Maggie's

To fit between Latest News and Some

Well after all the delights of regrown gall bladders and mysterious stool samples, I’m home!

A visit from the surgical registrar – previously I’d been dealt with by medical guys – revealed that despite the panic of the medical guys and threats of draining me and worse, an abscess like gathering of fluid is not uncommon after gall bladder removal, and they did not consider draining necessary. A nice course of heavy antibiotics (already started by the medical guys) should apparently suffice to kill anything unhealthy, and when I tentatively asked if I could escape, the response was he didn’t see why not – so I did!

I must be honest, although I am bitterly disappointed at having our holiday lost – as much for David as me as he’s suffering as much as I am in a different way – sometimes it’s easier being the sufferer than the helpless onlooker and I’m beginning to admit we may have been through rather a lot in the last few months – in some ways I’m not totally unhappy. The idea if anything does go wrong over the next week or so of being dumped in a Egyptian / Libyan or Tunisian hospital doesn’t really appeal, and knowing how much pain I was in when the abscess on the gall bladder burst I think I’d sooner be nearer to my second home (ARI) for a few days. What we’re debating is a few days in Jersey next week if I’m up to it – we stayed a few years back at a ‘Small Luxury Hotel of the World’ there which has a 3* AA rosette and  Michelin starred restaurant, and they’re doing a 3 nights for 2 offer and we can fly direct from Edinburgh. The main thing holding me back from booking now is my digestive system – I think I’ve basically starved for the last few weeks for one reason and another, and I tried to eat semi ‘normally’ yesterday with disastrous results, so today it’s been a slice of toast, 2 eggs and a roll and see how I fare tonight. Although I could do with losing weight, 3 stone since I started chemo in June has been a bit excessive, particularly when I’ve needed my strength to fight all that’s been going on.    

When I went into hospital the first time in August, I took all my jewellery off. I’ didn’t feel really bright enough to put it all back when I came out, thanks to chemo abuse, and then ended up in again with gall bladder problems. Again I didn’t feel up to replacing it when I came out – but this time I have – admission will not be so easy next time – or rather there won’t be a next time – I’m not going back!! Particularly as I’ve exhausted my annual £100 a night for being in an NHS hospital from BUPA allowance now!!

Next stop radiography on Friday to be tattooed for in preparation for 3 weeks of daily radiography on my operated ‘bits’. I’m quite lucky as when I was diagnosed the radiography regime was daily for 6 weeks, but guidelines changed a couple of months back and now they deliver the same dose in half the time, which will be a bit easier I think, even if just in terms of travelling in to Aberdeen on a daily basis.

Roll on 2010 is all I can say!!