My first blog post of the year, all about the family.
I'm happy to be able to say that the boys are doing well on the Alport Syndrome front. They had their routine appointment with their renal consultant in December and he was happy with their progress. We'd been warned about a possible downturn in kidney function around puberty and given Joe's 14 and Evan 12, that's right about now. So far though, things are looking good. The doctors have increased the dose of Joe's medication to protect his kidneys and there's talk of Evan starting on the same stuff but overall, things are positive. They'll continue to be monitored regularly, in fact Joe's having a kidney ultrasound on Friday to make sure everything is still as it should be.
Both lads are doing really well at school. Back in September, we were concerned about Evan's transition to high school but I'm delighted to say that it's gone like a dream. The staff have been brilliant about both his deafness and the Aspergers situation and apart from a few minor hiccups in the early days, things have settled down.
When it comes to being deaf, both lads have their struggles both at school and elsewhere; people (including me) sometimes forget that the boys don't hear so well if you talk to the side or the back of their head, meaning they can't lip read. They use radio aids in the classroom, which really helps, but the background noise and chaos of the school environment still means that they miss things. Attending assemblies is largely a waste of time for the boys because they don't hear anything of what's being said. Group situations where more than one person is speaking can also be difficult. Their hearing aids are fantastic and the boys have regular follow-ups from Audiology and a teacher of the deaf.
Moving on to me, things have been tough during the past few months. In September, I started a full time Doctorate in Counselling Psychology up at the University of Teesside. The course is excellent and the content fascinating but unfortunately my mental health was just not up to the task of managing the course. Commuting to Teesside didn't help and I was permanently tired. My arthritis flared up, meaning I was in constant pain. All things considered, I made the decision to defer the course to September 2018, a decision which was supported by my course leader. I'm still officially a student, I just don't have to attend classes until September. This gives me roughly eight months to get myself sorted for starting again. It might take me longer than some people, but I'll get there!
In other news, in September we finally moved house. We had a difficult six months of will-we, won't-we with the house as practically every legal obstacle was thrown into our path. It was extremely tedious and frustrating, but we got there in the end and are really happy in our new home. We finally have a garden, so I can buy that sun-lounger I've always wanted!
I'll end this post by wishing you all a very happy new year. I look forward to catching up with all your news xxx
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