Farewell to a Brave Man
I’m not the greatest fan of rugby union, but I can remember Andy Ripley in his pomp. Andy has just died after a long and valiant battle against prostate cancer. He will be remembered for a long time.
Let’s Help Crime Victims and Families More
This excellent article was written from an American perspective, but it is applicable everywhere. We spend fortunes on punishing offenders and not enough on the one hand providing services such as mental health care to stop them offending in the first place and also to provde real support to victims and their families. All we do is get more vindictive and cut services in the place where they might make a difference. If we take Derick Bird, who so callously murdered 14 in Cumbria, was enough done to check he was the right person to have a gun licence and also did he get the mental heath care that he probably needed. My GP worries about me, because I’ve lost my wife to cancer and can I cope with that and my strokes.
For those in favour of the death penalty, just think what difference it would have made to the Bird case. It would not have deterred him from killing and as he killed himself, it wouldn’t have made any difference afterwards except to give a ghoulish pleasure to the tabloids.
If we retain the death penalty, we are just as inhumane as the likes of Bird.
Years ago, I met Jimmy O’Connor, who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. But he was repreived and later married the barrister, Nemone Lethbridge. He became a successful playwright and probably did more good in his later life. Do read the story of Jimmy O’Connor’s life in Wikipedia.
Where did I meet Jimmy? At a children’s birthday party in Notting Hill. Whether it was one of his kids, I don’t remember.
Warfarin
I don’t know whether I said, but I’m on warfarin now.
It’s a complicated regime with regular blood tests, the need to be careful with certain foods and alcohol, and avoid getting cut or bruised. But it obviously works, as there wouldn’t be so many people on it.
It strikes me though that it’s a big opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry, in that if you could create a new and much better drug and regime, which was less hassle and avoided the expensive blood tests, you’d laugh all the way to the bank.
If you search the literature, things are stirring, so let’s hope.
Costa at Addenbrookes
Costa in the Food Court used to have little packets of two Doves Farm cookies. Excellent and reliably gluten-free. Not any more though, but they have a gluten-free chocolate macaroon, which wasn’t bad, but not as good.
Surely in hospital they should cater for all!
Codex Digestive Biscuits
They gave me some of these in Addenbrookes. On Friday when I came out I Must have ate about half a packet, as they were quite tasty. On Saturday, I had a blotchy face and a red neck, which is one of the ways gluten affects me.. Just likeit used to before I was diagnosed as a coeliac and went gluten-free. C was always plastering moisturiser on my face to no avail. Everything else, I ate on those two days was either something I knew I could trust or had cooked myself.
On Saturday I looked at the biscuit packet and found that they contained codex gluten-free wheat starch. It may be so, but I think my body had reacted to it, just like it reacts to maltodextrin. So thank you, biscuits for glutening me! I shall avoid codex products in future and especially those with gluten-free wheat starch. That must be something like alcohol-free Scotch Whisky! If firms like Trufree, Doves Farm, Village Bakery and countless others can get it right, it can’t be that difficult.
Today, I woke up fine and look and feel normal.
Dogtor J
The American vet with coeliac disease has updated his web site.
He’s as forthright as ever.
An Interesting Article on Coeliac Disease
Found this on the Welcome web site.
Thick and Easy
I was given this in Hong Kong to help me swallow. I thought it affected me. When I finally got hold of the tin in Addenbrookes, it said it had no allergies, but contained maltodextrin. I react to the latter, but then the EU says it’s OK for me. Is the EU a coeliac? No!
Keep Taking the Tablets
I sometimes worry that I might miss a tablet as there are quite a few of them.
So I’ve set up a daily alert in Outlook. At least I’ll be nagged.
My Next Goal
This is to use a proper toilet unaided.
The Anonymous Widower 