Pain and Carers ©
By Michael Casey
Well this will be the
last post of the month. It also marks an anniversary, as on this day in 1988 I
finished writing my 1st book, The Butcher The Baker and The
Undertaker, a comedy drama for all the family. So that’s 27 years ago, though
to be exact the anniversary is only every 4 years, as I finished on Leap Year’s
Day 1988.
A lot has happened
since then, joy and pain and rejoicing, and Mandarin on a daily basis, not to
mention sharing a bathroom with 3 girls. Pain has put in an appearance too.
Tennis elbow induced from carrying a heavy bag full of work for my Esol English
students. That pain lasted 9 months then disappeared as quickly as it arrived.
I even had acupuncture for it.
I had hurt my back
while working in the print room at a law firm, but it cured itself after a few
days, only to return spasmodically just for “fun”. Then years later my left leg, no not my left foot,
that was somebody else’s story/life, well it started to hurt. This was my
Arthur saying “hi”. Six months after it started I had an injection into the
left hip, and everything was fine.
Only the right hip
decides it was not getting enough attention and went out in pain sympathy.
Sounds like a union, simple solution you think. No, now you have tests and then
a Chinese doctor scans you but won’t inject you as he cannot find the seat of
the problem. You are left with your pain, which was six months at that point.
So he suggests another scan.
You have the next
scan, this says it’s a problem in your back which is radiating out the pain.
All I want is &*() pain relief you say to yourself. Instead you keep on
taking the Movelat, which works and won’t destroy your kidneys as pill probably
will.
Then one Saturday,
the 3rd Jan 2015 to be exact both of your hips are murdering you,
you are screaming in pain and slapping on the Monvelat gel. This works, then
you eat and feel much better, only the pain returns. Plus a very tiny tickle to
the side of your left nipple.
You are home alone as
the wife and kids are in London meeting a cousin from Shanghai, so you ring
your sister and she comes around. She suggests having a lie down. In the end
you ring 999.
The guy tests you and
cannot see a heart attack, but you did have a bit of angina very recently, and you did have a scan. So to
be on the safe side you are taken to City Hospital. Tests are done, you remind
them about the recent MRI scan of your heart. This was taken on 20th
Dec 2014, so they dig it out.
The doctor comes back
with news that will change your life, something has to be done. What exactly, a
Triple Heart Bypass.
So I was kept in for
a week of tests before being transferred to the QE for the operation. I never
knew my heart was in such a state, so you could say my Arthritis saved my life.
To be continued….