For the squeamish, don't worry, this is an animation, not an actual person! It does show, however, the procedure I had done on 22 May.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvRtP3wl_AY

The operation was done under local anaesthetic and, they said, a bit of sedation, although I didn't feel at all sedated! They had warned me it may get a 'bit uncomfortable' which is stiff-upper-lip speak for 'really painful and scary'. I had what felt like an angina attack whilst the procedure was being done and felt very panicky, but after about 20 minutes in the recovery suite I was much better and was wheeled back up to the ward. I had to lie flat for 2 hours, then half-lying for another hour before I could finally sit up. People kept coming along and asking, 'May I check your groin?' Had I been feeling up to it, I'd have asked if they were actually hospital staff or just visiting someone, but for once in my life I didn't really feel like joking.

After a more or less sleepless night and a final check on my groin, I was allowed to leave around midday, so I came home and slept. From then on, though, I've been feeling a lot more energetic, less breathless and not so exhaused that I could do with a nap every four hours! So, all in all, it seems to have worked!

I'm now back at work (shame, I was enjoying the time off, the flowers, and the visitors!) feeling ten times better - or possibly more, it's difficult to tell - than before.

I was going to put in photographs of the 'before and after' X-rays, showing where the artery was narrowed, and what it looks like now the stent is in place, but the scanner automatically saves pictures in a format that Blogger doesn't accept, so you're spared the detail!

Differences I've noticed so far :

• I can walk for more than 50 yards without getting a pain in my chest;
• I can climb stairs without having to stop at 30 to get my breath back;
• I can wander around a stately home and gardens for 2 hours without needing to sit down every 20 minutes;
• I can spend a whole weekend awake now, without having to have a 3-4 hour afternoon nap;
• My heartburn/indigestion has improved significantly;
• My feet and ankles are a normal colour - a strange one this. They were quite blotchy, and while I was in hospital I noticed that my feet were almost purple (it wasn't with cold). They are now normal flesh colour;
• I can paint the beach-hut! I did this on Sunday, with lots of bending and stretching from the paint tray on the ground, up to the roof, with no ladder. I did the hut in about an hour and I know that last time I did it - about 3 years ago - I felt really breathless and tired and it took me longer because I had to keep stopping to rest.

All in all, I think I've been poorly for a lot longer than I realised, so I'm looking forward to having more energy and being able to do all the things doctors always recommend, like taking more exercise. We'll see after I've been back to the gym for a few sessions!

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Dive's Revenge

Those of you who have been with me from the very beginning may recall 'Dive', the next-door neighbour of the Chelsea Flower Show standard front garden (see details of his encounter with Bella here http://lindamusing.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html). He has now exacted his revenge in a totally unexpected way. He has built an extension.

This may not seem an obvious act of revenge, indeed, digging up and paving over his pristine lawn makes my patch of garden look less like a wasteland. No, the revenge comes in two forms: he rebuilt the garden wall between our two properties and told me proudly he was going to 'finish it off neatly with a trench of pea shingle'. 'Whatever,' I thought. What wasn't clear - until I got home one evening - was that he meant my side of the wall! OK, that means the nettles that were neatly positioned by the driver's door were no longer a threat to my bare summer legs, but it also means I've lost lily of the valley, snowdrops, daffodils, day lilies and valerian. I was not a happy person that day, I can tell you. Fortunately his windows were closed and he didn't hear me cursing, 'Where are my fucking flowers?!?!?!?!?!' in my stage whisper ...

This trench of pea shingle is like one huge outdoor litter tray for the neighbourhood. I can almost hear him thinking as he planned the extension: 'That'll teach her to let her cat piss on my trousers. Every other cat can crap in her garden now.'

And the extension itself? Well, it's been built up to within a gnat's crotchet away from my garage wall and the additional rain water going into my guttering (which he damaged when he moved it) is bouncing off the 'litter tray' and splashing back up the garage wall, causing vast amounts of damp.

Thank goodness Bella only pee'd on him. What would he have done if she'd taken a more, um, solid approach?

Neighbours, eh. Can't live with 'em, not allowed to shoot 'em ...

Time wasting in the NHS ...

The NHS being the NHS, certain procedures have to be followed - even if this delays things ...

When I had my angiogram, I was told that the angioplasty would be 6 - 8 weeks later. I was also asked if I had a preference for which hospital to go to. I said at the time that I preferred the hospital in my home town. They told me that it was all part of 'Patient Choice', and that I would be receiving a letter. The letter arrived 3 weeks later, and I rang the number to say (again) that I preferred the hospital in my home town.

'We'll put you on the waiting list now that we know where you want your procedure done,' trilled the Patient Choice lady.

'So, I didn't immediately go on the waiting list 4 weeks ago when I first said that I wanted to be in Southampton General?' I asked.

'No, we had to send you a letter,' she said. 'It will be 6 - 8 weeks from now.'

And so it is. 22 May is the date for the angioplasty. My angiogram was 29 February, so actually the waiting time has been 12 weeks, all because they had to tick the box marked 'sent letter', even though they had had the information required in that letter on 29 February. I'm wondering why it took them three months to send me the letter in the first place ...

So my bank holiday weekend is buggered up - no beach-hut for me as I'm not allowed to drive for a week - but at least there is a reasonable chance of a week of good weather. I shall have to spend it in the garden instead ...