Blood and guts. Lots of guts.
Dec. 31st, 2011 03:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nursedarryThank you to everyone who has sent me lovely messages and comments through the last couple of weeks of my pain and drug-induced delerium/rages and near-crippling manicure emergency.
My GP has been about as useful as tits on a fish through all of this, refusing to refer me for the diagnostic endoscopy I needed (which they were instructed to do in my discharge letter) after leaving hospital in Edinburgh, and instead continued to test/treat me for respiratory problems (as they were so sure that's what I had, despite my sats and peak-flows being normal). They finally referred me to hospital yesterday for testing for a pulmonary embolism (which I didn't have), but the X-ray did reveal something else...
Docs are now pretty sure I have a hiatus hernia along with an h pylori ulcer.
No, I don't.
Bizzarly, they think I've been living with these for years, as it was my pregnancy that was the risk factor for them - the medicos all went "Ahaaa!" when they found out I carried a twin pregnacy high enough in my belly to require antacids the final two months of it. I don't often smoke (usually just socially, though that'll have made the symptoms worse) and I have a normal BMI.
So, the hosipital docs have once again asked the GP to make a referral for an endoscopy to see how bad things are, and I've already been given one of the tablets I need to fix both problems. I still can't bend over or walk more than a few yards without getting severely short of breath, but I'm not in constant pain anymore and I am home.
But getting to this point wasn't easy - in the course of finding all this out, I was given cortico-steroids which did NOT agree with me at all. In fact, the docs have now told me to tell future clinicians not to prescribe them for me ever again. I am still fighting the side effects, as well as having to keep my temperature down.
I know neither of these conditions is horrendously serious Er, it is kind of, but they've been more painful and inconvenient than anything I've ever experienced, and with hubs away half the time, I've been so grateful for the help of fandom friends and RL neighbours.
I've no idea when this endoscopy referral will come through, but my drugs run out in three weeks, so I'm hoping it'll be before then. Until then, I'm going to have to be off work for a large part of the time, unless my boss can find me something to do from home when I'm not too doped up, the kids are going to have to stop their fucking squabbling and learn some useful grown-up skills (like making cups of tea), and I'm just going to have to not move around a lot and not do much - two things I'm crap at.
Thank you all for keeping me smiling, squeeing and pointing and going oooooh, look at that! through all of this.
And I'll let you know if I ever get the nails fixed.
My GP has been about as useful as tits on a fish through all of this, refusing to refer me for the diagnostic endoscopy I needed (which they were instructed to do in my discharge letter) after leaving hospital in Edinburgh, and instead continued to test/treat me for respiratory problems (as they were so sure that's what I had, despite my sats and peak-flows being normal). They finally referred me to hospital yesterday for testing for a pulmonary embolism (which I didn't have), but the X-ray did reveal something else...
No, I don't.
Bizzarly, they think I've been living with these for years, as it was my pregnancy that was the risk factor for them - the medicos all went "Ahaaa!" when they found out I carried a twin pregnacy high enough in my belly to require antacids the final two months of it. I don't often smoke (usually just socially, though that'll have made the symptoms worse) and I have a normal BMI.
So, the hosipital docs have once again asked the GP to make a referral for an endoscopy to see how bad things are, and I've already been given one of the tablets I need to fix both problems. I still can't bend over or walk more than a few yards without getting severely short of breath, but I'm not in constant pain anymore and I am home.
But getting to this point wasn't easy - in the course of finding all this out, I was given cortico-steroids which did NOT agree with me at all. In fact, the docs have now told me to tell future clinicians not to prescribe them for me ever again. I am still fighting the side effects, as well as having to keep my temperature down.
I've no idea when this endoscopy referral will come through, but my drugs run out in three weeks, so I'm hoping it'll be before then. Until then, I'm going to have to be off work for a large part of the time, unless my boss can find me something to do from home when I'm not too doped up, the kids are going to have to stop their fucking squabbling and learn some useful grown-up skills (like making cups of tea), and I'm just going to have to not move around a lot and not do much - two things I'm crap at.
Thank you all for keeping me smiling, squeeing and pointing and going oooooh, look at that! through all of this.
And I'll let you know if I ever get the nails fixed.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:07 pm (UTC)sending hugs and cake xxxx
Plus Attenborough is my total favourite person EVER.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:12 pm (UTC)Have to say I'm getting sick of seeing the same kill/eat sequences. I want a DVD full of baby animals being born or bloopers now.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:22 pm (UTC)Seriously: lots of hugs and warm non-heartburn-y wishes. The twins are smart, I'm sure they can learn how to make tea and toast and maybe a boiled egg. I know there's not much I can do from the other side of the pond, but if there IS anything, you'll let me know, right? ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
PS Our dog had an endoscopy and she didn't seem to mind. Of course she was under general anaesthesia at the time ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:48 pm (UTC)And isn't it just like a GP to ignore a FRICKIN' discharge order???
Do they use pantoprazole over there?
Noe
PS Hiatal hernias suck. My mother had terrible GERD that went into Barrett's esophagus and a hiatal hernia. Without a twin pregnancy.
PPS XOXOXOXOXOX
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:54 pm (UTC)The docs confirmed it wasn't respiratory in Edinburgh, but this woman just wasn't having any of it. *boggle*
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:55 pm (UTC)I'm so sorry you're not feeling the best :(
At least the ejits are finally heading in the right direction.
I'm sending you lots of good vibes and naughtly thoughts ;)
And if your kids are big enough to reach the kettle it's time they learn to make tea anyway lol.
*squish*
LUV YOU!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 04:56 pm (UTC)I have plasters on both hands from chips and broken gels! My insides probably look better!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:03 pm (UTC)My worry is that the GPs are who we're entrusting the future of the NHS to and I'll admit, I was first in thinking this was asthma-related, as I have sever chest pain and am SOB, but when the sats come back saying 100% and my peak flow is normal, it's time to at least consider something different.
The problem is, a GP could go a lifetime without seeing either of these conditions. They're not exotic, but not as common as asthma.
Icon love.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:08 pm (UTC)I'll see if I can contract necrotising fasciitis before this endoscopy :)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:09 pm (UTC)Instead I've Shanghai'd
Thank you for the squishes.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:28 pm (UTC)They had better get off their idiot arses and fix you up PRONTO.
*snuggles you*
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 05:43 pm (UTC)My best wishes for 2012!
*huggles*
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 06:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-31 06:06 pm (UTC)