CT scan review

Letter in the post today from heppy doc. copy to GP.


Reporting that though the CT showed no cancer recurrance it was, as I suspected, of limited use because of the lack of contrast dye. The contrast dye shows tumours as bright white. Without it they become grey lumps, merging with an already 'lumpy' cirrhotic liver.


Also despite my having previous CT's at Macclesfield which the radiologist should have been given to use as a comparison, nobody had felt like sharing! So they had nothing to even help compare existing grey with suspicious new grey.


Heppy doc is going to discuss what to do about future CTs at the next Hepatobilliary meeting, which makes sense, as there's no point in wasting money on useless procedures.

We need to think of a better method of imaging without using iodine.


Any ideas anyone?

Splat

A few days ago a pigeon with a bad sense of direction flew into the window downstairs with an almighty bang.

Now we have an oily bird imprint on the glass.

Result!

Copies of blood test results done at Salford have arrived in the post. Gave the secretaries at my GP practice a box of chocolates.

Baffled at first as to why the packet was so big and contained 21 pages? They've sent me the printouts from 2 previous clinics - doh. I have these already. I only asked for the September ones which run to 3 sheets. What a waste of their time.

As I suspected, things are having a bit of a wobble with results going slightly the 'wrong' way (albeit still within normal range)

I've been noticeably more tired and achey for a few weeks. This could be any of (a) tired of getting up at 7am and driving 30 miles a day for work and all I need is a holiday! (b) my immune system is having a burst of activity making me feel a bit off (c) the slight AFP rise means a new cancer is forming.

So the plan is do nothing at the moment but take another set in November and see what's what

NHS snail mail

Try as I might I dont understand the problem with sending information between different NHS trusts.

I still have my fingers crossed that after 4 weeks somebody will finally send me the 2 or 3 sheets of paper that contain my last lot of blood tests.
So far the GP secretaries and I have tried to get them via phone, via fax and via email. Apparently the last 2 methods are 'not secure' and the first is too time consuming to read them out.
I find it difficult to believe that companies such as, let's say Apple, don't use the internet for it's communication despite the supposed risk of security lapses. Perhaps they always use couriers or carrier pigeon for any new product plans.

So now I'm pinning my hopes on Dr Al's secretary deciding to break with protocol and use 2 or 3 precious sheets of paper, an envelope and a stamp to send them to my GP.

The whole hassle has decided me to ask for the whole lot to be done again at the GP in November (which will be half way between my September clinic and the January 2012 clinic) so that I can get some up-to-date results within a week.

I'm not even considering asking about the CT results. There's little point in hoping anyone will contact me about it before January. Anyway without the iodine contrast dye the chance of it being any use at detecting tiny new tumours is low. Small non-enhanced liver tumours usually aren't visible in a lumpy cirrhotic liver, so we need a new plan B for the best imaging technique for me, which isnt non enhanced CT.