Wednesday 25 September 2024: Such a waste of time!

We were up fairly early yesterday due to a dermatology appointment for me at the hospital – the first of 3 this week. But I didn’t have time to get my teeth into anything before we went.

About 10 minutes after arrival, my name was called and the nurse spent a lot of time squeezing some of the samples I’d taken with me into little pots of water. She was doing a patch test on my back, about 6 large patches and about 60 different tests, 10 of which were with samples of stuff I put on my skin.

She threw back the washing powder capsule saying it isn’t something that goes on my skin so they don’t test it. And there was me thinking that washing powder can cause some rather nasty reactions. She also threw back the deodorant, as she couldn’t open the bottle. She kept 3 types of shampoo, some Blistex medicated lip cream, and the Dermovate. 

While she faffed around doing that she was interrupted not once but twice, and had to leave the room. And there was me thinking this was MY long-awaited appointment… Finally, she asked me to lift my shirt so she could start to apply the patches…and said: “Oh, you have a rash on your back…”

Well, yes, honey. That’s why I’m here… 

“I can’t apply the patches if you have a rash on your back…”

I always have a rash on my back. And on my belly. And on my upper arms. And on my thighs. Always. Unless I use the Dermovate, which is the ONLY thing that gets rid of it. But I’d been told NOT to use the Dermovate as it would interfere with the testing. 

She went and found a colleague and they wasted yet more time faffing over my notes on the computer and my notes in the folder, and then asked if I could come back the following morning at 9:30am, to see the dermatology nurse, who’d told me not to use the only thing that clears the rash…

Erm, no. I had 3 appointments this week, around which not only did I have to re-arrange my working week, but so did the poet. But it didn’t only affect the poet either. He’s in a task force of 4 and they have until 4 October to carry out a very large H&S audit across 11 sites. Those other 3 had had to arrange their working week around me as well. 

Last time I went, in May, I was due to have a core biopsy. But they couldn’t do the biopsy because nowhere was inflamed enough. This time they couldn’t do the patch test because it was all too inflamed. And I was told not to use the Dermovate because of the interference mentioned above. It’s a vicious circle…

I said I’d see about the 9:30am appointment this morning when I got home, but we already knew I couldn’t make it. My lift had to be somewhere else, and my lift and his 3 colleagues had already disrupted their weeks too.

I called the hospital back, told them I couldn’t go in today, and if they were going to refer me for another appointment then I’d like to see a specialist first.

“She is a specialist!” was the reply. (She meant the person who’d told me not to use the Dermovate.)

Is she a doctor, I asked.

“Erm…no.”

Then I’d like to see a doctor, please.

‘Might I ask why you don’t want to see the nurse?”

Because we’re going round in circles, she’s told me to stop using the only thing that works, she told me not to use it before the patch test anyway, which you couldn’t do because I hadn’t used the cream, and she’s also wasted my time with 2 appointments already where nothing happened.

“But there’s at least a 3-month wait for one of our doctors.”

That’s fine. I’ve waited for 8 years already and been fobbed off. I can wait another 3 months.

She wasn’t happy about it, but she agreed. Reluctantly. Now time will tell if I get my wish or if I have to see the nurse again first. 

Now, I should have been happy that I now have all of Thursday back and all of Saturday. But I was annoyed. So by the time I hit my desk, I utilised my time by writing up yesterday’s blog post, doing my 5-minute declutter (that once again lasted a good hour), and starting today’s blog post. I paused to have something to eat, but carried on with the declutter. It will be good for my working soul when it’s all cleared, so it’s not wasted time.

In the end, I closed down the office and went to read the next book on my review list.

Let’s hope today will be better.