Inconvenient Annoyances

B@stards ruining it for the truly needy!  *shakes fist*  '

I'm mostly joking.  But, for reals... if exercise and eating right would fix my heart valve and give me bigger lungs, I'd do it.  My conditions aren't the result of lifestyle choices I've made, and regular monitoring could let us know well in advance when any intervention might need to happen (though I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of having heart surgery on NHS...).

There are really skilled doctors in/around London and other research hospitals around the country. If you do research on them, don't be afraid! I may need spinal surgery at some point, and may have to go to Spain for it as there aren't surgeons comfortable operating on EDS patients here. It's frustrating the the NHS won't train any of their surgeons!

B@stards ruining it for the truly needy!  *shakes fist*  '

I'm mostly joking.  But, for reals... if exercise and eating right would fix my heart valve and give me bigger lungs, I'd do it.  My conditions aren't the result of lifestyle choices I've made, and regular monitoring could let us know well in advance when any intervention might need to happen (though I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of having heart surgery on NHS...).

Don't be fearful of the NHS.  Seriously.  But do push for that referral. 

I have a (British) friend who has a serious heart condition and I'm sure she would happily speak to you about her experiences with surgeries and care. 

Don't be fearful of the NHS.  Seriously.  But do push for that referral. 

I have a (British) friend who has a serious heart condition and I'm sure she would happily speak to you about her experiences with surgeries and care. 

If I did some research and found a surgeon I'm comfortable with, is it possible to get a referral to that surgeon, or do I have to have whoever is available on the day?  I'm used to having choice in my providers.  (I'm not a typical American... I had very good healthcare coverage in the US, and I gave it up for my husband. It was not an easy decision.)

If I did some research and found a surgeon I'm comfortable with, is it possible to get a referral to that surgeon, or do I have to have whoever is available on the day?  I'm used to having choice in my providers.  (I'm not a typical American... I had very good healthcare coverage in the US, and I gave it up for my husband. It was not an easy decision.)

You can absolutely request a specific person.  Might have to jump through some hoops for it, but it's part of the NICE guidelines.

If I did some research and found a surgeon I'm comfortable with, is it possible to get a referral to that surgeon, or do I have to have whoever is available on the day?  I'm used to having choice in my providers.  (I'm not a typical American... I had very good healthcare coverage in the US, and I gave it up for my husband. It was not an easy decision.)

Yes, you can ask for specific referrals if it's out of your CCG it may have to get approvals, but you definitely have some say in your care outside of emergencies.

Yes, you can ask for specific referrals if it's out of your CCG it may have to get approvals, but you definitely have some say in your care outside of emergencies.

You can absolutely request a specific person.  Might have to jump through some hoops for it, but it's part of the NICE guidelines.

That's a relief!

I've got some complicating factors, so if I do end up needing valve repair surgery, it's going to be an orthopaedic nightmare (for everybody... especially me).  At one of my last consults in the US, my cardiologist was saying "when we go in, we won't be able to do keyhole because of your double redundant leaflets, so we'll have to open you up..."  And I stopped him at that point and pointed at my wonky skeleton and said, "How?"  He got quiet for a bit and then said, "Well let's hope you don't need surgery..."  He clearly hadn't considered the whole patient in front of him up 'til then, and was just thinking routine mitral valve regurgitation.

But I was comfortable with the team I was assembling back home (I had a good cardiologist and a good pulmonologist, and I was working on finding an orthopaedic surgeon I trusted, too).  Now I'm starting over and I can't even get in for a basic checkup!  So it's good to know that when/if I ever get to that stage, I do have some choice in who will do the op.

My IA for the day is a kinda good one. But wow do you have to sign away your life with a job offer here! They forgot to include an envelope with the return address so I've had to go back and forth with HR on how they want the documents to come back (scanned or mailed, and then where cuz they have multiple offices). Would have been so much easier if they remembered the return envelope!

My IA for the day is a kinda good one. But wow do you have to sign away your life with a job offer here! They forgot to include an envelope with the return address so I've had to go back and forth with HR on how they want the documents to come back (scanned or mailed, and then where cuz they have multiple offices). Would have been so much easier if they remembered the return envelope!

My husband was sent forms with no instruction!  We ended up scanning them to PDF and emailing them back.

And awesome! Just got a call. My 1st infusion is next Wednesday and then 1 more the following week. How fast things move out of the GP world is amazing!

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And awesome! Just got a call. My 1st infusion is next Wednesday and then 1 more the following week. How fast things move out of the GP world is amazing!

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Good! I can't believe your GP didn't upgrade your referral to urgent with the issues you had after coming back from NC. Hopefully you're feeling much better soon

Good! I can't believe your GP didn't upgrade your referral to urgent with the issues you had after coming back from NC. Hopefully you're feeling much better soon

My GP practice is notoriously bad in my area. They are the butt of every bad practice joke in the medical community here. I hear about them plenty at work. 

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Rawr. I am so completely annoyed with the employment verification process right now. My old employer in the US utilizes "The Work Number". They've changed their authorization to require you to input a US telephone number and US Primary address to be able to log into the site to request your own report. The UK company doing the verification is blocked from accessing it over here. I can't get through to a customer service rep and there's no e-mail contact for assistance. I want to punch them!

DH and I live with FIL and grand-FIL. We've been here for a year and I'm being driven crazy.

Yesterday evening, I bought double cream to make ice cream this weekend.

This morning, I noticed a third of the cream has disappeared.

When I picked it up at the supermarket, I took off the clean plastic lid to be sure the cover you peel off was still sealed, so it wouldn't have been a third empty when I picked it up.

The bag I carried it home in isn't messy from a leak (I would have noticed it unpacking yesterday, but I double checked just now).

We definitely didn't use it cooking yesterday.

I texted DH in case he added it to porridge or something at breakfast (even though he would know better). He said it wasn't him, but suggested maybe someone (FIL or grand-FIL) thought it was yogurt.

I'll still make a smaller batch of ice cream, but it's just annoying.

I've moved it to the back corner of the fridge that (I think) is clearly ours so no one else takes more. I don't plan on saying anything, but I might be a bit passive aggressive and put a piece of tape across the lid in the future so if someone does try and use it, they'll see it's mine.

DH and I live with FIL and grand-FIL. We've been here for a year and I'm being driven crazy.

Yesterday evening, I bought double cream to make ice cream this weekend.

This morning, I noticed a third of the cream has disappeared.

When I picked it up at the supermarket, I took off the clean plastic lid to be sure the cover you peel off was still sealed, so it wouldn't have been a third empty when I picked it up.

The bag I carried it home in isn't messy from a leak (I would have noticed it unpacking yesterday, but I double checked just now).

We definitely didn't use it cooking yesterday.

I texted DH in case he added it to porridge or something at breakfast (even though he would know better). He said it wasn't him, but suggested maybe someone (FIL or grand-FIL) thought it was yogurt.

I'll still make a smaller batch of ice cream, but it's just annoying.

I've moved it to the back corner of the fridge that (I think) is clearly ours so no one else takes more. I don't plan on saying anything, but I might be a bit passive aggressive and put a piece of tape across the lid in the future so if someone does try and use it, they'll see it's mine.

Aw man. You should label it when you buy something for a project, I actually do that with my husband so he doesn't eat what I was planning on baking with. I hope the ice cream is delicious though!

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Aw man. You should label it when you buy something for a project, I actually do that with my husband so he doesn't eat what I was planning on baking with. I hope the ice cream is delicious though!

This is the first time in just over a year that I can 100% confirm that our food has been eaten by someone else (by FIL or grand-FIL who we're living with or by SIL who comes over at least two days a week with her kids).

I suspect SIL was using our tins of baked beans for the kids (we buy Sainsbury's own brand, FIL gets Heinz and the labels are both blue/green), but I can't 100% confirm that.

I've also noticed my peanut butter finish sooner than I expected, but that could just be me being greedier than I think.

Occasionally, grand-FIL will eat some of our fruit, but DH has told him he's welcome to. When I buy avocado or mango for homemade sushi, I hide it to be sure it's not eaten by someone else. I might come across a bit selfish right now because I've got a tea towel covering our fruit bowl, but it's to protect from the flies, not from grand-FIL.

I will start labelling our foods, especially when they're for a recipe.