That's Better...well, it should be soon!

Just another excuse as to why our allotment must be feeling neglected! Yep, I'm playing the kidney card.

Photographed on Tuesday

Some of you will know that we missed our holiday last year because my AV fistula failed.

If I hadn't received my transplant and still needed dialysis the hospital would have worked on the fistula to get it working again - some kidney patients have enormous problems with their fistulas but I was lucky with mine all the while I needed it.

Last November it swelled up and hurt a lot but within a few months the swelling, lumps and bumps just dissolved back into my arm - amazing really, I thought I'd have a lumpy arm for the rest of my days!
Actually, one lump didn't go... This aneurysm clearly wasn't going to disappear of its own accord.

Photographed on Sunday

It's not been that painful; just the occasional twinge but sore if it got knocked so it always felt vulnerable. So the Churchill Hospital said it should be removed and that was done on Monday.

In a couple of weeks I think I'll have no excuse for getting up the plot and dealing with that manure!!

Holiday? What holiday?!

Well, as you can see...I'm not blogging about growing tomatoes in sunny Tenerife!
We didn't make it out of the country! We're so disappointed.

The Arteriovenous (AV) fistula in my arm, which was used for needling during haemodialysis, stopped working the day before I wrote the last post. Because I have my transplant I don't actually need the fistula any more but it's kept if there's a need for it in the future.
I checked with my renal unit at the Churchill Hospital and they told me it could be painful and to take painkillers. Well, there's painful and there's PAINFUL!

Clotting fistula

After another trip to the hospital and some antibiotics the decision was made - I couldn't possibly travel and wouldn't want to have been abroad with an arm that hurt when a sleeve touched it.
So we've got a couple of weeks in Hungerford instead!

Today was the first day we've ventured to the plot. The sky was blue and sunny but no life in any of our recent plantings yet (garlic or broad beans) and nothing interesting to photograph. The minimum temp has been 2° and maximum of 13° (not 28° like Tenerife - no! Stop that!!)

Anyway, back home pretty quickly to nurse my not-so-swollen-now arm.
Tut, such bad timing  :-(