Went to the GP to get my flu jab earlier which I'm hoping will keep me protected over the winter. I've also been put back on doxycycline to give me a base level protection now that the sun is on the wane. Not overly pleased by this as I hate the hot flushes and burning feeling I get when I take the tablets but if it keeps the infections away then I guess it's all worth it...
Looking back, bar the pneumothorax in January I've had a pretty good run without developing any infections so far this year which is unusual as I typically tend to get 3 or 4 minimum in a year. Given that I'm on prednisolone to suppress my immune system and prevent it running riot this must be luck rather than judgement as I don't think I'm doing anything different to previous years. Hopefully the run of good luck will continue to hold but I definitely think relaxing and not allowing myself to get so stressed by things is certainly helping.
On Monday I also got confirmation that I remain 100% cancer free which is fantastic news. It's now been 14.5 years since my bone marrow transplant and while my treatment team believe the treatment may have played some part in the development of my lung condition, I'm so thankful for the advances in research which made the treatment possible.
One day I'm hoping similar advances will mean that someone like me will be writing about how well they're doing post lung disease. It's a dream I guess that we all share and I will not stop doing my bit to help raise awareness and funds for the BLF until that's the case.
Wishing everyone all the very best as we head in to the final sprint of 2018 - here's to the flu jab giving us all a fighting chance!
Written by
dodgylungrunner
British Lung Foundation
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Wow that’s really amazing, all of what you just said. Do you do something like a relaxation technique to not get stressed, or is this because you’ve got things in perspective and don’t stress the little (or big) things? I seem to be getting more stressed about more things. It’s getting out of hand and I don’t know how to do something about it. Anyway this is about you not me. Kudos to you 👍
Something I have done is to write up a list of the things in my life that I am grateful and read it when I am feeling down. Stops me focussing on the difficult and stressful things and gets me going again. Also I have a box set and will watch an episode and that will lift my spirits - everyone to their own choice but mine is Mapp and Lucia.
Thanks. I am very fortunate and am grateful for all the good things in my life but sometimes I lose sight of that and get overwhelmed by the silly little things in life and get really stressed about everything. Making a list of reasons to be thankful is a great idea. 👍
Hi HungryHufflepuff, thanks so much for taking the time to reply and apologies for not getting back to you earlier. Having said how relaxed I am, it's been a really busy time since writing the post! Not stressing is much easier said than done - writing down what's important to you is a good idea. I also find keeping a diary where I let off steam helps me put things back in perspective. Exercise and having some time to meditate where I focus on my breathing are also good. The other thing that's also brilliant is the BLF Helpline - well worth a call if things are getting on top of you.
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