Showing posts with label eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eyes. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Great news
The best news I've had since I was told I could have early retirement is that I don't need to go back to the hospital unless I notice anything changing in my eyes. As I now know what to look for and would be on the phone straightaway if there was the slightest change that is fine by me. I usually have my eyes tested every year anyway for obvious reasons. The specialist is satisfied that after 3 years with no bleeding it's unlikely to start again - marvellous! Of course there are medical advances being made all the time and stem cell research is coming along quite well for my particular complaint so if it happens again it may be there will be something available to reverse the damage already done.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Diagnosis
The title of a book by Lisa Sanders. It is American but still relevant to the UK. It goes through the diagnostic process and shows how doctors these days are so keen on having complicated tests done they forget their best chance of deciding what is wrong with a patient is by examining them and listening to what they are saying about their symptoms. It is absolutely fascinating reading. I've been left wondering how doctors manage to diagnose anything when you consider there are only so many symptoms a body can produce and not everyone will exhibit all the symptoms for a particular disease.
If you are at all interested in things medical - read this book. Its full title is Diagnosis: Despatches from the Frontlines of Medical Mysteries by Lisa Sanders.
Appropriately enough I'm off to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham to have my eyes checked tomorrow and I'm in my usual panic about it. I can see Rescue Remedy will be much to the fore both today and tomorrow.
If you are at all interested in things medical - read this book. Its full title is Diagnosis: Despatches from the Frontlines of Medical Mysteries by Lisa Sanders.
Appropriately enough I'm off to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham to have my eyes checked tomorrow and I'm in my usual panic about it. I can see Rescue Remedy will be much to the fore both today and tomorrow.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Good news
I had to go for a check up on my eyes today - the first time in 9 months and I had to chase it up to get this one! I think something went wrong with the filing system but I blame the fact that my surname begins with a letter of the alphabet close to the end. Anyway the important things is there was no change - which I was sure there wasn't - but you just like to be 100% sure. He's said 6 months this time rather than the 3 months it should have been before and I am happy with that. I know what symptoms I need to watch for and would get in touch if anything changed.
I find the trips to Nottingham and the nightmare of parking and the amount of time I spend sitting waiting when I am there totally stressful - even with the help of Rescue Remedy. Please note I am not complaining here about the NHS as this is a private appointment!! It's bring your sandwiches, a flask and War and Peace (not that you can read unless it's large print once they've put drops in your eyes) and prepare for a long wait if you're NHS.
So it's been a good week all round one way and another and it's a really lovely day here as well. I've just spent 10 minutes in the garden pulling up weeds in the shingle and it was warm enough to be out there in short sleeves - long may it continue.
I find the trips to Nottingham and the nightmare of parking and the amount of time I spend sitting waiting when I am there totally stressful - even with the help of Rescue Remedy. Please note I am not complaining here about the NHS as this is a private appointment!! It's bring your sandwiches, a flask and War and Peace (not that you can read unless it's large print once they've put drops in your eyes) and prepare for a long wait if you're NHS.
So it's been a good week all round one way and another and it's a really lovely day here as well. I've just spent 10 minutes in the garden pulling up weeds in the shingle and it was warm enough to be out there in short sleeves - long may it continue.
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Homelessness
Yes OK this is hardly a cheerful subject for the festive season, but I have just been reading the BBC's web site about soup kitchens encouraging rough sleeping. I can understand the theory behind that as in if you provide the mechanisms for supporting rough sleeping you make it possible for people to do it. But then isn't that what some people believe about the welfare state in general? Withdraw the financial support and people will suddenly miraculously become model citizens with a 9-5 job, house and car etc. Yes, OK I fully accept that some people living rough and some people living on benefit probably could help themselves and don't choose to and also some people would rather live outside society and not have to be bound by its rules and restrictions.
What horrifies me and always has done is the fact that a civilised developed country like Britain actually has people who do sleep rough. Why? When I lived near Norwich and worked in the city centre there were almost always one or two rough sleepers in our doorway each morning when I got to work. There were also many beggars - with or without dog and/or mobile phone. Here in Lincolnshire I don't think I've ever seen anyone begging or sleeping rough. But Lincolnshire has a lower average wage than Norfolk. There is something doesn't add up here. Especially when you put these together with all the beggars and rough sleepers I remember seeing when I visited Canterbury two or three years ago. I would think Canterbury is a fairly prosperous City.
So why do we have more rough sleepers/beggars in apparently prosperous areas? Not that I can claim my own experiences as scientific research of course. Is it because they will get more money/help in the more prosperous areas? In the poorer areas people have less money to spare? Is it that housing is cheaper in poorer areas so there is less homelessness? But as wages are correspondingly lower it cancels out the advantage.
What is the answer? I'm not claiming to know. I wish I did. I just find it seriously offensive that we have not yet found a way in this country to make sure that everyone has a roof over their heads every night. I'm not talking here about people like my former neighbour who worked in the oil industry and could not drink for weeks on end whilst he was working. When he was home he used to go out and get drunk and try and cycle home - usually ending up sleeping it off in the hedge! I would not call anyone like him a true rough sleeper. I'm most concerned about the people who for whatever reason choose or are compelled by their circumstances to live on our streets.
But then we have the perhaps questionable motives of some of those who run soup kitchens or shelters. Do they believe they are helping to solve the problem? Do they do it because it makes them feel better? Do their motives matter or is it just the results that count? What can be done to ensure everyone can have a roof over their heads? I have a suspicion it is not just a question of money because if it was I'm sure it could be solved quickly.
I'm know the problem will not be solved this Christmas.
I was surprised by the BBC's article which says there are about 500 people sleeping rough on the streets of Britain every night. Is this figure right? I would have thought from the rest of the article that perhaps that figure only applied to London - read the article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7155783.stm
I suppose that figure does not include those who might have found a bed in a hostel but who are actually homeless, which would account for the huge numbers who will visit the soup kitchens over the next few days.
On a similar theme. I find the usual charity appeals made by many newspapers at Christmas very irritating. They are usually for charities which will help people overseas - why? Whilst we still have people living rough on the streets here shouldn't we be collecting for them? I was particularly incensed by an appeal by one of the papers for a charity which helps people with eye sight problems in Africa. Yes I know this is a worthy cause but what about eye sight problems in this country? Research is notoriously under funded and many treatments are not available on the NHS - why weren't they appealing for the RNIB and related charities in this country?
It sometimes seems to me that we would almost rather help people abroad than tackle the problems in our own country. Is it guilt? Or is it lack of knowledge of the real issues under our noses?
Rant over for today.
What horrifies me and always has done is the fact that a civilised developed country like Britain actually has people who do sleep rough. Why? When I lived near Norwich and worked in the city centre there were almost always one or two rough sleepers in our doorway each morning when I got to work. There were also many beggars - with or without dog and/or mobile phone. Here in Lincolnshire I don't think I've ever seen anyone begging or sleeping rough. But Lincolnshire has a lower average wage than Norfolk. There is something doesn't add up here. Especially when you put these together with all the beggars and rough sleepers I remember seeing when I visited Canterbury two or three years ago. I would think Canterbury is a fairly prosperous City.
So why do we have more rough sleepers/beggars in apparently prosperous areas? Not that I can claim my own experiences as scientific research of course. Is it because they will get more money/help in the more prosperous areas? In the poorer areas people have less money to spare? Is it that housing is cheaper in poorer areas so there is less homelessness? But as wages are correspondingly lower it cancels out the advantage.
What is the answer? I'm not claiming to know. I wish I did. I just find it seriously offensive that we have not yet found a way in this country to make sure that everyone has a roof over their heads every night. I'm not talking here about people like my former neighbour who worked in the oil industry and could not drink for weeks on end whilst he was working. When he was home he used to go out and get drunk and try and cycle home - usually ending up sleeping it off in the hedge! I would not call anyone like him a true rough sleeper. I'm most concerned about the people who for whatever reason choose or are compelled by their circumstances to live on our streets.
But then we have the perhaps questionable motives of some of those who run soup kitchens or shelters. Do they believe they are helping to solve the problem? Do they do it because it makes them feel better? Do their motives matter or is it just the results that count? What can be done to ensure everyone can have a roof over their heads? I have a suspicion it is not just a question of money because if it was I'm sure it could be solved quickly.
I'm know the problem will not be solved this Christmas.
I was surprised by the BBC's article which says there are about 500 people sleeping rough on the streets of Britain every night. Is this figure right? I would have thought from the rest of the article that perhaps that figure only applied to London - read the article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7155783.stm
I suppose that figure does not include those who might have found a bed in a hostel but who are actually homeless, which would account for the huge numbers who will visit the soup kitchens over the next few days.
On a similar theme. I find the usual charity appeals made by many newspapers at Christmas very irritating. They are usually for charities which will help people overseas - why? Whilst we still have people living rough on the streets here shouldn't we be collecting for them? I was particularly incensed by an appeal by one of the papers for a charity which helps people with eye sight problems in Africa. Yes I know this is a worthy cause but what about eye sight problems in this country? Research is notoriously under funded and many treatments are not available on the NHS - why weren't they appealing for the RNIB and related charities in this country?
It sometimes seems to me that we would almost rather help people abroad than tackle the problems in our own country. Is it guilt? Or is it lack of knowledge of the real issues under our noses?
Rant over for today.
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