Hi @Jimbo165 appointments tailing off , I am having a trans oesophageal echo cardiogram tomorrow (camera down throat to look at heart from a different angle, I believe) at a London hospital tomorrow, no more appointments, on this condition anyway, for a while, the NHS have really been brilliant and thorough.
No food or drink, not even water, for 6 hrs before on the predicted hottest day of the year.
Yep, we keep plodding along and stamina shuts down very quickly.
Can I keep smiling with a camera down my throat? I will do my best.
xxx
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Dear @Erica, I wish you the very best of luck, not that you will need it, for tomorrow. I hope that your appointment is a nice early one so that you can get some fluids (alcoholic or otherwise!) as soon as possible, for purely hydration purposes of course!
I was lucky in as much as my last camera down the throat episode was scheduled for either 10 or 11 am so it wasnāt too much of a job not eating or drinking, until it was delayed by a couple of hours or so. But I did manage a really good and solid 60 minutes of sleep during and after the procedure thanks to the sedation.
Take care please and do let us know how you are feeling later on.
Sleep well tonight in readiness for your trip into the Metropolis.
Best wishes, Jimbo165
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Oh @Jimbo165 I really feel for you tolerating those side effects. I think youāre really brave to share what you have, and itās already helping others who are going through similar. Shame youāre going through it at all, of course!
Just a thought about the statin, is it possible to change to a different one? There are many, apparently! Like you and @Erica I take mine daily in the evenings, atorvastatin and my other medicines before dinner. Why are statins such massive pills?! Iāve taken a statin since my own heart attack. Or perhaps could the heart relaxant be affecting things?
And dear @Erica, Iāll be thinking of you tomorrow. That procedure sounds rather invasive so I hope youāre feeling as well as can be expected about it. Have you got any cooling clothing? I find my stretchy hiking/yoga clothes feel cool to the skin even when itās hot. Or one of those neckerchiefs that you can freeze in advance?
Regardless, Iāll be keeping my fingers crossed that youāre in a nice dim cool room and it all goes uneventfully. Donāt forget to treat yourself after! 
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I saw my consultant 2 months ago. He agreed not to think of it as the nasty word beginning with C. All people do when thatās mentioned is think the worst. We also discussed the chemo tablets that Iād be on eventually and again he said not to think of them as chemo as all Iād do is think of hair falling out and being sick.
Now have to do a chart saying 1-10 how things are going.
But for the ladies who have Essential thrombocythemia (ET). Do any of you get hot? I canāt decide if itās hot flush or hot from this.
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Hello @Erica. I was concerned to read of the procedure you are having. Not wanting to scare anyone but I had the exact same thing a few years ago and I found it really stressful and wouldnāt want to repeat the experience! Thinking of you very much. You go through a lot yourself but you are always so supportive of us all on this forum. Thank you. Hope it is over now and you can recover. Warm wishes, Willow x
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Yes, dear @Willow I am home safe and sound and in one piece apart from a headache and sore throat.
I seemed to have a room full of people who anaesthetised me and sprayed in my throat well.
I actually slept through most of it.
On the hottest day of the year my last allowed drop of water was 7am.
Afterwards I was going to spoil myself with a hot chocolate drink, but no really hot drinks till tomorrow.
Good news no surgery at this stage on my leaking heart valve. Just keep taking the meds and I can transfer to my local hospital as this hospital works with them.
What about you as you have been through so much with loosing your mother and all your time in hospital.?
Very best wishes Erica xxx
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Hi @Jimbo165 and @Duncan
Yep, I am OK and as you will read in my post to @Willow above I came through the procedure unscathed and all the NHS staff were absolutely brilliant and it was good news. I am a lucky girl.
An early night for me tonight.
Thanks for your care
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Aw what a relief! Really pleased that you donāt need surgery. Thank you for sharing, Iāve been keeping you in mind.
Shame about the no hot chocolate today thoughā¦ Maybe 2 cups tomorrow? Got to try keeping to our self-care routines, right @Erica?! 
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Good evening @Erica, and thank you for your report on todayās procedure. Iām so glad that it went off without a hitch for you, apart from the no hot chocolate for you of course.
Yes, when I had a similar one done earlier this year looking for clues about my liver (yep, Iāve not got a clue how they could see that organ from that approach route either!) and had a room full of people there when I was āthroat sprayed and anaesthetisedā too. And as I have said before, best sleep Iād had in ages!
Make sure that you rest tomorrow please, and treat yourself too. Ice cream will be really soothing for your throat, especially in this heat.
Take care, stay safe and let yourself be āthe patientā tomorrow.
I should have added a āhypocrite alertā there!
Jimbo165
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Good evening @Duncan, I hope you are well in your āOverseas Correspondentā location.
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts but I donāt see myself as brave; more that I am stubborn and just keep plodding on!
I think that management at work are either trying to kill me off, or push me to the point where I quit, but Iām not sure if I am being paranoid, or paranoid enough, or if they are really just that uncaring! Unfortunately (for them!) I actually enjoy my job most of the time and I am (apologies, very un-British!) very good at it too!
Such is life. Take care, stay safe and be kind to yourself.
Jimbo165
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Well itās a good thing you enjoy your work @Jimbo165! Blow your own trumpet I say, itās great that you think highly of your work ethic. If I may be so bold, youāre clearly too good for them. I had a job that sounds similar and I stuck it outā¦ until my heart attack. Not that Iām saying that could happen to you (again) but please be careful with where your stress goes. Hopefully you donāt hold it in, like I know we Brits can be prone to.
And to answer your thoughtful question honestly, today Iām recovering from a panic attack that messed up plans I was looking forward to with my other half. Alas FEELINGS and then a big old anxiety response with lots of stress hormones took over. So Iām a bit tired and resting today and actually weāre in a heatwave here too, 29Ā°?! The blinds are definitely closed today!
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I am so glad itās over for you @Erica. Hope you are feeling better today. When I had the procedure done I donāt think they gave me enough sedation because I was fully aware of what was going on! Thanks for asking. My fractured ribs are less painful but I canāt fully shake off the chest infection. Some days I feel better than others. Also struggling with side effects of new medication. Thinking of you, Willow x
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Good afternoon @Duncan, and everyone else, I hope that you are all keeping well.
I hope that your panic attack is fully behind you now and that you have been able to recover and resume your plans.
I try to not get too stressed at work as I am, apparently, a professional! If only they treated me as one, and paid accordingly!! Alas, I fear, with my health issues I am probably stuck with my employer until 1 of 4 things happen.
- I win the lottery, although this will necessitate the purchasing of a ticket.
- A kind and wealthy benefactor appears in my life, falls in love with me and urges me to give up work and to enjoy a life luxury with her.
- I fail to get through my HGV medical test later this year. My licence entitlement expires in January 2025.
- I retire when/if I get to 67.
Life is good as long as we donāt take it too seriously.
And in that vein (pun intended!) Iāve now sorted out my LPA and my Will and have only my funeral plan to sort out and I shall feel that I have achieved my self-set tasks for 2024.
@Erica, I hope that you are feeling a lot better and have been able to get plenty of ice cream down your recently invaded throat and, if anyone argues with you, it is for medicinal reasons!
Take care all, stay safe, look after yourselves and enjoy the weather while we can.
Jimbo165
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Hi @Chrispy - how have you got on following your first injection? Day 2 and 3 I was most tired and then itās gradually got better so today , day 5 I feel more or less back to normal. Iāve got a tennis match tomorrow so Iām hoping Iām going to be ok- as Iām told Iāll be on interferon ā for everā I would like to feel that I can continue to do some normal things and not be restricted for ever more.
Hope youāre feeling ok
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Hi @Gillyj Like you i have felt tired. I have also found it hard to sleep. I have had aches through my shoulder joints that have delayed getting to sleep too. the odd short period of time of nausea but i have some ginger biscuits that seem to help that. I did manage a personal training session on friday and am hoping to do a proper gym session tomorrow. I hope the first week is the worst and that i will be able to tolerate it long term.
Hope all stays tame for you too
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Oh @Duncan I am so sorry to hear about your panic attack.
And that it messed up plans you had been looking forward to. Enjoyable things are precious and so important.
Yes, really look after and be ever so kind to yourself today.
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Hi @Chrispy , sorry to hear that, letās hope our bodies get used to it! Itās bad enough that weāve got this illness without having nasty side effects as well. Were you told what dose youāll move onto after the 4 weeks? I didnāt think to ask. Hope you have a few better days before the next one 
take it easy
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Aww thank you @Erica and @Jimbo165, thatās so sweet of you both to check on me. I rested well and, according to my smart ring, slept the best I have in ages! Wouldnāt recommend a panic attack to get exhausted enough for good sleep though 
Today weāre trying our plans again and taking the new (free!) ferry across to the mainland for coffee and cake 
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Oh I do like the idea of a āfreeā ferry with a coffee (or hot chocolate) and cake at your destination.
Just the day you deserved @Duncan, I hope it transpired.
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