Hello one and all
I am currently sitting in the lab rats lounge at the Hammersmith Medical Research hospital.
I got here yesterday - lots of fun getting into the building. I 'm not sure if I mentioned in a post that the hospital where its based is at the Middlesex Hospital but they have built a new hospital next door so HMR are the only ones in this place. They've gutted the rest of the place. Quite creepy actually. Anyway, came yesterday and usual entrance is chained shut. After trying many, many other doors around the rest of the buildings I find one that I can force open and where there used to be a corridor to the HMR part of the building - it was boarded up and this asshole asks what the fuck I'm doing there and the hospital is being knocked down in a few days, theres no-one left in the building.
Fun.
Anyway I say bullshit. Skulk off to the new hospital and one of the security guys walks me very far around and through a hidden entrance behind some generators. HMR do live here, this part of the building will be left standing. Nice of them to let people know how to get in.
So I come inside and its the same routine as last week. Pee in this, oh and this one and one more for luck. Multiple blood samples (I have some more pretty bruises on my arms where they tried to find a good vein) and some very personal questions. Most of the other lab rats are late as they couldn't find the way into the building and it took them a little longer to think -
'hey, I could go ask in the new hospital - its only next door!'
Three of the very nice other reserves from last week got into this weeks for definate too. Apparently some people didn't show up this week. They couldn't do that last week and save me some trouble.
On second thoughts the extra hundred £'s and my paid holiday from work was nice.
Some really crap food last night and everyone was starving and then the news that we all have to fast until 1:30 this afternoon because of the drugs in our system. Everyone was ravenous by then and we would have pretty much ate anything put in front of us. This time it wasn't cold, dry, plastic packed sandwiches etc. But actual food. Nice.
Anyway no side effects so far from the drugs and no-one else is either though by the time we were aloud out of bed everyone had a sore back. See, not only do they not allow you to eat but after they administer the drug at 7am (yes 7am) we had to have bed rest. Either that or because of the many blood samples they take for the first few hours they couldn't be fucked to come search for us each time.
Now they only take it every two hours. I have a pretty tube in my hand - I'm pleased they numbed the arm before they put it in. That was one big needle.
Another thing is I am in the first bed on our ward so any procedure I'm first in line and the others watch with great interest to what they're in for. All fine so far.
Funnily enough some of the subjects on this trial are members of staff. Apparently they average to two staff members on every trial. Good way to make extra money as apparently they make squat. This is a nice easy one so theres alot of them volunteering.
So anyway - signing off. All is good. Nice people. Just watching movies, reading books.
Thanks Timo for 'Run' - so far I like it. I like the language - the tone. You know what I mean.
Oh, and Gavin for the the Kevin Smith humour in you - I am Test Subject no. 37.
I got here yesterday - lots of fun getting into the building. I 'm not sure if I mentioned in a post that the hospital where its based is at the Middlesex Hospital but they have built a new hospital next door so HMR are the only ones in this place. They've gutted the rest of the place. Quite creepy actually. Anyway, came yesterday and usual entrance is chained shut. After trying many, many other doors around the rest of the buildings I find one that I can force open and where there used to be a corridor to the HMR part of the building - it was boarded up and this asshole asks what the fuck I'm doing there and the hospital is being knocked down in a few days, theres no-one left in the building.
Fun.
Anyway I say bullshit. Skulk off to the new hospital and one of the security guys walks me very far around and through a hidden entrance behind some generators. HMR do live here, this part of the building will be left standing. Nice of them to let people know how to get in.
So I come inside and its the same routine as last week. Pee in this, oh and this one and one more for luck. Multiple blood samples (I have some more pretty bruises on my arms where they tried to find a good vein) and some very personal questions. Most of the other lab rats are late as they couldn't find the way into the building and it took them a little longer to think -
'hey, I could go ask in the new hospital - its only next door!'
Three of the very nice other reserves from last week got into this weeks for definate too. Apparently some people didn't show up this week. They couldn't do that last week and save me some trouble.
On second thoughts the extra hundred £'s and my paid holiday from work was nice.
Some really crap food last night and everyone was starving and then the news that we all have to fast until 1:30 this afternoon because of the drugs in our system. Everyone was ravenous by then and we would have pretty much ate anything put in front of us. This time it wasn't cold, dry, plastic packed sandwiches etc. But actual food. Nice.
Anyway no side effects so far from the drugs and no-one else is either though by the time we were aloud out of bed everyone had a sore back. See, not only do they not allow you to eat but after they administer the drug at 7am (yes 7am) we had to have bed rest. Either that or because of the many blood samples they take for the first few hours they couldn't be fucked to come search for us each time.
Now they only take it every two hours. I have a pretty tube in my hand - I'm pleased they numbed the arm before they put it in. That was one big needle.
Another thing is I am in the first bed on our ward so any procedure I'm first in line and the others watch with great interest to what they're in for. All fine so far.
Funnily enough some of the subjects on this trial are members of staff. Apparently they average to two staff members on every trial. Good way to make extra money as apparently they make squat. This is a nice easy one so theres alot of them volunteering.
So anyway - signing off. All is good. Nice people. Just watching movies, reading books.
Thanks Timo for 'Run' - so far I like it. I like the language - the tone. You know what I mean.
Oh, and Gavin for the the Kevin Smith humour in you - I am Test Subject no. 37.