TheJournal.ie had a piece yesterday about Amnesty's ad campaign for an equal health system in Ireland.

(Incidentally, for me, this comment on that article sums up exactly why a one-tier, free-at-point-of-access health system is really the only defensible approach: "...as soon as rich people have to avail of the same services as the rest of us you’ ( Read more... )

Yup. What I was downplaying as a heavy, chesty cold (with fever) at the weekend was this morning diagnosed as ... dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun - swine 'fluOn my BIRTHDAY, and EVERYTHING ( Read more... )

I had my left ear syringed this afternoon. Calloo, callay, I can HEAR properly again! It backs up periodically, and I hadn't had it done since before Fiachra was born, so the quantity of wax that came out was fairly impressive. (I have an icky fascination with such things, which I recognise isn't universal, so I won't give you a more detailed ( Read more... )

This week has been ... about as varied as I'm able for. Possibly more so, in fact, considering how it's ending up. But I get ahead of myself. Allow me to give you a précis:

( Blow by blow )

Official first day of spring! Yay! No more January! Happy Imbolc, to those as celebrate it ( Read more... )

My grandmother with the pneumonia is on the mend ( Read more... )

This week is not getting any easier. As of last night, my 88-year-old grandmother is in hospital with pneumonia.

This evening I ate a BIG CHEESY DINNER for the first time in over a year. OH MILK, HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU ( Read more... )

1. Bah. I have sinusitis. Experienced it as a toothache yesterday, through the night, and this morning, but the dentist I saw earlier says there's nothing wrong with my teeth. Just that the nerves are being twanged by whatever my sinuses are doing (to wit, roaring at the rest of my face and dripping bloody gunk out my nose). The pain has got a LOT ( Read more... )

1. Physical health
Rotten. I've just finished my third course of heroic-sounding antibiotics (Pinamox, Distaclor, and now Zithromax, which one can't help pronouncing in a sort of wrestling compere type voice - ZITHromaaax!!! - like that) since 31 January, not to mention echinacea, salt-water gargling (ugh), hot honey and citrus, and homeopathic ( Read more... )