Fortitude – To display courage and bravery when dealing with pain, difficulty and/or diversity especially over a long period. Had a hospital appointment today. The hustle and bustle of a busy eye department, always fills me with dread. Following on from January’s initial assessment; I am here for an audience with a Professor. Luckily for me, this sweet, kind and …
Plastic Cups
Last year, I had an eye test in April and again in October. A GP took a quick look at my eyes in December, due to conjunctivitis and now this month, I am back with a doctor. Some people get nervous about the dentist. I get nervous, to the point of hysterical, with eye doctors. My phobia was born in …
Health Check
There is nothing remotely festive, about receiving an invite for an NHS health check. I had never had one before – so why now? My name has appeared on the guest list, as I’m a member of the aged 40 – 74 elite. Well that’s sobering and a little shitting scary. It’s a 20 minute MOT. A doctor will go …
From 40 to Funeral in One Week
Well…the first week of my forties can kiss my ass! I am certain, there was a more mature sentence available but being ill on your birthday sucks, so ‘kiss my ass’ seems fair. My 48 hour cold, lasted the week and ended up with me calling NHS 111. I had a panic attack as I was convinced, I had an …
Bad Day
I get a few of these every year. We all get them I guess. There is nothing quite like the power of a bad day. It completely derails me. Shakes up all my values, thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it’s triggered by someone else. Sometimes I set it off myself. One of those days, when I wake up feeling overwhelmed, …
4..3..2..1
This year is my 10 year anniversary of having Ulcerative Colitis. Doctors mark this occasion, by marching you into the Endoscopy Department, for a Colonoscopy. Seriously…I would have preferred a bottle of wine. A colonoscopy is a thorough examination of the large intestine. Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s a camera on the end of a long flexible tube, …
The Journal – Part 3
But now it’s just another show. You leave ’em laughing when you go. And if you care, don’t let them know. Don’t give yourself away. My first full time job was in publishing. I remember being amazed I even got the role. In my mind, I had tanked the interview but there I was, offer in hand. Hours were long, …
The Journal – Part One
I’ve looked at life from both sides now. From win and lose and still somehow. It’s life’s illusions I recall, I really don’t know life at all I was born at the tail end of the 70s. My Mum and Dad were vastly different people. Mum was a very innocent and sheltered woman, who had been mothered her whole life. …
Both Sides Now
I have had a very different life to most people That was the sentence I used in my very first blog post. It was not cryptic. It is an actual fact. Over the next 3 posts, I will share the details of my life and why it is so different. For me; more than anyone else. It is not an …