PEP – the worst name in the world

Post Exposure Prophylaxis is the best thing I could be taking at the moment. But calling it 'PEP' is a slight misnomer. I have never felt less 'peppy' in my entire life.

My dreams are weird, I have what my other half has coined 'death breath', I feel like something metallic has rusted in my mouth and taken some bread in there to go mouldy at the same time.

And these are the more annoying and less worrying things…

• My stomach can't decide whether it's hungry, full, upset or what.
  
• I can't stop bruising – everywhere
  
• My face and scalp has erupted into spots and pustules
  
• I'm permanently exhausted
  
• And I seem to have gotten a nasty ganky cough to go with all of this.
  

But sometimes you just have to Keep Calm and Carry On

When work places life on hold...

Over at doc2doc is a summary of what's going on at the moment.

Click here for linkness etc

Some point soon

Some point soon I will blog properly. It might not be here, but it may be over at Doc2Doc.

I'd just started to dig myself out of a mental hole when a physical one occurred. Even so, I'm being philosophical and working on a 'shit happens' mantra at present.

Meanwhile, you'll just have to hang on until I stop barfing....

Dog Days Are Over

Florence + the Machine seems to be my saviour at the moment. I absolutely love the song Dog days are over, as it seems to just send me dancing like a loon at the moment.

Hopefully my mood is turning, but I have an appointment with my personal tutor tomorrow so we will see how that goes.

I must make a mental note to write an action plan, or at least write it here.

Will you all tweet me in the morning and say 'action plan' at me?!

Say ‘Pants’ to it all

I'm normally pretty horrific at co-ordinating my underwear (bear with me here, this is going somewhere….) but today I have justifiable reason. Nearly four years ago I posted this. It's not so much the blog content, but the photograph. Now the ill-fated pants never did get worn, I guess I threw them out. But with weight loss and gain and exercise changes over the last few years my body shape has changed, and I now own another pair of WonderWoman pants. And they will see me through the nightshift I am about to embark on… in fact, if I get another 6 pairs then they can see me through every single week for the rest of medical school…..

 

Except this time you aren't getting a photograph cos my butt is in them at the moment. There's a thought to keep you all going through the night.

Red Mist

I would have been blogging a little more over the past 2 weeks, except the anger that I was radiating would have probably killed your computer. Let's face it, I can't be held responsible for any rage against the machine(s)*

Things not going too well, +++ angry at present, depression kicked in with a massive bang on top of that….

But, there is a plan this time.

Medication change, some form of person centred approach and a mood diary.

 

Hopefully normal life will be resumed shortly. If not, expect long-ish periods of silence…

 

*sorry couldn't resist

Oops I did it again…

February 6^th marks this blog's anniversary and lo, I have missed celebrating it again. I have kept this blog for 5 years now, and it seems like an eternity.

It marks my progression from BSc student, to MSc student, to medical student… and who knows, maybe beyond.

I have some plans for the blog in the next 12 months, as this place and pseudonym has opened some amazing doors. But for that I guess you will just have to wait and see….

The end of the week and the start of a new me?

I haven't been out in fancy dress for ages. I haven't had the money, the inclination or the reason. Tomorrow that changes.

Tomorrow I will be a wig-wearing stiletto-tottering fancy dress nightmare in pink. But I would like to explain that it's all in a good cause. Tomorrow night is a night on the tiles for Breast Cancer (hence the pink).

There will be no photographs, at least not on here anyway. So for the time being I need to start the preparations (and fairy wings/halo making) early. Hopefully on Sunday I will be sober and awake enough to blog, but if not, see you on Monday at some point….

Crimes against exercise

I know it's late, but I think my sleep cycle has gotten a little confused.

I'm glad my housemates have all gone out for the night, both for my benefit and their own. Much therapy would be needed if they could see what an arse I've just been making of myself.

This is above and beyond an exercise DVD, this is Just Dance for the Wii. Possibly the most addictive and sweat inducing game in the world, once you get over the humiliation of thinking 'it's a good job nobody can see me at the moment, as I look like a buffoon'.

Anyway, showered and cleaned I'm not sat huddled under a blanket, in my fresh-from-the-dryer pyjamas watching the cheesiest DVD in the world.. Alvin and the Chipmunks. At least I'm happy.

Boots, Homeopathy and Ten23

You may or may not be aware that at 10:23 this morning a mass 'overdose' of homeopathic tablets was planned outside several large branches of Boots stores in large cities in the UK (full story here). Organised by the Merseyside Sceptics Society and the 10:23 campaign, the aim was to send a clear message to Boots – stop promoting homeopathy in the UK, next to paracetamol and drugs that have proven benefits.

I have had arguments about homeopathy this week, and my stance is something like this….

1. The placebo effect is a marvellous thing. I have no issue with people using any medication or treatment if it works for them. Personally, I've used Chinese herbal therapies to try and alleviate joint pain in the past. It didn't work for me, but that's just me.
   
2. If alcohol was sold in the same way as homeopathic drugs, then no-one would ever get drunk. I could make you a drink that had previously had Vodka in it, but was now diluted so far that it only had the 'memory' of the molecule in it. Although it might solve the UK binge drinking problem, I can't see any consumers becoming massive supporters, or even believers of the benefits of it.
   
3. We have been advocating pharmacy support for years now as a method of reducing GP and A&E attendances. So while the patient is there, they might buy homeopathic remedies instead of 'tried and tested' medicines that could solve their problem. They lose faith because the problem gets worse.
   

The fallout to today's mass 'overdose' could be interesting. I shall watch and wait….