Phases of the moon

It's that time of the month again. I'm sitting in the pharmacy awaiting my prescriptions; 20mg hydrocortisone, 0.1mcg fludrocortisone. For me these are quite literally the difference between life and death.

Love songs and the like are big on the idea of putting your life in the hands of another person. My life, by contrast, is in the hands of the organisation that provides my medication. You know that feeling you get when you lose your car keys? Imagine that dialled up to a million. That's pretty much me when I don't know where my pills are. My disease is invariably lethal if not medicated; knowing my pills will be always be available is the most profound comfort imaginable.

Know your enemy...

Times are a little hectic with me at the moment, so not finding much time to write. Plus, even I go through weeks of not using the NHS at a time.

Until my own next instalment, check out The X-Ray Factor's concise summary of the quarter-century long attack on our NHS...

http://thexrayfactor.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/how-to-dismantle-the-nhs-in-10-easy-steps/

This is why I fight...

Picked up my prescriptions again last week. Every time I visit the doctors now, I'm reminded of my most dramatic trip there, back in late 2010.

I'd been having bouts of illness for several months. Fatigue to the point where walking across the room was a challenge, frequent vomiting in the mornings, and endless feelings of dehydration. I was working from home at the time, and still managed to end up too ill to work for seven days during the year.

Then, in October, I was taken out of action for a whole week. I spent four days on the sofa, wrapped in a fleece and a blanket, shivering to my bones. On Wednesday, my wife dragged me to pester my GP again; they took blood tests and called me back on Friday. By Thursday night, it took me three attempts to walk up the stairs, and I was mumbling deliriously as I did so.

On Friday, they called me in to discuss my results. After months of suffering with this mystery illness, just to hear it given a name was a huge relief. That name was Addisons Disease. Invariably fatal at the time Dr Thomas Addison first discovered it, these days it's medicated with steroids and has no effect on quality of life or life-expectancy at all. I was in the midst of an Addisonian crisis, the stage of the disease that comes just prior to death by circulatory collapse. Pleasant, eh?

I was taken to the Medical Assessment Unit at the Royal. Given the state I was in when I got there, the nurses informed me that the Intensive Care Unit had been notified of my arrival. It's all of about sixty feet from the main doors of the Royal to the corridor off towards the MAU. Walking that distance was one of the most physically strenuous things I've ever done.

At the MAU, I was hooked up to a drip, given anti-vomiting drugs, injected with steroids and talked through the process by a medical staff whose bedside manner was invariably superb. At each stage, they let me know what they were doing and why they were doing it. From being on the brink of death on Friday morning, and having had half a Pot Noodle to eat all week (it's funny what you can get down when you're ill), by tea time I was in a fit state to eat, and enjoy, a whole meal. By Saturday morning, after a sleep in my own private room, I was ready for release. Walking through the lobby 24 hours earlier had been like climbing the north face of the Eiger. Leaving, I strode across it easily, and when I got to the car park did some Dick van Dyke heel clicks for my wife's amusement. It was the fittest I'd felt in years.

The staff of the NHS saved my life that day, and did it with smiles on their faces and decency radiating from them throughout. As I type this I still feel a profound sense of gratitude.

This, I think to myself, is why I fight.

It's just a little prick...

In other good NHS news, we got the results of our newborn's heel prick tests back.

For the uninitiated, that's a blood test with a spot taken from the heel to allow for screening of several nasty ailments, including sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and congenital hypothyroidism.

I'm pleased to report an all clear on all counts. You can't buy peace of mind like that...

Batten down the hatches...

Last weekend was warm and sunny; it was short sleeve weather. This weekend, it was cold and raining as I took my daughter to the flu clinic to prepare for winter.

When I arrived, the queue was out of the door. I was nervous. Years of news on the subject have conditioned even me to think that large numbers of people using the NHS at any one time means long, frustrating waits, at best. I joined the back of the line at around 11.

The waiting room was teeming with people. Mostly pensioners, people born around the same time as the NHS. There were several disabled people, and of course a few small children. In short, the most vulnerable, and to make a crude generalisation based on addresses they gave at reception, the least able to pay, should it come to that.

Queueing out the door, and a waiting room bulging at the sides. How long would I be kept waiting? As it turns out, not long.

A well drilled team of nurses and GPS called patients through at a rate of about one every 20-30 seconds. I checked in at 11.06 and was out again by 11.15. My daughter was fine with the nasal spray, and when we got home got a treat for her troubles.

Us? We have one less thing to worry about this winter, and will sleep all the more soundly because of it.

Angels led by donkeys

Yesterday, it was a triple event of NHS goodness. To my GP's surgery for blood tests, and a visit to our son from both the midwife and the health visitor.

At my GP, I dropped in at 10.20 to ask about having bloods taken (essential to keep tabs on my Addison's disease). I was back in having it done at 11.45.

As the nurse (typically friendly and effective) set about finding a usable vein, we got to talking about budget cuts. It's a minor detail, but the tape used in bandaging needle entry wounds was something of a false economy, falling to bits as she looked for the end. But with the surgery's pot of money growing smaller, more is to come. What might be next?

"Your ten minute appointment becomes seven. Then if I can't find a vein, we've had it."

For her, the cuts are all coming in the wrong places. No doubt there is a lot of bureaucracy which could stand to be cut, but in her experience, it's the front line that's bearing the brunt.

'Lions led by donkeys' perhaps isn't the right phrase. 'Angels led by donkeys' seems more appropriate.

When I arrived home, I found the midwife and health visitor in my living room chatting to my wife. The midwife was thrilled with our son's progress; he's back up above his birth weight so is clearly feeding well. Seeing her leave was bitter-sweet; the news of our son was all positive, and she had nothing but praise for the way my wife had handled the first fortnight. Still, as we're not planning on more children, it was our last meeting with someone whose warmth and wit we both enjoy.

The health visitor stayed with us for a good hour, outlining the next steps for jabs, and helping us understand how our son is getting enough milk. Again, cuts came up in conversation. Exasperated, I asked -

"Is there something more important the state should be spending money on than the health of its citizens?"

The health visitor replied, weary and sardonic -

"HS2?"

Welcome back, old friend

Yesterday brought with it another visit by our regular midwife, to check on my young son's progress. I'm pleased to report he's feeding well and looking healthy, and gave her no cause for concern.

Our regular midwife has shepherded my wife through two pregnancies now, and throughout the process has been a safe pair of hands and a joy to deal with. Her bedside manner is superb - she has a slightly eccentric charisma that brings warmth to the room. She brought her trainee with her this time, who was cut from similar cloth. As throughout the pregancy, they addressed my wife's concerns, and took time out to make a fuss of my daughter (who is already slightly thrown by the presence of another infant in the house).

We have one more visit from her due, and I'm looking forward to it. As well as being an experienced professional, dealing with her has been like dealing with an old friend - something you just can't put a price on.

"And now, for a taste of things to come..."

Following publication of my first post on this blog, I found myself in a friendly debate with a Facebook friend of a friend about whether we are actually looking at the end of an NHS free at the point of need.  After all, politicians aren't actually talking about that, right?

Here, Dr Eoin Clarke points out why that's EXACTLY what we're looking at.  Parts of England are now charging for treatments/operations that once were free, 21 of them to be precise.  Read more in his excellent blog post on the subject -

The Green Benches: #NHS R.I.P. .... The 21 medical treatments/operations no longer #free in parts of England's #NHS.

Another day, another visit

The midwife has just left, having finished the 72 hour check on our son.  Not our usual lady who has seen my other half throughout the pregnancy, but nevertheless very helpful, and took her time examining our son.

Only 5% of his bodyweight lost since birth, so within the parameters of what's healthy. He's feeding well, and gives no cause for concern.

Next visit will be next week, until then we have a dedicated number to call in case anything worries us in the mean time.

Total cost of this consultation?  We didn't even have to put the kettle on.

The NHS saved my life... now I'm returning the favour

I'm sitting in the postnatal ward of Worcester Royal Hospital. My newborn son is asleep in the crook of my elbow. My wife is having her own well earned rest after being kept awake by my son all night.

Yesterday was a momentous day in our lives. We arrived at the hospital at 8am for an elective Caesarean section. As soon as we turned up, the staff on the ward showed us directly to our room, and talked us through eating arrangements for the day. Our room is clean and spacious, and well frequented by the staff. It's no exaggeration to say I've stayed in hotels that couldn't come close to providing this level of hospitality.

At 9am, we went to theatre. The anaesthetist talked us through the process, through what drugs would be administered and why, and outlined the various risks (and how minimal each one is in statistical terms). As my wife pointed out in our thank you card to the team, he had the most calming voice she had ever heard. He put her instantly at ease. Next, we met the midwife who would deliver our baby. I was pleased to see it was the same lady who delivered my daughter two years earlier. She was warm, friendly, pleased to see us, but more critically, professional. We also met the surgeons, who were likewise pleased to meet us.

Shortly afterwards, we went to the operating room. The team of professionals took their time, listened to all mine and my wife's questions, and those who were not directly involved in the surgery made small talk with us to help keep my wife relaxed. It worked, and within forty minutes, the most un-dramatic birth that could be imagined was complete. My beautiful son arrived weighing 8lb 5oz, and the staff congratulated us and joined us in our joy.

Later, I had an unrelated, pre-booked meeting with my endocrinologist. Three years earlier, he and the team at the Medical Assessment Unit saved my life when I was admitted in the depths of an Addisonian Crisis. Once invariably fatal, Addison's disease is now easily treatable, and after initially bringing me back from the brink of death, he has slowly reduced my medication to the point where I require very little to keep me feeling healthy and normal. As always, he was the model of warmth and professionalism; he addressed my concerns, and recommended I return in six months. I look forward to it.

At time of writing, I have about fifty quid in the bank. We're not uncomfortable financially, but with another mouth in the house, to make it through each month we're going to need to make all the cost savings we can. Just as well, then, that the magnificent healthcare I received yesterday, and that my wife and son are still receiving, was free at the point of need.

And yet, when I turn on the TV, for some reason I see reports that the NHS is failing. Well it's the first I've heard of it. I have three children and a lethal but medicated illness, so I use the NHS a lot. Every time I do, the staff are calm, professional and compassionate. It's a story we don't hear often enough, and though I am but one man, I'm looking to redress that balance. You see, the bad news stories aren't for nothing, they're heralding something. Our elected representatives plan on taking this away from us, in favour, of all things, of an American style healthcare system whereby healthcare is related to the recipient's ability to pay.

This must be resisted by anyone who claims a shred of conscience.

The NHS saved my life. It saved my wife's life, my daughter's life, my father's life and my mother's life. It has brought my children into the world and nursed me from the cradle, through childhood hearing tests to stitched injuries to the birth of my own kids. It is one of our nation's greatest achievements, and it's time we started acting like it. So though I may be just one man, I'll be honestly documenting my own experiences with the NHS on this blog from now on. I'm not much on civil disobedience, I'm no organised activist, but I can sure as hell write, and from what I gather, the pen compares favourably to the sword. I'd invite you all to do the same, in the comments in blogs of your own, at work, at the pub, with family, with friends, everywhere you can.

Yesterday, my son was born in a clean, friendly and affordable hospital; I'll be doing what I can to ensure my grandson can claim the same.