Support thread for those awaiting medical appts,tests and surgery

[ohyouBadBadkitten]

It seems that there is probably rather a lot of us who are impatiently waiting to see consultants, have tests or waiting for surgery. So a thread for you to vent in or post your 'hooray's'

me. Am waiting to see my cardiologist. been a bit of a catalogue of delays and getting lost in the system. I have a wonderfully supportive gp who has just calmed me down after me losing the plot a bit when I found I wasnt on the appt system.

How about you?

x-post BM!
Good luck!!!! how are you going to break down the day so that it is manageable?

Until Thursday... my goodness. I've only got until 5 o'clock to handle.

I'm going to try and have a very careful too shallow to drown in bath and then head round the corner for a cup of coffee and then start expressing.

And then I'm going to make a start on the work paperwork I'd stacked up all ready for this.

Eeeeeeek...

What about you? Do you have anyone around other than your daughter to help out? I remember you mentioned the neighbours...

That sounds like a good plan. The paperwork bit doesn't sound fun though, but needs must.

Today dd is going to attempt to dig me a hole in the garden. This could go horribly wrong! This afternoon we may attempt to paint a fence panel....
I've got a new weather module to study this one Tis a great free resource!

Tomorrow we are going to be starting to clean the house. It is grim. In the afternoon we are going to watch avatar and eat popcorn.

Neighbours are there for emergencies, other than that I think we will be ok. Most of my friends are going off on hols. We have easy to reheat food so if I run out of oomph dd can take over.

kitten You sound so organised! And your garden sounds fantastic. How's eveything been?

I've been OK today. Didn't get a huge amount of paperwork done (well, tbh none, but I'm still officially off work anyway) but nevertheless managed to sort out my emails.

But I was so excited when the DCs returned that I scooped DS up for a cuddle . But if it didn't hurt (it didn't) I'm guess it'll have done her no harm...

:) that is lovely!!! I'm so glad you had that cuddle.

It has been ok, I think we are getting there in the garden. Seeds to go into the veggie plot but it's a little early for them.

It has been a long day and a little isolated. Very tired but that's ok, it's not far off bed time.

Very quiet from the others. Hope they are ok.

Quick hello to any lurkers who feel they perhaps want to join in but are feeling a bit shy. This is a friendly thread for all in medical limbo :) so please join in!

HI all

I have finally got Broadband back Thanks to sky playing games with us after we complained about being charged twice as much I don't know how long it will last as Sky does not like us at the moment.

I hope every is doing good.

I have had a bad day today with pain wise but I think its mainly down to getting woke up at 11:30 last night by DP turning the light on, then I just dosed over and DD woke up at 1am vomiting and coughing, She kept us all up until 6am and by then I was wide awake :( I have had pain relief every 2 hours once again and a slight nose bleed, which my GP is concerned about (I only have Nosebleeds when the pressure is playing around) I was finally took off the Gebapantin today. I could have kissed the GP when he said "as the Side Effects are too bad I can't prescribe anymore so try Preglabin, heres a repeat for OraMorph tell the Surgeon you need it and to speak to me if he has a problem, Come and see me in 4-5weeks and we will see how you're getting on"

I get my staples out of my head tomorrow which I cant wait for. I can feel the twisting again but the GP just reminded me that I never got an XRAY on the area as I was in a "rush" to get home :( I'll most likely get a XRAY tomorrow and find out the problem. I do know I have a lot of Scarring in the Shunt areas as the last Surgeon was a butcher which could be causing the feeling.

That is a brilliant Milestone BreastMilk.

LGoR I hope your DC are feeling better soon.

Hope everyone else is doing ok and Hi to the Lurkers :)

I'm on holiday, but I have wifi .

Yesterday was a very active day, we cycled around for about 40 minutes, slowly because my 8 year old is not very capable on a bike, and now my arse is killing me. After the cycling I needed to crash for 45 minutes, so I may have pushed myself a bit far. Then in the afternoon we went bowling. Even using an 8 ball gave me an uncomfortable stretch on my sternum, but I was fine with the 6.

It's nice to be able to do these things, a month ago they would have been difficult and two months ago impossible.

I hope Backpack has an uneventful day at the hospital, and that her dd and LGR's dt's are on the mend.

Backpack, I hope it goes ok today and that you had a better night last night.

Mad, that is great :) I am really pleased for you. I bet you are exhausted today though!

Backpack thinking of you... everything, everything crossed for a straightforward, uneventful day for you. And for DD to feel better soon, too.

Mad great you managed the cycling. I can't wait . Though I'm still a bit confused about maximum heart rates and suchlike, and need some advice.

I'm starting to realise it mightn't have been a great move to pick up DS yesterday. Today it's hurting. Oops.

LGR... how are you and the DTs?

Can I ask if any of you have experienced this, or if I'm merely being either a total wuss or a bit mental?

I'm finding getting back into work paperwork really scary, even though I'm not even officially back at work, even though it's no more physically demnading than sitting on MN, even though the paperwork is not inherently in any way stressful. Just terrified, terrified of returning to work I suppose :(

You aren't being a wuss or mental at all. I think it is a really natural reaction. Going back to work after this is going to be scary and the paperwork as you are rightly guessing will feel like the first step.

I would start off with one piece of hidden paperwork if you can ( one that won't be published) plan a reward for after.

If its any help, the thought of returning to work scares me and my job is not at all scary.

I think my idea of cycling and yours may differ. My dd2 is so slow that I wasn't actually pedalling, just coasting along on the flat. It's probably less energetic than walking.

As for your paperwork, don't forget you have recently had a GA, and for an operation that you were incredibly stressed about. It's hardly surprising that your concentration is not where it was before. It will return

Thanks both of you for your gentle words.

I think I'm just having a gloomy day, and now worrying not only about the future with my heart condition and repeat surgeries but feeling despondant about how years of multiple and seemingly coincidental and unrelated health problems have blighted my career prospects.

But the cycling... honestly Mad, I don't think our ideas are too dissimilar. I joke on here about wanting to compete in the Tour de France but really, well... DH walks when I cycle. Your DDs sound lovely. Mine was starting, just before my surgery, to learn how to use pedals.

Hi all, dt's getting better thank goodness had s bad night with dt1 with coughing and earache, but a lot brighter today,

I've been chasing up my neurologist today, after the steriod treatment last week I thought I'd get a follow up appointment but called his secretary and nothing had been booked, and his next appointments are June!
I've only been given meds from the ward for two weeks do need to know what's happening next.
Luckly the receptionist rang back and as but me in to see him
Next Tuesday and the end of his clinic. She asked if the ms nurses had contacted me? As far as I know I dont have ms!
Feel very much in limbo, at the moment and debating wether to push for a referral to the London specialist, the gp had offered to refer me before but I didnt think it was needed at the time.
But it all seems so disjointed at the moment, and not coordinated in any way, just wish I could see one person and have some sort of plan.
My eyes are very sore and dry and the moment, and I've been having loads more palpitations which I'm hoping is down to the steroids.
Sorry very indulgent moany post,

had two lots of awful news ths week too, a stay at home dad from Playgroup with 3 young daughters died of a heart attack in his sleep, totally unexpected, so so sad he was a lovely man. :(
And my dearest best friend has today been told she had a tumor on her neck and it looks likely to be malignant :( they biopsyed today and she will have MRI and surgery within the next 2 weeks.
Life can be very cruel at times. :(

I really hope you don't have MS :), not only because it sounds a hideous illness but because it would have been a dreadful way to find out.

I'm so sorry about your friends, too.

But it's good to hear from you. And I can see why you've got mixed feelings about the referral to yet another consultant...

Thanks breastmilk hope paperwork going ok, And that pain is better.

LGR, good news about the twins.

You really do need a plan. Hopefully the neurologist will have one when you see him. Might be sensible to hold off on the London referral until you've seen him. It is something that you can bring up on Tuesday. Until then try not to worry (easier said than done) this week, the important thing is to concentrate on recovering from the dts illness. The exhaustion from that would be enough to worsen your palpitations.

I am sorry about your friend and the news too about the dad:(

Got myself very very tired today, but the good news is that between me and dd the house is rather less disgusting now!

Thanks badkitten, try and get some rest tomorrow.

That is my plan. I seem to have rather over done things. Plus I had a rubbish nights sleep, including the smoke detector waking me up twice to complain about its battery and i had bad tummy ache.

Anyone fancy bringing me breakfast in bed?

Sorry you had a crap night.

I did too, just worrying about the future. I mean, we all tell each other not to, but it's hard...

Lovely brekkers, thanks!

It is hard BM. {{{hugs}}}

I've just rung the GP to extend my sicknote :( I was trying to convey to her that as much I know that I'm best off getting back to work ASAP, I'm not sure that there's any value if in going back to work whilst I still don't know the long term effects of the surgery and thus whether I really will be able in the long term to continue working... that I don't want to go back only to leave my job if/when I accept concede realise that I'm going to have to contend with the pre-surgery levels of fatigue for the rest of my life for the long term. I don't know whether she simply didn't have time to listen, or was purposely refusing to go there. But I know that I was probably expecting too much from my GP in hoping that she would be able to listen to all that in a 2 minute phone call.

Sorry to here you had a rubbish night kitten, me too have cought the boys bug so spent the night coughing.
Sorry you didn't get much out of your gp call, breastmilk. It's hard being in limbo land not knowing what will happen next and what the future holds.

BM I think that would be a chat best to be had face to face with your gp. I dunno what counselling services are like in your area ( or what the waiting list is like) but do you think it would be worth considering talk to someone impartial about how you feel longer term?

LGR, not what you need, you poor thing :(

Was feeling at a bit of a loss, Tis very quiet here. But kind neighbours have just offered dd some pond liner as she wants to make a pond in her part of the garden. So we now have some research to do and then she can get digging

and then she can get digging grrrr.