A bit of a mix

I'm home. I got home on Tuesday evening after a lengthy wait for some of my meds that had inadvertently been left by the pharmacy hatch rather than being sent up to the ward. They'd been ready for three hours when they were finally located and then collected. Oh well, such is life. I never expect a quick getaway from hospital so I just get on with the wait and while away the time (or should that be 'wile'?). Anyway, I got home in the end and it's great to be here. The cat has been ever so cuddly >^..^< It's wonderful to be in my own surroundings with my own things and no hospital clatter :o) The only thing is that I'm exhausted and finding it hard work being at home too. My lungs aren't fairing too badly given how recently I've been discharged. The main problem is the anaemia and the iron. It's wonderful that the pharmacist managed to find a preparation of iron that I'm not allergic to, but I am having other side-effects - gastrointestinal effects that are getting me quite dehydrated, even though I'm trying to drink loads of water. I'm told these effects should wear off fairly soon, but in the meantime it's not pleasant and isn't helping me achieve a general feeling of wellness. And there's the anaemia itself. My Hb was still around 8 when I was discharged, which was a bit controversial, but as I have a suppressed immune system, and I'm a sitting target for infection the longer I'm in hospital, it was thought that I'd probably be better off at home. I agree, except that I don't feel great and I can't do very much of anything ... even staying upright is a bit of a challenge at times so I'm spending a lot of time sofa surfing and thinking about doing some study to catch up, but I don't have the mental energy to concentrate :o( I must get my head around some study at some point though, because I'm getting quite behind with my course now. I'm hoping that the gastro effects of the iron will soon sort themselves out, and that then I'll feel a bit better in that respect. The iron will take several weeks to have full effect on my Hb (so I'm told), but I should hopefully begin to feel some benefit much before then. I have to go for blood tests at my GP surgery the week after next to check that my Hb is starting to come up, and if it isn't then they're to look closer into the cause of my anaemia, but I sincerely hope that things are significantly improved.

One of the very disappointing things of this whole situation is that there's no way that I'm going to be up to doing my gym marathon on 25th. I know it was an (over) ambitious date to set in the first place, but I needed to set a new date when I did ... and now I'm going to need to set another one. This is something I desperately want to do, and I will do, but I'm not going to be stupid and do myself in in the process. I want to do it before Christmas, and I want to do it before the pre-Christmas craziness gets too crazy, so I'm now proposing to do it on 15th December. This gives me four and a half weeks from now to get back on track with health and fitness, and is hopefully more realistic than 25th November. I am disappointed, but I know that I'll do it, and in the end there'll be an even greater sense of achievement. Oh, and it gives people more time to sponsor me, or donate through my Just Giving page.

So yeah, a bit of a mix - it's great to be home. It's great to have my creature comforts and be with my little black creature (the cat). It's not so great feeling not so great and being so worn out. I'll press on and come through in the end, and while I wait I'll snuggle up in my cosy new slanket that I'm loving :o)