Appointment update

Thank you all for the good wishes about Jono’s appointment we really appreciate all the thoughts and it helped knowing that we had so many people thinking of us.

I drove up to Dublin because Jono isn’t fit for that length of journey on public transport and between the train and the LUAS it’s almost 4 hours each way. It took us just over two hours to get from home to Liffey Valley Shopping Centre where we stopped for lunch. From there it was around 20 minutes to the hospital. Just to let people know there is no free parking at the hospital for people with disabled badges and it can work out expensive so we parked in the Aldi car-park just across the road which is €4 for 24 hours.

We had the wheelchair so I wheeled Jono over to the hospital and as he finds it very comfortable he sat in it rather than sitting on the hospital chairs. As soon as we arrived Jono was sent for an X-Ray, he had to wait for an hour because it was very busy there. Only a front view was taken which I queried as you can only see the curve when you look from the side. The radiologists checked but whoever they spoke to said that was OK.

We were sent back to the out-patients clinic to wait. Credit where it’s due to the Sister in charge of that department she’s fantastic. She is so kind and caring and when anyone has been waiting a long time she offers them a cuppa. Lots of people had to travel long distances to be seen including a couple from Donegal and a lady from Mayo. It seems to be the way the health system is.

After about two hours we were called by one of the registrars who look at Jono’s x-ray, queried why they didn’t take a side angle and tried his muscle function. Off he went and we waited again for the consultant. He came in zoomed in and out of the x-ray, made a few noises to himself and we waited. He asked Jono where his pain was and it has moved since the last time. Last time it was all up in his neck so surgery was required this time it’s around his shoulder and lower back on his right side. The consultant said his thinking is that surgery wouldn’t improve this.

He wants Jono to have tests to see why he’s so pale, why he keeps getting infections in his fingers, why his hands and numb and why he’s in so much pain and so tired. In a way I’m relieved I know there is something going on and it might be something as simple as a lacking in vitamins and/or minerals.  Jono hasn’t been seen in Sligo since February when he had three polyps removed from his stomach.

So back to waiting again for Jono but at least the next appointment will be in Sligo and hopefully they’ll find out if he’s lacking in anything. What amazes me most about Jono is in the midst of it all he caught sight of another persons X-Ray and he was really worried about them, he was also worried about the people who had travelled further than we had. He’s some man for one man.