8296/21215
I am a big, big fan of the NHS. They saved my life, even if they couldn't save my testicle and for me the benchmark of a civilised country should be that it provides free health care, education and general amenities like libraries, playgrounds and public toilets. Should be fucking standard, just for being a citizen. Everyone pays in a bit for it. It's cheaper than us all paying individually or paying someone who is looking to make money out of it.
I am aware there are complexities. But come on guys (I'm looking at you America and also other twats) this should be standard.
Though it's a bit hard to get a GP appointment for my liking, I have again been impressed with the way the NHS runs this week. I'd had some blood tests in July and they were a bit concerned about one reading (though ironically it was to do with the liver and was an issue that usually affects people who drink alcohol), but we retested yesterday and I've already had news that everything was normal this time.
But after my never ending bug that started up in April I have been unable (apparently) to shift the final bit of the cough and I thought I should just get checked out, lest cancer thinks it can now come and get me from the other end. I beat you once, dude. What makes you think you've got any chance against me?
It's one of those things that has been getting very gradually better all the time, which makes me think it's nothing to worry about, but then it's not quite gone away, which is weird.
So yesterday, before my blood test, I asked if I could see a doctor and they got someone to ring me in the afternoon. That person agreed I should come in to see a GP and I got an appointment for 10am today. Which is decent enough.
The doctor was lovely and couldn't see anything wrong with my throat and she had a couple of ideas about ways to proceed but said I should get a precautionary chest X-Ray.
She also gave me a prescription for some tablets for acid reflux, which was a potential cause of the issue (well, you did ask... oh wait, no you didn't. Sorry). So I went to the supermarket and then picked up my prescription and walked home
Then I drove over to the hospital, where there's a walk-in service for chest X-Rays. I parked up, as always resenting having to pay. I actually wouldn't mind if the money all went to the NHS - I like paying £9.90 for every prescription because it feels like giving something back and I know that it's free for people who can't afford that bonus tax.
You get 20 minutes of parking for free, but surely I'd be waiting for an hour or so to get my X-Ray and even if I didn't, I was not anticipating getting under the wire for this one. It sounded like it would take some time.
I got to radiology and was annoyed that a slow moving couple had dodged in front of me on the stair-case and I had to wait for them to check in, which they were quite bad at. Then I checked in - super efficiently because I've done this stuff before and asked how long I'd have to wait.
"Oh, no time at all," said the receptionist.
I'd brought my laptop to work and everything, but probably 3 minutes later I was called in for a chest X-Ray. I'd envisioned maybe derobing and getting into some lie-down scanner or something. But the guy pointed towards a big white vertical bit of kit and told me to press my chest against it. There was a bit of jiggling for position, but the whole things was done in a couple of minutes.
Would I get away without a parking charge?
I didn't hang around and got to the parking machines. People seemed to be queuing for two of them but there was a third one that looked different to the other two, so I tried that and it was working. I put in my registration. It was 19 minutes since I had arrived. I had been in the car park for probably five minutes as I'd got to the 8th level before I'd found an easy space and one lift was out of service. I'd never get back to my car in 1 minute (I took the stairs cos I am a super fit champion - that was better evidence than any X-Ray), but apparently you just have to get back to the machine in 20 minutes. I'd done it. It's the kind of win that makes life worthwhile.
I was nervous that the gates might not open for me, but they did. And I'd assumed at the start of the day when I knew I might have to go to hospital that that was the day gone. I was home by midday. It was insane.
Even if I find out I've got a terminal disease, today has been a win.
I don't think I have a terminal disease.
I have survived cancer and am thus immortal.
But more importantly, thanks to the efficiency of the NHS (has Keir Starmer actually done something useful? - no, don't be ridiculous) I did not have to pay for parking, but they weasled £9.90 out of me for medicine which might not even work. Bastards!
