Thank you

A thank you to a good friend

When I was put into hospital, I did not have big network of friends, (funny how it shrinks when we transition) but Jenny dropped everything at short notice to drive 3 hours to Southend and look after me and support me.

Thank you sis, love and hugs.

now thats what I call food.

I could not bring myself to eat the carrots (yest the orange things are carrots)

But you cant go wrong with a cheese and tomato sandwich.

I was so tempted to storm into the kitchens in my best Gordon Ramsey mode and say "why are you serving up this s**t"

A list

Well when you are in hospital you get lots of time to think and I made a little list.
Not quite a “bucket list” as in the Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman film, but hey it’s a list.

Visit the Henry 8th exhibition in London
Go back to Whitby and have a midnight picnic at the abbey.
Visit Edinburgh again.
Sleep on a beach, then wake up to watch a sunrise.
Learn to play guitar
Dance all night at Glastonbury with totally wild abandon.
“SCREW WORK”
Start a Trans support group

Hospital part two

If there is more typos then normal, please excuse me I am in a lot of pain in my stomach and am not proof reading after.

At this point it was very helpful that Jenny was here as she went back to my flat to pack some sleepwear, books etc for my stay and to feed my cat smudge.
It brings home how living single can be scary when a emergency comes up! So a big thanks to Jen.

By the time Jen had come back I had seen a consultant who confirmed I had been very lucky and was not impressed with my Doctor.

Has I was being screened for MRSA by a questionnaire, I found that by the fact that I had body sores I got a room of my own, just they was not sure how long it would take.

At this point I will say the care from the nurses was fantastic and all through my stay they treated me so well.
So a big thank you to the staff at the Eleanor Hobbs ward at Southend Hospital.

Once Jenny had come back with my iPod, books etc I felt much better and my blood transfusion had started.
I was transferred to a ward at 7pm



All through the night my blood pressure and temputure had to be taken every hour and the night staffs are so nice.

I had television at this point so was watching any type of television all through the night, dropping of a 4am

NEXT DAY

I was told that they wanted to investigate what had caused my blood loss and I had to stabilise to a count of 9 before I could go home.
Now I wish I had bought a laptop, plenty of time to blog!

My hospital stay last for nearly a week, they had wanted to do a internal camera investigation as in patient, but my referral was taking some time.

I did have great pleasure phoning work and telling them I had been ill all this time and my return date work was likely to be months not days or weeks.
Oh yes I got a email from my manager when I was in hospital asking about some folder! I told him I had more things to worry about.

my hospital room

Hospital part one

Well last week was eventful, not all pleasant, but on a brighter outlook perhaps now I can be cured.

My health and well being had started a slow decline in September 2008; I at first ignored the stomach pains/cramps and put this down to side effects of my hormone treatment.

However things got worse and I was stating to get tired and by October Breathless” after a walk. (For me this was alarming as I have taken part in 13 mile charity walks and am not part of the unfit disease inflicting most of people in England. And why are so many people “proud” of being out of shape!)

I went to see my Doctor in October and she prescribed tablets saying it was side effects due to my HRT.

Also in September I had started a new six month secondment at work and felt very conscious of taking time of work.

I went to see my Doctor again in December and was given more medication; I did at this time ask was it worth sending me for a blood test, which she said no.

I was getting worse now and taking a lot of time of work, I had to get the union involved and a working from home scheme was set up for me (three days a week at home, two in the office)

I saw my Doctor again in January, by now I was starting to struggle a lot.
When I did go into work I had to take 4 rest stops on a 20 minute walk.
I could not focus and when I got home I was going to bed at 7pm.

At this time Jenny knew, as we were talking online I told her about how I was feeling.

I was starting to worry about things, and by now had heard my secondment would not be extended, so work was up in the air.

A new one was found for me to start in March and also being able to work from home.
By now I was having times where I was vomiting for days, body sores, severe fatigue, and depression and not being able to walk for more then 5 minutes without getting tired.

When I had started my secondment in March, my manager decided to move the goal posts! He now wanted me to work from home 2 days a week.
By now I was starting to have more time of sick, using annual leave and some work, I was struggling.

About 2 weeks ago I had walked to the local shop and nearly fainted and had to get a taxi home, I knew that now work had to go f**k itself and made an appointment to see my Doctor and ask to be signed of for long term sick.
My usual Doctor was on holiday, they suggested a new Doctor, and I said yes, as it turns out this Doctor saved my life.

At this point my friend Jenny had come up from Stoke, I originally had an appointment in London and was nervous about getting on the train and travelling across London with my health the way it was.

I spoke to the Doctor and he asked me questions and what I thought was going on, and he was concerned and sent me for a blood test.

Blood test

In Southend if you are sent for a blood test, you have to phone the nearest clinic to make an appointment; mine was for the next day Thursday 30th April 2:20pm

Thursday 7pm I get a phone call at home from my doctor to say I need to urgently go to the doctor’s surgery the next day.
My Haemoglobin blood count was 5.1 which was very low; the level should be between 11-13.

Friday 1st May – AM
I talk to my doctor and he explained that everything that has been going on for the last six months is linked to this, and my body was getting dangoursly anaemic as it was compensating for some type of internal bleeding and he wrote a letter for me to take to the Acute Medical Unit at southend hospital.


Luckily Jenny was here by now and was kind enough to drive me about.
Well once in the unit and into the dreaded hospital backless gown! Another blood test was taken, my blood count had dropped to 4.1.
3 is critical as it would mean my body goes into shutdown (scary to think about)

I had to be admitted to hospital and have a blood transfusion.

More to come and my photos of the hospital food!

quick hello

well I am now out of hospital (after a week) and will write a longer blog soon.
been resting today and catching up on cuddles with smudge my cat