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Personal Blog - Antony Simpson is an Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.

Feeling Devastated. Plenty of Questions & Worries, But Not Many Answers

By Health, LifeNo Comments

I’ve had time to reflect on my recent health consultations (see The ENT Specialists) and I can honestly say that I’m feeling devastated.

I knew the hole in my septum had gotten bigger, but seeing the state of the inside of my nose on a monitor attached to a camera on a flexible cable really traumatised me. I have plenty of health-related worries right now including:

  • Do I have vasculitis and if so, what does this mean for me in the long term? Vasculitis is a very rare condition.
  • If its not vasculitis, then what is the cause of this extensive nasal destruction?
  • What will the biopsies show? Could it be Cancer?
  • They want to operate urgently in the next two weeks. What is going through the mind of my ENT Consultant?
  • What has caused a small hole in my septum to lead to complete septum destruction in around 4 months?
  • Will the pain ever be resolved? Or is this it now? Chronic long term pain.
  • Could other symptoms such as fatigue, a psoriasis-like rash on my elbows, difficulty standing for short periods, right hip/knee pain and difficulty sleeping through the night (insomnia) be related to my nasal passage problems?
  • How will they decide to fix the problem? Is it even fixable?
  • How will all this impact on the management of my type 1 diabetes?
  • What other autoimmune diseases does this increase my risk of getting?
  • Is this related to that time I got pneumonia?
  • How will any or all of the above affect my life expectancy?
  • What does all this mean for returning to work and life?
  • Will I ever feel normal again, or is this the new normal?
  • Why did nobody ever tell me to go and get my constant blocked nose checked out? Would it have made any difference?
  • Why didn’t I get any ENT experience as a Student Nurse or in A&E. This would have at least given me some clinical experience in the area?
  • Why did I decide that my constant blocked nose was because of developing an allergy to my two gorgeous cats?
  • Will I ever be able to smell normally again? At the moment, I can’t usually smell anything, unless I try and it is particularly strong. Sometimes, I smell what smells like rotting flesh.
  • Why is the waiting list so long to seen ENT? Ear, nose and throat systems are vital to health and wellbeing.
  • And more questions continue to fill my head on an hourly basis.

I have plenty of questions right now, but not a lot of answers. It’s the not knowing that causes the most anxiety.

Best Wishes,

Antony

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Thursday 18 April 2024

The Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Specialists

By HealthNo Comments

This week I’ve seen two ENT Specialists Doctors. The first was at my local outpatients department. Although they had made clear that they didn’t feel competent to undertake the surgical repair I required, don’t get me started on that one, they had offered to provide management advice.

I have to say: All of the staff were friendly, smiled and were a credit to the NHS. The Consultant was kind and explained that the hole in my septum has got bigger. He gave me antibiotics and nasal antibiotic creams. He said it would be unlikely due to the now larger size, that they would be unable to place a button and that it would more likely need more extensive surgery to repair. He requested urgent blood tests, including a test to indicate if I have vasculitis. He said I should wait to see what the other ENT Consultant says on Wednesday.

The next was at another hospital. I was particularly anxious, given my experience with private healthcare. They were also kind and the Consultant particularly reassuring. She called the hole in my nose: nasal destruction and reported that I had no cartilage left. This may go some way to explain the pain I am currently constantly in. She requested urgent bloods to test for vasculitis and urgent surgery (in the next fortnight) for an antiseptic nasal washout and biopsies. The hour’s appointment turned into a day as I waited for blood to be drawn, pre-op and ECG.

I should note that this has gone from a little hole in December (2023) to complete nasal destruction of the cartilage now (in April 2024). Having had no clinical experience or personal experience with ENT I cannot predict the outcome of biopsies or blood tests.

I am hoping normal pain-free service can resume soon.

Write soon,

Antony

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Wednesday 17 April 2024

I Have a TARDIS! I’ve Named her Sexy :)

By Shopping, The Web, TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments

I’ve had a hankering for a TARDIS for quite some time. The problem is that they are hard to find. All TARDIS toys have become collectables and are ridiculously priced for what they are. But then I found this Facebook group. I was lucky enough to find someone who builds bespoke TARDIS’ to order.

Here is my new TARDIS, which I’ve named Sexy:

I am over the moon with it. The craftmanship is incredible. I was so lucky in finding this wonderful man who did such an amazing job.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 16 April 2024
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