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Sunday 18 May 2014

Spring 2013


So at my appointment in February the consultant said he was pleased with my weight loss but was concerned with my pale 'English rose complexion' and that my endo may have got worse again. He decided the best away forward was for another lap and dye. 

I waited and waited for the appointment and after some pushing from my husband, friends and colleagues, I phoned the hospital to see what was happening. Greeted by a not so friendly secretary I was told that the consultant hadn't marked part of the notes correctly so she had sent my file to be put away and hadn't passed it over to the treatment centre to be scheduled. She said she would do it over the next few days and I should call the treatment centre the following week, which I did. When I called they'd just had my file and said it had been marked as urgent and they could fit me in the following week as there had been a cancellation. This took me a bit by surprise so I spoke to my husband, my Mum and my boss, who all encouraged me to take the date and move forward and that's exactly what I did. The following day I went for my pre-op and bloods.


The next week I nervously made my way to the treatment centre. I was more nervous than the last time and on edge before going in and as I came round from the anaesthetic I burst into tears. I was in quite a bit of pain and felt shaky and sick. The anaesthetic had a funny effect on me and I had waves of sickness, hot flushes and fainting. I was put on regular checks as my blood pressure went up and down quickly. My Mum arrived at the hospital and sat with me, calling a nurse each time I could feel a flush of sickness starting. After a few funny turns the anaesthetist was sent for and I was quickly put on a drip to the flush the anaesthetic through my system and to avoid being admitted. The findings of the lap and dye were that my endo had come back but wasn't as bad as before. My fallopian tubes also needed to be flushed. In the end I was discharged the same day with strong painkillers and was told to call if I had any problems.

Due the Easter holidays I would have to wait longer than normal to have my stitches out and I was not looking forward to them being removed and didn't know what to expect as the last were dissolvable. I managed to get myself worked up about it and my Mum tried to tell me it wouldn't hurt and I wouldn't feel a thing!! Liar!! Luckily, a work colleague came to see me and told me the truth by saying 'of course it will hurt but there's nothing you can do about it, pull yourself together'. As the stitches got sore and possibly infected I ended up at the small but friendly Ilkeston Hospital. I had tried speaking to NHS Direct and the 111 service, which at the time had just started but I got nowhere and they suggested I visit the hospital. Luckily, the nurses at Ilkeston Hospital were really lovely and tried to put me at ease. As the stitches were ready to come out they didn't want to leave them until after the bank holiday to be removed as the skin had grown up to the knots. One was so far down into my belly button that they had to shine a torch down it and pull it open to find it! This wasn't the most pleasant experience, although I think my dear husband found my reaction to the nurses digging in my belly button highly amusing!

I still went to see the practice nurse at my doctors surgery and she told me I had to carrying on with dressings for a week after. She gave me a supply of dressings, bits of iodine soaked gauze and water pods. Now from my time working at the family nursing home I had changed dressings before but I had no idea how much the iodine would sting! The practice nurse warned me before she cleaned the wounds that it would sting but bloody hell!! It was like pouring vinegar into the wound! She also left a piece in my belly button under the dressing to keep it clean, which again wasn't the most pleasant experience!

Once I'd healed I was free to start exercising and dieting again. The consultant was happy with my weight loss but he wanted me to lose more. I felt the boundaries had been moved again but I had little choice. I had to get my fat ass into gear and lose the weight once and for all.

Katie
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