Michæl McFarland Campbell

I want to say that I woke up yesterday morning after a night of bad sleep, but it would be more accurate to say that I woke up after a night of very little sleep due to coughing because of a chest infection.

Andrew went to our pharmacy as soon as it was just about to open as I had run out of my Salamol inhaler and needed it. He got it and came back quickly. After using it, my breathing was much better, but I still reckoned that I needed to see a GP. So, it being Saturday morning and our regular GP being closed, we rang the out-of-hours service and got an appointment for 11:15. This meant we had to get to Port Laoise by then. Andrew then had to go to the pharmacy again so that I could take a Covid-19 antigen test. So that was his pharmacy visit number 2.

The antigen test returned negative, so we were clear to head on to the out-of-hours GP clinic. The easiest way to get there was to walk to the bus stop, get on the airport bus to Port Laois, get off at the hospital, and walk down the road to the out-of-hours GP clinic.

We arrived ahead of time, entered, sat down, and then I was called by the triage nurse to have my stats checked. Pulse of 94, SpO₂ of 94, too, my temperature was 35.9ºC. She didn’t check my blood pressure, but I was pretty certain it would have been high, as usual, as well.

I went back out to wait for the GP to call me in. Within a couple of minutes, he called me, and I entered his consultation room. I explained what was going on. He listened to my chest and said that there was a bit of a wheeze, so he prescribed

1. Amoclav 500mg/125mg one tablet, three times a day, spaced evenly through the day for seven days.
2. Deltacortril Enteric 5mg, six tablets, once a day with or after food for five days.

On our return to Monasterevin, we visited the pharmacy again, the third time for Andrew in one day, to have the prescription dispensed. Then we returned home. Yesterday, I had two of the Amoclave tablets and one of the Deltacotril enteric doses as well.

I am sure that these medications will help the chest infection go away. Today, I managed to walk to the main street of Monasterevin to visit a cafe for lunch. On my walk back, Andrew nipped into the local SuperValu, and I waited in the sun on a public bench. It was lovely being out in the sun in shorts and a T-shirt. Now, I am sitting back at home in the sitting room while Andrew naps upstairs in his office. This evening I will take the second Amoclav tablet for today with the Deltacortril enteric dose for today with some toast and jam.

Originally posted on HIVBlogger.com.

Yesterday, while I was on dialysis, a secretary from the Vascular Clinic at Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore called to schedule an arm scan. I’ve been waiting for this scan for several months to determine if there’s enough space in my arm for another arteriovenous (AV) fistula, which would aid in dialysis access. Given the opportunity to attend today’s appointment, I eagerly took it and travelled to Tullamore by train.

Upon arrival, I was asked to remove my t-shirt, which seemed excessive for an arm scan, but I complied. The nurse then informed me she was ready to scan my right arm. This surprised me because I thought the scan was for my left arm. The nurse went to consult another professional, but they were unavailable. She returned, and we had a discussion about the situation.

The main reason I don’t want a fistula in my right arm is due to the loss of dexterity I’ve experienced in my left arm since having an AV fistula there. As an organist, maintaining dexterity in my right arm is crucial. Additionally, I was frustrated that I had travelled to Tullamore for a scan of the wrong arm. Had I known it was for my right arm, I would have cancelled the appointment to avoid wasting both the nurse’s and my time.

On a positive note, we learned that placing another AV fistula in my left arm is impossible. The team usually starts with the forearm and moves up if necessary. Since my current fistula is in my upper arm, there’s no more space for another one in my left arm. This means we need to explore other alternatives. I have requested to speak with another renal consultant with whom I have a good rapport, partly due to our shared Scouting connection. I hope we can find a suitable solution from now on.

Originally posted on Hivblogger.com

In January 2024, I was diagnosed as autistic. This diagnosis confirmed what we had suspected for some time. Nothing has changed since then, and I am still me. But, with the diagnosis, it is easier to explain to others why I react in ways that most people do not. I still find it difficult when things are done in different ways. I like the routines. The main place that this comes out is in my dialysis clinic. Since I help with the setting of my machine that makes things a lot simpler – at least for me.

Andrew also got me an autism support bear in the same manner as Liam the dialysis support bear. The autism support bear is called Otto von Bearsmarck – and he comes to dialysis more often nowadays than Liam. He has recently taken to Instagram to post about how he supports me. You can follow him there.

I am always being reminded by my renal medical team that I need to be physically healthy for a kidney transplant were one to come up; therefore, I’m looking at renewing my active lifestyle to help with that. Follow the Positive Exercise blog for future updates there.