Today I had a transoesophageal echocardiogram. Try saying that three times really fast.
It's a delightful little procedure where they spray the back of your throat with a foul tasting anaesthetic that tastes almost exactly like absinthe mixed with banana milkshake syrup. It burns, oh how it burns.
Then they pump a bit of sedative into you and push an ultrasound transmitter down your throat so that they can look at your heart without the inconvenience of trying to navigate around your gargantuan bosom.
They also took the opportunity for a 'bubble test', which is where they push saline through your cannula to watch the bubbles move through your heart.
It's not as terrifying or uncomfortable as it sounds, but I have a bit of a sore throat; and I had to watch Judge Judy to stave off the boredom of an afternoon in a ward with no tea.
cue the inevitable jokes about deep throating
Hello, interwebs!
Where have I been?
All over.
It's all different and yet all the same, here at casa del Dickersby.
The crazy? Usual.*
The work? Usual.**
The personal life? Looking up.***
The health? Eh...****
We've moved office at work. If I choose to I now have the dubious honour of walking past an abortion clinic stake-out every morning. It doesn't do much for my good humour, looking at Catholic propaganda first thing.
On the plus side we're right near an awesome cake shop. And the office is all shiny and shit.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to mix it up and not have a shitty life, the Monkey and I are off to Fiji for Xmas. It's not the high season, but here's hoping it rocks anyway.
* Still on 100mg Zoloft to prevent me eating my own head. Still don't really understand the *meaning* of happiness.
** Still more things to juggle than hands to do it with; still enjoying it all, in principle.
*** The monkey husband has officially moved back in, after a 6 month hiatus; but there's still a long road ahead.
**** I'm still on a ludicrous level of medication post-stroke. Who has a stroke at 31? Me, apparently. At the moment I'm waiting on a transesophageal echocardiogram – the leading cause of random TIAs in 'young people' is a minor heart defect.
as if you're not tired of me prattling about my problems
This weekend I finally came clean with my family about all the problems the Monkey-husband and I have had this year.
For those of you with a mathematical disposition, that conversation has been 4 months in the making (almost to the day); and 2 months since I had my stroke.
It went better than expected. Nobody got nailed to anything, which is always a plus.
But the fact remains that I'm no closer to knowing. Will the Monkey ever come home? How long should I wait, realistically? What is the point of anything without a partner in crime?
Unfortunately the answer to all three questions is, "I don't know."
on the stroke front
Still no news on what caused my stroke.
I've had MRIs and ECGs and ultrasounds and halter monitors. I'm now on three different medications for cholesterol, blood pressure and clotting; but the general consensus is that it was "probably one of those things".
It's certainly been an interesting year, as far as fucked up shit happening to me goes.
The Monkey-husband is gone. My health is apparently questionable. And tonight, a tile fell of the ceiling in the toilet.
Huzzah!
Email to my peeps; 14 April 2009
Hi All,
I am going to be back in the office tomorrow, so I figured I should fill you all in on where and what I've been up to since the ambos took me away on 2 April.
I spent 6 nights in the neurology ward of Box Hill Hospital where an MRI revealed that I had experienced a stroke caused by a blood clot at the base of my skull.
The stroke affected the left side of my body, which is not good since I am left-handed! As a result, my handwriting, dexterity, balance and strength were all reduced on that side but slowly came back over the course of a week.
I am now fully recovered as far as I can tell, except that I am experiencing some tiredness.
Also, I am now on anti-clotting medication; so if we could keep the bumper-car riding and chainsaw juggling to a minimum in the office that would be most helpful.
Cheers, Cass.
