Guess who’s back? Back again? Chelsea’s back! Tell your friends!
Wherever do I start? I know you have missed a couple of changes in my life as of late. I’ve been spending a lot of time changing the pace of my life and slowing down rather than racing through these important years.
There was a bit of an incident recently that led to me ending up slammed into tiles multiple times. I pushed through and followed up with my GP then continued living life. Until it got worse and worse until I was vomiting in pain. Then I called it. I was taken to hospital and taken through for scans and tests and then more of each.
Some of my chronic pain girlies would know but when you’re under stress or pain it makes your body tense up. So naturally my endometriosis pain flared while my spine was burning just to keep me on my toes. I let the nurses know when they were trying to control my pain levels which didn’t happen until the second week of my stay. They found a large mass on my ovaries and booked me in for emergency surgery.
It felt like I was going through the motions again. Everything was so well managed before this incident and now I’m back to where I was after my last surgery. I woke up to good news that the mass was not a tumour and was instead a cyst which would’ve normally passed through however the pain exacerbated the inflammation making the surgery urgent.
I was finally hooked up to some accurate pain relief which helped calm everything down. Thankfully I had a better experience with the hospital this time around. However I unfortunately did have to advocate for myself and engage Ryan’s Rule. This immediately changed the level of care I was receiving and I was provided with a team of professionals who genuinely listen to their patients and try to understand their pain.
You all know how motivated I am about medical advocacy and standing up for yourself. If someone isn’t understanding what you’re trying to say then ask for someone to come try mediate. Your pain is not in your head and is very very real. If someone isn’t willing to take you seriously then you have to seriously evaluate your care. At the end of the day it’s you that these choices affect, not the specialists that go home and bill the through the roof for consultations.
After two weeks I’m finally back home resting up and recovering. George has been by my side glaring at me in a way only black cats can I swear. It feels like home.
If you are in hospital and are not being heard, please tell your doctors and nurses, ask for the nurse in charge, if that doesn’t work make sure you call 13 HEALTH and say you need to request Ryan’s Rule.
Stay Strong and Stay Positive,
XOXO Chelsea
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