About Me

Where do I start? ...

I'm Maho, and as you've probably gathered I'm a research scientist in microbiology; I do experiments to answer questions. I finished my Ph.D., and decided that I wanted to continue doing research, so here I am! Current project aims to find out if the use of antibiotics promotes the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in the human microbiome. I've only just started, so I'm just settling in and getting the ball rolling!

I love music, and 2018 so far has been a great year for me in terms of new music coming out - keep an eye out for the "Music Round-up" posts!

I guess that sums up my life right now.

So, why "(ill)"? Well, that will be because I happen to suffer from two rare diseases.

Fortunately, the Turner's syndrome doesn't give me too much of a problem (unless you count my shortness and lack of reproductive ability as a problem!). Really, it's just about making sure my bones don't get too weak, and that my general health is OK. And up until 2013, I was fine.

2013 was rather intense - finishing my Masters, then starting my Ph.D. It didn't help that I was getting steadily more out of breath, until I could barely walk. Then in Dec., I essentially collapse, get taken to A&E and diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). I will not go into much detail about my experience here, but I have contributed to a Blog by a fellow PHighter Serena.

The day I was diagnosed with PH...

As it was severe, the only option was to have a central venous catheter put in through my neck so that I can have the IV medication. Now, as you can imagine, this doesn't bode well for an aspiring microbiologist!

So, I eased myself back into my Ph.D. by reading and making a start on my transfer report: when you start a PhD, you are a "probationer" and are given time (12 months for me) to get some work done and submit a report, which is followed by a viva. This is to see if you are capable of doing a Ph.D. or not. Then, seven months after starting this lab based Ph.D., I end up starting some computer-based work. A good skill to have, but nevertheless I did want a lab-based project!

The PH was pretty bad initially, with a prospect of transplant (lung, lungs or heart-lungs, I never asked!). But with the help of my "movement therapist" Mum and my specialist teams I have been getting better. There have been incidents, from pump malfunctions to becoming allergic to the dressing to pushing myself too hard so that I fainted! However, recently it seems that I've somehow "plateaued", which meant that my treatment regime had to be changed... Hopefully it will be enough so that I can stay well!

Thanks for reading!