Medical meddling.......

Are you old enough to remember this......?



This programme was a favourite of my mum's in the 60s, though I don't ever remember seeing it in colour.  Dr Kildare was one of her heart throbs (if you're old enough to remember him then you'll also know what a heart throb is) and we never missed an episode.  As a result I did briefly dally with the idea of being a nurse, which thankfully didn't last long.  I certainly don't remember any female doctors being featured or I might have set my sights a bit higher, although the nurses were always impossibly pretty and I was resolutely plain so it was always going to be an uphill struggle.

But I digress.

It would appear that medical drama is going set to be a continuing theme in 2013.  After my Christmas lurgy, then my daughter's sudden illness, I was hoping that things might quieten down for a while.

I don't know what I was thinking.

You might remember a while back I posted about a lump on my face.  Well 3 months have passed and I finally had an appointment at the hospital this morning to have it looked at.

Apparently it's not a sebaceous cyst after all.  It's an Eccrine Hidrocystoma which sounds infinitely more interesting but I have to have it off.  I had naively expected that the procedure would entail aspirating the contents with a needle.

But no.

No by no nonny no.

The surgeon 'helpfully' drew several diagrams to illustrate the procedure, which involves making an elliptical incision around the lump then cutting out all the tissue inside and finally stitching the incision closed.  

I'm not terribly good with needles, scalpels, forceps, stitches et al so by the time he'd finished his artwork I was feeling decidedly woozy.  However, I perked up considerably when he said it would leave a scar, around an inch long.

A scar.  That's more like it.  I'm inclined to suggest something decorative.  

A fascinating facial feature.

Perhaps something along the lines of the Mark of Zorro, or a Harry Potter.  Or maybe he could fashion a 'smiley' scar.  There's certainly scope there for some creative expression if I'm going to be permanently stuck with it.

However, today's medical theme didn't end there.  We then had to go from the hospital  straight to the vet with Small Dog who is under the weather with a urinary tract infection, like a doggy version of cystitis.   As usual she had to be dragged through the door and across the floor to the waiting area where she sat shaking and trembling as if she was having a fit.

Our vet requested that we get a urine sample from her which prompted some joint scratching of heads as to how we should achieve that, and in the meantime gave her an injection and prescribed antibiotics.  However while we were waiting to pay, Small Dog obligingly wee'd on the floor so the vet was able to use a pipette to draw up a sample, which was disconcertingly bright red with blood.  

We've already had the results by phone and predictably her wee was full of red and white blood cells, plus some other stuff, so she's being treated for an infection.

Poor wee mite.

She's definitely not herself.

We're to report on her progress on Friday and if she's no better she'll have to have a bladder ultrasound and blood tests, which will probably necessitate sedation.

Never a dull moment here.......