Hi everyone, I wrote some stuff the other day but I ended up just deleting it but I’m pretty much gonna regurgitate it today. I’ve been reducing the colchicine for the last while and seemed to get to a point where it was starting to have a physical effect on me. Last Wednesday my heart rate was very high and rather than waiting the 3 days to take the colchicine I did the 2 and a half and took it on Wednesday evening instead, it did seem to ease the heart rate a bit a few hours later and so the next one would be due Saturday morning. When I woke up on Saturday I was wrecked with a sore chest and sore back. The back I’m not overly concerned about but the chest I am, more so than most things, it’s very similar to some of the pain when I had the pericarditis but I’m not having the numb arm or sore neck which is obviously a good thing but the tight chest is concerning.
I’ve never really had heart issues and it’s not something I’m comfortable with, who would be really. I worry about it more than anything else I suppose. So by Wednesday I had reverted back to the colchicine every 2 days as things hadn’t improved much or at all and I didn’t want to take any risks so I phoned the hospital, one as we had never discussed what to do if I was to get the symptoms again and two I didn’t want to leave it to next week and screw up the plans for the bone marrow transplant. They wanted me over to have a few checks, which was grand although I wasn’t really expecting to stay in but I brought stuff just in case, using my fancy new bag with wheels!! I’m very pleased I got this. I wouldn’t have managed to carry my stuff in with my back and chest.
So I got an echo completed and all looked to be fine and the same with the x-ray, it didn’t show anything. They ran a few blood tests also to check for markers for pericarditis and clots and both of them were clear also. They wanted to keep me in to get a CT scan to be sure about the clot and would have to get this the next day. I don’t mind staying in as I’ve got the laptop and I remembered my good headphones and also brought the two chargers with me this week so I could charge the laptop and phone at the same time so I can tether and stream both with no concerns of running out of power on either. Not that I did have the prob when I had the one charger but it gives that extra reassurance that I’ve always plenty of power.
By Wednesday night the pain had eased a fair bit compared to what it was, but this is generally the case, mornings are by far the worst and as the day goes on things seem to settle for me. Saying that it’s still sore but reduced from a 7 or 8 down to a 4 or 5. What doesn’t help in the mornings is the grogginess and cough, it’s absolute agony coughing lying down. The most bearable way to cough is when I’m sitting and leaning forward, it still hurts but the pain is much less reduced and not as sharp.
Thursday I wasn’t too bad, I got down to get the CT scan which didn’t last long at all, took me longer getting back out of the bed than the scan itself. I feel so useless at times especially when getting up from lying down, very much like a turtle on its back. The scan came back clear which is obviously a good thing… but doesn’t help with us finding out what the cause is. So it’s not pericarditis and it’s not a clot, they are checking with radiology to see if it is maybe a break or a fracture in the ribs. This would probably be the best case scenario as it won’t delay anything with the BMT, but if that comes back clear they may want to do another MRI scan which could potentially delay things. I always do find a way to screw things up and normally in the least obvious ways too.
Friday morning came along and I got a decent sleep, everyone in the ward went to bed fairly early and I stayed up for a couple of hours 10pm bed is just too early even if we do get woke up about 8am, so I watched some tv and started playing Tomb Raider 2, I completed Tomb Raider over the last week, was nice to remember probably the first game I ever properly got in to way back, I remember the first time seeing it, if I remember correctly I had got home from hospital and was watching my dad play on it, he was showing me it and it was the level with the TRex and raptors were you had to get the cogs. St Francis Folly was always the one I found quite tricky. But at least on the PC you have unlimited saves rather than having to find the save crystals. Thankfully the PS4 controller was just plug and play for TR1 but for TR2 I had to map the keys for it to work although the 2nd time going on when I jumped with the pistols out, rather than just jumping, she jumped, put the pistols away and got out the grenade launcher, which I got with getting the 3 secrets in the first level so remapped them again, haven’t been on a third time to see if it’s sorted or I may have to do it again. Doesn’t take too long but time I’d prefer just playing the game.
So back to Friday morning, I am rough, the cough is bad, chest is bad and back is bad, didn’t help that there was a crowd of about 800 people stormed into the ward (slight exaggeration) for breakfast and to do the beds and meds while I was still asleep which obviously woke me up. Although was nice to see one of the nurses I know quite well, I know them all tbh as I was with them for 3 months at the end of 2019 and then again last week but I knew her from the Bridgewater Suit even before then and when I was admitted times before quite a few years ago.
I was hoping the colchicine would ease the chest a bit and the MST too, I left it a few hours to see if it would settle before taking anything else and rolled out of bed and sat on the seat, still very sore and whatever way the air is in here it makes my eyes dry/water, I need to blink more than normal. Probably doesn’t help that I’m quite tired of sitting around too and not doing much. The heart rate was quite high again this morning and at about 12 I had gotten to see the doctor to see what they were now planning. Firstly it's obviously a good thing there is no clot or pericarditis. She had been in touch with cardiology who seemed to be happy that it’s not long term pericarditis as I’ve only 1 of the 5 symptoms of it which is also quite good and they are chasing up with radiology/radiography? To check about a possible fracture or break, it does seem to be the one rib which I hadn’t picked up on before so it would be good if that was to be what it is and then maybe be able to do something about it and it shouldn’t interfere with the BMT also.
Otherwise I may have to wait for another MRI which could delay things. The BMT nurse got in touch and had said about maybe needing to come in on Monday evening, which would be great, they have a bed ready for me, I’d prefer things weren’t delayed at all and really got the ball rolling. Just need to get to the bottom of this chest pain. I need to get a couple of test done before coming in on Monday, covid test and a viral test, I pretty much need to wait as long as possible before getting them on Saturday, would be good if I was to get home for a bit on Saturday evening and be able to pack properly for the long stay and then come back in on the Monday, but everything is sort of up in the air at the moment and no one is really sure what’s happening. Just the usual really.
At about 1230 I took some paracetamol and now at 130 things have settled a fair bit compared to what they were, not sure if its the colchicine, MST, paracetamol, sitting out or eating or most likely a combination of the above but I’m not as bad, still sore but a lot better than what I had been earlier and the heart rate is reduced also, hopefully have a better idea soon.
For now though I’m gonna stick on a few shows and maybe play TR2 and hopefully hear I’ve a fractured rib lol.