Time for some nice news. The birthday girl was 63 yesterday!! Good grief, how did I get here? Inside the teenager still lives, but the outside is somewhat more lived in. However, if I look in the mirror with no glasses which softens the edges, I look younger than 63.
We had a great day with lots of cards and presents and telephone calls with birthday wishes. Then we took ourselves off to a lovely country pub for lunch. For those who don't live in the UK, our pubs are great places. We use Alastair Sawday's pub guide and are usually not disappointed with the food. We finished up with a little Christmas shopping and back to our warm home which is already decorated early for Christmas.
As I have been feeling really unwell these last few weeks, I appreciated the day out and the drive in the country. It was was great birthday.
Snow is forecast in the next few days. Will it be a white Christmas?
Thursday 16 December 2010
GLAUCOMA?
I visited the Glaucoma clinic this week for the results of my 2nd lot of tests this year. This is not at my usual hospital.
My pressure levels in my eyes have dropped a little but there was some concern that my eyes are draining properly. I had thought I was dealing with a doctor, but later I understood that I was seeing an optomotrist. She put a kind of jewellers lens in my eyes (stuck to my eyeballs!) to look through and then said she needed the consultant to come and take a look. He was 'busy on the phone' for 45 minutes (while his clinic was also backing up) and so I was sent back outside to wait. He took a brief look, said things looked angry and red and not right and that his colleague would explain and then he disappeared! The optomotrist explained that if my eyes were not draining properly then the pressure on the eyeball could rise very quickly. This could not be treated with eye drops (as I understood Glaucoma was treated) but would need laser surgery. However, she felt I would be ok for another 6 months. How can they tell???
My pressure levels in my eyes have dropped a little but there was some concern that my eyes are draining properly. I had thought I was dealing with a doctor, but later I understood that I was seeing an optomotrist. She put a kind of jewellers lens in my eyes (stuck to my eyeballs!) to look through and then said she needed the consultant to come and take a look. He was 'busy on the phone' for 45 minutes (while his clinic was also backing up) and so I was sent back outside to wait. He took a brief look, said things looked angry and red and not right and that his colleague would explain and then he disappeared! The optomotrist explained that if my eyes were not draining properly then the pressure on the eyeball could rise very quickly. This could not be treated with eye drops (as I understood Glaucoma was treated) but would need laser surgery. However, she felt I would be ok for another 6 months. How can they tell???
Friday 3 December 2010
LOW SPIRITS
Within a week of leaving hospital we spent a few days with family in North Wales. I was still coughing and feeling somewhat 'fragile' but in good spirits and, as I knew we would, we had a brilliant time. So much laughing....I am so fortunate to have such a lovely family.
However, living as we do on ground floor level, and given that my daughter and family live in a house spread over 4 floors, it is not surprising that the stairs gave me some real problems. The house is rented and has 4 bathrooms and a shower room!!! That is 5 loos/toilets/whatever you wish to call them - but not one on the ground floor....every trip means up a floor or down a floor!!! Who goes down must go up and so forth. After a couple of days I needed some time to get up the stairs with a couple of stops and then a sit on the bed before ..... and coughing so badly I just couldn't breath in between coughing spasms - which makes life pretty difficult and scary. The day after we returned home I presented myself at the hospital. COPD was mentioned, as was previous smoking damage(I gave up over 30 years ago!). Those who follow my blog may know that Bronchiectasis (a form of COPD) is a real fear of mine as my mother suffered very badly from this with her CLL). It also appears from arterial blood tests that I am 'over-breathing' and this is not helping. It is not panic because I can't breathe, it's just I can't suck the air in enough to get my breath. I have lung function tests in a couple of days. I am also being seen on a weekly basis for my CLL by a different doctor as mine is away. This doctor believes the coughing could be viral. Meanwhile my pill collection is growing and I will soon need a shopping trolley if I want to go away again. However, this begs the question 'will I be able to go and see my family again because of my problem with the stairs?' It is about a 7 hour drive each way and with my grandchildren in school/college and studying for their exams and my daughter and son-in-law working, it is not practical for them to come this way. I admit my 'pity party' has lasted 3 days now. The future doesn't look fair to middling - it just doesn't look much at all at the moment. I am on steroid withdrawal (YET AGAIN) with no guarantee that the new drug is working and that the AIHA won't blaze into action (probably around Christmas if my body follows its general pattern). Anyone have any shafts of light they can send in my direction?
However, living as we do on ground floor level, and given that my daughter and family live in a house spread over 4 floors, it is not surprising that the stairs gave me some real problems. The house is rented and has 4 bathrooms and a shower room!!! That is 5 loos/toilets/whatever you wish to call them - but not one on the ground floor....every trip means up a floor or down a floor!!! Who goes down must go up and so forth. After a couple of days I needed some time to get up the stairs with a couple of stops and then a sit on the bed before ..... and coughing so badly I just couldn't breath in between coughing spasms - which makes life pretty difficult and scary. The day after we returned home I presented myself at the hospital. COPD was mentioned, as was previous smoking damage(I gave up over 30 years ago!). Those who follow my blog may know that Bronchiectasis (a form of COPD) is a real fear of mine as my mother suffered very badly from this with her CLL). It also appears from arterial blood tests that I am 'over-breathing' and this is not helping. It is not panic because I can't breathe, it's just I can't suck the air in enough to get my breath. I have lung function tests in a couple of days. I am also being seen on a weekly basis for my CLL by a different doctor as mine is away. This doctor believes the coughing could be viral. Meanwhile my pill collection is growing and I will soon need a shopping trolley if I want to go away again. However, this begs the question 'will I be able to go and see my family again because of my problem with the stairs?' It is about a 7 hour drive each way and with my grandchildren in school/college and studying for their exams and my daughter and son-in-law working, it is not practical for them to come this way. I admit my 'pity party' has lasted 3 days now. The future doesn't look fair to middling - it just doesn't look much at all at the moment. I am on steroid withdrawal (YET AGAIN) with no guarantee that the new drug is working and that the AIHA won't blaze into action (probably around Christmas if my body follows its general pattern). Anyone have any shafts of light they can send in my direction?
NO COMMENT
I have been reading through my posts and there are very few comments. Obviously no-one is reading me. Does anyone know how to reach a wider readership without going through a CLL channel as I am still trying to post incognito?
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