Perth...

Yesterday I pondered my feelings of tiredness and possible causes.  It's not just recovering from sepsis as I've felt tired for months.  

I know there are probably many contributing factors (mainly menopause *rolls eyes*) but as I went to bed last night I wondered if my iron levels might be low.  Symptoms I've had for months now as a result of endemetritis (again thank you menopause) could lead to low iron levels, so I decided to contact our health centre to speak to a GP and discuss getting a blood test to check.

Our health centre is fab and after speaking to a receptionist at 8.15am, a GP called me back just before 9am and I asked her about arranging a blood test to check. I explained I’d been in hospital and she asked if they’d done bloods there.  I said yes but they only mentioned infection markers to me not iron levels so didn’t think they’d been checked.  She checked my file.  Well apparently the blood test they did in hospital on 11th March, showed low iron levels!!! It was never mentioned (and it hadn’t occurred to me then to ask) 

Since that's a recent result she didn't think there was any need to repeat the bloods test (fine by me!) so she’s prescribed a three month course of iron but said I may need six to nine months to get back to normal levels.  I've to be retested at the end of June.  

I am gobsmacked the hospital didn't mention this.  It seems to me that unless you have a some basic knowledge of whatever ails you and how your body works, the chances are things will get missed.  You really have to be all across it to ask the right questions.  

My mum and my gran were both great believers that the doctor knows best but my little family has endured too many mishaps at the hands of the NHS (the greatest being Alan's botched birth) to have such blind trust.  Yes I still have huge love and respect for our NHS and I am very grateful for the treatment we receive, but mis-communication and lack of communication are a huge blight on the service.  Only yesterday I read this heartbreaking story.

After lunch I decided some retail therapy was in order.  I received some Fat Face vouchers for Christmas and suddenly had the urge to spend them.  Plus the sun was shining and it was quite mild, so off we went.

On the plus side, it was lovely as the sunshine and fresh air did much to breathe some life into my tired cells but oh dear, what a sad place Perth city centre has become.  So many shops closed, so many about to close and the majority of the ones left not worth going into.  A very sad situation.

When Alan was almost two we went on holiday to St Andrews.  I was looking for an outfit for Alan's Christening and we ended up in Perth for the day as a friend had said it had a good mix of shops with larger department stores as well as quite a few Independent boutiques.  After a lovely lunch I hit the streets and was delighted to find my friend was right.  I was spoiled for choice, eventually settling on a dress and jacket from a lovely shop (I can't reminder the name of it or exactly where it was but I know it's long gone) 

Today's experience was the polar opposite.  Quick look in Fat Face (where thankfully I was able to spend my voucher on a top and some earrings) then Next and M&S (no purchases made in either of those apart from a couple of scones from M&S foodhall) and that was it.  Time to go home.

I know my Perth experience is echoed in towns and cities all over the country but it's been so long since I've been physically able to go to shops (my wheels are life changing :-) it's quite a shock to see the decline.  I think I will limit my retail therapy to farm shops from now on! 

Home and managed to finish my special crochet project.  Tomorrow's task will be to sew it all together and add a few finishing touches.  I am very happy with it :-)

And so the three month course of iron tablets will begin tomorrow.  Better ask D to pick up three months supply of All Bran at the same time!