| Tribute to my Mother |
| Date |
Comments |
| 2013 |
Update - well the op to get blood circulation into my arms was postponed as it was deemed that I was not fit enough to undergo such an invasive operation. This off course has left me to get on with it over the last 5 years. My health continues to be up and down with bouts of extremely high blood pressure for which I have been on medication for a long time now, the arthritis continues to get worse and all in all health wise things are not going to improve.
I still, for the main part, remain as positive as I can and try to not let it all get me down.
2009 and was a tough year as my elder brother Ian passed away in the June of that year, 13months after losing mum it was a big shock and one that left all of the Thompson clan reeling.
many thanks to all who have been e-mailing, phoning and sending messages of support. These continue to help keep me positive and I hope that my lack of adding to this page has not been a disappointment. If anything comes up I will post it here for you all as and when possible.
Graham |
| 16/07/2008 |
ERI angiogram & angioplasty |
| 17/06/2008 |
Appointment with GP, checked the usual things etc, increased the painkillers for the old artritis due to increased pain in legs/ankles/knees etc.
GP is going to contact the Cardiologist to find out what the hold-up is with the appointment which is needed to check up on the Angina before continuing with any operations this year for no circulation in my arms.
Generally speaking I have been quite low this last month, a combination of the continued health problems, eldest daughter having a miscarriage and my mum passing away on the 21st of May, the latter being the biggest shock to the system and is very hard to come to terms with.
Overall still trying to look forward to better days but for now taking them one at a time. |
| 22/04/2008 |
Had the day of tests which revealed that I have a problem with my liver, probably due to many years on medication. It was although thought that my angina has worsened and this was a bit worrying for the Anaesthetist, having spoken with Mr Chalmers he felt that things should be looked into before any decision about an op went ahead, this is a bit of a set back but I remain upbeat as I am doing much better than I was a year ago and hopefully I will be able to cope with the way I am at the moment for some time.
I will of course update this section when I hear more. |
| 22/04/2008 |
Day Patient appt for tests etc RIE (possibly in hospital for 2 days.) |
| 21/04/2008 |
Day Patient appt for tests, changed to 22nd |
| 07/04/2008 |
Mr Chalmers RIE, saw Mr Chalmers today and he is keen to get the by-pass sorted asap. This will involve opening my chest up and adding a Y type artificial vein which will be linked to each arm in order to restore the blood supply.
The pics of the Carotid artery show that the op last June was successful and the blood flow to the left hand side of my head is now flowing well. Still get a bit of throbbing on that side of my neck/face/head which should cease once all the ancillary blood vessels are back to normal, which can take quite a while.
Next step is into RIE as a day patient for the fitness checks then its on to the operation. |
| 08/03/2008 |
Appt. with GP, Potassium stable, blood taken. |
| 25/02/2008 |
Appt. with Nurse. More blood removal! |
| 20/02/2008 |
CT Scan at RIE |
| 11/02/2008 |
Appointment with GP
Potassium levels much better. Stopped the med's for it and will be retested in about 2 weeks time.
Feeling a lot less tired than previously so very glad of that. |
| 25/01/2008 |
Latest blood tests show a extremely low level of Potassium so I am on yet another medicine to try to solve the problem.
I had the same problem the night before the Carotid artery op and was drip fed potassium for the night before the op. |
| 21/01/2008 |
Saw Mr Chalmers yesterday and he is ordering a new set of pics etc for ASAP. Once he has these he will get me in for a day to spend time with all dept's involved to see if I am strong enough to go for a 3way by-pass to give back circulation to both arms and increase the circulation to my head to max available. This will be a risky op so he will want all the info he can before deciding on the next step. He can do this in either one of two ways, crack open my chest and do a by-pass from the Aorta or if that is not feasible he will go through the neck where he put in the new artery last year and join that to the other side of my neck and both arms, the first option is the preferred route.
The alternative is to leave things as they are and hope that my arms do not deteriorate to the extent that I will lose either my hands or arms at a later date. Overall he is hopeful that he can give me increased circulation again and that it will be a smooth operation although as always there are risks with any operation involving the main artery's. So not out of the woods but things have improved since the beginning of 07. I remain positive as does Joan, after all we have come a long way in the last 3 years and I am still here to annoy everyone! lol (Joan says Hip-Hip-Hurray) |
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| 12/11/2007 |
Vascular clinic appointment. |
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| 08/11/2007 |
Visit to the Cardiologist , very happy with progress, although would like to see lower Cholesterol level so introducing stronger med's to help with that - more tablets!
Next visit in 12 months time! |
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| 02/08/2007 |
Visit to Cardiologist went well on Thursday he is delighted with progress so far. Back to see him in 4 months to see what the next step is towards the problem with the failed stent in my chest which is causing no BP in either of my arms. The main thing is that there is an excellent flow of blood to my head again. This will mean that I will be able to remember more and once again get back to doing things! |
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| 11/06/2007 |
Had a Carotid Endarterectomy. Operation took a bit longer than expected due to the state of my left carotid artery. Feeling much better with the new flow of blood to my head. The scar! |
| 21/05/2005 |
Diagnosed with Buergers Disease |
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A big thanks to everyone who has sent in messages of support, these are very much appreciated by myself and the family. I am a firm believer in both the power of positive thinking and Prayer, both of which have helped me over the years.
Thanks for the continued support.
Graham. |
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| I stopped smoking on the 13th March 2006. |
It is not always easy but remembering that every day I do not smoke stops the progression of Buergers Disease from killing me is what keeps me going.
Thank you to for many messages of support from readers of this website and my friends on ukcampsite.co.uk who contact me with stories of their success and failure to beat the evil cigarette. I wish you all well in your endeavours to win the battle! |
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