h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Time, that is. and money, too, no doubt

Hospital appointment yesterday.
Got to it, and then found out what the appointment was for... no test, no scan, no bloods, just an app with a nurse, in bone clinic.

"How many times have you fallen recently?"
"how many bones have you broken?"

never, and none whatsoever, of course, but. really.

So, the vast vast majority of people with osteoporosis, and osteopenia, are elderly, very elderly, and useually very unsteady on their feet, but. really?- Nope, I look like none of these

observent this nurse.

Nurse then says how they want to do a repeat blood test on me, repeating the one from last year, on bone turnover. Which is fine with me, although as soon as she starts mentioning it, I begin thinking they might have wrote to me beforehand.

Because, its a fasting blood test, that has to be done early morning, and for which I must withhold taking some of my suppliments, namely calcium, until after the test.
So. I can't do the test whilst there as it is nearly 4 PM, and I'm not in the fasted state.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

So. a complete waste of time, nurse did not examine me, did not give me the results of the test I had a year ago. and, as I wasn't fasted, and as it was too late in the day I couldn't have the blood test.

No advice about my fractured spine, although I did try asking her, in terms of exercise with it...

She did mention again my needing medication at some point; again she mentioned the drugs I've told them I refuse to take.

Head. wall.

In otter news my sleep is terrible again, so I'm re-trying taking melatonin, which I'm not sure is helping; last night took some, and slept, maybe nearly 2 hours in total.

Going to buy a new mattress in case that helps.

In otter otter news. Still not resolved the misprescription of my medication by hospital, so not sure yet If they'll fix in time for my next testosterone injection. - officially easier now for me to precure my medication on the black market - but we did go to GP surgery yesterday, to attempt sort out the mess-up manually and without Dr intervention as Dr can't intervein without getting it wrong or incorrect

New clinic app with endocrinology, at end of October; I'm now on the final consultant at the hospital they have left. all the otters I've seen there have subsequently left the hospital, cept one, who's retiring soon.

I'm giving up going gentle on the consultants. so this one might not last as long as the others.

Wow indeed...

That was a helpful nurse (not) telling you about the medication that you may or may not need because the test wasn't able to be done, but not answering your questions...

Sorry to hear you're not sleeping well again, even though stopping the levothyroxine helped you a while ago... Am I right in thinking you have changed your cortisol regime to take more later, rather than most in the morning? Did that improve it at all, or make it worse?

Good luck with the consultant, by the way - sounds like you have a good plan!

I can't even. Except wish you the best of

Again

yes... not a very helpful appointment = I also always get a distinct feeling I'm not getting all the information I oughta; I asked for advice, at this appointment for what I should be careful of, in terms of exercise, and she basically said anything/everything is fine... - I'm pretty sure it isn't, due to the high risk of bones breaking etc, but, I assume, as they see me as a blind person, they assume* I don't do certain things in the gym... - E.G., I'm fairly sure the impact force I exert on the gym punch bag, is broadly the same as I'd get if I fell.... =- similarly jumping whilst I've a 20 KG barbell supported on my shoulders, must be a fairly strong force, exerted down my fractured spine... - I guess the nurse can't imagine a blind person doing such things... - similarly reading some 'advice' online, it seems at home I'm ment to - remove trip hazards from the home.... install support rails etc., etc., - I'm fairly sure turning round, on a moving treadmill, to go from running forwards to backwards, or sidewards, would be considered a dangerous thing from their perspective... but, of course, a blind person no doubt couldn't do that - actually going sideways on the cross trainer is my new thing... oh, and my double leg slams/jumps at the pads in the gym, must be an impact simular to falling I guess =- of course, these help as far as I'm concerned, with strengthening my bones



another hospital/surgery/pharmacy c** up

OK; the Dr at hospital finally wrote a corrected letter to the surgery. Surgery got it wrong. we walked there, and corrected it.

Then, we went to pick up my GH injection pens, I'd ordered.

No GH; they'd issued the prescription, but failed to hit the 'print' button - should be at pharmacy now, on Monday.
But...

There was a paper prescription, issued, ready for me to collect (but no message to me to tell me it was there to collect) - for the testosterone sort of sorted. ish. eventually - so should get my GH Monday (I'm not low yet), and we've got my prescription now for the testosterone so I can ask for the meds to be issued in time for my next injection



in otter news.
Insomnia. then not insomnia- altered my meds slightly (shhh…. without Dr permission, natch) - this seems to have fixed insomnia for now

in otter otter news... - Think I'll go make some soup now

"I'm fairly sure turning round, on a moving treadmill, to go from running forwards to backwards, or sidewards, would be considered a dangerous thing from their perspective... but, of course, a blind person no doubt couldn't do that "

Oh no, you couldn't do that indeed!

"they'd issued the prescription, but failed to hit the 'print' button"

facepalm is the word...

"Insomnia. then not insomnia" Excellent

I had a very stressful time at the doctors on Thursday. After an hour's wait , I eventually saw the doctor (GP) where I came regarding a letter received over a month ago (it took a month to get a doctor's appointment at the local GP surgery where my original appointment to see one of the visiting Doctors from the main surgery was cancelled not by me by the local GP surgery) and I thought it was about the results of my blood test for anti-convulsion medication for my epilepsy which is under control and went into my blood test results (the blood test was asked for from the hospital) and I was told there was nothing that warranted me having to make an appointment to see a doctor. The letter that she found on the computer that was sent to me was very vague all it said that I needed to make a routine appointment to see the doctor. The vagueness of the letter caused me a lot of stress and anxiety (the GP surgery always seems to forget that I am on the autism spectrum and that it took over three years to get my autism diagnosis put on my medical records) and then after the fruitless part of the appointment, I had my medication review as it was totally different from the one I got from the practise nurse and I was unprepared about the questions which she asked which I found stressful. At the end I was totally mentally and physically exhausted along with a splitting headache which the mental and physical fatigue still affecting me today.

It does seem sometimes they're going more out of their way tomake us unwell, than they are to make us ill.... - I've a general rule of thumb, with the GP that I'll only visit when I know what's wrong with me, so then at least I know they've got it wrong if they misdiagnose... - sure I'll go when I know I need antibiotics or some such, but really nowdays that's about it And, the hospital... well, most of the Dr's honestly shouldn't be 'practising' on real patients