All in a weeks work

This week I have been rather busy on visits to students and preparing for an even busier week next week, and at the same time, trying to fit in some routine hospital appointments. Wednesday was my day for my six monthly check up at the hospital. These are usually pretty quick affairs as fortunately I have continued to remain well. On Wednesday the clinic was busy and my consultant was wandering around. He bounced over...

"Hello, how are you? I haven't got anyone with me at the moment so I thought I'd come over and say hello. Would you mind seeing the registrar today? It would be good for her to see you I think?"

"I'm fine, and no, I don't mind"

"Are you still mountain biking?"

"Well, I haven't been so much lately but I did go skiing again"

"Oh really? Where did you go?"

(there then followed a brief conversation about ski resorts in France and the loads of snow this year).

I am happy to see the registrar. As Ian said "how many people with MCTD is she likely to see in her career?"

Well, I may well be the only one for a while, and if, in a few years time when she is sitting in her surgery someone comes in with a strange mixture of peculiar symptoms that she can't quite figure out maybe she will remember me.

Of course the downside of seeing the registrar is that because she is learning she is much more thorough and concerned that she doesn't miss anything. "Shall we do another lung function test?" I managed to convince her that as I sit next to the woman who carries out the lung function tests in my exercise class and my lungs don't feel any different to anyone else's in the class then there wasn't much need. She then looked through my old notes, started to panic at the list of things that were wrong and ordered a whole host of blood tests!

The queue in the phlebotomy unit was long.. I waited half an hour for them to take blood and then popped back to the clinic to check that the urine test was okay (I knew it would be as I test it myself once a month) and then I left just before they were about to put a ticket on my car for outstaying my welcome in the car park!