More intriguing medical news yesterday. (Well, intriguing to me, anyway.) The results of my CT scan came back. They showed nothing scary, thank goodness, but they did show a "mild thickening" of my airways, which is probably why I have the persistent cough that I do. The doctor I spoke to said this was a subjective reading and not a sign of ongoing illness, it doesn't require treatment and there are no indications it would become worse. It could be a "post-inflammatory" response or maybe it's just the way I'm built.
So that's an explanation and a reassurance, which is what I really wanted.
She also said I have a small cyst on my spleen -- pretty common and also nothing to worry about. What is it with me and Dave and our splenic abnormalities?
Anyway, I'm sure that's more than you ever wanted to know about my organs, but when you read a blog you take the bad with the good, right?
I don't have much else to report today. Here's our library Christmas tree. It's smaller than in years past, and a bit more minimalist. A parent volunteer decorated it for us, which was very kind of her, and made the popcorn-and-cranberry garlands. We decided it was a retro theme -- kind of '50s.
(Top photo: A quiet moment in Woburn Square, Fitzrovia.)
Still not good to have a persistent cough...but then you are living in London!
ReplyDeleteA nice wee tree..festive but not OTT!
Best you give up the Marlborough Reds, I think. Switch to menthol ciggies to clear your airways.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind reading about the male organ.
So Fitzrovia is an actual place?
Anything to be done about the persistent cough? You and Dave with your spleens, a match made in heaven? That shot taken in Woburn Square is astounding. It looks like you had escaped to a deep wood with the summerhouse looking like an old cottage.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to know about people's insides. Does that make me superficial?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, nice picture of the garden gnome at the top of this post. I wonder what he's reading? Possibly "On The Way Gnome" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Is Fitzroviaan imaginary place like Glockamorra? Intriguing picture. The first time I heard of decorating a tree with popcorn I was amazed! Food! What next, Christmas pudding on top? But it's a good idea really, being thankful to the earth.
ReplyDeleteGood to know all is well. Nice tree. I remember stringing popcorn and cranberries when I was young and eager. It took forever. Your parent volunteer was really VERY kind.
ReplyDeleteSpleendid news!
ReplyDeleteGood news on your CT scan ... mine was considered "unremarkable" ... so I am OK, too!
ReplyDeleteThe tree is just right and definitely not over the top in size or decorations!
I kinda like that you and Dave have Spleen Issues ... t'was meant to be, the two of you!
ReplyDeleteWell, that is reassuring. So what are you supposed to do about your cough?
ReplyDeleteA sweet tree for the library. Is it leaning a bit or was that the photographer? Glad your results were good.
ReplyDeleteI remember making popcorn garlands as a kid. I guess we ate as much as we strung.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like you and Dave were meant for each other.
ReplyDeleteI hope the cough soon subsides. Maybe some Florida air will help a bit.
I like the little tree. It appears perfect for a library.
I had to google "spleen" to see what that organ actually does. It's all about the immune system. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteLovely Christmas tree at the library. Nice detailed decoration.
My thinking is that all people look different on the outside. So the insides are different in everybody too! So no problems with a little bump on your spleen.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that if everyone had a CT scan (or an MRI, for that matter) we'd find a lot of abnormalities, including things like fatty liver (a problem common in overweight people, and found in me when I had a CT scan for another matter entirely) and aneurysms (which were discovered in my father and one of his brothers by accident). If I could, I would get an MRI just to see what my brain looks like. Can't do that in the Canadian medical system without a better reason than that, though. lol
ReplyDeleteDid the doctor think an inhaler might help your cough? I don't know if they'd work with thickened airways or if they are just for narrowed/irritated airways. A constant cough is so tiring.
I like the little Christmas tree AND the popcorn and cranberry garlands - very retro indeed!
It’s a common symptom post covid
ReplyDeleteWhen was your last DPT/DTaP (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine? Adults are the reservoir for the bacteria that causes pertussis (aka whooping cough), and a persistent hacking cough is often the only sign an adult has pertussis/whooping cough. A mucus swab test from the back of the throat is all that's required to test for pertussis. Erythromycin for 14 days generally takes care of knocking out the bacteria.
ReplyDeleteDo you have allergies? That would seem to cause that kind of cough. That's a cute tree!
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that it didn't discover anything that could be treated. My intermittent hacking cough comes and goes. It's annoying.
ReplyDeleteGood to know there's nothing serious. As I mentioned yesterday, our bodies are often filled with abnormalities. Still... kinda funny you AND Dave have extra special spleens!
ReplyDeleteI like how the tree looks. I remember we had one in the early 60s that was decorated entirely with edible things. (cookie ornaments, popcorn, candy canes, etc)
I'm glad your scan didn't reveal anything scary! We made our work Christmas tree look like a gnome (sort of - you can see that we were only somewhat successful when I post the photo of it tomorrow).
ReplyDeleteAwesome to know that your lungs are good and nothing is going on. If you had a lot of allergies or a cold recently your airways could just be irritated from that. Just glad to know that your healthy.
ReplyDeleteYour and Dave's spleens did have me chuckling as it is weird that both of your tests came back talking about the spleen lol.
Blog reading does come with the good and the bad lol. I have to say that I love almost all of the blogs I come across!
Happy Weekend.
There is one organ you failed to mention, just saying. That's low hanging fruit for me, I can't just let an opportunity like that go unmentioned:)
ReplyDeleteOld age is hell. There. I said it and I'm satisfied.
ReplyDeleteReal popcorn and real cranberries? We couldn't do that in Australia, the tree would be crawling with ants in no time!
ReplyDeleteWe tried it once with mini candy canes, they were wrapped in cellophane pretty tightly, but overnight the tree was infested so badly we shoved it out the door and hosed it down. Only plastic candy canes from then on.
GZ: All that lovely urban air!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: There are no ciggies to switch, I assure you! Fitzrovia does indeed exist -- it's a neighborhood in London roughly between Bloomsbury and Marylebone.
Mitchell: Not much to be done, but it's not so severe that I can't just live with it. One of the things I love about London is all the little secluded hideaways!
YP: Laura Ingalls Wilder is sort of on the outs these days. People don't like the way she wrote about Native Americans. I'm not sure how well she treated gnomes.
Boud: Fitzrovia is real, although the name (according to Wikipedia) only dates to the 1930s so it's of relatively recent vintage.
Colette: I watched her doing it and thought, "Wow, she is PATIENT."
Ed: Ha!
Marcia: Excellent! I'm glad we both came through our tests with flying colors!
Bob: Right?! A match made in the abdomen.
Ms Moon: Live with it, apparently. It's not SO severe that I can't just do that.
Ellen D: LOL -- it IS leaning a bit. I have tried and tried to straighten it in the stand but it's jammed in there too tightly, so we just have to cope.
Ellen: Yeah, it seems like that would be a hazard!
Sharon: The cough has been around for years, so I think it's pretty much a permanent thing. It's not terrible and in fact you probably wouldn't even notice it if you hung around with me. Just a recurrent urge to cough and clear my throat.
Robin: I remember years ago, when learning about anatomy, hearing that no one was sure what it did! So I think that's relatively fresh knowledge.
Red: Exactly. We're all bound to have our own little idiosyncrasies.
Jenny-O: I bet you could get one if you didn't mind paying for it. There are private scanning centers that will scan pretty much whatever you want! Of course it's an investment.
John: I had it even before Covid reared its ugly head. We're talking years.
Damselfly: Well THAT's an interesting theory, but I think this has been too long-standing to be an infection. It's something I've had for ages, sometimes better and sometimes worse. Like, YEARS.
Margaret: Allergies were one theory, as well as post-nasal drip. (I do have chronic sinus problems, too, but again, not really rising to the level of treatment or surgery.)
Allison: I think some of us just have these sorts of things because it's the way we're built. But it's worth checking them out.
Kelly: Excellent! You're proving our "retro" theme is accurate. :)
Bug: Well THAT's a cool idea. Can't wait to see the photo!
Beth: I know, it IS funny that such an unremarkable organ merited special attention in both our medical reports!
Pixie: I'm not going there! :)
Catalyst: Better than the alternative, though, as they say!
River: Ha! You know, now that you mention it, I don't see many ants in England. They exist but I don't think they're as active as they are in warmer parts of the world. (They're definitely more active, and more fierce, in Florida.)
Glad the scan was anticlimatic. Perhaps your body is still clearing the cobwebs of your past bout with covid, who knows? In any case, you seem to have your old walking energy, so that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteYou and Dave are made for each other! Spleenic abnormalities? Who would imagine?
ReplyDeletePlease keep an eye on the airway thickening over time. It is a key symptom of the disease I have -- bronchiectasis -- and in time can become a challenge. (In fact, when you google thickening of the airways, brochiectasis is the first thing that comes up on some search engines.) The good news is that it is manageable but it isn't always fun. So, watch the cough over time and if it worsens be sure to follow up with a pulmonologist. I don't say this to alarm you -- it's a slow progression. But in time there are meds that can help make it more manageable.