Not the entry I wanted

This should have been a blog about meeting some more wonderful people on another photoshoot. Instead, it is a different entry but one that is well worth making as it is an important chapter in my journey through the project and the hurdles I face along the way.

I always intend to get to bed early on the night before a shoot but never do. By the time I have checked my kit (more than once to make sure!), checked all the train times and connections if it is a long jorney (more than once to make sure!), prepared everything to leave for this children, sorted out everything I want to take with me for the journey so I can make the best of the time on the train in keeping up with my job and my writing....you get the idea. It is usually well gone midnight by the time I get to bed. Last night was no exception and was made worse by my getting into and episode of LOST while doing it all. I went up to bed at about half twelve and checked William as I always do. His feed had come unconnected and weighing his sheets revealed that he had probably had all his meds, including the all important immunosuppressants, delivered into his sheets! So, a bed change, more medication, and then a stoma bag change was needed, by which time it was gone 1am. I decided to increase the rate of his overnight feed, only by 20 mls per hour, to make up for what was lost and that was where I think it all went wrong for today.

I woke at 6 to set off to Oxford and found William's stoma bag full and overflowing and not looking normal for him. It was way over his usual amount but I guessed it could be the feed and told myself I would go if the flow settled. Thirty minutes and nearly 300 mls more later, it was clear that I was going nowhere, except perhaps to the hospital if this continued. I had to make a call as there was no time to see how things went. As it happens, William's output did settle during the morning and it looks like it may have been due to the feed - who knows. It was a good job I stayed though as his blood sugar was pretty high all day and I would have received some calls about that and needed to chase up the diabetes team to find out what to do about it all. William has diabetes bought on by his immunosuppresant medications.

I was very dissapointed as really look forward to the shoots and hated having to let a participant down. I have been feeling very muggy and half asleep all day so maybe it is for the best that the shoot will be rescheduled and I will be there bright and breezy on another day. I am hoping things will be back to normal tommorrow and then I will be up late again, preparing for another shoot on Thursday.