Tag: belfast

Health, HIV, MRSA, PVL-MRSA1 Comment

Posting may be light…

Michael McFarland Campbell

I don’t know what I have done in the past to deserve the love that is being shown to and freely given to me at the moment. I’m not feeling well at the moment – think I’m going to have to head up to the Accident & Emergency Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast this evening. I’d really rather leave it until I could head to see my consultant in the GUM clinic. I’m not sure that we can leave it that long. Life is not easy. And no one said it would be. It has certainly been … Continue reading Posting may be light…

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christian, Festivals, PoetryLeave a comment

family and love is what counts at Christmas

Michael McFarland Campbell

Every Christmas for I don’t know how long we have had rows in our family. This year, I am glad to say that it has been much reduced. I am hoping that this will continue into the New Year. As I have discovered, my family is in no way unique in this Christmas rowing tendency. Luckily for me, I am not alone at Christmas. My hugs go to Spidey – whose post yesterday made me cry. Whatever, is going on over there – I’ve been sending good thoughts her way – and I hope they make it through. One Christmas … Continue reading family and love is what counts at Christmas

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CD4 count, Health, HIV, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland life, Viral load1 Comment

each time you tell, you’ve no idea what you risk unleashing

hivblogger
Positive Life NSW looks at serodiscordant gay couples

I am HIV positive.

Just saying that brief sentence or its alternative

I am living with HIV.

gives people the opportunity to do and say the most remarkable things. Continue reading “each time you tell, you’ve no idea what you risk unleashing”

Ballymena, Blogging, newsLeave a comment

the parents’ annual ramble (not in the snow thank goodness!)

Michael McFarland Campbell

Every year for at least the last twenty years my parents have issued a Christmas letter with what we have all been up to. Now sitting in their dining room, opposite my little brother Duncan who is reading about why does E=mc²?, and having just seen the other one Peter who is off playing taxi driver for some neighbours, I reproduce the letter that has been sent out – with some editorial from me in purple.

Although plenty seems to have been happening this year there’s not a vast amount of any significance to report; so here we go on the annual ramble. Continue reading “the parents’ annual ramble (not in the snow thank goodness!)”

GMP, Justice, Law, Northern Ireland, Police, PSNILeave a comment

Out for a night with mates and it’s all gone a bit wrong?

Michael McFarland Campbell

Not got somewhere to stay after your bust up in the club after you chatted that girl up – the one who’s boyfriend was the DJ? During the fisticuffs the constabulary arrive and take you off the hands of the club owner. Fear not, you will not be without somewhere to stay. You will be able to stay in an hostelry which is open 24 / 7, 365 days a year. disinfected on a regular basis and is subject to regular inspections. Select meals provided Some cells en-suite All major credit cards and belongings confiscated Telephone (one call per guest) … Continue reading Out for a night with mates and it’s all gone a bit wrong?

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Blogging, Northern Ireland, politics1 Comment

Where two or three or four are gathered…

Michael McFarland Campbell

First there was one, then there were two, followed by three, and finally… four brave souls braved the icy and snow to the Lagan Room of Jury’s Inn, Fisherwick Place, Belfast for the session on Hammering Out the Slugger Awards. Sadly, the eight or nine signed up yesterday were much reduced in number. It seems that Mother Nature was ganging up with Jack Frost to ensure that our great leader was unable to be there. Mr Slugger O’Toole himself was unable to be there, but Quintin Oliver stepped in and led the session. A certain Crumlin man was snowed in, … Continue reading Where two or three or four are gathered…

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christian, Northern Ireland life1 Comment

sometimes your neighbours and you have more in common…

Michael McFarland Campbell

It’s the afternoon of the second Sunday of Advent, and I’m now back at Andrew’s after church this morning. There was a party after the service so that the church family – or beloved community – as they call it there could come together to celebrate something of the Christmas joy that is not always so evident in the world at this time. When coming back into the flats where Andrew lives, the door of one of the ground floor flats opened, and an older lady spoke, Were you at All Souls this morning? she asked. When we said that … Continue reading sometimes your neighbours and you have more in common…

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Blogging, Fairer VotesLeave a comment

posted elsewhere: give some time to make a call to give yourself a stronger voice

Michael McFarland Campbell

Today the Northern Ireland campaign team was attending the Ulster Unionist Conference in the Ramada Hotel in Belfast, meeting MLAs, councillors and members. In other parts of the United Kingdom, the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign was launching its first wave of 50 phonebanks across the country. The phonebanking operation constitutes the most ambitious direct voter contact programme in British political history and we are aiming to speak to more voters than all the political parties did combined at the general election. This grassroots led strategy is reliant upon normal people volunteering an hour or two a month of their … Continue reading posted elsewhere: give some time to make a call to give yourself a stronger voice

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CD4 count, Drugs, HIVLeave a comment

1 day after World AIDS Day – and the clinic winds us up

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World AIDS Day Ribbon
Image via Wikipedia

It is only the day after World AIDS Day, and I am not the only patient that has had issues with the nursing staff in the HIV clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, this afternoon.

I cannot go into the specifics of the incident concerning another patient, but the problem that I had was that they didn’t read the notes that the doctor had made in my notes.

results Continue reading “1 day after World AIDS Day – and the clinic winds us up”

Belfast, Blogging, Health, HIV, news, Northern Ireland life, politics, SDLP, Volunteering3 Comments

ending the stigma: guts needed to tackle it head on

Michael McFarland Campbell

cross-posted from positive hivblogger World AIDS Day 2010 It’s World AIDS Day 2010 today, another year has gone past, those of us living with HIV are still here – and still the stigma is being broken by some of us that are courageous enough to tell our friends, our family, and other people that we are here, living with HIV. “Coming Out” That’s right – telling others. So, today, I’m ‘coming out’ publicly on this blog as to I am. Complete with photo. Unsurprisingly given my job and other interests, I was at a political conference a few weeks ago. … Continue reading ending the stigma: guts needed to tackle it head on

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