After 10 days of 3 times a day administering of iv antibiotics at home, I wandered back to the tiny dark building behind Tottenham Court Road.  Such freedom to be able to stay at home, follow the careful training plan and carry on as ‘normally’ as is possible.

On the ground floor, left turn after reception, as I have explained before, is the std clinic, with a handy condom shop at the entrance. ‘Freedom’ is its name. 

This week ‘Freedom’ was shut. Oh dear. No freedom for the poor souls who found them selves turning left after reception. 

I knew my way up the stairs to the second floor. 

Greeted like an old friend I made sure I nabbed the only seat near a plug socket. ( prior knowledge helps)/ Charging up my ever dying phone and trying to ‘wordle’ as I waited. The Clinic was running late but…guess what? coffees and teas were handed out to keep us cheerful. 

This clinic is ‘Infectious diseases’ ID. The consultant in charge, thanks to Jerome, has taken on the case of my many infections ( UTI’s). Using microbiology links and MDT national meetings to try to gauge the best way forward. Just as well, since urology, who one might think would be involved, have no appointment s until 2023!

In parallel this clinic is the ‘walk in’ for Tropical Diseases. Walk in is a misnomer so not a wordle. I have oft overheard, the poor receptionist has to explain, walk in means GP REFERRAL then walk in! This week a lady ‘walked in’ and explained to reception she had been bitten by some insect whilst on holiday. ( As you do). The calm very nice Labradoresque ( not rottweiler) receptionist went through the whole GP referral stuff and it turned out the lady had not seen a GP. ( Mind you who has in this post covid world?) However, the insect bite was NINE years ago! OMG that receptionist needs a medal, she managed to calmly move the lady over to a nurse who again explained that really a GP might be best for this case. Maybe someone should have said well done, you’ve survived 9 years.

Anyhow. my Midline was taken out. Antibiotics stopped. More tests. More chatter and off I went home again. 

Today, Monday, was the eagerly awaited Difficult-Asthma-patient clinic. !

I am sure that is also a misnomer quordle wordle whatever. Difficult patient or difficult asthma?

It was to be a telephone appointment as my letter explained! I did think that a lung function test over the phone might be difficult , but who was I to argue. 

Perchance I picked up a ‘ unknown caller id ‘ phone call last Friday. The computer had messed up. Eric the software springs to mind. Please could I arrive at 8.00 am for face to face lungfunction followed by clinic 1 consultation. 

Aha I said I did wonder how a lung function test worked on the phone.

Yes agreed the call handler, we are good, but not that good!

Lung function test, consultant clinic, endless questions, history taking, allergies, meds….argh…then it was over to queuing for bloods, drugs and the whole morning spent in this new build of a hospital. Windowless, dark and airless. Who the hell designs these places?

On my way home I went back to ‘ID’, across town. Thinking that train strikes this week would be prohibitive, and given bladder has gone decidedly bonkers, as in: spontaneous emptying, it seemed sensible to get an msu in today. I was not sure I was actually allowed to ‘walk in’.

Again, ‘Freedom’ was shut. But in the hustle and bustle upstairs I indeed ‘walked in’ and was again greeted like and old friend and even offered an ice-cream this time as we chatted about where what how. Once again they suggested 2023 for urology was not ideal. Not least because they have read the MRI report and shared it with me. Am I bovvered? Yes, I am.

Home again home again Lovely station man, who always chatters, told me not to travel on trains again this week. Train drivers, tube drivers are walking out #strike…Chaos he says, will reign he apologetically added, he had to strike or risk bullying of being a ‘scab’. Wasn’t that the miners strategy in the 70’s?.   I get that the country seems to be sliding to the ‘Borisdom dogs’ but not everyone can work from home.

What about all the key workers who rely on the trains to get to work?

Is it really the case that train drivers are more deserving of an inflation-busting pay rise than doctors, nurses, physios, teachers, police officers, firefighters, or numerous other vital professions who have worked tirelessly throughout covid and beyond? What about the poor students sitting exams? Theyve had a rough deal the past few years. At least let them try and finish their qualifications.

we cannot all just ‘walk out’