Dear world,
Last time we spoke, I mentioned about the possibility of looking
to increase the dosage of one of my medications with the hope that in time I
might be one of the very few people who respond well to high dosages of calcium
channel blockers and in turn potentially reduce my other medications. I am now
a week on from trialing the new medication. Not to jinx it, but so far all
seems relatively normal. I’ve been advised what the possible side effects could
be so I know what to look out for, but it is very hard not to read into every
single thing your body does that doesn’t feel “normal”. I am trying not to be a
hypochondriac, which is hard for me as I live with anxiety, so my way of dealing
with it is by keeping a diary of my symptoms and then if I can see a pattern
that doesn’t seem normal then I can relay my fears to my PH nurse. But here’s
hoping I don’t have to do that! If all goes well, I will be on this new dosage
for the next 6 months and then I’ll have a repeat right heart catherisation to
check the pressures. If the pressures are still stable then we will look to
decrease one of the other medications I’m on. So it’s all a bit of a waiting
game for now, but hopefully I can continue on as well as I have been doing.
As you can see from this blogs title, the main theme is about the
NHS. For the non-British citizens reading this, here’s the science bit: The National
Health Service is a publicly
funded national healthcare system in the UK. The organisation, funded primarily
by taxation, provides free healthcare to all legal residents of the U.K.
Medications are subsidised as well and prescriptions may be free when situations warrant.
I have been incredibly fortunate to grow up having free access to
medical services, and never having to worry if I was feeling unwell that I
couldn’t access a doctor for free. However had I been born in another country,
I wouldn’t necessarily have had that luxury. Instead, I would have ended up
with expensive costly appointments, especially with having a chronic disease. I
dread to think how much it would have cost me when I saw the cardiologist who
diagnosed me with PH or how much it costs every time I have the right heart
catherisation operation for them to check my pressures in my pulmonary artery,
or the countless MRI and echo scans I’ve had and will continue to have. It
would easily go into the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands. How
can someone pay that? I can’t begin to imagine that on top of being told 3
years ago that I had a chronic disease, that I also would have to pay for all
the tests, medicine, care etc. to keep me alive. The stress would have easily
have made my condition so much worse.
From being born at Barnsley hospital; needing arm surgery aged 8;
continuing to be accident prone throughout my teens breaking many bones in my
body; being strapped to a tilt test bed aged 18 after a series of fainting
episodes; getting quite intoxicated one summer party at university and ending
up needing a saline drip to rehydrate me (not one of my finest moments, sorry
mum) through to being diagnosed with PH; I have always relied upon the NHS without
question. I have come across endless people who make the NHS tick, from porter
staff who have happily chatted to me about random topics making me forget which
theatre room they are wheeling me off to this time, through to blood takers,
specialist nurses, doctors, consultants, professors and paramedics. Each have
ensured I am well cared for and looked after; some have consoled me when the
future looked particularly bleak; others have saved me from death; and others
have given me hope. I am eternally grateful for each and every one of them, as
without them I don’t think my future would look anything like it does now.
Overall, my experience with the NHS has been positive. But like
everything it’s not 100% perfect. No doubt you will have seen/read on a regular
basis by the media there are massive issues with the NHS. In my head I
underestimated how many issues the NHS had, I’m not always one to believe
everything I read in the paper, but from talking with a number of medical
professions I have realised the issue is real which in itself is extremely
frightening but what is worse is the issues are MASSIVE. From speaking with a
dozen or so doctors in the last few months, most are on the verge of a
breakdown due to the crazy hours they work, the cuts they are seeing both in
staffing and care which impacts on their work, and others are looking to
relocate elsewhere in the world, as they can’t see a future working in the NHS.
They feel demoralized, undervalued, especially as staff have taken pay cuts
over the past 5 years (pay increases capped at 1%, less than the rate of
inflation), and the over-riding feeling I get is these are genuine people who
really care about what they do, and only want the best for their patients, but
they are running on empty and have very little more they can give. As a patient
of the NHS this concerns me greatly. Both for me now and in the future.
There are issues: long waiting times to see doctors; departments
are short staffed; staff to patient ratios: referral appointments to see a
counsellor (I waited 6 months to see one when first diagnosed with PH); not
enough beds (I got woken up in the middle of the night by a nurse who wanted my
bed and I ended up being plonked on the nose and throat ward, with a lung
condition). Unfortunately this is not uncommon. Through research of my own and
speaking with doctors generally I heard one story: “We had to cancel 4
operations today because our ward didn’t have enough beds for them. The ward
was full of boarders from other specialties who couldn’t go to their wards,
because people were in those beds who couldn’t be discharged because there were
no carers or money to pay for care at home”.
What it appears is the current government have been contracting
out major parts of the NHS to private companies who charge ridiculous amounts
of money for the service, which comes out of the healthcare budget. The current
government have been in power since 2010 and over the last 7 years they have
reduced the budgets each year, making it at the point where if it continues the
NHS will almost certainly end up completely on its knees and will no longer be
able to function anymore. It is no coincidence that Jeremy Hunt the Health
Secretary since 2012 co-wrote a book, “How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy
Steps”. If this pattern continues the NHS will be no more and we will end up
under an American structure which is funded by private insurance. Who wants
this?!
As I’m sure most of you are aware from the various election
campaigns and no doubt endless TV programmes there is a general election coming
up next week. I have never really been interested in politics, always stemming
away from the whole political scene. Granted I have voted on most occasions
since turning 18 and I have always voted conservatives. Nothing really more
than I grew up in an environment where the majority appeared to vote this way
and never really having taken an interest before I just ticked the box that
looked familiar. I now look back and realise how naïve I was.
Now I have a bee in my bonnet about this whole NHS subject – so
people beware! I don’t want to sit around and let the NHS crumble and be
replaced with something resembling the personally crippling American Insurance
scheme, paying £000’s for insurance!
To live in a democratic society, you get to have your own vote and
you decide who you want to have as your leader. All I ask is that you ask
yourselves these questions: Do you use the NHS now? Does your family or friends
rely on the NHS for their own health? Will you require the NHS in the future?
If you answer yes to any of these, then remember the NHS when you cross the box
come 8th June. This maybe the
last time we get to save the NHS. In 5 years’ time we may not have that luxury.
Here is a short clip of a doctor who inspired me to write this
blog. After watching his short video he made me realise that we have the power
to change things, but we don’t have long to make this change, we need to do it
now.
It will be 70 years in 2018 since the NHS started. The NHS is a
national treasure and something as a British citizen we should expect to have
in another 70 years. Please think carefully about how important the NHS is to
you and your family when voting next week.
Can you imagine a UK without the NHS?
#SAVEOURNHS
Gemsy
xxx
