From the end of March I started to have pains – pains like
nothing I had experienced before (yes, worse than childbirth). My whole guts felt like someone had put a
steel band around the inside and was slowly turning a handle and increasing the
pressure and the pain. The first time it
happened I thought I had eaten something bad – the attack lasted about three
hours and eventually I fell asleep, exhausted.
Thinking that was it, I was more than perturbed when it happened again –
at work – and I had to lie down in the Finance office whilst my colleagues
stepped over me until the attack passed.
Only an hour this time though, so not too bad. But it happened again and again, and along
with the pain came the vomiting – the night
of one attack that started at around 8pm had me still being sick at 3am. Exhausting!
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| Cows - because you don't want to see this post illustrated! |
It kept happening and during one attack at a training
session at work a kind colleague drove me to the doctor, and waited with me
until I was seen before taking me home.
I have to say I was delighted with the diagnosis! Gall stones. Yes – horrible little lumps of
solidified crud that build up in your gall bladder. Usually triggered by eating,
when one of the stones decides to take a trip down the ducts, you end up with
that excruciating, un-relievable pain. The doctor put me forward for a speedy
gall bladder removal much to my delight.
I was happy to be diagnosed because I knew the solution – laparoscopic
cholecystectomy. It was a procedure I
could also spell without looking up because I’d written a patient brochure all
about it when I worked at the hospital back in the early 2000s.
Given how ill I was and how much it was interfering with
work and my eating (not the best way to lose weight, but a good few pounds
departed as I became almost frightened to eat), a speedy operation date was
welcome. Then came the call – the operation was cancelled. The distress and
upset in my voice were not ignored though, and instead of a date a month later,
my operation was brought forward to that week.
A call on the Monday, a pre-admission appointment on the
Wednesday, and the procedure on the Friday. One of my operation wounds is rather larger
than anticipated as I think there were a lot of stones to come out – must have
been a bit of a tug with that bag of marbles in my tum!
So this post is to say thank you – to the wonderful GP for
diagnosis and referral, to the fantastic NHS for getting me into the system and
offering me the choice of speedy consultation dates, and the efficient team at
the
Pinehill Hospital who managed to get me my operation quickly and looked
after me so well during my overnight stay.
My lovely friend Chris spent the week with me afterwards, cooking and
caring for me whilst my brain was addled and my body not functioning
properly. And more friends and family have
visited, helped me with shopping and checked on me to make sure I am OK. One more week of rest, and then I’ll be back
on form and independent as ever.
I’m not good as asking for help, but I have needed it and my
friends, family and colleagues have been wonderful. And the cat - he's been keeping me company a lot. Thank you.
