A Little Bit Of Crafting!

 

Above is a photo I took of Daisy, the Hospital cat, that I took when I was in hospital recently. She has the run of the hospital, and visits patients. She often sleeps on their bed, and spends time in the Maternity ward making sure the new mums and babies are all ok. She visited the ward I was in and I took a couple of photos of her. She's a real treasure and likes to spend time in one of the offices curled up on a chair. When I called her, she came running down the hallway meowing! After a pat and cuddle he wandered off.

I haven't touched my stamps for ages due to being unwell. I'm still recovering at home, and having lost a lot of weight, I am now trying to build up my muscles and put the weight back on. I lost 6 kg (13.4 lb) which wasn't intentional and was way too much for me to lose. I've had issues being able to stand/walk, due to being so weak. But I'm slowly getting my strength back. I do have some new stamps/dies which I will post here as time goes by. While I was in hospital my kidneys stopped working I was so dehydrated. Everything is fine now, thankfully. While I was in hospital there was a nurse/doctor strike for 2 days. They had managed to put a line in my arm, but had to wait for the Doctor to sign the form so I could be given the  3 bags of fluid which had been ordered. Unfortunately because of the strike, there was only one doctor available at that time and he was really busy with two patients in Resus. Then I was moved to a ward, and they still couldn't find the doctor to approve the fluids. This went on for 2 days, and because I was vomiting I wasn't able to eat or drink. Long story short, by the time the doctor signed the papers, and they tried to get the IV fluids going, the IV had become blocked and they couldn't clear it. They tried to find another vein but  my veins had disappeared due to being so dehydrated. Both my arms were covered in bruises, and I was sick of being stabbed with needles. They got the Ultra Sound machine to find a vein, but each time they found one, it wasn't suitable. It was a nightmare, and then they told me my Kidneys had stopped working. They gave me something to stop me vomiting, and it worked well eventually. Then I was able to eat and I started to drink. For some weird reason I craved ice! Once I was drinking small amounts my Kidneys started to work again, which was great! I had a message from a close friend who lives 4 hours North of me, and we don't often get to see each other. Her youngest daughter (who  lives her in Auckland, not far from the hospital I was in) said that she was in Auckland as her daughter wasn't well. She asked me what I was up to and I told her I was in hospital. Ten minutes later she arrived for a visit! That was great and cheered me up. We've been friends since we were ten years old and used to go roller skating together. 

She stayed for several hours which was nice. I asked for a walker so I could get to the ta room to make myself a cup of tea. It felt weird walking after being in bed for 8 days and being so weak. Luckily the tea room was only a few steps away from my room. 

The next day I saw the Kidney Specialist who said he was sure my kidneys were working again, and would I like to go home?! Of course I said yes! I sent my friend a text and told her the good news. She said she would come and drive me home, which she did. By then I'd been in hospital nine days. Way too long, usually I'm in and out in 2 days. However, this time I had an infection and a high Temperature. I  had Campylobacter - food poisoning from some chicken I had eaten. (Chicken is now off the menu!) It wasn't pleasant and I had to have a 5 day course of Antibiotics. Most people don't need the Antibiotics, but because of my existing medial issues, I had to have them. It took the hospital a few days to properly check why I had such a high temperature due to a lot of the staff being on strike. They did their best with the skeleton staff they had, and I am grateful to them for all their help. The meals were great, and I have no complaints about the food there. So yeah, it's been a journey and I am SO happy to be home! Poor Romeo was overjoyed to see me, and he follows me to bed and sleeps tucked up against my chest each night! I felt terrible being away from him for 9 days, but I really had no choice. I needed medical help. 

So I am slowly getting back into crafting, I don't have a lot of energy, and still find standing and walking a challenge. I also get tired quickly, so I try to pace myself. Luckily I sleep ok at night. 

Thank you for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!