Follow up with Dipstick today after the mega infection of two weeks ago. 

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Old bag receptionist muttered as I arrived. So I sat down. 2 minutes later she yelled across the room JACQUELINE please go to 4th floor

 

So I yelled back OK #petulant? Me? ….but didn’t move immediately… Much to the amusement of my fellow patients. #WinSmallWinEarlyWinOften! (Eddie Jones) 

 

Waited outside his consultation room. And waited. And waited. And waited….tum dee dum…just started to think I would go back to face the wrath of the old bag when…

 

 he emerged. All of a fluster. The Rep who we had carefully organised to meet us… Had cancelled. We needed her to do the implant programming and impedence etc checks.

Shit.

Anyhow he had a bit of a fiddle around took some notes and dictated a clinic letter.

We need a referral he said….to get this fixed. He suggested I ask Jerome. So I wrote. But that is not the right way, I have since learnt. Shit, would hate to annoy Jerome. 

Anyhow I’ll work it out. This all came about because NHS-Land consultant, lovely as she was, gave up, discharged me to another surgeon, let’s call him Mr Bean, saying she’d run out of ideas. That was a bad day. about 18 months ago. But,Mr Bean’s clinic is always postponed. I saw him one Christmas Eve. He suggested I see him again urgently within 3 months. Well of course I never have. All the dates get changed. I think the next one is February 2020. But that won’t happen. In NHS- land I hear, targets must be met. Diagnosis target is 6 weeks. So with chronic shortages of staff, Brexit lack of mobility and overall nightmares,  tests are done. Maybe within  target. But treatment, will not happen for a year or more. Holy shit..So lucky me I can use insurance . But, as luck would have it insurance having covered the implant refuse to pay to have the battery changed. This is because, the implant is now labelled  a chronic condition. Where the hell is the sense in that? Without it surely the costs will be immeasurably higher for every acute episode…they do maybe cover acute. arrrghggh.. 

Back to Dip. He dictated his letter:

A pleasure to see Jacqueline

Her battery life is 5 months or so.

She has had steroids in her spine.

She has had other steroids too..

Antibiotics …alot….

 

Best wishes etc…

 

And that was that…batteried….. Off I trudged…In fact to see my very lovely friends CJ and AJ. He is so ill. In so much pain from seemingly 5 comorbidities. NHS seems paralysed in indecision. I’m shocked at what a state they are in. Of course my battery life woes seem as nothing. So there I was fixing their router, ( thank goodness it works now!), then getting stair lift quotes and carer agents to help. Suddenly I’m expert pain killer-advisor- suggestor. Surely GP should be doing this. I guess GP is overstretched and out of battery  too. Dam dam dam.

Before all this, at home, our shower door had exploded… Over me. Wow was such a noise. But all I have to show for this horror is a tiny scratch on my hand and a headache which I cannot shift. The glass shattered into a million pieces. But actually compared to the poor under resourced over stretched sinking NHS, fixing a shower is OK. The manufacturer is replacing it within a week. No target. No fee. Major apologies. No waiting. Was I ok. Was there anything I needed. They actually told me to go to A and E. No way I’m fine…let some other poor soul get treatment.