It will be two weeks tomorrow that I came out of hospital following my UTI and my new found love of antibiotics and painkillers! And I felt pretty good. Makes me realise that I must had had the infection for a couple of weeks without knowing.
But feeling better and being better are two different things! The last few days before I was rushed into hospital had been difficult and had me walking with the style of an eighty year old with back problems but I was now walking almost as normal. And it would have to be "almost" for sometime to come as I knew that I couldn't start rushing off to take part in marathons or the like. It was still only 4 weeks post operation and when they said 3 to 6 months recovery period required they meant it!
So I was back to short walks around the village and then a good rest in front of the tv or with a book. Now that was an improvement - I had started to read books again and was able to concentrate for more than just a minute or two. But it was still antibiotics three times a day and pain killers four times a day. And I SO needed the nightime tramadol to get me through the night without being woken up by the dominance of the low rumble of uncomfortableness.
There was a target for the weekend. My big sister was having a party at her house on the Saturday, she was now about 100 years old and married to Peter for almost the same number of years. And to better that it was likely that my mum was going to be there as she had also got out of hospital on the Wednesday after her stroke. It would be good to see her and the family.
T, of course,was a bit concerned that I wasn't rushing to do things too quickly after coming out of hospital but she gave her permission in the end as I did good and had plenty of rest leading up to the weekend.
And it was a lovely sunny day. About 50 people in a field opposite their house with the Temperance Seven playing in the background. Showing my age I remembered them from my childhood, T had no idea who they were!
Well, I managed about three hours at the party before I knew it was time to set off home for a rest and just as we were about to leave I had a small leak from the stoma bag. But I was now semi professional at this - no panic, and we were on our way home within ten minutes. A happy day.
Sunday was a do nothing day. A day of rest. A duvet day. And being able to do that with a loved one feels just great. :-)
And now the week beginning the 14th September 2009. A week of hospital visits, phone calls, doctor's appointments, worries and winning a battle.
The Monday was a normal day but the lull before the storm as we had to have an early night because I had a hospital appointment at 8.30 on the Tuesday morning. For once this was not an appointment connected to my bladder cancer but was a retina scan where they take photos of the back of my eyes to check that my diabetes wasn't starting to cause me any sight problems.
Making sure we didn't get caught up in the rush hour traffic we left way too early and were there about twenty minutes before we needed to be! So, rather than waiting inside for ages we sat in the car and chatted before venturing in.
Exactly to time we went in and took our ticket (like the ones you take at the deli counter at the supermarket) and sat down. Two seconds later the nurse calls me in to have the drops put in my eyes to dilate the pupils. Oww, that stings! But I knew it would do as this was a standard annual check up. Drops in we then had to wait twenty minutes before they can take the retina photos but we were first in the queue! Yippie!
Now, we had a food delivery mid morning so T left me in the waiting room and went out to the local B&Q to get some things for her current craft endeavors. Coming back twenty five minutes later she expected me to been seen an be waiting to be picked up but sadly that was not to be. The specialist eye lady who took the retina photos has been stuck in traffic and was running late.
very late...
very very late...
At last she arrived, all of a fluster with apologies to us all as a group in the waiting room (by now there were at least 10 people after me) and then to us personally as we went in for our "eye portraits".
But we did manage to get home in time for the food delivery. Just. The delivery man did give me a funny look but then again my pupils were the size of dinner plates!
Home to rest for the balance of the day before Wednesday arrived, the day of the appointment with the renal specialist and "the phone call".
More tomorrow folks... It is good to be back :-)
Andrew xxx
