SECOND LOCKDOWN & Today's Update!

Nothing will change for me today in the second lockdown, as it hurts to drive, so imprisoned in my house, even if there wasn't a lockdown!

The QEH Staff Physiotherapist phoned me today (as expected) to triage me and then kindly emailed me some exercises to do, until I have an appointment with her. She said that outpatient's will ring me tomorrow with an appointment. The exercises are to be carried out twice a day – I did them, but they made my pains worse.

My appointment letter arrived today for Mr Redwood's Clinic! But, my heart sank when I saw the date of 9th December! Now maths isn't my best subject, but even I can work out that from the 1st November, when I received my discharge letter that said I would be seen in 2-4 weeks, that the 9th of December is five and a half weeks away! I tried to phone the Appointments Department several times, throughout the day and left messages, but no one got back to me, which is very frustrating when it says they are open until 5pm. I will try again in the morning to see if my appointment can be brought forward.

I also googled Endometriosis Centres (such things didn't exist in my twenties when I had 'Endo') and discovered there were several throughout the UK, the nearest to East Anglia was in the main hospital in Luton, so with nothing to lose I phoned them! I basically phoned to ask if Endometriosis can return after nearly 22 years – I spoke to a very helpful lady who was the clinic's secretary and she told me from her experience of all the medical notes that she sees, she had not come across such a case. She said their normal pathway for investigating Endometriosis is for a patient to have an Ultrasound, then MRi Scan, then MDT discussion and finally a Laparoscopy. This is what I will be requesting when I eventually get to see Mr Redwood! From the weird pains I have been experiencing today, it feels like 'Endo', which has shocked me to the core. 22 years ago, 12 years of hell ended with an emergency hysterectomy – I refuse to believe that this could return now. Googling different journal papers, I discovered that that in 10% of women, this can happen!