This is what happens when I am in too big a rush to give the correct email address for the General Medical Council: practise@gmc-uk.org
Oh, dear-sorry to those of you who made the attempt. But I did send a very curt email to the BBC, and Channel 4, and, while I was at it, to the Daily Express. Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to involve The Sun-because it is the equivalent of the National Enquirer. Eeeek!!!
I'm doing a lot of exercises so I can learn to duck really fast!!! Of course, I am only 5'3" tall, so I can just walk behind tall people!!!! Either that, or move...
Monday, 14 January 2013
I've stuck my head up over the parapet-again
Well, there are some results-my campaign has got off to a slow start-but it is still a start. And it is early days! People are taking notice; people are writing; people are as fed up with injustice as I am. People power: there is nothing like it.
I know what a risk I am taking over this-but someone has to do it, and it is a risk I am prepared to take. Nothing will change if people don't stand up and fight for change!!
I received an unsigned email on the yahoo account. The writer said that I am absolutely out of my mind for even thinking about doing this campaign, because only a very small percentage of people who complain over malpractice ever receive any compensation-let alone any kind of investigation into the incompetent doctors who have injured them. He (or she) then went on to wish me the best of luck-but also to remind me that the next time I have to go into Barts or the Royal London as an inpatient, they will probably poison me, and call it an accident. Why am I not surprised?
Whatever happens, I will have to be extremely careful (as the writer of the email pointed out, people have been murdered for less). Paranoid? Who is paranoid?
I will absolutely have to lose the walking stick; I can wobble without it, I will just wobble a bit more.
I will need to wear a hat. And dark glasses. And a scarf. And gloves. Perhaps I should wear a mask....
I know what a risk I am taking over this-but someone has to do it, and it is a risk I am prepared to take. Nothing will change if people don't stand up and fight for change!!
I received an unsigned email on the yahoo account. The writer said that I am absolutely out of my mind for even thinking about doing this campaign, because only a very small percentage of people who complain over malpractice ever receive any compensation-let alone any kind of investigation into the incompetent doctors who have injured them. He (or she) then went on to wish me the best of luck-but also to remind me that the next time I have to go into Barts or the Royal London as an inpatient, they will probably poison me, and call it an accident. Why am I not surprised?
Whatever happens, I will have to be extremely careful (as the writer of the email pointed out, people have been murdered for less). Paranoid? Who is paranoid?
I will absolutely have to lose the walking stick; I can wobble without it, I will just wobble a bit more.
I will need to wear a hat. And dark glasses. And a scarf. And gloves. Perhaps I should wear a mask....
Saturday, 12 January 2013
People Power Rules-always
Two and a half years ago, I was afraid I would be a vegetable for the rest of my life. Now, I have not only become a blogger, but also an activist. Funny how that has happened!!
I'm always surprised when I see that people (and not only the people I know) are reading this blog. Now I am gratified to see that people have answered the call: they are writing to limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk Imagine that!!
The question that arises is: how do I write to the General Medical Council? What do I write? So I thought I would post the email I sent (complete with copies to all those media people whose addresses I noted in yesterday's post. Won't that cause an uproar!!! Hopefully!!!!)
Sirs:
In 2010, a patient at Bart's Hospital in London was crippled, and her life destroyed, by gentamicin: this drug was not monitored, not administered correctly, and her cries to be taken off the drug due to severe side effects were deliberately ignored by her doctors - who saw all signs of gentamicin ototoxicity and chose to ignore them, telling her she was "imagining things". This caused complete vestibular destruction and severe visual impairment-both of which are complete, and permanent, and she is now completely disabled.
These doctors lied, telling her that she would "be fine", and that they did nothing wrong. You received two complaints and demands for a full investigation; you received these within six months of the occurrence, and you have ignored them. Why?
The doctors: Philip Bright, reg. no. 6103350
Sofia Grigoriadou, reg. no. 4282352
Hilary Longhurst, reg. no. 2981570
are guilty of gross negligence, incompentence, misconduct, and malpractice. They refused to listen to their patient, ignored obvious signs of vestibular destruction, and arrogantly lied to the patient. They are hiding behind Barts and the London, who appear to shield them (and other incompetent doctors within the trust) who should not be practicing medicine. Barts appears to condone this disgusting behavior; there is overwhelming evidence to prove the guilt of the doctors and the hospital that encourages them.
Yet- the General Medical Council does nothing-and you know that this incompetence exists all over this country, so why do you do nothing to stop it?
How many people in this country need to be crippled (or killed) at the hands of arrogant, incompetent, negligent doctors before you take action? How many emails like this one will it take for you do actively end this practice of cover-up, whitewash and collusion before you are forced to put a stop to it?
You will receive many emails like this one-and so will the media-until the disgraceful practice of cover-up has ended. Barts Trust, Bright, Grigoriadou, and Longhurst must be held accountable-publicly accountable-for this utter disgrace. And you must be held accountable, too, because you chose to ignore it.
That is the email I wrote to the GMC, and copied to the media.
This campaign began because I was well and truly fed up with the injustice of it all; now it has escalated, and it is no longer just about me, but about all those people who have been crippled by gentamicin (and there are many of them), or by doctors who are completely inept and should be doing something more suited to their abilities (someone wrote in and said that the public toilets in Piccadilly could use a good clean!!).
This isn't about me; it's about all of us. And there is a war on. Anyone else care to join me?
I'm always surprised when I see that people (and not only the people I know) are reading this blog. Now I am gratified to see that people have answered the call: they are writing to limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk Imagine that!!
The question that arises is: how do I write to the General Medical Council? What do I write? So I thought I would post the email I sent (complete with copies to all those media people whose addresses I noted in yesterday's post. Won't that cause an uproar!!! Hopefully!!!!)
Sirs:
In 2010, a patient at Bart's Hospital in London was crippled, and her life destroyed, by gentamicin: this drug was not monitored, not administered correctly, and her cries to be taken off the drug due to severe side effects were deliberately ignored by her doctors - who saw all signs of gentamicin ototoxicity and chose to ignore them, telling her she was "imagining things". This caused complete vestibular destruction and severe visual impairment-both of which are complete, and permanent, and she is now completely disabled.
These doctors lied, telling her that she would "be fine", and that they did nothing wrong. You received two complaints and demands for a full investigation; you received these within six months of the occurrence, and you have ignored them. Why?
The doctors: Philip Bright, reg. no. 6103350
Sofia Grigoriadou, reg. no. 4282352
Hilary Longhurst, reg. no. 2981570
are guilty of gross negligence, incompentence, misconduct, and malpractice. They refused to listen to their patient, ignored obvious signs of vestibular destruction, and arrogantly lied to the patient. They are hiding behind Barts and the London, who appear to shield them (and other incompetent doctors within the trust) who should not be practicing medicine. Barts appears to condone this disgusting behavior; there is overwhelming evidence to prove the guilt of the doctors and the hospital that encourages them.
Yet- the General Medical Council does nothing-and you know that this incompetence exists all over this country, so why do you do nothing to stop it?
How many people in this country need to be crippled (or killed) at the hands of arrogant, incompetent, negligent doctors before you take action? How many emails like this one will it take for you do actively end this practice of cover-up, whitewash and collusion before you are forced to put a stop to it?
You will receive many emails like this one-and so will the media-until the disgraceful practice of cover-up has ended. Barts Trust, Bright, Grigoriadou, and Longhurst must be held accountable-publicly accountable-for this utter disgrace. And you must be held accountable, too, because you chose to ignore it.
That is the email I wrote to the GMC, and copied to the media.
This campaign began because I was well and truly fed up with the injustice of it all; now it has escalated, and it is no longer just about me, but about all those people who have been crippled by gentamicin (and there are many of them), or by doctors who are completely inept and should be doing something more suited to their abilities (someone wrote in and said that the public toilets in Piccadilly could use a good clean!!).
This isn't about me; it's about all of us. And there is a war on. Anyone else care to join me?
Friday, 11 January 2013
Together we can change the world
I emailed a question to my consultant, Matt, yesterday-and I received a rather curt email back, telling me not to mention gentamicin, since the Barts Trust lawyers have informed him that he is not to discuss anything about the 2010 situation. And this started me thinking...
It's two and a half years since the incompetent doctors at Barts ignored my wishes to have them stop gentamicin-and two and a half years since I have been crippled and my life has been destroyed. And I can honestly say that the small recovery has been very, very tough.
I know I make fun of the Brits-my theory is, if they can dish it out, they should be able to take it!! But one thing that I find amazing is the reluctance to stand up and fight for compensation when they have been the victims of medical negligence, incompetence, malpractice-and general arrogant stupidity. Most of them will complain, but few will fight. If they don't fight, this problem (and it is a big one) will carry on forever.
The law in this country states that, unless a victim of malpractice is seeing a doctor privately, the patient can only sue the hospital, not the doctors. So, inept doctors who make the most inexcusable mistakes are allowed to hide behind the hospitals and the NHS, and all that happens is these charlatans continue to cripple (and, in some cases, kill) innocent people. People can apply for Legal Aid-and I'm not sure how that operates, or even if the government is still providing it. No win, no fee is a fairly recent concept here-but cases of malpractice can carry on for five years, so I wonder how dedicated these lawyers are, if they know they are in for a very long haul.
The other alternative is to pay privately for legal assistance; this is hideously expensive as well as time-consuming-but it is the way I chose to take this case to court. And Barts can (and probably will) waste as much time as they can, knowing that, if they wait long enough, I will deplete my savings and have to quit.
Is this fair? No-but, once again, it is one of the cornerstones of life: life is unfair.
I made a formal complaint to the General Medical Council about six months after the whole disaster happened; I got someone to write it out for me, since I was unable to write anything myself. And I still haven't heard anything. No surprises there; they all look after each other, I think. And, by the way, the incidents of malpractice in this country are shocking. Unless people go public (and sometimes even that does no good), all these cases are hidden.
I remember reading an interview with the anthropologist Margaret Mead (I'm going back to childhood, so I'm not absolutely quoting this). She was asked if she really believed that small groups of people could change the world. She replied that they are the only ones who can.
I sat all night thinking about that-and I think that the laws must be changed, and that all the victims of negligence and malpractice should rightly receive justice-if not financially, then certainly morally. And I figured out a way to make sure this happens: it is called people power.
I am not the person to witter, twitter, tweet, facebook, or any of that stuff - but I can email. And I set up a special email account just for this online moral crusade to change laws and to make the culprits accountable. The address is: limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk
If everyone who reads this blog sends all the information I am about to give you to ten people in their address list-or posts it online, on facebook or another social networking site-and those ten people involve ten more people...and so on...we can, literally, change the world.
If every one of those people sends an email to the General Medical Council (www.gmc-uk.org), atttention of Fitness to Practise, and asks why there has been no investigation into the following doctors-whose incompetence crippled a patient and ruined her life in 2010-even though she complained, the council did nothing- and quote the doctors' names and medical license numbers, and also sends copies to the media, they will force the hands of the medical council and Barts Trust. When the spotlight of shame blasts onto Barts, it will also highlight all the other hospitals in this country, and will highlight incompetence and malpractice on a massive scale. The government will be forced to step in, really investigate (rather than cover up, which is their usual practice), and these people will never be able to treat unsuspecting patients this way. Why? Because the world will be watching. And something will have to be seen to be changed. And the people involved will never do this to anyone else again; they will never be able to hide behind the skirts of the hospitals and the NHS. And people will receive the compensation they deserve.
Philip Bright is now crippling people in Bristol; his license number is: 6103350
Sofia Grigoriadou is still at Barts and the London in London. Her number is: 4282352
Hilary Longhurst is still at Barts and the London. Her license number is: 2981570
If everyone demands a thorough investigation-rather than the whitewash from all guilty parties-we can truly make history.
Copies of the email to the GMC (www.gmc-uk.org) should go to the media: news@dailymail.co.uk - news.desk@express.co.uk - mirrornews@mirror.co.uk - Peter Horrocks@bbc.co.uk - news@channel4.com
If you include my limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk, I can then track all the replies. If anyone who writes drops me an email to tell me, I can do the numbers, and I will either email back (or not, if the sender wants to remain anonymous) or post our continuing success on this blog.
The only way to change the world is to do it by people power. If everyone emails the GMC and demands to know why an investigation into this travesty has never been performed, and copies in all the media-well, one email from one person (me) can be ignored. 100-or 500- or many hundreds - nobody can ignore that. And, knowing the media in this country, they will be falling all over themselves to find out what is happening and get the story of the year (possibly the decade).
If we succeed beyone our wildest dreams-and we can, if everyone contributes, if everyone sees the chance to change laws in every country, not only this one! - the incompetent doctors in this country will be stopped, and the hospitals that encourage them can lose all their government funding if they don't take reasonable action. And there is a knock-on effect: every victim of malpractice, incompetence, medical negligence and nauseating arrogance in every country (the U.S.A., all of Europe) will have justice. This practice of using a lethal drug like Gentamicin will stop, too-because Schering in New Jersey has been making this for fifty years, and its crippling effects are widely known by the medical establishment-but it is cheap, and drugs that do a better job are more expensive. We can stop that practice. We can. But we all need to step in and take action.
If we succeed, we have changed the world for the better, and we have made a path for people to force governments to change their laws-so we have helped people who are unable to help themselves.
If we fall flat-then we have given it our best shot. We are doing NOTHING illegal (I checked)-and what we are doing is moral and ethical, and that is more than we can say for a lot of the doctors out there.
And the best part for all of you who are jumping up and down and ready to make a difference: nobody knows who you are. Nobody - unless you tell someone! If anybody gets shot at, it will be me-and what the hell, I'm used to being in the firing line.
Let's put an end to this disgraceful injustice-injustice that is taking place in every country, not only in this one.
Let's change the world. Somebody has to-so it might as well be us!!!!!!!
It's two and a half years since the incompetent doctors at Barts ignored my wishes to have them stop gentamicin-and two and a half years since I have been crippled and my life has been destroyed. And I can honestly say that the small recovery has been very, very tough.
I know I make fun of the Brits-my theory is, if they can dish it out, they should be able to take it!! But one thing that I find amazing is the reluctance to stand up and fight for compensation when they have been the victims of medical negligence, incompetence, malpractice-and general arrogant stupidity. Most of them will complain, but few will fight. If they don't fight, this problem (and it is a big one) will carry on forever.
The law in this country states that, unless a victim of malpractice is seeing a doctor privately, the patient can only sue the hospital, not the doctors. So, inept doctors who make the most inexcusable mistakes are allowed to hide behind the hospitals and the NHS, and all that happens is these charlatans continue to cripple (and, in some cases, kill) innocent people. People can apply for Legal Aid-and I'm not sure how that operates, or even if the government is still providing it. No win, no fee is a fairly recent concept here-but cases of malpractice can carry on for five years, so I wonder how dedicated these lawyers are, if they know they are in for a very long haul.
The other alternative is to pay privately for legal assistance; this is hideously expensive as well as time-consuming-but it is the way I chose to take this case to court. And Barts can (and probably will) waste as much time as they can, knowing that, if they wait long enough, I will deplete my savings and have to quit.
Is this fair? No-but, once again, it is one of the cornerstones of life: life is unfair.
I made a formal complaint to the General Medical Council about six months after the whole disaster happened; I got someone to write it out for me, since I was unable to write anything myself. And I still haven't heard anything. No surprises there; they all look after each other, I think. And, by the way, the incidents of malpractice in this country are shocking. Unless people go public (and sometimes even that does no good), all these cases are hidden.
I remember reading an interview with the anthropologist Margaret Mead (I'm going back to childhood, so I'm not absolutely quoting this). She was asked if she really believed that small groups of people could change the world. She replied that they are the only ones who can.
I sat all night thinking about that-and I think that the laws must be changed, and that all the victims of negligence and malpractice should rightly receive justice-if not financially, then certainly morally. And I figured out a way to make sure this happens: it is called people power.
I am not the person to witter, twitter, tweet, facebook, or any of that stuff - but I can email. And I set up a special email account just for this online moral crusade to change laws and to make the culprits accountable. The address is: limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk
If everyone who reads this blog sends all the information I am about to give you to ten people in their address list-or posts it online, on facebook or another social networking site-and those ten people involve ten more people...and so on...we can, literally, change the world.
If every one of those people sends an email to the General Medical Council (www.gmc-uk.org), atttention of Fitness to Practise, and asks why there has been no investigation into the following doctors-whose incompetence crippled a patient and ruined her life in 2010-even though she complained, the council did nothing- and quote the doctors' names and medical license numbers, and also sends copies to the media, they will force the hands of the medical council and Barts Trust. When the spotlight of shame blasts onto Barts, it will also highlight all the other hospitals in this country, and will highlight incompetence and malpractice on a massive scale. The government will be forced to step in, really investigate (rather than cover up, which is their usual practice), and these people will never be able to treat unsuspecting patients this way. Why? Because the world will be watching. And something will have to be seen to be changed. And the people involved will never do this to anyone else again; they will never be able to hide behind the skirts of the hospitals and the NHS. And people will receive the compensation they deserve.
Philip Bright is now crippling people in Bristol; his license number is: 6103350
Sofia Grigoriadou is still at Barts and the London in London. Her number is: 4282352
Hilary Longhurst is still at Barts and the London. Her license number is: 2981570
If everyone demands a thorough investigation-rather than the whitewash from all guilty parties-we can truly make history.
Copies of the email to the GMC (www.gmc-uk.org) should go to the media: news@dailymail.co.uk - news.desk@express.co.uk - mirrornews@mirror.co.uk - Peter Horrocks@bbc.co.uk - news@channel4.com
If you include my limerabbit4justice@yahoo.co.uk, I can then track all the replies. If anyone who writes drops me an email to tell me, I can do the numbers, and I will either email back (or not, if the sender wants to remain anonymous) or post our continuing success on this blog.
The only way to change the world is to do it by people power. If everyone emails the GMC and demands to know why an investigation into this travesty has never been performed, and copies in all the media-well, one email from one person (me) can be ignored. 100-or 500- or many hundreds - nobody can ignore that. And, knowing the media in this country, they will be falling all over themselves to find out what is happening and get the story of the year (possibly the decade).
If we succeed beyone our wildest dreams-and we can, if everyone contributes, if everyone sees the chance to change laws in every country, not only this one! - the incompetent doctors in this country will be stopped, and the hospitals that encourage them can lose all their government funding if they don't take reasonable action. And there is a knock-on effect: every victim of malpractice, incompetence, medical negligence and nauseating arrogance in every country (the U.S.A., all of Europe) will have justice. This practice of using a lethal drug like Gentamicin will stop, too-because Schering in New Jersey has been making this for fifty years, and its crippling effects are widely known by the medical establishment-but it is cheap, and drugs that do a better job are more expensive. We can stop that practice. We can. But we all need to step in and take action.
If we succeed, we have changed the world for the better, and we have made a path for people to force governments to change their laws-so we have helped people who are unable to help themselves.
If we fall flat-then we have given it our best shot. We are doing NOTHING illegal (I checked)-and what we are doing is moral and ethical, and that is more than we can say for a lot of the doctors out there.
And the best part for all of you who are jumping up and down and ready to make a difference: nobody knows who you are. Nobody - unless you tell someone! If anybody gets shot at, it will be me-and what the hell, I'm used to being in the firing line.
Let's put an end to this disgraceful injustice-injustice that is taking place in every country, not only in this one.
Let's change the world. Somebody has to-so it might as well be us!!!!!!!
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Inquiring minds need to know this
Yesterday, the London Underground officially turned 150 years old-well, happy birthday to the Underground. If you are an anorak (like I am), you will, of course, want to know where the first line started and where it finished.
The first route began at Paddington Station and ended at Farringdon (I haven't worked out the mileage yet. Watch this space-that is, of course, if I can be bothered). I understand that it was extremely dirty, smelly, overcrowded-and, naturally, late. Isn't it heartwarming to know that, after one hundred and fifty years, nothing has changed!!! Dirty, smelly, overcrowded, always late...that is our underground system. Oh, well-at least, we can count on its unreliability!! And we get all across London, even if it costs a fortune to get there. Hey, it could be worse: we could have to walk it. So, happy 150th birthday, and I hope someone sorts it all out before the underground turns-well, shall we say, 200?
Yesterday I was summoned to the hospital for an ultrasound. Nobody could explain why I really needed an ultrasound; they just wanted me to trek to the hospital to have one. Unfortunately, nobody has yet come up with the ultrasound goo that doubles as a moisturizer, or an anti-wrinkle cream! I did mention it to the technician who was administering the test-at least he smiled, although he did look at me as if I was a little strange.
Really-that would take multi-tasking to a new level: you wouldn't need to spend ten minutes wiping off the gel, only to have to go home and throw all your clothes into the washing machine. Just rub in the gel, knowing that your wrinkles will dissolve! It seems like a good idea anyway.
Was anything wrong? Of course not. At least I know that I have a lot of organs that function perfectly. That is something that the two idiots didn't destroy two years ago. And-speaking of idiots- Phil not-so-Bright is busy crippling his patients at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Jess, the nurse who told me that Nurse Ratched walked in front of a bus, emailed me to tell me. So, if anyone knows anyone in the Bath/Bristol area, please warn them!!
Naturally, if you have someone you really despise (the mother-in-law? The noisy neighbor from Hell? The neighborhood psychopath? Whoever...), this information will come in very handy indeed.
(I nearly forgot: this is a new year, so I don't hate anyone...well, January is only ten days old, so I can have an oops! day, can't I?)
I actually turned my head quickly and didn't fall over-which might not seem a big deal to anyone else, but it is a VERY big deal to me-not to mention to all the black and blue marks that seem to be permanent parts of my anatomy!! I just have to keep doing everything that makes me dizzy and fall over - until I stop getting dizzy and falling over.
Perhaps I need more padding. That's either an excuse to do some redecorating-or to eat. Hmmmmm....
The first route began at Paddington Station and ended at Farringdon (I haven't worked out the mileage yet. Watch this space-that is, of course, if I can be bothered). I understand that it was extremely dirty, smelly, overcrowded-and, naturally, late. Isn't it heartwarming to know that, after one hundred and fifty years, nothing has changed!!! Dirty, smelly, overcrowded, always late...that is our underground system. Oh, well-at least, we can count on its unreliability!! And we get all across London, even if it costs a fortune to get there. Hey, it could be worse: we could have to walk it. So, happy 150th birthday, and I hope someone sorts it all out before the underground turns-well, shall we say, 200?
Yesterday I was summoned to the hospital for an ultrasound. Nobody could explain why I really needed an ultrasound; they just wanted me to trek to the hospital to have one. Unfortunately, nobody has yet come up with the ultrasound goo that doubles as a moisturizer, or an anti-wrinkle cream! I did mention it to the technician who was administering the test-at least he smiled, although he did look at me as if I was a little strange.
Really-that would take multi-tasking to a new level: you wouldn't need to spend ten minutes wiping off the gel, only to have to go home and throw all your clothes into the washing machine. Just rub in the gel, knowing that your wrinkles will dissolve! It seems like a good idea anyway.
Was anything wrong? Of course not. At least I know that I have a lot of organs that function perfectly. That is something that the two idiots didn't destroy two years ago. And-speaking of idiots- Phil not-so-Bright is busy crippling his patients at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Jess, the nurse who told me that Nurse Ratched walked in front of a bus, emailed me to tell me. So, if anyone knows anyone in the Bath/Bristol area, please warn them!!
Naturally, if you have someone you really despise (the mother-in-law? The noisy neighbor from Hell? The neighborhood psychopath? Whoever...), this information will come in very handy indeed.
(I nearly forgot: this is a new year, so I don't hate anyone...well, January is only ten days old, so I can have an oops! day, can't I?)
I actually turned my head quickly and didn't fall over-which might not seem a big deal to anyone else, but it is a VERY big deal to me-not to mention to all the black and blue marks that seem to be permanent parts of my anatomy!! I just have to keep doing everything that makes me dizzy and fall over - until I stop getting dizzy and falling over.
Perhaps I need more padding. That's either an excuse to do some redecorating-or to eat. Hmmmmm....
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Two steps forward, ten steps back
I'm amazed that I haven't been on this blog since Thursday...but I have had a bit of a setback: flu, the kind that keeps coming back and doesn't want to leave. What a pain!!!
I haven't done much since last week. I haven't even gone to the gym, and that isn't a good thing. All the rain has taken its toll on my balance system (what there is of it, that is), as well as my eyesight. A year ago-even six months ago-that would have caused a great deal of anxiety. Now I understand that it is only a temporary setback - but it is still very annoying!! Even as I write, I can feel my brain getting really lazy about building those neural pathways that I really, really need in order to get that crucial 80%.
While I was stuck in bed with the usual nasty flu symptoms, I thought about that 80% - and I thought, why not shoot for 100%? I might not get there; I might get to 80 or 90 percent-but shoot for 100 and see what happens. At least I will have done my homework, my exercises, some very hard work-I will have done my best. And, as Dr. Dimples advised me the last time I saw him, don't think about time-how long it has been, how little I've got back in two and a half years, how long it will take, how far I have to go. Just do it.
One thing I aspire to do is get online from home. I still have difficulty with my laptop, since it is so tiny and the print is so small. I do increase the font-but that doesn't help much. So I have been avoiding it. That is another goal: use the laptop, get my brain accustomed to seeing small print on a small screen...every time I challenge my brain, I force it to create new pathways so I can achieve what I want, not what I don't want.
I went to my local supermarket this morning, and this young guy started to chat me up. I thought that was so hilarious!! I have seen him there before, so I exchanged pleasantries, figuring that I was in the store, so it was all quite innocent. Who picks up someone in a supermarket, anyway?
Then he asked me how old I am-and I looked at him. Excuse me? I smiled and said that I am the same age as the London Underground, and I left the store, with him standing there, very confused. For those of you who are outside the UK-and those of you who live here but are comatose-the London Underground is 150 years old. I swear, I laughed all the way home. In fact, I laughed so hard, I nearly fell over.
Now there is a line for you: if someone has the nerve to ask your age (unless it's a doctor or the police), just smile sweetly and tell them that you are the same age as the London Underground-then saunter (do not run, they will probably stand there and try to figure it out) to the exit.
My tip of the day for saying it's none of anybody's business-without saying it's none of anybody's business!!
I haven't done much since last week. I haven't even gone to the gym, and that isn't a good thing. All the rain has taken its toll on my balance system (what there is of it, that is), as well as my eyesight. A year ago-even six months ago-that would have caused a great deal of anxiety. Now I understand that it is only a temporary setback - but it is still very annoying!! Even as I write, I can feel my brain getting really lazy about building those neural pathways that I really, really need in order to get that crucial 80%.
While I was stuck in bed with the usual nasty flu symptoms, I thought about that 80% - and I thought, why not shoot for 100%? I might not get there; I might get to 80 or 90 percent-but shoot for 100 and see what happens. At least I will have done my homework, my exercises, some very hard work-I will have done my best. And, as Dr. Dimples advised me the last time I saw him, don't think about time-how long it has been, how little I've got back in two and a half years, how long it will take, how far I have to go. Just do it.
One thing I aspire to do is get online from home. I still have difficulty with my laptop, since it is so tiny and the print is so small. I do increase the font-but that doesn't help much. So I have been avoiding it. That is another goal: use the laptop, get my brain accustomed to seeing small print on a small screen...every time I challenge my brain, I force it to create new pathways so I can achieve what I want, not what I don't want.
I went to my local supermarket this morning, and this young guy started to chat me up. I thought that was so hilarious!! I have seen him there before, so I exchanged pleasantries, figuring that I was in the store, so it was all quite innocent. Who picks up someone in a supermarket, anyway?
Then he asked me how old I am-and I looked at him. Excuse me? I smiled and said that I am the same age as the London Underground, and I left the store, with him standing there, very confused. For those of you who are outside the UK-and those of you who live here but are comatose-the London Underground is 150 years old. I swear, I laughed all the way home. In fact, I laughed so hard, I nearly fell over.
Now there is a line for you: if someone has the nerve to ask your age (unless it's a doctor or the police), just smile sweetly and tell them that you are the same age as the London Underground-then saunter (do not run, they will probably stand there and try to figure it out) to the exit.
My tip of the day for saying it's none of anybody's business-without saying it's none of anybody's business!!
Thursday, 3 January 2013
If it's Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday...guess what!!
Aww, you guessed: it rained. All December it rained, and we began the new year-and it rained!!
You will laugh at this- I mean, you will really laugh! I've had so many horrendous years in a row (ten, in fact), I decided that I would end 2012 and begin a new era with some champagne - expensive champagne. No point in celebrating with the cheap stuff.
Now-by "cheap stuff", I mean you get what you pay for, and you end up asking if it's champagne or dishwater...and by expensive stuff, I mean: "Oh, my God, HOW much did you spend???". Good job I'm divorced: if I want to have a blowout on New Year's Eve, I can do what I want.
I had three glasses of champagne. That's all: three glasses. And I was stumbling all over the place afterwards-but I've been stumbling a lot because of the rain anyway, so who would know the difference? And I didn't follow the cardinal rule of drinking: always have as much water as you can before you go to bed. Nope-a good piece of advice that I ignored. Well, I don't drink very much, and I don't drink very often, and I can usually have three glasses of good champagne and not feel any aftereffects.
I woke up at 4:30 on New Year's Day-and I had to go drink a few glasses of water, because I had the worst headache I have had in years. I also had a very dodgy stomach. So-I had to laugh, because I clearly had a hangover. I drank three glasses of champagne and had a hangover. Who has a hangover from three glasses of champagne? Well, obviously, I do-because I did. And it was nasty.
I took some headache pills, went back to bed, got up at 6am. With a hangover. And I couldn't stop laughing-which didn't help my head any. I would be a very cheap date: two or three drinks and I'm not under the table, I'm under the floor.
I wanted to share this with anyone who woke on Tuesday with a thumping hangover, because I hurt in sympathy. By 11am I felt fine-just a bit queasy.
I did say that I intend to start 2013 with a different mindset. I started it off with a bang-or a thump, depending on how you look at it. And-it was raining (no surprises there), so I got my umbrella, layered up and went for a long walk. Long, of course, is a relative term. I walked for about 35 minutes, and decided that I was both cold enough and wet enough, and I went home. And did laundry. And cleaned the kitchen.
Isn't that what holidays are for?
One active - or proactive - decision that I made last year (on Monday) was that I didn't need to feel defeat or resignation at the things that have happened-and that I can't change. I needed to flick a mind switch and change my attitude-or I would suffer endlessly, and the other people involved wouldn't give a damn.
What could I do about that deranged cockroach (that's a nasty description, but apt, and it makes me feel better, so I'm keeping it!) upstairs? I couldn't beat him (shit splatters), or kill him (not worth a prison sentence), and hoping he will move or die soon is more than a little bit negative. Nobody will help-but the council isn't exactly useful when it comes to crazed neighbors, since they put him there in the first place.
So-yesterday I ordered 3M foam earplugs. I've had them every time I've had an MRI, and they really do cut the noise. So I should get them this week at some point. One of the nurses said she uses silicone earplugs because she works nights-and she said they are great. Well-I tried them. Now, if you have ears like Will Smith or Prince Charles, silicone earplugs might be okay. But they don't work for me, because they fall out. Immediately. Very annoying. How can I keep them in my ears unless I use duct tape? Can you imagine having to call the paramedics because I've taped silicone earplugs into my ears with duct tape and the stuff got stuck? Now, THAT would be hilarious. I giggle just thinking about it-and I'm in an internet cafe, because my eyesight still isn't good enough for me to use my little laptop at home. I need to use a big screen.
I also bought a white noise machine, so I'm armed (and dangerous. Mostly, I'm dangerous). This thing is called a Marsona, and it fits on the bedside table, and you switch it on and it provides four programs: thunderstorms, a gurgling stream, crickets at night, and white noise. I decided that having water running at night isn't such a good idea-particularly if you drink a few glasses of water before bedtime. Running water causes-well, unless you have a bladder the size of a camel's, you can spend most of the night in the bathroom. I know this from experience!!
I've used the white noise for a few nights, and put the volume up to cover the noise of hammering and loud music-and I can truthfully say that white noise keeps me awake!!! But-I will persevere, and, hopefully, I will be able to sleep through one entire night without a problem. That will be a first.
It's a new year-and, for me, it's also a new decade-and nobody ever said that change is easy. I'm having to accept what has been done, and also accept the fact that it might take me a total of three years to get that all-important 80% of my balance and visual acuity back. I could get more - perhaps - but I need to work hard and stop worrying about how long it is taking and what percentage I've got back.
Yes, perhaps there will be other lives in the offing-perhaps there is such a thing as reincarnation-and, really, who cares?? I only know this life, and this life, as far as I know, is the only life-so I intend to make the best of it. It's taken long enough!!!
I'm off to have some orange juice-without champagne, so it's Buck's Fizz without the fizz. What the heck? We only live once, so we should enjoy every minute of it (except ironing. And cleaning floors. But we can enjoy the rest of it).
You will laugh at this- I mean, you will really laugh! I've had so many horrendous years in a row (ten, in fact), I decided that I would end 2012 and begin a new era with some champagne - expensive champagne. No point in celebrating with the cheap stuff.
Now-by "cheap stuff", I mean you get what you pay for, and you end up asking if it's champagne or dishwater...and by expensive stuff, I mean: "Oh, my God, HOW much did you spend???". Good job I'm divorced: if I want to have a blowout on New Year's Eve, I can do what I want.
I had three glasses of champagne. That's all: three glasses. And I was stumbling all over the place afterwards-but I've been stumbling a lot because of the rain anyway, so who would know the difference? And I didn't follow the cardinal rule of drinking: always have as much water as you can before you go to bed. Nope-a good piece of advice that I ignored. Well, I don't drink very much, and I don't drink very often, and I can usually have three glasses of good champagne and not feel any aftereffects.
I woke up at 4:30 on New Year's Day-and I had to go drink a few glasses of water, because I had the worst headache I have had in years. I also had a very dodgy stomach. So-I had to laugh, because I clearly had a hangover. I drank three glasses of champagne and had a hangover. Who has a hangover from three glasses of champagne? Well, obviously, I do-because I did. And it was nasty.
I took some headache pills, went back to bed, got up at 6am. With a hangover. And I couldn't stop laughing-which didn't help my head any. I would be a very cheap date: two or three drinks and I'm not under the table, I'm under the floor.
I wanted to share this with anyone who woke on Tuesday with a thumping hangover, because I hurt in sympathy. By 11am I felt fine-just a bit queasy.
I did say that I intend to start 2013 with a different mindset. I started it off with a bang-or a thump, depending on how you look at it. And-it was raining (no surprises there), so I got my umbrella, layered up and went for a long walk. Long, of course, is a relative term. I walked for about 35 minutes, and decided that I was both cold enough and wet enough, and I went home. And did laundry. And cleaned the kitchen.
Isn't that what holidays are for?
One active - or proactive - decision that I made last year (on Monday) was that I didn't need to feel defeat or resignation at the things that have happened-and that I can't change. I needed to flick a mind switch and change my attitude-or I would suffer endlessly, and the other people involved wouldn't give a damn.
What could I do about that deranged cockroach (that's a nasty description, but apt, and it makes me feel better, so I'm keeping it!) upstairs? I couldn't beat him (shit splatters), or kill him (not worth a prison sentence), and hoping he will move or die soon is more than a little bit negative. Nobody will help-but the council isn't exactly useful when it comes to crazed neighbors, since they put him there in the first place.
So-yesterday I ordered 3M foam earplugs. I've had them every time I've had an MRI, and they really do cut the noise. So I should get them this week at some point. One of the nurses said she uses silicone earplugs because she works nights-and she said they are great. Well-I tried them. Now, if you have ears like Will Smith or Prince Charles, silicone earplugs might be okay. But they don't work for me, because they fall out. Immediately. Very annoying. How can I keep them in my ears unless I use duct tape? Can you imagine having to call the paramedics because I've taped silicone earplugs into my ears with duct tape and the stuff got stuck? Now, THAT would be hilarious. I giggle just thinking about it-and I'm in an internet cafe, because my eyesight still isn't good enough for me to use my little laptop at home. I need to use a big screen.
I also bought a white noise machine, so I'm armed (and dangerous. Mostly, I'm dangerous). This thing is called a Marsona, and it fits on the bedside table, and you switch it on and it provides four programs: thunderstorms, a gurgling stream, crickets at night, and white noise. I decided that having water running at night isn't such a good idea-particularly if you drink a few glasses of water before bedtime. Running water causes-well, unless you have a bladder the size of a camel's, you can spend most of the night in the bathroom. I know this from experience!!
I've used the white noise for a few nights, and put the volume up to cover the noise of hammering and loud music-and I can truthfully say that white noise keeps me awake!!! But-I will persevere, and, hopefully, I will be able to sleep through one entire night without a problem. That will be a first.
It's a new year-and, for me, it's also a new decade-and nobody ever said that change is easy. I'm having to accept what has been done, and also accept the fact that it might take me a total of three years to get that all-important 80% of my balance and visual acuity back. I could get more - perhaps - but I need to work hard and stop worrying about how long it is taking and what percentage I've got back.
Yes, perhaps there will be other lives in the offing-perhaps there is such a thing as reincarnation-and, really, who cares?? I only know this life, and this life, as far as I know, is the only life-so I intend to make the best of it. It's taken long enough!!!
I'm off to have some orange juice-without champagne, so it's Buck's Fizz without the fizz. What the heck? We only live once, so we should enjoy every minute of it (except ironing. And cleaning floors. But we can enjoy the rest of it).
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