A short update for anyone who still pops by almost 5 and a half years later!

This year has been an incredibly busy one so far (always a good thing). Health wise, a few weeks ago I was finally able to celebrate getting through an entire year not requiring IVs, the last time this happened was well over a decade ago. I came down with something a few months ago and was *certain* I was going to need some medical intervention, but luckily I was fine. My lung function while still high had dipped a little bit (not even anything significant but given my obsession for numbers and charts, *I* noticed) and stayed that way for a while. Then one day I went for a swim and noticed when I checked my lung function afterwards it had gone up marginally. It was then I decided it was finally time to give 'getting fit' a real go. When I told my friends about my plan, they decided too that it would be good if we all shaped up. Having this goal with friends by your side is *definitely* imperative. There have been several days where all I wanted to do was go lie on my bed and watch TV but because we agreed to go exercising, it meant that the exercising won out. I also took up running *gasp*. I'm not very good, but have managed to run just over 2 miles a couple of times a week so far. So every other day now we either swim laps or run. Not as 'un'fun as I imagined or feared it would be. And my lung function now is back up to its higher peaks. I would LOVE to get it to go higher to beat my own personal best so hopefully some day it will. But the benefits and good health of exercising are more important than the numbers anyway.

Other health aside, the digestive system is still continuing to rear its ugly head every now and again. And I'm still as useless as EVER at predicting and preventing the bowel blockages. Which means while treatment works, I'm not really sure if it ever clears it as I tend to let it go so bad.

*The next bit may be a bit TMI (as my 'cool' mom would say) so feel free to skip on ahead. Or if you want some insight into what goes on behind the closed doors of the stranger (me) you may sit beside on the bus and wonder why they may act crabby as though they haven't been sleeping, please continue to read*

The other day I was knocking back Movicol sachets every couple of hours until, worryingly, everything stopped working inside me. Total standstill. For those who are not familiar with Movicol, I would imagine if you have a healthy bowel then taking a few would put the fear into you of not wanting to be too far away from your bathroom for a while. Most over the counter digestive tablets go with the motto 'soothing, gentle relief from constipation'. Movicol goes with 'effective relief from constipation'. So it meant I had to move on the strongest stuff available to me, gastrograffin. Which worryingly, also didn't work straight away (cue minor panic and planning about what to do next!). I've read that most people who, from the first few minutes after swallowing, don't leave the house for the day when they take this . But I don't know, clearly I'm strange, as I never have reactions like that. For me it's like taking a sennakot or motillium really.

Anyway, short of the long, is that it eventually did work. I had to take the afternoon off class the next day as this stuff full on dehydrates you where you need to drink several litres of water while you're on it. For me to drink one glass of water probably takes an hour. And plus, everything aside, when it seems like a wise idea to knock this stuff into you at 3am, you tend not think about the fact that you pretty much don't spend much time sleeping afterwards. So while I am continuing to push my body to be fitter and stronger, it would seem someone else intends for me to embrace what 80 year old women go through. I am determined I'm not in need of the bed pan for another few years yet though. God forbid.

I hope you all continue to be well. That wasn't quite the 'short' update i intended it to be...