As one door opens ...

Just as one ailment is alleviated another seems to posit itself in the full spotlight of my attention.



It is with a great deal of relief that I can report on the effective suppression of the most disconcerting symptoms of GORD, the combination of esomeprazole and domperidone most definitely curbing the most acute intestinal and oesophageal rebellion. Doses of a moderately potent liquid antacid are no longer de rigueur before retirement au lit.


A numb tingling sensation in left hand and wrist still requires frequent application of a wrist splint to offer a modicum of relief but, proves relatively easy to bear (not that one has any choice in the matter). Last Friday, the dentist extracted an offending molar, bringing with it much relief so things began to look rather bright! Come Monday, I once more found myself needing to resort to the use of a back support, as niggles emanating from the lower lumbar region began to increase in intensity.


On Tuesday morning, stick assisted I managed to shuffle myself down to Open Church at St. Marks for coffee and a little conversation, the latter having seemed in short supply since my beloved's return to work (following last week's days off). Even though sundry niggling health concerns somewhat overshadowed the additional hours spent with ma belle last week, I was surprised to find how much more isolated and alone I began to feel now that her normal work pattern has resumed.


No sooner had I got through the door, on my lunchtime return home from St Marks, than the telephone rang. It was a call from someone at my doctor's surgery enquiring whether I'd received the letter and paperwork requiring a Fasting blood test prior to my next GP appointment (already arranged for the following day). I checked the post that had just arrived and, sure enough, there was the letter purportedly despatched on Friday 18th yet strangely postmarked 21/02/11 at 3.36pm. The spokesperson from the surgery had the audacity to suggest that I cancel the appointment with the doctor as I'd failed to undertake the fasting blood test. This was the last straw, I finally had an appointment with the doctor I'd been asked to see and they wanted to cancel it ( this was a cause for resentful hurt on my part bearing in mind the incident recorded in the third paragraph of my previous posting 'The Opening of the Floodgates').


In the event I attended hospital for the blood test on Wednesday morning before going to my doctors appointment in the afternoon, even though I knew the results would not be available within such a restricted time span. The doctor, however, did not require the fasting blood test results; the results of tests that I'd had the previous Tuesday morning were the only requirement - the fasting test being irrelevant to her investigations. The good news, on that front, is that all the results were normal; once again, I'm reassured to know that my health problems are entirely due to there being nothing wrong!


Last evening the severe back pains further intensified and became excruciating as I attempted to remove myself from the bed, to obey an urgent call of nature. I should have realized that lying down, whether on back or side, is the worst possible position to be in should the requirement to extract oneself from the duvet lair become necessary. The manouevre of rolling oneself to the edge of the bed, painfully letting ones lower limbs slide down towards the floor before one is able to elevate the torso, is neither elegant nor reassuring. Having returned to bed, ma belle made sure that my torso was adequately propped up with both standard and triangular pillows, thus enabling a slightly easier removal of myself from those environs at the due time. An additional dose of 100mg of tramadol served to further ease the subsequent manoeuvre.


At the moment my verbal outbursts, arising from a combination of frustration and intense dis-ease, could (to my shame) pass for coprolalia. It's not that my fuse burns any more rapidly, it's simply been a further victim of all pervasive cuts; hopefully, as ailments subside, a much longer replacement fuse will be found. For the present I just can't help feeling painfully frail, vulnerable and not at all nice to know.