Algy's Demise - Notes on 'Helpful Suggestions' and Other Such Nonsense.

Y'know, I taught Basic Life Support for a number of years, as well as clinical teaching and assessing as a Registered Nurse (ENB 998 for the old guard, as well as a DipHE in Health Care of course) and would love, in theory, to continue to use those skills in one way or another, but there are difficulties. Some of the biggest problems I have are set out below.

a) For example, I tried contacting the St John's Ambulance eighteen months ago, having to go through a website to do so, and got a letter back after a year inviting me to go on a training course..if I was fit enough. No 'who are you etc' nothing! What the hell ever happened to just being able to join a local brigade! Now as said before, you have to find the website and hope to heck someone might phone or send you a letter months later!

b) Yet no one wants to be associated with a washed up knackered ex-nurse obviously as I had been turned down for work such as a Level 3 NVQ Assessor in Health Care with my local college (Yes, Penwith College in Penzance, I'm looking at you!!!). This was not long before I had to retire and now of course, my qualification is out of date. So there's another skill I have learned, funded by the NHS which has also gone to waste.

That's a few examples of how I have tried to find other ways of using my skills but to no avail. Of course there are other problems that I have had to face up to but others obviously haven't, such as my energy levels and how I *cannot* function on some days no matter how willing I might be to try.

I can sympathise with the fact my skills are going to waste but I do need to let you all know I have tried, and still try to be productive and useful. However I don't know which is worse, having so many keep suggesting maybe I can do such and such, or being told I can't do such and such. Both are equally irritating because none either understand the nature of my illness or what *I* still have to learn about my limitations and often I feel upset and demoralised because siuggestions from either camp, and can often leave me feeling useless and tearful.

Maybe I could lock both sides in a room so they can battle it out and then get back to me with the results.

Other news just in. Things continue to progress but I am piling on the weight! Must try and reign things in a bit as it is very easy to undo the good work I have achieved with my weight loss, so will get back to proper eating and leave off the choccy cake etc.

I'm nearly two thirds of the way through and so far I've had a great vacation but these past few days have started to feel more wobbly than before and the neuralgic pain on the top of my head is a little moire intense at times. I'll be seeing the clinical nurse specialist on Wednesday and will discuss the above with her. It means some of the side effects arenow starting to become a bit more noticable.

Have had a fabuolus couple of weekends in Chichester, staying with a friend and this has been a nice break from London. Have gone for toddles, walks around the beautiful catherdrals in Chichester and Arundel, seem some fab art exhibits and avoid being stung by numerous Sussex wasps, and seen a fantastic production of 'the Ristable Rise of Arturo Ui' with Henry Goodman in the starring role. I love being a 'luvvie' ;-) But have as said before been feeling the effects of radiotherapy catch up as I needed help getting through Chichester market last Sunday. My head was spinning and the feeling of all but falling came back with a whallop but did fade off to the usual feeling of being wobbly.

Note: If you live in the UK have a DLA/Employment Support Allowance Letter (income related), scan them in, shrink the image down to 'credit card size', print out and cut around the letter and pop in to a wallet of the type you get for rail cards etc or a small plastic sleeve (look in an office supply shop) or better still get it laminated to that size. You can carry this about and use it as proof if entering anywhere etc that may require such as ID.

I have found out that for DLA certainly most places will let you or your carer in for free. But make sure you ask any museums, galleries, productions anywhere if they provide concessions for disabled persons as this info may not be displayed. I've seen concessions for OAP's etc but not for disabled and had to ask, plus it was amazing how many of the staff in box offices etc were *not* aware of any discounts. So don't hesitate to ask and use your DLA award letter as proof. Sometimes a disabled person's railcard might be accepted as well but check beforehand.

Laters XXX