Steady My Heart.

I initially wrote this blog post for STNBC and Britain's Nurses...you can view it on their site with a clicky here . Recently, I had one of those shifts where I got glimpses of my future as a student and then a staff nurse...a shift where I fulfilled my role as an HCA but also caught glimpses of my future roles. I was working with some of my favourite nurses - it was a busy day, but in a nice way that made the shift pass. These nurses are my favourites because they're my friends, however they're also my favourites because they can see my potential and treat me with respect - not just as their skivvy. On this day, I helped with washes, filled in food charts, assisted patients to mobilise, made trips to pharmacy and pathology. But I also got to help with catheterisation, to place an NG tube, to change a dressing. I did nothing above my role but just getting to experience these procedures - to lend a simple hand holding a leg, holding the patients hand and reassuring - I...

"The biggest problem I have is learning to listen to what my body's telling me and making the appropriate decision and acting upon it." - Oli Lewington Recently, I lost the balance quite spectacularly. I've been feeling relatively healthy - all things are relative when it comes to chronic illness. So I let things slip - I became a little less vigilant with medications, a little less strict with rest days, I did a little more living and a lot less illness management. For weeks now, I've known I'm in trouble. I've been totally exhausted but scared to stop in case it all fell apart. Turns out...eventually you'll be forced to stop. And when the decision was made to be signed off sick, I have never felt so relieved and gutted in equal parts. I hate being sick. I like being busy. I hate resting, I hate taking medication, I hate so much about having a chronic illness. However, a few days of true rest and I'm getting there. Coming back to the und...