Two and a bit years

It's now 2 years, 2 months, and 10 days after my liver transplant. I re-read this blog recently, and it brought back some amazing memories, both painful and triumphant.

So what is life like now? Well, first of all, the scar looks like this:

Not very visible any more! Still have a numb patch around my belly button, and I get twinges occasionally when a nerve wakes up - these are a bit painful but very welcome!

Otherwise I am still taking a whole load of pills every day:

A: Everolimus - the immunosuppresion drug. I finished the clinical trial and now continue to take 3.75mg twice a day.

B: Ursodeoxycholic acid - a natural liver acid that can help slow the course of any PSC that recurs in the new liver (touch wood, it never will).

C: Prednisolone - the corticosteroid. 5mg once a day.

D: Omeprazole - proton pump inhibtor, stops excess acid and protects my stomach against the effect of the steroid (although I still get heartburn occasionally)

E: Fish oils - purely as a health supplement, this isn't prescribed

F: Multivitamin/mineral - again, a supplement

G: Aspirin - 75mg every other day to reduce the possibility of blood clots forming around the new liver.

I visit clinic once every 6 months, although I've been going more recently until last month, due to the clinical trial. My liver function tests are now superb and comfortably in the normal range. There is no sign (as yet) of any PSC in the new liver. Fingers crossed.

Otherwise, life is amazingly good. I'm very much enjoying teaching, I've set up an education consultancy and written a piece of software to go with it. I've been appointed an honorary research associate at Brunel University, and have been advising various organisations and businesses on education and data. I've been Tweeting like a madman, and very much enjoying it.

I'm still living in North London - Kevin and I have a great flat in NW6, and we're really enjoying spending time together. He's busy setting up a fashion label.

My only brushes with hospitals recently have been nut allergies. In fact all three recent issues occurred when visiting Kevin's family in Malta. They love to put powdered almonds in cakes over there, but the manufacturers often use a lot of peanut powder flavoured with almond essence to cut costs. This has led to some nasty reactions. I will not be touching cakes in Malta again...

I've given up dancing, for the moment at least. There just wasn't enough time in the week to do it. It was sad to do so, but having got out of the dancing rat-race for a while I begin to get a bit of perspective of what a strange little fake-tan covered world it is. I do still dance around the flat when a good tune comes on though - I doubt I'll ever stop.

Life update

Ok, too much has happened for me to keep it to myself, but I'll be brief.

I am still well. In fact, very well. I was transferred on to the new immunosuppressant, Everolimus, and it seemed to be doing just fine. I did have one week in hospital back in August when I had some minor rejection, but that was very well-managed and I was soon up and about.

I'm back at work, full time. Work is amazing now that I have the energy and I have never enjoyed it so much.

I met an amazing guy back in April 2009, in fact I mention him in my blog on that day. His name is Kevin, and he was a dancer and is now a fashion designer and is currently working with another designer on such big names as Cheryl Cole, Kylie, Britney, etc. Pop-tastic.

Anyway, to cut a long story short we started dating in May, went on holiday together with the rest of my friends in July, got engaged in November, moved in together in December, and we're planning on getting married this coming July. I have never been so happy in all my life.

I have started dancing again, with Sharon, and it's been amazingly enjoyable. We're going to compete in Pro, but we still have routines to get together. A very exciting time and Kevin is going to make her a dress (or three).

I'm starting up a new business. At the moment it's a tool that I'm going to be using at school but I'm hoping that I can develop it further in to something for all schools worldwide.

Kevin is also starting up his own fashion label, and has started renting his own studio space.

The rest of my family is doing very well - we've had one engagement and one new baby since my last update.

Life is really, really good. I thoroughly recommend a liver transplant for improved quality of life!

Until next time I'm feeling inspired to write...

All the best,

David

Happy 3 month liver birthday

Three months down, and it's been an incredibly journey. My life is completely transformed. I have more energy, enthusiasm and drive than ever before. I'm back at work with avengance, and will be resuming a teaching timetable in a few weeks. I'm starting dance training this weekend, and have already been out for more nights out in London for shows, meals, bars/pubs/clubs, etc. than I had for an entire year before.

I've been following the advice of a top-notch sport-and-clinical dietician and have got back in to my gym routine, and have already seen as much difference in the past two weeks as I had in nearly two years of training before my transplant. 

Of course, it's not all been plain sailing, but apart from a drug side-effect of some fairly intense acne (causing me to spend a small fortune in Boots on skin-care products) then it's just amazing. I'm back at clinic next week, where I will be on my last 4 weeks of the immunosuppresion drug Tacrolimus (aka Prograf) before I go over to the new drug (Everolimus) only.

To be honest I don't intend to make particularly frequent posts on this blog from now on unless something particularly interesting happens. I'm glad to have been able to share this incredibly experience, and I'm profoundly grateful to everyone who has been keeping up with my story. 

From this time on I think the story moves away from me and on to everyone else, such as my extended family's burgeoning brood of kids, my friends' weddings, and so on. For me, the story is now changing to my career, my dancing, and the continuing twists and turns of my relationships!

Signing off, for now, with love,

Dave

Best Man

This week I have:

• Returned to work nearly-full time (Monday)
• Worked a full day then drive to Oxford to help with practice and have dinner (Tuesday)
• Worked another full day then visited Dad (Wednesday)
• Worked half a day, then gone to SE London by train for Clinic (more good news, and lowered medication), and written a best-man's speech
• Worked a final half day, driven to Cardiff, made two music CDs, had a big pre-wedding dinner (Friday)
• Successfully got Chris married off to Hazel, delivered a successful best-man's speech, and danced for about 6 hours nearly non-stop until 1am (Saturday)
• Driven back to London, unpacked, prepared to go out to see Eddie Izzard later tonight (Sunday).

Not a bad week's work really...

A positive blip

I've been worried since that trip to A&E about getting a reoccurrence of the twisted intestines. I'm 90% sure it happened again this morning. I woke up and felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, but this time I knew what it was. First of all I figured that if I turned over and relaxed then it could well relax and untwist/unherniate itself naturally. A few minutes after I did then I immediately felt bubbles moving showing that whatever was blocked had cleared. It still stayed sore, and I felt it was a bit at risk of coming back, so I took two Buscopans (anti muscle-spasm medication), and a couple of painkillers, and within 20 minutes I'd fallen back asleep. I woke up again 90 minutes later feeling absolutely fine!

That really is very good indeed. The hospital had warned that reoccurrence might mean an operation next time, but it turns out that whatever the issue is, then there's a much greater probability that I can deal with it easily myself. In the grand scheme of things then the downside of that happening occasionally is just nothing compared to the absolute joy I am experiencing every day with my newfound energy, drive, and enthusiasm. 

More positives - even from a negative!

Easter Holidays week 2

By 'eck, I've been busy. I spent the weekend continuing the Great Clearup, and recovering from my big night out. On Sunday night I went to see 'Knowing' at the cinema, followed by a trip to a bar and proceeded to get back to my car in the car park after it had closed for the night. Monday morning I went to retreieve the aforementioned vehicle (£21 - ouch!), shredded about a tonne of old bills and statements, and went to St. Albans to take Patrick out to the park and on a train ride.

On Tuesday I finally got stuck in to filling in some forms and making some phonecalls that I'd been putting off for months. In the evening I went to the Albert Hall to watch the London Philharmonic Orchestra spectacularly accompany the film "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" with its original soundtrack (I got goosebumps!). On Wednesday I met with a financial advisor from NatWest who I took an immediate dislike to, and shredded more paper (not at the same time).

Thursday - ah now that was a good day. I woke up at 6:45am, bounded out of bed and got ready quickly, then jumped in to the car and headed over to Oxford. I got there just after 9am, and started helping out at an Oxford University Dancesport Team dance workshop. Absolutely brilliant fun, I was helping one of the coaches demonstrate, and occasionally taking small groups to teach them too. The day lasted 6 hours in total - 3 in the morning, break for lunch, then 3 in the afternoon. I hardly sat down once, so that counts as at least 5 hours of dancing. My feet certainly hurt afterwards, and in the following two days my back and legs have been very pleasantly sore. I'm absolutely over the moon about it - I can dance again! Can't wait to get back properly now. In the evening I met up with Sarah, my dance partner, and we had a brilliant catch up.

Yesterday (Friday), I took an enormous quantity of shredded paper, old clothes, old books, old electrical bits and bobs to Camden's Reuse&Recycling center. In the evening I took the tube to The O2 (alias the Millenium Dome) to see the controversial Russell Brand do a comedy show. He was excellent, and sent himself and the media up very amusingly, although the warmup act was pretty terrible and they wasted irritating quantities of time before and after (until I left) with getting the crowd to cheer, clap and fake-laugh so they could film us for the DVD and for some film. 

Today's plan is to see Dad and Carole for lunch, back here to have a second go at pruning my clothes and books, then perhaps out tonight - maybe something salsa-related, I'm not sure yet.

Tomorrow I'm planning to take Patrick to Beaconscot Model Railway, then in the evening I'm going with a large group of friends to see La Clique at the Hippodrome, again. Did I mention that YOU MUST GO TO SEE IT? Oh yes, I think I did...

Work starts on Monday (hooray!), and I'm going in at least 4 days, probably all 5, at least for the mornings. On Thursday I'm at clinic again.

On a high

I've just woken up, and I'm still buzzing from last night. With some difficulty I tracked down a couple of friends (Harriet and Jan) who weren't off seeing their families over the weekend and headed out in to Soho for a couple of drinks. There we met up with my friend Rich, his boyfriend Tim, and two other friends(one of whom was apparently one of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake dancers), and sat around chatting for ages before heading out to Heaven nightclub which is beneath Charing Cross station.  

I had such a brilliant time! Different rooms in the club played everything from 70s and 80s through to more modern music, and I danced non-stop. Harriet (who is another ex-oxford dancer) and I couldn't resist showing off a bit with some impromptu latin, and were particularly amused when we found another latin dancer having a bit of a show-off. We ended up almost putting on a bit of a show, with each of us guys taking turns with Harriet with rather cunning ways of jumping in and taking over while she never stopped!

So I really feel that if I could cope happily with that last night I can cope with anything. I met some lovely people, had a great time, and it really goes to show just what amazing progress I'm making to be able to do that just exactly 9 weeks after my transplant. In fact another confirmation of that was the clinic appointment on Thursday where I got my blood-test results from 2 weeks ago. Two more levels had come down in to the normal range (including the previously all-important bilirubin which is now below 20!!) leaving only the GGT level slightly higher (although only marginally, and it had been steadily reducing over the past 3 weeks). I'm still waiting for a reduction in my medication, but they wanted to review this week's blood tests before deciding on the new dose. 

The consultant was all set to tell me to take one and a half steroid tablets per day (instead of 2) until I objected that they were 'enteric-coated' i.e. covered in sugar to prevent damage to the stomach lining, and that if cut in half this would have no effect. He laughed, and said it was a good point, and that he'd leave me on 2 tablets for now, then hopefully reduce it to one in a fortnight. You've gotta watch these guys...

All the medics and nurses were very pleased to see how well I was looking, and they confirmed that I'd gained 4kg in the past fortnight, which is an incredibly achievement for me as I've always really struggled to put any weight on in the past. I think the workouts must be helping, but the chief reason has to be haing a liver that actually plays its part in the digestive process!

This weekend I'm mostly taking it easy and gently carrying on my huge reorganisation of all my papers, clothes and books. Tonight I'm driving to Luton airport to pick up Charles and family. I think I shall also start planning another evening out for another weekend some time soon!

Back home!

Life is good! I'm back home in my flat. I've been starting to sort out the mountains of paper and detritus that had accumulated while I was being too tired to sort it out before my operation. I've slept incredibly well (turns out I like sprawling accross my own double bed really rather a lot), and been enjoying shopping and cooking for myself. That said, it comes as a surprise each time I look in the fridge and realise the food hasn't been magically replenished - being pampered at Dad and Carole's was really rather luxurious!

I'm just about to head of to Barry the Shiatsu practioner, then I'm having lunch out with Dad. This afternoon I have a particularly nasty pile of paperwork to deal with, plus a little working out to do, then I'm out with my friend Elias tonight for dinner.

Tomorrow is clinic day, so hopefully more good news. Charles, Kathy and Patrick are back home from Portugal so I shall try and see them on Friday, then the weekend is still to be filled up!

Now, I'm just off to book flights to Tuscany before I jump in the car...

Manic - in the best possible way

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What a week it has been. I've been far too busy to post on my blog, and I guess that is a trend that may continue so you'll have to excuse me if I'm posting only once or twice a week now. On Tuesday I went in to work in the morning and had a really efficient few hours. I got lots of projects started, and managed to grow my things-to-do list in to double figures! In the afternoon, after a very short break for lunch, I headed over to St. Albans where I took Patrick out to the park and we had a lovely time looking at trains, playing in the sand pit, and collecting pine cones, stones and twigs in his little wheelbarrow. I love my Patrick-time, and I'm pretty sure he's quite keen on Uncle-Didi time too. Tuesday night was my one and only evening in, at home with Dad and Carole. One Wednesday morning I drove over to St Albans again and helped bundle a huge quantity of suitcases in to Charles and Kathy's car, along with Patrick and friend-of-the-family Mark. I took them all up to Luton airport, though Patrick was so excited he was demanding I turn and look at every single item in the airport ("LOOK Uncle Didi LOOK, is a BIG Airpot an' a REALLY REALLY BIG windmill" - aka the radar).

They got off successfully, and I headed back home for another swift lunch before heading to Harrow for another Shiatsu session with Barry, who was delighted with my progress from the previous week. I went straight from there back to my flat where I met with my old school-friend Andy. We had a really fantastic catch-up over a superb meal from the Fine Burger Company (really worth a try if you've not been before), and I didn't get back to Watford until midnight. 

Thursday morning I was up bright and early to go to work again. More efficiency, more meetings. I was loving it, and definitely looking forward to getting these next two weeks of Easter holiday out of the way, to get back nearly full-time work. Once again, a brief lunch at home, then off to Harley Street to meet with Drew Price, a nutritionist. It was my first consultation and I was very impressed indeed - he has both a clinical/medical background as well as being a top sports nutritionist (apparently he works for Chelsea football club too). Lots of useful hints and tips and he is going to send me a big information pack with recommendations next week. Quite excitingly it was my first trip by tube since the operation. I know they said to be careful of public transport but considering I've been wandering round supermarkets and my school I think its a little silly to single out trains as banned, so I'm just being careful about being in well-ventilated carriages and keeping my hands clean.

As soon as I got home from that I had all of 45 minutes before setting off to Hampton Court (a horrible journey at 6pm) where I spent a really enjoyable evening in my friend Sharon's art exhibition in the Fountain Gallery, followed by a lovely Italian meal. Again, not back until midnight!

Friday, I had my only quiet morning, then headed off to Finchley Road in the early afternoon, taking most of my belongings with me from Watford. I had a lovely afternoon pampering myself with long baths, relaxing, and doing some dancing around the flat on the lovely wooden floor, before going out to the best show I have seen in years. La Clique is a burlesque circus showing in the Hippodrome. I just can't recommend it enough. It is painfully funny, stupendously impressive, joyously entertaining, and totally unexpected. Book it NOW, you absolutely will not regret it. No, go on, I mean it - right now...

Rich, who had taken me to NoFit State Circus last Sunday has seen it 4 times now, and I can completely understand why he was so keen to take me to see it too. I can't wait to see it again either. He and I had a really good meal and chinwag at Wagamama's afterwards - a *really* wonderful evening.

Saturday morning I was woken at 8:30am by Nick and Sarah who had just flown in from South Africa. We had a good catch up over a cuppa and swapped Safari stories. Our friend Ian arrive at 10am, and we got ourselves ready and headed to Green Park station by 11am. There we met up with the remaining members of the Stag and Hen parties for Chris and Hazel's wedding, although chief Hen Laura was sadly in A&E with a trapped nerve in her neck. Fortunately the challenges and games went ahead anyway with what props I brought with and the girls went to buy on the spot. After an hour of running around, pouring beer over each other, blindfold sniffing, accosting strangers to tell stories, welsh-national-anthem singing, and other such shenanigans (which the many, many tourists in Green Park were loving) the stag and hen parties went their separate ways. I led the Stags (in my role as best man) to Gourmet Burger (again) in Soho, followed by Zebrano Bar for a cocktail-making and drinking session (where I sipped a little of each to show willing). On to my flat for poker and pizza (with two decks of Karma Sutra playing cards), and finally the tacky 'delights' of Spearmint Rhino. All the Stag-Do boxes were thoroughly ticked and a good time was had by all. I hear the Hens had a similarly good time, and fortunately Laura was soon discharged from A&E and joined in most of the day with them.

I am now finally back home, elated, and looking forward to another good week ahead. So far it is looking less busy, though frankly if this week is anything to go by I shall fill it up swiftly. I think I will spend at least half my time in Finchley Road, maybe more. 

Healthwise, all is going well. The remaining stitch that was poking out and being slightly sore was finally accessibly to trim today, so I suspect the soreness will reduce hugely now that its no longer so sharp and pokey. My digestion is putting up very well with all this eating out, and I'm putting weight on at quite a rate (2 or 3 kilos in the last week, which is remarkable). I've only had about 6 paracetamol tablets in the past 5 days, and otherwise no other painkillers. I've done 2 more workouts, each longer than the last, and I'm finally managing to put a little effort in without feeling exhausted after 5 minutes. There is next-to-no yellow in my eyes at all, and every single person I meet has told me how well I'm looking (yes, I need to put a new picture up).

Life has never been better.

Circuses, stags, and someone else's medical emergency

Sunday was quite the treat I hoped it would be. I was up fairly bright and early and zoomed off to Boots, Next and TK Maxx to buy some new clothes and things in celebration of my new liver. I then picked up my friends Robin and Claire from the station, had a nice lunch and a chat followed by some very naughty sticky toffee pudding with a cuppa in a nearby pub. Claire went off to the Watford Colosseum as she was doing a choral recording there, and Robin and I headed back to watch the boat race.After revelling in an excellent display of Tab-Bashing (Tab=Cambridge student, for those not in the know), Robin headed back to meet Claire, and I spruced up in my new togs and drove to Islington to meet my friend Rich.

He showed me some very natty website programming and work he's been doing (which knocks my efforts in to a cocked hat), and then we headed off to the Camden Roundhouse to watch a spectacular Circus-style show where the audience stands in the middle of the arena and various high-wire acrobatic performances go on around you, above you, among you, while you get shepherded around. Stunning, really exciting. Its called NoFit State Circus - I heartily recommend it. Rich used to do circus acrobatics himself, and his expert eye said that it was a 'good' level of expertise but he wasn't blown away. As someone without experience with these things, I thought it was incredible! I'm going to see another similar thing on Friday called La Clique, which is apparently even better, so watch this space for reviews.

Today was dramatic. I did some odd jobs and paperwork in the morning, then sat down with Dad and two of his staff for lunch. When I got up from the table to take some plates to wash up, I suddenly noticed that Dad's gardener appeared to be lying down in the middle of a flower bed. Thinking it was odd, I pointed this out to the others, who headed out only to discover that the poor man had collapsed, was slurring his speech, and seemed to be unable to move one arm. We sprang in to action, called an ambulance, got blankets and towels to get him comfortable, move cars in the drive to make room for the ambulance, rang his wife, and I jumped in to the car to pick her up to bring her to the house.

Incredibly the ambulance had already arrived as I'd started the car, and by the time I'd heaved my way through horrible traffic he'd been assessed, packed into the ambulance, and was on his way to Watford A&E. Of course, given my recent experiences I know the way there all too well, so I took the poor anxious lady straight there. Very disturbing. We heard later that they had experienced the very worst of Watford A&E when the doctor took a brief look and attempted to discharge him. The patient got up, collapsed again, and only when his daughter shouted angrily at the doctor that he should be assessing for 24hours, did the idiot cave in and found a bed available in the Stroke unit! Insanity. Apparently Watford A&E is pure pot-luck.

After those dramas I headed in to London again this evening to meet up with my very good friend (and indeed ex-girlfriend) Laura. Some years ago Laura and I were responsible for getting Chris and Hazel together, and we had a good chat about each other's plans for the Stag and the Hen do, and got some good ideas for embarrassing things to say in my speech (which Laura is backup for delivering should I have another health hiccup). Great fun to catch up, and we've got some ideas that will amuse everyone except Chris and Hazel who will hopefully blush appropriately.

Finally I got home this evening, heard all about Dad and Carole's many hours spent buying a car, and watched some West Wing (yes, I'm *still* watching it). Tomorrow I'm in school in the morning, and minding Patrick in the afternoon. Wednesday I'm seeing my amazing Shiatsu practitioner, then meeting my friend Andy in London. Thursday I'm probably at school again then going to Harley Street to have a consultation with a top nutritionist, and Friday I'm hopefully seeing this second circus-show. Then of course its the weekend and the Stag do. Life is absolutely bloody wonderful - hooray for health and energy!

The fun continues

It's still good! Friday I went and viewed three flats as I continue my quest to find the ideal place to move to this summer. Nothing has struck me yet as perfect, most of them are still asking too much money. I think that given prices are still heading down then I might as well wait for something pretty bargain-basement or just go and rent instead.

I also got measured up and fitted for my morning suit for Chris and Hazel's wedding which is coming up in a few weeks. Very exciting. I've now finished all the things I need to do to organise Chris's stag do which is this coming Saturday.

Today I got up and about fairly quickly so that I could head in to Watford town centre to buy some rather overdue birthday presents for two of my nephews. I have been rather poor of late in Uncle duties, but hopefully given the circumstances I can get away with it this time! One of the presents involved downloading a dinosaur game from the internet, and burning it on to a CD. I absolutely sweat blood trying to create a CD label for it, and managed to scare Dad to death when I emitted a shriek of frustration and irritation when Carole's PC crashed on me. He rather mistook it for pain, though I've pointed out to him that he has been yelling blue murder in the kitchen for nothing more than dropping a knife on the floor for my entire life. Still, I shall be glad when everyone around me is able to relax and not be concerned for my health. It takes its toll, but I know there's not a lot I can do about it other than carry on getting well!

This afternoon I headed up to St. Albans and took my brother and little Patrick up to Luton to pick up their new car. As it took a long time I ended up amusing Patrick by sitting him on my lap as we drove very slowly around the car park, and he got to push the gear stick. Unfortunately when Charles came to heave him back in to his child seat in the back of the car he decided it was the time to demonstrate his new-found grip of steel on the steering wheel and complained loudly. It took two adults to prize him away, and then a fairly frantic effort of distracting him while I returned him home with Charles following close behind in the new car.

This evening I'm sitting in the kitchen at Dad and Carole's with pop music blaring out of their radio at full volume (thank goodness for detached houses). I'm on my own at the moment, and having very wistful thoughts about being out at a club on a Saturday night, so this is the best I can do to simulate that, aside, I suppose, from flicking the lights on and off very quickly. Dad and Carole will soon be returning from Croydon where they've been at baby Isaac's first birthday party. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow where the plan is currently to meet two of my friends for lunch then go and watch the boat race in a pub. In the evening I'm going down to the Camden Roundhouse with another friend and we're going to watch a quite incredible-sounding circus/acrobatic performance, where you apparently stand in the middle of the auditorium while they tumble and swing around you! I'm also already looking forward to going in to work a couple of times next week.

It's all feeling good, touch wood!

Livertastic

Today I got a look at my blood test results from last week. Very excitingly the particularly offending test result, the AST, has plunged dramatically from a concerning 70-something down to 31 - happily in the healthy and completely normal range. Other subsidiary numbers (ALT and ALP) have reduced significantly toward normal, and the bilirubin (yellow pigment) reduced to 22. I reckon there's a chance that today's blood tests might even see that lower still, but I won't find out for a while as my next appointment isn't for 2 weeks (which is also rather nice).

It is a distinct possibility that in a few days the hospital will call me to tell me that I can reduce the amount of immunosuppresion that I am taking, which would be really good progress. Unfortunately they won't reduce the steroids just yet - but probably at the next appointment.

I do have a really good time at clinic now. Ruby, the clinical-trial nurse, is really lovely, and we have a good laugh every time I see her. It happened that my doctor this week also happened to be the main doctor on the clinical trial - his name is Hector, and he's a really great guy too. I even get on remarkably well with the phlebotomist, and manage to carry on the banter even while he's doing his vampiric best to drain my entire arm of blood! I've had to promise both Ruby and Hector faithfully that I'll send them photos of my dancing just as soon as I'm back to it!

The clinic appointment was the icing on the cake of a really brilliant 36 hours, that started, yesterday morning, when I went in to school. It was a wonderful experience. Even the act of putting on my suit was quite exciting, and it only improved when I arrived. Everyone seemed really pleased to see me, and I had waves, hugs, and handshakes all over the school. I even had a group of my former students rushing up to me asking how I was and pleading with me to come and teach them - bit of a personality clash with my replacement I suspect rather than a specific preference! I had a really useful and fruitful meeting first thing, with a colleague who has been newly appointed as an assistant head. I then attended the breaktime staff meeting (by which time I was honing my response to 'how are you?' to a pithy 3 sentences. 

Rachel, the exams officer (who I share an office with) told me that I was resembling Tigger with my excess of energy, and I can entirely believe it. I think I talked at her fairly constantly for a good half hour, and I hope I haven't sabotage any exams! She said it was nice to have me back, though I suspect she'll be relieved when I stop bouncing off the walls...

I then had another really interesting meeting with another of the assistant heads and managed to cook up a whole load of jobs that need doing, and some very interesting ideas that I shall look forward to getting stuck in to before I go back in for another morning or two next week.

Finally I sat down with the head briefly who did his best to get me to take as much time off as I could possibly need as he said they had planned to not have me back until September. I did slightly poo-poo that notion, and suggested that it was rather more likely that even after the upcoming Easter holidays I would be champing at the bit to get on with things.

I thought it was probably wise to head home at lunchtime. Apart from anything else I'd failed to get out of the habit of running up and down all the flights of stairs to and from my office, so my stomach was a tiny bit sore - I really must concentrate and not do that! I went home and talked excitedly at my Dad for an hour or so, before finally putting my feet up for an hour. 

Later in the afternoon my sister-in-law Kathy brought little Patrick over. I'm not quite sure where the energy came from but we were soon having a little adventure in the back -garden that involved clambering behind trees, peering through holes in fences, and a great deal of getting slightly damp with the hose and the watering can. He's really turning in to a small boy now - the baby talk is fading away and we were having lovely little chats, and he was rather solemnly following my instructions on how to water the greenhouse, albeit with more water ending up on his shoes than had been intended.

I slept very well last night, had a nice lazy morning (albeit whilst starving myself as I have to do before blood-tests in the clinic), and even managed to do a few pressups, dips, and a few exercises with some light weights that Carole has. 

I'm writing this sat in my flat in Finchley Road, waiting for Sarah to come home so that we can finish off what's in the fridge before she goes to South Africa for a week's holiday. Another lovely evening ahead.

It's great being able to write such positive news, long may it continue...

Return of the dyanamic Dave

What a great couple of days. On Monday I decided to have a lazy morning, given my energetic schedule on Sunday. Despite this I managed to accrue a list of about 12 different things to do by 11am, ranging from answering a slightly complicated email query from work, through updating my friends' wedding website and ringing various people for advice on nutrition and alternative medicine, to organising a trip to take a suitcase of gran's old photographs to an aged relative to help build up a family tree and write down some old family stories and reminiscences.

I absolutely stormed through the list, and managed to add in several more items during the day which all got ticked off. This kept me busy enough that I finally managed an afternoon without having a nap, which allowed me to get a slightly more sensible bedtime that night. I also got through the whole day with just 4 paracetamol pills on top of the required 8 immunosuppression pills, 2 cortico-steriod pills, and 2 others. An 18-pill day - can't be bad! In fact I've not had any of the powerful painkillers for over a week now.

Tuesday was even better. Another pleasantly lazy start then I sprang in to action mid-morning, and after a swift porridge breakfast (which has made a comeback as my regular morning meal - making me feel healthy and smug), I drove down to my flat in Finchley Road, picked up my post, sorted out some banking, filled in half of the application form for the distance-learning sports science course I'm studying for next year (long story - another time...), then met up with my friend Evan for a late lunch. We had a really good catch up, and bought some huge and decadent pastries from Waitrose afterwards - I was particularly surprised and amused when someone recognised him from TV and half-shouted something like "I love your work" at him as they sped by with their shopping trolley!

I managed to pleasantly lose track of time as we chatted, then had to slightly rudely kick Evan out, grab all my things together and head back to my car at full pelt to drive over to Harrow where I managed to be 15 minutes late for an appointment with Barry, an old friend-of-the-family who is a Shiatsu practitioner combined with all sorts of other massage and alternative therapies. He's previously done quite incredible things to fix any back pains and problems I've had, and I felt that given the traumas of the last 8 or so weeks that it was time for a bit of a system-overhaul.

Very pleasant indeed, and I'm sure I was at least an inch taller when I left and the slight headachey pressure in my forehead that had been around for a while in the background had almost vanished entirely. Finally it was back to Watford for a healthy dose of Chicken Soup, care of Dad, over which we managed to spend a good hour debating politics and setting the world to rights before settling down to watch a particularly mindless and yet enjoyable film on TV. (Boys' night in - Carole was staying with my step-brother Ben and his family overnight).

So, following an early night where I actually not only went to bed but also got to sleep before midnight for the first time for weeks, here I am on Wednesday morning at 7:15am about to get up and don my suit-and-tie to make my first expedition in to work since the first week in January. Very exciting stuff.

Oh, and Tuesday was a 16-pill day. All things digestive are settling slowly but surely, though I'm not entirely back to normal yet. I think that the yellow at the edge of my eyes has receded a little again, so fingers crossed for tomorrow's blood tests in clinic!

David's Odyssey

I practically bounced out of bed at 9am this morning. Unusual, as morning's tend to be my worst time of day. Also unusual because I only finally fell asleep at 3:30am having had to sneak in a midnight snack of Rice Krispies, read far too much, and generally been overly awake due to my afternoon nap.

I quickly showered, gobbled down a generous helping of porridge, and drove over to St. Albans where I accompanied by brother and little Patrick to the woods behind their house to enjoy a stomp around, and a picnic in a makeshift 'tent' (a load of logs and sticks leaning against a tree - but Patrick didn't seem to mind). Patrick and I were both tired after that, and he went to bed for his nap, and I came back to Watford to have mine.

I woke up at around 5pm, helped Dad make a rice salad, and proceeded to pinch a generous portion before jumping in to my car and heading to Reading for a dance competition. I had been delighted and touched when three friends of mine who were already at the competition rang me having talked amongst themselves and been all concerned that I was planning to drive myself all the way there and back. Fortunately my pain levels have been continuing to diminish, my energy levels have been returning, and my intestines have been improving their behaviour every day!

The drive was sluggish, as one would expect on a Sunday evening, but I enjoyed myself immensely and played music very loudly and alternately sang loudly and then wiggled in my seat depending on whether my CD was playing pop or dancing music. I arrive, amazingly, bang on time at the leisure centre to watch the grand final of the ballroom dancing championship. There was a short break then they commenced with the amateur latin championship. I nearly exploded with excitement at seeing all the competitors, hearing the brilliant music, seeing the costumes, and smelling the fake tan. Several people told me to sit down, sit still, calm down, etc. but I was very much on cloud 9. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening, and got back home by just after 10:30pm.

Finally this evening I have eaten the remains of the rice salad, gabbled overenthusiastically at Dad and Carole about my evening, and finally settled down with my laptop and a good book this evening to settle down and process it all.

Things are looking up.

Touch wood.

Twice.