New Hospital Update

Alright, I think now is the time to really explain all of this.

I went to hospital because the lymphnodes on my neck were so swollen that my entire neck was in pain and swollen, my throat was swollen and incredibly painful, so I couldn't eat, drink or take my meds. Which is why I was admitted.

I was sent to Aurora hospital, which is the place where they have a ward for infectious diseases. They suspected three things; herpes, cytomegalo and EBV (mononucleosis). All tests came back negative. Although the symptoms were those of mono, that came back negative as well. This can mean two things, either the tests really were negative and I had something else or then because of my immunosuppression there were false negatives.

In any case a couse of antivirals, antibiotics and cortison has now gotten rid of my symptoms and I am in that sense healthy again. They might let me leave this week!

However, I have a new problem: my entire right hand and wrist is extremely swollen and painful. I have similar pains in my left leg and hand as well, but those are still functional. I cannot do anything at all with my right hand. And I'm right-handed.
They took an ultrasound to see if there are signs of trombosis (bloof clots), deep bruises or inflammationn, but saw nothing at all to suggest those. So now I'm on nervepainkillers, because they think it might be nerve related, and maybe I will have an ENMG later on (not in the next two weeks). It would show if there are changes or problems in my nerve pathways.

Writing this has been horrible, because I've had to use just one hand and I keep making mistakes with my left hand, so sorry for any typos I've missed. My right hand/arm is entirely immobile now, because it hurts even when I do nothing with it.

I'm also still in queue for the psychiatric department, and I might need to start my anti-depressants and anti-anxiety pills again.

Medication:
Lyrica 75 mg x2
Diapam 10 mg x3 (if needed)
Panadol 1 g x3
Zovirax
Some antibiotic that I can't remember the name of
My regular meds
Medrol 8 mg extra
And last night I got some benzo to help me sleep through the pain, which helped and now the nurses are trying to get it to me on a regular basis.

Aurora, Aurora

Yesterday was a horrible horrible day. Just plain awful. I woke up in the morning with the most dreadful pain I've had thus far being here and big surprise (thank you effing painkiller hating Finland) I got nothing to help with the pain. I cried hysterically for two hours until I got a very tiny dose of oxycodone (not even enough to get half of the pain away) after which I was sent to a ear-nose-throat specialist. They found nothing new and sent me back to my ward.
I did get some new medications from them to help with the swelling and the infection, but pain? No nothing. I did manage to get paracetamol, which they love to give around here, thank the Lord above. IT IS THE MOST USELESS PAINKILLER EVER.

So, later, after again crying hysterically, I lost my IV, it started leaking. So they wanted to put a new one, but found no veins, so they decided I'd get a central line catheter. For that, they need to know how quickly my blood coagulates, so new blood samples. Again, no veins to be found. Had a panic attack.

They sent me to the catheter place, place the anaesthesiologist finally got some blood out and managed to answer the coagulation issue - and they gave me such enormous amounts of sedatives and strong painkillers (this white diazepine stuff and phentanyl) that I was in no pain whatsoever for the first time in weeks. I felt so bloody happy! When I was finally done with the catheter - which took about thrice as long as normal, since they put it in the wrong way first and had to correct it - I ate and drank so much I was actually full! I can't remember when I ate that much last! Seeing as I haven't been able to eat or drink for ages.

Now finally I'm getting oxycodone as pills during the day so I can eat and drink. They're not high doses, so I still feel the pain, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. And I'm getting both antivirals and antibiotics through the IV catheter, and the swelling has slightly subsided. So today seems to be a better day than yesterday. Yesterday was horrible.
But I managed to get some photos from outside, Aurora hospital is a relatively nice place, old but pretty on a little hill.

Today's thoughts on panic attacks and working

So I had to quit work now because I've been starting to get panic attacks again at completely random times with no noticeable trigger (at least none that I can notice) and thus can't call random people selling them stuff and suddenly start hyperventilating and crying. No, that won't do it.

Also I seem to be addicted to benzos, which isn't a big surprise seeing as I have a huge tolerance for them and need a lot to stop my panic attacks. I need a lot less if  I can take a tablet profylactic but that's again not the best of ideas just constantly taking them since I do feel anxious all the time again, like seriously right now too. I can write and I can think, but I shiver and speaking isn't very easy and my breathing is always a bit whacky. I go from really slow to really fast and then I get scared that I have another panic attack, which might be a cause for a panic attack later.

I hate hospitals too btw. Like you didn't know that already, I hate them with all my heart. First you have to wait 7 hours in the emergence to know anything and at that point I've already gotten at least three panic attacks (that's my number one trigger: hospitals), and if I'm alone with the car they won't treat me because you're not allowed to drive while under benzos. I am laughing my fucking ass off, I drive with benzos all the time, it's the only way I can live my life without being stuck at home: panic disorder + need for tranquilisers = never use a car, just doesn't do it in the country side. You can't not drive a car, it's a must here, otherwise you won't people to go even just grocery shopping. So two fingers up to the *uckers at Meilahti. Besides driving while having a panic attack is a hell of a lot worse than driving while on benzos, I was freaking out the entire drive home.

Not to mention that bitch of a nurse in Porvoo hospital who gave me a bill to pay while I was panicking before they even thought of giving me diazepam. I mean seriously greedy bloody bastards and this is the public sector.
Slowly I'm wishing I had money to go private. But for me it's a matter of principle, if there's public health care - you use it. But that's my socialist attitudes running through my veins...

So today in about an hour I'll be picking up my dad at the airport, so finally won't be alone again. I have to say, I prefer sleeping in a house with someone else in it as well. Although Billie helps a lot, she even slept with me on the bed a few times that cutie. And I did have a sleepover guest twice during the weekend cause I had such a crappy weekend otherwise. It was lovely and he's really sweet.

Piercing update: septum now at 2 mm and going to probably go to 3 or 4 mm.
Health update: addicted to benzos
Private update: still single and still fat

Panic attacks and doctors

I've been having panic attacks now again almost daily. My dad didn't know, I only just told him when I told him who I was calling to for so long. I called the hospital. Or two to be precise, to maybe get some help to stop these things from occuring, but it seems it's impossible to
a. get a doctor on the phone
b. because they're on holiday
c. get medicine because
d. the doctor isn't around or
e. doesn't want to give medicine without seeing  you.

Now we get back to my hospital fear. I don't want to go to a hospital if I can just for the life of me avoid it. So, as a rule, I then just refuse to come, keep getting panic attacks and nobody wins, except maybe the doctor on holiday.

I did get to to talk to two very nice nurses, one of whom I knew already from my stay at Meilahti, but it doesn't really help me stop having panic attacks, or stop one while I'm having one, that I get to talk to a nurse for half an hour of my day. I won't get a panic attack by order. I don't get them by order, I just suddenly out of nowhere get really really anxious and have a panic attack! And to get it off I need at least 15 mg of Diapam. And even then I'm just relaxed enough not to panic, not actually relaxed as in falling off my feet as a lot of people would with that dose.

My psychiatrist's appointment is on the 8th of January, I have to wait till then to get help or otherwise go to my local health centre to try and get my diapam prescription renewed. Or to Porvoo mental hospital to do the same thing. I'm pretty sure I won't last till January.

Photos XXVIII: Foxes are loveable! Oh and I'm home again!

It seems as though many people when seeing pictures of foxes in Finland go immediately to the barking mode. Have to call them sick, unhealthy, dangerous, have mange, shouldn't be allowed near people. Why on earth not? A fox is about the size of a big big house cat. What's so dangerous about it? Not to mention most of the pictures I have seen in the news of foxes have had beautiful thick coats of red and black, nothing to be seen of mange. The reason they come to humans is food.
If there was enough food for them in the wild, and enough shelter, they wouldn't have to come to humans, it's not like they're tamed. So get your asses up your couches and start looking at ways to help the foxes rather than want to shoot them from your windows!

I like foxes. All foxes.

Also, I just got home from hospital today, and am feeling very lucky to have such an amazing home, but I feel so so cold, since it is actually really cold in our house and I feel I need to wear outerwear indoors, it's horrible. I wish I had the coat of a polar fox, but I suppose they feel cold as well. I do have a fur coat, but it's a bit too fancy to wear just to watch the Simpsons....

Anyway, tomorrow we're planning on going down to Gigantti to look at phones for me, so that maybe I get that Lumia for Christmas or my birthday which is also coming up. It'll be about three hundred euros, but thankfully I really need a phone to phone people, so I'm allowed to have something so expensive. Also the bed, I'm getting the bed. It's supposed to arrive in a week or so, and I can't wait.
I've already done so much work in our bedrooms (because the switch is sort of still on-going, we haven't switched bedrooms completely yet, like all our stuff and that sort of thing). I feel really tired, and I'm going to feel even more so, but I haven't had a bad pain spike tonight, so I'm really hopeful that I won't get a panic attack. Maybe, and this is just me being hopeful, having diazepam in the house will also calm me down enough to not get one in the first place. Wishful thinking.
Oh and I've eaten waaaaay to much today as well, so no list. I hope to fix this problem for tomorrow.

But back to foxes: