In Hospital.....AGAIN!!!!

Well I’ve now been stuck here since Wednesday and they earliest they are likely to let me out is Tuesday next week…

I was originally sent in by my GP because of a blood test that was done on Monday – the original diagnosis from her was Temporal Arteritis, but apparently I’m not old enough for that as I haven’t reached 55! The treatment is very high doses of steroids which make you pile weight on so I’m quite happy she was wrong!!

I started off on Bethersden which is the female CDU ward before being moved up to Cambridge M2 on Wednesday evening. Luckily I have a side room so it’s just me in here with a window that opens and a nice fan….Why on earth are hospitals so bloody hot???? If anyone wants to visit I’m in room 141 and quickly going insane!!!

Thursday was fairly uneventful, got prodded by a few Drs and on attempted to take some blood before giving up and deciding to leave it to an expert! The plan for Friday was another MRI and then a lumbar puncture – it’s safe to say by the time Andy left on Thursday I was pretty far into my panic zone… I hate needles at the best of times and the thought of one going into my back left me completely terrified. It’s safe to day I didn’t do much sleeping on Thursday Night and after 2 mugs of hot chocolate and one of horlicks, I finally fell asleep at about 2.30 – 3.00. The vampire turned up fairly early to collect my blood, on Thursday the 1st yr Dr had only tried to collect 3 bottles of blood, the phlebotomist collected 11. I’ll admit to feeling very proud I didn’t pass out but I didn’t half feel wobbly after it. Mid morning I was wheeled down to MRI, where they tried to get a canula into my arm and failed so called a Dr whilst sending me off for a chest X-Ray (I have no idea what that was for!)

Once the Dr arrived a needle was basically inserted into the base of my thumb and I was stuck in the machine. I don’t care what anyone says the noise alone of the MRI machine terrifies me as well as being stuck in a small (to me) tube. I think they did 2 scans, one just of me and the other with a contrast – haven’t really heard much from that yet,but it was mentioned this morning that I am going to have yet another on on Tuesday probably!! And I am so looking forward to it…. Anyone believe me yet?

Today the food hasn’t been too bad, I had roast chicken, stuffing roast potatoes and cauliflower and really enjoyed it, certainly compared to the Irish Stew yesterday which I have a feeling even Barley would have refused to eat! On Friday Mum & Dad fed me, salad , prawns and salmon…I was in heaven!! This evening I have salmon and pasta salad and a prawn sandwich courtesy of Andy, so I won’t starve today!!!If I’m honest the headaches have worsened today, I’m on as many painkillers as I can have just to keep going – but one of the painkillers just makes me want to sleep and I’m trying to fight that as I’d much rather sleep at night than during the day. We have been for a short walk to get some fresh air and I got to talk to some of the intrepid Bat Campers… amazingly they sounded relatively sober! Something must be really wrong if they are!!! Maybe I should go and find that cute bloke who did my lumbar puncture… that could kill a few hours!!! There is something about scrubs it seems…

Portsmouth

I had a fantastic time in Portsmouth.... I wandered through Old Portsmouth and went up the Spinnaker Tower and was exceedingly brave and crossed the glass floor... at 100m up! There are some photos of it on Facebook! The view from the Tower was fantastic and I even managed to snap a submarine coming into harbour without even noticing it until I looked at the photos afterwards!

We had dinner at a great chinese place in Gunwharf Quays, The Water Margin is really good food and I even managed to use chopsticks!! And the Chinese Tea was really good - I think I may have drunk a pot on my own!!

The drive was the furthest I've driven on my own since before I was ill last year. If I'm honest I felt extremly proud of myself for making it there in one piece and without getting lost. ( the sat nav has been re-christened Belinda as her voice has been changed and she is much more polite!!!)

I was back in Kent on Saturday evening as I had an MRI Scan on Sunday morning... This time I tried really hard not to panic - it really helped that nobody took the panic button off me and they let me test it so I could hear it was working!!! I had 2 scans and survived both - I think the little bug crawling around in the tube helped as I got very distracted watching it!

Today I had to see my GP at 8.50 (not fun) as they wanted to look at all the medication I'm on. The Dr I was seing is really not my favourite and she decided I need some more blood tests

as the last time they tried to do them my blood clotted so they couldn't!! I'm back to being an enigma I guess!!! I tried to make an appointment at the surgery, but the one nurse who can get blood out of me doesn't have an free appointment until next Friday...so it was back to the hospital - I feel I have earned a personalised parking spot now!!! It took 2 nurses to extract the blood from me, but my GP should have the result this afternoon. I'm seeing her again on Wednesday morning...

Any good headache cures????

As anyone who knows me will be aware, I've had a headache since about April...with no apparent cause that either my GP or Neurology can determine. Much as I quite like being a medical enigma they seem to be developing a pattern at the moment... Basically they are now getting far worse at night, last night it was so bad I would have quite happily ripped my head off simply to stop the pain. So much for a darkened room being good for a headache! It did ease off once I convinced Andy to turn the fan off, but if only stayed off for 10 minutes.

I'm due to have an MRI scan on Sunday Morning and then I'm off on Monday to see my GP to talk about some test results at 8.50 (they must be joking) on Monday morning. I'm just relieved that I'm away for a few days from Thursday until Saturday - that should take my mind off things!! I'm headed over to Portsmouth for a break and I can't wait to get away and switch off in new surroundings.

Other than the above it's been a pretty quiet week so far. Still feel decidedly hot to me and that leaves me feeling a little washed out - although the broken sleep could also be a good cause!

Terrified cats....

I am finally feeling much better, even my voice is behaving itself more today than it was yesterday... although the trip to Woodchurch did leave me feeling a tad traumatised....courtesy of Mr Styles who, on decideding his bike tyres needed a little more air in them announced to the immediate vicinity that he had lost his knob and gone floppy at the front. I really didn't know where to look!!!!

Today has been much quieter... I refused to get out of bed until nearly 12 as I was feeling washed out/tired etc and felt I needed more sleep. Not that I recall last night being a bad night in the slightest so I assume I'm still catching up on the sleep I've missed over the last few weeks/months now!

My other decision was I wasn't getting up until it was sunny - I was already aware it was hot as Andy found me flaked out on the bed once I'd got dressed! I eventually dragged myself downstairs and was just making sandwiches for lunch when Gizmo screamed through the kitchen from thearden as if the hounds of hell were right behind him... In fact it was the Red Arrows I believe who flew over the garden in formation and rather low, I think the cat is still recovering and is decidedly reluctant to go out again, and the only cat I've seen around is the 3 legged one!

Feeling Human....?????

I'm finally starting to feel a little more human now - I really wouldn't wish this swine flu on anybody. My voice is not working the way it should yet, but I guess last year left it rather weak and something it having fun with it ...taking it from one extreme to another, all I want is a voice I can rely on ot work when I want it to!!

I've been taking things easy this week, to be honest for the first three days I didn't even feel strong enough to get dressed... the cat tried yelling and swearing at me (his language is getting worse as time goes by) but he only got fed when I felt able to and his cat food wasn't making me feel sick.

The one good thing to come out of this week is I've finally managed to get some sleep... or rather I've passed out most nights! But trying to get up in the mornings has been terrible, actually Gizmos language has helped there as he hits exactly the frequency that makes my head excrutiatingly painful so I get up to shove food in his bowl and shut him up! One thing I have really missed this week is adult company to be honest....cats are not good conversationalists once they have been fed they either go out or fall asleep....

Oink Oink

I have officially joined the latest craze... I have swine flu. THe NHS site is really good apart for the fact that there are no local bases of collecting the wonder drugs from that are local...the closest during the day on Sunday is Canterbury (in Morrisons) or Deal (no idea where!) and I can send Andy to the Hospital at 8.00 to collect them from there.

This only started last night...but to be honest I put it down to my lack of sleep the night before and I expected to wake up this morning feeling fine. Instead I feel as though I've smashed into a brick wall and it is currently crashing down onto my head. the most painful bits right now are my knees and elbows for some reason! This makes no sense and just getting comfortable is extremely difficult. Andy is nagging me to keep drinking so I feel I may be spending the night in the bathroom so a toilet is close by! I keep thinking I want to eat something but everytime I do my stomach switches for it's force 9 mode and I end up just feeling decidedly sick..even less fun than just feeling flu ridden. But I guess it may help me lose some weight so not bad thing on the whole!

I should have realised something was up on Friday... the day started with my hairdryer giving up the ghost. Andy has tried to fix the handle and nozzle back together with good old super glue but I think I need a new one.... if anyone has a spare one they no longer want I'd be happy to give it a good home! The last time I used it there was now waggle... according to Andy it's plastic fatigue but there was no sign of it before!! But I am the only usual user do I guess I must have worn the poor thing out.

Weekend...

Sleep last night realy didn't want to happen... I went to bed about 11.30 and got up about half an hour later as Andy was snoring and went downstairs. Sleep wasn't happening and I really didn't want to keep Andy awake tossing and turning.

Gizmo pretty much ignored me and I was joined a couple of times by Andy... I finally dragged myself back to bed just after 4.00 and my good old I-Pod finally lulled me off to sleep. I think I died by 4.30ish until around 8.30 when we had a plea for help from the Sutton household where the adult population has been struck down by Swine Flu and required a drug runner to go and collect their anti-viral stuff. Having nagged Andy to get up in case I had to go somewhere I didn't know I was fine and an hour later we were safely back at home waiting for the shopping to turn up!

We've taken things easy today seing as neither of us got much sleep, Andy has bought some water thing with a hose for car cleaning, so I have kindly allowed him to practice on my car - it is smaller than his after all!

Big crash

So much for my first full week... it was decided by my Manager and the Occupational Health Dr that I'm not fit enough to be in the office so I've been sent to get signd off by my GP. I also saw my PCN today who is not impressed in the slightest by the way it has been handled... It is safe to say I fell apart this morning and still feel decidedly shakey/wobbly. She is going to speak to my psychiatrist about changing my medication and seeing me before October, but the worst thing is she leaves at the end of this month so I'll have to meet and get used to a new nurse. That really threw me as I really like Paula and I don't want someone else...

Today has also been unbelievably hot. Poor old Giz has been flaked out on the floor spread out as much as he could, which was an improvement from this morning when he wouldn't leave me alone for a second. To say I got stressed is an understatement!! I parked the car in the Mall car park, at 30c at least it stayed cool and it is about the same distance to walk as parking in Dover Place...but the wall opposite Debenhams intrigues me...it appears to have cows outlined on it and I'm sure there are sounds of some kind being played as well!!

I was hoping to go to Portsmouth this weekend to stay with a friend, but it may not happen now as they are a little unwell... and I'm a coward and I really don't want to catch anything, I think I'll make a decision tomorrow! But the thought of some fresh sea air is realy appealing as I'm sure it would help relieve my headache which would be fantastic