Happy Birthday to me!

It’s my birthday today. Love to everyone here 😊. Not much to do in the way of celebrating, but I got some lovely presents 🎁

[food-lover]

Wishing you a very happy birthday. You will have time to consider all the ways to celebrate when it’s safer to go out. Maybe make up a list and enjoy all of them after lockdown. X

[Hidden in reply to food-lover]

Thank you, I’ll do as you suggest.

[bubblyalex]

Happy Birthday 😁

[Gnarli]

Wishing you the happiest birthday possible. Be like the Queen and have an official birthday when the quarantine is lifted

[Mmrr]

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Embriony

Happy birthday to you

[sylvi]

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you happy birthday dear Embriony happy birthday to you. xxxxx

[Fruitandnutcase]

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, happy birthday,

Happy birthday to you.

🍰🍫💐🎂

Hope you have a very lovely day even if you can’t do much celebrating. Read a book, eat some cake, watch some television, eat more cake, have a nice relaxing bath and phone a friend or two.

[Hidden in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Well, I certainly ate cake, but I was hoping it could have been joined by chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, However, I think they must have been stored on top of a radiator, as they arrived looking like they’d all melted and were just one lump of chocolatey mess! I’m busy waiting to see if they can be exchanged.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Hidden]

Oh no! How disappointing I hope they do exchange them. Did you take a photo of them when you’re u opened the box - I hope?

[Hidden in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I certainly did - and I haven’t opened the box yet. If they send another box then I should have the original one to send back. Until I’m told they don’t want it, I’ll keep it in the condition it arrived. Just a pity it’s not possible to put photos on here!

[janmary]

Happy Birthday 🎂🌺🌸

[Elizabethhampson]

A very very happy birthday. Hope you eat lots of cake! xx

[Nessa28]

Happy birthday , wishing you a wonderful day 💐

[achyknitter]

Happy Birthday Embriony 3. I hope you have a good day, despite lockdown. Next year, when you are in the middle of extra special celebrations to make up for this year, you will think back with amazement at what you, and hopefully all of us, have survived.

[Hidden in reply to achyknitter]

Here I am coming up to the next birthday a year later. I’m still amazed and touched by all the best wishes and happy birthdays I got 😀. However, it isn’t the lockdown I’m amazed I survived and I don’t feel the need to celebrate in an extra special way because we’ll be finally and hopefully free from restrictions by the time my birthday comes around. I have more than adequate self sufficiency and don’t need to be constantly communicating with someone in real life.

I’ll be celebrating still being alive, because at the end of January 2021, I nearly wasn’t. I suffered an undiagnosed bowel rupture (I literally felt something go ‘pop’ inside me and the contents of my diseased bowel spilled out into my abdomen. I had chronic diarrhoea with an agonising and worsening pain, but this was the weekend and it took from Friday until the early hours of Tuesday to finally convince someone I didn’t have “a bladder infection”. I had already made one attempt on Sunday evening to get an ambulance out, but NHS 111 asked my husband whether I was breathing and when he said yes, he was asked if they could speak to me.

They said I “obviously” had a bladder infection and it would be best if my husband could take me to A & E as the wait for an ambulance be 5 hours! He hadn’t to come in with me and I would be given antibiotics. Well! He warmed and de-iced the car, but he also didn’t realise how sick I was. I’d spent most of the night on the loo, as in addition to the diarrhoea, I couldn’t seem to wee unless I made a huge effort and then just produced a few drops. I couldn’t dress myself and couldn’t get downstairs. In the morning the GP did send over a script to the local pharmacy after I told them what NHS 111 “diagnosed”.

Needless to say they did nothing. By that night I could no longer control the diarrhoea and retching and I just knew if I didn’t get to hospital I was going to die. After another fruitless attempt to get an ambulance, I was once again passed to NHS 111 and told an ambulance was (again) 5 hours away. I said I wasn’t the kind of person to call 999 in the middle of the night because I had a bladder infection and even if it was 5 hours away I would wait.

An ambulance came after roughly 40 minutes and had to get special apparatus to bring me downstairs. From that moment in, events are hazy. I was taken upstairs straight from A & E to the anaesthetic suite, with a brief CRT scan on the way. The surgeons began an 8 hour operation at around 3am and called my husband to let him know what was happening. I had been warned I would have a colostomy which could be reversed later on if I wanted it and that I would spent longer than usual in recovery, after which I’d be going to intensive care.

I was in hospital for 3 weeks, 2 nights in ICU. No visitors were allowed due to Covid, but I can’t say that bothered me unduly. I celebrated my wedding anniversary in intensive care, with 7 drains attached to me! It’s surprising how soon you get used to living with a stoma - just as well, as I’ve been told no elective operations are currently being carried out, since Covid has left them with a backlog. I’m going to be left with a massive scar, as I was cut open vertically from diaphragm to groin. Apparently bowel contents had been leaking from perforations for quite some time and I can believe that, as I’d not felt 100% for a while.

But I’m alive. This birthday next month is one I nearly didn’t see.

[achyknitter in reply to Hidden]

Looking back at this post I am now surprised that I thought Covid would be vanquished so quickly.

You certainly have something to celebrate this year - what an awful time you must have had. I am so glad you have survived and would just say that my father had a stoma for fifty years. He was a deeply shy and private man who was easily embarrassed but it did not impede his life and indeed he even swam with it. I hope that when thing get back to a little more normal you will be able to have it reversed. Happy birthday in a few weeks’ time and best wishes.

[10CC]

Happy birthday. Enjoy your presents knowing you are loved and being thought of today 🌼

[Hidden]

Happy birthday 🥳. I had a birthday in April. My husband arranged for all my friends to be on Zoom they dressed up and had banners and balloons up and we drank and danced the night away. It was fab. Have a lovely day.

[Caza]

I won’t sing 🎤 voice not great the mornings!!

Happy Birthday 🥳

[Olderguy]

💕🎂🌟🎈🛍🥂🍻💃👏😷 Happy Birthday 🥳 shield away!!!

[Sheila_G]

Happy Birthday. I agree with gnarli. Think about what you would like to do and make a note for when you can. Something to look forward to. x

[Ottoman3]

Happy happy birthday 🥳 Hope you have a lovely time

[Biofreak]

Happy Birthday 🎶🎶🎶🎶. Have a big piece of cake and a lovely day.

[Plumcrumble]

Happy birthday 🎉🎂🎁🎁💞💞

[Mumcon]

Happy birthday 🎉🎉

[Soundofmusic52]

Happy birthday to you 🎼🎼have the best day you can 🥳👏💐

[Topps]

Enjoy your birthday.

[rab1874]

Happy Birthday 🥃

[springcross]

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Embriony, happy birthday to you. 21 today, 21 today. 😁😁

[Hidden in reply to springcross]

I wish lol. Triple that 21 and you’re getting more accurate lol.

[springcross in reply to Hidden]

😁😁

[Creakywrists]

Happy Birthday!

It’s my birthday too.

I have a methotrexate head but have had all 3 sons singing happy birthday down the phone and flowers and cards and the sun is shining and it’s hot - all I need is strawberries!!

[beeckey in reply to Creakywrists]

Happy Birthday to you also enjoy your day

[springcross in reply to Creakywrists]

Well then, happy birthday to you too Creakywrists. I have a MTX head today too but then every day is an MTX head day lately! 😁 Enjoy the rest of your birthday. x

[Hidden in reply to Creakywrists]

All the *best* people are born in June ! Many Happy Returns to you too 🎂🍰🤡💼👗!

[beeckey]

Happy Birthday and hope you have the best day you can x

[Cal66]

Hi

Happy birthday, I know how you feel about not being able to go any where to celebrate. I had been hoping to go somewhere for mine in 2 weeks, but it sounds like my family & I will be still shielding, but at least we will should be safer.

Enjoy your day whichever way you can.

[Wearylady]

Happy birthday

[Hidden]

Thank you all for taking the time to make my day extra special by sending good wishes. I really appreciated getting so many!

[Carolsos]

Happy birthday to you 🎂 today, hope you have had a good day. X

[JFlay]

Slightly belated but hope you enjoyed your day! 🥂🎂

[Hidden]

Happy birthday 🥳 🎂