Nature - Outlet Style!

Both weather and location make for limited Wide Wednesday photo opportunities. Bob’s challenge theme today is Nature - but after four days of immersion in the natural world, today sees us first in a rainy Cheshire Oaks, then an uninspiring afternoon in Liverpool’s Broad Green hospital 

For those who don’t know, Cheshire Oaks is one of those spirit-sapping ‘outlet’ malls, made worse by both the busyness of school holidays and by the dreary weather. We’d not even contemplate a visit today, but for the need to take our large Samsonite suitcase back to store for a repair. They think it’s just a simple job, so we have a short wander round, have coffee and buy chocolate - it’s Easter after all! And it’s here I spot the repurposed telephone box burgeoning with gaudy artificial flowers. At least it brightens up a grey day! 

Of course, the planned repair is not as simple as they thought, so returning to the store we’re told it will have to be ‘sent away’ - hopefully only for a few weeks. At least it’s still under the 10 year guarantee. 

It’s then on to my vasculitis appointment with my new consultant - I arrive early to have several blood tests ordered by another doctor, only to find it’s too late to have one particular test taken - I’ll need to get back to the Royal in town before four o’clock. If my appointment is on time, I might just make it, but in reality my 3 o’clock appointment ends up some 90 minutes late and lasts a further hour. Yes, it’s frustrating, but she sits with me showing infinite patience as she asks me question after question; each new specialism brings a new line of enquiry. 

She thinks I may indeed have a type of vasculitis - maybe the Churg-Strauss suggested previously. I will now need - surprise, surprise - further investigations including a PET Scan to access if other areas of my body are affected (she suspects kidneys and bladder), more blood tests and possible biopsies ……….. I really thought this appointment would be a dead end - as it still may be - so I’m feeling a mixture of relief/excitement that a diagnosis just might be close, and fear that this disease is damaging my body in more ways than I thought. 

It’s now a dash back into Liverpool where we’re meeting Daniel for a meal - originally booked for 5.30, then changed to 6.00 as I realised my appointment was overrunning, with us eventually arriving at the restaurant a further 20 minutes late. It’s Cote and we have a really delicious meal (we’ve eaten nothing since our breakfast so it’s very welcome), and the troubles of the day just slip away…. 

Unsurprisingly, it’s late when we return, and I’m so tired that  I’m straight to bed - so I’m afraid there’s no chance of looking at journals or responding to comments until tomorrow. 

Thanks to Bobsblips for hosting!