A favourite quote and a way by which to approach life.

Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Pausing for breath

Last week was a bit manic and mainly with health related appointments. Monday's was with the disabilities advisor at Newcastle University's Student Welfare, during which we went through what needs I may have while I'm studying with them. It was very useful, but obviously concentrated on how decrepit I am so I came out feeling a bit pleugh, although I did also feel positive about how they're going to manage things. One of the most ridiculous things the DA is having to sort out is for staff to get permission to use my Epi-Pen on me if the need should arise. At the moment they're not allowed to in case I sue them for assault! Crackers! The DA is going to speak to Occupational Health and also the Health and Safety Officer, who apparently is the only person currently allowed to use my Epi-Pen on me, but that's no good if he's not immediately around because if I need someone else to administer the adrenaline then I need it there and then. Various other things are going to be put in place too, including a note-taker to attend my lectures when I'm in hospital. Brill. There'll likely be bits of equipment I'll be getting too, either through the university or through the Disabled Students Allowance, which I've eventually got around to applying for after all these years of study.

Tuesday's appointment was relatively brief and was with the optician. I'd been told after my cataract operation that I had to go to my regular optician for a sight test and check-up two days before my check-up with the ophthalmologist. It seems a bit daft to me seeing as they do a basic sight test at the ophthalmology department when you go for your appointment, but I was good and went to the optician. The verdict is that my general sight in my right eye has improved a little since the cataract was removed, but my reading sight is a little worse. I could've told them that myself ;o) I have to go back for another sight test and new glasses after my second op.

My psychiatrist was supposed to come on Wednesday morning - 8.30. Ug - but twenty minutes after she was due here she rang me to say that the centre had been crazy all week so she'd had to go straight there. Somewhat ironic that she should describe a mental health centre as 'crazy' ;oP It made me smile anyway. After apologising for not being able to make it she said, 'I have a confession to make,' which made me a little nervous until she continued, 'I was watching telly the other day and I saw you. I shouted, "That's Becky! That's Becky!"' Tee hee :o) After that we had a relatively short telephone consultation, which went okay and was really just a quick monitoring and my conveyance of a self-assessment of how I am. I'm doing okay emotionally - certainly better than the last time I saw her :o)

On Wednesday afternoon I had an appointment with the physio at Freeman Hospital - a pre-pulmonary rehab assessment. This mainly consisted of going through a questionnaire I'd had to fill in before the appointment and going through another questionnaire the physio had there that concentrated on exercise tolerance, perception of health, and my goals for the pulmonary rehab. We obviously also discussed their concerns about my passing out and how they/I will manage them during rehab. Then I had to do a 6 minute walk test to see what happened to my oxygen saturations and my pulse rate. Predictably, my O2 dropped (but only a little) and my pulse rate went up, and of course I staggered around a fair bit, frequently using the wall for support, as walking in a straight line for anything more than a few steps (and sometimes not even that much) doesn't happen with me these days. The verdict is that I'm decrepit enough to warrant being on pulmonary rehab and not so awfully decrepit (at this moment in time) that I'm excluded from taking part :oD I start on Thursday next week.

Most of Thursday afternoon was taken up with the ophthalmology appointment I mentioned before. I was running a little late through the day after a bit of a rubbish night and I was worried that I might be late for my appointment, but honestly it's their time-keeping that needs putting in check, not mine. Like last time, I was there for three hours! Three hours! Three hours for a five minute sight set and a five minute consult with the doctor. At least I got a date for my second cataract removal op - 13th October. I was hoping that I'd get something before that, but as it's the consultant doing the op that's the earliest they had, but said they'd give me a call if they got a cancellation.

Friday morning was taken up with a 'Continuing Care' assessment by Social Services, which took about an hour and a half and again meant concentrating on how utterly rubbish my health is. The point of it is to assess my level of care needs that are medical based, rather than socially based, and therefore how much, if any, the Primary Care Trust (PCT) will pay towards it. To be honest I'm not completely sure how this may effect me. I mean, I don't know if it effects how much I have to pay towards my care or if it's purely to see if I pay the PCT or Social Services ... or some other variation of this. All I really know is that it's something to do with payment, and that going through the assessment made me feel pretty lousy about my health and general state of well-being :o( And to top off the day (and the week) I had a dentist appointment. It was just a check-up, but going to the dentist is never fun. I haven't actually been to the dentist since June last year when he accidentally instigated anaphylaxis by smearing something with a tiny amount of banana derivative in it on my teeth. As soon as the dentist saw me in the waiting room he came and sat beside me and said he was about to go into the room and clean everything thoroughly before I went in and he wasn't going to wear latex gloves, even though I'm not (yet) allergic to latex. When I went in he said, 'I'll have a look, but I'll probably just need to do a scale and polish and I'll get the hygienist to do that.' I got the impression he was slightly nervous ;oP He must have spent all of about a minute looking at my teeth before saying that he was right - a scale and polish with the hygienist is all that's needed. I wonder if the dentist will warn the hygienist that I'm a terrifying patient to have in the practice ;oP He certainly couldn't get me out of there fast enough.

So that was last week, during which time my lungs have been slipping and I'm not sure how long I'm going to last. I've been taking things easy the past few days, trying to beat the old breathing bags into submission with rather a lot of salbutamol and prednisolone. I think I'm much the same today as I was yesterday, and I need to keep on a level as I'm going up to Edinburgh later in the week. I was supposed to be going up there tomorrow, but yesterday I had a phone call from Dr G's secretary giving me an appointment for a pre-portacath consultation on Thursday afternoon. This is good news. I've been waiting for this for what feels like ages. Dr G is going on holiday for two weeks after this, but his secretary said that he's trying to organise a date for theatre for when he gets back. Maybe I'll get a date for the operation when I see him on Thursday. I'm sure it'll give me a lot to think about on the drive north immediately after the appointment.

I'm sincerely hoping that I'm going to be okay while I'm in Edinburgh - breathing wise, I mean - but things are really quite iffy at the moment. I can manage if I stay still, but breathing and walking is something of a challenge. I've got an appointment with Dr H (asthma consultant) on Thursday next week so we'll see what he has to say, and how I am, but at the moment I'm very unimpressed with the state of things ... and I'm not excluding the possibility that I'll end up in hospital while I'm in Edinburgh :o( I hope not. I really do. I'll keep you informed.

8 comments:

Sarah said...

I like that the dentist is afraid of you. I've spent years being afraid of him!

vivienne blake said...

Praying for a happier outcome than you predict in this post.
Love,
ViV

PhiltheNelson said...

Becky are you in the Newcastle upon tyne area. I am starting the AA100 course and live in the area.

wheezy tux said...

hey havnt spoken to you in ages and must apologise for not responding to the comment you left on my blog. things have been a bit hetic. hope your trip to edinburgh goes ok and you dont end up in hospital. I live jsut opposite on of the hospitals!!! Hope the lungs behave. hugs olive xx

BeckyG said...

Sorry it's taken me an ages to get back to you all.
Sarah, it does have an odd irony that the dentist is afraid of me. There's something satisfying abou it too tee hee.

Thanks, Vivienne, for your prayers. So far I'm managed to stay out of hospital, but I am still going downhill and do think it'll end up with an admission, but I'll plod on for now.

Phil, yes I'm in Newcastle, and I think we've chatted a little on the AA100 OUSA forum. Good to 'meet' you. Hope you're looking forward to the course.

BeckyG said...

Oh, and Olive, I didn't mean to miss you out - sorry. I did have a lovely time in Edinburgh and thankfully didn't end up in hospital. We really ought to meet up one of these days that I'm up your way, though you do lead a very busy life ;o)

PhiltheNelson said...

Becky I have in the past been both a TA Soldier, someone who has to self administer an Epi. I have also been a member of St Johns and therefore a qualified first aider. I have no problem with the epi administration. So during tutorials if we are both there, I will do whatever is required.
Also I just got PDF's for all of the coursework books etc. You could as well I assume. Through this you can make the computer read the course material to you... You should ask.

BeckyG said...

Hi Phil,

I've been meaning to get back to you for a while, but you may have seen in my most recent post that I'm in hospital at the moment. Anyway, thank you for the reassurance about your being able to administer Epi-Pens in tutorials should the need arise. Hopefully it won't. Also, I should be having a first-aider be put in place for my attendance at tutorials via DSA, but whether this happens in time for the first tutorial I don't know as my NERAC report has been a little delayed by my hospital admission. I wonder if we're in the same tutor group? Who's your tutor?

Re PDFs of the course books: I've got them already. I haven't brought them into hospital with me, but at least I have them now. Thanks for the suggestion though.