I had an 8.30am appointment for a blood test which was done very efficiently. They will test for anaemia, kidney function and undertake a total blood count. Results are due in next Tuesday so fingers crossed they are all normal as this could be a bit of a positive pointer towards the results of my colonoscopy next week.
We headed to Kingston hospital in the afternoon with the idea of collecting the awful medications that I have to take for a day before the procedure. I made a decision this morning and Colin is in agreement that I am going to delay the procedure until after our trip to Athens which is only for a few days. I read (yes - still Googling and scaring myself!) that although the procedure is safe if you fly 48 hours later which we will be, if any biopsies need to be taken then a 2-week window is advised before flying. As it is impossible to tell what will happen on the day it would be unwise to risk it.
I am looking at it like this - I had absolutely no idea this was all going to happen before I decided to visit the Doctors with a bad back on Monday. If there turns out to be nothing seriously wrong, missing my birthday trip will have been needless. If there is something wrong which needs to be dealt with, an additional 5-10 days will not make a big impact on the outcome and some time spent in the sun has to be beneficial. The nice nurse seemed to understand and tried to reassure me with the fact that she had had the procedure and it was not that bad. However she also said there was no guarantee as to what would happen during the procedure so delaying for a short time was a sensible idea (although my choice).
To summarise, I am not going into hospital next Thursday but the downside is that I have to get my Doctor to make another request for a ‘Pathway’ referral which has a 2-week timescale so I am sheepishly writing to my Doctor. At least this explains the speed of appointments and phone calls - all down to meeting targets. I hope he does not think I am wasting his time. I have a reprieve for a short while but I understand the importance of the procedure. Brief breathing space.
After all of this I received an email when I got home from a friend in my photo club. Tragically a friend from the club - Agnes Proudhon Smith drowned whilst on an organised photography trip to the island of Harris. Apparently there was a freak wave and a number of others were swept out to sea. The rest of the group managed to get to shore but she didn’t and the RNLI and Coastguard helicopter retrieved her body but sadly she was dead. She leaves her husband and two sons, she was only 50 years old. Rest in Peace Agnes.
