Long Overdue Update
Posted on 2004-05-26
I know I haven't updated for the last week or so, but to be honest I've been suffering rather a lot after having my wisdom teeth out, and, [for a change], quite a few other things have been happening in my part of the world. Here's just a summary of a few of them:
1. Despite obsessively cleaning my teeth, eating 'mushy' food and using mouthwash to stop my teeth getting infected, one of them still managed to become inflamed so I had to make another trip to the dentist to get some antibiotics.
2. A good 'real life' friend of mine has just been diagnosed with Lupus. It's kind of hit us all a bit hard. You see she became a mother last October and everyone, [including her], put her tiredness etc. down to sleepless nights that most new mothers experience. Now we all just feel plain guilty for not taking her a bit more seriously, even though she keeps insisting that she is just as shocked as everyone else and that we have no reason to feel bad.
I guess I feel more guilty than most though. I've been where she is now, when everyone tells you that you look fine and therefore can't possibly be sick. It's not a nice place to be. And I'm angry with myself for not being more sympathetic, and for being so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn't see what was right in front of me all along.
3. Yesterday I had my appointment to see the gastroenterologist about my poor stomach. I need to have another series of tests done before any firm conclusion can be made, but after examining me and poking at my stomach for 10 minutes or so, the doctor I saw seems to think that in addition to my M.E/CFS, hiatus hernia and problems eating dairy/wheat products, I now may need to have my gall bladder removed.
Before a definite answer can be given though I need to have blood tests, a scan and an x-ray done of my stomach, and another endoscopy needs to be carried out. [This is where they insert a tube with a camera on the end into your stomach via your mouth so that doctors can see the inside of your stomach. Nice huh???] The waiting times for each test are approximately 4 months though so it'll be a while before I get any answers.
The blood tests were carried out yesterday while I was at the hospital, but I'll have to wait until after the other tests have been done as well before I'll get the results. I was stuck with a trainee bloodsucker though and she was worse than useless. You'd think I'd wrestled a hedgehog the number of little holes and bruises I have going up my arm today!!!
4. Mum still hasn't found work, but as she's been unemployed now for over 6 months she is eligible to go on a free training course to learn new skills which will hopefully give her a better chance of getting a job. We're really desperate for cash now though and have run out of options, so between us we've applied for a bank loan so we can try to consolidate our debts into 'one, easy to manage, monthly payment'. I don't know whether we'll get the loan or not, but if we don't I have no idea how we'll keep a roof over our heads for the next 'x' amount of months.
5. I've successfully made the first 'cut' on my withdrawl progamme, and so far I seem to be doing ok. The panic attacks are less frequent than when I was trying to go 'cold turkey', but I'm suffering quite badly with rebound insomnia. At the moment I can't think of anything I wouldn't do for a decent nights sleep, I'm that tired.
Still, I'd rather be tired than be addicted to prescription drugs.
I hope all's well in your part of the world.