A Royal Infirmary, yesterday
Last week, I missed my first ever diabetes-related appointment at my local hospital. Prior to this mishap I tutted angrily to myself when I read about people who were too lazy to bother turning up for appointments – wasting valuable medical staff’s time and costing the NHS. But now, sadly, I join the serried ranks of Bad People.
<rant>
In my defence, such as it is, the appointment was for an eye check-up during which they spend ten minutes taking a high-resolution (and surprisingly interesting) picture of the back of my eyes. The appointment is generally very quick and is usually included as part of my usual annual review up at the Royal Infirmary.
However, for some utterly inexplicable reason the eye check up is now done separately from everything else – the A1C, foot check and all that jazz that we know and love. This means more trips up to hospital each year.
If you are not familiar with Edinburgh (and you should be, it’s a lovely city), the Royal Infirmary is a newly-built hospital on the very outskirts of the city and is a complete and utter pain to get to. I usually take a morning off work to bus / taxi there for appointments and it costs both me and my employers time and money to get there.
Like a considerable number of Type Ones, I’m in full time professional employment and hold a responsible position acting for clients all around the world (no, really, I do); continually dropping everything and spending mornings up at the hospital is just not practical or sensible.
So which hair-brained dolt thought that it was a good idea to split the ;
Good rant! I spend a lot of time reminding people that diabetes isn’t my full time job and that I do have to do something to pay the mortgage in between diabetes appointments.
My hospital texts me the day before my appointment to remind me about it – this is mostly a bit irritating but has occasionally saved me from being a social pariah scandalously wasting resources like yourself!
Can I commute to the UK and visit the Royal Infirmary? Crap. I need a passport first. Then more money for the flight there, time off from work. How long to become a citizen? Oh States. You suck.
Your rant was better. 😉
@CALpumper Just get a big box (with air holes drilled in it) and post yourself over. You could easily get a job as a strawberry picker in Dundee. So easy!
Woot! I will make a call to my UPS guy.
Not too sure about strawberry picking: 1) my back 2) I would eat them.
😉
@CALpumper There’s also the horrific flaw that would you have to live in or around Dundee. A terrible fate worse than death.
@Tim
Excuse me, Dundee isn’t that bad. We live in Angus, but I take my son to the Paeds clinic at Ninewells. It is has some of the top diabetes consultants in Scotland and is at the forefront of diabetes research in the UK. It also has 10% of its children on pumps – a brilliant figure, when you consider the Scottish average is about 1%.
@Heather It may be good for diabetics, but you do have to admit it’s not the prettiest of cities! 🙂
@Tim
Yes, you are right there Tim. I have to admit that I am glad I am not a Dundonian. They don’t have a very good reputation around here.
@Heather I quite going round the Discovery though – being a bit of a Captain Scott fan!