Hello Everybody,
I must apologise for my rather morbid last episode. I think I answered the question as to where I went to some years ago. Unfortunately I am not out of the woods yet but I will return to less miserable times before we bid each other farewell, but not just yet.
Having survived my perforated bowel the next problems were the various things that can occur with this type of operation. First of all the eight inch scar on my stomach wouldn’t heal up. Typical of me I had managed to get MRSA, oh and sepsis as well as a fungal infection in my blood, but apart from this things were going great!
I then had another suspected mini-stroke and had a brain scan just to check. This didn’t show up anything that wasn’t expected apart from an aneurysm at the base of my brain. Knowing the size of my brain I was sure it would only be a small one!
Having survived my perforated bowel the next problems were the various things that can occur with this type of operation. First of all the eight inch scar on my stomach wouldn’t heal up. Typical of me I had managed to get MRSA, oh and sepsis as well as a fungal infection in my blood, but apart from this things were going great!
I then had another suspected mini-stroke and had a brain scan just to check. This didn’t show up anything that wasn’t expected apart from an aneurysm at the base of my brain. Knowing the size of my brain I was sure it would only be a small one!
Back in hospital again it is then. The surgeon told me that if I moved I could be paralysed or it could be fatal, but I still decided to go ahead with the operation.
This involves passing technical gear into an artery in the groin up to the brain. When I was taken to have the operation I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing? The operation was not supposed to take long but it was six hours before I arrived back to the recovery ward. I must admit that I was relieved that the operation was now behind me! I bet you are waiting for something to go wrong? Well you wont have to wait that long. A nurse would check for bleeding every 15 minutes. At 3am I had to press the emergency button because of a very strong pain in my thigh. Two nurses came straight away and checked the sheets for blood but I wasn’t bleeding externally I was bleeding internally. When the equipment was removed after the operation they had nicked an artery in my groin. The blood was filling my thigh to the point where it was twice the diameter of the other before the flow of blood was stopped the swollen side had almost burst open. The pain was horrendous and the blood that was in the wrong place had to come out in its own natural way, bruising. I was black from the tip of my toes up my back and across my shoulders. I now had to have regular blood transfusions. You will like this next bit. Three days later I was visited by my specialist. At first I thought I had not heard him properly. Excuse me I said but did you just say I didn’t have my operation? Yes he said it was not accessible, sorry. In fairness to my surgeons they didn’t risk anything that could have caused me serious damage so I am very grateful for that.
When I picked up after this latest episode I was glad to get back to my workshop. I now make models out of scraps of aluminium. I was working away then all of a sudden I had no idea what was happening I didn’t know where I was, totally confused. We rang the doctor and he was here within minutes. After a few basic tests like putting on my coat and shoes I failed hopelessly. He said I had suffered a stroke and rang for an ambulance. On arrival at A&E I was checked over and was told I hadn’t suffered a stroke and the confusion was called by the antibiotics I was taking. I was sent home despite the fact I couldn’t even dress myself properly. I put my jumper and trousers on back to front anybody passing must have thought the circus was in town. After a dreadful night at home walking into door frames and not being able to tell the time we rang for an ambulance first thing. By now I was beginning to wonder who was more confused me or them? A scan revealed I had suffered another stroke. It had also effected my peripheral vision. This usually effects vision in one eye but I had it in both eyes well I would wouldn’t “eye”. Bye for now – Rob
When I picked up after this latest episode I was glad to get back to my workshop. I now make models out of scraps of aluminium. I was working away then all of a sudden I had no idea what was happening I didn’t know where I was, totally confused. We rang the doctor and he was here within minutes. After a few basic tests like putting on my coat and shoes I failed hopelessly. He said I had suffered a stroke and rang for an ambulance. On arrival at A&E I was checked over and was told I hadn’t suffered a stroke and the confusion was called by the antibiotics I was taking. I was sent home despite the fact I couldn’t even dress myself properly. I put my jumper and trousers on back to front anybody passing must have thought the circus was in town. After a dreadful night at home walking into door frames and not being able to tell the time we rang for an ambulance first thing. By now I was beginning to wonder who was more confused me or them? A scan revealed I had suffered another stroke. It had also effected my peripheral vision. This usually effects vision in one eye but I had it in both eyes well I would wouldn’t “eye”. Bye for now – Rob
Copyright:
Words: Rob Edwards/Trials Guru, John Moffat 2014.
Photos: Eric Kitchen – All Rights Reserves
Mike Rapley – All Rights Reserved
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