Dealing with Doctor and other Delights

I've had to visit Ashfield Medical Centre just after 9 o'clock this morning as we need another medical certificate for E.S.A. claim. I mentioned on Friday that I had rung early on that morning and was told that the doctor would only be available to call back on Monday (today). Never mind that it might possibly be vital that the D.W.P. need this document before any further payments are made. Just another dose of bureaucracy, unfortunately. The woman on the surgery reception wouldn't budge an inch. I said we really needed the medical certificate as it needed to be in the post fairy urgently, but there was no way she was going to let me have it even when I said that Carol was in hospital. I would have to have a doctor's phone call. I couldn't see a doctor as none were available. I just said that the system was inflexible, which it is. I did get her to give me a doctor's call-back but she couldn't guarantee when. So I went home and thought that I'd have to wait a few hours before the doctor rang. Why ON EARTH couldn't he just sign the medical certificate and have done with it, and I could collect it later on in the day, without all the hassle of the doctor ringing? He must know that Carol is in hospital and on Ward 22.

I did try to ring the ward to get them to tell Carol I was going to be in later. I think I rang three or four times, but it was obvious that they weren't going to answer. No doubt nobody was on reception to take my message.

Fortunately the doctor rang within about 30 minutes from walking in the door. He was able to say that he'd sign the new medical certificate and it would be ready after 6 o'clock this evening. I won't pick it up until tomorrow morning. So, at least that is one less thing to worry about.

I went into see Carol on the ward. Another patient on the ward. Also, we discovered yesterday, from Ross, who is the pastor at Shenley Christian Fellowship, who told us that the daughter of one of the pastors at M.K.C.C. was also on Ward 22. Which we didn't know about until yesterday evening, so we went to see her as she is in one of the single rooms on Ward 22.

Carol's temperature is still not totally under control. The doctors say that they have found what they believe is the source of the infection and that they have put Carol on a far higher dosage of antibiotics. She cannot be discharged until her temperature is more stable for at least another 48 hours.

I'm determined to discuss all aspects of our journey with cancer, however difficult it might be. In some ways it's almost therapeutic to put all of it in writing. The ups and downs and highs and lows. Our battles with petty bureaucracy and so on. The latest is applying for benefits. Since Carol's salary from the Academy has stopped we really have no choice. We have got the P.I.P. sorted out (Personal Independence Payment) and the E.S.A. is going through (which is why we needed the medical certificate) But now we're waiting to hear about Housing Benefit. As we hadn't heard anything from the Council, not a letter to acknowledge our application, as I would have expected, I decided to ring them this afternoon. It took at least 45 minutes to get through. Now I need to supply them with identity for myself and Carol (ie. Driving licence, some form of paperwork with our name and address on, a utility bill.) proof of earnings (bank statements) and take it all in to the Council offices. So, why did they not ask for all this when we first applied and why did it take my telephone call to them to get this information? Words fail me.

Another Few Days In Hospital

We were hoping that Carol might be discharged from hospital today. I usually make sure that I'm on the ward when the doctors do their rounds. They usually arrive between 10-10.30. Carol's temperature is still causing concern. But her blood sugar level is now at a safer level. The results of the blood tests to show up signs of infection seem somewhat ambiguous. The doctor said that she would need to remain on the ward until at least Monday. Not something that either of us wants to hear, but it is better that Carol remains in hospital where she can be observed and have a better chance of this thing being resolved than going home and the infection getting worse and then having to rush back into hospital and the whole sequence of events being repeated. She has numb hands. She has problems holding anything. She says that she can hardly feel anything and it can be difficult to even grip some objects, finding it difficult to do simple things like opening packets or holding a pen. The doctor said it is most likely a side effect of the chemotherapy, even though the 12 cycles were completed almost three weeks ago. The doctor said that a specialist oncology doctor would know exactly what was going on as she didn't have the expertise requited to know what all this meant.

We're having to rely on benefits until Carol gets back to work. Carol has already got what is called a P.I.P. (Personal Independence Payment) and we're in the process of applying for Housing Benefit and what is called E.S.A. (Employment Support Allowance). We got a form (it takes a lot of patience and time and effort to fill these in. Most of them are done on-line. The Housing Benefit one was, as well as the others. What happens to those who don't have a computer or internet access?) which required a cancer specialist to sign the back page. I went to the Macmillan unit first, as I assumed that they would be able to help, but no. Not their fault, but I was then sent to the nurses's desk within the unit, they couldn't help. I even asked at the nurses desk within Ward 22, but they couldn't sign it without the whole form being signed. I even asked one of the doctors who came on the ward round yesterday, but because they're not cancer specialists, they could oblige. By now I was getting annoyed. I had been told by the stoma nurse who came to see Carol yesterday and she had said that any doctor could sign the form, but as I found out, this wasn't the case. In the end I went to the oncology department, where Carol had her 12 cycles of chemotherapy. One of the nurses, who hadn't been on duty when we'd been in there, made the effort to look at the files they had and managed to fill in the form and sign it so, at last I could get it posted off.

On top of all this we got a letter from the D.W.P. (Department of Work and Pensions) that they needed a new medical certificate as the old one is about to expire. So I rang Ashfield Medical Centre. Now, you would think that it would be a simple matter of getting the doctor to sign the relevant form and date it accordingly, but we have to wait for him to ring on Monday morning for me (or Carol, if she's at home then) to explain what we want and THEN go and collect the wretched form, probably on Tuesday afternoon and THEN post it off to the relevant department. WHY couldn't this be done on Friday when I rang? It seems they are making things more difficult than is completely necessary.

Sorting Things

Friday. Another incredibly bright and sunny morning.

We weren't sure what benefits we can claim since Carol has been off work. Her pay was cut in half some while ago and it stops completely in early July. Obviously she can't claim J.S.A (Job Seekers' Allowance) because you have to be available for work to claim that. We've been on the Gov.org.uk site and it's unclear if she can claim Universal Credit. We were told we'd have to go to the local Job Centre to make a claim for whatever it is called. I rang a helpline but didn't get much further so the alternative was to visit our local Job Centre in Midsummer Boulevard in Milton Keynes. We went to our bank, the NatWest branch near the Council offices (I actually think it's underneath the offices, so it can't possibly be nearer.) so that I could get change for the parking meter we'll need when we park. The things you have to organise, just to park your car. I seem to remember at one time that the main shopping centre in MK used to have free parking. It's no wonder that so many shops are struggling to survive, House of Fraser for one having announced that it's Milton Keynes store will close. Just putting off shoppers by charging for parking.) We drove round to find a space nearer to the Job Centre. Fortunately there were plenty of spaces. But it seems a bit steep to have to pay £2 an hour to park. The Council must be making a fortunate out of parking.

We went into the Christ The Cornerstone church. We haven't been in there in a while. I think we used to take Sam to give blood there at one point. We went into the café. It was completely empty. No staff in evidence. A good selection of cakes on display. We could have easily taken several large slices and walked out without anyone noticing. A young girl, obviously not a senior member of staff, appeared. We asked for two lattes. We had taken a slice of cake. She called for another member of staff, who very reluctantly appeared. The lattes were produced and we paid at the till. Not an over-enthusiastic couple of staff-members. We sat at a table near the window to enjoy our drinks. More froth than coffee. Not the best I've experienced by a long chalk. We could as easily crossed the road and gone into Marks and Spencer's café, although it might have been more expensive. This place is in need of a re-vamp. It seems stuck in a time-warp, probably the mid 1970's or thereabouts. Never mind. We have had better service in the past. As it was, it was not going to attract many customers although it is supposed to get busy at lunchtime with office workers using it for their lunch-break. I think it was the lack of enthusiasm of the staff which was the worst aspect of the whole experience.

Having had our refreshment break, such as it was, we walked round to the Job Centre. Not a particularly enthusiastic place either. It wasn't exactly clear where you were supposed to go or to whom you were supposed to talk to. Not much to attract you to look for a job. No jobs posted on boards or even on computer screens. Perhaps there were these facilities, but we weren't looking for a job for either of us at that particular time. We spoke to a female member of staff, who was helpful enough and told us that Carol needed to apply for E.S.A. (Employment and Support Allowance.). She gave her a list of numbers, including one to ring to apply as you have to do this by telephone. It's annoying that we didn't know this when we went on-line earlier. So we returned home with this new information and I rang the telephone number and we spent about an hour doing the claim. The lady who we dealt with was very helpful and professional. The Job Centre isn't exactly brimming with interesting jobs. There seems a lot of unused space. Infact, with it's beautifully clean floor, it could be rented out as a dance studio. They could rent it out for office space. A lot of it wasted. Similarly in the entrance of the Council offices we visited on Thursday morning. Beautifully carpeted and acres of space. They used to have cubicles all around the walls where staff sat to take peoples payments for such things as Council Tax and rent, as well as where you'd go if you were applying for any sort of benefit. Now they have these brightly coloured booths where staff sit. it's been revamped and is far more pleasant. At one time when I had to sign on for J.S.A. and whatever when I lived in Bedford, a lot of the applications were done speaking through a grill in a glass panel with the staff member sitting behind the glass and it was quite intimidating.