Thursday 28 August 2008

Borders Health Trust

I may have already commented on it here but my admiration of the local NHS Trust knows no bounds. There is a vast body of detail on the Internet as to how useless some trusts are. How arrogant. As an ex-customer of the Medway trust in Kent, I count myself as a expert on rubbish performance.
About a month ago, I broke a tooth in the lower set. In half horizontally. I did nothing about it but after ten days I had an abscess form under it. Painful enough to need treatment. It was a week-end and I needed the 24 hour referral service. Within some 15 minutes they had arranged for me to see the dental A&E section at Borders General Hospital. I was given anti-biotics and that was the end of the abscess. They told me they would arrange extraction within some ten days. I got the appointment card for or five days later.
I am a total dentist coward. Until this incident I had not been near a dentist since 1961. I do not have a problem with the pain - one has an injection after all. It is the pressure on my gum and the twisting and turning I cannot stand. I wrote and told the hospital of my problem and was invited to a pain evaluation discussion. I went there last Tuesday and the dentist explained the new extraction under sedation procedure and the modern general anesthetic. All my questions were answered patiently and fully without any discernible prevarication. I was left to think things over and decide which method I wanted. Let them know when I felt ready to go ahead.
In the thinking, I applied my old basic first question - why do anything? That answered it really. I telephoned them this morning. With some dread; they had invested a lot of time and care on me. There was absolutely no problem when I told them I had decided to do nothing. They even thanked me for letting them know so promptly and said I knew where they were if I changed my mind.
So - another first class result. I've already checked-out the medical side at BGH. All that is left is the psychiatric speciality!

Monday 25 August 2008

Memories are made of this

My normal reaction is to ignore these meme things or those where the information sought is just too personal for casual release. However, this one comes from a woman for who I have much respect and who merits a lot of my gratitude for walking me through some very dark days. Although I would not know her if she tripped over me in the gutter, she has that friendship status that lasts and lasts.

Here is what she asks

The rules are simple;

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.

2.
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually quite funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
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TODAY'S GUEST BLOG

Read up on her history starting here

Sunday 24 August 2008

Marlboro Man

This is the outcrop in Monument Valley where the iconic advert was shot. Lost now of course under the tobacco ad rules. This is not my shot but I have one somewhere which is identical, The rider is the owner of the concession that provides the guides. They take every one to a spot that overlooks this stand and invite photographs. On the ground - discreetly placed - is a sign that says "Photograph the Marlboro horse - $1" so it is fair to say that almost everyone who has visited the canyon and used a guide has this shot in their albums.