On Monday December 2nd, 2013 I went for an appointment to the hospital -My neck was hard and tender but sure what else is new! The surgeon fella had a wee feel and his intern joined in, talking in medical terms I didn't understand. All of a sudden he said I needed to be admitted to the hospital for tests and that he knew I wasn't expecting this but it would be for the best. Bit shocked but kinda thought, 'oh that's good'... for those reading who aren't from Ireland, out-patients appointments can take a long time for such things, and this really isn't the norm. The seriousness and urgency in his voice however then made me think: 'oh bollox'. He told me my lymph nodes were inflamed. Now the only thing I know about the lymph nodes is that they can swell if you are sick from an infection... I had been absolutely fine; no temperature, not even a sniffley nose.
They kept asking me though -from the Monday to Friday that I stayed in the hospital, every nurse, doctor, intern and member of 'my team' (I loved that term, I had a 'team'. No matter what crap was going on I amused myself with the fact I was some sort leader of a gang. Probably not a street fighting gang, maybe like a dance gang, and we'd 'dance out' of every bad situation we found ourselves in) asked did I feel sick. They also took bloods each day. I have very crap veins so this was a nuisance. They said they hoped to do an emergency CT and then a biopsy if needed.
On Wednesday this all happened in a rush, had my CT and as soon as
Living with disability and chronic pain in Ireland. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chiari malformation, hip dysplasia, dysautonomia, hiatal hernia/ GERD etc. Taking part in the campaign to reclaim the word cripple as a positive. Ex cancer patient (Hodgkin lymphoma). Very pro-choice #RepealThe8th. Atheist/ sceptic/ scientific thinker/ anti dangerous woo. Love art, photography, animals and vintage toys. Trekkie in between all that... May contain sarcasm and crappy puns.
