INR by Handheld Monitor
I had my first experience of this tonight and it worked well and took just a couple of minutes.
Some health professionals have said to me before that they don’t like the system, but as a patient it’s certainly less stressful than giving a blood sample. Or it certainly was for me.
My INR had hardly changed but the software used with the monitor, gave me a much more complicated schedule of Warfarin doses, than I used to get in Suffolk. Could it be that in Suffolk, the anti-coagulant team simplified the schedule, so that less patients got confused?
I won’t comment on all this from a medical point of view, but given a choice I would take the monitor route, as I got my result there and then and I suffered little or no discomfort.
But speaking as a trained control engineer and a competent software engineer, the software that works with the monitor, may be something that could be improved to make Warfarin regimes less complicated or prone to error.
Laptops in Hospital – 2
I put a post on this earlier and today as I travelled to try to see the eclipse, I got talking to a lady who happened to be a hospital physio working with stroke patients. I asked her whether they allowed patients to have laptops and she said they did to a certain extent. But they were always worried that they’d get stolen.
The latter may be true, but if hospitals have a crime problem, it should not be allowed to get in the way of patients’ care and well-being, Iit should also be properly solved.
I also think that most patients would also accept having the coputer in hospital at their own risk. I certainly would and would make sure it was a rather elderly but reliable machine.
Life Starts to Get Back to Normal After Christmas
I always think that Christmas is back in its box for another year, when BBC Breakfast television gets back to the normal studios and presenters.
It’s also nice to see Sian Williams back on the box, as she is very much C’s type in looks, body and dress sense, except that she is sixteen years younger than C would be. C would never have worn the heels Sian does either!
So in a way, Sian reminds me in a very nice way of all the good times we had before C’s untimely death!
And long may I see her brightening up my mornings!
Another Missed Eclipse
In 1999, I went to France to see the total eclipse of the sun. But due to an erroneous Belgian weather forecast, I ended up in part of France that was overcast.
Today there was a spectacular partial eclipse that was visible as the sun was rising. I took the North London Line to Gospel Oak and walked up the hill to the spot where Judy Dench picked up Kate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal.
As you can see from this picture, I wasn’t the only one who was disappointed.
Waiting for the Eclipse
At least I didn’t lug a heavy telescope up the hill.
Up Early Again
I’m watching the cricket at three in the morning, after perhaps six hours sleep. I think it would be better, if I could sleep a bit more, but then I have various niggles that can’t really be described as pain, but that give me a bit of discomfort. I think that a physio is somebody I need to do some work on my arm and now the bottom end of my spine, which seems to be hurting from sitting down a lot. But then, it’s always hurt a bit, as it sticks out and constantly used to bang it. Some cars I used to find very uncomfortable to sit in or drive.
A Typical Shop
I took this picture after I unloaded my backpack and shopping bag yesterday.
A Typical Shop
Note the Genius bread, Pinney’s smoked salmon, Waitrose ginger cake, goat’s yoghurt and milk and the raspberries and juice. I forgot the eggs, but otherwise, I have enough for two days.
I think that it is true to say that as I can shop every day and getting there is either a walk or a free bus ride, I’m shopping differently now.
Now that I’ve got some operating instructions for the cooker, I can also eat a greater variety of food, at least in the way they are cooked. Yesterday, I used the griddle pan to cook myself a rather nice steak, whch I served with some microwaved vegetables. I wouldn’t have normally used the latter in the past, but they were on offer and peas and sweetcorn made a change.
I think it’s also true to say that as I go past a shop every day, it makes it a lot easier. I’ll go again today, as I need some envelopes to post some goods, I’ve sold on eBay.
The Anonymous Widower 