldn’t contain his laughter when the doc told us that’s what she was prescribing. It did nothing for my pa...

Thought it was time I wrote a follow up to my endometriosis post. Today is the day I got 1000 views on it! super chuffed! Today is day two of my period. The worst day. My last post was written on day two post-op so I like the similarity of that. I'm currently curled up on the couch, under a blanket i've had 12ish years (its been washed a few times) with a heat pack on my abdomen. I have taken co-codamol with minimal effect. I also have the hiccups but that is neither here nor there, just annoying. I've got cramps that are shooting pains down my leg, wrapping around my sides and back and knocking on my spine. If I sit totally still, with my legs bent, I can almost pretend the cramp isn't that bad, TV and chatting can distract me from it so I feel almost normal...although my usual right sided stabby pain is creeping in. Since my operation two and a half weeks ago, my pain has been worse not better. I'm hopeful this is all part of my recovery. Having spoken to fell...

Decided to get super personal...expect gross photos, TMI and swearing (I'm kinda angry ok?) So today is Post-op day 2, but I'll get back to that. Just wanna say, F has been and continues to be, amazing. He looks after me very well and rarely fails to make me laugh when things are super bad. For about a year I've had chronic pain; - Random stabby pain in my lower right side which although I've got used to it, took me to a&e twice as I was convinced it was my appendix (it wasn't). - Occasional stabby pain in my left/middle. - Thee WORST menstrual cramps. Which start about a week before my bleeding and last until a few days after it stops, so about two weeks (every month!). These cramps cause tears, crouching in the laundry cupboard at work (if I even make it in to work), lying in the shower (often crying too), not being able to get out of bed etc etc. - Lots of headaches. - Difficultly peeing/pooping during periods. - for even longer I’ve had left hip ...

On Monday (the 7th) the real work began, I had to do an emergency first response refresher as my certification had lapsed. The day was spent, watching a DVD, reading theory and applying it in practice scenarios. It was a lot of CPR and the like. The class room has aircon but that didn't prevent me from becoming a sweaty mess doing CPR for at least 15 minutes and then repeatedly in different situations ( like finding Angus - my instructor - on the floor with his legs up on a fallen over table and covered in chairs with the word blood written on his leg and arm) the bruises on my knees stayed for weeks. Always turn exams over...I did the first page no problem only to be told I'd answered 11 questions wrong...highly embarrassing for a trained nurse, turned out it was 1 wrong and 10 I missed on the back which I then completed. I then started the theory for the rescue diver course. Tuesday was full of fun diving. Wednesday I started rescue, the morning was spent doing theory a...

I was welcomed to the Philippines by Wilson, my lovely taxi driver, and his love of 90s pop music. The 3.5 hour  drive to Maya was soundtracked by Aqua, the Vengaboys and who ever it was who sang hey macarina! (You can dance that dance to any song FYI). The views were spectacular, the ocean was visible for the majority of the ride and when it wasn't leafy green forest areas were. The car had air-con which was lovely as it's a very humid heat, staying steady at 28 degrees most days and only dropping a few degrees when the sun goes down. Makes for a very sweaty Hemy. After a short boat ride I arrived to the beautiful island Malapascua, just in time for the interns meeting at 5. I was almost late at I could not get the padlock off my door, luckily one of the crew was with me and after struggling with it for a good 5 minutes I was in! I also got a bit lost on the way back as the island has lots of narrow passageways and I wasn't sure of what turns to make as I'd gotten a ...

So I'm off on another adventure, this one of the aquatic variety. I'm going to a wee tropical island called Malapascua in the Philippines for an eight week Dive Master internship. I'm pretty nervous as this will be my first solo trip that involves flying and crossing borders...also because I've wanted to do this since I first scuba dived (dove?) in Egypt in 2006 (or maybe it was 2007) and fell in love with the underwater world. That first dive (well the 3 on that day) gave me a sense of calm and a great appreciation of this planet we're on, more than anything else has. Except when a tiger shark swam underneath me (quite far down), definitely didn't feel super calm then. That lead to me getting my Open Water diving certificate in 2008 - total brag but that was the only exam i've got 100% on. Unfortunately due to financial and location issues I've only done one dive since - a pier dive with my dad in 2009 in Victoria (Australia) where local boys fishing ...

Glasgow is full of some wonderful people. I was inspired to write this post on the bus tonight, this (kinda posh) man got on and warned me that the next guy "wasn't doing to well", he was incredibly drunk or worse and it was nice to be warned incase he was violent. This got me thinking of all the small encounters I've had or witnessed, that have helped me maintain my faith in humanity and that I've not forgotten. Most of these encounters have happened at bus stops or on the bus... About four years ago I was on the bus going home, I was minding my own business when this man sat next to me and started up a conversation, now I don't mind that but he was drunk and being slightly creepy. I was trapped by the window and felt it would be too rude/obvious if I moved seats as he seemed pretty harmless and I didn't want to make a big deal of anything. There was a woman sitting in front of me, maybe five/six years older than me, she held up her phone in a way that ...