Kidney appointment

Its the 22nd December 2009, I'm Sitting flicking through a 8 month old magazine waiting for my appointment with the urology consultant. 13 months and 11 days after I was told I would have an appointment in 6 weeks.

I walked in and shook his hand, sat down and started talking about my stones. It was when I told him the date I was released from hospital and this was my first follow up appointment, he looked a bit angry.

“So you had no treatment for your stones for over a year, have you had any more problems?” he asked, “Just over 13 months. And I have not had any more since” he walk around the desk, “ Well that very lucky that you have been OK, thank god. Over a year for a appointment, that is just disgraceful!!*”

He takes a seat and carries on “ So how are you getting on with your renal fusion?” “My what?!”
“your Horseshoe kidney,” paused at the blank look on my face “ they did not tell you” “um, no” I replied. He did not look impressed.

He pulled up my scan, turned the monitor around, so we could both see it. And started explaining about Horseshoe kidneys.

It is a congenital disorder, where the isthmus of both kidneys become fused together. with the two sets of renal arteries,veins and ureters being left for the most part intact. The amount of fusing can affect some of the nephron and the renal corpuscles held within, thus affecting osmosis of excreta.

In other words for the less medically minded. It happens during development in the womb, and the bottom parts of the kidneys mash together to make one kidney, with two lots of blood in/out and pee tubes. How much of them are mashed together affect how much stuff that makes up pee can be cleaned from the blood in a fix time.

If you are still confused**, I have one kidney that look likes a horseshoe.

side affects of this condition are nausea, abdominal discomfort, Stones and Infections. The only way of keeping the risk of the last two down is by not getting dehydrated.

It may be one of the reasons I don't drink alcohol any more, as drinking 2 pints make me really bad for up to 4 days afterwards , plus I cant see the point of making a complete alcohol fuel idiot of myself. The consultant agreed with my logic on both counts.

Happy that the long wait for an appointment had not adversely affected my health. He told me that I would need to do a pee sample for one 24 hour period, gave me a slip for the bottle. And bided me a cheery goodbye.

I when to exchange my slip for the bottle, the nurse returned with 2 bottles both 5 litres in size, my god do they expect me to fill both of them. My mind boggled.

Writers note

Dear Reader, As I am writing this in 2011, Just as news has come out about THIS NHS trust failures in administration of follow up appointments. That left a man with life changing problems, that means he has lost his independence. So I am lucky really, it was just kidney stones.

* There was more to this line, but I don't think it was in keeping with the corporate line.
**do a internet search for 'horseshoe kidney'

Jackfield

Well not much of Interest has happened over the last 3 week.

moving stuff between sites for display. I think I made a few drivers do a double take with the skeleton from science sat seat belted in the front seat of the minibus. Next time, I am dressing it up in jacket and hat. I may get it waving with the aid of some fishing line.

Did a trip to Jackfield tile museum. That's a weird but interesting place to visit, Its has a Edwardian tube station and a old children's ward as exhibits. The Iron bridge gorge is a beautiful place and has some delightful places to sit, think and relax.

Sitting looking out over the river Severn flowing thought the landscape. I thought of Kim and the sights she will never see, and that she is now free of pain. I breathed in the wonderful gently view laid out in front of me. I enjoyed it for a bit then opened a letter I pick up when I left the house this morning.

It was a standard NHS Appointment letter, saying I had an appointment with a kidney specialist at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on the 22 December at 1430. I quickly looked at my diary, The students finish on the 18 December so I don't need to find any cover for my routes at work, Thank God!

Then I start thinking, on the 11 November 2008 I was told I would have an appointment in approximately 6 week, that would be around 16 December 2008. It is now the 10 December 2009, One day of 13 Months to get a appointment letter I should have had about 2 week after I was released from Hospital. By my working out it will be 13 Months 11 Days from the day the Junior Doctor said I would be book for it to having the appointment.

I write it into my diary, and go back to relaxing and de stressing views in front of me. Before my blood boiled over the massive failure of the hospital administration system.

Little did I know what was going to happen between now and that appointment, something that will affect me, but By law can not blog about it. It will be referred to as D incident.

Beautiful Gift

Some times, some things just takes the wind out of your sails. One of them was an reply to an email asking for copy of Kim's year Eleven photos, As the year group photo was damage by her dog a couple of week after we had it the first time.

Here is the main part of the lovely email

“ Since your enquiry we have spoken with the Marches School and they informed us of the sad news that Kimberley had recently Passed away and we extend to you and your family our condolences at this very difficult time.

Finally, under such sad circumstances, I confirm that there will be no charge for the Year 11 photograph with some extra individual prints. “

The last bit of the email really got me. Here is a company, Um, no, Lets get this right,

Here is H Tempest Photograph, Showing their understanding that Photographs are great memories and links to People that we will never see again. And the Year 11 Photographs are one of the biggest memories of all. That their care so much about this that they will take the cost of giving us, The memories of Kim in Year 11.

I almost cried when I read this email, There was crying from Shell and her mum Pat when they saw the wonderful pack that H Tempest Photograph sent us, including a CD with a digital version of the individual Photo.

Now, there is a company with a corporate heart as beautiful as the Photographs they take.

A year today - fireworks

Considering the day, we are not really in the party mood. Its one year today since Doctor L arrived at our door with the news that started it all.

We were not that bothered about the usual fireworks, as they held bad memories. But as it was normal what we did, so we got some. It was a small box, it was not going to be as fun as the ones we had over previous years.

Mandy was quiet. She was sitting on bench in the garden drinking. I had not been keeping count of how much she had drunk so far. I could see the sadness on her face, The same sadness I felt in my heart, the heart with the scar of Kim's illness and passing.

It must be so hard for her, having her birthday as reminder of the horrible time we have had, and the losted member of the family.

I walked across the laminate flooring that had a strip of mud from my work boot flop on to a year ago. Under the rope I had to keep the kids back. And up to the point where I was last year.

Just as I went to light the first firework, the doorbell busts into life. A silhouette appears in the doorway lit with the same naked 100w light bulb that hangs from the ceiling. A shudder of remembrance runs though my body, as this was too much like last year.

It was one of our friends, as I waved and said hello. I thought, I wonder if Dr L is having a better November 5th this year. I leant down and lit the first firework.

As the last one banged in the sky, the smoke hanging in the damp cold air, my clothes soaked with fine mist of rain in the air. Just like that fateful evening 12 month ago. I hear Mandy weeping on her friends shoulder and saying “ I miss her so much”

I look up into the sky and mutter “so do I Mandy, so do I “