So im thinking there isnt much else they can test now and i was now in my second week there (after being home for the weekend) I have to say the staff were just amazing seriously seriously brilliant all of them and in my opinion need a lot more pay than they get but hey thats a different debate
Now just as i thought things were ok and this hospital wasnt so bad a nurse comes round and tells me i have to shower in this stuff to stop germs spreading i look at the bottle and its like hibbi scrub errrrrmmmmm i dont bloody think so and even more so when she said i would have to wash my hair in it !!!!!!! so i end up sitting there crying ............. over a bottle of liquid i felt such an idiot but at the time it seemed such a massive deal (little did i know i would have a lot more to deal with) then the icing on the cake she tells me i have to wear these white stockings to help the blood flow in my legs .................. stockings that look like they belong to an 80 year old again i end up crying but put them on (they were actually quite comfy) now i felt like a right super model 28 years old shuffling about a ward in stockings , jammies, slippers and a dressing gown (move over kate moss)
So i have gotten over my little episode when the specialists come round to see me , i thought it was another poking and prodding checking my legs with the students and looking baffled like they done most days but no this was different
They sat down on the bed and started giving me the results of my tests it turned out i had the following so far
A B12 deficancy (which i knew and was the main reason i was in there)
Severe osteoperosis (very weak bones) which baffled me as i thought only old people get that , he went on to explain it was rare for someone my age to get it especially as bad as i have it which is -3.5 in the hips and -2.5 in the spine (boy didnt i feel lucky then)
A folic acid deficancy
and severe curves in my neck and spine (well that one was obvious) although they were not sure what had caused that as normally with osteoperosis the vertabraes collapse on top of each other but for some reason mine had curved and fused together
thankfully the brain scan was clear apart from where my bones leak bone marrow it had made its way up into the brain area and was floating about (to be honest im just glad they found a brain up there because there were rumours i didnt have one lol)
So that was that (so i thought) they now wanted to find out the cause of it all although aparently it wasnt going to be easy
I actually felt ok about it all i was just glad it wasnt all in my head although they were worried about my weight so i had to see a food sepcialist who put me on these protein shakes (fortisips) of which i had to have 5 a day
I was also put on a load of painkillers , anti inflamatories , calcium tablets and vitamins and was finally allowed home although this wouldnt be the end of it.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Tests Tests And More Tests
So i had been in for a few days and all was ok , some woman was sharing my room with me by now but she was plesant enough although i didnt think it was right asking what was up with her.
The tests i has so far were lots of blood tests (i was starting to look like a junkie with all the marks on my arms lol) at one point the guy had to take a pint of blood and said he had never had to take so much from one person (boy didnt i feel special and lucky)
I had to have an MRI which omg was soooooo boring !!!!! laying in what can only be described as a giant washing machine that makes loud buzzing noises whilst wearing a very sexy pair of builder type headphones and a dodgy hospital gown (boy was i a catch at this point) although it did get to a point where i was thinking the buzzing would make a great bassline for a dance tune
40 minutes later and i was done although i would have to have another on my head and neck as because my spine and neck was so badly curved i couldnt lay flat to have it all done in one go (you could imagine my joy of having to lay in that thing again if i was abled to walk properly i would of done a little jig through sheer delight at the thought)
Then i had the DEXA scan which is kinda like an Xray but looks at your bone density that was ok and fairly quick
Chest Xray as my bloods were inflamed so they thought i had some sort of infection
The second MRI on my head , now that was interesting as i had to have all these different attatchments on my head i felt like a lego man or some sort of play dough machine , i was hoping this one would be more interesting (i mean what was i expecting a film whilst laying in there ? popcorn maybe ? ) it wasnt as long as the first one this one was only about 30 minutes (and to think i could of watched a whole episode of eastenders in that time)
Then there was the one i was dreading the one that scared me more than giving birth to a 30 pound baby ...................... the lumber puncture (which is basically inserting a needle through your back into the spinal cord to draw fluid out)
When they told me i would have to have one i felt physically sick , i cried like a baby a few times at the thought of it
So im laying there on the bed facing the wall whilst rich and the specialists sit and talk about bloody football , im shaking like a leaf and crying you know the silent type tears as i didnt want anyone to know with rich holding my hand but not being abled to see my face
The specialists start injecting my back to numb it , it stung a bit but after it was actually so nice after nearly 7 years to not feel pain and a bruised sensation in the bottom of my back
I started feeling something funny and asked if it was them putting the needle in they said no they were still numbing it and then the next thing i knew they had told me they finished ......................... WHAT ???? i lost sleep and had kittens near enough over that ???? I DIDNT FEEL A THING !!!! i swear i could of kissed the guy that done it for not hurting me , he even showed me the fluid it was crystal clear like water
I had to be wheeled back to my normal spot as i wasnt allowed to stand for an hour due to possible migraines and stuff
so that was that .........
As well as all the tests i was having to have daily jabs in my stomach to keep the blood thin to stop blood clots and stuff and also my B12 jabs as i was B12 deficant
By this point i was on the main ward bit which was ok not as nice as being in the other room but hey it wasnt like it was a hotel and i could pick and choose
There was one woman opposite me bless her she was in a bad way having to be fed by nurses and could barely talk except for at night when she would wake you to say she could see dead people and some bloke called graham was at the end of her bed , she used to have proper conversations with him and all sorts , was a tad un nerving but she was happy about it , then there was the lady next to me thinking she was an air fighter pilot but she didnt like the grass ?? not sure what that was all about and to be honest im thinking at this point i must be on a ward for mental patients , i then learn its people who have brain problems so it didnt seem so amusing after and i was starting to panic thinking there has to be something wrong with my brain then for me to be here , tumors or something , you know how the mind goes on overdrive ?? well mine was going like a ferrari on speed at this point.
The tests i has so far were lots of blood tests (i was starting to look like a junkie with all the marks on my arms lol) at one point the guy had to take a pint of blood and said he had never had to take so much from one person (boy didnt i feel special and lucky)
I had to have an MRI which omg was soooooo boring !!!!! laying in what can only be described as a giant washing machine that makes loud buzzing noises whilst wearing a very sexy pair of builder type headphones and a dodgy hospital gown (boy was i a catch at this point) although it did get to a point where i was thinking the buzzing would make a great bassline for a dance tune
40 minutes later and i was done although i would have to have another on my head and neck as because my spine and neck was so badly curved i couldnt lay flat to have it all done in one go (you could imagine my joy of having to lay in that thing again if i was abled to walk properly i would of done a little jig through sheer delight at the thought)
Then i had the DEXA scan which is kinda like an Xray but looks at your bone density that was ok and fairly quick
Chest Xray as my bloods were inflamed so they thought i had some sort of infection
The second MRI on my head , now that was interesting as i had to have all these different attatchments on my head i felt like a lego man or some sort of play dough machine , i was hoping this one would be more interesting (i mean what was i expecting a film whilst laying in there ? popcorn maybe ? ) it wasnt as long as the first one this one was only about 30 minutes (and to think i could of watched a whole episode of eastenders in that time)
Then there was the one i was dreading the one that scared me more than giving birth to a 30 pound baby ...................... the lumber puncture (which is basically inserting a needle through your back into the spinal cord to draw fluid out)
When they told me i would have to have one i felt physically sick , i cried like a baby a few times at the thought of it
So im laying there on the bed facing the wall whilst rich and the specialists sit and talk about bloody football , im shaking like a leaf and crying you know the silent type tears as i didnt want anyone to know with rich holding my hand but not being abled to see my face
The specialists start injecting my back to numb it , it stung a bit but after it was actually so nice after nearly 7 years to not feel pain and a bruised sensation in the bottom of my back
I started feeling something funny and asked if it was them putting the needle in they said no they were still numbing it and then the next thing i knew they had told me they finished ......................... WHAT ???? i lost sleep and had kittens near enough over that ???? I DIDNT FEEL A THING !!!! i swear i could of kissed the guy that done it for not hurting me , he even showed me the fluid it was crystal clear like water
I had to be wheeled back to my normal spot as i wasnt allowed to stand for an hour due to possible migraines and stuff
so that was that .........
As well as all the tests i was having to have daily jabs in my stomach to keep the blood thin to stop blood clots and stuff and also my B12 jabs as i was B12 deficant
By this point i was on the main ward bit which was ok not as nice as being in the other room but hey it wasnt like it was a hotel and i could pick and choose
There was one woman opposite me bless her she was in a bad way having to be fed by nurses and could barely talk except for at night when she would wake you to say she could see dead people and some bloke called graham was at the end of her bed , she used to have proper conversations with him and all sorts , was a tad un nerving but she was happy about it , then there was the lady next to me thinking she was an air fighter pilot but she didnt like the grass ?? not sure what that was all about and to be honest im thinking at this point i must be on a ward for mental patients , i then learn its people who have brain problems so it didnt seem so amusing after and i was starting to panic thinking there has to be something wrong with my brain then for me to be here , tumors or something , you know how the mind goes on overdrive ?? well mine was going like a ferrari on speed at this point.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
So It Begins
So there i was the point of no return but hopeful they will finally sort me out
I get shown to my bed ................. RESULT i had my own room !!!!!!
So i start to unpack , you know ya toothbrush , hair brush smellies thats sort of thing get my lappy set up WITH internet thanks to my bestest friend in the world Alfie who lent me his dongal thing , my friends boxset and only fools and horses boxset ( i may be stuck to the point of no return but am i buggery gonna be bored) and my cross stitch (and hey if i get bored i can sit and stick the cross stitch needles in my eyes for something to do) , there all sorted so i sit and wait for the nurse to come and see me.
She comes in with a load of paperwork and some plastic bracelets (awww they even welcomed me with hospital fashion jewllery, although im guessing she didnt get them from the expensive jewllery shop downstairs) and even better they had my name on just in case by some small chance i might forget what it is (so considerate they think of everything)
She then asked the normal questions name , dob , address , allergies , next of kin , kids if so how many (nosey nurse she was) and just when i think she is going to get to the part where she asks how many shits i have a day she stops and weighs me , the result ?? about as heavy as a gnats arse (in english about 7 and a half stone)
Off she goes (i reckon to gossip about all the questions she just asked with her workmates)
So me and rich are just sat there like a couple of convicts waiting for our case to come up or something when finally we broke the silence by agreeing to go outside for a smoke
I get shown to my bed ................. RESULT i had my own room !!!!!!
So i start to unpack , you know ya toothbrush , hair brush smellies thats sort of thing get my lappy set up WITH internet thanks to my bestest friend in the world Alfie who lent me his dongal thing , my friends boxset and only fools and horses boxset ( i may be stuck to the point of no return but am i buggery gonna be bored) and my cross stitch (and hey if i get bored i can sit and stick the cross stitch needles in my eyes for something to do) , there all sorted so i sit and wait for the nurse to come and see me.
She comes in with a load of paperwork and some plastic bracelets (awww they even welcomed me with hospital fashion jewllery, although im guessing she didnt get them from the expensive jewllery shop downstairs) and even better they had my name on just in case by some small chance i might forget what it is (so considerate they think of everything)
She then asked the normal questions name , dob , address , allergies , next of kin , kids if so how many (nosey nurse she was) and just when i think she is going to get to the part where she asks how many shits i have a day she stops and weighs me , the result ?? about as heavy as a gnats arse (in english about 7 and a half stone)
Off she goes (i reckon to gossip about all the questions she just asked with her workmates)
So me and rich are just sat there like a couple of convicts waiting for our case to come up or something when finally we broke the silence by agreeing to go outside for a smoke
The Hospital
So the day comes when i have to travel to southampton so me and rich (the other half who has been an absolute star through all this) set off
It was quite tense on the way there not much convo going on from what i remember but hey we been together 11 years at this point so were used to not talking to each other lol
Out of everything i remember daniel merriweather - painted it red playing on the radio and thinking to myself how depressing are those lyrics ..................... here i was about to get probed with god knows what and by god knows who and im worried about some lyrics on the radio lol
So we arrive at the hospital and park (which was like an episode of top gear in itself) , rich gets my suitcase out the boot and my laptop (yeah like im going anywhere without my laptop never mind in some hospital i had never been to before for 2 weeks) and off we trot
We get to the entrance and i couldnt beleive it ................. OH MY GOD the entrance area is like some sort of shopping centre , burger king , clothes and jewllery shops , coffee shops , upper crust , i remember saying to rich i think im gonna like it here its like being on holiday ................................. except dont be fooled all that was a false sense of security , after we got in the lift to go up to the ward it all changed upstairs looked like a hospital (i dunno what i was expecting course it looked like a hospital it IS a hospital , what was i expecting ???? Disney Land ???? )
So we get to the ward which was actually quite small and book in , so that was it .................. the point of no return.
It was quite tense on the way there not much convo going on from what i remember but hey we been together 11 years at this point so were used to not talking to each other lol
Out of everything i remember daniel merriweather - painted it red playing on the radio and thinking to myself how depressing are those lyrics ..................... here i was about to get probed with god knows what and by god knows who and im worried about some lyrics on the radio lol
So we arrive at the hospital and park (which was like an episode of top gear in itself) , rich gets my suitcase out the boot and my laptop (yeah like im going anywhere without my laptop never mind in some hospital i had never been to before for 2 weeks) and off we trot
We get to the entrance and i couldnt beleive it ................. OH MY GOD the entrance area is like some sort of shopping centre , burger king , clothes and jewllery shops , coffee shops , upper crust , i remember saying to rich i think im gonna like it here its like being on holiday ................................. except dont be fooled all that was a false sense of security , after we got in the lift to go up to the ward it all changed upstairs looked like a hospital (i dunno what i was expecting course it looked like a hospital it IS a hospital , what was i expecting ???? Disney Land ???? )
So we get to the ward which was actually quite small and book in , so that was it .................. the point of no return.
Where it all started
So it started about 7 years ago with back problems just after i had my youngest son ............ you know the normal trapped nerve type thing etc ................... So off i trot to the doctors who prescribe pain killers and anti inflamatories , you know the normal type of thing for a bad back , and after a while everything went back to normal and life carried on ................. except it kept happening getting worse everytime , still the doctor kept giving me pain killers and anti inflamatories.
This happened over the course of about 6 years untill i got to the point where my legs were not working properly , i was walking hunched over as i couldnt move my neck properly for some reason.
As usual i went back to the doctor when it got too much and this paticular time was no different or so i thought.
The doctor this time decides enough is enough (i should think so after 6 years of walking like ive messed myself) and refers me to a specialist ............ so off home i trot with more meds but a bit of hope this time as he has finally agreed something isnt right and needs to be looked at.
A few weeks later there i am sat in a room with an elderly looking man with white hair and glasses , he asks me to get on the bed and then checks my legs looking a tad concerned cos i cant starighten them.
He then goes on to ask questions like do i get tired easily ? do my moods get really low ? do i get hungry ? ...... after answering his questions he says there and then he wants me admitted into hospital (que me starting to panic) but not the normal hospital he wants me in the specialist neurological unit in southampton where they can put me on god knows what to relax my mucles and see exactly whats going on (im now thinking shiiiitttttttttt) he explains he wanted me to have blood tests there and then and says he wants me in hospital for up to 2 weeks (now im really starting to panic) he explains he is sure im B12 deficiant and thats whats causing the leg problems , the tiredness and not being abled to eat etc.
So after that little bomb shell off i trot to have my bloods taken (yipeeeee i just love to have needles stuck in my arms but hey i shouldnt moan cos im about to get very used to it)
So that was that i had to go home sort out care for the kids and wait for the call to tell me when i have to go in and have christ knows what done to me.
A week passes and i get the phone call calling me to what is soon to be my mothership ......... southampton general hospital.
This happened over the course of about 6 years untill i got to the point where my legs were not working properly , i was walking hunched over as i couldnt move my neck properly for some reason.
As usual i went back to the doctor when it got too much and this paticular time was no different or so i thought.
The doctor this time decides enough is enough (i should think so after 6 years of walking like ive messed myself) and refers me to a specialist ............ so off home i trot with more meds but a bit of hope this time as he has finally agreed something isnt right and needs to be looked at.
A few weeks later there i am sat in a room with an elderly looking man with white hair and glasses , he asks me to get on the bed and then checks my legs looking a tad concerned cos i cant starighten them.
He then goes on to ask questions like do i get tired easily ? do my moods get really low ? do i get hungry ? ...... after answering his questions he says there and then he wants me admitted into hospital (que me starting to panic) but not the normal hospital he wants me in the specialist neurological unit in southampton where they can put me on god knows what to relax my mucles and see exactly whats going on (im now thinking shiiiitttttttttt) he explains he wanted me to have blood tests there and then and says he wants me in hospital for up to 2 weeks (now im really starting to panic) he explains he is sure im B12 deficiant and thats whats causing the leg problems , the tiredness and not being abled to eat etc.
So after that little bomb shell off i trot to have my bloods taken (yipeeeee i just love to have needles stuck in my arms but hey i shouldnt moan cos im about to get very used to it)
So that was that i had to go home sort out care for the kids and wait for the call to tell me when i have to go in and have christ knows what done to me.
A week passes and i get the phone call calling me to what is soon to be my mothership ......... southampton general hospital.
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