Friday to Tuesday
So Friday morning, two days after finishing the antibiotics, I mustered enough strength to get up very early and phone the doctor's surgery to bring discussions back on to the weight loss surgery level. Things had been left because I developed some sort of super virus and was out of it pretty much for two whole weeks. Understandably no one wanted to discuss anything else other than treating the infection during that time so once the course of tablets was out of the way, I initiated discussions Friday morning.
At first I was angry to learn that whilst I had been unwell, my GP had referred me for dietry advice at one of the local hospital nutritional units. The receptionist suggested I telephone them to find out the date and time of the appointment which I had not received yet.
Upon phoning and being passed on to several different lines, put on hold, after a seventeen minutes phone waiting pass the buck type of call, I learnt the waiting time was over twelve weeks and therefore my appointment wouldnt be until May. I complained, this is completely unacceptable to me.
I was given a date for Tuesday 8th May before leaving that pointless phone conversation. I sat there in the kitchen, house still silent where no one else was awake, it wasnt even 9am yet, I decided to tackle the GP surgery to let them know my feelings.
Four phone calls later where I kept saying that I couldnt possibly leave things the way they were, insisted that my next call was going to be to the PALs (Patient Advice and Liaison Services) I finally got the appointment for May 8th brought forward to yesterday, Monday 6th February 9:30am.
Great I thought, feeling quite triumphant. Sunday night I went into the downstairs wet room to use the toilet, decided I would try and have a shower by myself whilst I was there. It was possibly the best shower to date, no one knew I was having one except Imogen who brought me the towels, she had been sitting at the dining table just inside the lounge area opposite the toilet door so I silently waved at her to get me the towels in secret.
I managed to not only shower but wash and condition my hair as well. I felt so good and proud of myself doing that, its been a long while since I was able to confidently do that whole process alone.
It had snowed over the weekend, at first early hours of Sunday morning it seemed like the fresh white snow would settle and remain on the ground, this was not the case and by Sunday afternoon we were left with a horrible dark grey slushy mess outside but which had turned very very icy and dangerous.
To get up to the surgery no cars can go up the pedestrian street, I have to wheel my wheelchair from my front door, across the road, up a steep slope to get on to the pedestrian street then along uphill to the doctor's surgery house, up a mega steep slope to the side door then inside the building which is a large old Victorian house conversion. There was no way I could make it up the first sloping pavement, the kids were sliding about all over it when they tried to go shopping to the high street earlier on Sunday and then hubby nearly slipped and fell on his way up to get milk and a newspaper mid evening.
I started to feel so damn cheated, I finally had an appointment with a doctor who could write up a prescription for Orlistat tablets and start me off on y way to weight loss and yet the building was completely inaccessible to a wheelchair user.
I got my things ready none the less, clean clothing and underwear, coat, hat and scarf just in case by some miracle Monday morning would bring dry pavements. Sadly though, despite getting up in plenty of time for the appointment, I had to admit defeat and telephone just after 9am to let them know I could not wheel up hill all the way there over the two steep inclines, it just was too dangerous.
Having accepted another appointment for Friday morning, I sat there feeling quite angry so instead of wallowing in things I did a bit of research into what other GP surgeries there were in our new area. Found on that is full wheelchair friendly even has lifts inside the building, its listed as a Health Care Center with nine GPs, extended opening times, five premises one of which has a local Farm Shop in the entrance selling farm produce like meat, vegetables and plants plus hand made soaps, potions, oils etc. The photographs look very appealing and made me feel like it was the type of place I would like to visit next week when we get paid. So I telephoned them to ask if they had a carpark, they do, if they had wheelchair access, I got the speech about how user friendly they are, so with it all sounding very positive, I explained my predicament and the lady suggested my husband comes and collects new patient forms for me to fill in and we take things from there. I explained he had to go out just round the corner from them about 5pm so would call in for the forms then.
I spent most of yesterday evening filling in new patient records for Harvey and me, I thought I'd change him now as well because if anything happened and he had to see a doctor I couldnt take him myself at the current one despite it being a matter of doors away. I also did Joseph's passport application and a couple of other outstanding housing forms for the right to buy our house.
My husband has left to take the new patient forms in to the new surgery, I typed up a letter explaining matters giving a detailed medical history with dates, surgeon's details and any other relevant information I could think of. The letter is three pages long, oh dear, well if they read it and act accordingly I'll be well pleased. I just want an appointment with someone who has the authority to write the prescription for orlistat and I can do the rest. It doesnt need to be stressful or a big thing, it just needs to happen.
I just want to get on with the rest of my life that is all. Having sorted out all the rest of the family, even Lionel has taken lots of steps to sort himself out, it feels like the appropriate time to devote to myself once and for all and get things which have been outstanding for a while finally sorted out like the coccyx bone area which has been giving me endless grief of late, feels spongy again and very painful. I just want to get on with my life, thinner and more attractive, able to move about, able to just live. One of the things Angelica is most looking forward to doing with me is clothes shopping, and I have to agree, the ability to just walk into any shop on any street and find something that fits me is highly appealing, its been at least 25 years since that last happened, about time it started again dont you agree. My pelvis needs something artificial in order for it to work properly again apparently, bones are no good full of tiny cracks and the base of my spine is so weak I can only spend four to five hours a day now out of bed. I feel horrible although do love my hair, just still dont want photographs or anything like that taken at the moment which is not so good.
At first I was angry to learn that whilst I had been unwell, my GP had referred me for dietry advice at one of the local hospital nutritional units. The receptionist suggested I telephone them to find out the date and time of the appointment which I had not received yet.
Upon phoning and being passed on to several different lines, put on hold, after a seventeen minutes phone waiting pass the buck type of call, I learnt the waiting time was over twelve weeks and therefore my appointment wouldnt be until May. I complained, this is completely unacceptable to me.
I was given a date for Tuesday 8th May before leaving that pointless phone conversation. I sat there in the kitchen, house still silent where no one else was awake, it wasnt even 9am yet, I decided to tackle the GP surgery to let them know my feelings.
Four phone calls later where I kept saying that I couldnt possibly leave things the way they were, insisted that my next call was going to be to the PALs (Patient Advice and Liaison Services) I finally got the appointment for May 8th brought forward to yesterday, Monday 6th February 9:30am.
Great I thought, feeling quite triumphant. Sunday night I went into the downstairs wet room to use the toilet, decided I would try and have a shower by myself whilst I was there. It was possibly the best shower to date, no one knew I was having one except Imogen who brought me the towels, she had been sitting at the dining table just inside the lounge area opposite the toilet door so I silently waved at her to get me the towels in secret.
I managed to not only shower but wash and condition my hair as well. I felt so good and proud of myself doing that, its been a long while since I was able to confidently do that whole process alone.
It had snowed over the weekend, at first early hours of Sunday morning it seemed like the fresh white snow would settle and remain on the ground, this was not the case and by Sunday afternoon we were left with a horrible dark grey slushy mess outside but which had turned very very icy and dangerous.
To get up to the surgery no cars can go up the pedestrian street, I have to wheel my wheelchair from my front door, across the road, up a steep slope to get on to the pedestrian street then along uphill to the doctor's surgery house, up a mega steep slope to the side door then inside the building which is a large old Victorian house conversion. There was no way I could make it up the first sloping pavement, the kids were sliding about all over it when they tried to go shopping to the high street earlier on Sunday and then hubby nearly slipped and fell on his way up to get milk and a newspaper mid evening.
I started to feel so damn cheated, I finally had an appointment with a doctor who could write up a prescription for Orlistat tablets and start me off on y way to weight loss and yet the building was completely inaccessible to a wheelchair user.
I got my things ready none the less, clean clothing and underwear, coat, hat and scarf just in case by some miracle Monday morning would bring dry pavements. Sadly though, despite getting up in plenty of time for the appointment, I had to admit defeat and telephone just after 9am to let them know I could not wheel up hill all the way there over the two steep inclines, it just was too dangerous.
Having accepted another appointment for Friday morning, I sat there feeling quite angry so instead of wallowing in things I did a bit of research into what other GP surgeries there were in our new area. Found on that is full wheelchair friendly even has lifts inside the building, its listed as a Health Care Center with nine GPs, extended opening times, five premises one of which has a local Farm Shop in the entrance selling farm produce like meat, vegetables and plants plus hand made soaps, potions, oils etc. The photographs look very appealing and made me feel like it was the type of place I would like to visit next week when we get paid. So I telephoned them to ask if they had a carpark, they do, if they had wheelchair access, I got the speech about how user friendly they are, so with it all sounding very positive, I explained my predicament and the lady suggested my husband comes and collects new patient forms for me to fill in and we take things from there. I explained he had to go out just round the corner from them about 5pm so would call in for the forms then.
I spent most of yesterday evening filling in new patient records for Harvey and me, I thought I'd change him now as well because if anything happened and he had to see a doctor I couldnt take him myself at the current one despite it being a matter of doors away. I also did Joseph's passport application and a couple of other outstanding housing forms for the right to buy our house.
My husband has left to take the new patient forms in to the new surgery, I typed up a letter explaining matters giving a detailed medical history with dates, surgeon's details and any other relevant information I could think of. The letter is three pages long, oh dear, well if they read it and act accordingly I'll be well pleased. I just want an appointment with someone who has the authority to write the prescription for orlistat and I can do the rest. It doesnt need to be stressful or a big thing, it just needs to happen.
I just want to get on with the rest of my life that is all. Having sorted out all the rest of the family, even Lionel has taken lots of steps to sort himself out, it feels like the appropriate time to devote to myself once and for all and get things which have been outstanding for a while finally sorted out like the coccyx bone area which has been giving me endless grief of late, feels spongy again and very painful. I just want to get on with my life, thinner and more attractive, able to move about, able to just live. One of the things Angelica is most looking forward to doing with me is clothes shopping, and I have to agree, the ability to just walk into any shop on any street and find something that fits me is highly appealing, its been at least 25 years since that last happened, about time it started again dont you agree. My pelvis needs something artificial in order for it to work properly again apparently, bones are no good full of tiny cracks and the base of my spine is so weak I can only spend four to five hours a day now out of bed. I feel horrible although do love my hair, just still dont want photographs or anything like that taken at the moment which is not so good.