Too many directions

[BikerMatt]

Trig looked after his broom

"I don't think you would of one first prize anyway, your alright but Del don't look nothing like Tonto"

We seem to have hijacked Fishmans thread. Sorry Fishman, how are you doing?

[Carnation]

Just checking to see if you are OK Fishman?

[fishman65]

Sorry guys I've been distracted but bless you both for asking. And don't worry Matt, nothing wrong with a bit of banter

Up and down lately though today/last night were not good. Mrs F's bleeding has been active again, so cue our dear friend anxiety to make the most of it. Crohn's disease is a horrible, messy condition that flares up from time to time and right now is one of them. The digestive system becomes inflamed and swollen, then there are the ulcers and sometimes bleeding.

She has started taking the steroids she was prescribed for a previous flare, so hopefully they will settle things down. She had a blood test this afternoon, I had to badger her into it which caused some bickering between us. I just don't want her full blood count dropping as low as it did about 10 years ago, anything below 8 is considered in need of a transfusion and back then it reached 4. That's dangerously low. So if the phone doesn't ring we are ok.

I don't quite know why the anxiety reacts so much at the prospect of Mrs F going into hospital. I mean, often she is in bed or asleep on the sofa, so I find myself doing tasks alone, and I cope? Perhaps with the thought of her being in hossy it makes me feel I 'have' to do tasks alone. I'm not even sure about this one myself. I do think the situation with my Dad is stoking the fire too. In effect I'm carrying two adults? Oh well, people have worse things to deal with so I need to just crack on and whatever will be will be

How are the rest of you lovely people?

[Carnation]

You are coping amazingly well Fishman.
I know exactly what you mean about feeling panicky when Mrs F is away. Because you consciously know she is not there, it is different to her being in a different room or in the garden. You will also worry about her condition and what is happening to her.
That's all very natural to feel that way under the circumstances.
You can only do one thing at a time and prioritise.
Don't forget to take some relaxation time for yourself!

[fishman65]

Thank you Carnation and my apologies for not replying sooner. Things have been hectic, first of all my Dad had an X-ray on Wednesday and the result came back next day. It showed a shadow, we saw the GP and he didn't hold back nor give us false hope. He said its possible it could be a tumour though he's known similar cases where it wasn't.

So there you go, Mrs F still bleeding too even though her blood test came back as satisfactory. Though with continued bleeding? Anxiety has been having a wonderful time but hardly surprising really. Oh well, what will be will be.

[Carnation]

Never apologise Fishman, you have your hands full.
My mum had a shadow on her X-ray, but it thankfully turned out to be nothing. Let's hope your dad is the same. You have a lot of worries, I do hope you get some respite somehow.

---------- Post added at 21:54 ---------- Previous post was at 21:53 ----------

Never apologise Fishman, you have your hands full.
My mum had a shadow on her X-ray, but it thankfully turned out to be nothing. Let's hope your dad is the same. You have a lot of worries, I do hope you get some respite somehow.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sorry to hear your wife is struggling with her condition, fishman. I know little about it but have heard it's painful & unpleasant. It is good that you are diligent to prevent further complications and I'm sure she appreciates it (even if you get told to bugger off at times ) and the doctors would think you are right.

Sorry to hear about your dad too. This must be very worrying to hear. I guess it's a waiting game and trying to think how it could be something benign or something else that's treatable.

As for worrying about your wife when she's in hospital more than when she's at home I would think that makes you very normal. Just being in hospital makes loved ones worried. You can't see what's happening a lot of the time and we associate these places with the worst. There is also the lack of control issues as well as uncertainty with our disorders but to be honest I think any spouse or partner would be the same.

So, don't be so hard on yourself. When my mum had an ambulance out, nurse & GP's calling, etc when she had pneumonia my dad burst into tears. I don't think I've ever seen him cry other than when his mum died years before and he has lost many brothers & sisters since. Sometimes the emotional just builds up and forces it's way out.

Hang in there and best wishes to your family.

[pulisa]

My best wishes to you too, Fishman. You have a lot to deal with but your feelings are perfectly normal. I'm sure the GP will be requesting more blood tests to check that Mrs F's blood count isn't getting too low during this flare-up. If you're concerned you can always get onto the GP yourself and get him/her to order another test.

I'm sorry you have more worry with your Dad and that he can get an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible. You may have to push them to get things moving for him but hopefully not and more tests can be arranged.

[Lola-Lee]

Hi Fishman,
I won't go into detail,but I have a blood disorder which requires transfusions,the last few months I have been doing ok.
You are a very caring, supportive Dad,Son and Husband,take care of yourself too.

[fishman65]

Bless you all, I keep coming back to this thread to post but have been getting too emotional to respond. I remember you saying that about your Dad Terry, us blokes are poor at showing our feelings or maybe that's good at concealing them. Your Dad needn't be ashamed.

I suppose what it boils down to is getting older and having the loved ones around you getting older too. My Dad's 89th birthday is in September, so he's had a long life that many people get nowhere near to living. I lost my Mum back in 1998, she was only 65 and a brother aged 45 in 1999.

Anyway my Dad has a CT scan for 17th May. Then we'll know but with his age, the GP did say that invasive surgery/procedures might have to be weighed up against his ability to survive them.

for you guys, a 'blokey' one for you Terry

PS - Lola-lee I'm so sorry to hear that. I do hope you are able to keep as well as you can.