You will have noticed dear reader up until now my health reports have all sounded positive. Over the last week however things could have been a lot better.
I have had a minor amount of coughing these last few weeks. I tended to dismiss it as part of the reflux acid. We flew up to Edinburgh to stay with Gillian's parents Ian and Lorna. Overnight I had a really bad bout of acid which caused much coughing. Now normally when this does happen after sitting up for an hour or so everything settles down. Sadly though the acid went down the coughing didn't. It has basically persisted virtually non stop for 5 days. The cough has been accompanied by a rattling sound. I have tried Gavescon, water, honey, honey and hoe water, inhaling steam with crystals all to little avail.
I went to see my GP. He checked me out and was clearly concerned about the noise from the chest. I have been given a week's supply of Penicillin but he is also sending me for an xray on my chest in view of my past history. I am likely to go to the Hospital tomorrow(I do pick the best places for my Birthday. Te GP will get the results next week and we shall see where we go from there.
The GP also enquired why I was still on the stronger type of tablet. I said this followed my visit to the Consultant Mr. Byrne. Dr. Hudson said it was too strong and then came the killer point it's too expensive. He wanted to put me on a more minor dose straight away but after discussion we agreed to reduce the dosage to one a day. If I start to get more attacks I shall go back to two a day. Hmm.
Apart from that we had a great long weekend. For the first time we had a chat with Ian and Lorna's neighbours Bob and Ann. I also flew for the first time since the bad experience I had on a flight from Hong Kong in January last year. Both flights were uneventful but my dislike of the whole thing remains. I know sometimes it is what you have to do though.
I shall post again next week once I know the results of the xray.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Days 486 to 491
Is it just me or are the weeks rushing by more rapidly than ever?
My weight has remained unchanged. I am starting to be able to eat what amounts to a normal size portion. Last night for example I ate some Chicken Chassuer with potatoes and other vegetables. One thing I have noticed though is that I find it easier to swallow food in the evening rather than the morning. I did though have one acid attack in the week but I am not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that I slipped off the pillows and was lying flat. Anyway the last two nights have been fine.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was David Ouston a street pastor. It would take a very hard heart not to be impressed with the work they do to defuse anti social behaviour on a Friday Night.
On Monday last we went on a short walk along the Coastal Footpath at Ventnor Botanic Gardens. There were innumerable blackberries and sloes. We should have brought some bags with us.
No more news on the Onewight campaign mentioned in my last blog. My next entry will probably be on Tuesday week.
My weight has remained unchanged. I am starting to be able to eat what amounts to a normal size portion. Last night for example I ate some Chicken Chassuer with potatoes and other vegetables. One thing I have noticed though is that I find it easier to swallow food in the evening rather than the morning. I did though have one acid attack in the week but I am not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that I slipped off the pillows and was lying flat. Anyway the last two nights have been fine.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was David Ouston a street pastor. It would take a very hard heart not to be impressed with the work they do to defuse anti social behaviour on a Friday Night.
On Monday last we went on a short walk along the Coastal Footpath at Ventnor Botanic Gardens. There were innumerable blackberries and sloes. We should have brought some bags with us.
No more news on the Onewight campaign mentioned in my last blog. My next entry will probably be on Tuesday week.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Days 479 to 485
I am not really speaking to this blog as I wrote a lengthy blog last night which it lost somewhere in the ether.
On Friday Ev and I went to a meeting of the Patients' Support Group. We were all asked to introduce ourselves. I said I was getting better. Ev quite correctly pointed out that I am better. Since my last report I have had no further acid attacks(goodbye Peanuts) and I continue to be able to lie on my left as well as my right. My weight this week has remained unchanged at 13 stone 12.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was Paul Armfield. Paul's day job is Manager of Waterstones Book Shop in Newport. He is also a bass player in assorted bands, a singer, song writer and very grounded family man. I played some tracks from his CDs, which are available in HMV on the Island. He was a pleasure to interview in that he didn't dodge any questions. It never ceases to amaze me how many people there are on the Island doing very positive things. My guest on Thursday will be David Ouston from the Island Street Pastors.
Speaking of the Island the big issue is Parliamentary Representation. Historically the Island has always had its own MP. As more and more people move here to escape from the Mainland so numbers on the electoral roll have increased. In the General Election this year there were 109,000 voters here compared with a national average of around 64,000.
As part of a Coalition Government drive to cut the costs of Politics there are proposals to even out the size of constituencies to an average of 70,000 electors. Now dear reader you must be reasonably good at Maths. Here on the Isle of Wight we have too many voters to fit into one new Parliamentary Seat but not enough for two. The proposal therefore is to put 34,000 people who live on the Island into a constituency on the Mainland.
Unfortunately the Government has made exceptions in its plans for the Outer Hebrides and Orkney and Shetland because of their remoteness. This has raised the hackles of the Island's MP plus his Lib Dem and Labour defeated opponents. The demand quite simply is to leave the Island out of it on the grounds that what folk who live here want may be at odds with them there Mainland folk. There was delivered to Downing Street a 16,000 petition last week. I have to say opinion here is not unanimous. Many feel that we are under represented in Parliament(some seats in England have less than 60,000 voters). They also point out that given that almost half the electorate in the proposed new seat will live on the Island any MP who ignored their opinions would do so at their peril.
This story will run and run.
Hopefully this entry will be published. More next weekend.
On Friday Ev and I went to a meeting of the Patients' Support Group. We were all asked to introduce ourselves. I said I was getting better. Ev quite correctly pointed out that I am better. Since my last report I have had no further acid attacks(goodbye Peanuts) and I continue to be able to lie on my left as well as my right. My weight this week has remained unchanged at 13 stone 12.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was Paul Armfield. Paul's day job is Manager of Waterstones Book Shop in Newport. He is also a bass player in assorted bands, a singer, song writer and very grounded family man. I played some tracks from his CDs, which are available in HMV on the Island. He was a pleasure to interview in that he didn't dodge any questions. It never ceases to amaze me how many people there are on the Island doing very positive things. My guest on Thursday will be David Ouston from the Island Street Pastors.
Speaking of the Island the big issue is Parliamentary Representation. Historically the Island has always had its own MP. As more and more people move here to escape from the Mainland so numbers on the electoral roll have increased. In the General Election this year there were 109,000 voters here compared with a national average of around 64,000.
As part of a Coalition Government drive to cut the costs of Politics there are proposals to even out the size of constituencies to an average of 70,000 electors. Now dear reader you must be reasonably good at Maths. Here on the Isle of Wight we have too many voters to fit into one new Parliamentary Seat but not enough for two. The proposal therefore is to put 34,000 people who live on the Island into a constituency on the Mainland.
Unfortunately the Government has made exceptions in its plans for the Outer Hebrides and Orkney and Shetland because of their remoteness. This has raised the hackles of the Island's MP plus his Lib Dem and Labour defeated opponents. The demand quite simply is to leave the Island out of it on the grounds that what folk who live here want may be at odds with them there Mainland folk. There was delivered to Downing Street a 16,000 petition last week. I have to say opinion here is not unanimous. Many feel that we are under represented in Parliament(some seats in England have less than 60,000 voters). They also point out that given that almost half the electorate in the proposed new seat will live on the Island any MP who ignored their opinions would do so at their peril.
This story will run and run.
Hopefully this entry will be published. More next weekend.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Days 473 to 478
It's been a busy week. The health continues to go on an upward curve. I have lost one pound in the last week which is hardly serious.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was Mike Kaye who was charming and very modest. This is a guy who failed his 11 plus, left school at 16, didn't go to University until he was 26 and ended up playing a major role in building the reputation of the University of Portsmouth Business School. Like me he had Esophageal Cancer but that happened in 2008. Off air we compared notes as he had the same treatment as me. He had a worse experience than me with his Chemotherapy having to abandon it after two courses of treatment following visits to Hospital with high temperatures. He is well on the way back to normal. We shall meet up again on Friday in the next meeting of the patients' support group.
My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was Mike Kaye who was charming and very modest. This is a guy who failed his 11 plus, left school at 16, didn't go to University until he was 26 and ended up playing a major role in building the reputation of the University of Portsmouth Business School. Like me he had Esophageal Cancer but that happened in 2008. Off air we compared notes as he had the same treatment as me. He had a worse experience than me with his Chemotherapy having to abandon it after two courses of treatment following visits to Hospital with high temperatures. He is well on the way back to normal. We shall meet up again on Friday in the next meeting of the patients' support group.
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