Catch Up...
My consultant will be missing for a couple of months(he broke his shoulder)during his holidays either skiing or cycling and had an operation yesterday. So I saw one of his team, things remain the same, he was easy to talk to, there was none of the usual attitude you hear when dealing with consultants...the treatment continues to work but he did let slip that though the treatment is needed to control the condition...they can actually cause problems so its a balancing act and he did mention that my condition can result in kidney failure at some point but that could be 5 years into the future or whenever, who knows(you kind of know that is possible but to be told is not what you really want to hear)It could be that it never happens.
The hint was that the steroids can actually be a problem. The medication is very strong and has known dangers. I have seen the word cancer amongst information on leaflets with some of the drugs.
But there is more to be positive about than being negative. At least things are quite stable.
So for now the fly in the ointment was that my blood pressure was up again so they've increased the dosage of tablets again. I have to have a blood test again in a fortnight, if I have not been called back sooner. I forgot with the mix up over Mum to have a test done before going to the hospital so the results would have been there waiting for him. I am waiting to see if a phone call or letter arrives to say things are not good again. If that doesn't happen it looks reasonably ok.
They like to control blood pressure.
I was told today that my weight continues to reduce so my choice of food seems to be doing something good for me. Though the way my body now wobbles I wonder where the weight has been reducing from? I was told again to avoid where possible salt or keep it to the minimum. I know that and try to see my diet remains salt free. Otherwise I carry on eating as I always have.
Speaking of which when I came out of the hospital I popped into a different supermarket nearby and bought some fresh fruit and veg and some alcohol for my cocktails not available in my town and it has saved me having to order it online. I could only buy a small amount of shopping as I do not have any room in the fridge/freezer to store it. In fact it was difficult to get what I purchased today into it!
I'm looking for an excuse to use the new alcohol I found today...The better brandy and whisky I have I will keep for cocktails, the slightly not so good I will use in tea and coffee etc...or when we have toothache.
However, I found two items so I do not have to buy them online(a banana and blackberry liqueur) and...here's the really luxurious of all, I purchased Baileys Irish Cream Whisky(one with caramel and the other with a hint of chocolate mint)not sure what I will be using them for as yet...bought them first, will think of a reason later...they do a coffee one but as you tend to add it to coffee anyhow or add coffee to it that seemed pointless...
Mum is back from her hospital appointment...an x-ray was taken and she was examined and...they are pleased with her progress...they don't want to see her any more unless she feels that she wants to see them for some reason. I maybe seemed like a bully but I had to force her to go yesterday, she was trying to cancel up to the last minute. I can understand why but by going she had good news and had things been bad she could be put right whereas if you leave something it may cause problems later. They say the pain should become less or disappear in time. So she should be able to take less or no pain killers in time.
They don't think it will improve but it should not get any worse so that is good news. She doesn't always catch what is said so when he said it would probably not get any better she said something like "That's good or that's nice!"
From memory(I saw the original X-Ray)and the new, the image looked exactly the same as when she was admitted into hospital in early December last year so that's suggests that is how it will stay.
She should be able to do all that she ever did in time, if she does what she is told and does not have any further accidents. But she will have to be careful and another fall could cause all kinds of problems. And she likes having someone around in case something happens. Especially outdoors as there are times she is a little unsure underfoot.
Of course you think of all the questions you should've asked after you've been. I've started to think though we don't want to wrap her up in cotton wool, how careful should I be if I give her a cuddle? How much support will she need regarding cushions when she sits in a chair? What kind of chairs/sofa's should we consider? Will sitting for long periods cause stiffness? All this will become known as time goes by, it is still early days. It's assumed this last fall caused the problem but it could be that it happened sooner and this last fall aggravated it. It may be that a couple of previous falls were not fully investigated and it's only as this last one hurt as much the injury was discovered or maybe it was made worse...we'll never know.
I am thinking of turning her bedroom into a bedsit so we live upstairs as the bathroom and toilet are also on the same floor so if she had a telephone installed, a television, a radio, chairs and a bed everything is sorted. It's often warmer upstairs because the central heating pipes are under the floorboards. If I have a foldaway table she can eat meals upstairs too and I can boil a kettle for drinks which I do already. We also make thermos flasks of tea and coffee so we can avoid always having to boil water when we want a drink. And I spend most of my time in my bedroom too with my radio, computers etc...so it's an ideal solution. It avoids her having to use the stairs.
On the other hand two minutes(if that from home)we were passing a road junction in a taxi(we were on the main road)and the area was clear and no obstructions and guess what! A car waiting to come onto the main road managed to take off and slam into the passenger side of the taxi. We did not seemingly feel any real jolt from being hit but you always worry days/weeks later you'll suffer whiplash or something.
We may/may not have to be witnesses or give a statement for the insurance claim... The last thing after getting a good report with Mum would be something like this to cause further problems. Hopefully, it hasn't.
The hint was that the steroids can actually be a problem. The medication is very strong and has known dangers. I have seen the word cancer amongst information on leaflets with some of the drugs.
But there is more to be positive about than being negative. At least things are quite stable.
So for now the fly in the ointment was that my blood pressure was up again so they've increased the dosage of tablets again. I have to have a blood test again in a fortnight, if I have not been called back sooner. I forgot with the mix up over Mum to have a test done before going to the hospital so the results would have been there waiting for him. I am waiting to see if a phone call or letter arrives to say things are not good again. If that doesn't happen it looks reasonably ok.
They like to control blood pressure.
I was told today that my weight continues to reduce so my choice of food seems to be doing something good for me. Though the way my body now wobbles I wonder where the weight has been reducing from? I was told again to avoid where possible salt or keep it to the minimum. I know that and try to see my diet remains salt free. Otherwise I carry on eating as I always have.
Speaking of which when I came out of the hospital I popped into a different supermarket nearby and bought some fresh fruit and veg and some alcohol for my cocktails not available in my town and it has saved me having to order it online. I could only buy a small amount of shopping as I do not have any room in the fridge/freezer to store it. In fact it was difficult to get what I purchased today into it!
I'm looking for an excuse to use the new alcohol I found today...The better brandy and whisky I have I will keep for cocktails, the slightly not so good I will use in tea and coffee etc...or when we have toothache.
However, I found two items so I do not have to buy them online(a banana and blackberry liqueur) and...here's the really luxurious of all, I purchased Baileys Irish Cream Whisky(one with caramel and the other with a hint of chocolate mint)not sure what I will be using them for as yet...bought them first, will think of a reason later...they do a coffee one but as you tend to add it to coffee anyhow or add coffee to it that seemed pointless...
Mum is back from her hospital appointment...an x-ray was taken and she was examined and...they are pleased with her progress...they don't want to see her any more unless she feels that she wants to see them for some reason. I maybe seemed like a bully but I had to force her to go yesterday, she was trying to cancel up to the last minute. I can understand why but by going she had good news and had things been bad she could be put right whereas if you leave something it may cause problems later. They say the pain should become less or disappear in time. So she should be able to take less or no pain killers in time.
They don't think it will improve but it should not get any worse so that is good news. She doesn't always catch what is said so when he said it would probably not get any better she said something like "That's good or that's nice!"
From memory(I saw the original X-Ray)and the new, the image looked exactly the same as when she was admitted into hospital in early December last year so that's suggests that is how it will stay.
She should be able to do all that she ever did in time, if she does what she is told and does not have any further accidents. But she will have to be careful and another fall could cause all kinds of problems. And she likes having someone around in case something happens. Especially outdoors as there are times she is a little unsure underfoot.
Of course you think of all the questions you should've asked after you've been. I've started to think though we don't want to wrap her up in cotton wool, how careful should I be if I give her a cuddle? How much support will she need regarding cushions when she sits in a chair? What kind of chairs/sofa's should we consider? Will sitting for long periods cause stiffness? All this will become known as time goes by, it is still early days. It's assumed this last fall caused the problem but it could be that it happened sooner and this last fall aggravated it. It may be that a couple of previous falls were not fully investigated and it's only as this last one hurt as much the injury was discovered or maybe it was made worse...we'll never know.
I am thinking of turning her bedroom into a bedsit so we live upstairs as the bathroom and toilet are also on the same floor so if she had a telephone installed, a television, a radio, chairs and a bed everything is sorted. It's often warmer upstairs because the central heating pipes are under the floorboards. If I have a foldaway table she can eat meals upstairs too and I can boil a kettle for drinks which I do already. We also make thermos flasks of tea and coffee so we can avoid always having to boil water when we want a drink. And I spend most of my time in my bedroom too with my radio, computers etc...so it's an ideal solution. It avoids her having to use the stairs.
On the other hand two minutes(if that from home)we were passing a road junction in a taxi(we were on the main road)and the area was clear and no obstructions and guess what! A car waiting to come onto the main road managed to take off and slam into the passenger side of the taxi. We did not seemingly feel any real jolt from being hit but you always worry days/weeks later you'll suffer whiplash or something.
We may/may not have to be witnesses or give a statement for the insurance claim... The last thing after getting a good report with Mum would be something like this to cause further problems. Hopefully, it hasn't.
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:00 pm
4 Comments:
Gildy, was your blood pressure up simply because you were seeing the consultant? I suppose another check will answer that one, as you say more positives than negatives.
Good news about your Mum, how does she feel about things, some people keep quiet when they are in pain, particularly seeing as you aren't well as well.
I hope the accident does cause whiplash the side effects can be very painful.
We were fortunate Paul in that the car was parked at the junction waiting to join the main road so it could only move forward by a very short distance.
It therefore makes you wonder how he slammed into the side of the taxi because the road was clear and there was nothing obstructing his view of the main road and us.
I should not say this as there are plenty of accidents caused by people born here but he was a foreign driver so did that play it's part?
I have been told we may have had a worse situation had he been coming at us head on as that could've given Mum a worse jolt(and obviously had he been travelling at speed especially at speed whiplash was likely)
Mum says when she is pain and it has to be bad for her to say that she is...the last day or two haven't been too bad...through the night seems a bad time.
I have had blood pressure readings as good or much better than people who are considered fit who have no medical problems so whether being with the consultant was the reason is difficult to say.
It is possible I suppose. You could have a bad reading and take it again say in an hour and all would be well.
I'll know better if I do not find a phone call in a day or two calling me back because something isn't right but I'll see my own Dr in a week's time and ask him to take my blood pressure again.
At the same time I'll arrange a blood test at the surgery and he'll write me a form out for the test.
I think being a foreign driver could have made a difference: he was sat on the right hand side! ;-)
Ditto Paul's comments; funnily enough I've just read his reply on your whisky post and I too cannot stand the smell of whisky! Something to do with an uncle, a wedding, 10 year old Ows, and whisky....
My post should have said 'doesn't cause whiplash' - doh!
Post a Comment
<< Home