I shouldn't have this!

So, I had the MRI yesterday. I was in the machine for far longer than I was told, one hour instead of thirty minutes. Also, they pulled me out and injected me with a dye, then I was pushed back in.  An hour of all that banging was awful, but necessary.  I returned to the hospital this afternoon to see the original consultant. I had expected him to say I needed more surgery to remove the remaining part of the tonsil but no. Apparently I hadn't had a tonsillectomy two years ago, just a biopsy. He explained that the swelling was back as a tumour on my throat. The only was to deal with that was to start the treatment that I had been avoiding for the past two years. He thought I'd probably be started on a strong steroid to quickly reduce the swelling, but after that he had no clue.  I returned him and contacted my consultant's secretary to see if I could bring my appointment forward by a couple of days. She said she would leave him a message and would get back to me on Monday....

Since I last saw the consultant, my throat has become a problem again. I was snoring most nights and having a little trouble swallowing.  Since we now have a spare room, which I'm converting into a craft room, I decided to buy a sofa bed for when the snoring got too bad.  I realised when I returned from Austria at the beginning of September that it was easier to sleep in the craft room. I wasn't worrying about waking my husband and we could both have a good nights sleep. Plus my voice was beginning to deteriorate.  I decided to see my GP to get a referral to an ENT consultant, but the only appointment I could get was mid October. She agreed with me that my throat needed looking at, as she said my voice sounded as though I had tonsillitis. It was beginning to be uncomfortable most of the time. My mouth felt awful when I woke up, as I was sleeping with it open all of the time. I thought I could feel the scar from the tonsil operation I had two years ago.  So, yesterday...

I returned from Belgium on the Monday and my appointment with the consultant was on the Friday, July 20th. According to the stats the consultant quoted to me at our first meeting, I should be dead by now - I'm definitely NOT!!!! I really couldn't have had a more stressful week, I had a terrible time at school and resigned three posts in disgust. I have definitely made up my mind to finish completely this time next year. I'm only staying that long to give them time to replace me and for continuity.   My face erupted with the stress, this is what happens to me now, but at least it's a warning that's visible!  Consequently, what with all that AND the insect bite treatment, I was dreading my bloods being done. Naturally, the lymphocytes were slightly raised again, but at least I had an excuse. I told him about the steroids, I had only stopped them the day before, so he told me not to worry. He did think that the MCL might be in my blood though, but it didn't s...

We went to Belgium to take part in a memorial ceremony for a Lancaster bomber crew, whose plane crashed on July 14th 1943. It was the 75th anniversary and, as I had been invited to the 70th, I was delighted to be asked again. The only thing was, I got bitten to death on my arms! I had that many dressings that I looked as though I'd been in a car crash! I can only say thank goodness for my kit, I just had enough dressings to keep me going until I got home. My appointment was due on July 20th and I was dreading it, as I was back on steroids and antibiotics again. If anyone's interested, there is a web site telling the incredible story of the Lancaster bomber, it's so good it could be made into a film! www.lancaster-ds690.com

Was this to be an ominous date? No, my bloods were absolutely fine and I felt really well. I explained to the consultant all that had gone on in Egypt and his only concern was that I was still not losing weight, which I wasn't. It's stayed steady, but my appetite is still not good. I promised to start eating better! Onwards and upwards for my next trip, Belgium in July for a long weekend!

We left the UK at the end of February, and without going through the whole story, three of us got E.Coli on the first day! The only one who escaped it was the GP! Because I had changed the itinerary to make it more of a holiday, my routine was completely different in that I had lunch with the others. This was fatal - nearly - as my friend and I fell victim after eating salad. We were in a top class hotel, so it really shouldn't have happened. As I was sharing a room with my son, he fell ill the following day. It only lasted about 24hrs but it left us three very weak. I was really glad that I had factored in four free days to chill out at the beginning of the trip, because it was all archaeology after that. In the end, I only had to cancel one site visit, as the journey would have killed us. A long way over bumpy roads is not the best thing after a bout of that!  I never really got over it whilst I was there. I lost my appetite and really had to force myself to eat. I mainly ...

January 12th 2018 was the day I returned to my consultant. Thank goodness my bloods were fine and my throat felt OK! I was asked the usual questions about how I was feeling and when I told him I felt absolutely fine, he was pleased. Plus, my throat looked considerably better. He told me what to look out for, night sweats, sudden weight loss and feeling generally awful and I had to promise again that I would contact the hospital if I experienced any of these things - if they had no explanation.  This is the deal you have to make with the consultant if they place you on Watch and Wait. It's up to the patient to be completely honest with themselves and admit it if there is something wrong. He was happy for me to go on my annual Egypt trip, which was a great relief for me. This was to be a very special trip, as I was taking with me two dear friends (the GP and his wife) and my adult son. He came with me on my very first trip to Egypt in 2006, when he was at university and I hadn...