Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.
Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Black.
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 8.
Tears: No.
In desperation, having left five different voice mail messages and had no response from Ipswich hospital, Freda Fretter decided to call the GP surgery once again on Tuesday afternoon. The secretary she spoke to said that they had no influence with the hospital.
'I thought you might say that,' said Freda, 'but I'm getting nowhere, and it's beginning to stress me.'
'Of course it is, it's not fair. Leave it with me and I'll see if I can find out what's gone wrong. I'll call you later even if I get nowhere.'
Bless her, she did call. 'Well it's taken me all afternoon, but I've finally managed to book you an appointment.' It's a week later than it should be, but at least it's booked for first thing on Saturday 7th July. Of course, Creative Clara is a bit upset that it's then, because she should be selling her vintage stuff that day, but Clever Bird knows that it's more important to get Baggy sorted out. So she will be having a 'gastroscopy and colonoscopy plus biopsy/polypectomy' according to the consent form that has just arrived. She won't be having a colectomy as she put in her last blog (well hopefully not anyway). Sorry about that Baggees, Clever Bird blames auto-correct, but Baggy's sister looked it up and worried!
Mind you, Freda is also worried about the other piece of information that's in the letter, along with the instructions on not eating anything with fibre in it, on the Thursday, and eating nothing at all on the Friday, it also says that Baggy might have to have a blood transfusion. Freda is praying that she won't, Baggy likes her own blood, thanks very much!! But apparently her blood is not doing its job at all, so it might be necessary. All will be fine as long as it's whacky persons' blood, so that it fits in with Baggy.........
Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.
Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Grey.
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 8.
Tears: No.
Clever Bird realised that it was time to pull Hormonal Hannah's head out of the sand, and get Freda Fretter to phone Ipswich Hospital to try and find out what is happening. Clever Bird was sure that she'd have an appointment letter today. After all, there's only a week left to do the 'urgent' endoscopy. To take Freda's mind off it, Furry Mama took Pepper Pooch to Southwold, as the post doesn't arrive until lunch time and she hoped it would be there when they got home.
The pooch is turning into a cheeky little monkey! As soon as he realises that Furry Mama is about to end their play session, he casually heads off, just far enough away for her not to be able to get him. But Clever Bird has worked out that Furry Mama needs to 'act casual' about these antics, and after a couple of 'moments', he'll wait for her to go over and put his lead on. Today though it went a little pear-shaped when a totally out of control Labrador kept trying to play with Pepper. The pooch has no idea/interest in playing with other dogs, but this (quite large) dog wouldn't leave him alone. The owner made no attempt whatsoever to control it. In the end Pepper was getting stressed, so Furry Mama told the Labrador to go away. It did. Straight after another dog.
As they were leaving the beach, Baggy stopped to put her shoes back on. Pepper, who was on his lead, sat to wait for her. From nowhere, the Labrador appeared once more. It started to jump on top of Pepper, who couldn't get away from it. He panicked and ran round Baggy who was still bent over, trying to do her shoes up, wrapping her in his lead, at which point the dog jumped on Baggy too. Pepper started snarling at it and baring his teeth, so the Labrador tried to bite him. Furry Mama shouted at Pepper. Yes Baggees, unfair and unreasonable, but she was panicking that Pepper was going to get hurt. Clever Bird realised that she was being an idiot, and instead, Baggy put her arms around Pepper to protect him from the other dog, while she told it to go away. It took a lunge at her, and then ran off. Now Baggees, Furry Mama needs to explain that it seemed to be a lovely, quite young, dog, it wasn't being aggressive, just totally over exuberant! Once it had gone, Pepper was instantly not bothered, and sniffing the dune grass. But Baggy couldn't believe her eyes, when she realised that its owner was sitting on a sand dune, a mere thirty yards behind her, watching everything that had happened. But she hadn't even attempted to call it back! The Labrador meanwhile had disappeared off towards the harbour, away from its owner - presumably to try to play with another dog. Furry Mama felt sorry for it, as at some point it will probably get hurt by another dog. It's true that there's no such thing as a bad dog - just bad owners.
There was no letter! Freda Fretter phoned the doctors' surgery. The good news - her chest x-ray was clear - lungs good, heart good. There was also a letter from the consultant. 'Yes, it says you're being referred for an urgent gastroscopy'.
'Oh, right. I thought it was an endoscopy, so why don't I have an appointment?'
'I don't know. You should have. I suggest you phone the consultant's secretary.'
Freda phoned. Voice mail. She left a message. Then she called the appointments team. They told her to call the endoscopy department. They told her, 'Yes, there is a letter here. It says you are to have a gastroscopy and a colectomy. You should have had a copy.'
'Well I haven't had anything. So does that mean I have an appointment?'
'Unfortunately not, no. We haven't received a referral. I suggest you call the consultant's secretary.'
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Let's hope Baggy gets a call tomorrow. Meanwhile, Freda Fretter needs to try to get her head around the fact that she isn't just going to have a camera from the bottom up (as it were, excuse the pun), but also from the top down.............
Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.
Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Grey.
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 8.
Tears: No.
Apologies Baggees for Baggy's absence, but in order for Freda Fretter and Hormonal Hannah not to have a meltdown, they're trying not to think too much, which means Creative Clara can't write either! But here goes as Clever Bird knows that some of you might be fretting about Baggy!
Tuesday was step one of Baggy trying to get to the bottom of whatever it is that's causing her to be so severely anaemic. Her appointment at Ipswich Hospital wasn't until late afternoon, so Furry Mama took Pepper Pooch and Hormonal Hannah to Southwold beach in the morning. The plan was to tire the pooch, and try to relax Hannah, who was getting in rather a state. It was a lovely morning, with a nice breeze to blow the cobwebs away. After their usual walk, Baggy had a cappuccino and a bit of cake, before heading back to the car park. Furry Mama started throwing Pepper's ball again on the way back. Hannah was thinking about Baggy's appointment, when she noticed Pepper glance at the sand dunes. Freda Fretter knew what was about to happen. It did! With a backwards glance at his Mama, Pepper took off over the dunes, back to the sea. Baggy followed as fast as she could (very slowly, through the deep sand), to the top of the dunes. Pepper was in the sea!
Bearing in mind that the tide was out, he was at least four-hundred yards away. Furry Mama called him. He spotted a Border Collie that had been at the café and headed towards him - away from Furry Mama. The Collie's owners could see Furry Mama flapping her arms at Pepper, but instead of heading to them, or her, he started running back to the café. Baggy set off in pursuit. Pepper watched her coming. He clearly thought that he was in trouble, and so he wouldn't come to her. Furry Mama went and collected his abandoned ball and asked him to wait where he was. Fortunately he did, so they got back to Billy Bob Jalopy campervan before the parking ticket ran out.
Once Pepper was settled with Baggy's neighbours, she drove over to the hospital. First stop a chest x-ray, as she's had a cough for over two months. The waiting room was packed. Eventually ninety minutes later it was done. Quick check-in at Outpatients, cappuccino grabbed, and to the waiting room forty-minutes early for her appointment.
'Hello, I'm Doctor Something-or-other. What can I do for you? I have no information.' Marvellous - not! No notes. No blood test results. Absolutely no idea why Baggy had been referred! Baggy explained - what she could remember. The doctor decided to proddle Baggy's stomach. Then he said 'I'll just take a quick look.'
'Wait! What?' thought Freda.
'Blah, blah, just put this camera in, blah blah.'
Nooooooooooo! Baggy had just told the man that she'd regretted eating the two bags of cheesy snacks and a chocolate bar with her cappuccino, as, as per usual she really could do with going to the loo as a result. Freda prayed quietly as Baggy tried desperately not to have a nasty accident on the doctor.
'So what are you thinking?' a relieved Baggy asked having survived the experience. Well Baggees, apparently the list of things that they need to rule out before they get to bowel cancer, is long: colitis, some type of ulcers, Chrone's disease, blah, blah other things.
'You'll need an endoscopy within the next two weeks. But in the meantime you'll need to get some blood tests done.'
A slightly spaced-out Baggy headed to the vampire department. Another forty-minute wait. 'Could you tell me what I'm being tested for?'
'A full blood count, liver function, kidney function and...... actually, I have no idea what that one is. I leave that to the doctors.'
So now Baggy waits. She's heard nothing since, and has no idea how she'll be contacted about the endoscopy. But if there's no news by Monday, Freda will be calling the hospital, as Clever Bird remembered in the middle of the night, that Baggy got lost in the system last time she was at the hospital.
In a bid not to panic Hannah, as Clara's explained, Baggy is trying to blank all of this out. Furry Mama is keeping Baggy busy with lots of beach time for the pooch. Although on Wednesday she was feeling too low, and to distract her, Gloria Gardener set-to on the weeds, while Furry Mama threw Pepper's ball. This however was not enough exercise for the pooch, so in the evening he made his own entertainment. There may not be many new photos for a while, as he ate Creative Clara's phone adaptor for downloading photos........
Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.
Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Yellow.
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 5.
Tears: Yes, over a baby bunny the cats got.
Finding the energy for Baggy to get Furry Mama out of bed, let alone the house, is currently rather hard. It's ironic really - just when Hormonal Hannah seems to be in a pretty good place, with her depression under control, and is more than happy to get out-and-about, Baggy's anaemia is proving to be totally debilitating! Clever Bird is starting to understand why the doctor said that she was surprised that Baggy could get out of her chair. Presumably, it's lack of oxygen in Baggy's blood that's the problem, but just putting one foot in front of the other is an effort. But needs must with a pooch as active as Pepper, so yesterday Furry Mama took him over to Southwold.
To say that the sea was wild and woolly would be an epic understatement. The wind was whipping the surf and sand up, and Baggy's feet were getting sand-blasted. Not that the pooch cared!
Freda Fretter was a little concerned that Pepper was going to get swept away, but there does seem to be a brain in there somewhere, and he did keep one eye on the waves. Unlike Baggy who ended up with soaking wet leather (subsequently, more like thick cardboard) shoes!
But it was worth it, Furry Mama was so excited because she had spotted a seal bobbing up and down in the surf!
Baggy did her usual walk from the beach café to the harbour, straight into the wind. It's probably about a mile, and Baggy was struggling to get her breath, but at the same time, the ozone was actually uplifting.
Pepper loves it so much that Baggy can't help grinning at his constant antics!
The walk back was slightly easier, as the wind was pushing Baggy along. Creative Clara found some stunning pebbles, including a totally green one! Time to buy a book on pebble identification for Clever Bird.
After ninety-minutes, Baggy decided that she'd earned a sit down and a cappuccino with a bacon roll. It's lovely to live so close to such a beautiful place, especially when she and the pooch pretty much had it to themselves. Mind you the froth blew straight off the top of the cappuccino and landed on the bacon roll, but as Clever Bird knows, it all ends up in the same place anyway.
Today Baggy didn't have the energy to drive too far, so Furry Mama took Pepper to the park. And of course he just had to get in the canal!
When they got home, Clara decided to check on her first batch of pebbles. Freda worried that she couldn't hear any clunking from the garage. She was right to worry - although the belt was turning on the polishing machine, the pebble barrels weren't moving. She decided to check their progress. She couldn't be more excited about how stunning they are! For a first attempt at polishing, Clara is delighted. It's a fact that there's no one more creative than mother nature..........
