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Michelin stars, spa action and concert fun… or not

Most of my friends and family have one-by-one skipped off on holiday over the past weeks, leaving me green with envy here in Blighty so I've been making the best of what London has to offer.

First up was dinner at the Pierre Koffman pop-up restaurant, which was basically a posh marquis erected on the roof of Selfridges as part of the London Restaurant Festival celebrations. Behind the velvet rope, along the black carpet and up in the lift to a floor marked ‘5’, we arrived in a beautifully decorated marquis. The furniture was stunning with modern art sculptures and design features dotted around. It was billed as the first time celebrated French chef Koffman was to be reunited with members of his original team since their 80’s heyday. A definite must for passionate foodies.  I checked out the menu beforehand to make sure I'd be able to avoid any potassium hotspots and it all sounded pretty safe. There's always something on a menu I can enjoy, if not I eat round it!

After knocking back the amous bouche, I started with foie gras - which I have to admit I didn’t like.  My main course was duck which was absolutely delicious, followed by Pierre’s famous Apple tart. It was covered in delicate pasty that looked like a crown. Tres chic! By the time the petit fours arrived we were too stuffed to taste them.

Next up: relaxation and rejuvenation at the Mova Spa in Virginia Water - a beautiful village along the M25, surrounded by woodland. It was a bit of a journey from East London but well worth it. Therapist Molly did a fantastic job on my dehydrated skin and gave me a goodie bag of products to try at home. I'm still using the products and my skin is soft as a peach. If you live nearby book yourself a treatment it’s a great pick-me-up. That evening I celebrated a friend’s departure for Thailand with cocktails and dinner at a local Thai restaurant. The CAPD Dialysis diet is a little less strict than the Heamodialysis diet. I adore food and thank my lucky stars that I can still enjoy at least a few mouthfuls of my favorites.  Most meat dishes on a Thai menu are a safe bet.  Shellfish is a no-no due to phosphate levels and vegetables are usually steamed or pan fried for Thai dishes so the odd mouthful is fine but anymore might take potassium levels into a danger zone. I went for a green curry with chicken, avoiding too much sauce as it's made with coconut and therefore high in potassium. We also tucked into a noodle dish.  I'm sure we washed it all down with Margheritas (lemon and tequila) but it all got a biz hazy so I can't quite remember!
 
The biggest anti-climax was the Jay Z concert which was slightly boring. I thought the price of the ticket would be reflected in the level of entertainment - no such luck! No seating either. What a rip off. We were all stood in a huge hall the only consolation was being stood very near to Beyonce.  I couldn't stop staring. Naturally!
 
Include a trip to Richmond Park to see the deer and a tasty meal at a cosy Italian place in Kensington, Locanda Ottoemezzo and that just about wraps up a busy couple of weeks.

Happy Tuesday

The past few weeks have been quite busy, so much for a quiet spell…

I haven't had many chances to post on the blog. I have managed to stay out of hospital however and haven't had to attend any clinic appointments either which makes me very happy. It's no secret that I don't enjoy visits to Whitechapel; as much as I adore the team at The Royal London the scenery leaves much to be desired. 

The last time I was there it was for a PET test which most of you CAPD users will know is a fairly long and uncomfortable day.  The waiting areas are grim and uncomfortable and Whitechapel has nowhere to escape to for a cup of tea. Believe me I've searched! If any of you know any nice cafes around the Aldgate East area feel free to point me in the right direction. I haven't received an update on the results so I'm assuming all is fine *crosses fingers tightly*.

Back out in the real world I've been beavering away at a project for an ecommerce start up. It was my first project as an independent freelancer and was so much more rewarding than the usual agency routine. It culmnated in a full day shoot to capture stills and moving image for a campaign launch. I worked my CAPD sessions around it using a medium bag as I left for the shoot and caught up afterward with fast exchanges of lighter bags. I hardly ever perform bag exchanges on the move unless I'm on holiday overseas. I have however done a bag exchange at The Westfield. The bathrooms there are spanking new, big enough to swing a cat (or Glucose bag) in with hooks on the inside of the doors to hang a bag on. I always have a complete exchange kit with me. Heathrow Terminal 5 also gets the thumbs up for bag exchanges. There are very large, bright and regularly cleaned cublicles landside. The there are the lounges which cost around £15 and can be booked in advance but Ican’t recommend their bathrooms as I’ve never taken a look. Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock (Level 3) also has large, new cubicles. The disabled bathrooms in the newer restaurants in Canary Wharf are also good; spacious, whitewashed and cleaned regularly. I checked out Canteen yesterday and it looked fine. The food was good too!  If I come across anymore I'll include it in a post.

Top tip: A nurse told me if in doubt, cover a surface with a black bin liner and begin the as normal.
 
I've been catching up on great films lately, they're such a good way to pass time when dialysing. Escapist and extremeley relaxing. I saw the Michael Jackson movie which is fantastic, if it's still out, go and see it if you can.
 
Speaking of movies I'm having a huge clear out of DVDs as I have hundreds in all genres. They’ve only been watched once. I'm giving them away to dialysis patients either via heamodialysis clinics for their patients to watch, or direct to home dialysis patients so they can watch whilst they detox at home. If you'd like a DVD get in touch at ami.agbolegbe@hotmail.co.uk and include the genre you're interested in and I'll send you a FREE DVD!

I just wanted my NI credits paid!

I was made redundant in May this year as a result of the financial crisis. I was lucky and got a freelance position with an ex-employer straight away but projects lessened as the financial crisis took hold and I decided to take the time out to concentrate on getting some long overdue admin in order. After joining the Transtplant List I contacted the Department of Work and Pensions and applied for Disability Living Allowance which I strongly recommend to sufferers. It helps with paying for the extra things like transport to hospital appointments and quality ingredients for your weekly supermarket shop which are intergral to the renal diet. The process involved filling out a lengthy form which is available from Jobcentres or by calling the Disability and Carers Service. I had to provide proof of my identity, address and medical condition which took some running around but it was worth the effort. Next I let the Jobcentre know of my redundancy so that my National Insurance credits would be paid. This process wasn't so easy and three months on and several application changes later I'm still not sure if this is in place! I'll keep you posted.