I had been in Ontario, Canada attending my daughter's funeral and the day after the "Celebration of Life" ceremony I took a TIA or (mini stroke) my son in law noticed it and I was rushed to the nearest hospital. The Canadians were very thorough and said although I had had a stroke I was fit enough to fly home providing me with their information for the Stroke unit at St.John's Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian I was given more examination and proscribed medicine.
However on Boxing Day I found I was passing blood. Following a phone call to 111 I was given an appointment at St.John's Hospital that night. I told the Doctor who dealt with me about my stroke and wondered that the medication could have caused it. The Doctor however said he did not think that was the case and booked me in for an abdominal scan I was duly given the scan and kept in overnight for observation.
The scan showed I had a shadow in my bowl which might be a tumour but that the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh had the expertise to deal with this so it was that on an awful snowy night when emergency calls were high I was skilfully transported by lady ambulance driver accompanied by a lady medic to Edinburgh.
The Western General Hospital staff moved quickly to t make a decision to give me a blood transfusion ready for an operation to removed the tumour the following day.
My Wife,sons and Daughter in Law who visited the following morning along with me were given the explanation on the procedure to be followed.
The operation was a success and the tumour removed.
However the biopsy of the tumour showed that I had Non Hodgkinson's Lymphoma.
Dr McNiel, whom I came to know well, now explained that this was treatable and curable and so I started chemo therapy initially at the Western General hospital in Edinburgh Then for five months at St.John's. Hospital Livingston. I have now completed that and so far so good my lymphoma cancer is in remission. I will be checked every three months for the next two years. The staff at the oncology unit at St.John's have been friendly and efficient.
I have had another TIA and after a complete ultra sound examination and an MRI scan They found my arteries leading to my brain were OK but the small vessels in my brain wee not operating correctly I have a condition called Lacunar and have agreed to assist the Edinburgh University doctors with their research into this condition and small vessel disease.
I think we should all be proud of our NHS and support it and Governments should fund and resource it properly it is a service and should remain as such.
"A TIA that led to other conditions I did not know I had"
About: Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Ambulance Service EH12 9EB St John's Hospital / Cancer services St John's Hospital Cancer services EH54 6PP Western General Hospital / Oncology Western General Hospital Oncology EH4 2XU
Posted by Jim from Whuitburn (as ),
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Update posted by Jim from Whuitburn (the patient) 5 years ago