Doctor's Appointment

On Friday I put in a repeat prescription at the doctor's surgery, as my medication is beginning to run out. I like to get this sorted out fairly rapidly, as I don't want to find that I am down to one or two tablets before I put in the repeat prescription. Then, at midday, I got a call from the surgery to say that I would have to make an appointment with one of the doctors before they'd give me a prescription. I think it's the statins that they are concerned about. As I've mentioned in this blog elsewhere, I have had problems with statins from the first time I was prescribed, and have been taking Pravastatin for quite a while without too many side effects. One of them has been muscle pain. So I attempted to make an appointment by telephone this morning. I started ringing at 8.15, and the automated system told me 'the surgery isn't open at the moment . . .' and a few minutes later I got through and the message was 'the surgery is experiencing a hight demand' etc. I then decided, as the surgery wasn't too far away, I'd drive there. The traffic was quite heavy, but I got there fairly quickly, parked the car and then walked into the surgery. There was quite a long queue at the reception desk, but I got to the receptionist and managed to get an appointment at 9.50, so I returned home as there was no point waiting at the surgery for an hour and a half.

On returning I didn't have to wait long. I was hoping that the surgery would have had the letter from the hospital regarding my consulatant's appointment last Thursday, and the doctor had it on his computer screen. I mentioned that I was getting headaches and imagined it was a result of taking Isoborbide Mononitrate. The doctor now tells me that it would be as a result of taking Bisoprolol, the headaches are the cumalative effect of taking this particular drug, and that I should take only 5 mg rather than 10 mg each morning. I am to continue taking the Isorbide Mononitrate. I am to have a blood test and he wants to check my cholestrol, so on the way out of the surgery I made an appointment at reception and have to come back at 9 tomorrow morning. The doctor printed out a prescription and I took this to the pharmacy in Netherfield, a short walk from the surgery, to get it made up. One of the advantages of reaching the age of 60 is that I don't have to pay for my prescriptions, which is quite a considerable saving. The prescription was made up, except of part of the Pravastatin order, which was incomplete, so I will have to return tomorrow sometime to get the remainder of the prescription.

I got home to discover the Post had been delivered. There was a bank statement and a buff, official-looking envelope, which I never like the look of as they invariably mean trouble, but, on opening it, I discover it contains good news. A cheque from H.M. Inland Revenue, a rebate of Tax for nearly £500. I was expecting it, so I immediately drove into the centre of Milton Keynes to deposit it in my Nationwide account. It should be cleared through the account by Friday.