2013 IHD "Let's get together in The UK!"

[cassandra]

Thank YOU so much for organising the meet. Fantastic!!! And so sweet to meet your fiance Drew

Love, Cas

(I'm now going to look for: how to insert pictures)

[Rerun]

Karen, I didn't know you went!  You go girl!  I hope your flights are uneventful. 

Have a great time.   It is raining here too....

                   

[Poppylicious]

And thank YOU Sugar, for organising the whole thing.  I loved meeting everyone.

Oh, and if anyone has any pictures and I'm on them, please don't post them.  Cheers. 

[okarol]

  Please POST PHOTOS!
 

[Sugarlump]

The best picture WOULD have been Richard in the Covering Shed (atThe National Stud) under the sign that read Teaser's Box!!!!
but he wouldn't let me 

[cassandra]

I'm sorry, I'm trying the pics, but file too big, and no idea how to solve that. I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry Pops you are on them, and as you look so lovely, that's gonna be the first ones to try. You look lovely, and so did everybody else.

Love, Cas

[okarol]

I'm sorry, I'm trying the pics, but file too big, and no idea how to solve that. I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry Pops you are on them, and as you look so lovely, that's gonna be the first ones to try. You look lovely, and so did everybody else.

Love, Cas

Resizing photos:
If you have a PC try this free program http://download.cnet.com/Free-Picture-Resizer/3000-12511_4-10297789.html
It's easy on a Mac using preview - here are instructions http://www.wikihow.com/Resize-Pictures-(for-Macs)

[cariad]

Safe journey to your respective destinations, Richard and Karen! Come back soon....

[cassandra]

Hey Carriad did Gwyn not make any pics? I'm now in Portugal, and can't reduce the size of pics on my ipad. Please
Okarol sounds desperate. I'm back in sunny England in 2 weeks so I can reduce the pics size at home.

Love, Cas

[Iona]

Dear All,

I am Iona's husband. Iona was admitted to Addenbrookes hospital on Friday 18th April with a severe stabbing pain in her abdomen. It was found that she had suffered a perforated bowel and she underwent major invasive surgery later that night the purpose of which was to join the tear. Thankfully the operation went well although only time will tell whether the join holds. She was subsequently moved to the critical care unit and then on to the high dependency unit. She is presently continuing to recover on the ward.

Iona and I were really looking forward to meeting you all at Bills on Saturday. Iona in particular was in her words "mortified" when she realised she would not be able to attend. She had been looking forward to it for sometime as you know. Unfortunately there is no internet connection on the ward and therefore she was unable to let you know. However I rang Bills at mid-day on Saturday and spoke to one of the waiters who confirmed that he would pass on the message that there would be two fewer guests arriving at the table booked for a large group that evening, although I did not know under which name the table had been booked.

We are both very sorry that food went to waste and that the group were charged for its preparation. However I hope on this occasion you will understand that we did all that we could do in what were and are very difficult circumstances for us both.

Kind Regards,

Iona's husband

[cassandra]

Oh dear Iona, and husband, I do hope that Iona recoveres completely. We did miss you, but the food didn't completely go to waste. Please pass our love, and best wishes on to Iona.

Lots of love, and strength, Cas

   
     

[Sugarlump]

I would just like to reflect on our weekend and say how proud i was to be one of the twelve good men and women, sitting around that table.
It was a great weekend, to talk to others affected by kidney disease, share experiences and funny stories and to share in the hope for the
future. We are all living proof of life is for living still.
I think Richard and I worked out there were 27 kidneys sitting around our table of 12 in Bills Restaurant.
And it was heart warming to have 2 living donors and 2 very well-behaves junior members on "our team"!
The weekend went from The stud tour (lots of baby horses to ooh and ahh over as well as the polo crunching Amberley House) to our epic meal at
Bills with champagne and Richards speech!!!! followed by punting on Sunday morning which was excellent. We even managed to have a tour guide punter
who had nephrotic syndrome as a child!!!!
For those of us staying at the HI, we won't mention the Sunday morning 6am fire alarm or Drew and I getting stuck in the lift!!! We giggled a lot 

So to Cassie and Tony, Richard, Karen, Poppy and Blokey, Terri, Gywn and their two boys and of course, my other half Drew for making it such a great
weekend. Our sympathies and best wishes to Iona. Get well soon.
See you at the next one!!!!

    

[cariad]

Such a delightful weekend, just wish Iona had been well enough to join the party and I had been able to spend more time with Cas and Tony, a charming couple even from afar. Still, we're probably the closest to them of all the attendees, so will just have to make time to drive over for a coffee or lunch or whatever. Cannot believe the effort that Richard and Karen went to just to meet up with us for a few days (cheers for that) and you all would have been so proud of Poppy. She faced down her fear by walking in to that restaurant, and hopefully the next time she is in a similar situation it will be that much easier. Her husband and I had a brief chat about the joys of getting a kidney off a spouse. They make a lovely pair.

Oh, Iona, you poor thing! I hope you know that we completely understand and only wish for a complete and swift recovery for you. We found takers for most if not all of the extra food, so nothing to worry about there. Get better soon, and hope to meet you and your thoughtful husband in the not-too-distant future.

Huge thanks to Sugar for taking on the role of Social Director, and to Drew for tagging along to meet us all.

The four of us had a brilliant time (and Dyl got a smashing pair of inline skates at Billy's).

[kristina]

I was very sorry that - due to my fragile health - I was unable to join you all at the Cambridge IHD meeting ...

Did anyone at the meeting make any pictures which they would like to share with us ?

Thank you from Kristina.

[Poppylicious]

Sorry Pops you are on them, and as you look so lovely, that's gonna be the first ones to try. You look lovely ...

I'm sure I do, but please don't post any with me on. 

Thank you.

(Thank you for plying me with wine, btw! Made my evening that much sweeter!  )

Iona, so sorry to hear you were poorly. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. *huggles*

[Sugarlump]

Poppy it was really good to finally meet you, we must catch up next time we are in Cambridge for coffee or lunch 

[JW77]

Heard about this on another group.

Would have liked to attend, but was otherwise occupied with another event.

I host London Kidney Social on FB, and would like to try to get together a monthly London n Southeast group, just to socialise and have a bit of fun.

Let me know if anyone's interested:)

J

[kristina]

Hello J.W.77 and thanks for your post.
 
Very interesting! Where in London do you meet and how often do you meet?

Does your group consist of people connected with dialysis/transplant/pre-dialysis

and/or is it connected to one hospital in London  and/or are there patients who attend different hospitals and/or is it a charity?

Is it completely independent from any other forum/group ...

... and how long has it existed or has it just been formed?

Thanks from Kristina.

P.S. I might only be able to attend meetings in the distant future.
At the moment I am in the process to prepare for dialysis
and that might bring some changes which I have to get used to first...

[Poppylicious]

Poppy it was really good to finally meet you, we must catch up next time we are in Cambridge for coffee or lunch 

And it was lovely to finally meet you too, Sugar! We shall indeedy have to meet up again!

 

I host London Kidney Social on FB, and would like to try to get together a monthly London n Southeast group, just to socialise and have a bit of fun.

Let me know if anyone's interested:)

Sugar will be ... she's a wild one though and needs watching!

 

[Sugarlump]

sadly "The wild one" is back in hospital  after a minor heart attack event on Sunday. Spent 2 days in CCU but doing okay now, back on renal ward.
Awaiting man from Papworth (or was it Delmonte) to say yes and proceed with angiogram on Monday morning. So fingers crossed they can
find the trouble and fix it soon.
I am far to busy being wild and wonderful to be chained to a hospital bed. Will let you know news.
    

[Poppylicious]

*huggles* Sugar.

 

[JW77]

Hello J.W.77 and thanks for your post.
 
Very interesting! Where in London do you meet and how often do you meet?

Does your group consist of people connected with dialysis/transplant/pre-dialysis

and/or is it connected to one hospital in London  and/or are there patients who attend different hospitals and/or is it a charity?

Is it completely independent from any other forum/group ...

... and how long has it existed or has it just been formed?

Thanks from Kristina.

P.S. I might only be able to attend meetings in the distant future.
At the moment I am in the process to prepare for dialysis
and that might bring some changes which I have to get used to first...

I just missed the recent meeting as I was out of town doing conference stuff.

To answer your questions:)

So far I haven't managed to put together a meeting. Attempts where made near the London eye, where there's a reasonable pub, plus the riverside attraction and a pancake place across the road.

It fell through due to crap weather early in the year!

Its completely independent and only 'exisists' as a facebook group, although its aim is to welcome anyone under any hospital in London and Southeast or KPA.. KPA's have such a limited catchment area, so I thought, WHY NOT! ?   I got the 'area idea' from another national charity I'm a member of and involved with, called the Outsiders Club, which hosts a monthly social near St Pauls.. (I'll be there tomorrow as it happens)

Its a kidney group, friends etc welcome:)

I think I set it up last year sometime, like one or 2 other groups I've set up, its a bit of an experiment:) 

Hope that answers it.. It can be found here:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/LondonKidneySocial/

[cassandra]

  Get well soon Sugar


        Mm


Lots of love, Cas and Hubby

[galvo]

Chins up, Sugar!

[kristina]

Hello J.W.77 and thanks for your post.
 
Very interesting! Where in London do you meet and how often do you meet?

Does your group consist of people connected with dialysis/transplant/pre-dialysis

and/or is it connected to one hospital in London  and/or are there patients who attend different hospitals and/or is it a charity?

Is it completely independent from any other forum/group ...

... and how long has it existed or has it just been formed?

Thanks from Kristina.

P.S. I might only be able to attend meetings in the distant future.
At the moment I am in the process to prepare for dialysis
and that might bring some changes which I have to get used to first...

I just missed the recent meeting as I was out of town doing conference stuff.

To answer your questions:)

So far I haven't managed to put together a meeting. Attempts where made near the London eye, where there's a reasonable pub, plus the riverside attraction and a pancake place across the road.

It fell through due to crap weather early in the year!

Its completely independent and only 'exisists' as a facebook group, although its aim is to welcome anyone under any hospital in London and Southeast or KPA.. KPA's have such a limited catchment area, so I thought, WHY NOT! ?   I got the 'area idea' from another national charity I'm a member of and involved with, called the Outsiders Club, which hosts a monthly social near St Pauls.. (I'll be there tomorrow as it happens)

Its a kidney group, friends etc welcome:)

I think I set it up last year sometime, like one or 2 other groups I've set up, its a bit of an experiment:) 

Hope that answers it.. It can be found here:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/LondonKidneySocial/

Hello and thanks for your information.
As soon as my health is a bit better sorted out, I shall come to the meetings. The meeting point is also very convenient and quite central.
... Right now I am just preparing myself to start with dialysis in the near future and have decided to “go for” haemodialysis, preferable NX Stage.
This means that I shall have a fistula in one of my arms. I have tried to exchange knowledge with people on dialysis who also play the piano...
...It was meant originally “only” as a method of rehabilitation after “my” stroke and it has developed to be my absolute favourite hobby...
... Because of my impending dialysis I try to figure out which arm to choose for the fistula to retain my ability to play the piano
with both arms and hands ... I am naturally left-handed, but was brought up to “conform” as a right-handed,
with the result that my arms and hands have almost developed to be ambidextrous...
...that makes it very difficult for me to make the right decision, which arm to select for the fistula...

Best wishes and perhaps see you soon, Kristina.

P.S. I am not on facebook ...