Author: BYLSW

Sinus treatment for chronic sinusitis

Chronic Sinusitis – Gimme A Break!

Chronic Sinusitis = Constant Chest Infections I have spent weeks in a vicious circle. Coming down with a sinus infection, this going onto my chest and then needing a 2-3 week course of IVs (intravenous antibiotics) to help the chest infection. Then come off the IVs only for me to get a sinus infection again. The current cycle length is approximately a month. 3 weeks of IVs, struggle to manage

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Leave from Hospital for CF patients

Going AWOL | Overnight Leave From Hospital

Leave from Hospital Actually that should be Absent With Leave from hospital but it doesn’t sound as fun. When you are an inpatient for a long period of time, it goes without saying that you miss home comforts. Not to mention becoming institutionalised! There is nothing better than your own bed, even if they aren’t motorised like the ones in hospital! The CF team is usually quite happy to let

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Organ Donation - the law is changing

Changes to the Organ Donation Law | BBC Radio Oxford interview

Organ Donation Law Changes After many(!) weeks in hospital, I got to spend six days at home! Yes, six whole days! Within two days of coming off the ivs, my sinuses flared up again and as per usual started infecting my chest. At this time I was connected by BBC Radio Oxford to give to see if I would be willing to give an interview. This would be a follow

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Sinusitis mucus

Sinus Issues in Cystic Fibrosis 

Sinus Issues in Cystic Fibrosis  Not content with fucking up impacting on almost all our organs, cf also likes to mess with our sinuses. It is said that around 90% of Cystic Fibrosis sufferers have sinus problems. I’ve never really given it much thought. For years I have always had a bit of a runny nose, post-nasal drip and the feeling of having a frog in my throat. (Better than

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Christmas Dinner in hospital

What’s it like to spend Christmas in Hospital? – Part 3

What do you eat on Christmas Day in hospital? Everyone seems obsessed with food – especially over Christmas! And people are very interested in what hospital food is like over Christmas. Do you get a full Christmas turkey dinner? Glass of wine/port? My Christmas Day Hospital Menu Breakfast was just the standard offerings. No fancy smoked salmon and croissants here (unsurprisingly!!). Toast and/or cereal and a cuppa. Christmas Lunch in

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Christmas-Day-Hospital

What’s it like to spend Christmas in Hospital? – Part 2

Christmas Day in Hospital My partner came up to visit and we hung out. He pushed me down to the hospital cafe at the entrance, which wasn’t open! So we got some snacks from M&S and ate them across a table in an empty canteen. A romantic festive setting if there ever was one – with a bag of Sprouts on the table as a decoration. Yes, those infamous sprouts! 

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Christmas carol singers in hospital

What’s it like to spend Christmas in Hospital? – Part 1

Christmas in Hospital When people realise how long I spend in hospital (usually the majority of the winter), one of the first things they ask me is if I’ve ever spent Christmas Day in hospital.  Then where I am with my transplant. What’s it like spending Christmas in hospital? There is actually quite a lot of difference in the run up to Christmas and Christmas Day itself. I’ve spent several

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Front of Leeds First Direct Arena after Shed Seven

Shed Seven Leeds Live Review

Shed Seven Shedcember  Leeds 2019 The bi-annual Shed Seven “Shedcember” tour has become quite an event over the years in our household. We join forces with my other half’s sister and her boyfriend, as a pre-Christmas gathering to sing our hearts out to the Sheds. In the last few years I’ve not had the most success in my attendance of Shed Seven gigs. I was in hospital for the last

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BBC South Today filming

South Today TV Interview

Part two of my ‘media day’ followed with BBC South Today filming me for an interview. After my radio interview earlier with BBC Oxford, I met Natalie Verney who was going to be coming to my house. We agreed she’d give me half an hour and then follow me. This gave me time to go home and take a moment to gather my thoughts and cram down a banana. When

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Kat Orman

BBC Oxford Radio Interview

With less than 24 hours notice, I was up and off to speak to BBC Radio Oxford. I knew I had to be there for my interview at 10am and that I would be speaking about my experiences on the transplant list, but other than that I didn’t know what to expect!  My boyfriend gave me the tip to warm up my mouth (!) before arriving to help loosen up

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Old fashioned TV

Oh shit, I’m gonna be on TV!

 In September last year I saw a post on one of the transplant Facebook groups asking for people waiting for lung transplants to help in organ donation awareness promotion. I’ve previously been quite reserved and shy about telling my story, but I figured if I was willing to receive an organ, I better change my attitude! I gave a radio interview to Jack FM which was a momentum fail. I’m

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The Smyths at Oxford

The Smyths Oxford Academy Review 

The Smyths Review, Oxford 02 Academy – November 2019 Despite the abundance of tribute acts listed at the O2 Academy Oxford, I have never seen a live tribute to a band. Having not been old enough to experience The Smiths in their heyday, I was keen to see some of favourite songs performed live.  A quick cheeky pre-gig meal at Red Star and we find ourselves one place-setting along from

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Orkambi tablets

Orkambi Review – The Long Term Benefits

Orkambi – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Here I am giving an Orkambi Review- the good (benefits I’ve experienced as a result of Orkambi), the bad (the cost) and the ugly (the cost or more appropriately the foul things coughed up as a result of it)! Even on a quarter dose, it was tough coping with the initial side effects of Orkambi. Once I was over the worst

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