5 Things That Made Me Happy This Week!

1. Baths

The simple cure for cabin fever is a good bath. I can't explain how much I'm loving baths at the moment. After a bad day a good lather of soap and a scrubby sponge is all you need to wash away the worries of the day. After a good day, what better way to relax than a sweet smelling bath? Sitting around all day feels a bit icky and dirty and no matter how ill I feel, I can always have a lie down in a bath. With my liver being so swollen it's the only time of the day I can get it to stop hurting. The warmth and boyancy of the water really takes the pressure off. It makes a lot of difference having that time without any pain. My liver isn't agony by any stretch but being uncomfortable 24/7 isn't pleasant and having that hour off makes it pretty easy to deal with.

I love a good smelly bath and I don't get much luxury in my life at the moment so I feel more than justified using up all of my lush products. I love lush for many reasons. They're a lovely green company started by a married couple with a great sense of humour. And their products smell amazing and do great stuff for your skin. Even the bubble bath makes my skin all soft and lovely. I was never that interested in moisturising until I smelt some of theirs. Nice smells and nice skin is the way to keep a girl happy! 

2. Swimming

On a similar subject, I went swimming on Thursday! I say swimming in the loosed sense of the word, what is actually did was float around. But my muscles feel well exercised and I didn't get too puffed out, which is great. The reason I went is that once I have my line put in I won't be able to go swimming anymore. Firstly the infection risk is high when your submerging something that has direct access to your heart in water that people have probably peed in. Yes the dressings are waterproof but they're not really designed for submerging, more a light shower or a quick wash with a damp flannel. There's also a risk bacteria could get into the line through the open end. For me there's extra reason because I'll be on a pump that can't be removed for more than a minute or two while refilling the medicine and I imagine it wouldn't appreciate being submerged in water. I know what your thinking but I can thankfully still have my baths. (That was the first thing I googled! Even before, how much does it hurt?). As long as I don't have it super deep I should be able to sit and lie in the bath with access site out of the water and I can just put the pump on a stool next to the bath to keep it out of the way of the water. Though it's a good idea to use clean water from the tap to wash my chest rather than the bath water. The good news is they're no longer putting the line in this week so I can go swimming again! I'll be having the line in the week after now.

3. Sunshine

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the sun. Or rather, I like the sun but the sun doesn't seem to like me. I come out in sore and itchy rashes after as little as ten minutes under the sun. So I have to coverup with a shirt and stay in the shade when it's hot. I used to only get it three or four times a summer when I was a child but the last two years it's really gone mad and it's like I'm completely allergic to the sun now. I also burn really easily. Last year I burnt my arms sitting in the shade with factor 30 sun cream on. So I can't really enjoy the sun to the fullest but it's just so lovely to see it shinning out there and relaxing in the shade with a cold drink is lovely. Everyone's so much happier when the sun is out and I feel my mood lifted too. As long as I avoid the dreaded heat rash, I very much enjoy a hot summer's day. 

4. BBQs

Like every other British person, we had a BBQ this weekend. In fact we've been having them all month. My mum is brilliant at BBQs. Everything is chargrilled and tasty, rather than burnt to a crisp and raw in the middle. They're just so good! We probably use the BBQ more than we use the oven in the height of the summer. There's just nothing better. We had my grandparents over on Saturday for a BBQ and it was the most perfect day. I felt really good, I usually start getting tired an hour into any kind of social gathering but I felt good all day apart from being insanely full after we'd eaten! It's always nice when I'm feeling well when I see my Gran because I know she worries about me. We've always been really close and I just love her to bits. It's not nice having everyone worried about you when you're ill but at least you get to see how happy they are when you feel better again. 

5. Papworth

The last that made me happy this week was going to see my transplant team at Papworth hospital because they were really positive about everything. Obviously I'd had a bit of a rough patch and I wondered if they were going to freak out about it. But they just said it was great how well I'd recovered since being in hospital. They want me to gain weight like everyone else but they weren't really pushy about it. They trusted that I was doing all the right things. Sometimes I feel like doctors think I'm a complete idiot. I have to assure them I'm looking after myself. As if I wouldn't be trying my hardest to stay alive long enough to get my transplant call! So I was really happy with that. And the appointment was really fast too so I was back home by 5 0'clock. I was expecting to still be at the hospital at that time! 

These are all the things that made me happy this week! It's been a good week!