The appointments dropped on the doormat thick & fast,I can't remember the order,there were the usual suspects,this time they included...
Ultrasound Abdomen scan
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=abdominct
As used on pregnant women.There is no ionizing radiation exposure with this test.
CT (CAT Scan )( Computed Tomography )
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003789.htm
Layed flat the scanner moves along the body encircling it,so your head & feet are not enclosed.
ECG ( Electro Cardio Gram )
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/examinations/ecg.htm,
which checks the electric activity in your heart.Quick & very simple.
There was an Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (camera down the gullet ) http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/upper-gastrointestinal-endoscopy May I recommend the use of Diazipam as administered by the clinic & a companion to help you home.I opted for the spray in the back of the throat,as I was alone & was driving.This made it uncomfortable,but we managed it.The reason for this test is to inspect the Oesophagus for an varicose veins,which could lead to bleeding & with clotting of the blood being affected by TX drugs,could be a reason to delay.
My dear friend,to whom I pay tribute in this blog,had this issue, they placed stents,to reinforce the effected veins & he did his treatment (TX),not only once but two rounds of TX.So don't worry too much,if you can manage.There are always options for you,right up to transplant & beyond.
MRI Scan ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging ) Into the tunnel,but deeper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imaging
The MRI will be used to clarify any irregular signs picked up in the Abdominal scan.
The only obvious worry is if one is claustrophobic,but there again a dose of diazipam will make for a smoother ride.Needs must & all that.
Always remember to read & follow any eating & drinking requests set out in your appointment info,as this is essential for the clearest results on the day.When in doubt,ring up the clinic your due at & ask them what the procedure pre test is.
Their number will be on the appointment letter,in case you need to cancel.
Always cancel in good time & reschedule.Your diary for your pills & jabs will come in handy for keeping track of these appointments...REMEMBER,missing these,without a very good reason,not only deprives another person of this wasted hour of valuable NHS resources.This will reflect alongside other failures in your conduct during TX & be taken into account,if you should find yourself wanting another shot at TX.
What goes around comes around...
I did all my tests,over the following months.Then,after the question of an apparent hemangioma on my liver had been settled,(it wasn't growing), http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemangioma
I was given the green light for treatment.
POSITIVE V NEGATIVE C
I Can't help,but find it a sad state of affairs,when ,after typing in hepatitis c,to googles search engine ,I find the 1st results page highly populated by alternative med site's,pushing alternative med's,wich have a price !,hardly helping matters.
If you know the right person,& given the right help,they can,for a price,make your site appears at the top of any google search page...RESULT !
They remind of the traveling doc,in the wild west,selling his elixir,come cure all...Ladies & Gentlemen...Roll up,roll up.
" Shake your money maker !"
I don't blame anyone for trying alternative med's,when all else has failed...The question for me is at what point,do we accept our position.No matter what we decide,we should 1st gain as much info as possible,on all aspect's.Perhaps also exploring Chinese herbal med's,to begin with.
Finding peace within our plight,must surely be a blessing.
Seems whatever we say,there will always be an opposite opinion.That I can except.The practice of making money from people in the most desperate of circumstances, is deplorable,to me.
With the factor of negatives & positives,in both fields ( modern med's & alternative's ),there will always be room for any individual or organisation to create doubt & hysteria around the others method.This is the point where the charlatans seize their opportunity...For shame.
Be their a God or Carma as a force...Their will be a judgement for our actions in this life,I rekon.
We will get back, what we gave...Peace
Peter
If you know the right person,& given the right help,they can,for a price,make your site appears at the top of any google search page...RESULT !
They remind of the traveling doc,in the wild west,selling his elixir,come cure all...Ladies & Gentlemen...Roll up,roll up.
" Shake your money maker !"
I don't blame anyone for trying alternative med's,when all else has failed...The question for me is at what point,do we accept our position.No matter what we decide,we should 1st gain as much info as possible,on all aspect's.Perhaps also exploring Chinese herbal med's,to begin with.
Finding peace within our plight,must surely be a blessing.
Seems whatever we say,there will always be an opposite opinion.That I can except.The practice of making money from people in the most desperate of circumstances, is deplorable,to me.
With the factor of negatives & positives,in both fields ( modern med's & alternative's ),there will always be room for any individual or organisation to create doubt & hysteria around the others method.This is the point where the charlatans seize their opportunity...For shame.
Be their a God or Carma as a force...Their will be a judgement for our actions in this life,I rekon.
We will get back, what we gave...Peace
Peter
Hepatitis Clinic,pre treatment
The usual routine,appointment letter arrives,on the doormat,followed by the usual walk to that spot in the kitchen,where I slice open my mail,while the kettle boils.Then with coffee in hand I either head for the phone,to send a rocket,aimed at one org or another or back to bed to digest the new news.So I went back to bed & thought of what lay ahead.
Now with the presence of hindsight I could never imagine what a chain of events lay ahead.
So it was that I attended my local hospital for the first time in over ten yrs.This time it wasn't to Gastro-Ent's out-patient clinic,it was to the Hepatitis clinic,things had certainly changed,at least I bloody well hoped so,given my past experience regarding hep c,there.
I took my seat in the clean,contemporary designed waiting,come,reception area.This time it was not full of silver haired senior citizens,but younger people also folks of various ethnic groups...A striking comparison to the group older folk,that made me seem so out of place,many years earlier.Still,time & tide & all that.
A tall guy appeared & called me out,I followed,he introduced himself as a specialist nurse,then handed me over to a nurse who took me to take my vitals,weight,temperature,blood pressure,then delivered me to a consulting room,to continue with the tall guy...We exchanged some general chit chat & I told him of my concerns about what had gone before ,IE:my liver biopsy & that there was 0 chance of me agreeing to do another.He'd look into that & gather what info he could about the past tests.Then he told me how it works now.That he would send me for,a full blood screen,CT scan,abdomen scan ECG test, Oral endoscopy to start with,then when these results along with my past tests,were gathered & examined,a treatment plan could be put together.
I must say,after that visit to the hepatitis clinic, my treatment plan together with the thought,that I actually stood a chance of getting rid of this spectre,once & for all...Raised my spirit.
Pre-treatment tests...Now the work really began !
Now with the presence of hindsight I could never imagine what a chain of events lay ahead.
So it was that I attended my local hospital for the first time in over ten yrs.This time it wasn't to Gastro-Ent's out-patient clinic,it was to the Hepatitis clinic,things had certainly changed,at least I bloody well hoped so,given my past experience regarding hep c,there.
I took my seat in the clean,contemporary designed waiting,come,reception area.This time it was not full of silver haired senior citizens,but younger people also folks of various ethnic groups...A striking comparison to the group older folk,that made me seem so out of place,many years earlier.Still,time & tide & all that.
A tall guy appeared & called me out,I followed,he introduced himself as a specialist nurse,then handed me over to a nurse who took me to take my vitals,weight,temperature,blood pressure,then delivered me to a consulting room,to continue with the tall guy...We exchanged some general chit chat & I told him of my concerns about what had gone before ,IE:my liver biopsy & that there was 0 chance of me agreeing to do another.He'd look into that & gather what info he could about the past tests.Then he told me how it works now.That he would send me for,a full blood screen,CT scan,abdomen scan ECG test, Oral endoscopy to start with,then when these results along with my past tests,were gathered & examined,a treatment plan could be put together.
I must say,after that visit to the hepatitis clinic, my treatment plan together with the thought,that I actually stood a chance of getting rid of this spectre,once & for all...Raised my spirit.
Pre-treatment tests...Now the work really began !
HEP C, TREATMENT ARRIVES...
I was at my Dr's as usual & she informed me about a treatment on offer to some HCV patients, she had done a little homework on my behalf, enough to paint the broad strokes necessary to paint a picture that offered a glimpse of hope, where before there was none, a cure or remedy,(though I give in to the fact that it can't truly be called a cure,as a cure heals all & not some 50%), but hell I'll take 50% of a possible viral purge against nil chance of a cure, any day of the week...Hell yes !
She would set the wheels in motion & I'd be informed of the what, where,when & why,by post in due course.
The last time I was at the hospital regarding my hep c, was some 10years earlier, when I had my botched biopsy, the results of which where lost.
Since then, my mother had become unsteady on her feet & no longer able to look after herself & my son. Let's just say, this was my 1st great turning point in my life, meeting the challenge with what turned out to be a natural flair for nursing. From that point on I became a health care professional. Exploring our rights, first & foremost was the patients charter,( which entitles anyone, the same health care provided in hospital, at your own home, provided you have sufficient support in your home environment & with me there, she did).
Our charter was enacted & we had a district nursing team, who would attend to her from time to time. It started daily, but I soon took over & within no time they just came to resupply us with dressings & prescriptions,they could see I was more than capable & it freed them up to get more done, everyone was happy.
This is how I became really close to my Dr, as she was in effect mum's doctor by proxy. I'd see her but just spend my allotted time talking over mum's bouts of illness & any hassles I had with the nurses...She was brilliant. She gave me my first taste of what it could be like to be a decent honest caring person, by how she praised me, gave her time to it, without a single sigh. She backed me up for 10 years, doing this.
So it was with great sadness, she told me that she was leaving the practice. Her that had taken me on,when nobody could get a methadone script, her that listened so patiently, her that watched me grow from a wild careless being, into a fine, caring, youngish man. There would be a while before she left & we agreed it would be fitting for me to have got to treatment, by this point.
Looking back she must have been very proud of me, as I had validated her decision to supply me with a maintenance prescription , in the vein hope that one day I might become a responsible member of society. Also, by supporting me she had inadvertently saved mother from having to go into hospital, which would have finished her off, a fact I have no doubt about. Instead we had 10 more priceless years together, mum Jr & I. keeping the social services at bay with my new found knowledge of the human rights act & the doctors actions, helped me secure a dignified way of living for us at a time when we were at the relative mercy of the state.
Looking back that was quite a coup I pulled off. The nurses & any other service could only attend by appointment. Social services wanted to have a "care assistant" attend twice daily ( when they finally got a chance to intervene, that was cut to twice a week, after quoting the human rights act ( right to privacy in our homes). Mothers Doctor, who had advised she be taken to hospital for tests, was over-ruled, by me ( it was agreed Mother would go for tests only if her bed-sore got worse. It got better). After the doctor left that afternoon, my half-sister, who I had a very difficult relationship with, remarked...Peter, I admire you for what you just did there, I regret a lot of the advice I followed from doctors, never thinking to stand up to them or question the instruction. She knew my actions were only in mum's interest & understood mum would prefer to die here today, than in hospital in six months time.
Mothers doctor said to me, after mother had passed...Well you got what you wanted, she stayed at home, it was a feeble gesture on her part. No we weren't the best of friends, so it was understandable in that part. The fact was, no, I got what Mother would have wanted.
Mother passed away in Jan 07. Her death allowed me a shot at a longer life, a trade she would make gladly.
I now remember that, it was after that, my Dr told me of her intention to leave the practice. Typing this sentence makes me wonder if that was when she felt able to leave,( I've no doubt, she'd be trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible ) she knew I depended on her so much. Hence her suggestion of treatment, now I could devote my time & effort to it. I owed it to my Mother & son to give it a go, but could I keep it together,
well we'd soon find out...
She would set the wheels in motion & I'd be informed of the what, where,when & why,by post in due course.
The last time I was at the hospital regarding my hep c, was some 10years earlier, when I had my botched biopsy, the results of which where lost.
Since then, my mother had become unsteady on her feet & no longer able to look after herself & my son. Let's just say, this was my 1st great turning point in my life, meeting the challenge with what turned out to be a natural flair for nursing. From that point on I became a health care professional. Exploring our rights, first & foremost was the patients charter,( which entitles anyone, the same health care provided in hospital, at your own home, provided you have sufficient support in your home environment & with me there, she did).
Our charter was enacted & we had a district nursing team, who would attend to her from time to time. It started daily, but I soon took over & within no time they just came to resupply us with dressings & prescriptions,they could see I was more than capable & it freed them up to get more done, everyone was happy.
This is how I became really close to my Dr, as she was in effect mum's doctor by proxy. I'd see her but just spend my allotted time talking over mum's bouts of illness & any hassles I had with the nurses...She was brilliant. She gave me my first taste of what it could be like to be a decent honest caring person, by how she praised me, gave her time to it, without a single sigh. She backed me up for 10 years, doing this.
So it was with great sadness, she told me that she was leaving the practice. Her that had taken me on,when nobody could get a methadone script, her that listened so patiently, her that watched me grow from a wild careless being, into a fine, caring, youngish man. There would be a while before she left & we agreed it would be fitting for me to have got to treatment, by this point.
Looking back she must have been very proud of me, as I had validated her decision to supply me with a maintenance prescription , in the vein hope that one day I might become a responsible member of society. Also, by supporting me she had inadvertently saved mother from having to go into hospital, which would have finished her off, a fact I have no doubt about. Instead we had 10 more priceless years together, mum Jr & I. keeping the social services at bay with my new found knowledge of the human rights act & the doctors actions, helped me secure a dignified way of living for us at a time when we were at the relative mercy of the state.
Looking back that was quite a coup I pulled off. The nurses & any other service could only attend by appointment. Social services wanted to have a "care assistant" attend twice daily ( when they finally got a chance to intervene, that was cut to twice a week, after quoting the human rights act ( right to privacy in our homes). Mothers Doctor, who had advised she be taken to hospital for tests, was over-ruled, by me ( it was agreed Mother would go for tests only if her bed-sore got worse. It got better). After the doctor left that afternoon, my half-sister, who I had a very difficult relationship with, remarked...Peter, I admire you for what you just did there, I regret a lot of the advice I followed from doctors, never thinking to stand up to them or question the instruction. She knew my actions were only in mum's interest & understood mum would prefer to die here today, than in hospital in six months time.
Mothers doctor said to me, after mother had passed...Well you got what you wanted, she stayed at home, it was a feeble gesture on her part. No we weren't the best of friends, so it was understandable in that part. The fact was, no, I got what Mother would have wanted.
Mother passed away in Jan 07. Her death allowed me a shot at a longer life, a trade she would make gladly.
I now remember that, it was after that, my Dr told me of her intention to leave the practice. Typing this sentence makes me wonder if that was when she felt able to leave,( I've no doubt, she'd be trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible ) she knew I depended on her so much. Hence her suggestion of treatment, now I could devote my time & effort to it. I owed it to my Mother & son to give it a go, but could I keep it together,
well we'd soon find out...
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