Happy new year to whoever is reading this post!
In truth, 2024 began for me as 2023 ended: hard work, plenty of positivity, and lots to look forward to. Except that I didn’t expect things to turn out in quite the way they did …
Unfortunately, my health took a bit of a battering to start with. I didn’t expect to be referred to three different consultants at the same time but that’s what happened. Firstly, the kidney pain I had started to experience at the back end of 2023 grew more uncomfortable, and the antibiotics my GP prescribed for urine infections didn’t make things better. So I was referred to a Urologist, someone who specialises in kidney issues. While I was waiting for that elusive appointment, I flew over to Scotland in March for my youngest grandson’s first birthday. The whole household had colds, so it wasn’t the best environment for me to be in, and that’s without the cabin of the aircraft doubtless carrying numerous germs. But by the day I arrived home, I felt awful. I shivered, my throat was sore, my eyes streamed with water, and I began having a terrible cough which, in turn, played havoc with my back.
On the Monday I was due to return to work, I was in bed, devoid of an appetite, sense of smell, and my usual get-up-and-go gone altogether. Whatever else it was, this was a nasty dose of the flu, and I can’t remember being so ill for years. I completely lost my voice, I struggled to breathe with the amount of coughing I did, and my back really suffered for it.
I returned to work after a week in bed. After all, I worked from home, and asked to be excused from phone duty because I was so hoarse. My strength, appetite and sense of smell slowly returned, but the cough was horrendous and full of nasty mucus.
When my son and his partner came to visit with my two grandchildren in May, they were still carrying coughs, so mine returned with a vengeance. In the midst of this bug, I was still suffering with kidney pain and severe bouts of diarrhoea. Whenever the kidney pain flared up, so did the diarrhoea, and I began to link the two problems to one another. In the meantime, my GP also requested faecal samples from me, and these came back with raised inflammation markers. So I was referred to the Gastronomy department for further investigation.
Finally, in June, I went to see the Urologist for my kidney appointment. He was rude and extremely patronising. He told me that the pain coming from my kidney was, in fact, being caused by my back condition, and no amount of telling him otherwise was going to make a jot of difference. However, he did agree to send me for a CT scan of my kidneys so that was something. The scan was marked as urgent, so I was very fortunate, given the current climate in the NHS, to have the scan the following week.
Within a day of having the scan, however, I received a call from the hospital to say that something had been detected on my left lung during the kidney scan, and that they wanted me to see a chest consultant as soon as possible. I was still coughing profusely and struggling to get rid of the mucus on my chest. The scan of my lungs and the appointment for the result was rushed through at top speed, and I found myself visiting hospitals on three different fronts: for my kidneys, my bowel, and my lungs. It was a very scary time, but I continued to work as this took my focus away from all the health issues that seemed to be plaguing me.
The scan on my lungs revealed that I had a lesion caused by Pneumonia, not Cancer, as they first suspected. The kidney scan revealed that I had stones in both kidneys, but that the one on my left side was larger and needed to be broken down by a treatment called ESWL which stands for Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy. I went to an outpatient appointment to have the treatment carried out which was extremely uncomfortable but very effective. You are basically asked to lie on a bed where the radiologist takes x-rays of your kidney and targets the stones with shock wave treatment. I went on two consecutive weeks to have this treatment. I also had another scan on my lungs to ensure that the lesion was shrinking. As for my bowel, I eventually had a Colonoscopy in November. While the biopsies taken during this scan came back normal, they would still like me to have another one in due course. But, knowing my own body, I still believe that the kidney stones and raised inflammation markers from my bowel were linked since I now feel so much better.
During the upheaval with my health, RNIB began the first leg of its major restructure which saw the Technology For Life team in which I worked under consultation over the summer. This was a deeply worrying time for everyone as our jobs were on the line. When the consultation ended, several of my colleagues took redundancy while some moved to other teams. When the role of Digital Skills Engagement and Events Officer was introduced, I decided to apply for the job and was offered it on a job share basis with another colleague. I had fully expected to be made redundant as I had been with RNIB less than two years, so had started making other plans for what I would do after life with the organisation. I set up STRIVE Ability, and re-negotiated the Education Authority contract so that I could continue supporting tactile learners who are in mainstream education across Northern Ireland as part of the work I was doing at RNIB. But when I was offered the post of Digital Skills Engagement and Events Officer with RNIB to work three days a week, I was ecstatic. It meant I could work for RNIB on a job share basis, and run my own business the other two days by training and supporting tactile learners. In a nutshell, it couldn’t have worked out any better for me.
I began my new role with RNIB on 30th September 2024 and have never looked back. I no longer have to work as a kind of customer service call handler. I do what I love most: training volunteers and partners in the use of technology, and writing content for RNIB that can be shared with everyone. I can switch hats and work for the EA Sensory Service in my capacity of STRIVE Ability and grow my own training and consultancy business alongside what I do for RNIB.
In the end, 2024 wasn’t a bad year for me despite the first half of it being fraught with health concerns. I feel much better and much lighter with the burden of worry now lifted from my shoulders. I am a highly motivated, positive person, so can’t wait to get stuck in as 2025 unfolds!
I don’t make new year resolutions, I believe you should always strive to do your best and try to keep a positive outlook. I do have goals though which are not the same as new year resolutions. I want to:
- Grow my own business
- Excel in my role with RNIB
- Visit my grandchildren as often as annual leave and health permit
- Read a few more crime thrillers
- Embrace any new tech that emerges