Me?
Well I finally had all the tests that I should have had and was diagnosed within 4 weeks. It turns out that I have moderate bile salt malabsorbtion which means that I have a problem reabsorbing bile salts after they have done the fantastic job of helping to digest my food. It's a common problem after pelvic radiotherapy and can be detected by having a SehCAT scan. It's caused by damage in the small intestine by the radiotherapy. It also has an impact on how much fat I can tolerate.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Thursday 17 March 2011
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
It took me a long time to get the right help and to get properly diagnosed and it strikes me that there are many many others that are or were in the same boat as me.
In four years I have gone from being a respectful and compliant patient to being a vitriolic little gobshite. There's no other way to put it and I didn't intend to become this way. I do definitely respect that often the doctors assigned to my care are intelligent, highly qualified, overworked and deprived of funds. Quite honestly, many doctors I have seen are probably depressed and despondent after years of seeing patients suffer and the only way to cope is to disconnect from the patient. It's the downside of being a doctor I would imagine, and one that most of us patients probably forget.
In four years I have gone from being a respectful and compliant patient to being a vitriolic little gobshite. There's no other way to put it and I didn't intend to become this way. I do definitely respect that often the doctors assigned to my care are intelligent, highly qualified, overworked and deprived of funds. Quite honestly, many doctors I have seen are probably depressed and despondent after years of seeing patients suffer and the only way to cope is to disconnect from the patient. It's the downside of being a doctor I would imagine, and one that most of us patients probably forget.
Sunday 6 March 2011
We all live in a yellow....come on now - you know the words...
Who? Where? Why? What?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is defined by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) as a treatment in which a patient intermittently breathes 100% oxygen while the treatment chamber is pressurized to a pressure greater than sea level. The pressure increase must be systematic and be applied in a monoplace (single person) or multiplace chambers. I am in a multiplace chamber with my pressure posse. Multiplace chambers are pressurised with air, with oxygen given via a face mask, hood tent or endotracheal tube, whilst monoplace chambers are pressurised with oxygen.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is defined by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) as a treatment in which a patient intermittently breathes 100% oxygen while the treatment chamber is pressurized to a pressure greater than sea level. The pressure increase must be systematic and be applied in a monoplace (single person) or multiplace chambers. I am in a multiplace chamber with my pressure posse. Multiplace chambers are pressurised with air, with oxygen given via a face mask, hood tent or endotracheal tube, whilst monoplace chambers are pressurised with oxygen.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Jaws!
So after the first day I broke my tooth. I have been assured that it had nothing to do with the hyperbaric chamber but I certainly do know that I found myself in the dentist's chair that day having root canal treatment. What a day!
Sunday 20 February 2011
The Abyss
Where to begin? Well, about 4 and a half years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It jumped up and bit me and so I bit back. I was devastated and my loved ones were devastated and then, between me, my husband, family, friends, doctors, nurses and homeopath, we fought hard and we won.
In truth, I'm not going to talk about the cancer much. I could be droll at this point and rip off one of my heroes and call it "It's not about the cancer" (in fact, one of my best survivorship moments came watching Lance Armstrong compete in the Tour de France last year with my husband, who is an avid cycle fan, at my side), but I won't. And with 1 in 3 of us now being affected by cancer, it gets a fair amount of attention and a bunch of people do amazing work both in terms of treating it and saving lives but also the patient groups and charities such as Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust who perform vital work supporting patients.
What I'm going to talk about is what happened to me after that life saving treatment.
In truth, I'm not going to talk about the cancer much. I could be droll at this point and rip off one of my heroes and call it "It's not about the cancer" (in fact, one of my best survivorship moments came watching Lance Armstrong compete in the Tour de France last year with my husband, who is an avid cycle fan, at my side), but I won't. And with 1 in 3 of us now being affected by cancer, it gets a fair amount of attention and a bunch of people do amazing work both in terms of treating it and saving lives but also the patient groups and charities such as Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust who perform vital work supporting patients.
What I'm going to talk about is what happened to me after that life saving treatment.
Saturday 12 February 2011
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