'Kay bringing things up to date ( nuffin' happened today. I just got guilty).
As you may have guessed, there was no blip. I do have a teensy weensy spot of cancer and some gummed up arteries. I have had an angiogram to confirm the cardio stuff and a breast biopsy to confirm the cancer.
Breast biopsy is no big deal; quite interesting, as you can see it all on the ultrasound. It didn't hurt at the time, the local anaesthetic was very good. However it can and did hurt over the next couple of days.
I do wish hospitals would explain that there's the possibility of discomfort/pain/ localised 'ouch'. It would save a lot of nervous Google surfing !
An Angiogram isn't much fun. I had one before, years ago, where they went in through the groin, that was a bit dire and all greek to me. I thought this time would be nicer, but then I'm foolish.
It was a Saturday production line of diagnostic angiograms. As one patient/client/victim was wheeled out of theatre the next was wheeled in, seemingly for hours at a stretch. An overworked cardio consultant sat behind a shield staring at his monitor while I was dosed with radioactive dye and scanned. The catheter administering the dye felt unpleasant going up my arm but 'unpleasant' went to another level when the nurse said 'breathe' as she whisked it out after the procedure.
Then I had a reaction to the dye. This doesn't happen to everybody, but as I was wheeled back to the day-case unit I realised I couldn't see clearly. Soon I had castle battlements dancing before my eyes. Sounds crazy, but...... it's intriguing. It's a kind of visual migraine. First you get the light show then you get the killer headache.
I was sent home a couple of hours later by which time I felt normal again, but tired.
Now I wait. It seems there are swathes of people in the UK with dodgy hearts and there are too few doctors/beds etc etc perhaps our caring government hopes a few of us will die waiting. The breast list appears to be shorter but that can't be started until the heart is sorted, just in case I have a quick coronary on the table. The breast guy has written to the heart guy to ask him to move things along please.
Next installment.....soon?
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