You may ask yourself why I have written such a personal post, or why I feel the need to describe how I am feeling. I guess for me it is quite cathartic, and who knows the information may help someone else. I have included links to the NHS web pages giving info on Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Celiacs Disease, as they are quite useful. My advice for anyone suffering from something is visit your G.P and don't go Googling stuff that will scare the Bejeebas out of you, only use trusted pages. Self diagnosis is never good.
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Celiacs Disease Information.
So I have been feeling really unwell for I would say just over a month. It started with feelings of just being tired, with low mood, highly irritable and with lots of brain fog. I had a little bit of weight loss, which was no big deal as I had been trying to exercise and lose my love handles anyways.
Truth be told I never really gave these symptoms a second thought, just putting it down to old age and day to day life, you know how sometimes we can all be off our game.
I developed a really sore mouth ulcer, on the inside of my cheek and it was taking a long time to heal, again I didn't really think anything of it.
Then about 2 maybe 3 weeks ago I started with severe stomach cramps, leading to diarrhoea, which I have now had for approaching 3 weeks. I also had difficulty passing water and felt like I had a kidney infection as I had this god damn awful ache in my lower back on the Right, which eventually radiated across my lower back.
Following some unrestful nights and things getting no better I made an appointment with my G.P and got to speak to a nurse practitioner. After relaying my symptoms to the nurse she advised I take a 7 day course of antibiotics (Cefalexin). My dad picked up the medication and I began taking them immediately.
At this point I had not had much to eat all that week as each time I did I was cramped up and felt really nauseous plus having to visit the toilet as quickly as possible, if you get my drift.
I took a week off work and stupidly convinced myself I was feeling a bit better at the end of the week, so returned for my regular shift starting on a Sunday. I worked all of Sunday and thinking I was on the mend had a chicken sandwich when I came in from work. I was feeling real lethargic, however pushed myself to go on my road bike, set up on my turbo trainer and try to complete 30 minutes.
I had been on my bike around 10 minutes when my Bartlett Tendon started clunking, so jumped off to inspect the knee. I shouted for Ern to come and have a look at the knee and on inspection we discovered that the top mount on the frame of the knee was very worn, so much so it was causing the retaining pin for the shocker to rotate and the small circlips to ping off, then the pin would slide out and lock up the knee onto the main frame. Basically my knee is goosed. Great more stress and it just felt at that moment the world was in cahoots to get me. I said to my dad "Fucking hell as if I haven't been through enough". I don't often feel that sense of 'Why Me', however in that moment I was like 'I don't know how much more of this I can take'.
We managed to temporarily repair the knee I don't think it will last long, and I continued my short ride.
I got up and went to work on the Monday. I was only at work for 30 to 40 minutes and came over feeling all nauseous, with stomach cramps a terrible headache and cold sweats. I knew I couldn't remain at work so informed my colleagues I had to go home. I am now approaching my second week off.
In that time I have been back and forth to my G.P's 3 times. I have completed 6 poo tests, having to do some of the tests again as my poo test went missing? Oh and I have had numerous bloods taken. I then got the dreaded phone call that some of the results were back and that one of the doctors would have to stick a finger where no ones finger should ever be stuck.
Anyhoo no irregularities felt apparently and my bloods looked okay. What was worrying was that I had traces of blood in my poo, so now it's a case of ongoing tests. I figure an ultra sound and then something else going up my bottom to probe for a solution to what's wrong.
Even though I work for the NHS I am just like most people and when stressed rely on Google being my friend. Actually in this case Google has been kind of helpful. Now I do have to say I was looking at the symptoms and using verified sites, not checking out worse case scenarios, even though when at one particular point when I was feeling real sick I said to my dad " I think this is the end of me".
You see I have this underlying memory of my mam being poorly with what was to be diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. I nursed my mam at home, their alongside my dad for her final breath and this has had a huge impact on me. When ever I get an upset tummy or an ache in my back it reminds me of my poor mam. Questions go through my head "Is this genetic". The whole side of my mams family has been hit by the Big C, and what with me being diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, well it looks like that is what I have taken from the Dodd side the family.
Getting back to my research and self diagnosis, I need answers!
So upon researching my symptoms they appeared very much like Celiac disease, and upon further research, Celiacs disease is closely related to Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. Upon reading this information I asked my dad, bless him, to go out shopping and buy me some gluten free stuff to eat.
I started a diary, I have only been eating small amounts of things, for two days now, and not really had a proper meal, however everything has been gluten free and so far I have not been running, well that's a lie, as I can't run, however walking on my elbow crutches as fast as possible to the toilet. My tummy does feel a little better, so for now I am going to continue with the gluten free diet and await the results of my blood test to see if it shows up I have Celiacs Disease.
Oh by the way I am not to enamoured by the gluten free bread, it is fucking awful when used as a plain sandwich and also as toast, plus it is twice the price of a regular loaf. As with everything where anyone has a "condition" you have to pay a premium to live day to day.
