Tag: Finding support

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Does the medication work?

Does your medication work? That certainly is a question to ponder. I guess asking that can open a can of worms but hey lets do it. Now where should we start? We get a prescription and we know what the drug is supposed to do, help with or prevent. If the drug is for something simple… clearing up an infection. That is easy. Infection has gone. the drug did what it was prescribed to do. Happy days.

Some drugs you can see the work that they do. The swelling has gone down. The itching has stopped. Others the work is hidden but you can tell it is happening. The heart rate is right, the blood pressure lower. You no longer have palpitations. The dizzy spells have stopped. Sometimes you have to wait a while for the effects to become apparent. The dose may need a tweak or two to get it to work but what if it doesn’t?

We have had a few appointments recently. As is the way you get chatting to people. One comment surprised me. My husband was talking to a nurse who was conducting pre-admission tests. She spotted his tremor in his arm and asked if he has Parkinson’s and was he on medication. He said yes but I’m not sure its working. She replied ‘I don’t think it is for my Dad either.’

He has been on medication for months and it has been increased once but I can’t say I have seen any indication it makes a difference. Now obviously without it he could be worse. We don’t know that. My husband says he doesn’t feel like it is helping. In fact he has other problems that we are beginning to question if they are linked. So what do you do?

Does medication work. Can relaxation help

How long do you give a drug time to work? Time to make a difference? How many times do you up the dosage? When do you ask if there is an alternative? Each adjustment is then followed by a six month wait for the next appointment. That is a long time to wait for a drug to work. How many six month cycles does he have left until we get told, sorry there is nothing we can do? In that time we have been buffering, waiting for things to improve. Not fully living because it is not helping in the way they say it will.

The whole process feels like a barrel load of ‘how long is a bit of string’ questions mixed with a need for a crystal ball sprinkled with a handful of ‘what ifs.’ Should you trust the process? Keep your fingers crossed that suddenly the drug will work? I haven’t reached out to our Parkinson’s nurse as her last comment about ‘not being bothered to adjust our lives to fit the drug’ doesn’t fill me with confidence. We have another appointment soon so we need to decide what to do? Well I don’t because it is not my call to make.

Sometimes I don’t notice his tremor. I’m not sure if that is because I have got used to it. Other times it is so apparent. That is usually when he is stressed. I haven’t notice his lip tremble recently but he says he feels it more. Before this next appointment we are starting new medication for another issue that we have been waiting for for eighteen months. Will that work?

It would be nice to know what to do for the best. You can only go by advice and how you feel. A little improvement. A sign we are heading down the right path. Something would be nice. Lets keep our fingers crossed that something starts to work. Ex

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Does anyone have a clue?

Can someone give me a clue? Devine intervention? A massive sign? No? OK in that case any chance someone can point me in the right direction and quickly because I need information. Information that seems to be lost somewhere in the pits of ‘nobody knows.’

I am at my wits end. You might have guess that already. Let me explain. That new consultant that we crossed paths with who arranged a scan and realised there was something that needed looking at. Well we went back and got the scan results. I will admit I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at but then I was peaking round the side of his screen. So it seems husbands back has deteriorated but we expected that.

Three options were laid before us. Physio – Lowry man (that will only make sense if you have read my book), spinal injections or surgery. There is no guarantee that the injections will prevent the need for surgery but it might delay it. I knew husbands choice. Lets go for door B. Within a matter of minutes we were given a day admission date and details for the insurance company. All good so far.

Two days later husband gets a call. They are supposed to reach out to me but from what husband said this person didn’t have a clue what they were doing. She starts asking for his back history, all of which I filled in via their online form which I was told we had to submit before the first consultation. I still have no clue what happens to that information as no one seems to get it.

Can I hide behind this door until someone has a clue what is going on

She then tells him he can’t have the procedure done and he needs to start the process again via the NHS. Deep breath and don’t swear. Then she says he can have it done but they will only do it under local because of his prior anaphylaxis and the fact he doesn’t have an epi-pen. I have tried to get him one but have been advised he isn’t allergic enough. Yet the allergy specialist said even a small dose will kill him before anyone would reach him. Again does anyone have a clue as to who is right here.

Then she tells him he has this aliment. No I don’t. You are taking this mediation so you have. The medication was prescribed for something different as it can be used for both and I doubled checked his medical notes and the diagnosis she says he had is not showing. The conversation then goes on about his need to fast. First it was yes he did, then at the end of the call, no he didn’t. By this point I had no clue. Hubby was confused as anything and I was even more frustrated.

After he relayed all the conversations. He had no idea. Should he take his tablets. Was he supposed to eat, was he not? He had no clue. I had no clue and the woman from the hospital well I don’t think she had any idea at all. What grated me most was the medication for his Parkinsons hadn’t even been mentioned. Because of the time of his admission what were we supposed to do about that?

So this morning I have been talking to the consultants secretary to get clarification. I now know what we are supposed to do but I feel sorry for the people who don’t have a clue or a full grasp on their situation. One call from a person who doesn’t have all the information and it can all go horribly wrong. No body needs that. Ex

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New Consultant

I wonder how you feel about having a new consultant? If you are in the position to choose do you stick with who you know or do you shake it up and try a new opinion. I suppose it can come down to more than one factor. Personal choice. Prior experience. Circumstances. Even simple personal interaction: do you and the consultant gel? Some times that choice is out of your hands and you have no option than to roll with it.

On the whole, me personally, I like consistency. The security and comfort of knowing who I am dealing with especially if it’s a consultant who I feel has helped us move our situation forward. It also feels like there has been an investment of time building up the relationship. Setting the foundations for the care plan, you know the long term path you are going to be on for this particular health issue.

The consultant who you have dealt with numerous times before should know your history. The allergies that can kill you. The pain relief that is more effective for you. Drugs which make you sick. Your quirks, fears and the avenues you have tried which have not been successful. All of this makes your appointments more productive and less stressful.

A new consultant to me feels like a massive step back. Well you are starting a relationship from square one. They don’t know your history. Prior surgeries. When they ask details about the prior procedure and you aren’t totally sure but the doctor that had been sat in the chair before knew exactly because he had preformed the operation.

Sure we have been in the position when appointments with one consultant felt like a constant circle of tests, new drugs then radio silence to then have to start again. In that position we were close to asking for someone new. Luckily that happened without our input and the person who took over we had seen in the clinic previously so it didn’t feel like a complete reset.

So here we were needing to start a process again. An issue that has been ongoing for numerous years was back. Two prior surgeries had seen the problem, I won’t say vanish, but be manageable. However now things were getting bad again. The last time this happened the old consultant who had carried out the last operation assured us nothing had changed but we weren’t convinced. We didn’t ask for a second opinion but found a way to manage. Now that wasn’t an option.

A GP referral and authorisation from the private medical insurance had us facing the decision. Do we stick with what we know or do we start from scratch. As it happened the option was taken from us. The old consultant wasn’t on the list of people we could see. We were given two names and one wasn’t available. Door number two it was.

We walked into the appointment, a few questions later and less than a minute of ‘can you do this.’ and the consultant sits down and says you are in a bad way we need to see what is going on in there. Wow… no barrage of questions. No detailed history. Simple observation of the patients movement, posture and wincing and we have taken a bigger step forward than I was expecting. He writes on a piece of paper. Go and book this test, then book this appointment. I want to see you back here in two weeks.

So now we have a short wait to find out what is going on. Its a little more than two weeks as we couldn’t get the scan. Here’s hoping he keeps the momentum up. Ex

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The Power of a Letter

What would you say is more effective, a telephone call, an email or a letter? In these days of technology, instant messages and online chat you would think that to get anything done a letter would be ineffective. Redundant. Obsolete. Well let me tell you I think it is still the most powerful and efficient tool at our disposal.

Over the last several years I have come to realize that modern technology is great when the system is working properly. If there are no bugs. It’s not overloaded and the people using it are good at their jobs. The information loaded on the big PC is current and regularly updated then wonderful. Online is the way to go.

We are advised that to contact a department you leave a message. Send an email, you might want to attach a letter to that mail. Log on to that wonderful app they have said it is imperative to have and you will find the information you need. Someone will get back to you. Its all there. Everything is easy and fast. I call bull!

A year, well almost, we waited for test results. An application for funding for treatment was going to be made and we would hear back in three months as to what was going to happen. Tumbleweed. Radio silence. We reach out. Leave a message. Ask for updates. Complete a questionnaire to ensure we are still on the waiting list… and nothing.

The GP was no help. It takes time. The department is over stretched. They are busy. They will get to you? But how long do you wait? Is a year not long enough? Can you chase them us for us. See if you can get the results. An indication as to where we are at? No! Well thanks for that.

I sit. I stew. Someone else in my life stirs up some brown smelly stuff: unrelated but it pokes the bear. Enough is enough. Time to start making waves. The laptop gets powered up and my sarcastic mode has engaged. Letters to various companies penned then comes the hospital. Now I am never rude. My language maybe colourful in my head as I am composing the letter but what goes into print is polite.

Bingo. A response a few days later. Oh sorry. We installed a new system and you fell through the cracks. Seriously? How many patients did they ‘remove’ from the waiting list by shoving them down that crack. Was it in fact a version of the Grand Canyon? My husband must be the unluckiest person as this is not the first time a new system saw him being forgotten or misplaced. How can that happen so often?

So now we have to redo some of those tests. The application for funding will be submitted as that never happened. Once the results are back, if the funding is approved we can move forward. We have been given a telephone number to call if we have a problem. Now why is that? A different number. Direct contact? Is this a way to keep us quiet for a while longer?

Three months is what I will give them. Then one call to that new number. If that gets no response I will stick to my trusted letter. Effective. Powerful and satisfying. The old ways still have their uses. So if you find that you are not getting a response from a department. Try a letter. It might surprise you. For a little more effort it seems to get a lot more results. Maybe the old ways still have their place in todays world. It works for me. Ex

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Talking Therapy

How do you feel about talking therapy? Me I am going to hands down say it’s not for me. The idea of sitting about in a group telling a bunch of strangers the things that are weighing me down is so far outside my comfort zone. In my head I can hear the comments. ‘No one is there to judge.’ ‘A problem shared…’ ‘We are all in the same boat.’ If you are happy doing that good. Like I have said previously there is no right way and you have to do what is right for you.

I bet there are those of you who will roll your eyes and say ‘oh she doesn’t like talking but puts all her thoughts in a book.’ Yep – guilty as charged. I can edit. I can let it all out and hit delete. When I stumble putting my thoughts into words no one will notice or take what I am trying to say the wrong way. Lets face it these days we know how easy it is to offend.

Talking about my frustrations with people who are in the same boat also feels a little mean. They are suffering too so I don’t want to lay my problems on their shoulders, they have enough of their own. Please don’t say that you should leave the issues at the door because that is not me. I’ll shove those suckers in a massive sack and throw it over my shoulder and take it home. That is just who I am.

Another thing that doesn’t work for me is scheduling when I get to sit around talking about my problems. Hello people if I don’t share to those nearest and dearest I’m not going to talk on demand. The talking only happens when I am at the point I have to unload. The chances of that happening that exact moment someone tells me it is my time to talk is slim to non-existent.

A relaxing river is a perfect place to sit talking

The groups where people touch base and call you to make sure you are doing OK are never going to coincide with that moment when you are desperate for someone to sit and listen. I’ve had those calls. ‘Just checking in to see how things are.’ Always when I am having a good day and I’m not going to start talking about the problems and make it not a good day.

I know they tell you to make notes. Notes that when I read them back I think. Yeah that was relevant then but now…maybe not so much. That really got my goat that day but do you know what its not that important. I’ve dealt with it so no point rehashing it. That was a bad day made worse by this person or that situation and its not relevant to my problems. There are so many variables.

In no way am I saying that there should be no talking going on. There has to be some or that pressure cooker of feelings, frustrations and emotions is going to explode and cause an almighty mess. You just need to figure out what works best. A quick call to your bestie. Maybe a online messaging session with a friend where you can reply when its convenient. I’ll even say if you want to have a talk with yourself go for it I am not here to judge.

Talking is only beneficial if it helps, not adds pressure. Some people may need to be coerced into talking. Me I have to feel comfortable and want to. Also the person I am talking to needs to make me feel like they care, not just listening because they are being paid to. So if you want to unload, I’m at the the end of a message. You are not alone Ex

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Being abandoned

Since I have started this journey I have seen stories on group pages about people being abandoned as soon as they receive their diagnosis. I won’t lie, most of them make me cry. I can not imagine getting a diagnosis for Parkinson’s to then have the person who you share your life with walk away immediately after. It doesn’t have to be Parkinson’s but any life changing situation. To have that constant in your life suddenly vanish must make the future look so much harder, scary and so bloody lonely.

I took a moment to try and put myself in that position. How would I feel? Rejected. Unloved for sure. Suddenly no longer perfect, not that I am by a long shot. Maybe defective would be a better way to put it. An embarrassment? Probably a liability. Someone who will now hold you back from living the life you saw in your future. Well news flash. That is the new reality for the person who you have left behind.

Sadly being abandoned isn’t restricted to the nearest and dearest. Family and friends can also slink off quietly, hoping you don’t notice. It’s not so much boldly saying ‘sorry didn’t I sign up for this’ it is more stealth mode, under cover of darkness, vanishing. I’m sure a lot of that is due to them not knowing what you need, how to behave or even not wanting to be on the hook for extra assistance. Possibly not wanting to be witness to your deterioration.

They don’t want you treating them differently. They haven’t grown a second head. It’s not contagious. You probably won’t be asked to move in and help out. Sure they might need a lift on occasion but that’s not such a big ask. At this point they don’t know what they are dealing with. Trust me, I promise you will all be on the same page, except their learning curve needs to be a steep one. You don’t have to do the intense course, just a brief overview would be enough.

Being abandoned but seeing things from both sides of the fence

Never once has it crossed my to do this. To make my husband feel abandoned. Neither of us signed up for this curve ball. You just have to roll with it and make the most of the new reality. That new path might be rougher and a tad steeper but it doesn’t mean the view has to be bleak and miserable. Take it slow and enjoy the things you do encounter on the way, no matter how tiny.

Please don’t get me wrong, not everyone is cut out to be a carer as I covered in a prior post. I am not condoning staying in a relationship that is detrimental to your own health. However I do think there are ways to deal with it. This maybe easier in hindsight as I can bet that the urge to run at that moment of diagnosis could be overwhelming. Yet staying and making you both miserable isn’t going to help anyone in the long run.

So if this is you. Having been abandoned. Reach out, there are places and people that want to help. The future doesn’t need to be lonely or bleak. If you are the other side of the equation and want to leave but don’t want to leave someone abandoned, talk to some one. Perhaps you are scared. For both parties it is daunting. A lot is unknown and there is no set path. Each journey is unique. Just talk to each other. Be honest as it’s a lot to deal with. You’ll find the way that is best for you. I believe in you E x

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Being fobbed off!

Don’t get fobbed off. A phrase I have used, possibly more times that I should have and recently it was said to us. I had to smile. Sure we all like to think we can stand our ground, ask to be listened to but do we actually get heard. I actually fear that we don’t. It’s more like we are patted on the head like a small child with the hopes we will shut up and go away.

Since we were giving the initial Parkinson’s diagnosis in January 2024, looking back, we have been fobbed off quite a lot. This is hasn’t gone unnoticed but it has been quietly accepted as ‘just the way it is.’ Well maybe not quietly, there have been some expletives used. It is just not right, in fact it’s positively disgraceful. The passing of the buck has got to epic proportions. So when we feel we are being fobbed off what can we do about it?

This started for us way before this diagnosis. It’s prevalent when you are under more than one department and the conditions can be linked. The back surgeon tells you its your hip, the hip specialist tells you it’s your back causing the problem. Then you get a new issue and the two of them rub their hands together and put the onus on the rheumatology consultant. It’s being fobbed off as a tag team event.

Now we throw Parkinson’s into the mix and well tag it’s all linked to that. Sadly I expected that and well the consultants didn’t disappoint. It felt like it was, we’ll he has Parkinson’s so it is to be expected. There is the ‘get out of jail free’ card. We can discharge you from our clinic and make our numbers look better. Majorly fobbed off!

I'll just sit here and wait to be fobbed off again

When we were going through the symptoms with the new Parkinson’s consultant and we mentioned everything being linked to this she smiled, nodded and stayed silent. I got the feeling she has heard that more times that she would like. It must be so frustrating from her position. She then put husband through a load of mobility tests. Boy did she get a work out, moving him about. Sitting back down she typed away then sat back, looked at us and smiled.

You have a tremor based Parkinson’s, this is good news. At this time it is not affecting your walking as you have no shuffling, freezing or stooping. The symptoms you have described are not down to Parkinson’s. Its more likely arthritis based so do not get fobbed off when they tell you they are not. When is your next appointment? No idea. We haven’t heard anything for nearly a year. I would swear there was an internal eye roll.

Hearing her tell us not to get fobbed off pretty much had me grinning. It was refreshing to hear someone being so assertive. We have got so used to ‘well it could be,’ or ‘it’s more likely to be.’ We left there feeling a tad more positive and with a prescription for the increase in medication. The letter regarding the appointment was with us later that night. She is nothing if not efficient.

So where do we go now? Back to waiting for appointments from the other clinical departments. I am not going to hold my breath for anything in the near future. Then back to to this clinic in six months. Hopefully the medication will have started to have an effect. It’s all a waiting game. Something my husband is not good at. I’ll just have to find him chores to keep him occupied. Ex

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Open to Interpretation

Interpretation on the whole makes me smile. I love how people can use it to justify how they do things. Their way is correct and anything else is wrong. It might not be but that is how they see it. That’s why life is interesting. You and I can read the same thing and take it to mean different things. It opens the door to debate. I think it’s a good thing; a great way to learn.

Yet interpretation can be so extremely frustrating. When I was at school it was something a couple of my teachers drilled into me. One teacher said that my answer might not be correct according to the set answers but if you explain your interpretation of the question to back up how you got to your answer it can’t be marked as incorrect. That lesson has proved useful more than once.

Recently we had our first meeting with our specialist Parkinson’s consultant. This, it turned out, was a new clinic that was being set up so there were a few teething problems. Both the consultant and nurse were lovely. Both explaining that things may take a little longer while the system is getting up on it’s feet. Not a problem. Hiccups are to be expected with these things.

We go through all the back ground information and set the groundwork for his record. Then we start talking about medication. I will hold my hand up and say I expected to have the same conversation with the consultant as I’d had with the Parkinson’s nurse earlier in the week but I was pleasantly surprised.

She asked husband how he was getting on with the tablets. Had he experienced the nausea he had been warned about? Thankfully not but he mentioned the rigid times he had been given in the letter from our first appointment with the nurse and how it wasn’t fitting in with everyday life. The consultant listened to his concerns then smiled. That is a very exact interpretation of the use of the medication but there is wiggle room.

The path of life is open to interpretation

I am pretty sure we both let out a sigh of relief. You fit the medication into your life, you don’t change your life to fit the medication. The days you are starting earlier, if you feel you need an additional tablet at the end of the day, have one. You don’t have to eat exactly thirty minutes after taking your tablet just as long as it is after half an hour. If it’s an hour or more it’s not a problem.

The local nurse had given us her interpretation of the guidelines for getting the best from the medication. It was rigid and set in stone. The last discussion I had with her made me feel like it was this way or nothing. If you can’t change to fit the medication into your life there is no point you taking it. Wow I’m sure the employers of everyone who works while on this medication are going to be really accommodating to this regime… not!

The consultants interpretation was much more relaxed. This is the ideal set up but life isn’t ideal so we do the best we can to get the best from the tablets without tying your hands. You don’t need to get up as early at the weekends. As a rule of thumb you need to allow about four to five hours between each tablet. Thank you this we can work with. The nurse’s interpretation would have either seen me missing dinner four nights a week or looking for alternative employment. I think the diet would have won.

I suppose it goes to show that sometimes a second opinion or view point is beneficial. Life isn’t set in stone and interpretation should always allow for a little wiggle room. Ex

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Being a Carer. Is it for you?

Do you think you could step up and be a carer? To take on the extra roles that the person can no longer manage on their own. Shoulder the extra responsibilities. Be the additional help they need to live life like they used to because the condition they have been diagnosed with is taking away some of their independence. All the while, still juggling everything you used to do. Could you? Would you? Should you?

As a career choice I’ll throw my hands up and say no. Sorry no way. It’s not for me. In family life, when I was younger, I had a little taste of carer duties. I used to check on my Nan daily, grab her shopping. Years later when my Mum was terminally ill I had more things to do for her. The thing with those situations was the responsibility wasn’t wholly on my shoulders. Now, its a different ball game. Tag I’m it.

I don’t think everyone could. Maybe that is more they shouldn’t. Their personality traits are not suited to the carer role. You need empathy, tolerance, patience by the bucket load and a shed load of humour. A screw lose perhaps. I didn’t think I had the traits either. Ok yes I have the loose screw. So is it more the person that I find myself being a carer for? My husband. I chose him or was it he chose me? We made those vows. In sickness and in health.

Honestly I swear there are other members of my family that there is no way on this earth I could look after. In the same vein I wouldn’t want them looking after me. It just wouldn’t work. If that happens make my end quick. Same for friends. I’m not sure my husband is carer material either. He is more, oh just get on with it. Why is that? Generation? Up bringing? His DNA? Probably a mix of all of the above.

Being a carer is not for everyone

How the patient is, I also think, has a massive impact on being a carer. My husband is a pretty good patient. Chilled. He takes everything in his stride. Doesn’t dwell on it too much. Rolls with it I guess you can say. Don’t get me wrong, he can be infuriating. He doesn’t always listen to general advice. He knows best. I question if that is a man of a certain age trait. The cantankerous old git stage.

The thing I worry about is being able to mask what I am feeling. I used to be able to school my face but not so much these day. So when I need to be the pompom waving cheerleader providing the motivation yet inside I am processing, stressing and feeling tearful that is hard. That is the carer duty that sucks. When you are shouldering it all but all you want is for someone to hug you and tell you it will be ok. That you have got it.

That is probably why some people won’t take on the role. The weight of the responsibility. Being a carer can be a fulltime job. Not everyone wants to give up their freedom. I get it, I do. You need to go into the role with your eyes wide open. Not everyone is that lucky. It lands in their lap and they just have to go with it. We don’t always get the choice.

Some carers are only required short term. If you are lucky it is a part time gig. Me. Mine is going to be the long haul. A downwards spiral. At the moment I still have a lot of freedom. I work, have time for my side hustle; the carer role is more supervisory. If fate is kind it will stay that way for a long while.

If you find yourself faced with this path. Don’t feel bad if you say, sorry not for me. If it lands in your lap and you are struggling. Ask for help, don’t try and shoulder it all alone. Never forget you are doing your best and that is all that can be asked of you. I am proud of you. The person you are caring for loves you. That is all that matters. E x

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The Nurse will see you now.

I am buzzing! No I have not overdosed on energy drinks. The smell of those make me feel sick. We had our first appointment with our Parkinson’s nurse this morning. I can’t explain the feeling. Its like we finally have someone in our corner. Not just a clinic to attend. Not being a statistic. There is an actual person who we can talk to. I really didn’t expect to feel this relieved.

Over the last … few years I suppose I seem to have become accustomed to appointments leaving me feeling flat, demoralised and alone. You get asked questions. Pushed for tests. Results that seem to never reach us. The consultants nod, make notes and say ‘I see’ but nothing really seems to happen. Occasionally you might leave with a plan of action but there is no guarantee it gets seen through to the end. I guess we can try this is the best you seem to hear.

Don’t get me wrong. Some appointments you walk out of and feel you have made a little headway. The upcoming tests might give you some answers. Rule out certain things. They may open doors to a different avenue but then you are back to sitting about waiting for the next move in this game play. Then before you know it a year has passed and the process starts again.

You need a referral to see a Parkinson nurse and we had to ask for ours. It does seem that the initial referral was sent to the wrong nurse covering a neighbouring area. Eye roll and sigh. Anyway we got there. She asked questions and actually listened. Had a sense of humour too which was really refreshing.

She started a course of action that puts us on the first step in time for our first appointment with the actual parkinson consultant later in the year. Yes we are starting medication. That then gives that consultant an indication as to if he is receptive to the drugs. At that point she can make the decision as to if the dosage needs increasing.

Instead of the ‘you need to join these groups’, she was honest about not just signing up to any group but finding the one that works best for us. I’m not sure what she was implying when she suggested the one that meets once a month in a pub. She is not wrong though, tea and cake is not our thing. That comment alone made me feel seen as a person, not just a statistic.

The conversation flowed easily. She offered suggestions. Asked about what help we had been getting. I admitted we don’t qualify for assistance or aid due to my job. Then she asked if we had applied for a discount on our council tax. She held her hands up and said it may happen it may not, it depends on the council. Well it can’t hurt to try so that was my first job when we got home: after putting the kettle on, naturally.

The tablets will be ready for hubby to start once the current steroid course is over. Don’t want to mix them as that may make him buzz way more than is healthy. Trust me nobody needs that. She has told us what to expect by way of side effects and the most effective way to take them as to get the best results. For once I feel like we are going into this slightly prepared.

However the nicest thing was she asked me my name. For once I wasn’t just ‘the wife’ or the carer. Its silly how something so basic can make such a difference. I was also a person in the appointment today. That meant more that I can explain. E x