Weekly update – a difficult week

Very unusually for me, this has been a difficult week.  Looking on the bright side, things are already improving.

I was meant to have an ultra scan of my urinary tract several weeks ago but it had been postponed for obvious COVID-19 reasons.  I wasn’t that bothered, it was only a routine “keeping an eye on things” as the consultant put it.  Then out of the blue the hospital called me and asked if I would mind going to a private hospital?  I said that was fine.

In no time at all, the private hospital phoned and arranged an appointment with me.  Separately someone else called me with COVID-19 screening questions.

So, Tuesday I think, I had an ultrasound scan of my uninary tract, so all the way from my kidneys downwards.  I have had this done a few times before and thought I knew what to expect.  Arriving there I was greeted at the door by someone checking my temperature and someone else asking if I had any symptoms of the virus.  I was then issued with a face mask.

A heavily PPE clad healthcare assistant was waiting for me and straight away she took me to the appropriate room.  I lay down on the couch, she double checked my details and then the doctor came in.  The Doctor was then “dressed” by the assistant in a gown, face mask etc and then got to work.

You can always tell you’re in a private hospital when the jelly is pre-warmed.  She moved the probe around different parts of my abdomen.  I breathed in and out, turned one side and then the other.

As much as I tried, she wasn’t giving anything away.  That disappointed me as I can normally get the doctor to talk me through what they are seeing.

I doubt if I will know any more until my next routine appointment in early August.  How frustrating!

The main thing – fatigue

This week I have felt so tired and fatigued.  This has happened before and I’m not exactly sure why.  Normally it lasts for a couple of weeks but thankfully I am feeling more alive today – tomorrow I’m running with my friend Jon in Hertfordshire.

Last Monday I had a run, 7.5 miles.  It was my favourite hilly run.  It was such an effort and I even had to walk a little of Hollicks Hill, a short but steep hill at 25% incline.  My overall time was a slower than normal but not too much.

Since then I have felt so tired and I have slept so deeply – for 10 hours on two nights.  I haven’t run or cycled since.  For a couple of days I felt cold and we even had the heating on in the evenings – in June!

My urine has alternates between being clear and cloudy with bits, rather like parsnip soup.  I have used dipstick tests a couple times and it has shown raised levels of leukocytes; this includes white blood cells which could be fighting an infection, so I wonder if that could be lurking there.  So I’m drinking lots of water, hoping to flush anything through in preference to yet another course of antibiotics.

Routines, focussing

I seriously dislike the lethargy I have felt, my normal mixture of doing useful things and ‘leisure” things has dropped away.

Life is far more rewarding when there is a bit more focus, something which brings some sense of satisfaction.   However, being the ever hopeful optimist, I hope to bounce back this coming week!

 

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