Hello everyone! I hope you are all well. My name is Kayleigh Jessica Parkinson although everyone just calls me Kay unless i am in trouble, being stubborn, or its something serious. I am 21 years old and should be out living my life enjoying myself, working, in education, socialising with friends all the things young adults do although i am not doing any of those! Well i am living life just a lot differently than myself, family, and even friends could have ever imagined. I had a lovely childhood mostly with my grandparents and i loved it.
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| Me and my Grandparents ( My best friends) on my 17th birthday. |
I went to school and enjoyed being with friends, shopping, karate, and horse riding. I was happy, active and healthy apart from being incredibly clumsy; i would fracture my wrists at least once a year from 7 to 15 years old but nothing was ever thought of it, other than my parents getting questioned as to if they were hurting me. In 2010 i had the odd occasion where i would be taken into hospital as i couldn't pee they would put in a catheter OUCH! is all i can say to that; then a few hours later out it came and off we went home all back to normal or so we thought, it never crossed anyones mind why this was happening that was until a year later when thing came crashing down.
In August we had been on a holiday in the Isle of Wight it was lovely but i spent most of the holiday either in bed or crying in pain; again we thought nothing of it and went back home to finish the sixth weeks holidays, and get ready to start sixth form.
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| This is me with my cousin Gemma on holiday in the Isle of Wight this was about two weeks before our lives changed. |
30th September 2011 a day i will never forget for as long as i live partly because it is my aunties birthday but mostly because of what was about to happen. It had started as just a normal day I had just started sixth form and was enjoying all aspects of it that afternoon when heading to see my dad at lunch i collapsed on the floor and was unable to move; luckily i was already at the hospital as that is where my dad works so i was rushed round to majors and i remember i was shocked as i was the only patient in majors ( its NEVER been this empty). The doctor came in and asked me one question " Kayleigh when did you last pee?" i had to think ( never a good sign) ' 4 days ago' i replied within minutes a nurse came in yes you guessed it to put in another bloody catheter in ( oh the joys); the doctor came back to say i was being taken up to Guys hospital ad that they had a bed ready for me, i remember thinking it wasn't like al the other occasions with a catheter going in then coming out and going home this time something was wrong, little did i know then that this day was the last day of life how id known it and know it and that my new life was about to start.
Fast-forward to 2016 ( for once i have that power) things have decided since 2011 more than i could have ever imagined. Having functional neurological disorder, hyper mobility, wearing hips, osteoporosis, gastroparesis, incontinence, and retention, these are just some of the things that have caused me in to be a lot of pain and needing my wheelchair to get around, although i am having weekly physiotherapy and i am determined to keep my body moving. I still have a catheter and now also have a feeding tube due to the gastroparesis my weight dropped very low so i have the tube for feed and medications that i find hard to swallow, i am also having seizures and of course like any other person with an illness i have a lot of hospital stays, procedures, and surgeries but we always get through the, with a laugh, smile, and prayer.
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| My first feeding tube which went through my nose ( I am now on the third feeding tube which goes into my small bowel) This is a picture taken of me having my first feed. |
Well that's it from me for now, WOW! My first blog post done. Thank you for reading and an even bigger thank you if you were able to keep reading right down to this end massage. I can't promise these blog posts won't be a little longer than most but i can promise i will always be honest about how this has effected me, and i will make these posts as up beat and positive as much as possible. I hope you all have an amazing day/ night. Thank you once again ( you'll soon realise that's one word i say a lot another is sorry; just ask my friends and family they'll tell you it annoys them so much but i can't help it, it just seems to flow out without me even thinking about it) so i am sorry ( see there i go again) about that. Lots of love, prayers, and massive hugs to you all.
Talk to you all soon!
Kay xxxx
