The past 48 hours or so have been almost too much to take in... But now that I've digested it somewhat, it's time to break the news to y'all.

I've been sick since Sunday with a really bad chest infection; I'm now on IV's over the amount of time the doctors hoped I'd be on them. We had a dilema when my port-a-cath, which is how I get IV antibiotics, decided that it wasn't going to give blood or take saline. It took two hours, and we ended up replacing the needle which is inside the little port under my skin. As of my last IV at 3pm today, it is working fine, apart from it still being picky over when it gives blood. I'm not too worried about that; it's happened before. I can taste the saline, canisal/hepsal/heprin and the augmentin, so I know it's fine. My Physio who assists my parents in the morning on weekdays has got me on a minimum of 4 ventalin and saline nebulizors a day. Apart from this morning, I've been coughing up three glasses of green gunk from my lungs, with difficulty. This morning was worse, with much tighter airways even with the nebulizors being took in like a smoker takes in nicotine. Lorna, the poor girl, got out her stethoscope and went "Are you SURE you've been nebed? You sound like an absolute DRUM!". The ideal sound is a tin can with peas rattling around in it. Unfortunately, I'm battling a two-lung infection. My left lung is hard to work with for two reasons:

I'm not used to working with it as my right lung usually likes to get infected; The air entry is poor into the bases, getting worse from upper, to middle, to lower.

And then, there's the prediciment of my right lung. It has decided, as per usual, to get a bit of stuff stuck in the middle to lower base. I've coughed so much to clear my uppers and my left lung, that it's all inflamed around that particular piece of infection and I now have an extreme wheeze in that lung. The very second the wheeze goes down a little, I cough and cough until I get some of it up. Slowly but surely, it's breaking up and moving towards the cup I spit into. Give me a few more days and it'll be out of there. The last thing with my chest infection is my drugs. I swear, I'm on sofran for sickness, 4-6 hourly paracetamol to keep my temperature down, 150mg augmentin intra-venous, and now I'm on permisalone [steroid] to try and kick this thing. Dad's not happy about the steroid, because they kind of cover up what you have and then once you're off them you re-lapse. We hope that wont happen this time, but I do need something to kill this wheeze I have. I think it suffices to say I haven't had a chest infection this bad in years; I do feel a little beter today though, although am still coughing my guts up. Lets just hope I can get better and better from here.

Next medically in my life is school. I've got a meeting on Wednesday with the schools doctor to get an assesment, and I'm heading onto Home Tuition. Getting to school is out of the question for me at the minute, and my grades have suffered immensely due to my time off since September. Although I am sitting on a B in ICT and Media, I am sitting on a U in both Biology exams which is not good for my Genetics plans. I hope that with Home Tuition I can gain help in catching up and understanding the parts of the modules which I find that little bit trickier. Not only that, but I need to step my study up a gear. I hope to be able to bury my head into the books starting next week alone, and it should be with a teacher within two weeks on a one-to-one basis.

Now, that's not the finish with school. Also on Wednesday is a meeting in court of both councils in my case to arrange a date for the hearing of the other side [is that defense?]. Anyways, Dad's talking about taking himself to talk to the barrister. The past three dates in court by the councils have resulted in an adjournment on medical grounds. The classroom assistant has claimed "a suspected heart attack" which makes her unfit to take the stand. Well, I'm sorry, but my Dad was on the stand 2 hours and has now took a heart attack. I almost took one watching him cry at Martina's name being dragged through mud which it does not deserve. They insist on inflicting more and more pain on my family, and I just can't sit back and take that any more. One day, somehow and somewhere, with those who matter at my side, the true story will be heard. Lets just hope they don't submit for another adjournment... I don't think we could take another one.

And that STILL ain't the finish of schooling issues. Not Wednesday coming, but the Wednesday after, is a meeting with the "transitions officer" and a load of other people to "discuss post 16 educational options". In other words, thats "Transition officer who should have been on my side when I was fourteen and not seventeen trying to get me to change career plans". I'm sorry, m'love, but I live, eat, breath, am Genetics. You can pull your finger out, get the money where it should be instead of your pocket, and get me the Chemistry A-Level I need on Home Tuition. Honestly, there's the SENCO [special-ed equal to Clay at my school], principal and vice-principal, the specialist and generic careers advisor, social worker, doctor and nurse all going to this thing. I have invited my Family Care Officer from the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to get someone on my side at least. The whole thing is still going on from August. The Equality Commission have took my case on as a breech of my human rights under the Disability Discrimination Act, much like your American's with Disabilities Act. Dad mentioned tonight, seeing as they are involved in this whole shennanigan, that they should be present at the meeting. I'll tell y'all right now though, there ain't nobody in that room that can take away my passion for Genetics.

Now onto other stuff, which is a little more fun.

Y'all know my little nephew Kian who loves Clay and Quiana? Well, his Mama, and my sister, found out yesterday that she is around 5 weeks pregnant! Now, we're all over the moon for her, plus I feel old being an aunt for the 6th time over now, but I do feel compelled to ask for extra prayers for her. Angela has hyperemisis when she's cooking, causing her extreme nausea. She lost weight instead of gaining during her previous two pregnancies. Not only that, but she has an illiostomy bag, which drains a lot of fluid from her. Anyway, this one is to be born around the birthday of her living son. She lost her first-born son to a diaphramatic hernia. Angela's a strong little woman, so keep her in your prayers. Just for the humour, on Boxing Day [December 26th] Angela looked as white as a sheet and was really nauseated. I turned to her and went "You might be pregnant!" - how right was I?!

And one more fun thing... We're hoping to build a new house. Due to Dad's heart attack, Mum's fibromyalgia and my own health, my sister [non-pregnant one, Marie] and her family are going to sell their house in the next field to us, we're going to sell our house to Angela, and Marie, her husband and three kids, plus Mum, Dad and Me are going to build a big house on our land at the back of the house we live in now to cater for extra needs, make easier bills, and give me a "Clay Wing" which has a little independance in it for me. This is all subject to planning, however. If we don't get planning, we're going to sell-up anyway and buy a big house to live in together. I'm gonna be a common girl living in a mansion!

Kylie xx