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I had a part-of-the-afternoon shift on Switchboard, and wanted to attend a meeting in the evening. So, left Royston mid-morning and headed for London. I intended on a little travel before, and after arriving in London, took a 59 bus heading south to Waterloo.

After browsing two bookstores and walking through the railway station, I headed down the drain! For those who did not get the suggestion via Facebook, it's a nickname for the Waterloo & City tube line. From Waterloo, all stations to Bank via Bank, the next station is Bank – you get the idea. I wasn't going above ground at Bank though, merely using it to change to the Central Line tube, heading to Liverpool Street.

When I got to Liverpool Street, I was a bit ahead of schedule/ I'd planned to be arriving by 1320, but arrived about 20-30 minutes in advance. From here, quick drink and sit down before continuing to St Pancras station on the 214 – again to kill a bit of time, before getting the same bus back again to work.

After work, had some time to kill before Caroline was due to arrive in London, so took the 205 bus through to Marylebone, before getting the same back to Kings Cross.

While waiting for Caroline to arrive, I checked my email via my mobile phone, and got some news with regards to the tender for provision of the Prisoners Families Helpline – the contract has been lost. More on this is in this separate posting.

After Caroline arrived, we went for a bite to eat, before continuing onto Gays The Word bookstore, for the monthly TransLondon meeting. This month's event was a presentation and talk from the_local_echo , with assistance from auntysarah. The en-massed standing crowd were duly impressed by the content, as well as Sylvia's delivery.

As ever, it's over to a rather packed pub over the road. We stayed for one, before leaving to walk around to Woburn Place, for a 59 or 91 bus back to Kings Cross. The latter arrived, and we went for the 2215 Kings Lynn train home to Royston.

So, my full list of travels was -

First Capital Connect train Royston – London Kings Cross

Arriva London South bus DW68 59 Kings Cross at Camden Town Hall – Waterloo, Waterloo Road

Waterloo & City Line tube train Waterloo – Bank

Central Line tube train Bank – Liverpool Street

Metroline bus DLD703 214 Liverpool Street – St Pancras, St Pancras Road

Metroline bus DLD130 214 St Pancras, Midland Road – Islington

East London bus 15118 205 Islington – Marylebone

East London bus 15121 205 Marylebone – Kings Cross

walk to Gays The Word

Metroline bus TE914 91 Woburn Place – Kings Cross

First Capital Connect train London Kings Cross – Royston

Only the three pictures from yesterday (left the card in the laptop!) but those will follow in time, as I can't transfer them easily onto the card.

Today, more gremlins! I've been browsing the Stagecoach Fife service changes (more about those in a separate post), and the printer doesn't seem to respond. I've only just clicked that this machine was still set up for the colour machine we sold last year, even though I installed the drivers the other day. Never mind, now sorted!

Following a Thursday of travels, Friday 30th was to be my outpatient stay at Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath.

( Cut for length and medical talk  )

I’ve disappeared for the last few days. Hospital pre-op assessment (yesterday) seemed to go smoothly enough, it’s back to Haywards Heath for a week today. I seemed to have picked up the lurgy (again) earlier in the week, so I’m still coughing, spluttering and sore. It’s also the sort (around this time of year) that upsets me too. Never mind, will hope to recover in time for next week. Will catch up with what I’ve missed in the last few days soon.

Thanks to everyone for your support in the last few days – following my last post, it’s been a bit of a pest, but slowly getting used to next week being a vast empty space – what happens when you clear a date from work, cancel planned trips, all because… you know.

Today’s progress – not a lot. A callback was made to me while I was out at work this morning, and now it would appear that they want to find somewhere that has an intensive care unit for me, just in case anything goes wrong! (I’m not making this up – unless there is another medical term called ICU, in which case, please say something to me now!)

Now, I know what you are thinking, right – but didn’t you manage nine days in a hospital two years ago, in a hospital without an ICU, including a general anaesthetic? Yes!

So, that may be so. The hospital that had planned for me to go in next Wednesday (Princes Victoria Hospital, Lewes) did not have an intensive care unit, or overnight facilities. However, when I went for my appointment to see the surgeon at Brighton in the summer, he said that this would be a minor procedure, in overnight, and this would be at the Princes Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath (which, as far as I know, does have ICU and overnight facilities). The question in my mind now is, why the hell was I given an appointment for the other one? Or was none of this remembered?

On slightly more positive news – I have now successfully managed to phase off the Citalopram, and the Amitriptyline, taking down my daily pills by another three. Earlier in the year it was twelve in a day (four HRT) now it’s six. We didn’t feel like excessive celebrating last night (one year since the night when I proposed to Caroline) but we did go out for dinner. Road was closed on the way home, so ended up doing some back-road navigation to get us back to the A507, and then ultimately, the A10.

I had a chat with the Admissions person at Princess Victoria Hospital, Lewes, earlier today, re my forthcoming visit. I've not had any paperwork, and it's booked for a week tomorrow. Apparently, he only just had the written confirmation today, although we are still booked for Wednesday 14th. Apparently, he's still waiting on some details... such as what sort of anaesthesia to use...

... I kid you not!....

... anyway, should be out and back home THE SAME EVENING. Sounds good to me!

After the end of this week, and the weekend, I've got a clear week, intentionally.

If all goes well, it is going to be good. Otherwise... (I am trying not to be cynical, and just hope that the sudden rush is a good thing!)

Now today, I should be arriving at work, but I was off today, with various issues on the Dundee Area Bus Forum, and medical. In the end, I Managed to get the Forum issues resolved, after some emailing and phoning around!, but also, now got a response back re my wait for revision/surgery. Apparently, I'm next in the list for a slot at the Princes Royal Hosp (Haywards Heath)... which is a good way to round off what started as a bad day!

(Did that make sense?)

Following my post on Monday night, I had a busy Tuesday morning preparing. We missed the DHL delivery driver (for a collection – despite putting a note for after 1300 on Monday, came and went at 1100!), so I sweet-talked Caroline into going north to Bar Hill first, to drop it off at the DHL delivery depot.

Then, straight onto the A14, M11 (where I did this post on the road, using the new o2 USB Modem stick), M25, A282 Dartford Crossing, before stopping at Bluewater Shopping Centre. Can’t believe that it’s ten years old this year! As you will see from these two pictures, Bluewater is in a very scenic part of the Kent Thameside!

After stopping for drinks, we continued – although I was a little lost (usually in and out of the bus stance – sorry, Bluewater Transit Centre they call it there - not the car park) so in panic, inadvertently had us turn the other way. We managed to get back on the last turn before the Dartford Crossings again, and we were able to go south once more. However, C did manage to upset me a little with the driving, although when we talked (and resolved things) later, it was down to the fact that she was trying to get us there in time. (If anyone sees a copy of that ‘M25 and around’ map, let me know – saw one on the window of a clearance store, but they had none for sale last time I asked).

So, M25, M23, A23, A27 Brighton by-pass to Sussex University, down Falmer Road to Woodingdean, for my 1900 appointment at the Sussex Nuffield Hospital. Before arriving, we (naturally) got stuck at the Downs Hotel traffic lights. As you may recall from previous visits, many passengers and staff are emblazoned high on the sides of Brighton & Hove Buses double deck fleet. So, which one was it waiting? Naturally, the bus was Scania 608, featuring none other than B&H mechanic Gethin Donaldson on the offside. I found him by chance on Bebo, after seeing this vehicle several times on the 2/2A through Woodingdean!

After booking in, and following the directions to go down the corridor after the second door on the left, we’d gone the wrong way – apparently they’d moved him to a room which was basically just by the entrance. (Unfortunately, no-one told the receptionist, which is why I ignored the large sign asking Phil’s patients to come this way!) We sat in the waiting area, he was running a little behind, but was still quite eager to see what could be done.

Physical time – and he defied logic, and was, shall we say, successfully able to position his fingers to make a diagnosis (I can still feel it now, which is probably TMI but what the hell!) It IS a cyst, and he’s able to resolve it. Yes, the PCT are able to fund it – and I am looking at a one-day procedure, probably staying in that night because of distance, but just the one. This is probably 2-3 months away, at the Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath.

(Maybe a little OT here but I recognised it from a bus timing point and destination (amongst others, Countyliner’s Service 40X runs hourly to/from hospitals in Brighton, using MAN/MCV Evolutions. The service operates with Trust funding allowing patients and staff to travel for free).

AFAIK there will be no need for any other changes in the run-up to the surgery, and (thankfully) no extended stay therein – has to be a good thing!

While I was a little shaken up following the journey and the consultation, I was starting to relax. This was helped by dinner at the local takeaway (I didn’t fancy more than a few bites before going in), before (at my request) we drove down Falmer Road to Rottingdean (pronounced Ro’dean apparently), and then along the coast before turning up West Street, past the railway station, and up Dyke Road and Dyke Road Avenue (avoiding the bus lanes and gates!) We stopped at the traffic lights at the Dyke Tavern, which (given the local residents) might sound a slightly unfortunate choice of words. However, we continued along through Devil’s Dyke back to the A23.

It was then that we deviated off to go through Haywards Heath, and I realised that my trips through here had been by train. Aah well. Now I had to negotiate our way through with the atlas, but did manage to get us to the PRH. Looks nice enough anyway. Back to the A23 via the filling station for a quick drink and chocolate, before back to the A23, M23, M25, A282 Dartford Tunnel this way, M25, M11 to Duxford, A505, and back to Royston. We got back around midnight, and it still took me a while to sleep…

… until about 0720 this [Wednesday] morning, when Caroline woke me for the second time (with coffee!) We had to leave at 0830 to allow for traffic for my appointment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Forvie Site Brain Repair Centre for the HD clinic appointment previously booked. Slightly shorter than last time (Dr Barker is away, so it was Dr Wright), just a few tests, and lots of discussion and questions. Following this, the doc has asked my doctor to prescribe me Olanzapie (at a low 2.5mg to start with) to try and level things out, and building this up. If this is helpful, then it may eventually replace some of the other meds I’m on. It does make you more tired (although it may help with the sleep deprivation issues), and can make you put on weight – just like the rest of my meds – but, surprisingly, I was actually about five kilos less than the last time I weighed myself at home. Maybe it’s just the tolerance range, but it was something else to add.

Now at home, and having unpacked finally (we left most things in the car last night), tidied up, checked bank and other things, and now able to relax. Lets hope this is the start of the beginning, not the beginning of the end.

Further to my post at the weekend, I alluded to a week that starts two weeks today, and C has two appointments on the Monday at Addenbrooke's, followed by my genetics on Wednesday morning at 0930, plus more other events later in the week.

So, what popped through the door this morning? Yes, an appointment to see Phil Thomas at the Sussex Nuffield Hospital, on the Tuesday between those three appointments, at 1930! Well, Woodingdean to Forvie (Addenbrookes BRC) in 12 and a half hours is doable...

...You wait forever, and then... you've guessed it - two surgery appointments at once, not to mention (between the two of us) four appointments in 48 hrs 10 mins...

... is their a bidding war on my fanny at the moment?

Finally.... following many requests to my doctor (when it transpired he'd sat on it for some time, before blaming the PCT - complaint ongoing), appointment for CX (well, their clinic off the Fulham Palace Road) for 29/06 has arrived!

Also, many thanks to the lovely shullie  for a lovely long black goth style skirt purchased via eBay - doesn't look too huge on me, but then again, there is an obvious size difference... now, off to work in a bit!