Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Yesterday was a mammoth 11 hours of hospital.

If you are not into detail or don't like hospitals go straight to the last paragraph!

We decided that the day was going well when Paul got into the car at 8.10 to find that he could only drive in circles! A quick dash to the train station and a taxi at the other end got us to the hospital just after 9 (I was due at 9). The medical infusion unit is a tiny 6 chaired room where people go to have infusions. It opens at 9 and closes at 4.30 (an important fact in my story). You are not allowed to wear gowns here but must be dressed! (another important fact as I need to be gowned to have procedure). After a lot of 'faffing' they try to get blood, results needed before I have op at 10.45! By this stage I am freezing and haven't had any fluid since 10 the previous night. They had no hope of getting a needle in. After 3 attempts using ever smaller needles they give up and ring a Dr. By this time I think the x-ray department had got the idea that things were not going well and a nurse arrived to see what was going on. It was 10.30 by then - op at 10.45 and no bloods and no cannula in and no fluids started ( I needed 6 hours of fluids). They wouldn't let me put a gown on and wanted to put a cannula in and then put a gown on later - ho hum! If you have tried to put a gown on with a cannula it is VERY tricky. By now the consultant had heard that things were not right so he phoned and said - send her here and I will sort it out. (He is really lovely) So off I toddled with 2 nurses - no idea why I needed 2!

Arrived in x-ray and allowed to put on gown with my warm socks and slippers (last time I was very cold). he then put in a cannula under ultrasound guidance - quite sore but at least it was in. Blood taken and then a conversation about whether |I was happy for them to proceed on the results of my last blood test as I had never had any problems with clotting. I said I was happy to get on with it rather than waiting ages for results. So off we trot to the angio room. It takes quite a lot of fiddling to get ready for the op with x-ray machines, drapes, drips, ultrasound machines, and my arm in just the right place. They then attached the fluid to my cannula for the beginning of 6 hours - ouch! Me: 'it is hurting quite a bit', nurse: 'its bound to', me: 'no I think it's not right(trying to be polite while my arm is by now really hurting) Dr: 'ok I'll check it'. Lots of moving equipment and me feeling guilty that I am making a fuss. Using ultrasound they watch as fluid flows - into my arm not my vein! Dr: 'oh that never usually happens' Ho Hum. More hassle as he has to recannulate my arm.

Ok so now we can get on with op. Dye shows that there is a narrowing in my vessel under my collar bone. He said it is so narrow that only a trickle of blood is getting through - hence why my arm has become so big as the blood finds other ways to get out! I am sedated and the local anaesthetic put into my arm - unfortunately it can't reach up to my collar bone so when he inflates the balloon it is quite painful. Thankfully the sedation makes the whole thing very hazy. The hour or so it takes for procedure passes in a peaceful haze punctuated by moments of pain. The staff are all lovely. Soon it is all done and he is very pleased with the results. Stitches put in and back to recovery. It is about 1 pm by now and I am starving. Still can only have water until they know I am ok.

1.30 taken up to a ward as the drip will take too long to go to infusion ward and I am in my gown!!!! At last I am allowed food and a cup of coffee - but oh no arm is hurting again. Again me: 'I am sorry to bother you but I think the fluid is going into my arm', nurse ' no it can't be cannulas are very good' , me: 'but my arm is swelling', nurse'ok I'll get someone', me: 'please could we stop drip', nurse'oh ok I suppose so', sister takes one look: 'oh dear it has come out' and off she goes and doesn't reappear for half an hour when I buzz her to find out what is happening. She then takes cannula out and says she has bleeped Dr. Young Dr eventually arrives and says that he thinks I don't need the drip but can mange by drinking 2 litres at home - I explain that I am concerned about kidneys so he says that he thinks it will be fine no other hospital does this. So I say ok I will go home and drink - I contact Paul to sort out lift and start putting my stuff together when a renal Dr arrives. I am very sorry Mrs White but I do want you to have the drip as research suggests it is the best protection for your kidneys. Me: 'ok I just want to do what is best'. So he then has to put in another cannula (without ultrasound). He manages very well and gets one in my hand. So we then start the 4 hours left of my drip. By now it is nearly 4pm.

The rest of the time passed quite quickly, chatting with the other patients in the ward, reading (luckily I had taken magazines and my kindle and my ipod) and trying to eat my tea with very limited movement in either arm - quite tricky and no offers of help from the staff. Paul then sorted my lift for 8 o'clock. At 7.50 my drip finished and I asked to be disconnected (not at all sure how long I would have waited if I hadn't asked). I was very pleased to see Matt when he arrived and I got home for 8.30 ish. I was very happy to be home and for it to be over.

Although the day was long I was peaceful all day aware of your prayers and so glad for an NHS that although stretched and over worked can do such amazing things. I woke a lot through the night hopefully I have got rid of all the dye and my kidneys have been protected. This morning my arms are sore but not painful. I go back tomorrow to have my stitches removed, for blood teats to check my kidneys are ok and for my renal review. The consultant thinks I may have to have this repeated every 3-6 months so I had better get used to it! Please do pray that my kidneys have been protected from dye and that all is well. My results yesterday show my creatinine at the lowest it has been since I stopped dialysis which is brilliant after the blip when I had antibiotics.

Sorry this has been a long post. I hope I haven't bored you all!