Support thread for those awaiting (and undergoing and recovering from) medical appointments,tests and surgery: PART TWO

[BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte]

This is a continuation of this thread, started a few months back by ohyouBadBadkitten as "a thread for you to vent in or post your 'hooray's'". Everyone is welcome, regardless of the nature or duration of their illnesses and whether or not they have a diagnosis. The last thread dealt with a real diversity of long-term and acute conditions, as well as many of the mental health challenges and fertility questions commonly associated with them.

We should probably add the standard sort of disclaimer about not necessarily being qualified or insured to offer proper medical advice, which means that if your symptoms start to sound a bit scary you'll get a few of us rather assertively shoving you in the direction of your local A&E department. As madsometimes puts it, "A&E for Mumsnetters would have Boden medical gowns, Farrow & Ball paint schemes and fruit shoot free vending machines selling organic elderflower presse. Pinot Grigio would be dispensed at wine o'clock. There would be public information posters warning about the dangers of googling Dragon Butter... the injuries resulting from Friday night threads would be quite horrific." However, we all know the reality of medical emeregncies to be signifiantly more stresfull than that, so if it's not life-threaningly urgent, we'll hold your hand and chat and support and speculate on the basis of the reasonably half-informed knowledge gained by our own life experiences.

Welcome. The kettle is on...

Week after next for cardiologist :)
I'm great at swallowing tablets. Did a whole fresh boiled sweet after dh braked a bit sharpish the other week, so if its like that it will be ok! I had egg and chips tonight. I have booked the telly and sofa tomorrow afternoon.

I had to take my Olympic nail varnish off :(

Eek I'm so sorry to have been so utterly crap and self absorbed as to have forgotten it was tomorrow for you. Big hugs... and surely if you can swallow a whole sweet you can swallow anything . If I were neat enough for such things I would offer to redo your nails afterwards...

BM - Why does the nearby hospital scare you so much? The hospital near me scares me, because I don't think it's particularly good. They manage my warfarin not always brilliantly, but other than that I avoid the place. I could have switched there for my pacing, but dh and I both decided separately that it would be a bad idea. As I'm 100% paced we both felt that we needed a hospital that we had full confidence in, so even though the local one would probably be fine, I travel to the same hospital where I had surgery.

The hospital 90 minutes away doesn't sound ideal, unless it is particularly brilliant for your condition. However, I don't agree with your dh that all hospitals are the same. Just from reading this thread, I have noticed quite marked differences between waiting times for different hospitals for similar investigations. There does seem to be a postcode lottery. Also, some consultants are better communicators than others - it doesn't necessarily mean they are better doctors though.

I'm glad and surprised that you are feeling well enough to cancel the fatigue specialist appointment - I'm sure she could have extracted your test results with a curt letter. However, I don't think that you should discharge yourself from cardiology, given that you know you will need further treatment at some point in the future. You may be right that a new start with a different doctor could be beneficial.

good luck for tomorrow kitten

Don't be daft BM, tisnt a 'save the date occasion' for people I think dd might have her eyes on my nails which is a bit worrying really.....
Bit worried my stupid period is starting. It always knows the worst timing.

Thank you Pavlov.
If I'm really lucky, I might be done and dusted in 12 hours or so and ready to enjoy an afternoon of athletics.

Totally unreasonable request making you remove your nail varnish .

Still, reapplying it will give you something to do tomorrow afternoon, while watching the Olympics on the the telly and being waited on hand and foot by your dh .

Absolutely! What do you reckon I should get him to bring me? ( bearing in mind we need to go shopping!)

well, to start with then, you can send him to the shops, so make a list!

maybe we will see you on MN this afternoon, thinking of you x

Good luck OYGGB, I'm thinking of you .

I was told only soft food at first, so dh made me scrambled eggs. I didn't actually fancy an enormous meal, even though I was really hungry because of being late on the list. I wasn't cleared to eat until 1.30 pm. By that evening I was on normal rations.

There are so many yummy things to send your dh out to get. There's lots of soft summer fruit and berries, mousses, trifle, icecream. My all time favourite comfort food, which makes lots of people is ambrosia creamed rice.

DH has just had a call on his mobile from a trainee manager in cardiology, informing us that they cannot access my medical notes until the consultant is back from annual leave a week on Monday.

I mean, FFS...

Firstly: why are they using DH's mobile rather than mine? True, I gave them his number once back in 2009 when I was pregnant and full of morning sickness, but since them I have repeatedly and consistently requested they call me directly. Everyone but the consultant seems to manage it. He just calls DH rather than me because he likes DH and finds me too difficult to deal with .

Secondly: since when is a consultant the only person able to access a patient's medical notes? I mean, if I turned up at A&E in acute heart failure in an ambulance or rang to query an unlikely diagnosis on a computerisd discharge summary or was found dead at home... of course they wouldn't wait for the consultant to return from holiday.

Monday: 8.40am. I am seeing this new GP again, and requesting a referral elsewhere.

Oh dear. I've just sobbed and wailied down the phone at the nice lady from PALS.

Thereby reinforcing my reputation as an awkward little shit.

Am home, without supplies :( the hosp did feed me sarnies and biscuits though :)
The throat spray didn't go so well, I choked and couldn't get my breath. They thought I was having an allergic reaction and I ended up with extra oxygen for a bit with my HR sky high. It did settle though. I don't remember much at all about the procedure, other than they gave me an extra dose of sedation very shortly into it, so I went completely zonked.

Will get the results in about 10 days time when I see the cardio chap.

Rather fuzzy headed and sleepy still, so an afternoon on the sofa.

Glad you survived. Well done. Can DD repaint your nails whilst you watch the athletics?

:( just had a big row ( for us) with dh.

I'm sorry.

I find DH and I have most of our worst arguments around medical stuff...

I spect if I wasn't doped up still I wouldn't have been quite so sensitive.
Do you know we have nothing in for dinner? Wonder when it will dawn on him we need to eat tonight.

I'm really glad you phoned PALS again and are seeing the gp. It's just not good enough. :(

. Remember what Gingerwine said about how she has a bad emotional response to sedation, perhaps you are similar. This stuff does mess with your brain, which is why you are told not to make important decisions or sign legal documents for 24 hours. Your dh is probably very stressed too. I'm sure he's worried about you, and knowing that reacted badly to the test this morning must have upped his anxiety.

The best thing for your dh to do is go out and buy you chocolate, and for both of you to forget your cross words .

Sorry that this morning was a bit of an ordeal - I must have got away with quite an easy TOE experience. Still all done now, and hopefully you will get some answers in just over a week.

Take away night is needed. What do you fancy? You get to pick.

He sounds just like my DH. Would you fancy and/or manage to eat a soft and unspicey takeaway?

I spoke to cardiology again. They've agreed to hereafter speak to me directly though they said that last time and have assured me that the consultant will call. I thanked them for agreeing to use my phone number and told them that, with all due respect that all prior experience leads me to believe that the consultant will simply refuse to telephone me.

In terms of onward referral, Bestest Friend has suggested that I ask for one in her city, a few away. The only potential challenge being: I'm in England and she's in Scotland. In terms of funding and commissioning, is that possible? There must be someone on Chat who knows...

*a few hours away

I think you are right about it being takeaway night. No idea though. I think I'm a real wimp cos my throat is still really sore. It is all done now.

The actual TOE bit itself was ok, I can vaguely remember the tube going in and the tube coming out again. It was only the stupid throat spray that was rubbish and scary.

You are right about the 24 hour bit being there for a reason I guess.

Well done for getting hold of cardiology again :) I think that you'll need to talk to to the gp about referring so far out of area. I have no idea how it all works nowadays.

Dh has suggested Chinese. Don't fancy that but don't know what I do fancy.

Thanks guys. Really good to have people to chat to.

Dominos hit the spot :)

Hi I was referred to the medical ward last week as I had a purple rash and other symptoms. The GP was concerned for Meningitis and scared DP and I in the wait to the hospital.

I had loads of tests and a Lumber Puncture the LP showed an increased infection but not Meningitis. The Surgeon believes the infection is in my shunt in my brain. So I'm on AntiBiotics then when the infection has healed a bit the Surgeon will remove the shunt. I've been speaking to another person who has had the same infection but his Surgeon removed the Shunt first then treated the infection. I get another LP on Monday then get told the next step. I was supposed to stay in hospital but there was no beds on the Neurosurgery ward and the Neurologists would not have me on their ward. So I'm on Weekend leave.

I'm 14 weeks pregnant on Sunday and baby is doing great. I'm off all strong painkillers and have been for 9weeks now :) I just take the Paracetamol which has surprised me.

My Obstetrician is great and she is going to do everything I need and during pregnancy and Labor, My Surgeon recommends a C Section my Obstetrician recommends a Vaginal birth with timed pushing stage then a C section :o .

This thread is so long now, Could someone recap and tell me what has been happening? I'm only about a fifth down the thread.

I hope everyone is doing well. I carry on reading :)