GeorgiT

Hello everyone! Just a quick update before I go back to school tomorrow!

I had an appointment to meet with my head of year today and discuss how they could best support me this year and accommodate the six/seven week absence that I have been told I will need for my surgery. It was an incredibly helpful meeting and definitely put me at ease and filled me with a lot of confidence! I was really happy that she didn't assume my education should come before anything else, instead she understood the psychological impact that everything has had on me, and she really listened to my opinion.

Also, I got a letter from my consultant to summarise the appointment I had with him in August. He has referred me back to a psychologist to discuss my feelings of surgery, which I am actually quite frustrated about. I understand that it is good for me to talk to a professional, but seeing as I have already had an appointment and she was incredibly happy with my attitude to the surgery, and because of the time it takes for the referrals to be processed, I think it's just an unnecessary delay. I would much prefer it if he just asked me how I felt, and listened to me at my appointments with him. However, we are now looking at a January surgery (I think!), as it would make sense to get my first set of exams out the way.

I'm starting sixth form this year, so my timetable is much more flexible which is very useful! Instead of taking all the compulsory subjects and having five lessons a day, I am now taking only four specific subjects that I have chosen and also have five free lessons a week. My timetable has been arranged so that the majority of my frees are first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon, so that if necessary I am able to come into school an hour late or leave an hour early, which will be particularly helpful if I'm having a bad day pain wise! Also I have certain days with no lessons in the afternoons so that I am able to attend hospital appointments without missing the entire school day. My attendance for the last school year was 67% due to appointments and pain, but they normally don't expect it to drop any lower than 97%, so they're making a big effort to help me miss as minimal school time this year as possible! I live in Northamptonshire, so it's about an hour by train to get into London to go hospital, and throughout this year my mum has come to all of my appointments with me. However, we have decided that as I now know London so well, and I'm almost 17, it makes more sense for me to go on my own and save her taking the entire day of work.

Between now and Christmas I will be completing Unit 1 of my AS Levels, but the school have suggested that I try to complete half of Unit 2 (which I should be starting in January) alongside it, so that when I am off for surgery I have already got ahead of myself and therefore will have less to catch up on. Hopefully (pain and absence allowing!) I will be able to do that! They have also arranged extra sessions where my teachers will give me one-on-one private tuition to ensure that I am constantly on top of my work. Another option they offered me was to take three years instead of the usual two to complete my A-levels in. That way there would be a lot less pressure on me as the modules would be so spread out and I would have much longer timescales to complete my work in. Whilst I am happy to take that option if I really really have to, I am very keen to avoid it as much as I can haha! I don't particularly want to still be at sixth form whilst all my friends have gone off to university!

I think that was about it, but I came away feeling so happy and reassured that they were doing everything that they could to help me. Also I got my GCSE results last week and I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life! I managed to get 3 A*'s, 2 A's, 3 B's and 1 C, and although they are overall much lower than my predicted grades, I am so so thrilled with them! I can't wait to start my A levels now, and hopefully I will soon be able to have surgery and finally start to recover!

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