Mon 8th August 2011

Having gatecrashed the haematology clinic last Monday in order to see my specialist, and having taken all the medicines prescribed, it was clear that nothing had changed and that all was not well. On Thursday I contacted the clinic again and was called in to see my specialist in a side room.

The tests had confirmed that I hadn't contracted candida or any of the usual throat infections. I'd also started getting a sharp pain in my right groin. My specialist decided that I needed to be brought in for observation and treatment. He spent long hours organising a bed for me on a medical ward and I finally moved there in the late afternoon. Unbeknown to me the hospital was full- chocka- and everyone was at full stretch. I had a terrible time getting admitted and going for tests. I was supposed to be put on a drip. This didn't happen for at least four hours. The canulla fell out in the middle of the night......

The next morning (Friday) was no better. I went for a CT scan and instead of being hooked up to my drip upon return (I was on nil-by-mouth) it took almost three hours and a lot of shouting before it was done. Then a surgeon arrived and said they would be taking my appendix out - hence the nil-by-mouth.

The operation went well. I was transferred to another ward to recover- one without a view from the windows. I had very noisy neighbours as well. I made a good recovery and they were going to send me home two days ago- but for the involvement of the haematolgy department.

Sunday came and went. My mouth developed blisters and I struggled to eat or swallow anything. I was off the drip, apparently able to take in enough food and liquid for myself. It was plain that I was not.

Today (Monday)both the surgical and haematolgy teams agreed I should be discharged. So I was taken downstairs to the lounge ready to be picked up.

Not so simple. I still had to wait over two hours for my prescription drugs to be made up.

In all this, my specialist, probably the only Consultant at the Hospital who would take time to do this, called in explained what was going on.

There is a possibility that although my appendix was inflamed, it wasn't the cause of my diarrhoea (which I still have although I haven't eaten enough to be sure)
Later this week they will insert a camera into my bowel and take images and samples in order to identify what is wrong. It could be diverticulitis but my continuing throat infection, ulcers et al, would say not.

But what is it? Time and more tests will tell.