I may have been away from training in First Aid with St John Ambulance Ireland for some time since I stopped being a First Aid Volunteer. However, in the last year, I have had quite some training for medical procedures for my own dialysis. Initially last year, the Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) team in Tallaght University Hospital got me trained up to be able to do PD at home. As we know, that wasn’t as successful as had been hoped. But the training that they gave me in washing my hands, preparing the trolley, has become very useful in recent weeks here in Tullamore.

I have started being trained to self-canulate. Yes, I am putting big blunt needles into my own arm so that I can be dialysed. This is new. This is very interesting.

Today, I managed to get the venous needle in my arm, but not the arterial. However, there are, of course, nurses on hand to help.

And I also got the update from the consultant that he has (finally) made the referral to the national transplant team at Beaumont Hospital. So, now, we wait for a letter from them for me to go and meet them.

Liam is a very happy bear.