Wednesday, 14 October 2009

PLEASE CAN I ASK YOUR HELP

A good friend on facebook,and from my old poker league has just been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. can i please ask those of you whose faith is greater than mine if you can pray for her?PAMELA A. i shall keep her surname private.because she is a private lady.i think for her to admit she has this most evil of diseases took more courage than anyone could imagine. i call her friend,although we will never meet.just as i will never meet any of you,my readers.but the internet knows no distance,or restrictions.nor do prayers.guido,if you read this,or anyone can help,can this be put on call for support as well please?you are in my thoughts pam.keep fighting.xxx

For myself i am in great discomfort,the bruising is still bad,both in groin,and wrist.but i have a walk to shop every morning,i cook dinner,do the housework,but i am also resting. thankyou all for your lovely comments and good wishes. and in advance for the prayers i know you will send for pamela. this is the reason i didnt go ahead and close my journal.when the chips are down,jland always looks after its own,take care all.

Saturday, 10 October 2009

heart sore again.

i went into hospital at 7pm this last monday,pam took me up there,stayed in overnight,next morning i was woken at 5am and given breakfast,lol.then had a shower,and was taken to angio suite around 10.Dr.E.is a wonderful surgeon,he explained that he would go in through wrist,but that he wanted to do a pressure test on the heart,and was going into groin as well.i can honestly say it was the nastiest procedure i have ever endured.so bad that i actually accepted morphine.not often i need that kind of thing.anyway,he told me i actually had a blockage in the main artery and it could be treated in 2 ways.either bypass,at papworth hospital,or a stent.as he was already in the artery we decided stent.and in fact 2 were fitted.now if there is still angina,although the flow rate went from 73% before stent to 98% after,i shall have to have a bypass.the op.went well,after i was taken to coronary care,in a private room for 5 hours to recover.did manage to eat me roast turkey lunch,was nice too lol,had to keep wrist still as possible,after 4 hours the catheter i still had in groin was removed.and i was taken back to ward.next morning,after a very bad nights sleep i was discharged at 7.30mand pam picked me up.she came straight to the hospital from work,and i was home by 8.40.
so,all done and sorted? well,i knew i had a small haematoma,blood clot,under the skin in my groin.but at around 3 later that day i went to the loo,thought,cor that feels sore,looked and............it was huge.so i rang the cardiac nurses number at the hospital and explained i was a bit concerned.she said,so is it around the size,say of an acorn?ermmmm no,more like a very large hens egg.shape and thickness. deadly silence from other end. 2 minutes please. soon she was back,ok,i have spoken to the registrar,get up here now,as soon as you can,we need to see this.so,i had to get brian,mums friend to take me,pam being on nights i couldnt ask her again.30 plus miles.we got there at 6.i went up to cardiology and it was closed,but a nice nurse showed me to the cardiac ward.i showed the staff nurse the lump and she said,oh bloody hell.thats nasty.rang for a dr.i waited in day room,until a young medic came,he examined me on a spare bed,said,my registrar must see this,and went and got him.he carefully poked,prodded and generally had a good look,and said that it seemed to him that blood had pooled behind the catheter in artery,and it was this that was causing it.he was quite sure though that it would be ok,if any bleeding or if pain got worse i was to ring 999 at once.so we came home to a relieved mum.the wrist and groin have both given me hell.very painful,but today the swelling has subsiided.but the color. i am black in my groin and upper thigh.lot of discomfort.cant drive for a week,cant lift for a month.but i do feel better.lot of discomfort in heart but thats to be expected,and it is getting better.many,many thanks to all who left me so many lovely comments on facebook,to lucy for her mails,and to all who have been asking about me.
i go to pain management clinic in november about back,back up in december for consultation with dr E,and MS consultant in january.lol.may as well pitch a tent there i think.
I have asked for another carers assessment.i cant manage any more.ive tried,and tried.but mum is getting more and more forgetful and vague. luckily thanks to tracey and carol,and her friend chris,she coped the 2 nights i was away.but she wouldnt if i have to go in for a long time.and i need help.because im so tired.she cant help it bless her.and i wont let her go into a nursing home,but i do need further help at night now,and i am going to ask for it.im 56,i look 66,and feel 76.take care all.

Monday, 21 September 2009

electric blue

And anyone who recgonises the series of videos from the 80s,with the same title as this entry,SHAME ON YOU.lol.
On the following monday i sent my housing association a very long,detailed email,explaining all that had occurred,and that i was now left with no earth trip,which was A illegal,and B,extremely dangerous.and that it was THEIR house that would go up in flames if there was a serious electrical fault.that was at 12.15.at 1.10 my phone rung.housing association.claire,secretary to head of assets.normally complaints take 10 days to get sorted,but she had realised how serious the matter was and was seeing her boss at once.20 minutes later the phone rang again.the contractors.a very sheepish lady said,neil,our head electrician will be with you first thing in the morning,he will do a full test,and we will go from there.
At 8.20 the next morning neil arrived,pleasant,courteous,professional.he was horrified when i told him what the other electrician had done,and set about testing.it took him 5 hours to check every circuit.he found 4 things.the positive buzz bar was so loosely connected it had been arcing,and was the reason it later turned out the trip kept going out,fan in bathroom was set too fine,and noisy.light in bathroom was not up to regs.and the boiler wasnt earth bonded.he also changed circuits around,so every circuit is now protected by trip.oh,and yes,he replaced the trip.he refused to issue a certificate until the work was done,said he would order what was needed and left.the next morning he rung at 8,he had all the things,and was coming to do it.by 11 he was done,everything was checked.a true professional.i sent an email to claire asking for him to be commended and thanked for a job well done i may add.
over the next few days the lights flickered occasionally,then on the following monday,it was a wet and windy day,the overhead powerline was blowing about and as it did my lights flickered.bad.i had neils number and rang him,we both agreed it had to be the overheads causing the problem so i rung EDF,they sent out an engineer who got here after tea.it transpires my neighbour is on the same overhead,it goes to her main fuse first,then from a splitter to mine.and oh yes,her lights had been a bit flickery.shame you didnt tell me that when i asked you i thought.anyway,the engineer checked the fuses and connections and said he would order a linesman crew to come out the next day and check.and the next day 2 lorries turned up,up the pole they went and.............the neutral connector had split.corroded.and water was getting in,also the live was nearly as bad.15 minutes later,2 new connectors,job done.and the saga ends.no more problems.
This morning i had a phone call from my consultant,i go in to hospital the evening of october 5th,stay in overnight,op first thing tuesday 6th,will be in all day and overnight and released the next morning,hopefully angina free.it means i must now try and sort care for mum for 2 nights and days.and thats another story i fear.we shall see.
Lucy i am so sorry i havent been there for you,or jane,or anyone else.im just not reading blogs.and i apologise.take care all.

Friday, 11 September 2009

NEVER FORGOTTEN




NO WORDS I WRITE CAN DO JUSTICE TO THE AWFUL ATROCITY THAT OCCURED ON THIS DATE 8 YEARS AGO.TO MY FRIENDS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,AND TO THE FAMILIES IN THE UK WHO ARE STILL DEVASTATED BY THIS MOST EVIL AND COWARDLY OF ATTACKS. YOU ARE IN MY THOUGHTS.AND IN THE MINDS AND HEARTS OF MILLIONS. take care all.

Sunday, 6 September 2009

back again

sorry its been so long,somehow ive lost the desire to write,a lot is due to the MS which has been bad.mainly due to some hot weather we had.that was summer lol.autumn seems to be rushing towards us now,its turned a lot cooler.anyway,thursday i went to the heart clinic,now it was actually a follow up they do for patients who have had angioplasty surgery,as such the cardiac nurse hadnt read my notes.she just thought everything was sorted,until i explained i WAS still getting angina bad,was still using the nitro spray,so she then read,and said,he has put if you still get angina he will try an angioplasty using a special drug filled balloon,i shall put you on his waiting list,will soon be sorted,next.lol. so that was a waste of 70 miles travelling for what could have been done over the phone in 2 minutes,although i did have an ECG/blood pressure reading done.at least he will try and clear the artery,and hopefully i wont need bypass surgery.

The next day,friday i was off to Cromer hospital,small cottage hospital to see the orthopaedic triage.i had the MRI on my back done in june,i rung them 3 weeks after the scan,as i hadnt heard from them,and was told the triage would look at the scan and ring me back.then they rung to say she had looked,and i would be called back for another appointment with her and then..............nothing.i rung again,yes she would look at the scan and get back to me. ermmm i was told she HAD looked at it? oh?i will speak to her.week later i rung again.again i was told she had looked at it and i was "in the system" to be seen.then i finally got an appointment for friday. when i did get in to see her,she said,ive not even looked at scan,i havent been told you rung,nothing.lovely lol. anyway,we looked at the scan pics.together,and it can be clearly seen that i have yet another disc bulging and pressing on the nerve,hence the awful pain im getting.also showed some white patches,and she was rather quiet about those.i asked,those lesions? im not a nurologist she said,then looked at me.how many did you have last scan?4 or 5.ive now got around 9.oh well.thats another worry for a later date.in the meantime,i am going to try a course of steroid injections to relieve the inflammation,hopefully they will help,if not,and the pain is still as bad,surgey will be considered,and the verteba will be fused together.which sounds awful but she assures me i will still be able to bend,although a bit stiff,and that its an operation that carries a lot less risk than it used to.we will see.

now ive written before about the wonderful housing associations maintenance team,my bathroom door still a apainful memory.for the last 3 weeks my lights flicker,the power goes down,my fan motor slows,obvious there was a problem.an electrician ( ahem) came out,checked the connections to the main trip in the consumer unit,found they were so loose he had to turn the screw 5 times to tighten it, and that was it,until.................the trip went off in the middle of the night.no clock,good job it was weekend and tracey wasnt coming early.so he came out and changed the trip. 3 days later same thing happened. so they sent a surveyor round.he wanted a special test done on all the circuits before calling out the board,it could be the overhead cables at fault,and lo,the next day the same electrician came out.did he test?? nooooo.he did cure the trip going oiut though, in a most radical,and im sure efficient way.he took it out.removed it.rewired the unit so now...............ive got no protection if there is a serious fault.that was thursday,he said he would report the overhead cables at fault.now,i am going to write on monday a most long and interesting email to the head of housing,explaining the test wants carried out as ordered,that i am not protected,that this is illegal,and ...........WILL THEY BLOODY WELL SORT IT.NOW.i rather think that contract firm will NOT be doing repairs when the current contract ends next year.they are useless.

finally,welcome back to pamal3.those of you who followed her blog will be as delighted as i am she has finally graced us with her presence again.even if she dont write,she dont call,she just swans off without a word,i dunno,dont she realise that i wor..........ahem.sorry pam.lol.you knew youd suffer.im glad my friend is back.Almost 40! sorry i havent been around for you lucy,or you jane,but i have read your blogs and am up to date now.take care all.

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

a few pics to lighten the gloom

good butterfly year,this is only one of about 3 red admirals ive seen though

painted lady with a peacock butterfly on the buddleia davidii "black knight"

self sown sunflower,lol.bird feeders were above it.its full of hover flies in centre


my white hollyhock,quite pleased with this shot



that new boarder i did at start of season has just bloomed and bloomed.





taken few weeks ago,most have gone over now and been removed.did well though





been lovely to see,fuschias were from last year,shant keep them as they show signs of fireblight





my pink water lilly.unfortunately the white one didnt flower this year,i didnt know that water lillies hate moving water until last year,the pump has been turned off to allow them to flower







taken a 1.30 am,in the middle of june.didnt really get dark.nights pulling in fast now though








taken at 10 pm came out pretty well.











feeding frenzy i get every morning when i throw the old cat food sooty has left out.glad you cant hear all the noise lol









greedy devils









well,hope everyone is having a good summer.it is going away fast,soon autumn will be here.nasty thought.i am pleased jane has posted,bless her heart.there is a fighter.take care all,enjoy your gardens and the hot weather.























Friday, 7 August 2009

heart sore

firstly,and with deep sorrow,can i please ask you all to visit janes blog,A journey of another kind....: Jane's Journey - The final leg. ive just read this entry and im in tears.you will see why.jane,ive been reading your fight against terminal cancer now for a long time.you keep fighting sweety.xxxx
I went in tuesday for the stents to be fitted.Pam dropped me off at the hospital,and i was on the ward at 11.10.i had to wait for nearly 30 minutes for a bed to become free,when it did it was near the window,and boy was i glad later at night.very stuffy and close day.they were very busy,but the staff were very courteous as always.i finally got taken down to the angio suite at 1.30.finally went through at 2,got up on table,connected up to ECG,when.........the surgeon came over and said,morton,i am so sorry,we have a 999 emergency call coming in,73 yr old lady suffering a heart attack,i oromise you will be seen to directly after we see to her. so i was unplugged,taken back to the recovery bay and waited.like me back in december she was rushed into the angio suite,and a well oiled machine swung into action.lol.bless her,she had 3 stents fitted,and was sitting up in bed later that night enjoying a cuppa.
So.i finally got back on the table at 4pm.2 surgeons,5 technicians,millions of pounds worth of scanners at work. one surgeon left at 5 ish,the other kept on trying to get a stent in but to no avail.the fact is he couldnt fit the stents,instead i had an angioplast on 1 artery,a balloon is inserted and the artery is "squashed"on the inside,making the artery wider.the other artery was just too narrow.apparently it goes into a sharp bend,then narrows like a chicane on a racing circuit,and it was just too tight a curve for him to get anything through.he told me there is a special balloon he will order that may work if i still continue to have trouble.and if that doesn't work,well it means Papworth hospital,bypass operation.finally,i was taken back to my ward at 7pm.missed me tea lol.bless the ward sister for the sandwich she had kept me.
Now,i had shaved the left side of my groin for the catheter to be inserted.the surgeon decided he wanted the right side shaved as well,in case he needed to go in that artery.so,i now got 2 nice smooth areas,all ready and............he went in through my right wrist.lol.i had to be connected to a pump that slowly fed a blood thinning drug through my vein for 12 hours,i was allowed up at 10.30 to use toilet,still connected to machine which i had to push in front of me.now,this was ok except,it squeaked as i pushed it,so at 4am,bearing in mind i couldnt get to sleep and raj,the absolutely fantastic night nurse in charge had made me 2 cups of tea and biccys,and the fact i hadnt taken the nasal spray to stop me needing loo,there was me going squeak,squeak,squeak,toilet door opens,squeak,door closes.silence.flushing noise.door opens squeak,squeak,oh i was popular.lol.
the pump was removed at 7,canular removed and after a quick breakfast i was sitting in dayroom.pam picked me up at 9 and i walked in my door around 10.15.
felt really sore,achy and tired today.yesterday i was ok,but i am now bruised everywhere,so i think it is delayed reaction.i am still getting a bit of angina,though it may be due to the op.anyway,i go and see him in 6 weeks time,where we will discuss what happens next.i really do not want a lot of bypass surgery if it can be avoided,but i shall be led by the consultant.
i am sorry,i just haven't felt like reading blogs,only tonight have i read a few,the MS has been playing up as it always does when i am stressed or tired.for some reason blogger has decided i am persona non grata at the moment,i got a message saying my network was sending messages to blogspot and i was banned until further notice.huh???i did see that several bloggers had had the same message,so we will see.i got on here to do this entry via dashboard.i have some great pics to share for the next time,but for now,take care all.many thanks for all the lovely messages on facebook,yearbook,tagged and emails.mort