Update on oggbashan's health

[oggbashan]

Note to annoy my US readers:

The total cost of all the consultants and treatment procedures in this thread has cost me - nothing. My only expenditure has been car parking charges of £2 a visit with a reduction when attending for several consecutive days and fuel to drive to the hospital. I could even have avoided them by using the free volunteer car transport scheme.

The only problem I encountered was when one NHS consultant suggested I should have my hearing checked to see whether it had been damaged. The NHS hearing consultant had a five month-long waiting list.

I contacted my private health insurers. They arranged for me to see a private hearing consultant within two weeks - would have been earlier except for my other hospital appointments. Yes, I have hearing loss. No, it wasn't worse. Cost to me - Nil. Co-pay - Nil. Cost of that insurance? Less than £5 a month.

 

[bondanon]

Note to annoy my US readers:

The total cost of all the consultants and treatment procedures in this thread has cost me - nothing. My only expenditure has been car parking charges of £2 a visit with a reduction when attending for several consecutive days and fuel to drive to the hospital. I could even have avoided them by using the free volunteer car transport scheme.

The only problem I encountered was when one NHS consultant suggested I should have my hearing checked to see whether it had been damaged. The NHS hearing consultant had a five month-long waiting list.

I contacted my private health insurers. They arranged for me to see a private hearing consultant within two weeks - would have been earlier except for my other hospital appointments. Yes, I have hearing loss. No, it wasn't worse. Cost to me - Nil. Co-pay - Nil. Cost of that insurance? Less than £5 a month.

It's so great to find this thread, and so wonderful to hear that from the sound of it, you've beaten the disease. I hope we get many more wonderful stories!
I'm not very active on the forum so I didn't realize it was possible to get news without bothering you with a DM, so with each notification I've received of a new story or section of your blog I've wondered if it might be the last. I'm so glad to hear that can be considered unlikely. And I've really enjoyed the blogs. You had such a colorful time reaching adulthood (not that it probably hasn't been colorful since!) and it's so much fun to read about it, especially for me. I shared some similar but far less exciting experiences a bit more than a decade later, one of which I thought I'd relate.

In February 1958, shortly after I turned six my father, mother and I sailed from Tilbury to New York, then drove to Washington D.C. so he could take up his post at the British Embassy. My older brother remained behind at boarding school in London - I wouldn’t see him again until the summer and I missed him terribly.
Soon we settled in to celebrate, as I would later come to understand, the continuing decline and fall of the British Empire. I'd been at nursery school and 'transition' in London, so I began attending first grade in April at a regular public (in the U.S. sense) school in D.C. On occasional visits to my father’s vast (to a six year old at any rate) office in the Embassy, I’d wonder why the carpet had a tatty hole in it, especially since I now sometimes rode in an Austin Princess rather than the Morris 8 with a wicker back seat we left behind in England.
Life continued comfortably for three years, during which we lived in three different houses-to-die-for-today, all rather more expensive even then than my father’s housing allowance would cover, but we were expected to maintain appearances. Each summer their owners would return from wherever and want them back - I got used to the idea that people moved house every summer, just like they went on to the next grade in school.
We left in the middle of 4th grade, February again - my father was retiring from the RAF and planned to move permanently to the U.S. with my mother, who was American. We went back to London for six months so he could complete his retirement and settle some affairs, and I began attending school with my brother. We would be day students for the summer term.
How terrified I was at the start of that first day! The classroom was bedlam, boys running about, wrestling, ink flying (so I thought from all the blue stains on the heavily worn floor), no one except me sitting quietly at a desk like I’d been used to when school began in D.C. Surely there would be hell to pay.
In a microsecond the room was silent as church, everyone in their places. Dead silent, except for the urgent whisper in my ear, and the tug on my collar.
“Stand up, stand up…”
I did that, just in time, and many times thereafter.
I hated boarding school at first, but over the next three years I got used to it, especially enjoying some of the holiday trips (it was cheaper than it would have been for my brother and me to fly to the US and back). One holiday included an overnight school-children-filled train trip across France, Germany and Austria to meet the Dunera in Venice for a trip around the Mediterranean. Shades of Harry Potter! It was quite an eye-opener to later learn more about the history of that ship in the movie Dunera Boys.
After circling the Mediterranean we stopped in Gibraltar, then returned to England via the Bay of Biscay - I'd been vaguely seasick the whole voyage so far but I discovered that I did fine as long as the ship bucked and swayed like a bronco - I ate a meal, hungrily and almost alone in the mess area with my elbows holding the tray down as best I could. And before the spring holiday ended I got to hear the Silver Beatles sing Do you want to know a secret from Radio Luxembourg on a transistor radio at a Universal Aunts hostel, which I didn’t much care for (the hostel, that is).
I was just starting to enjoy boarding school - by then my brother had gone on to the senior school, but he still came to visit me now and then. I was getting into the academic work, and starting to appreciate the teachers (masters and mistresses) as people, when my parents’ marriage of 17 years fell apart. Money would be getting tighter. My brother and I would be moving permanently to the US.
So there we were in late August (school in England wouldn’t start for nearly another month) at the school bus stop, on our way to a large, almost brand-new northern Virginia public (in the US sense) high school. We waited, along with a half dozen other kids, but no bus came. By the time an older student (a Junior, in the US sense, that was a bit confusing too) came by, in a car, we were assuredly late.
Get in a car driven by a student? Surely we’ll all be expelled, even if we’re lucky enough to make it to school alive...
But we did arrive, just ten minutes later. Still plenty late, but no matter - the place was cheerful, huge, and bedlam. Students were still running about picking up their class cards and heading off to find their ‘home rooms’ - mine was all the way at the back of the sprawling building, so it took a while to find it.
I entered a room full of students, all sitting quietly at their desks, with a teacher sitting up front. I looked ruefully at my watch and approached the high altar.
“I’m sorry, Sir, for being so late.”
His response? “What planet did you just drop in from?”
I turned and took an empty seat. I got used to it. By the end of that year I enjoyed his friendship too.

Oh, on the medical thing! I'd like to retire, but I can't afford to until my wife, five years my junior, is eligible for Medicare. Even then it's far from free. In the meantime I'll enjoy reading your stories!

 

[oggbashan]

With Brexit fast approaching, I thought t might be interesting to see the source of all the pills I take every day.

None of them are for cancer - they are for Diabetes II, high blood pressure, and bad cholesterol. The diabetes is under control and because of the pills, I don't have the other two.

Of the six types of pill - four are from the UK, one from the Czech Republic, and one from the Netherlands.

 

[glynndah]

A for my favorite king from the good little witch.

 

[oggbashan]

A for my favorite king from the good little witch.

Thank you very much.

 

[Handley_Page]

Keep at it, Ogg.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Bump.

Just ‘cause I’m happy you’re still with us, Ogg.

 

[oggbashan]

Bump.

Just ‘cause I’m happy you’re still with us, Ogg.

I am. Worried yesterday because blood/sugar level was high. Advice from visiting medical daughter - Don't eat Fish and Chips!

We only had Fish and Chips because she was visiting - Doh!

 

[jehoram]

With Brexit fast approaching, I thought t might be interesting to see the source of all the pills I take every day.

Let us know how that works out when Brexit goes into effect. Here in the US, it's getting a little easier to get meds from Canada and elsewhere, but I doubt that it will have the dramatic effect that Brexit will have.

 

[oggbashan]

Let us know how that works out when Brexit goes into effect. Here in the US, it's getting a little easier to get meds from Canada and elsewhere, but I doubt that it will have the dramatic effect that Brexit will have.

I don't know. The UK government says they are stockpiling medicines sourced from Europe, but do I believe them?

What I do know is that since COVID, UK drug manufacturers are producing more in the UK instead of relying on sources abroad. But which drugs? I don't know.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Let us know how that works out when Brexit goes into effect. Here in the US, it's getting a little easier to get meds from Canada and elsewhere, but I doubt that it will have the dramatic effect that Brexit will have.

Instead of putting pressure on our med supplies, and thus giving the Pharma companies arguments to raise prices, why not get your government to provide proper universal health care like the rest of the developed world?

 

[sirhugs]

Instead of putting pressure on our med supplies, and thus giving the Pharma companies arguments to raise prices, why not get your government to provide proper universal health care like the rest of the developed world?

And take away your FREEDOM????

 

[Tio_Narratore]

And take away your FREEDOM????

Yeah, wouldn't want to lose those freedoms that socialist FDR left out of his speech: "Freedom from health care" and Freedom from Life."

 

[oggbashan]

Instead of putting pressure on our med supplies, and thus giving the Pharma companies arguments to raise prices, why not get your government to provide proper universal health care like the rest of the developed world?

To add insult to injury, all my treatment, including a private consultant in a private hospital, has cost me nothing except the fuel to get to the hospitals and the reduced car parking charges.

The full cost of the private consultant was paid for by my low-cost private medical insurance - no co-pay.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Instead of putting pressure on our med supplies, and thus giving the Pharma companies arguments to raise prices, why not get your government to provide proper universal health care like the rest of the developed world?

Careful of generalizations. Canada keeps getting mentioned in terms Of universal health care, but that certainly doesn’t include meds.

 

[Handley_Page]

I am. Worried yesterday because blood/sugar level was high. Advice from visiting medical daughter - Don't eat Fish and Chips!

We only had Fish and Chips because she was visiting - Doh!

Would someone please explain how blood sugar can be affected by Fish & Chips ?

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Careful of generalizations. Canada keeps getting mentioned in terms Of universal health care, but that certainly doesn’t include meds.

There are reasonably priced supplementary health plans throughout the Provinces that cover meds, and Provincial health care covers much for those who can't afford it. In Québec, meds insurance is mandatory, and there is a government plan for those over 65 or who aren't covered through a private plan. It has a maximum premium, payable as part of income tax, of around $650.

 

[AloneTooLong]

Ogg, my husband was diagnosed in 2007 with a particularly "rare" cancer (not many folks diagnosed per year),and at that time I had amazing medical insurance; no premiums, no co-pay if using doctors on the plan, etc. Over the 22 months of treatment, we paid for parking, over the counter items (aspirin, for example). I suspect his treatment was in the $300-500K range. I think our out of pocket was around $3K at the most. I have no idea how we would have managed to pay M D Anderson otherwise. Sadly, he didn't survive. So sometimes one can get great medical care at low cost in the USA, but that was pre-Obama's changes to employer provided plans.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Would someone please explain how blood sugar can be affected by Fish & Chips ?

Plants use carbohydrates (chemicals made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) to store energy.

Sugars are small carbohydrates: glucose has only six carbon atoms, sucrose (common table sugar) has twelve. Starches are much bigger carbs - basically they're made up from lots of sugars fused together.

When you eat carbs, your body breaks them back down into sugars which it then "burns" for energy.

Some carbs ("high glycemic index") break down very quickly. So you get a lot of sugar in your blood in a hurry, good for a quick rush of energy, but not healthy - the body has problems coping with too much sugar at once, and that can lead to diabetes.

Other carbs ("low GI") break down more slowly, so they give a more gradual release of sugar that lasts longer and is less likely to cause health problems.

Potatoes are relatively high-GI, so eating them (as chips) can result in high blood glucose levels afterwards, something that a doctor would prefer to avoid when managing diabetes.

 

[Handley_Page]

Plants use carbohydrates (chemicals made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) to store energy.

Sugars are small carbohydrates: glucose has only six carbon atoms, sucrose (common table sugar) has twelve. Starches are much bigger carbs - basically they're made up from lots of sugars fused together.
.
.
Potatoes are relatively high-GI, so eating them (as chips) can result in high blood glucose levels afterwards, something that a doctor would prefer to avoid when managing diabetes.

Ah, now I get it. Thank You !
(memo to self; stay off the chips. . . )

 

[oggbashan]

Ah, now I get it. Thank You !
(memo to self; stay off the chips. . . )

And the Pizza.

We had Pizza last night followed by Victoria sponge cake. My blood sugar was even higher (just) than with Fish and Chips.

Blood sugar back to normal levels this morning and normal diet resumes this evening.

 

[sirhugs]

Careful of generalizations. Canada keeps getting mentioned in terms Of universal health care, but that certainly doesn’t include meds.

All my cancer meds were paid for, including the enormously expensive immune boosters hat didn't work well enough to keep me going through chemo. I did have to put some antibiotics etc. through a supplementary plan my employer paid for me. But if I was low income or unemployed, there are government supports for those as well.

For cancer patients in particular, there are programs to help with costs.

 

[oggbashan]

Blood Tests

I have been booked for another CT scan BUT before the date can be arranged I have to have a blood test to see whether my kidneys can cope with the marker they use.

Unless I have a blood test within fourteen days of the letter the scan request is cancelled and another request has to be made by the oncology consultant.

The letter was dated the 10th August and sent by second class post - of course - and arrived Saturday morning. Our local hospital only does blood tests Monday to Friday so I rang them on Monday morning. The earliest appointment they could offer was the middle of next week - too late so they suggested driving to the big town where they offer a walk-in service.

We knew that in the mornings the blood testing clinic is busy so we aimed to arrive at lunchtime. I thought I knew where they were. I was wrong. We went in one entrance and I walked two hundred yards to be faced with a pair of lifts - one for COVID positive patients only. Of course, the two lifts work together and don't appreciate the separation. The COVID lift went up and down four times with no occupants before the other lift arrived for me.

Another 150-yard walk not helped by the signs which changed from Pathology to Phlebotomy. At last, I arrived at a sign which said 'Phlebotomy' and underneath is smaller type 'Blood tests'.

I walked straight into an empty waiting room, was seen in seconds, and on my way within two minutes. It had taken me longer to get to the blood test unit that the test took. Five minutes later I was back at my car...

I had walked the other long way, avoiding the lifts.

 

[SunnyDays1]

Hello ogg...

I Haven't been on Lit too long, but I have been reading the progress reports on your health.

I wish there is something I can do for you....

but know that my thoughts and prayers are with you for a full and speedy recovery



sending you love and socially distanced hugs


stay safe and well.

 

[oggbashan]

Hello ogg...

I Haven't been on Lit too long, but I have been reading the progress reports on your health.

I wish there is something I can do for you....

but know that my thoughts and prayers are with you for a full and speedy recovery



sending you love and socially distanced hugs


stay safe and well.

Thank you. Much appreciated.

My neighbours can't understand it. I look better and fitter than I have had for years. Maybe its the weight loss than goes with cancer (which as of now - pending the scan - I haven't got)..