Strange redness

It was just after midnight last night, so technically August 1st, (though it feels like yesterday) when I was topping up my hedgehogs’ food and I saw the moon looking good in the sky. I needed my head torch to see where I was going, but it was messing up the photo. So I switched it to red light and it gave my verbena plant and the bushes this red colouring! I wouldn’t know how to photoshop a phone camera pic, so this was just luck. The moon kept being hidden by clouds, so I didn’t get the picture I wanted, and it’s surprising that the sky looks so light. It’s something clever that the phone camera does - my proper camera wouldn’t give the same effect.

Doctor saga - I don’t think my doctor exists. Receptionists seem to be in charge. I saw a nurse for an annual health check. My blood pressure reading was ‘excellent’ as it has been for some time. I asked her if I could stop taking the two blood pressure tablets I’ve been taking forever. Her reply? ‘Ask at Reception’!!!

Reception told me they would ask a week’s home blood pressure readings before they could make a decision on the blood pressure tablets. They expected me to own a blood pressure machine. I didn’t. So then a ‘pharmacy clinician’ got in touch and arranged for me to borrow a machine and gave me instructions and an app link so I could submit the readings. Meanwhile I recently saw a physiotherapist for chronic foot pain! She got the doctor to send out a prescription but I had no idea what it was supposed to do! I’ve since discovered (from a phone call from a locum doctor who was asked by my invisible doctor to phone and explain my blood test results) it’s an anti inflammatory drug which risks making my CKD get worse!

My real doctor, Dr Smith(!!!!) is a total stranger to me. I’ve never met him. So, for a few medical issues, I have been deflected from meeting my real doctor, but instead have seen or been phoned by: a nurse, a receptionist, a pharmacist, a pharmacist’s clinician, a physiotherapist, and a locum doctor who only deals with blood test results. I honestly think that all my current issues could have been dealt with in one 20 minute appointment with the stranger who is listed on my medical records as my named doctor. And it would have taken a lot less of my time - the above account has taken several weeks to work through, and I still have to do the blood pressure readings during the next week. But to have all thise people involved? Surely it would be cheaper to lose most of those people and just employ more doctors so they could give each patient thorough attention. Is the NHS wonderful or is it crazy? I think a lot of common sense has disappeared. Even the title of my annual diabetic check has changed to ‘Long term chronic health condition review’. They’ve removed the word ‘annual’ because they can no longer manage to do it annually!

I DID SAY it was a SAGA!

I forgot to say - it’s been drizzling and then raining heavily ALL DAY. More rain and strong winds are on the way! Weather forecasters say it’s because the jet stream is in the wrong place. But they don’t say WHY.