Saturday, May 23, 2009

CT Guided Biopsy part 3

Wendy had arrived having taken the girls to school, she'd decided and I was happy with the decision that she'd be there most of the day to keep me company. It made life much easier and was just a reassurance as the biopsy process was going to be exciting at best and downright effing dangerous at worst.

Due to the position of my furball they have to pass through a little bit of the outer lung wall, as they do this there maybe a chance that air gets in and collapses my lung.........nice. Then once they are through my lung they will be really close to the main arteries around my heart, so if they nick one then I have a really good chance of a 'significant' bleed.

The porters at NGH are great, I guess they learn on the job (so to speak) how to interact with people and patients. They have a wicked sense of humour, well the ones I met did and a terrific sense of direction. I think there are people walking around Northern General who could have left years ago.....lost in the enormity of the place. "Worse than bloody Morrison's this one" I felt really bad for the guys who'd come to take me up for the biopsy. 16 stone of lump laid on a bed which in a past life was a supermarket trolley. "Sorry lads I feel like a fraud. I'll walk if you want." "No lad you stay where you are, we just do what we're told. I reckon you should do the same" Wendy laughed at this, there's a definite hierarchy in our house, when we had fish I was below them in the pecking order. Everyone say aaaawww.!

Sideways through one corridor, in to the barriers up another, reverse into the lift and all breath in. Round the houses and we're there, on the way we've discussed the weather (obviously), the new wing of the hospital, the porters progress towards emigrating and the number of points you get for knocking over a consultant or another porter!

I was back in the CT scanning waiting area, this time I was one of the ones taking up space on a trolley, not wandering in in my civvies and reading a magazine. These little holding areas are amazing, you get to see all sorts of people the young and the old the scared and the brave. all walks of life. Illness is a great leveller, a little like war or extreme loss, none of us know how we'll react given a certain situation.

Observations, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and pulse were all taken regularly from being on the ward to being in the CT scanning room. "Lay on you back Mr. Hart" "Call me Nick please" "Ok and your head this end please. Arms onto your front and hold them still please." Getting comfortable when your having needles dug around your chest was going to be key the the success of the procedure and to my well being. As I was introduced to the consultant and some of his team they moved me into the scanner. When I had been in the time before I'd gone in feet first, this time head first the design of the bed meant my arms slipped and were no longer supported. I was petrified that because I'd moved I may have messed up some part of the scan. As it happened it was fine but no where near as comfortable as before the movement.

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