More unhealthiness (but sunshine to compensate)

Nice weather again after last week's atrociousness. I've been mad busy with the quarterly magazine (four extra pages this issue, and even later than usual getting the content). I worked late last night and was up again before 8:00 to sort out a few things and deal with corrections and so on, after which I treated myself to a refreshing nap before heading over to the Mater hospital for a follow-up appointment with the cardiologist.

Today saw the opening of Phase One of the out-patients section in the hospital's new building. It's impressive, though no more efficient than the older facility was. In fairness, I was called reasonably quickly, had my blood pressure taken ("perfect") and then went in to see a different junior team member than last time. After lots of questions and answers, none of which seemed to be getting anywhere, he whipped out his stethoscope and did some listening. And more listening. And some of the same listening again. 'Excuse me for a moment', he said, and I guessed he was going off to consult with the main man. Sure enough he joined us within minutes and wielded his stethoscope.

He didn't like what he heard and sent me off a for an echo scan. Back at the clinic the main man himself recognised me sitting there, took the form I'd been given and went off to review the echo result. Not long after, the original junior guy called me in to say it was 'as they suspected' -- I have a bicuspid systemic murmur (to do with the aorta valve arrangement), which makes the intended angiogram all the more important so they can see just what's happening. I'd been scheduled for an angiogram on 13th March but that had been cancelled. The junior doc admitted that this was because of 'the cutbacks', and said before I went for the echo scan that they had no idea when the angiogram list would be tackled. Now, though, I got the impression that the cardiologist might be planning to throw his weight around a bit in order to get me done ASAP.

It was a bit of shock, I have to admit. Walking back to my bus I decided I needed a drink, and called in to the Gresham hotel to sit and sip and think. What a glorious day (in terms of weather, anyway)! The blip is the portico (I suppose it's called) which leads to the main door to the hotel. The light and shade, the general sunniness, and most especially the reflections of the highly polished handrails caught my eye and made this today's blip.

Things haven't been good with Blipland since I came back from the musical pilgrimage. I'm way behind with my posting, and there may even be some gaps which no amount of back-blipping can ever fill. I really had hoped to make it to five years uninterrupted, but here I am past the five-year mark and still short of the magic number. MUST DO BETTER, DS!

Time for more work now. Maybe a bit of music to calm the savage breast too. I'm due with my GP tomorrow for another of my hormone injections. I need to chat to him about this bicuspid stuff and to see if anything can be done to fix an early date for an angiogram.