And they have been quite dramatic. On Wednesday I posted to say "I feel orders of magnitude better" and at 8 am on Thursday morning I was en route to hospital in an ambulance with all the sirens going.
Cutting to the chase, I'd had a pulmonary embolism. I could barely breathe, couldn't even stand up. Had to be carried down the stairs by the paramedics.
Spent most of the day having all kinds of tests until a CT Scan confirmed a very large blood clot in my lungs, which was exactly what the paramedic told me she thought it might be when I was in the ambulance.
From there we moved to various flushing processes and blood thinners, which had little effect. In the evening I was asked whether I wanted to go for the "Clot Buster" that had been mentioned numerous times during the day.
It can have some pretty impressive negative consequences, death not the least of them, but then so could not taking it. I said yes straight away, they gave it to me and a couple of hours later my breathing was close to normal and my heart was no longer about to explode.
I spent Friday and Saturday in hospital, feeling increasingly better and they finally sent me home this afternoon with yet another basketful of drugs (blood thinners plus antibiotics because I also have a chest infection). I am making no predictions this time!
Looking back at the care I received, throughout the entire process it was exemplary. The ambulance must have been with us in barely five minutes and it was first class care from beginning to end. It was my first ever ambulance ride, too - shame I wasn't in a fit state to appreciate it but I guess people generally aren't! The NHS may have its problems but I'll take it over any of the other options, that's for sure.
That said, I do feel I've had my share for a while. I'll be quite happy to let someone else use the resources for a bit. But, as I said, I'm out of the prediction business.
I'll take everyone's best wishes as read and thank you for them now. Wouldn't want compassion fatigue to set in. Who knows how much more of this there is to come?
Back on point, while I was in hospital with time to think, I had a couple of ideas about the blog, which I may or may not implement for Blaugust. I am still hoping to participate to a significant degree although I think my so-called mentoring role is going to be purely notional this year.
If change does come to Inventory Full it will be experimental and not necessarily long-lasting, let alone permanent. Might not even happen at all.
We shall see what happens, which, not at all co-incidentally, is now my official position on everything!
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Well on the plus side, I can now tell people that I read a medical blog with nose ever so slightly tipped in the air, right?
ReplyDeleteMore seriously, geez. Yes! Hopefully your time of requiring emergency NHS services is at an end, at least for a bit. Continue to rest up and don't worry too much about us in the meantime.
In terms of my stuff, your finger crossing at least did some of the trick. Endoscopy was clear (of the worst of it anyway, there is some scarring which accounts for the pain and possibly a valve not doing entirely what it should). Unfortunately this doesn't entirely get me out of the woods yet. The extreme low ferritin still has them on the hunt, so I'm back in to have the other end of things checked next. And if they can't find anything from that, back a third time to swallow a capsule camera thinger to check out the small intestine!
It's at least two to three weeks between these procedures even private, so may be a time yet before I'm fully given an all clear (or not), but ah well.
Good luck! I can't imagine the procedures themselves are much fun, regardless of the result. Mrs Bhagpuss had an endoscopy a couple of years back (nothing of concern found) and she said it was the worst of that sort of thing she'd had. I was keeping that cheery little nugget until you'd had yours because I think sometime the anticipation can be worse than the actual event.
DeleteFrom my perspective this one wasn't actually too bad. They performed it under general anesthetic, so I just sort of woke up later and it was done. I was EXPECTING to have to do it under local only which would've been far less fun I think.
DeleteNot sure if same will be true about the coming ones or not, but here's hoping. ;)
Glad nothing was found in your wife's case as well!
Take it one day at a time. My wife is recovering from a stem-cell transplant for leukemia. While her leukemia is in 100% remission, the various complications of handling the treatment are still being dealt with two years later. All you can do is enjoy the good days when they happen and try to let the bad days just wash away as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteKeep going and enjoying the stuff you like as you can. :)
Best wishes to your wife. Yep, one day a time is all you can do. The weird thing is that a couple of months after the actual operation I had in April, I was about the fittest I'd been for years. It's the follow-up that's causing the problems.
DeleteHoly crap Bhags. I'm glad you're OK - as OK as OK is for you right now. Hang in there - thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bree! Fingers crossed things quieten down a bit now.
DeleteDamn, dude, that's scary. Glad you're still with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Me too, hehe!
DeleteCongrats on not dying? That sounds scary as hell, I'm glad you're ok. You will be in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks! If I just respawned with a short-term debuff that would be so much better!
DeleteGlad you got through that. My partner has a pulmonary embolism and it came on while I was suffering a severe case of gout so she drove herself to the hospital because she didn't think what she was feeling was a big deal. They disavowed her of that notion right quick. Thank goodness she also got through it, but that's the last time either of us is ever going to drive themselves to hospital no matter what!
ReplyDeleteAnyway as always, take good care of yourself (you and NHS seem to have that bit in hand) and feel better soon!
Blimey! Glad to hear it went well for your partner. I actualy had the initial indications thaty something might be going on a couple of days before the final event and I could (and should) have gone in then, when Mrs Bhagpuss could have driven me in, but one of the symptoms of chemo is shortness of breath and I put it down to that at first. Won't be making that mistake again... I hope!
DeleteHoly moly! Glad you're better. Roll on National Health Service if they got you through that okay. I'm sure my local hospital would be as good, I would just likely be bankrupt when the bill showed up.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, I don;t think anyone disputes the exceptional quality of US healthcare - it's what happens when you're well again that's the issue there.
DeleteGlad you are recovering! Quite the series of days. I have had plenty of ER trips with my wife and always get some good people. Keep taking care of yourself!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hope your wife doesn't have to make any more trips but it is reassuring to see first hand that they do know what they're doing!
DeleteShit, man, that's scary (by orders of magnitude more for you than for me, I'm sure, but still)!
ReplyDeleteI really hope that's been it and you'll get better now. Fingers crossed, and toes, and...other parts I won't talk about here. ;-)
Hehe! Thanks. I'm realy just hoping for a quiet time now but as I said I'm out of the prediction business.
DeleteBlimey. That is a tale and no mistake. Your dead right though. The NHS are first class when it comes to this sort of emergency care. Fast diagnosis and prompt treatment, means they can get on top of the problem and you recover a lot quicker. As for being a spectator in a "blue light" scenario, it's not that much fun. I speak from experience :) Hope you make a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Got two blog posts up since I got home (and been for a short walk) so that's a good sign, I reckon.
DeleteWhew, Bhag, that sounds proper scary! I'm glad you're (sort of?) okay... can you please stay (reasonably) healthy and alive now?!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, glad to hear that the NHS lived up to its reputation.
Thanks! I'm under very close monitoring for the next phase of my chemo so fingers-crossed it goes as easily as the first one did this time. Meantime I'm staying indoors and doing nothing!
DeleteWow, glad to hear you're doing better. Hopefully you're getting it all out of the way and can heal up the rest of the way peacefully.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Going to try and keep things a s quiet as possible form here!
DeleteWas just catching up (sorta) on your Blaugust entries and... ran onto your reference this, which, somehow, I don't remember AT ALL when it was happening or having read this post.
ReplyDeleteI only remember the chemo mentions afterward. So, I had no idea things got this... close. Damn. Hella scary.
As to the prediction retirement... Soon, I'll be having an invasive procedure done I've had before that should be fairly straightforward, but I know there are variables. I'm allowing for "whatever/ohWELLS", because it's much less stressful, isn't it?
Cheers,
-- 7rlsy