I've had an eventful week and so I suppose my eventful week impacts on everybody else as well.
I went back to work this week. I couldn't work monday as Laura had one of her stomach aches and spent most of the day in bed which is also what I did. However, I spent quite a while writing a tribute to my friend who had died the week before. It was difficult for many reasons but mainly because I knew her sister and brother and a roman catholic priest would be there. That rather diminished what I could say!!!! I also did the ironing - there is a reason why I'm telling you this but wait and see.
Tuesday, I went to work and I had to use my security pass 4 times I think to get into the office and 3 times to go to the loo and twic to go to the kitchen!!! Presumably, the people who had used the office before us had problems with either staff running away or definately trying to put them off using facilities too many times!! In the afternoon, I went to my friends memorial service. It was a lovely service and very emotional -there were tears of laughter as well as sadness. It was odd as her body had gone upto London before going to Australia. In many ways, that did make it easier and instead they had a bottle of australian red, a teddy bear, the australian flag and the St georges flag and pictures of friends and family. It made us smile seeing the wine as that was what she would ahve wanted!! The priest struggled to say 'the Gobby Gang' -it's probably not a word used in the roman catholic vocabulary!!! There was a place where we read the tributes. That was hard as it was being videoed so the rest of her family could see how loved she was here. I was the 3rd to speak and suddenly became quite paranoid I would fall over as if I stand too long on my left leg I tend to topple over. I had visions of appearing on 'you've been framed'!!!
It was a privledge to read the tribute as I could see how everyone was reacting so could see if i made them laugh or if I made them sad.
We ended up in the pub drinking red aussie wine and admiring one of the Gobby Gang's new nipple. She had reconstruction after her mastectomy. The nipple was amazing but it must have looked very odd having a troupe of women allgoing off to the ladies and giggling. The family gave us all a bottle of red aussie wine to take home - again remember this!! I'm not impressed that after 10pm it is impossible to buy a cup of tea either at Reading station or on the virgin train.
I went to work wednesday morning and then went to tesco. I should avoid that place something always horrible happens there. This time I developed chest pain whilst shopping. I was walking beside the helper and she was putting all the shopping in the trolley so was doing nothing more strenuous than walking and pointing. it was quite central but also to the right side. All I could think of was I had to finish the shopping as the cupboards were bare. I got my friend to unpack my shopping and put it all away and then we went to another friend's house where there was a house group and gatecrashed that to organise childcare. Hubby had left his mobile at home and the dispatch office was always engaged so ended up phoning the shop so they could pass the message on that I was going to A and e as I had chest pain and there were no beds on oncology. This was quite a farce as I had to see the triage nurse and then the casualty doctor who was clueless about cancer treatment and couldn't find my veins. he made 2 attempts at putting a venflon in and twice punctured my artery for blood and then the back of my hand. As it seemed it was a blood clot - I thought it was because I was dehydrated by the wine the night before!!! I had an injection of anticlotting stuff in my tummy - it felt like a wasp sting!! I wasn't impressed. My poor friend who had taken me up there had to go eventually after sorting me out. I also had an ecg there. They did find me a cheese and ham sandwich - what is it with NHS tomatoes -they taste most odd. I needed the food cos I needed to take the chemo tablets.
Eventually, I was moved to the care of the elderly ward where I discovered they had an outbreak of norovirus so wasn't impressed. I was also next to an old man. I was see by another doctor and had to complete a dementia test - ie who is the royal sovreign, my age, the date, remembering an address and the date of WW1. I could not remember the date at all but he gave me the point anyway so eventually I did get 10/10. I had to have another ecg. The blood test was too low for a blood clot but was higher than normal due ot the chemo. The original bloods had clotted so another assistant took more blood which she did really easily. Why do doctors persist in taking blood when they can't do it and cause their patients untold misery and pain?
The doctor was concerned because my blood test the week before showed my white blood cell count was low so after 7 days of chemo it would be almost non-existant. He got me moved to the oncology ward at 1030pm. My chest pain increased again so I had some oromorph which helped but I couldn't get to sleep as the woman next to me was playing her radio till midnight when I asked for it to be turned off!! But I got woken up every 2 hours by the other patients nebulisers. I also got woken up at 1am by the oncology doctor and had to have another ecg as it showed further changes. I was in the middle of dreaming about Terry Wogan - why?????!!!!!! I got woken up again at 4am and my BP was 85/45 so the nurse made me wiggle about and it then went up to 90/55!!!
The next day my pain was better but I was so tired i spent the day sleeping even in Xray!! I couldn't see the point of having an xray as it is mainly white anyway but they wanted to do it. By this stage, the pain was very localised over my sternum so they think it is either a new bony secondary or the lymph ones have infiltrated my muscle or nerve. I got discharged at 5pm and am still unsure whetehr I am going to have a bone scan or a chest Ct scan. I do know the referral to the Marsden has been done - hurray.
Since then I've been tired and had plenty of siestas, late morning s and early nights.
So was this chest pain caused by me ironing or drinking or carrying the red wine or just the thought of tescos that caused the pain!!
I know have bruises that look as if the ones at my wrist are going to join the bruises at my elbow and of course all the children keep touching them!! My toes are just as manky.
We had a lovely dinner at my inlaws today - it was so lovely to have a roast dinner I hadn't cooked and then I came home and slept again.