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Friday 3 November 2017

Surgical Strike

So, there I was, Sunday evening just finishing some fiddly bits on the Gallic Celt cavalry that I am doing for a friend. You know, the little bits of pink and white around the mouth, the eyes and the hooves. This painting session had taken up most the evening but I thought that was good compared my recent miserable health delayed work.



Was quite chuffed so packed off to bed to read a page or two of one of Angus Konstams tomes. As usual I went for a quick jimmy and nothing much came out apart from a spurt of bright red blood. Best see the doctor in the morning I said to my good lady.

Thirty minutes later was in agony, on a scale of 1 to 10 it was a number 8 or 9. A quick phone call to NHS 24 provided an appointment with a doctor at the local Royal Infirmary. Urine Tract Infection she said, take these anti-biotics to sort that out but while you are here go and see Accident & Emergency as your blood pressure and heart rate are both outside the ranges we would like to see.

Another 30 minutes later another medical team established that my blood pressure was a wee bit high and the medication I was already on was the preferred treatment. Unfortunately my heart rate was on another planet. 155 to 165 Beats Per Minute where a more normal person would be 60 to 80. No problem they said, we have an effective treatment for that and right enough it calmed down after taking 4 little triangular blue pills. I think they gave me something for pain relief at that point but since I WAS in pain I can't be sure. I think I had managed to pass some fluid too so they decided I could go home and wait for an out-patient appointment. A CT scan will check out your kidney and bladder plumbing as they may be blocked and that I also have a small tumour on my left kidney.

That was a bummer.

Had another pee before heading home again and it was nothing but blood, bright red blood.

They decided to transfer me to the Western General Hospital as they were better equipped to deal with my situation so off we went in a paid-for taxi leaving our car behind in a pay-through-the-nose car park.

Once at the Western it took about an hour to find a ward which dealt with me. There was a lot of confusion and mis-direction happening as I was following instructions from a probably very tired nurse to a non-standard reception at a different hospital but I got there in the end.

They bedded me in, gave me pain relief, a catheter (very painful) to drain off fluid, numerous ultra-sound scans and several visits by a team of surgeons and consultants and eventually a cosy chat, in the 'bereavement' room with the head consultant. He explained that my tumour could well be cancerous, which I had already guessed, and could be easily operated within a day or two.

Unfortunately the cancer may have spread and we need a CT scan to give us a detailed picture. Hopefully we'll get a scan done later today and operate as soon as possible.

Three days later I am still waiting for a CT scan. They have sent me home as I am out of pain (isn't morphine wonderful), can pee and eat (not simultaneously) so I can now expect an out patient appointment.

I have an appointment with my local GP on Monday morning where I will no doubt have a bit of a rant. Why can't I get a CT scan. It only needs a radiologist and a free scanner and 30 minutes max. there is a team of surgeons, medics and nursing staff just waiting to get started. I would even be happy to travel to another hospital in another city, Glasgow, Dundee or even Newcastle if they had spare capacity elsewhere.

Anyway, back to my starting story. I am now doing the shield decals before moving on to plaid and checked trousers on the riders. I imagine I will use as much of my spare time as possible clearing the decks until a clearer picture emerges.

29 comments:

  1. Not good, hope things get better. Glasgow has an excellent unit in Gartnavel for cancer patients, one of the best in the UK - my mother went there for treatment on a melanoma a few years ago.

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    1. Thanks Rob

      Edinburgh is pretty good for cancer care, this is renal cancer which is fairly common and there are reasonably effective treatments for most of them

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  2. Jim really sorry to hear of your ordeal (especially on top of your recent hospitalisation) and hope you get to the bottom of all this soon.

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    1. My last event was a TIA and this time included atrial fibrillation which is a precursor for a stroke so there is a bit of a connection going there.

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  3. Oh dear, that must be very worrying for you, I wish the hospital had got moving on your CT, I imagine they have their reasons...
    Still, they can tell a lot from bloods and other investigations, and I hope its not too long till the CT. I would query it if they haven't given you an appt within a fortnight at most.
    Thinking of you...

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    1. Hi Richard

      I'm not worried, I am quite disappointed though. I can cope with leaving my wargame estate in an unfinished fashion but I expect that most of us are guilty of that. I'm really disappointed in that I have a 15 month old grandson and it would be a shame for him and for me if we couldn't grow a bit older together.

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  4. Damn, I hope you get the treatment you need quickly. All the best Jim.

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  5. Good Lord, Jim! You are experiencing more than your fair share of health issues. Hopefully, they all have coincided to this point in time and all will be smooth sailing after this.

    Best wishes.

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    1. There is only one question left really. Do I die sooner or later.

      I know that 'later' is preferable as it will allow me to tick some more boxes on the great plan.

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  6. That's a bummer indeed! Hope it all turns out for the best, fortunately so much is possible nowadays. Just keep up your spirits!

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    1. Yes, the surgeons I spoke to said 'lets get on with it'. Radiology seem to be on a different plan.

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  7. So sorry to read of the time you're having. It will be good to get the fuller picture and I hope recon in the form of the ct scan happens soon.
    Take care
    Alan
    P.s well done for getting on with hobby things and great to see you here in the blogsphere.

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    1. I don't normally give up on things Alan, you'll know that. Having a better idea of the timings will let me plan more effectively.

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  8. I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles , I hope they get things sorted soon . Glad to see you are remaining positive - all the best, Tony

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  9. Jim,

    I do hope that the medical services in your area get their act together ASAP so that you can begin the necessary treatment. Good luck ... and keep being positive.

    All the best,

    Bob

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    1. One annoying thing has been able to see the Radiology department from the ward window. I also know that they are processing cases as my chum is an ambulance driver and he popped in to see me while delivering a patient there.

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  10. Cricky! That all sounds .... well lets just say "unpleasant" (and scary). Don't give up on the grandson's growing up just yet. Modern medicine can do some wonderful stuff.

    Best wishes for a best possible outcome.

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    1. All the medics, surgeons and nursing staff that I spoke to seemed to know what they should be doing next. It's waiting for Radiology to do their bit and start the ball rolling.

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  11. Very sorry to hear this, Jim. Hope they get cracking and that the right procedures will see you come out of this in good shape and with plenty more miles to come on the clock yet.

    Best,
    Aaron

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    1. I have a wargame chum who had one of his kidneys whipped out a few years ago. He's still going strong.

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  12. I admire your stoicism Jim. I love the way after the tale of hospital run arounds you jump straight back into an 'anyway....back to the wargaming..' sentence. ;-) Fair play to you sir. And best wishes on the health front.

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    1. Well, you've just got to get on with it. There's not too many other options.

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  13. It's great to get your update but I want it to be more positive on the scan front. A good move to say you're prepared to go anywhere and....why ever not? Please keep us updated. You can tell us what the doc says on Monday. L&D x

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  14. A close realtion had a similar experience--potentially dire diagnosis followed by indifference by the other components of the system that were required to confirm the case and inform further treatment, Very distressing, to say the least. Best wishes for a more satisfactory result and some closure for you with the coming of a new week.

    And completion of the plaid and checked riders' trousers, of course (let's maintain perspective!)

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    1. I'm sort of prepared for 'you might see Christmas' or 'your tumour is benign and has not spread'.

      So, plaid and checked trousers it is.

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  15. Hope it all turns out well Jim - don't take no for an answer.

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