Category: Health

HealthLeave a comment

failure to keep accurate notes is a risk to my health

hivblogger

I got out of hospital on Monday evening, and needed a dressing changed yesterday – but this was not managed because the district nursing service didn’t turn up. I was privately swearing about them, but today I find that it is not their fault. Despite being told that the ward in the Royal Victoria Hospital had asked for District Nursing to come out and see me, no one turned up. This morning when a very pleasant district nurse arrived on the doorstep, she told me what had happened… Apparently Grove Medical Practice had requested a visit daily from today 22 … Continue reading failure to keep accurate notes is a risk to my health

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Belfast, Health, HIV, newsLeave a comment

Translink needs to look at DDA again

hivblogger

Having been falling asleep on the bus on the way home from the appointments of the day, I was very much awake when the bus driver let one person off at our stop, but then proceeded to drive on without letting myself, and my two escorts off as well – indeed we were still on the stairs at the time. I shouted No. STOP Everyone looked a bit surprised on the bus. Stephen says that those on the top deck (where he still was) were asking Did the driver just drive off there? And with the answer in the affirmative, … Continue reading Translink needs to look at DDA again

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Drugs, HIV, SupportLeave a comment

it wasn't like it is in the porn films…

hivblogger

It’s about twenty-four hours since I went into hospital as there was blood and pus oozing from an abscess, and the doctor on call told me to head for the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. So, BelDoc told me to go to Accident and Emergency, so a friend of my boyfriend came over from north Belfast to east Belfast to take us to west Belfast and the RVH, I suspect that we did make it into south Belfast at some point but I’m not quite sure of the constituency boundaries. Once there, I reported on my predicament: having attended the … Continue reading it wasn't like it is in the porn films…

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Benedict XVI, catholic, christian, gay, Health, HIV, London, news, sufferingLeave a comment

‘six hundred of the men who got sick and died were young and fellow Catholics’

Michael McFarland Campbell

I didn’t think that I would be posting quite as quickly after the last post – but reading what I have just read really makes me want to make sure others get to read what Fr Bernard Lynch said at a rally in London today. As someone living with HIV, Fr Lynch’s words somewhat grabbed hold of me. Fortunately, we can now live with HIV – it is no longer the death sentence it once was. Here is a wordle followed by the full text… Dear Holy Father, Welcome to the United Kingdom. I am one of your fellow priests … Continue reading ‘six hundred of the men who got sick and died were young and fellow Catholics’

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Belfast, Drugs, Health, HIV, Northern Ireland lifeLeave a comment

rvh clinic needs to rethink working practices

Michael McFarland Campbell

I was up at the Royal Victoria Hospital yesterday for my regular checkup. The visit is now pretty routine, with a regular way of working: arrive, check in with the lovely receptionist, sit in waiting room (for ages) see consultant have blood taken for testing head down to pharmacy for prescription Now, my appointment was at 2.30pm but I was finally seen by my consultant at 3.45pm. Then had a long wait for the bloods to be taken. When I was finally called for the bloods by the nursing staff, I pointed out that I would not be able to … Continue reading rvh clinic needs to rethink working practices

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catholic, Health, John Henry Newman, sufferingLeave a comment

Tears at Night, Joy at Dawn

Michael McFarland Campbell

One of my favourite pieces of music, which I first listened to on a trip home from London when I also read the book, Tears at Night, Joy at Dawn: Diary of a dying seminarian by Andrew Robinson of the Birmingham Archdiocese. I remember very well his mentions of the prayers for the canonisation of John Henry Newman. Let’s hope that Andrew is enjoying the beatific vision along with Cardinal Newman. Continue reading Tears at Night, Joy at Dawn

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Drugs, Health, HIV, Northern Ireland life, politics1 Comment

time to call a halt on the war on drugs

Michael McFarland Campbell

For many politicians there are many policies to which they refer as “Wars on X”. In recent years, most notably we have the “War on Terror”, and the “War on Drugs”. When the former was used by President George W. Bush,

to denote a global military, political, legal and ideological struggle against organizations designated as terrorist and regimes that were accused of having a connection to them or providing them with support or were perceived, or presented as posing a threat to the US and its allies in general. It was typically used with a particular focus on militant Islamists and al-Qaeda” militant Islamists and al-Qaeda.

(from War on Terror (my emphases in bold)) Continue reading “time to call a halt on the war on drugs”

HIV, newsLeave a comment

Cure for HIV infection must now be major scientific priority, Vienna AIDS conference hears

hivblogger

A cure for HIV infection is scientifically feasible and increasingly necessary, but the goal requires focus and funding, said Sharon Lewin of Monash University in Melbourne, in a keynote address at the opening session of the AIDS 2010 conference and at a preceding workshop organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS).

Antiretroviral therapy has dramatically reduced illness and increased survival, but people with HIV still do not achieve normal life expectancy relative to the general population, Lewin said. In addition, a growing body of evidence indicates that even very low-level virus contributes to a number of health problems. Continue reading “Cure for HIV infection must now be major scientific priority, Vienna AIDS conference hears”

Adherence, Drugs, Food, HIV, Recipes, Support1 Comment

May 1, 2010

hivblogger

It’s been quite a while since  I posted here. The main reason was that everything came to a head at the end of March, and I ended up being admitted to hospital with an abscess caused by MRSA. This was actually quite a good thing as this resulted in a number of things happen. Whilst in hospital: I restarted my antiretrovirals (Truvada and Viramune) the abscess was drained my clinical psychologist arrived down (instead of me going to visit him) my social worker arrived came in to talk about what would happen next there was a referral to the Psychiatric … Continue reading May 1, 2010

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