Wednesday 5 July 2017

"You've had a tough few years haven't you"

I wrote this as I sit on a dull wooden chair coated with a deep blue leather, supposedly to make the patients feel more comfortable, I'm not entirely sure what for and someone needs to tell whoever invented these they're so uncomfortable!

The dark grey floor covered with a freckled type pattern trails along the floor of the  corridor, the typical floor that's in every hospital..
with bins that no one knows how to 'get into' as quoted by a patient who missed the foot peddle that lifts the lid.. (very slowly)

This corridor is full of patients (mostly elderly) waiting to be seen by an eye consultant
You get shivers when you realise you're one of those patients..

Once again another appointment that you'd love to not even have to attend but are reminded to by numerous reminder letters, text messages ( but people still pretend they forgot to attend) and the fact you actually suffer with an illness that needs regular check ups.

Intracranial hypertension
'Benign' apparently, I personally have no idea what it is or if they add the benign to keep you at ease.
*never google your symptoms* but I've googled every illness so many times.
All I remember is lumbar punctures and severe headaches sometimes I still suffer from

Oh and the drops they insist need to be dropped into your eyes, possibly to watch each patient struggle to see anything when leaving the room full of eye charts (the large to minuscule letters)
They use this 'machine' that stabs your eyes to 'check the pressure' just like blood tests 'it won't hurt you won't feel it I promise'

Trust me it's the most uncomfortable thing, I blinked so much that she had to redo it about 7 times, reassuring me that 'the majority of people struggle to have this'
*excuse me? The majority of your patients are elderly..

Just like my stroke.

So stay healthy kids :)

"I'm just going to check your medical records"
*good luck*

I actually said that to her, she giggled but before she realised that there is a long list from 1-7 with my illnesses lined up in black and white print (very boring and standard font) were just written on a piece of paper, the folder full of the appointments I attend. To her 'another patient' to me, a life long struggle.
They wheel this tray up and down the corridor and trust me everyone tries to check if theirs is the biggest (don't deny this, we all do it..)

"Elizabeth Ashmore"..
As they call, oh wait sorry I mean shout my name down this long corridor I stand up and start to walk towards the room. Everyone stares, most patients I think can tell, especially older people..

The eye drops are starting to wear off now..
So excuse any spelling mistakes.

I don't know if I'm alone with this but when the patches cover one eye at a time I get a tingle in my stomach and start to sympathise for people who are completely blind.
(My blogs about honesty so I thought I'd add that)


When I finally see my doctor who's 'running an hour late'  I will actually ask him to tell me what I have..

It's funny, I suffer with these illnesses but never felt comfortable to question what they really are..
no ones honest with their doctor because of what they might respond 'so, yes you have 4 years to  live'

I plan what to say before although it never actually comes out of my mouth, wish me luck, I'm now going to wait another hour..
For a doctor who had to be persistent with his studies but struggles to do so when seeing his patients.

No comments:

Post a Comment