Thursday 7th November 2019:

I’ve got a last minute PET scan (positron-emission tomography) and cardiac echo at London’s Royal Brompton tomorrow.

The PET is apparently perfect for discovering exactly where in the body sarcoidosis is lurking.

The downside is in preparation I haven’t been able to eat any carbohydrates at all today, or it’ll render the tests useless. And as if eating just meat, eggs and fat wasn’t torture enough (my colleagues have certainly been wary about sitting too close) nothing other than water is allowed to pass my salivating lips for the 18-hours prior to the tests on Friday afternoon, which will probably be the precise moment I go past the point of feeling hungry.

However, as I said to the receptionist who booked my appointment: “At least I’ll start the weekend feeling thin!”