Me & My Health #6 (Thyroid Complications)

I didn't expect this to be a blog post writing, I was planning a first impressions blog post or a empties but on Monday I was taken to hospital so thought I would explain what happened. Just to warn you I will be speaking very honestly and people may feel like it is too graphic.

How I felt?

For 10 days I had had constipation, for 3 days I had not peed and for 2 days had been sick plus really bad stomach pains, I had tried a few medications to help me go toilet but nothing worked.

111

On Monday I went into work and just couldn't deal with the pain and constantly running in and out to throw up, I currently work in Leeds, I am going to do a blog post about my new venture soon but I currently don't have a local doctors so rang 111 and the guy told me to go within two hours to a specific health centre in Leeds. A bit TMI but on my way from work to my sister (staying at hers) before going to the medical centre I had to make a detour to the nearest public toilet because I felt like I was going to either throw up or poop myself, I had diarrhea, I felt so relieved but so embarrassed because I never go toilet in public places and if I do its for a wee. I know this is very TMI sorry. My sister came along with me to the medical centre and in I went.

Medical Centre

I got to the medical centre and sat and waited for about 10 minutes then was seen by a doctor, he felt my tummy and felt some tenderness and swelling, he also used a stethoscope to listen to my stomach and said normally you can hear some movement and when you have constipation you can still hear movement but not a lot whereas he couldn't hear anything. My blood pressure was high and my temperature was raised. He sent me to the A&E with a letter.

Hospital

The letter I was given was to fast track me through A&E so got triaged and sent to the Surgical Assessment ward which scared the life out of me. We got to this ward at 1pm, I was seen by the head nurse, he was so lovely, he did my blood test, did my blood pressure and my temperature as well as give me a pot to pee in. WHY? Why do people think you can pee in that skinny little tube they give you? Fact about me: I could be desperate for the toilet and they hand me one of those pots and don't need to go anymore. We went back and sat in the waiting room. A few hours later I got seen by a nurse who did my blood pressure, pulse, ultrasound to see how full my bladder was and also felt my stomach. She told me I couldn't have my X-ray until I had given a urine sample so tried but couldn't. Back in the waiting room and my mum came, I sw people come and go and yet I sat there, the pain in my stomach was getting worse but manageable but what wasn't manageable was boredom, my phone had died so no form of entertainment. Another fact about me: if I get bored and I mean EXTREMELY bored I will burst into tears. My mum was rubbing my back which actually somehow helped but I was laying over several chairs just sobbing. The staff did their handover, day to night staff and the senior nurse made an announcement apologising for the delay. I went up to the nurse and asked where I am on the list, she told me I was fifth so I can now go for my X-ray and by the time I get back I probably will be seen by a senior doctor or registrar.

I got my X-ray done and went back up, my sister got talking to a woman and found out she was seventh on the list, hours go by and nothing. I burst into tears again because I am in pain but boredom, mum goes up to the nurses station and asks where I am in the queue plus got me painkillers, I never take painkillers but they gave me 2 paracetamol and 1 codeine tablet, fourth in the queue. I was getting frustrated because in over an hour 1 person has been seen. The woman who was seventh started kicking up a fuss, another woman got her husband to get her a takeaway and she sat there eating it and left her rubbish on a chair, another patient was eating crisps and chocolate, here I was following the rules not eating like it states on the wall, in the handbook we were given, so annoying because those three people got seen before me even Miss Seventh In The Queue.

Finally seen by a registrar and told they THINK it's my thyroid levels, they haven't tested it but they think my levels are low causing me to be constipated, he checked out my back passage and by that I mean he put a glove on his hand and shoved a finger up my backside, TMI - sorry. I was prescribed Movicol and told to see my doctor, that was it. I feel like it was a waste of my time. Apparently if you have untreated under-active thyroids you get constipation and if you have untreated over-active thyroids you get diarrhea.

Day Later

I am writing this last bit just before it goes up on my blog and I have a normal functioning bladder but my bowel isn't, I have had one poo which was very watery. Normally I poo once or twice a day so I am not back to normal yet.