@hanami ❤️ ❤️❤️ {whoa, the emoji have changed & are a little harder to work out!}
@Appleblossom ❤️❤️❤️
My Sister, who is my only support, though her support has its limits - she doesn't come here,
she says it's too far away, although she tells me she's planning a holiday to England next year
so obviously that's not too far; finding that out has upset me, I'm likely entering a stage
in my life where my health is going to deteriorate rapidly & if that happens, I'll need the most
help I have ever needed, then there's the fact that it's a high percentage chance that I may end next year: anyhow, what I was going to say is that she knows some nurses & was told that a collapsed lung is not life-threatening, so I'm guessing it's not urgent - but I've got to say
it's extremely uncomfortable. What upsets me the most about it is that I can't walk the dogs, as the fluid builds, I can only go shorter & shorter distances . . . until I can't go at all. My
Staffy won't go on his own, I've tried opening the house gate for him to go, but he won't leave me.
The unprofessional terms are, I know, just words & perhaps the Doctors are just trying to
explain things in a way I can understand. I have thought & emotional differences, I think
anyone that declines whatever treatment is recommended {e.g., chemo & radiation} is considered to have a 'mental health' issue. I have a long list of 'issues' that have been professionally recorded over many years, the nurse brought my file into the last telehealth appointment {there's a room with a big screen at the local medical place, so I don't have to go into the city unless there's a procedure involved. They can also do the x-rays at the local medical place, so they just get sent to the city & then I get a telehealth appointment to discuss them after} & I was surprised with how very thick it was! I do think though, that since she received the file, she has treated me a little differently. It had already come up in conversation that I'd been though childhood traumas & that anorexia was one of my titles. She's a lovely, caring woman - I don't think it's stigma, I think it's just human nature. She got me a telehealth appointment with a dietician who gave me a prescription for nutritional drinks, which means I don't have to pay for them. I think those drinks are the only thing giving me any energy & strength. I miss my camping a great deal, I want to go again - I know the puppies would love to, but I'm sick. I have medications to help with the nausea & vomiting, but they seem to be becoming less effective. I worry that if I did get myself out there, there would be no enjoyment because of the discomfort. I'm thrilled to hear you went on a trip last weekend Apple 🙂 Have you written about it, could you remind me what thread it would be in?
@Faith-and-Hope ❤️❤️❤️
I don't know if the local medical place is a hospital anymore, perhaps it is again now. The
Doctor left & our area didn't have one for a while - I think the medical place then became a
center & I don't think there are any counsellors there. The respiratory Doctor, where it takes
a month at a time to get in, is in the city. I don't like going there, that hospital is like a city unto itself! The reason I'm not really one to complain is that my thought & emotional process won't let me, things have to build up until I explode. I hope I don't do that with the Doctors, because then they might just put me to the very end of the list. The Doctor that made the appointment for the drain for me, I think he really pushed & I was lucky to get in in a month. The community nurse knows I'm struggling, I asked about any meal or laundry service that
might help, before the drain last time, I couldn't even stand at the sink to wash up (I now
have a tall stool to rest on while I do it) but it seems I'm just a bit too young. I think that's
why she wants me to get a official diagnosis as soon as possible, so I can go on a palliative program & then she can help.
@Sunshineandsea ❤️
I was shocked at how long it took to be seen, after I had the x-ray that showed a very large
pleural effusion. But I'm now guessing that because it isn't life threatening, that's why it
took so long. I'm aware that my anger toward the doctors is just fear, fear that I'm going to
get lost in the cracks like I have my whole life, fear that I'm going to suffer more than is
necessary. The public health system was already broken before covid hit, now it's crushed.
When I went for the drain, there was no nurse {that's in the city}, I actually got 2 doctors,
but they didn't seem to know where anything was, they were so very disorganized. . . but
they were there & they did help. I've heard that %25 of nurses have left the profession, or
at least the public sector, I don't blame them, but when I think of it, I feel I should be more
appreciative of the medical professionals that are still there & still trying to help.
@tyme ❤️
There aren't many places that would declare you a valued member when you hadn't been there in a very long time. I don't know what my value is, but I feel more important here on the Forum then I do anywhere in the real World.
@Shaz51 ❤️❤️❤️
It's sooooooo good to hear from you too Shaz, sending back extra love & hugs to you ❤️❤️❤️
