Hospital this afternoon. Ugh… Don’t read if eating, or of a nervous disposition.

I have to tootle over to the local hospital this afternoon to have a gastroscopy. (That’s the one where you swallow the gadget, btw; not the other one…) I’ve had a hiatus hernia for years. It used to be intermittent, but apparently now it’s a permanent fixture. I normally just ignore it, but from time to time it causes acid reflux, which can be painful and irritating.

Anyway, when I was doing the Dales Way a couple of months ago I was listening to podcasts from the BBC, and one of them, Medicine Now (or something), was about a condition called Barrett’s Oesophagus. Apparently this is a condition in which oesophageal cells in close proximity to the stomach develop the characteristics of stomach cells, in an attempt to deal with acid they weren’t designed to be swimming around in. It’s a condition that people with acid reflux sometimes develop, and it can be a precursor to oesophageal cancer.

So, since I’ve had reflux acid for years, and my mother died of oesophageal cancer last year, it seemed like a good idea to consult the GP a couple of weeks ago and request a test. The BBC programme said a simple test which can be done in a GP’s surgery has been developed, but up here in the frozen climes of North West England it appears that clever new developments like that haven’t yet reached us. Therefore, I’m off to the hospital later today for the blasted gastroscopy.

(Incidentally, this means I’ve not had anything to eat this morning. Anyone who would like to send me restorative chocolate should address it to me and send it via Piglet Monster at The Sty. Heh…)

I had what felt like about a thousand gastroscopies about 10 years ago during the 2 years or so it took for my gallstones to be diagnosed. They were a nightmare, and over time I developed an almost Pavlovian response to the suggestion that I should ever have another. It’s possible to have some sort of sedation with them. I didn’t ever find that it helped much, but it’s better than nothing. It’s only possible to have that, though, if there’s somebody around to take one home. I’ve not got anyone here to collect me (Piglet hasn’t yet passed her driving test) so now I’m trying to decide whether to just lie to the nurse, and take a taxi back. That’s prolly what I’ll do.

So… I’m a bit nervous, now. Not about whether I may have some vile lurgy–that seems very unlikely–but about having yet another bloody gastroscopy. And I’m going to have to leave wee Piggly shut up in her little crate while I’m out, and she’ll get all upset and wonder whether I’m ever coming home. I’ll leave the radio on for her, and she’ll probably listen to Case Notes, or something, and demand an urgent consultation with the vet when I get back. Sigh…

Illness all round, chez Peewiglet

I’m beginning to wonder whether The Sty has fallen foul of some sort of vile lurgy.

1. I spent the whole weekend feeling like death, but I thought it was clearing up yesterday.

2. Last night Piglet sat staring as I ate dinner–begging for a scrap (she didn’t get one)–and then half an hour later she puked 6 times. Yes, folks, that’s *six* times… 3 lots of kibble mixed with carrot (where the hell did it all come from, I wonder? And apparently the old adage about carrots in puke holds good for dogs as well…) and then 3 lots of greenish phegmy-looking gunk. Then she lay down in her little bed and trembled for 30 minutes.

I rang the emergency vet, who advised me to give her no more than 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water, and the same again in an hour or so. She wouldn’t drink at first, but she licked some water rather pathetically off my finger later in the evening. An hour or so after that she dragged herself out of her bed to try to torment the cat–a clear sign of improvement–and this morning she’s 100%.

3. Meanwhile, I now have the one-sided Sore Throat From Hell. I’ve had a sore throat for 10 days, but today it’s so painful that I can barely swallow. Whine… I’ve made an appointment with the GP for later this afternoon, and will have to take my antibiotics (if he prescribes them) up to the Lakes with me this evening, as that’s where Piglet and I are headed, come what may.

Let’s hope the cat hasn’t developed a mysterious wasting illness by the time we get home…

Doggy training, headache, dicky tummy, bleuch…

Sinusitis

I have sinusitis today, and it’s painful! Sob… Also my tummy is a bit dicky, and my head and neck are aching.

Perhaps I’ve caught something from the cat. Meningitis, perhaps? Or could it be the dreaded swine flu?? Well, whatever it is it needs to settle down because Piglet and I have a date with Tim and Kate this afternoon, for walkies followed by scrummy sandwiches and chat in Tim and Kate’s garden, and we’re both very keen not to miss it. I’ll have to break out the Panadol Extra.

Piglet scoffs a carrot

On a more positive note, little Piglet learned “come”, “sit” and “down” when she was only a very tiny wee thing, but then I became distracted by other things and I’m afraid that Piglet training fell by the wayside a little. I’m getting back to it now, though, and Piglet is learning “stay” in the garden for rewards in the form of pieces of mangetout, which are currently her favourite vegetable

Groan… I think I’ll have to go and lie down…