Present state of meself.

[Bob Williams]

Thanks Dwynne.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[JayCeeDee]

Best of luck, Bob. They’ve been making great advances in treatments for Lymphoma – including the clinical trial that I was on. Don’t know enough to differentiate between what you call cancer in the Lymph Nodes and my Lymphoma. ( Follicular ; Non-Hodgkins.)

I was one of the lucky ones – the chemo I got acted as a sort of “medicinal boost” – I always came out feeling better than I went in!! In fact I used to drive the 75 miles to the Marsden, get my chemo first, anti-body next, drive to my son’s London flat and stay over then back to the Marsden to get my second dose of anti-body the following day and then home.

Here’s hoping it all works out for you.

[Richard]

Sorry to learn the latest update, I am sure that it was not what you wanted to hear. At least they are proposing the standard action. Though I was not clear whether they are planning to remove the lymph node or if that has already gone. My wife’s is a triple negative invasive cancer, (plus several others’ in waiting’ it is not always nice to have a few spares). It is already in the nearest lymph node so she has either 4 courses or 8 courses of chemo, it is not yet decided which due to her other co-morbidity issues. Then a month’s break and then the operation(s). So it does not really matter what the summer/autumn is like, we know how were are going to be spending the coming months until November/December.

The appointment system is still crap, last week we had a call telling her she had an appointment on Tuesday,yes said SWMBO I am seeing the oncologist at that time. Oh the hospital said we better rebook this one. Today a latter turned up for the last Tuesday double booked appointment. So SWMBO rang them up, yes you did not turn up for your appointment the non-system said. SWMBO pointed out that last week she told them she was being double booked and could they reschedule the appointment, at that time they said they would. However dumbo did not bother to follow through. Now we need to get  that matter sorted out – pronto.

Bob, I hope your lot mange things rather better!

[Tippon]

Best wishes to you both Bob and Richard, and your respective families.

 

[Richard]

Thank you Tippon, though the whole debacle took another turn to the evil side on Friday. The oncologist rang my wife later Friday to ask about a couple of missing reports he needed before he could get her to sign off on the start of treatment. After three weeks of trying one department has failed to respond and is thus holding up the start of urgent treatment. The other is the one with the appointment screw up. Sadly it was too late on Friday to take action but unless there are some speedy responses on Monday morning I feel the need for urgent and very direct action. Things could all too easily start to get ugly very soon.

[The Duke]

Not a great start. I know the feeling far too well Richard. Hopefully they’ll get there shit together this week for you. ?

[Bob Williams]

I know that situation well Richard, I always say that the NHS is staffed by by caring medical personnel and 90% administration that doesn’t give a damn. I once had to wait 20 minutes for a “clerical” person to action sending for the right documents, after seeing the wrong name on mine. I eventually went to the desk and loudly demanded that she made the call or fetch them herself.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Ed P]

Most of the Reception Admin are volunteers at my local hospital. They are actually pretty good.

[Richard]

Ed, yes they are the ‘casual’ reception and generally give a good ‘old fashioned’ level of service, after all they are from that earlier age. The paid administration staff can vary from good through to unmentionable, with results that can fall well below the level marked unmentionable. Mind you in some cases the tools they are given are often some way down on the poor side. See my earlier comment about unprotected servers and data networks causing huge down time losses.

[Bob Williams]

In every Lincolnshire hospital is a service called PALS (think that’s Patient Action Line) staffed by retired vounteers, many are ex-nurses and some ex-admin. When Grimsby lost my SWMBO’s extensive notes and made no effort to find them, I contacted them: they were suddenly found!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Richard]

Thank you Bob for that suggestion. I had the PALs link open on my PC all morning ready and waiting. I had spent the weekend polishing my tanks ready for parking on someone’s lawn, but sometimes things can get resolved without a shot being fired.

First one of the senior players in the GP team rang me, was very helpful about a different matter affecting me, less than well controlled blood pressure. She reviewed notes and was most supportive. I felt the need to apologise for taking her time, though I also had to offer her thanks and appreciation for a profoundly supportive conclusion.

The second helpful development was when SWMBO saw the oncologist. Poor chap had been impersonating the blue arse fly getting answers and agreements from all the recalcitrant departments. Today the paperwork has been setup, the PICC line goes in on Thursday and chemo can start on the following Wednesday. We used the parking permit for the first time today, though it took nearly thirty minutes to find a space anywhere. It is going to get a right work out over the next months with all of the pending appointments.

Now it is down to hope and doing what can be done.

[Ed P]

Richard try reverting to your Japanese diet – healthy daily quantities of brown miso, and natto a couple of times/week. It worked wonders for me and after two months took 5-10 points off both Systolic and Diastolic and trimmed the glycemic index down to the lower end of normal. Rest of my diet was the same unhealthy stuff as usual  but maybe a bit more fat(cheese) to soak up the good stuff in natto. (the latter is a very acquired taste – Asians that I know liken it to them eating blue cheese — a revolting experience for the unwary).

There is science behind this albeit controversial and not yet accepted by mainstream cardiac specialists. (look up MK7 and cardiac health).

[Richard]

Ed, My issue is that I suffer wild variations day to day and at different time of the day. For example today I rose early after a poor night’s sleep. washed dressed and walked dogs twice, one dog each time had breakfast and was drinking a cup of tea when I tried to slip in a BP check. Result, the best result I have seen in over a month. Systolic varies by 30 points while diastolic varies by over 40 points from day to day. Those are daily best points, peeks are far worse. I never really went all Japanese so the miso did not feature too highly, but the use of more natural grains and vegetables did stick. While Japanese cereals were very varied with their ingredients, mainly base plus vegetables of many types they missed out most if not all of the sugar. The UK supermarket have a hundred and one boxes of sugar with little difference between them.

Mornings are clearly best, systolic has already increased by 25 points and diastolic by 27 points since breakfast, though I have had an operation in between the two readings.

[Ed P]

Wow – that is a heck of a swing. I reckon reproducibility in readings is around +/-2. The only time I saw anything like that was when the bladder in the instrument started leaking.

[Bob Williams]

Another update:

Today my son was showing his Stationary Engines at Woodhall Spa Agricultural Show, where the 617 Dam Buster’s Squadron was once based. Massive grassed showground, lots of tractors, trucks, classic cars again, loads of food stalls and tents serving all kinds of food and drink. Lots of family attractions. Problem was that it was a long walk to my son’s engines, but I managed it quite well, although the uneven ground tested SWMBO’s new hip. I had the world’s second biggest Lincolnshire sausage Hot Dog* and spoke to some different Classics owners. Two elderly ladies had a very rare Triumph Herald 2-seater fastback. I complimented them on its condition, to which one replied “But we don’t do the mechanical stuff, do we  dear?”  To which her companion said, “No that’s your long-suffering grandson!” At which they both chortled.

Then the second one said “No, we just stripped the body and painted it, do you like it?” I was nonplussed, then her companion said “Oh I didn’t mind spraying the primer, but by the time the last coat of body paint went on, I was ready for a cuppa!”

I complimented them on the paintwork: it really was good, no ripples, no pimples, no orange peel. Then I wandered away, musing over the meaning of the Feminist movement.

But I must have covered a couple of miles around the Show, I will sleep well tonight. Feeling fitter every day, but must order some new trousers. Luckily it was warm enough for my shorts today. Not a pretty sight…

*The biggest I ever found was in Vancouver, for 50 cents in ’81. Having almost run out of funds but staying in a Motel on vouchers, my mate and I lived on those for the last 3 days. We had seconds on the Lufthansa airline steaks, on the way home.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Ed P]

This thread became a little gloomy, so I thought it may be nice to interject a lighter note without diverting too far off the course of hospitals etc.

Today my wife and I took a train to go shopping (parking costs ruin car economics in this area), so my wife picked up a paper-back to read on the train. The whole journey was then interrupted by her giggling and LOLs. The paperback that had her in fits of laughter was:

“This is going to hurt” Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay.

I sneaked a peek at the book and the following is a short extract from writings that generally resemble the zany but slightly black humour of Tom Sharp (Porterhouse Blues).

“I noticed that every patient in the ward has a pulse of 60 recorded in the observation chart, so I surreptitiously inspect the Healthcare Assistant’s measuring technique. He feels the patient’s pulse, looks at his watch and meticulously counts the number of seconds per minute”

Enjoy – but don’t burst any stitches!

[Richard]

The (real) one I enjoyed was in an orthopaedic hospital. One patient had a constipation issue and was given a suppository. After the nurse left her shift and several hours later, he was rather sick.

In the morning he called the nurse over and explained in a very hushed voice,

Patient; ‘Oh nurse, I ought to tell you, you put the suppository the wrong way round.’

Nurse; ‘There is no right or wrong way round.’

Patient: ‘Are your sure about that as I think you are wrong as it had the wrong effect. After it was inserted I was sick as a dog last night.’

[Author]

Posts