3 December 2007

Assessment

This year has been the hardest year for me, my health has just been so up and down and over all I'd say I've managed to spend about 6 weeks out of hospital.
In October the professor said to me I needed to think about whether I wanted new lungs and I do, but it's so scary. I want it but I don't want to have to go through it and it almost feels as though It's not happening to me like I'm watching it happen to someone else. I have days when I don't think it's really happening then all of a sudden it creeps up on you and I get so scared and just cry, have so many emotions floating around I just don't know what to do with them all.

I am currently in hospital and have been for the last 3 weeks, and every day is the same, your rudely woken by the cleaners changing the bins and trying their hardest (well it seems that way) to wake you, 8 o'clock - the catering staff change your water jug (still trying to sleep) 8.15am the student nurse turns on the light (because she needs to see) to do routine observations - these are blood pressure, oxygen saturation's, heart beat per minute and temperature, 8.30am catering staff come in and shout (I'm not lying) 'BREAKFAST? TEA OR COFFEE?' I usually say yes and they put in on my bedside table so I can eat it at 10.30, and at 9.30 the physio comes in to help me clear out the stuff from my chest which does help I just wish it didn't need to be done so early but it does so I shouldn't really complain. As you can tell I am not a morning person and don't get me wrong I am not complaining about the hospital as I can not fault them at all, the staff are brilliant at what they do, the facilities are fantastic and the care is great - I just don't like the ridiculous times things need to be done.
So today The Dr came to see me (he's quite young so he's a lot easier to talk to and have a joke with) and we did some more of my transplant assessment. He needed some information about my medical history and asked things such as 'have I ever had major surgery? have I had a pneumothorax? Have I ever done hard drugs? (of course not!) do I smoke? (of course not!) have I ever had any major bleeds? and then he handed me a blood testing form with lots of various different tests circled - there must have been about 20 different things I am being tested for, as I said in the beginning of the post transplant is scary but the assessment is also very scary but someone said to me last week to think of this a a bigger annual review so that's how I am looking at it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to stop by and say I'm thinking of you. You've had a horrible year and this whole assesment procedure must be very stressful too. Hope you are out for Xmas and have a really special time xxxxx

Tinypoppet said...

That's a really sensible comparison (annual review) - it is quite scary but to be honest it's the thought of what everything represents that is worse than all the actual procedures. It's loads of blood taken, but it's only one "sharp scratch" - it's just you know they're testing for so much more! There's an HIV test in there somewhere too and even though I knew there was no way I could have it, you still get nervous...

Anyway thinking of you sweetie xxx

Alice said...

Hi! Hope you get this message, cause your post was made so long ago... Transplant work-up and the waiting was WAY harder that the recovery etc. So be strong!!!