January 28, 2008

I’ve been having a bit of a rough time with the pemphie.  It has flared up again and again.  No sooner does it start to disappear and I being to heal, it comes back, and always a little bit worse than the time before.

I was last at the hospital at the end of August and was supposed to return after two months.  I was eventually given an appointment at the end of November but couldn’t attend because I was away.  I let the hospital know in plenty time that I wouldn’t be able to make the November appointment.  And since then I’ve heard nothing.  I have made several phone calls to the Dermatology department and have repeatedly been fobbed off and told that I’ll be sent an appointment in due course.  I’ve even asked if it would be possible just to speak to a consultant and was told no.  As I understood it, the delay was because I was allocated a locum consultant who only visited when there were sufficient numbers of appointments ‘collected’.

Today,  I saw my GP.  He was fantastic and immediately phoned Dermatology to find out what the hell was going on.  I could only hear one end of the conversation, but they clearly began by trying to fob him off too, but he persisted and pointed out that I didn’t have a ‘minor skin condition’, and that my illness is a serious, chronic one.  Eventually, he got to the truth of the matter: the locum has left and all patients allocated to him have been abandoned!  No one thought to tell me or my GP (or presumably any of the locum’s other patients).  My GP was clearly angry.  So, now he has to re-refer me.  the whole situation is ridiculous and deeply worrying.  What on earth does NHS Grampian think it is doing?!?  I think I might write a letter to my MSP (Mike Rumbles), because although I’m being re-referred it’s only because my GP and I were both persistent, others might easily fall through the cracks and be forgotten about.

January 11, 2008

Today I found myself thinking about places I would like to visit.  There aren’t many places that I have the urge to see, but the more I think about it, the more I’d like to visit Egypt.  A trip down the Nile, the Pyramids, Alexandria ….

Then by coincidence I was looking at the Smithsonian Magazine website and this article:  The Smithsonian Life List.

From the list I’ve only been to the Louvre and seen the Aurora Borealis.  I saw the inside of a train station in Venice, but somehow I don’t think that counts!

I won’t be off to Egypt any time soon.  It’s apparently a bit of a chore to get there without flying, and I won’t fly any more.

January 7, 2008

I’ve really been enthusiastic about doing ’stuff’.  My 101 things list has motivated me.  I really do love crossing things off lists.

Lots of the things on my list are ongoing things which won’t get crossed off until my 1001 days are up, but there are a few specific things I am working on:

5.  Go to the theatre - I have booked a ticket for the ballet next week.  I’m going to see Scottish Ballet doing Sleeping Beauty and I’m really looking forward to it.

24.  Give blood - I phoned the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to see if I was eligible.  I eventually got to speak to a nurse who told me I wasn’t eligible and that I would never would be because my blood is nasty and dirty (I’m paraphrasing) and they must “protect patients” (I’m not paraphrasing).

36.  Take a first aid course - I got my confirmation letter through for the course I booked.  My course is on 21 February.  I’m nervous already.

40.  Complete my ECDL - Today I booked my final three tests for next week and the week after.  Fingers crossed I’ll pass, but I wouldn’t count on it.

56.  Cancel phone contract - Done!

57.  Recycle my old mobile phones - I saw today in the Cancer Research shop near where I work that they take old phones, so I’ll have to gather them up and take them in.

I should have had ‘Get my eyes tested’ on the list, because it is yet another thing I’ve been putting off for years, despite eye tests being free in Scotland.  Anyway, after work on Saturday buoyed up by getting other things done I went into Boots to ask about an appointment and was given one almost immediately.  Turns out my eyes are fine (despite the prednisolone) and my prescription hasn’t changed much.

101 things to do in 1001 days January 2, 2008

Yes, I’ve jumped on the bandwagon.  I am eschewing the traditional New Years’ Resolutions in favour of the increasingly popular 101 things in 1001 days.  I began yesterday, so my 1001 days are up on 28 September 2010.  It seems such a long way away.

My list has quite a few overlapping things, but I’ve tried to be realistic about what I can achieve, so I’ve not put in things like ‘become a millionaire’.  Also, I’ve unashamedly stolen ideas from other people who are doing the same challenge.  Oh, and I don’t mind admitting that I plan to tweak the list as I go.

My list in no particular order:

1. Watch the sun set and rise
2. Grow something edible (and eat it)
3. Take photos of my family and friends
4. Read 10 classic novels
   
5. Go to the theatre
6. Go to a concert
7. Be creative
8. Give to charity
9. Go to a sporting event
10. Learn something new
11. Sample foreign foods
12. Cook something
13. Be more aware of what’s going on in my community
14. Visit a museum
15. Paint a picture
16. Keep a diary
17. Watch a Shakespeare play
18. Begin to learn a new language
19. Learn about the history of my country
20. Read a book a month
21. Take a trip on a steam train
22. Take my own lunch to work instead of buying it
23. Become more environmentally friendly
24. Give blood (0845 30 17 2 70 between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday)
25. Protest about something I care about
26. Get a tattoo
27. Start writing a book
28. Begin to learn sign language
29. Learn to play a musical instrument
30. Keep my room clean
31. Eat my 5 a day
32. Give a Kiva loan
33. Knit something
34. Keep a scrapbook
35. Give old books to charity
36. Take a first aid course  (21-FEB-0
37. Purge my wardrobe
38. Register with a dentist
39. Watch one foreign language film each month
40. Complete ECDL
41. Say no to plastic bags
42. Join a club
43. Make my dolls house
44. Watch the BFI 100 (http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/bfi100/)
45. Watch Best Picture Oscar winners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture)
46. Come off all meds
47. Remission
48. Learn how stuff works (http://www.howstuffworks.com/)
49. Vote in Scottish, National and local elections
50. Go to a festival
51. Pay off credit cards
52. Learn how to use my Holga properly
53. Apply for jobs
54. Get a permanent job
55. Create a budget and stick to it
56. Cancel phone contract
57. Recycle my old mobile phones
58. Turn things off
59. Make a will
60. Write to someone who has inspired me
61. Buy local
62. Buy fair-trade
63. Buy organic
64. Live naturally
65. Clean out my old toiletries and make up
66. Take the stairs once a week
67. Try watching less TV
68. Eat more healthily
69. Stop impulse buying
70. Rent instead of buy
71. Reduce, reuse recycle (http://www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/)
72. Stop my junk mail (http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/)
73. Learn who my MP, MSP, MEPs and councillors are
74. Hug people
75. Compliment people
76. Use soap nuts more
77. Keep in touch with friends and family
78. Make and keep appointments for blood tests
79. Re-pay Mum and Dad
80. Buy a pot plant and keep it alive
81. Make a wearable piece of clothing
82. Take a daily multivitamin
83. Give presents to friends/family even when it’s not a special occasion
84. Learn how to cook
85. Do laundry regularly
86. Finish a Guardian crossword without help and without cheating
87. Brush teeth at least twice a day
88. Send thank you cards promptly for every present received
89. For every item bought, get rid of another
90. Fly a kite
91. Try new foods
92. Give handmade gifts where possible
93. Calculate my carbon footprint and offset
94. Go one day per month with no computer
95. Go one day per month with no TV
96. No pop except on special occasions
97. Try to make new friends
98. Write a letter to myself to be opened in 5 years time
99. Start to make 1000 origami cranes
100. Be a nicer person
101. ?