Hospitals. My love-hate relationship.
Hi again… If you’ve decided to come back and read another blog then a massive thanks to you, also if this is your first visit to my blogs, thanks and welcome to you too.
Firstly I’m sorry for the serious blog but l’d like to discuss my love-hate relationship with hospitals, doctors and my illness.
My illness is a part of my life, and although it’s so predominant, it’s perhaps one of the hardest things for me to open up about. However, it’s also one of the main reasons I’ve started writing blogs.
So for as long as I can remember I’ve had problems with my digestive system, so there’s lots of poop and farting chat in my family, all adds to the fun. 😂
Since I was 18 I’ve always had problems with pain in my ribs and stomach, and over the years I just learnt to live with the pain. But in Summer of 2011, after living with this for around 10 years the symptoms and pain were getting too much to live with. It was affecting my whole life. I was now unable to eat any food, no matter how small without having to be sick and get severe reflux. At this time I was working as a greenkeeper at Trump International Golf Links, and was having to walk miles and miles every day, as you can imagine without being able to eat I had virtually zero energy to the point that one day I passed out. I knew then I needed to get this sorted.
So after lots of very unpleasant tests, from all ends and angles, 🤤 I was told I required an operation on my oesophagus. The operation is called a fundoplocation wrap and it’s basically an operation to tighten your oesophagus and prevent me from having reflux or being sick. Eventually an answer and a solution to all my problems… or so i thought. 
In October 2011 I had the operation which was a success and I was finally able to eat again, I remember one night after getting home and feeling ‘normal’ again i ordered a large Dominos pizza, bought the largest Dairy Milk and a bottle of 2L bottle of coke, I was in heaven.
This version of heaven lasted years. I could eat what I wanted and live how I wanted. However, one side effect of the op is that l can’t burp or be sick, the oesophagus is so tight that out doesn’t allow anything back up. This is great after a night out, where you’ve had one too many and you can’t be sick, but not so great when all the gas from the beer and vodka n cokes can’t come up and can only go down. You soon clear a dance floor when you let out that fart you’ve been trying to hold in for hours. It was either that or my dancing. 😂🕺💨
Now to more recently, where I’ve had a bit more problems around my oesophagus. I was driving home from work, I felt completely fine, I was just off the phone to Ruth asking what was for tea and how the kid’s were when I started to get a lump in my throat. I tried clearing it but it gradually got worse to the point I had to pull over and call NHS24. I was struggling to breath at this point and thought I’d had a reaction to something. They sent an ambulance for me and rushed me into hospital. Thankfully it wasn’t as serious as first thought and the lump in throat disappeared. But ever since that day only 5 weeks ago I’ve been in pain around my oesophagus, stomach and I’m struggling to eat again. I’ve been in and out of hospital for weeks, I’ve lost almost 10kg in 4 weeks and I’ve been put on a pureed diet to help get something into me. Again, I’ve have test after test but I’m still no closer to getting an answer, apparently I’m a special case, something my brothers have been telling me for years.
Tonight I write this final draft from my 
hospital bed, hoping that tomorrow brings some better news.
Thanks for reading and until next time…
This real life Dad is out xx
amybeingmum
June 14, 2017 at 11:40 pmSo insightful!! Laughed out loud at parts!! 😂 X
thisreallifedad
June 20, 2017 at 11:00 amHaha. Glad you found it both funny and insightful. X
Kathleen Fearns
June 15, 2017 at 6:38 amHope you get some answers and feel better soon
Katie
June 15, 2017 at 8:54 amThinking of you michael and I hope for some good news soon and you can get home to your adorable family Katie x
thisreallifedad
June 15, 2017 at 7:59 amThanks. Me too. I’m staying positive for them.
2 weeks blogging… here’s my review. | This real life Dad
June 27, 2017 at 5:05 pm[…] our lives over the last few weeks too. As some of you may know if you’ve read the post Hospitals, my love-hate relationship my family have had a very hard few months. I’ve either been in hospital or at home barely […]
Anthony - Dada & Monkey
June 30, 2017 at 7:44 amI’m literally an osterich when it comes to health, it troubles me to admit I’m ill and so I need to learn to listen to my body. It’s a hard lesson to learn at my age. I hope that they get to the bottom of your troubles and I’m sure you’ll make a full recovery, all the very best!
Helen Gandy
June 30, 2017 at 9:09 pmOh bless you, sounds awful and hope you get it sorted soon so yo u can be out of hospital! Popping over from #ThatFridayLinky
jeremy@thirstydaddy
July 1, 2017 at 3:17 pmGood luck to you. My wife and I both work in X Ray, so I’m sure you’ve seen quite a bit of our jobs, UGI studies, ERCPs, Barium swallows…Hope they figure it out soon man. #thatfridaylinky
thisreallifedad
July 1, 2017 at 3:25 pmThanks mate, It’s been a struggle. Yeah been for a barium swallow recently. There is a 20s delay from entering stomach plus barium travelled back up oesophadus when I was put on my side. Think the next step is to completely undo the fundoplocation wrap, which will just bring back the symptoms I had before I got the wrap.
diynige
July 2, 2017 at 8:36 amThis is so funny I love it gave me quite a giggle Thanks for linking to the #THAT FRIDAY LINKY come back next week please
thisreallifedad
July 2, 2017 at 8:38 amThanks, although very serious for our family and it’s proving to be difficult I tried not to be too serious.
diynige
July 2, 2017 at 8:42 amSorry I reaslise it must be tough for your family just wonderful how you put it with humour, my twin girls were 6 weeks premature and spent 6 weeks in special care, and to make it bearable I would try to diffuse with humour.
thisreallifedad
July 2, 2017 at 8:47 amNo need to be sorry. We all cope differently, It helps take my mind off everything.
daddy4life
July 2, 2017 at 2:58 pmHope things get better for you. I am nowhere near your situation. I recently got diagnosed with LPR or silent reflux after having a lump feeling in throat and losing my voice. It’s bloody annoying. Lost 34 pound in 3 months on a low acid low fat diet. It’s definitely a changed to your life when u can’t eat what you want. Seriously feel for you.
thisreallifedad
July 2, 2017 at 4:54 pmIt sure is. It’s never nice but hopefully won’t be forever and I can get back to being a dad again. How’s things for you now?
daddy4life
July 2, 2017 at 5:02 pmYeah it’s up and down. Mine is trigger by all the things I love: chocolate, alcohol and fatty foods. To be honest I have pretty much sorted my diet and I treat myself to a day a month for one of things that will trigger it. I don’t mind putting up with a day of pain in a month. Just can’t do anymore than that.
thisreallifedad
July 2, 2017 at 5:11 pmThankfully I can still have chocolate, in fact they encourage it to try get calories into me. But can only have very small amounts otherwise I’m just in excruciating pain again. Think I’m getting an op soon, back into the gp in the morning to get admitted into hospital again.
daddy4life
July 2, 2017 at 5:13 pmHope it goes well mate. Hate it when things drag on with hospitals but at least it’s progress when it there.
daddy4life
July 2, 2017 at 2:59 pmSpend plenty of time in hospitals with my son as well as he has epilepsy. Hospitals definitely breed love hate relationships
A Bearer of Dad News
July 7, 2017 at 10:01 pmI couldn’t imagine how hard this must be for you and your family. Keep fighting the good fight.
thisreallifedad
July 7, 2017 at 10:21 pmThanks. Always fighting, It won’t be forever.
7 things I’m going to do when I’m better. | This real life Dad
July 10, 2017 at 12:09 pm[…] post, (I’m sorry) I’ve not been keeping too well lately. I’ve been in and out of hospital, I’ve lost more than 2 stone, I’m on a puree diet and pretty much bed bound with […]
Surgery - Going Under The Knife Again - This Real Life Dad
August 8, 2017 at 5:19 pm[…] my second blog post ever I wrote all about my Love-Hate relationship with hospitals. That post gave you the full background story of my previous Nissen fundoplication operation and […]
Judy E Martin
August 17, 2017 at 6:35 pmI do hope that you get some answers – and some treatment soon!
I did laugh though at the massive farting incident! 🙂
Thisreallifedad
August 17, 2017 at 11:07 pmHaha, that’s a daily occurrence when you’ve had the type of surgery I’ve had. We just have to laugh it off now.
Nothing else for it. I’m actually due more surgery in September, things have moved on a lot since this post thankfully. X
Judy E Martin
August 18, 2017 at 7:06 amI am glad things have moved along and wish you all the best for September! 🙂
Rated by Hanna
August 17, 2017 at 10:05 pmI tried finding all the follow up posts to this afterwards! Very entertaining post and it’s great that you were able to open up about these experiences! I hear you about the struggle with hospitals. Your recount reminded me eerily of my run-ins almost a year ago with Pancreatitis and staying as an in-patient for 5 days over labor day weekend with no food/water. Only IV drip haha. No fun at all! I was so bored out of my mind most of the time.
Thisreallifedad
August 17, 2017 at 11:10 pmHospitals hey! Just last week I published my most recent update. Getting surgery very soon so things have moved on a lot in the last few months. Thank you for commenting. Hope you like the follow up and future surgery posts!!! 😣
wanderlustandwetwipes
September 7, 2017 at 8:41 pmHoping your latest stay brings you some resolution! X
randommusings29
September 8, 2017 at 1:16 amI love your sense of humour around this – sometimes laughing is the only thing we can do and I really think it does help. I hope you get sorted soon!
Debbie
My story - Will this pain ever end? - This Real Life Dad
September 26, 2017 at 2:28 pm[…] The surgery was performed in November of 2011 and in my eyes was a complete success. To this day I’ve not had one episode of reflux, been sick or even burped. To read more about this you can check out my post Hospitals, my love-hate relationship. […]
My story: Will this pain ever end? – VIP Mums
September 27, 2017 at 10:12 am[…] The surgery was performed in November of 2011 and in my eyes was a complete success. To this day I’ve not had one episode of reflux, been sick or even burped. To read more about this you can check out my post Hospitals, my love-hate relationship. […]