Back on track

AT LAST Erin is back to full strength, firing on all cylinders and her plans for world domination are back on track. Dare I say it, she is sleeping better (well anything is better than not at all, right?) eating better and talking all day long. It has taken her this full 2 weeks to recover, she is only just off pain meds and it's not been pretty but finally we can put the tonsil saga behind us.

Now that her throat and nose are clear she can sniff again! This has been a much longed for skill as her 2 beagle sidekicks do nothing but sniff all day long and she can finally join in. She is loving sniffing any flowers that are in her proximity which makes going for walks a fairly slow process but she is so delighted with herself it doesn't matter.

I have to say we are over the moon that she is finally turning a corner as the past 4 months have taken it's toll on Jamie and I. Having a child with health issues feels like a test of mental, physical and emotional strength all the time. We have had no respite from the roller coaster since January and that was more of a stop for air rather than a break. There have been no nights off, no time apart from the situation and I feel like I've been walking about with the words 'liver disease', 'immune suppressed' and 'organ transplant' tattooed on the inside of my eyelids for almost 2 years. People always say that they are impressed with our coping skills but in truth I think that your mind protects you from the worst effects of stress at the time you need to be strong, but it all catches up with you in the end. I find it hard not to lie awake at night and think of the 'what if's'. I know this is normal for parents to do but the things I worry about are not the norm. What if she caught chicken pox just now? How ill wouild she be? What if she is crying because she has rejection, not just teething? What if these huge tonsils were PTLD? (don't google it, just trust me it's a nasty thing she is at risk of due to certain medication she takes) What if she has to have another inpatient stay, how will she/I/Jamie cope?

Whispers *if* her sleeping continues to improve I'm hoping to get out on my horse and my bike more regularly which should help me sleep and shift the last of this darn baby/hospital weight .

We are in dire need of a rest and some fun, and most importantly some hospital free time. We have plans for a friends wedding this weekend and even a T in the Park weekend in July so fingers crossed for stability. Erin is back for bloods on the 28th June but after that we are hoping for a clear spell of normality, well as normal as life gets in the world of post transplant.

We have been even more delighted to learn that liver family friends from Glasgow are finally getting to take their daughter home from Leeds 7 weeks after her mum gave her a lobe of healthy liver. She will hopefully be snuggled up at home in preparation for her 1st birthday celebrations tomorrow, she has had a bumpy start to post transplant life but is on the up and we hope nothing will slow her progress now.