An eventful few days

What a busy few days it has been and involving a real roller coaster of emotions. Last weekend I enjoyed a GTG with some stitchers from a board I frequent and I can honestly say I haven't laughed so much in a very long time.
Some of us met for a meal the night before where amongst other things we were taught how to brew tea properly. They turned up with the teapot but weirdly also a timer set up ready to go off when the tea was brewed. It wasn't a mega posh place either and I have never known anything like it. Most people peer in the pot and stir but it was an experience that I won't forget in a hurry.
Tuesday I went to see my consultant and agreed to go on the transplant waiting list. I am not as estatic about it as I might have thought as I am still not sure I can actually go ahead if the time came. I am hoping the psychologist will help with this and sometimes I think what the hell I will do it and other days I get panic attacks about it all. My consultant has said because of many factors it probably won't be for a good while-although you can never tell on these things and is happy for me to decide at the time. Whether I accept the organ will depend on several things and it will be the match, my psychological feelings about it among other things. One thing that came to light was that the reason I was refused should never have been a complete bar without further investigations, which is why they have been working so hard to try and sort it all out. I was originally told that my vessels were full of calcium and I would haemorrage as soon as they clamped them to stop the blood flow to graft the kidney on. A scan proved that they were not like that but this surgeon still won't have anything to do with me and it has been noted by a new one that he is usually the one to say yes where others say no. I really don't know what has happened or why, but he will not be considered to do the operation now and my consultant has clearly put it on the computer that he won't do it, not that I refused to have him which is great. Apparently alot of patients can have this calcium build up and I still could have but the scan proved it was not enough to cause a problem. I got rather freaked when I found out I could have it anyway and wondered why we had gone through all this, but this is when my consultant said that they can still do it because they can tell at the time if it is safe to go ahead. If not then they don't do it, but it is unusual that this is the case as there is often some way around it. This floored me somewhat as that definitely means that I should always have been considered for the list and had more tests to make sure not to forget that by shutting the door on me the vessels could have got worse anyway. I am so very cross about all this and just glad this surgeon won't be the one doing it as I would either thump him or run out the door.
The major risk for me now is the success of the thing because it could be difficult to get in and attach as a previous transplant was there so they have scar tissue to contend with. Also being a patient who never does things by halves my blood pressure could stop the kidney working as it would mean reduced blood flow to it and especially so if the kidney works well and I get dehydrated. So my consultant has said I will need to go to ICU after so that I can have some very good drugs that will help my blood pressure stabilise in the first crucial period after the operation. This scares me a bit but apparently it isn't a big deal and if all goes as they hope I would be awake and aware of what was going on just in a place that can give me the drugs easier.
It is early days and at the moment I just feel relief that chapter has closed and all the uncertaintly gone, and am trying not to pressurise myself on deciding what I would do at the time. After all it may never happen but at least now if it does I have all the information at hand to make an informed decision.
Today I am chilling out and stitching and later off to the retail park to look at laptops. I am considering getting one to do my course and as I get a fair bit of financial help it is feasible. I found that last time using the desktop in the hall made it difficult to concentrate at times and me and mum both wanted to use it so one or other of us had to come off it. I am reckoning that a fairly cheap one just for course stuff shouldn't be too hard to find, because I would still do all my leisure surfing on this one, so I don't need to spend loads on this as it is only for one thing. I also need to find a smallish desk for my room as I did all my work on the floor before and that really isn't ideal long term which this committment will be.

Finished White Satin

Today I finished the clss piece that me and Gina took at Judy Dixons. I am really pleased with how it has come out as although I have stitched similar before this is my first go at such an intensive piece:

A finish

Just as Big Brother is drawing to a close I finish the first piece that I have been stitching whilst watching it. It is by Margaret Sherry and is called Home is...




I stitched it on Silkweavers desert sky lugana and left off the whiskers as they didn't show up.
I also started my first pair of socks with the Regia wool I received in the exchange and so far so good, but I have yet to turn the heal lol.
Rotation wise I am still mulling it over and even though I have started another round I may still change it again, but am so far not sure how, so am carrying on as usualy until I stop procrastinating.
Other than that I have been a bit under the weather with a cold and tummy thing so had to cancel the OU celebrations of last night. I do feel better today which is good as we are off to my brothers tomorrow for the day and I wouldn't want to pass anything on.
Thats it for now, off to grab lunch and to stitch the afternoon away.

Rotation news

I have decided to leave my rotation as it is for the moment and to do my obligation pieces as breaks from it. I do have a couple of things to finish before I can start the obligation pieces but none of them have a dead line as such, as long as they get done.
In other news I have just signed up for my next OU course and have printed all the forms so will start filling them in soon. It starts whilst we are away on holiday, but hopefully if I receive the materials in time I can do a bit before we leave. I don't feel as nervous this time around either as the studying is such a positive experience and did so much good that I can't wait to start again. I am also meeting with my old tutor group on Friday for a celebration of finishing and passing this course. At least one of them is going to be on the next one so it will be good to celebrate as well as chat about what we are all doing next.

Lovely stitching gift

I took part in a Christmas in July exchange on a bulletin board recently and today my gift arrived. First of all I got this absolutely exquisite box which may or may not have been made by my partner:



Then inside was some sock wool and some ribbon and apparently there is more to follow but it is winging it's way from further afield:



I have also today ordered a full sock kit as so far I hadn't got the needles and it was a good offer. I chose Opa Rainforest wool in flamingo so now will all being well have 2 nice pairs of socks this coming winter.
Other than that I have been sorting my room out as I want to get a proper work space sorted for my future courses and I am getting alot more storage space already, with more to follow when I tackle the other corner.

I passed!!

Yes folks I passed the course and got a better grade than I could ever have imagined. I am so pleased and over the moon with it at the moment and think some stash shopping is in order. Also there is no better excuse than the fact that several of the online places I shop at have sales too. Bring it on!!