Gosh @Sisi yet another shock for you both and I see your medical vocabulary is increasing and your husband is under another hospital speciality as well now.
Just take a little time to regroup and take it all in and let us know what the next few days bring.
Just be kind to yourselves
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@Logsie Oh no! Oh you poor thing! I feel your pain. Your husband will be in excellent hands with Kings. Try not to worryā¦.i know thatās prob a silly thing to say. Thinking of you. Take care xxx
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@Erica Thank you dear Erica for your kind words. Yes, itās all been a bit crazy as you can imagine! Will keep you posted 
And yes, now becoming an expert in vascular conditions! 
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Oh @Logsie . I feel so upset for you. How frustrating when you are used to EasyJet No ID flights to UK. Iām sure you had a lot on your mind coming to this appointment so itās understandable that you didnāt think about the flight admin! 
Could your husband ask if they could FaceTime you at the appointment so you can participate? Iām sure the clinicians would understand?
Hope it goes well for him and he gets the right answers! Just thought, he can also ask to record the session on his phone?
Donāt beat yourself up about it. We all make mistakes-me quite often lately! 
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Oh @Logsie I just donāt believe it.
After all your best laid plans and scuppered by a computer.
Please do let us know how your husband gets on
Donāt beat yourself up it can happen so easily.
Be kind to yourselves
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@Logsie Thank you for your message ā kind words. Will keep you posted
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@ChrissyD Oh! Thatās great to hear about your allotment neighbour, thatās very encouraging & has helped us feel a lot more positive. Thankyou 
Iām just so pleased I was with him & noticed what was happening. I donāt think he wouldāve realised otherwise. And yes like you say weāll be in good hands at St Georgeās. Will keep you posted with any news. And no, I donāt watch A&E, but I think I may start to, to add to my ever growing medical knowledge! 
lots of love xxx
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Hi @Sisi .
Yes weāve learned a lot of medical terminology watching these medical programmes, including rare surgical procedures. A lot of the time weāre watching with hands over our eyes at the really gruesome bits! The back stories of the patients are often touching and interesting, though, and the interviews with the clinicians show such commitment and dedication to their work and their patients. Quite heartening these days when the NHS is struggling so much. 
Who knew that ketamine is regularly used by paramedics for pain relief?! 
We do now!! 
Hope you soon have a date for the op. Wondered why the stroke doctor thought that Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) might have been a factor? Thought your husbandās platelets were in the normal range but it would be interesting to find out? A question for Dan Wiseman next time he does a presentation?!
Meantime, try to relax even though the weather seems a bit changeable! Naturally - as weāre having our house painted and rain keeps stopping play! 
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@ChrissyD Thank you. Just imagining you now watching the tele with your eyes covered! 
I think my Mum watches that programme actually. She used to work in the operating theatre as the surgeons assistant. So nothing phases her! 
And yes, I think the stroke Dr we saw was making a general statement about how Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) would / could make someone more at risk of clotting but like you say, my husbands platelets are in the normal range, so I guess itās just one of those things & prob more common with age! 
I hope rain doesnāt stop too much play with your house painting. Thank you for being a great support, as everyone is on here, I really appreciate it. Best wishes xx
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@ Sis
My badly sprained ankle has highlighted some confusion with clinicians. Firstly at the assessment I told them my haemotologist said with platelets around 40 my chance of a blood clot was highly unlikely but they still managed to persuade me to take a anti clot injection. They couldnāt scan for a DVT has that department doesnāt work weekends (unfortunately blood clots can occur at weekends!) Also I think AandE has never heard of Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) as they always write Chronic myeloid leukaemia on my record! It seems there is no system were a clinician can ask for advice about administering anti clot injections to patients with very low platelets. Since my injection the bruising even the minor bruising on my blood test site lingers.
But challenging a clinical decision has a patient could be counter productive. And blood clots can be dangerous. I have yet to get a explanation as to why I need to take a 40mg statin with a cholesterol level of 1.8! Perhaps one of BC UK nurses might have an answer,my GP has not come across this before or has she seen such a low cholesterol level. Perhaps the rarity of Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) explains why certain effects are unknown. When I had my Tia before Christmas on my record it said I was still on blood thinners. They were removed two years ago because of very low platelets. I have highlighted this before but my record never seems to be updated. I spent some time working in the aerospace industry some years ago and at every stage procedures were checked and double checked to ensure any faults were detected before a aircraft left the ground!
Anyway End of rant. Fingers crossed all goes well for yourselves.
Very best wishes unclejack.
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@Unclejack Thankyou for your best wishes. Yes it does all seem to get a bit confusing. Is your cholesterol not low because of the statins you are on? Was just a thought. And yes I had to correct the stroke Dr yesterday that we saw, that it was Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) my husband has & not Chronic myeloid leukaemia, even though it was written clearly in front of her! It does make you wonder! On a side noteā¦our son graduated in Aerospace Engineering in 2023! Hope the ankle is on the mend now. Best wishes xx
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Sorry to hear this was a stroke. My brother had the same thing with a blockage in the back of his neck about 18 months ago. Hope this is resolved quickly and he is on the mend. Sending healing hugs.
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@Lyndam Thank you! Sorry to hear about your brother, I hope heās doing ok now? And thank you for the healing hugs, much appreciated 
x
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@ChrissyD @Erica @Unclejack @Lyndam @Logsie Hello all. Just a quick update. My husband has now got appt with the vascular team on Monday 2nd next week, at St Georgeās hospital. Not sure if heāll be admitted for the procedure then but itās certainly a step forward. Also made sure Iāve updated the Heamotology team at Kingston, whoāve said that obvs his platelet count needs to be closely monitored.
Iāve had to start another file for him, labelled āVascularā. His medical file is getting thicker! 
Heās been busy relaxing today, whilst Iāve been busy being his PA! Hope all good with everyone? Will keep you posted. xx
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@Sisi @Heidi_BloodCancerUK @Willow @Erica @ChrissyD .
Hi all,
Hope everyone is ok. Just a update on my ankle problem. I am now having to face my fear of antibiotics! I had two sleepless nights due to an extreme burning sensation on the instep of my foot due to the ankle sprain, also swollen warm and shiny. The circumference of my calf muscle increased by another half inch! It is also very tight and red and shiny. My wife insisted I see my doctor. So realising she wasnāt going to give in I complied. The GP at my practice on emergency duty is a Austrian or German lady with a great sense of humour and really good at the job. Anyway she examined my leg and foot and exclaimed 'Wow thatās really impressive ā
She then explained I have a infection and the massive bruising after my fall could be responsible. Apparently skin can harbor bacteria and that could take advantage of such heavy bruising. She then explained that sprains can actually take longer than fractures to heal and fractures can be easily immobilised by using a boot on ankle. Anyway we had a conversation about leukemia and antibiotics
and she said she didnāt foresee problems
The antibiotic is called Flucloxacillin 500 mg
1 /4 times a day for seven days. I have always dreaded antibiotics especially since diagnosis I fear they can suppress your immune system
and certainly damage the gut microbiome.
Hopefully a short course wonāt be to detrimental and will kill of any infection plus I donāt have many options and we all know in many cases antibiotics are a life saver. So there we have it now hoping it all goes well. I forgot to mention after I received my prescription I looked at the info leaflet. Shocked to read a very rare side effect of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. Nearly fell off my chair! I immediately rang haemotologist who was happy for me to take this antibiotic. I think it pays to read the info leaflet and ask questions.
Bestwishes to all unclejack.
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Hi @Sisi
Good to hear that everything is moving along quite promptly. I expect the appointment will be about informing you both of procedure, risks etc and getting consent before a date is fixed.I expect youāre both wanting it to be done with now?
Apparently my allotment neighbour had his carotid artery op 13 years ago. Both sides were done with an interval between. Something has gone badly wrong with my memory as it seems only like a couple of years but he must know! Anyway, itās worked as heās not had another stroke since it was done!!
As Iāve said before, heās a very lucky man to have you as his excellent PA. That job isnāt without its own stresses so make sure youāve got plenty of support for yourself! 
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Oh @Sisi you should see my medical files and I need a PA!!
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Hi @Unclejack
I have had similar symptoms many, many times! Indeed with hindsight, the cellulitis I was getting after even a tiny bit of skin damage to my lower leg or foot, were some of the first signs that my immune system was not working properly! In fact I had a bout only the other day as I got a mozzie bite on my ankle which kicked off the red, hot and swollen ankle and calf!
Iāve mostly avoided antibiotics by elevating, icing and resting my leg but yours does sound quite severe and painful and Iām sure that it is better to be safe than sorry by taking the antibiotics as cellulitis can be quite serious.
Hereās the link to the NHS page about it. Hope you soon get some improvement and relief from the pain. Make sure you properly elevate your foot -higher than your hip. Use pillows or cushions to help get the right angle!
Cellulitis - NHS
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@Erica Oh! 
Maybe I should offer my PA services to you. I could do āmates ratesā
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@ChrissyD Thanks! Yes, youāre right we do just want to get on with it now! Think he may need further scans on Monday too. Thatās wonderful news about your allotment neighbour! And very encouraging to hear & so glad heās doing ok 
I managed to go & get my hair cut this morning which did feel stressful leaving him for a bit. But he had strict instructions to contact 999 if there were any issues! My hairdresser gave me a very welcomed huge hug when I told him what had happened. Heās been cutting both our hair for 23 yrs, so is a good friend too! I hope your painting is progressing well at home for you? Take care xx
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