To say I was scared is probably an understatement of the year for me. It is not often you enter A&E with vomiting and diarrhœa , and suspected dehydration and then within five days are being transferred to another hospital because of kidney infection that may have been the cause of the original presenting illness… One’s mind chases ahead to many “What ifs?”. But now I am back to “taking one day at a time” as at in the early days of this blog in the early days of my HIV diagnosis.

It has been a very long day of sitting in my room in Tallaght University Hospital to south and west of Dublin. It’s been a day of learning about Goodpasture Syndrome – the current believed diagnosis here. I had a very restless night after my transfer by the professional team from the National Ambulance Service from the Midlands Regional Hospital in Port Laoise.

Today, Andrew brought me in a new teddy who is called Liam. Now I have two teddies with me. Liam is the plain soft one. Tommy is the camo military bear. See photo below

I must record my thanks to him for all his support though I have told him that I want to the four firsts myself:

  • first central line in;
  • first kidney biopsy;
  • first plasma exchange; and
  • first kidney dialysis.

It is not that I could not use his support tomorrow, but I want to know that should this become an ongoing process, I can do it without his having to get time off work to accompany me.

    I also wish to record my thanks for the many family and friends, church friends, Scouters, and members of St John Ambulance all near and far who have been making me feel so loved in the past days. I suspect these love will be needed in days and weeks ahead. But for now, thank you.