Not Well and A Scam!

For the past couple of weeks I haven't been feeling what you would call 100%. I've had a really bad lower back pain. I can't really explain it, but at times I've been bent double the pain has been so bad. I've tried to endure it. I thought it would go away of it's own accord, but no, it comes back. If I sit for any lenght of time, such as watching television, when I go to stand up, then the pain comes back. It goes whenever I lie down in bed at night. It's not so bad in the morning and is fine when I go out with Alfie around Eaglestone Park. It got so bad this morning that I just had to get a doctor's appointment and try and get something to stop it, or at least, get the pain under control. I didn't really want to phone for an appointment, because it's such an effort, first getting through, which can take 45 minutes or so, then you have to explain to the receptionist what the problem is and then wait for a doctor to ring back to give you the time of your appointment. I was surprised that, when I got through, there was only one other person in the queue in front of me. So I was speaking to a receptionist and explaining things within minutes. Then it was around an hour before doctor rang. I got an appointment at 10.20. I got there in plenty of time. Surprisingly, there were very few other waiting patients. It wasn't long before I was called into the doctor's room and I was given a prescription for co-codamol and took it next door to the pharmacy, which I noticed was now called Peak Pharmacy, having been Cox and Robinson for all the time I've lived in Milton Keynes.

Later in the afternoon I had a telephone call from someone who said they worked for BT (British Telecom) to say they'd discovered that my computer had been hacked. It sounded so genuine. They always do. I told him that I didn't have my broadband through BT, but he disregarded this. They needed to check my computer wasn't violated and had to install a piece of software on my MacBook to clean off malware and check for viruses. Little did I realise that this whole thing in itself was a scam! I'm sorry folks, I fell for it. Later in the afternoon  I rang Apple and the helpful lady showed me how to download a piece of software that checks for malware and viruses and it definitely showed that my laptop was indeed infected and the offending software was removed. Not very pleasant to realise that I had been scammed. I have to admit it. It's so easy to fall for this sort of thing and I had to check my NatWest account to check they hadn't hacked into it but then, when I attempted to get into my Nationwide account I couldn't get into it on-line and had to ring the telephone number that came up on their website. They eventually managed to see that a quite considerable amount of money had been taken from my account, but they knew it had been taken in a scam and it has now been returned, thankfully. I will now have to have the MacBook cleaned and any remaining malicious software removed so I will go into Currys and get them to do this for me. I think I've learned from this whole horrible incident and will make sure in the future to ignore any similar telephone calls. If you read this, please be waring of such telephone calls and don't fall for their sales patter. Check that whoever it is, regardless if they say they're from such-and-such company, that they are genuine before you divulge anything, but never passwords, bank details or whatever sensitive data.

Saturday morning. I have been to Curry's and they didn't have a computer engineer available today to deal with the MacBook and clean out the computer, checking for any viruses and malware. They couldn't fit me in until Tuesday, so it's booked in and I have to take it to leave on Monday evening. It's paid for, so all I have to do is check it in on Monday and then wait over Tuesday to see whether they ring to give me any information. I really hope not because I want it back in good working order. I have Carol's MacBook I can use so I am still connected to the internet and the outside world. I'm not using the larger MacBook until it is back up and running. I did notice that Safari was working properly once the malware was removed, so it now makes me realise that it had been tampered with sometime ago by the hackers in an attempt to get me to use another browser. If nothing else, at least that problem has been resolved, but I wish it had been solved some other way.

Foggy, Then Wet, Weather

It's been quite foggy here for the past few days. At Willen you can look out of Carol's window and see across the lake. A really calming view. Lots of birds on it, ducks and swans mostly, but you do occasionally see herons. It was so foggy the other day you couldn't see the other side of the lake. A slight amount of fog as I took Alfie out for his walk around Eaglestone Park this morning, but generally quite mild, certainly no frost to mention.

I forget to mention that I stayed the night with Carol in her room  at Willen on Friday. Our neighbours, Garry and Shelley, looked after Alfie, going in to feed him and take him out for a walk. I was hoping that I could sleep on the reclining chair which is in the room, but it wouldn't recline sufficiently for me to lay flat on it and, frankly, it was never going to be an ideal place to sleep. When it was reclined right back it only pulled the plug out of the power point on the wall behind and then it was impossible to re-plug it. The nurses came in with a Z-Bed, or at least a sort of camping bed. Very ancient and not particularly well sprung and extremely narrow, but since this was to be a temporary arrangement I was willing to give it a go. But when it was set up and the bedding arranged on it and I started to lay on it, one set of very flimsy legs collapsed and I fell on the floor. Not very successful, you might say. So I had no alternative but to improvise. Carol kept on saying I should give up and go home, but I wasn't going to be defeated so I removed the mattress and the bedding from the wreckage of the camping bed, folded the thing up and put the mattress on the floor and made my bed there for the night. It wasn't entirely the most comfortable night's sleep, particularly as I had to keep waking to use the toilet along the corridor. But at least I managed to stay with Carol, as she had requested it. In the morning, at around 7.30, I crept out of the room and went to the lounge further along the corridor and made myself a cup of tea. One of the nurses made me some toast and marmalade and at around 8.30  went back to see Carol, still fast asleep. In fact, according to the nurses I spoke to later, they said she had a really good night's sleep, probably because I was there with her. She woke eventually at around 9 o'clock, really late for her. I left her to be bathed and washed by the staff and when I returned later she was siting up in bed eating a bacon sandwich!

I was hoping to have the rest of the day to myself at home. I needed some time to myself. But Carol insisted I come back later in the day. So, having have a couple of hours at home, basically to see how Alfie was and let him out into the garden as well as to give him a walk across the park, I went back to Willen in time for lunch and then came home at around 2 o'clock.

(Tuesday). I had to get a doctor's appointment this morning. I have had an annoying cough for several weeks. It began when I was prescribed Ramipril after my heart attack in September. I only discovered that it might be a side-effect of this medication when I spoke to one of the cardiology nurses at Milton Keynes hospital. I managed to change this medication back to what I had previously been prescribed, candesartan. On changing this medication the cough seemed to subside, but didn't entirely disappear. I get really nasty phlegm in my throat which causes an intermittent cough which can strike at odd times, usually at night or when I least expect it. This happened during church on Sunday and I had to leave the hall to get a drink of water. Which is why I decided to get an appointment. I had mentioned this the other week when I went to see my doctor and he said I'd need to give a sample. Which I did and would get the results at the surgery when I made the appointment.

I had to ring the surgery early. I was surprised that I got through relatively quickly. Only two other people ahead of me in the telephone queue. I was soon speaking to a receptionist and I explained why I needed an appointment and then I had to wait around an hour before a doctor rang to give me an appointment a 9.50.

It turns out that the sample I gave and was analysed didn't show any bacteria or anything nasty, so there's really no explanation for the phlegm or why I'm coughing. The doctor said it might be a viral thing, but they're not sure, so antibiotics won't help. I know they try not to over-prescribe them, so I'm not surprised. He just told me to drink plenty, which I know I don't and should. He wrote me a couple of prescriptions because I have two lots of medication which will soon run out, so I left the surgery and went into Cox and Robinson to get the prescriptions made up which took around 10 minutes and then drove over to Willen to visit Carol.

'Flu Jabs and Wild, Windy Weather

It's that time of year when I have to go for my free 'flu jab. I knew it was coming up and eventually I discovered they would be holding the annual 'flu jab clinic at Ashfield Medical Centre. It would be held this Saturday and next between 8a.m. and 12 noon. I always want to be there as the doors open at 8 so as to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. Alfie was disappointed that I couldn't take him out for his walk around Eaglestone Park, but it wasn't light enough at 7.20 as well as a howling gale lashing the trees outside. I wasn't going to be able to get round the park and back in time to leave for the surgery at 7.45, so he was going to have to wait until I got back.

As I came out of the house and ready to drive off to Ashfield it was bright sunshine over the tops of the houses and a really amazing rainbow across the sky. It was a complete arc and quite unusual because you never seem to see a complete one, probably the end as it touches the ground, but this one seemed to arc over all of Milton Keynes. I rushed back into the house to find my digital camera and attempted to capture it, but it wasn't easy. I couldn't manage to fit the entire rainbow in but i think I got some of it in. Such a rare thing to see and it was gone very quickly so I'm glad I managed to get some of it before it disappeared.

I drove to Beanhill and got to the Ashfield Medical Centre carpark in good time and parked at the rear of the unit. (There is also a dental surgery as well as a Cox and Robinson pharmacy within the block of premises with Ashfield Medical Centre being the largest unit.) I prefer to park at the rear as generally there is more space and it's easier to park and get out than at the front.

As I got to the front of the surgery there were a few people gathering, one lady had an umbrella up because it began to rain. Thankfully the practise manager came to open the door up so we could go inside to wait. I really didn't fancy getting soaked so it was as well we didn't have to wait in the rain, although I don't think it lasted long.

They couldn't begin giving the jabs until 8 o'clock. Would it have mattered if they had? What reason was there to not begin? Some formality or other. I won't ask, being Ashfield Medical Centre. Anyway, they allowed us to register, or at least, report to the reception desk to sign in which would at least record that we were there. Then, to have to sit and wait until 8 before the flu jabs began. I wasn't bothered at all that some people went before me. Who cares? They had tea and coffee to drink before and after you'd been for your injection, but, to be honest, I wasn't bothered. Then the clock ticked over, 8 o'clock and bingo! People were called, or at least there name and which person was doing the injections and which room came up on the digital screen. You'd have thought it would have been in alphabetical order, but no, a sort of random name came up, although, now thinking about it, the names were probably just in the order of people being signed in. About ten minutes later my name came up on the digital display, to go to Room 4. One of the doctors. She asked my name and date of birth (which seems to be the standard way to identify you in the N.H.S.) and I sat on a chair and she administered the injection into my left arm, without me feeling a thing, which should be how it's done and I was out and driving on to Sainsbury's.

It wasn't 8.30 when I got to Sainsbury's store in Witan Gate and it was great to be able to move around the store easily without hoards of other shoppers. Having completed my shopping I returned home and because it had, by now, shown signs of being quite bright outside I decided to take Alfie for his delayed walk, much to his complete and utter happiness. It was quite windy and we came across quite  few bits of twig and benches which had been bought down by the wind. But by the time I came to leave the house to see Carol in hospital the skies opened and it rained, so there was absolutely no way I was going to walk, which was what I had intended. It is, after all, a mere ten-minute walk there along the Redway and it would at least mean I wouldn't have to pay parking (you have to pay, because the Macmillan Unit isn't open over the weekend so you can't get your parking ticket clipped which means you can't get free parking, which is a bit mean.) But by the time I'd got to the park park near Cardiology, which is where I generally park, and then walked in to Ward 9, it had stopped raining and the sun was out!

Doctor's Appointment and Poor Customer Service

Carol had an appointment at Ashfield Medical Centre at 6 o'clock this evening. So it meant our usual routine was disrupted. The idea of having it so late was to hopefully avoid being with other people who were likely to be infectious, and as she's more likely to get infected, due to being on chemotherapy, it was vital to avoid such contact, hence the later appointment time. But on arriving at Ashfield we found the waiting area was busy. She'd had a letter from the surgery asking her to make an appointment as the doctor needed to see her. As it turned out he really wanted an up-date of how the chemotherapy was progressing and gave Carol repeat prescriptions of ,cost of her medications. We could have gone to Cox and Robinson's pharmacy a few doors along from the doctor's surgery, but unfortunately I hadn't remembered to bring my wallet with me, as it contains the exemption card which means Carol doesn't have to pay for her prescriptions. So we had to return home so I could pick up the aforementioned wallet and then drive to the branch of Boots at Kingston to get these items made up. The traffic was quite heavy and we got snarled up at several of the roundabouts along Chaffron Way. We parked easily and then went into Boots and handed over the prescriptions at the pharmacy. We were told it would take at least 30 minutes for the order to be made up, so we wasted time browsing in Marks and Spencer's. I needed the toilet in the store, so we walked through. But for some unfathomable reason the toilet was locked. Also, the café was closed, with chairs up on the table. Carol wanted to buy a strawberry-flavoured milk shake and found what she wanted on the shelves. They do a really nice chocolate milk shake which has pieces of chocolate in it. A real indulgence. But on getting to the checkout there was only one member of staff on duty. A reasonably long queue so we decided to leave the store, putting what we had intended purchasing on the shelving at the rear of the checkout-area. Carol decided she needed paracetamol and ibuprofen so I went to pay and she sat near the pharmacy. The same thing as we had experienced in M and S, just one member of staff on the checkout and they were working exceedingly slowly. Well, what is the point of these stores being opened late if they don't have sufficient staff to operate the tills? Carol pointed out that, in Marks and Spencer's it would have been relatively easy to shoplift, to walk out of the store with several fairly expensive items without paying and, with virtually no staff on duty, no-one to apprehend a thief. Then, why was the toilet locked? Why don't they consider that their customers needs as regards having the toilet functioning fully? 

So we returned to the car and I drove us home, by now the traffic was a good deal easier than it had  been when we'd left home.

Another Doctor's Appointment

Carol needed to have a doctor's appointment made this morning (Monday). Never always just a straightforward process, as you will probably realise if you read my blog posts regularly. It's never just a matter of ringing and getting an immediate answer and merely turning up. I get the impression that they are attempting to weed out the time-wasters, those who think it's fine to waste N.H.S. resources by making appointments for things like a cough or a cold, a broken finger-nail or a minor injury. I think people think of the N.H.S. as a first resort for every ailment they may have. My mother, who had been a nurse before she married, would have had a range of medications in her armoury of cures about the house when we were children, from a good stock of plasters, bandages, aspirins, and other first aid equipment. I don't ever remember going to the doctor for minor injuries. I don't ever remember going to Casualty or A and E (Accident and Emergency) as a child. She could always deal with these matters herself. Why can't people today take more care of themselves and not expect everything to be dealt with by the N.H.S.? Common sense seems to have been left behind. When the N.H.S. is stretched to the limit, not just financially, but by staff shortages, it would be better if most people learnt to be self-reliant. Just stock up on basic things in a first aid cabinet, and how to deal with minor injuries and ailments. Leave the doctor's surgery as a last resort, even going to a Walk-In Centre of A and E department unless it's a real emergency or you can't deal with it yourself.

I began ringing the surgery at Ashfield Medical Centre yesterday morning at around 8.30 a.m. I was surprised how quickly I managed to get through and there wasn't that endless wait with that annoying music which you have to listen too. Carol managed to explain why she needed to see a doctor. She had been sent a letter from Ashfield asking her to make an appointment with her registered doctor, but apparently he was on leave so she had to have an appointment with another doctor. The appointment was at 9.50.

I've just seen a piece on BBC Breakfast about how many doctor's appointments are wasted by people who make an appointment and don't cancel them when they don't turn up.  Usually young affluent men according to research. WHY? Is it possible to merely ring the surgery and cancel your appointment if you don't need it? Somewhere in the region of £160 million is wasted when this happens. So, here's one area which needs sorting out as it's a scandal that people don't turn up for an appointment they've made. Just think what could be done with that amount of cash if it was saved.

We drove to the surgery, giving ourselves plenty of time to not only get there but to find a parking space. The surgery was surprisingly deserted when we arrived in the waiting area. One or two people and one poor man with a really awful cough. I can attest to a horrible cough myself which I'm still dealing with.

Carol was called in to the doctor's surgery. Well, you don't get 'called in', as your name appears on a digital screen. You have to sign in using the compute system when you arrive (which seems to have been up-graded since my last visit.) One of the lady doctors, one we haven't seen before (I always go in with Carol when she has an appointment.) and Carol had to go through all the medications she is on since leaving hospital (quite an extensive list.) Some meds have had their dosage increased and a new one which is a sleeping tablet. Hopefully these changes will help deal with the pain Carol is experiencing and should help her have a decent night's sleep. I have to say that this doctor was very sympathetic and took her time to deal with Carols' concerns and we weren't rushed through as we might have had with some of the other doctors in this surgery. We had to order some of her repeat medications and the doctor printed out several prescriptions which we took to Cox and Robinson's pharmacy which is a couple of doors along from Ashfield.

We had to wait what seemed an excessively long time to get the medications made up from the prescriptions. The staff seemed to be on a go-slow for whatever reason and it can't have been because they were busy as there weren't that many other people waiting. But never mind. Actually would have been better if we'd gone to Lloyd's pharmacy in Sainsbury's but, as Cox and Robinson's is so close it seemed the obvious place to go to get the prescriptions made up. Sitting and waiting and being bored silly in the process. Moan over.

Carol was pleased to be out with me in the car, away from the house. We then drove to Marks and Spencer near the football stadium. Considering it was so close to Christmas, it was quiet and we managed to park close to M and S. We did some food shopping and had a browse and by the time we'd finished it was time to return to the car and go home.

More N.H.S. Waiting Rooms-1

Carol still continues to have pain problems. No amount of medication seem to relive this awful situation. She's been on some really powerful medication. We had to ring Ashfield Medical Centre yesterday to get a repeat prescription of Tramadol. You have to go through a really tortuous process to get anywhere near a doctor for an appointment as I've explained in earlier blog posts. A triage system, meaning the receptionist who answers the phone asks you what your problem is and then assigns a doctor to ring you so that he/she can decide whether you need a face-to-face appointment. I think it's to weed out time-wasters (those who have minor ailments: a sore throat doesn't need an appointment: just go to the nearest pharmacist and get an over-the-counter medication, cough syrup or other product. It obviously doesn't need a doctor's appointment and certainly doesn't need a prescription for antibiotics, as an example.) Generally it takes a couple of hours before you get a ring-back and you see a doctor that day. We did eventually get through and she was able to get the doctor to agree on a prescription for Tramadol. We were told that the prescription would be ready for collection 'after 2 p.m.' All very well and I went off to pick this up, hoping that I could then go to the pharmacy which is near the surgery to get it made up and then return home. When I got to the surgery I asked the receptionist for it and she looked for it on the computer system and told me 'it's gone to Sainsbury's (sent electronically). I was somewhat annoyed, as it then meant that I would have to drive to the store in Witan Gate to collect it. (Actually the pharmacy is now run by Lloyd's and not Sainsbury's but is within their store. Don't ask me why it changed. It seemed fine as run by Sainsbury's.) On arrival I asked if the prescription had arrived and I was told it hadn't. It was then that I couldn't for the life of me remember what the drug it was that he prescriptions was for. I knew it was a fairly powerful drug for dealing with pain, but I simply could not remember the name of it. I suggested the pharmacy ring Ashfield M.C. and get them to tell them the name, but they wouldn't without the name of drug the prescription was for. My only choice was to return home and ask Carol what the drug was. When I got home she told me it was Tramadol and I rang Sainsbury's back and when I told them I was informed that, as it was a controlled drug, the surgery couldn't send the prescription electronically. This made sense, because, having been a carer and administration of medication to the client base I worked with was part of my job, I was totally aware that controlled drugs had to be stored carefully, in a locked cupboard, but also had to be carefully signed for, usually by two members of staff, so it was no surprise that they would not send the prescription electronically. By now it was clear that we weren't going to get to the bottom of this situation unless we went to Ashfield Medical Centre and find out what on earth was going on regarding the prescription. The girl of reception said that, having looked at their computer, they had sent the prescription to Sainsbury's. It turned out to be for two other medication that Carol has, but nothing of the Tramadol could be found. Then we said, no doubt it was because it was a controlled drug. After a great deal of scouring around the various files and other places, it turned out that the doctor who was supposed to deal with signing the printed prescriptions hadn't done so and after a further search, the tramadol prescription had somehow slipped through the net. The receptionist said she would go and speak to the doctor, but at the time of speaking she was with a patient. We had to sit and wait in the waiting room whilst all this was going on.

How is it all N.H.S. waiting rooms have such un comfortable seating in them? We've had to endure several of them over the past couple of months, in A and E, at the Urgent Care Centre as well as another out-patient department we went to last week that Carol had to attend following her time in hospital (to see a consultant). They seem to make these facilities as unappealing as possible, the seating in particular as uncomfortable as they can. If you're in A and E as long as we have and you feel like lying down, they've made the long stretch of seats which you'd feel like lying on, have metal bits that make it virtually impossible to lie on as they really cut into your back. I think they deliberately put uncomfortable seating into N.H.S. facilities in a vain attempt to put people off using them. At any rate, the seats I've had to sit on in the last few weeks at least are so designed to make you only want to experience them for at least 20 minutes and certainly no longer. How difficult can it be to have them with at least padded seats? Those plastic chairs in hospital wards don't allow for long sitting as they have a slippery surface that makes you slide off and are extremely uncomfortable. I realise that the N.H.S. is keen to have every surface cleaned in an attempt to combat cross-infection and reduce the risk of N.R.S.A. (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus)  spreading, so plastic surfaces would be easier to keep clean, but do these chairs have to be so uncomfortable

The receptionist eventually returned with the printed, and signed, prescription form, so we could then go to Cox and Robinson a few yards along from the surgery, to get the thing made up and could at last go home.

Roadworks Annoyances and Other Matters Relating

The grid roads within Milton Keynes are currently being re-surfaced. Considering the condition it's a good thing. There are many potholes. For a relatively new town it's not good to have roads in such a state of dis-repair. They are gradually getting the job done and as a result it can cause some inconvenience. We've had plenty of warning, with signs being placed at strategic points around this area. They have stated that the work will take 4 days. The workmen have taken off the surface of some of the road, which means that as you drive around you have to negotiate ramps as the old road surface is at a slightly different level, making it quite difficult, particularly if you were to drive to fast. The surface of the road around the roundabout at what is called 'Four Bridges' has been re-surfaced first. It's around two or three inches in height and if you don't drive carefully, most probably at speed, you're in real danger of damaging your car, most likely the suspension and exhaust system. As a lot of drivers are impatient they tend to drive really up close behind and if you don't get out of their way they attempt to get you to drive faster. There is absolutely no excuse to ignore the fact that there is a lot of roadworks in this area currently because there are large signs to warn you, particularly that there are 'raised ironworks,' most likely in regard to manhole covers and drains as well as the ramps which are between different road surfaces, old and new.

Carol is experiencing a lot of pain due to a trapped nerve. She's been to the doctor's several times. I have to make an appointment for her. It's not easy getting one, as I've mentioned on here before now. You have to ring, after 9.30. It's no good ringing before because the telephone lines aren't open. It's gone 9.38 before I eventually get through to a human. You get a long menu and then 'press 1' to book an appointment. When I eventually get to speak to someone, I have to describe the symptoms and get told 'a doctor will ring back' so as to decide whether the appointment is necessary. Well, it is, otherwise I wouldn't put myself through the ringer in order to get through. I know why they have this, relatively new- system. It's to weed out the time wasters. A doctor does eventually ring back, after 20-30 minutes. I explain what's the matter and that the appointment is not for me. I manage to get an appointment at 3 o'clock that afternoon. I then text Carol to give her the news.

I have to go out to buy salad to go with the cold meat we're having for tonight's meal. Due to the fact that there's roadworks continuing on most of the Grid Roads within the vicinity of Eaglestone, I'm not sure where to go. It would be fairly easy to drive to Waitrose or Asda. I drive out onto Saxon Street, the exit opposite the Academy. I turn left and make for Standing Way. Because of the roadworks, I end up going to Sainsbury's, along Marlborough Street and towards the city centre. Having bought what I wanted in the supermarket, I drive out of Sainsbury's underground carpark and drive a good deal further round Milton Keynes, back towards Standing Way and back onto Saxon Street because the road is closed off just beyond the entrance back into Eaglestone. As a result I have drive around four-five times the distance to avoid the roadworks. As I drive in there is a mini traffic jam, entering and exiting Eaglestone. It seems most drivers are using Eaglestone as a sort of rat-run, or short cut, rather than driving around the city as I've just done.

I go to collect Carol from the Academy at around 2.45. She is waiting just inside the gate. It takes a while for the automated thing to open. Really on it's last legs, if you can so describe an automated gate. Just a lick of paint might freshen things up. It is a rusty old thing. Not that old, come to think of it, as Milton Keynes Academy can't be much more than 6 years old.

We arrive in the carpark at Ashfield Medical Centre in Beanhill. Why do cars have to park in the road outside, when there is a perfectly adequate carpark? We manage to find a space in the carpark at the rear. Not a particularly well designed space to park your car, as it's a really tight space to turn and when you exit you have to make sure that no vehicles are coming in.

We don't have to wait long before Carol is seen. There are that many other people waiting. The appointment was booked for 3 and her name comes up on the digital display very quickly, more or less exactly on 3.00.  She is seen by a nurse, not a doctor.

Carol reappears after about ten minutes with a prescription. As she's diabetic she doesn't have to pay for prescriptions. We take it to Cox and Robinson's chemist, which is only a short walk from the doctor's. Unfortunately I didn't bring my wallet with me, which has the N.H.S. card which you have to show so you don't have to pay prescription charges. We leave the prescription to be made up and say we'll come back to collect it after 5 o'clock. I have to take Carol back to work. She's not over-enthusiastic as it's for some meeting or other which are generally very boring.

I drive out of Eaglestone, having remembered this time to take my wallet complete with the N.H.S. exemption card, with the intention of driving straight over Saxon Street, so as to collect Carol from the Academy . But as I come out onto Saxon Street it appears that the road is back open in both directions. I can't make a safe crossing into the Academy so turn left and decide that, instead of going to collect Carol I might just as well drive to the chemist and collect the prescription and then go back to The Academy. This done, I text Carol to inform her of what I've done. Mission completed, we return home.

And Even More Roadworks

Carol has been off work for two days with 'flu. She has hardly been able to speak. I had to go to Boot's in the centre of Milton Keynes to get Sudafed tablets. You can only buy them 'over the counter' so it was necessary to go to a pharmacy and I knew that Boots would have them in stock. I knew if I was going to park near the main shopping centre I would need change for the machine, so I went to the Eaglestone shop, but, when I arrived at the carpark I couldn't park because it was totally full. I presumed that there must be something going on at the primary school nearby. Perhaps there was something on which meant parents were involved, some sort of performance or assembly, a prize-giving ceremony, which would account for the carpark being full. I thought to then go to the shop at Garraways in Coffee Hall, which is the next grid over from Eaglestone. It meant driving around via Saxon Street. On arriving in Coffee Hall all the roads were clogged up with more cars. Being a Friday, I was aware that the mosque on the corner of Lloyd's, the road into Coffee Hall was busy with people arriving (Friday being their holy day of prayer.) To be honest, I'd seen this building being erected, but wasn't aware that it was a mosque. Anyway, the roads in and around the area were heaving with people coming and going and you wouldn't have found a parking space if you'd wanted to. I managed to get to the One Stop shop in Garraways without too much trouble and then went in to buy some sweets so I'd have change for parking. Then I found that Saxon Street, from the Four Bridges roundabout near Eaglestone was closed off. I think because they were going to resurface the road. About time, because of the potholes, so I shouldn't really complain. It meant I would have to change my route into the city centre so drove towards Marlborough Street, only to find that other drivers had decided to change their route, as there was a considerable queue of cars approaching the roundabout.

I had intended parking where I usually park, near The Point (or what remains of this once-iconic building. It's been left in a more or less derelict state for a good many years. The Odeon cinema which was part of the complex was the first multiplex cinema complex in Britain when it was opened several decades ago. They've since built a new complex near the MK Stadium, which we have visited several times.) Due to the fact that I'd had to approach the city centre from Marlborough Street, I somehow came along Saxon Gate in the wrong lane and couldn't get into the usual carpark so I ended up parking close to the XScape. £1 for an hour, so I had to make sure I was done in the shopping centre before the hour was up. The centre was strangely busy for a Friday. It was also near enough lunchtime, so perhaps people were there during their lunch break. I could think of no other reason for it to be so crowded. I went to Boots and had to queue at the prescription counter. I wanted to get a spare G.T.N. spray and bought one here a few months ago and found it to be a good deal cheaper than elsewhere. I got one in Cox and Robinson some while back and it was one that had an unpleasant taste. If you don't know, these are sprays that you use if you get an angina attack. You spray it under your tongue and it reduces the chest pain by widening your arteries. It does work, but it can make you feel very light headed and can cause a headache. It generally goes off after a few minutes. I use one before we go swimming or if we're going to do a lot of walking or anything somewhat strenuous. I've no intention of letting an angina attack stop me doing anything, so I wanted one as a spare to put in my gym bag. I had one ordered with my repeat prescription but it wouldn't be ready until Saturday morning when we would go to Sainsbury's to pick up the prescription which I'd ordered last week. It seemed to take the lady assistant some while to find the G.T.N. spray on the computer system. But she found it and I purchased the Sudafed for Carol.

I'd been into town a few days previously (remember I'd gone out because of the annoying noise from next door.) I'd gone into The Works for a browse. I love their shops. Books going at very reasonable prices. I'd seen some colouring books (seems like a craze that's really caught on recently) and saw one using Gustav Klimt's paintings as models for colouring and thought that Carol would appreciate this. I also found several books in the 'history' section, one on Waterloo and another, written by Ruth Goodman, who does a lot of television documentaries on various aspects of history. This one entitled 'How To Be A Tudor.' Well worth having at about a third of their normal price. I've bought quite a few books in The Works, and as they now have a loyalty card, you get points which you can use against future purchases.

Time was ticking on. I walked back to the car, with about 15 minutes left on the parking ticket. I next went to Sainsbury's as I needed to get bread which we'd have for our lunch. Another detour caused by the roadworks along Saxon Street.

Saturday morning.

We didn't get up that early this morning. Carol's cold/flu is beginning to abate, thankfully. The Sedated seems to be doing it's job. It makes you sleep well and you have to be careful that, if you feel drowsy to not drive a car.

We went into Sainsbury's. Saxon Street was open to traffic. The large pothole that you had to avoid when you drove along this stretch of road is now repaired. I'm not sure what else is due for repair. They have also been mowing the grass along the side of the grid roads. I managed to mow the grass at the back of our house. Not over-eager to do it, but it only takes around 20 minutes. I did it on Monday morning.

The sky is threatening rain. Dark rain-clouds hang over the city. We actually want it to rain because we don't want the noise to continue from next door's garden. You can see the work they've been doing, laying a patio, from our bedroom window. The rest of the garden looks like a building site.

Walking Alfie

Instead of using the car to take Carol to work at Milton Keynes Academy in the morning and because the weather is so much better at the moment, we have been walking over. It's only a ten-minute walk and in actual fact far quicker than taking the car, because it could take longer to de-ice the car and get it warm and then merely a two-minute drive. Then, driving back home, the traffic could be heavy after 7.30. You get those drivers who don't care that it's actually a 40 m.p.h. zone along Saxon Street. There used to be a 'slow down' sign fixed to the footbridge, one of those digital displays which shows your speed and then, when you're going the correct speed, a smiley face. I think a good deal more effective than speed cameras, which are used mostly to raise money and some people slow down when they approach them and then speed up once they are past. 

We have begun taking Alfie with us. He's always eager to go out for a walk, and makes a good deal of noise when he realises he's likely to go out. Carol has her lanyard with her pass on a hook in the kitchen, next to where Alfie's lead is kept, and as soon as Carol picked up her lanyard this morning (which is, incidentally, the same colour blue as Alfie's lead.) he started barking and getting excited. Carol put on Alfie's harness, as it's better than fixing his lead to his collar, which he wears all the time, but Alfie was getting more and more excited at the prospect of going out for a walk. Once on, we went outside and all the neighbourhood could hear his yaps and barks, echoing throughout the estate. 

You have to keep your wits about you as you walk Alfie along the Redway as some unpleasant individual has thought it necessary to smash some bottles as you approach the Academy gates, so I have to pick Alfie up as I don't want him getting any bits of glass in his feet.  The bit of glass are strewn all along the patch and the tiniest pieces are the one's that are likely to do the most harm and very difficult to see, although most of the bits glitter in the sunlight. He hurt a paw a few weeks ago and has been limping about, and we're still not sure what caused this. Perhaps he tweaked a muscle or caught a nail when out for a walk, but it doesn't seem to be troubling him too much. Yesterday , as I walked back home from the Academy, two children from the school wanted to talk to Alfie when I had picked him up. I think a lot of the children who go there know that Alfie is Carol and my dog. He seems to have built up something of a fan club.

All along the Redway, from where the footbridge over Saxon Street, up as far as the path which approaches the Academy, it's strewn with litter. I'm shocked that it's so dirty. It's crisp packets, plastic drinks bottles and all manner of litter. I'm shocked if it's thrown there by the school children who use the path as they walk to and from school. The worst part is where staff members of the Academy come out to smoke. As it's illegal to smoke cigarettes within the school grounds, those who do smoke have to go outside the school grounds, and we often see people standing outside on the Redway, smoking their cigarettes. But I object strongly to the fact that they throw their cigarette ends on the ground, adding to a larger and larger collection. It looks really nasty. The same can be said to happen at other places, most notably near our doctor's surgery, Ashfield Medical Centre in Beanhill. I don't expect it's just the surgery staff who drop their cigarette ends on the ground (at the side of the building, as you walk round from the carpark at the back of the building.) as there's also a dentist surgery and Cox and Robinson's chemist shop in the same cluster of businesses near the Ashfield Medical Centre. If people must smoke they should at least dispose of their cigarette ends in some sort of bin as it's surely not good for the environment as well as looking really untidy and unpleasant.

As for the litter near the Academy, I have seen Council workmen picking up the litter on a couple of occasions, but I imagine, what with budget cuts, there won't be so much of this sort of work going on. It just annoys me that people think it's fine to throw their litter on the ground and not just take it home with them to dispose of it sensibly. 

Autumnal Sunshine and Blackberry Picking

The weather has returned to pleasantly sunny, although it was quite chilly first thing this morning. A definite nip in the air.  There is a real need to put the thicker duvet on our bed.

I have ordered my repeat prescription at Sainsbury's, which I did earlier in the week. It was  a G.T.N. spray. (Glyceryl Trinitrate) For those who've had a heart attack and suffer from angina attacks, you will obviously know that this little bottle, which comes with a neat spray, helps to relieve this angina pain. You spray a few puffs under your tongue and then wait for a minute or two for the effects to take place.  It relaxes and widens blood vessels in the heart and the rest of the body.You tend to get a sort of high (not unpleasant) and the pain goes off gradually. Certainly headaches and dizziness. If you sit down for a minute or two or lie down, it soon goes off.  It is the same as the isosorbide mononitrate which I take twice a day. I wasn't due to collect the prescription from Sainsbury's pharmacy until Monday, and as we're going out tomorrow, weather permitting, hopefully to Whipsnade, and we'll no doubt be walking around, I thought it a good idea to buy an extra G.T.N. spray so I had it in my pocket in case I had a bad angina attack. I went to Boots at Bletchley this morning (near Pets At Home, Brantano, Sports Direct and T.K. Maxx) to enquire at their pharmacy to find out if they had one I could buy. They couldn't, but could order one, to be delivered by Monday or Tuesday.  On the way home I decided to try Cox and Robinson's pharmacy at Beanhill, in the same block as Ashfield Medical Centre. They had one in stock. A good bit larger than what I'm usually given with my repeat prescription. This new one is supposed to give around 200 doses, whilst the one I usually get has around 180 doses. Well, at least I will have it in my pocket for every eventuality tomorrow. Then I went into the surgery as it's getting to the time of year when I get my free flu jab (having fallen into the 'vulnerable' class due to having had a heart attack, I get this free each year.) I got a sort of garbled phone call telling me when the two Saturdays were for this flu jab. It appears that it's being done on the 8th and 22nd October (which is actually my birthday!) The computerised phone message was so difficult to understand that I couldn't remember so it was as well to go into the surgery. Never mind.) You just turn up and get the jab. Not a problem. I certainly don't want to get the flu as it can be nasty if you have a heart problem.

I have been out and picked some blackberries. The crop has been quite extensive on the bramble bushes all along the Redway and on the overhang on our garden fence. I suppose they've had the right amount of sunshine and rain to produce such a large crop. I shall go back out and get some more during the next  few weeks. The berries are so plump and ripe that they virtually fall off the bushes into the box I have  to collect them.

Wind, Rain and now Sunshine!

What a mixed lot of weather we've had today. It's been blowing a gale for most of the day, to such an extent that I'm really surprised that the rest of the garden fence hasn't been totally blown away, what there is left of it. It also rained hard and was making noises as it fell and hitting the windows. I went to the Ashfield Medical Centre to get an appointment this morning at around 7.45. It was raining quite hard but I had the foresight to wear my coat with a hood so it wasn't too bad. I managed to get an appointment with Doctor Haye at 3.10 p.m., but when I did eventually get in to see the doctor it was more like 3.25 or there about. Having peered into both my ears with the gadget doctors use to inspect your ears he has prescribed me Otomize ear spray. The problem is caused by ear wax, which isn't unsurprising. He also prescribed Daktacort for dry skin and rash. I have also got an appointment on 2nd June to have my ears syringed by the nurse.  I went into Cox and Robinson's pharmacy a few doors along to get both prescriptions made up. A lot of the same people wandered in from the doctor's surgery, also collecting their prescriptions. Interesting over-hearing conversations, which you can't really avoid as some people have very loud voices. People's addiction to their mobile phones intrigues me. It seems a lot of people would be lost without them.  Loud conversations on these gadgets as well as being able to hear the person on the other end of the line which you can hear loud and clear. In some ways, having a hearing problem because of ear-wax might be preferable in the case of these conversations. As I write this, back home in the living room, I can see the sun is out although there is quite a strong wind blowing. I'll be off to walk over to the Milton Keynes Academy in around 20 minutes to collect Carol. I have made a cottage pie for our dinner, already and waiting to heat in the oven.

Doctor's Appointment

I went to Ashfield Medical Centre yesterday morning, arriving outside at around 7.45, having taken Carol to Tesco's in Oldbrook to buy sandwiches and other items for lunch as she can't seem to be able to get a decent snack for her lunch at The Academy. Another story for another day. It's been really pleasant and sunny for the past few days. There are a few other people ahead of me in the queue and soon quite a few draw up in their cars and join behind me. People seem to make a point of not giving any sort of eye-contact with anyone else and seem content to be plugged in with ear-phones to either their mobile phones or iPods or peering at their micro-screens rather than make any sort of conversation. It seems sad that that is the way society is going, no sort of human contact with a real person rather than with a gadget of some sort. The queue shuffles forward and eventually the doors to the surgery opens and we move inside. I manage to reach the reception desk and make an appointment to see Doctor Haye at 5 this afternoon. I return home and spent some time cutting the grass with the Flymo. It takes a good deal longer than it needs to complete the job. The length of the grass doesn't help, neither does the fact that the grass is slightly wet. Last year we didn't cut the grass for quite a while and it got so long it began to seed and it was a real jungle. When we let the dogs out they were barely visible. It is no good allowing the grass to get to that length so it's best to keep it short. Also, the uneven nature of the ground doesn't exactly make life easy, but doing the job in stages means I can complete the entire job over the course of the week. It's a very strenuous work and after a while I get some pain in my chest and arrms so I leave off and wind up the cable and put the machine back in the shed for next time.

I eventually make my way to the surgery for my appointment for 5, arriving at around 4.45. I find it's best to get there a good ten minutes before the allotted appointment as you can sometimes be seen before your set time if the surgery is running to schedule or another patient doesn't turn up on time. There aren't too many people waiting when I arrive so it seemed a good idea as well as being able to get through the traffic. You have to drive through the roundabout on Standing way which can become quite difficult if there is a really heavy amount of traffic. Fortunately this evening it wasn't too bad as it was before the usual going-home sort of time. Also, the weather was sunny and bright, no rain or other weather conditions bad enough to make driving hazardous.

My appointment eventually comes up on the digital display at around 5.10. Never mind the wait and my sitting and observing other people coming and going is useful for character-development for my creative writing. I go into the surgery. I have managed to make a list of things I need to discuss with the doctor. I have also managed to make a longer appointment as you are kindly told to make longer appointment with the doctors if you have more than one thing you need to discuss. Fair point when you consider that the appointments are supposed to be only ten minutes or so. One thing I needed to bring up was last week, when I was coughing on a regular basis, was when I was getting a pain in my chest, something like an angina attack. I can become difficult as you can imagine, having experienced a heart attack. Sometimes it can be very difficult to differentiate between 1- the symptoms of a heart attack 2- an angina attack and 3- a indigestion attack or 'heart-burn.' These there are very similar. having spent a few days coughing, and it has been a v very dry cough with nothing to actually cough our, there was no phlem to cough out, this coughing seemed to be responsible for the chest-pain. I cannot take certain cough remedies and have to be careful as some can interact with my medication. I have been taking one linctus which we bough over the counter in Sainsbury's pharmacy a few days previously. Also, merely sucking some sort of sweet or medicated confection which helps relieve the annoying tickling cough which usually develops when I lie down at night. Anyway, this chest-pain got really bad last weekend and into Monday when we went out for the day to visit Basildon Park. It concerns me to some extent that this is going to be a heart attack, and at one point I had to lie down until the discomfort in my chest subsides. I mention this to Carol, who had been coughing herself and had to spent time in bed because she wasn't feeling well herself. The discomfort I was experiencing gradually went off but as I had to visit the doctor anyway I decided to mention it to him. He listened to my chest and did a blood-pressure test and assured me that there was no problem with my heart. Certainly no chance of a heart attack coming on but I was glad that it wasn't serious. Not a good idea to ignore anything like I'd experienced. I had taken one or two of my isoborbide mononitrate tablets when the pain hadn't gone off last week. I had been prescribed this medication some while ago when I'd had fairly severe angina attacks and had to go into hospital. Up until then I had always used  a glycerol trinittrate spray which I had been given on prescription from the time of my original heart attack back in 2006, but I'd stopped having one for such times as I had an angina attack a couple of years ago.  When ever a bad angina attack happens you merely spray a short amount from the little bottle under your tongue and the pain is reduced. It does work, but I will keep this new bottle or spray in my medications box in case of emergencies. But now I was given a prescription to have a new one which I can use when and if another such angina attack comes on again. The doctor prints out my prescriptions and I leave the surgery and then go into Cox and Robinson's pharmacy which is conveniently located a short walk from the surgery. Within around 10 minutes they have made up my prescription and I leave and drive home.

I have been watching a really brilliant series on BBC2. Well, I have been downloading the episodes on iPlayer, so not actually 'on-air' as it's transmitted or recorded on our Sky+ box. The series is called 'Nurse' and stars Paul Whitehouse and Esther Coles who plays a community psychiatric nurse called Liz and we see her visiting her N.H.S, patients or to be politically correct 'service users.' Puts me very much in mind of my own work as a home carer as well as doing work with those with learning disabilities. We had to refer to our people we worked with as either 'clients' or 'service users,' both of which, to me are really clunky and sound peculiar. 'End-user' is another term I have come across which is even worse. I suppose it come from the Thatcher era when everyone and everything had a cost, had a monetary value when things were being privatised. Anyway, she visits a wide selection of different people in their homes who have mental health problems and is not what you'd describe as a 'bundle of laughs.' I don't think it's supposed to be a comedy in the loose meaning of the term 'comedy' but it has a much deeper meaning and purpose than a lot of what is put out on television but it's all the better that it gives a glimpse of this sort of work and makes the viewer think about mental health in a new way. What I am coming to is that when I arrived in the pharmacy having got my prescription from the doctor a few minutes previously, there was a young man in there at the counter who could have stepped out of one of those 'Nurse' episodes. He seemed to be dressed exactly like one of Nurse Liz's service users and even spoke like one of them. I think it made it seem more relevant this television series has been and how very well developed the characters have been. If you haven't seen this I can recommend it but don't expect a whole load of laughs although it does have a certain amount of humour in it, but in my opinion it isn't always the 'laugh-out-loud' comedy which works best but the work that makes you think that is often the best.

New Car

Carol had a doctor's appointment at 3.50 yesterday afternoon. We knew it wouldn't be a sensible idea for me to drive over to the Academy to collect her, as there are always a number of cars in the road leading up to the entrance gate, driven by parents of children being collected from the Academy. They are not supposed to park there, but that doesn't prevent them clogging up the entrance and making it somewhat dangerous. Some people will never take any notice of any rule or regulation, however it might impact others safety. So I drove out of our drive and parked along the road near the postbox and waited for her to text me when she was coming out, which wasn't long. We got to the surgery in Beanhill and it wasn't too long before she went into the doctor's surgery. The results were back from her recent blood test. It now looks as if she is diabetic, which wasn't unexpected. We had to take a prescription for yet more medication into the nearby Cox and Robinson pharmacy to get it made up. Having done that we decided to go to a  used car trader's showroom in Dunstable which we'd discovered on the internet. On arrival, having found the place which is well and truly hidden just off the main Dunstable road, we were surprised at the number and quality of secondhand vehicles they had on offer. We have gone for a Peugeot 1007, green in colour and only 7 years old. It has doors which slide open which makes it quite unique as far as I can see. Has all the specifications we want including having enough space in the back to carry groceries when we go shopping as well as being able to take the cage for when we take Alfie and Poppy out for their walks at the various places in and around Milton Keynes. We managed to get the car trader to take our old Hyundai Atoz, giving us £100 which was much more than we expected to get and it also means we don't have to worry about getting the poor old car scrapped. Frankly, it would been a waste of money if we'd decided to get it repaired as it hasn't got much more life it in. Having looked at the engine the mechanic told us that it looked as if the head gasket would need replacing and that it had perhaps no more than 100 left before it went. So, having paid a deposit on the new car and doing all the paperwork, we went home and went to the  Kentucky Fried Chicken take-away restaurant near the MK Stadium because we didn't fancy cooking when we got home. I have to now sort out the car's insurance, which shouldn't be too difficult as all I have to do is ring Swinton insurance who we had used for the Hyundai and transfer it to the new car. When we go back to fetch the new car on Saturday morning the car showroom will have MoT'd the new car for us for a further year and at the same time pay for the car tax once that is done as you can't tax a vehicle without both insurance and MoT. 

Blood Test

I had my blood test this morning. I had to be at the surgery at 10.50. The automated check-in system wasn't working. If you know what I'm talking about, you may have one in your doctor's surgery. It is a computer screen with a touch-screen and you have to input your age, sex, date of birth etc and it will then end by telling you the doctor's name you are booked in with. As it wasn't functioning it meant queuing to sign in with the receptionist. If you don't do any of this then you don't exist on the computer system and then you won't be seen and will be wasting your time. I also had to collect a repeat prescription. I now do this 'on-line' and this time I managed to do it using the Samsung Galaxy tablet. It does save having to fill in a form and then physically go to the surgery. Mind you, it isn't always fool-proof, because last time I put in my repeat prescription and I went to the surgery two days to collect the prescription, it was obvious that the system had failed and the doctor had to do the prescription the next day, but it wasn't too much trouble.

As for the taking-of-the blood. There was no problem and it went very well. I think it helps if I have had plenty to drink as I was told that being dehydrated doesn't help the taking of blood. The result should be ready on Friday. Also, the nurse did my blood pressure and that was found to be normal, thankfully.

I wanted to get Carol a present, as tomorrow is her birthday, and I had intended going to Sainsbury's so that I could get the prescription made up at the in-store pharmacy whilst I looked for a present. I got to the store and took the prescription form to the pharmacy and handed it over and was told by the pharmacist that they didn't have one of the meds on the list, isoborbide mononitrate. I was told that there was apparently a problem with supplies, due to the manufacture or something, and they rang to try and get this med from another supplier, but without success. I was then told that I would need to go back to the doctor's surgery and get them to substitute a similar medication on the prescription. So I drove back to Beanhill, where the surgery is, to then be told that the next-door pharmacy, Cox and Robinson, had a supply. Which is what I did and got the whole prescription made up. Problem solved. I THEN drove to Asda in Bletchley to get the present for Carol. Entire mission completed!

Review of Medication

I have done our repeat prescriptions for this month. I thought it might be a good idea to get them done earlier than usual as the Christmas holiday as well as New Year will get in the way. I now put the prescriptions in by using the internet. It's a good deal easier than physically going to the surgery and filling out the relevant forms. It's saved on-line, so all you have to do is check the meds in the list and 'click'. It then should take 48 hours before you can pick up the prescriptions and take to a pharmacy to get them made up.

We have Ashfield Medical Centre in Beanfield  as our doctor's surgery. We used to use a surgery in Netherfield, but the receptionists there were not exactly careful with our privacy, particularly when we were waiting at the reception desk, so we moved to the new surgery. I went to collect the prescriptions early this morning and then went to the Cox and Robinson pharmacy which is next door to have these made up. I had to wait around 10 minutes for this and then the pharmacist came out with the made-up medications and said he wanted to speak to me in the consultation area.

I am used to having my medications reviewed regularly. Usually this is done by my doctor, but I presume they are now farming out this to local pharmacists.  When you have repeat medications, and for long-term health conditions such as a heart condition, which I have it is very important that these drugs are reviewed regularly so as to ensure correct administration and that they are working effectively. Also, with the current economic climate, the N.H.S. will be making sure that there is no unnecessary waste. When I worked as a Support Worker for the Learning Disability Service of the Bedfordshire and Luton N.H.S. Trust I was a keyworker and linkworker for some of the clients in my care, and part of the job was to review their medication. We had to find out if medications they were on would interact and to keep a sharp eye out for any side-effects. We used a standard N.H.S. book called the B.N.F. (British National Formulary) which lists virtually every known prescription drug in use by the N.H.S. as well as alerting professionals such as doctors, carers etc as to the side-effects of these drugs. There is also an on-line version, which you have to register with before you can use, so of you want to find out accurate information about a particular drug, I can recommend it. I have done several drugs administration courses as part of my former job, and also know how to handle and administer medications, including recording of what has been given and when, which is extremely important.

The pharmacist at the chemist went through all my medications with me, asking me what time I took them, and did I know what they did. In all cases I know exactly what they are for, partly as a result of research on the B.N.F. website and partly from asking the professionals I have appointments with as I always ask whenever my medications are changed, including when the dosage is increased or decreased. All dealt with in an extremly professional manner and makes me confident that I'm being dealt with properly. Any information deemed important would be passed on to the surgery.