Our Valuable Nurses = Respect

As many of you know I am support worker. In particular I work with people who have suffered spinal injuries. This can be in their home, respite care and even in hospital.

Which is where I am writing this from as the client I am currently looking after isn't very well at all.

 

This post isn't about him though

 

I had been sitting at his bedside for less than an hour when the nurses started their hourly obs. At the same time a doctor came to assess the gentleman in the next bed. Whilst the doctor was talking to him a very pleasant nurse came in and made the doctor aware of some important details to do with the patients care.

The way that the doctor spoke to the nurse quite frankly disgusted me!!

It wasn't what he said its how he said it, his voice was dripping with disdain and I honestly expected a lip curl from him. The nurse just took it on the chin and continued with her obs. Once the doctor left the nurse mentioned it to one of her colleagues, she wasn't impressed with the way she was treated, as she shouldn't be.

 

I leant round the curtain and discussed it with her, while she remained professional, she did express how un impressed she was with the way he spoke to her. This doctor could learn a thing or two about professionalism from that nurse.

 

Now, here's where I rant a little, sorry in advance.....

 

Firstly, how DARE he speak to a nurse like that in front of another doctor, patients and visitors!!!

Secondly, what makes him so damn high and mighty?? Ooo he's a doctor, big whoopy doo dah, he fleets in and fleets out and thinks he's somehow better than the team of professionals who run these wards and basically keep their patients alive on an hourly basis.

And third and finally, attitudes need to change!!! I'm not saying that all doctors are like this, I've met a lot of courteous, respectful doctors, but it's those that have the attitude I witnessed tonight who are pulling the rest down!!

 

So I have a small request to make, next time you're in hospital, be a little extra nice to your nurse, for all you know she's on her fifth or sixth twelve hour shift of the week. Yet she still presents a fresh, happy persona.

They have a vocation and are dedicated to it so let's all be a little more appreciative of these wonderful men and women!!!

 

Love and Hugs

Cheryl xxx

Pillocks Parking!!!

 

I don't have any children, yet, and I'm definitely not a blue badge holder. So when I'm in a supermarket I park in a regular parking space as I have no need for a "designated" space.

 

It really makes my blood boil though when I'm walking from my car to the shop and see some business man or 50+ housewife, complete with high heels and suitcase sized handbag, getting out of their posh car that is parked in a parent and child space!!!

I'm sorry do you have an invisible child I can't see???

What makes it especially annoying is there are plenty of "regular" parking spaces available.

So you drive a big expensive car and don't want it to get knocked?? Then park where there are fewer cars, do not take a space that is intended for someone who needs the space either side to get their child out of the car safely. I don't want my car to get knocked so can you guess what I do?? I park where there are fewer cars!!! Yes it adds ten seconds to my walk from the car but hey, what's ten seconds out of your day??

 

Only today at Tesco, as I was leaving, I saw a business man, sporting a very professional mobile phone on his waist, getting out of his flashy saab in a parent and child space. It took all my energy not to wind down the window and impart a few choice words. He had perfectly capable legs so I can only guess he's a lazy git!!!

 

I'm not trying to say that I am some sort of busy body, I promise I'm not, but I can't stand it when some inconsiderate idiot takes the only remaining parent and child space because he's got a big flashy car, it's human decency people. Those spaces are there for a reason and it's not for lazy, jumped up people to park there to protect their precious car, especially at one of the busiest times of the day!!!

 

If you are one of those people, next time you go to park there, just think for a second, (if your conscience allows it), are you taking a space that a mother or father is going to need so that they can safely and hassle free remove their child/children from the car?? Just think about the problems and danger your selfish act is causing.

Why not be a decent human being and make that extra ten second walk to the shop so you can make somebodies life a little less stress free.

 

Above all don't be a completely inconsiderate pillock!!!

 

Love and Hugs

Cheryl

XXXX

**Review** ~ Itsu Crystal Noodle Cups



Vegetable and Classic Chicken

As a Coeliac I'm always on the lookout for new products, something different, something interesting.

With the job I do I work all sorts of hours and when I'm on nights I don't want to eat a big meal and sandwiches can get a bit boring.
I first saw these cups on various facebook pages and they peaked my interest, "ooo" I thought "something new to try", only problem was I couldn't find them in any of my local supermarkets, I tried all 3!!!!
So, imagine my joy, when I walked past the pot noodles in my local Asda and something caught my eye, two different varieties of the very thing I had been on the lookout for and I only saw them by chance!! Eeekk!!
So I picked up one Vegetable and one Classic Chicken.
The following night I was on a night shift so I decided to take the Vegetable with me to try, of course I took another meal option just in case I didn't like it. After all my work was done I decided it was time to eat, so at 3am I took my cup into the kitchen and after filling the kettle read how to make it. I must admit the spoon, or spork, intrigued me.
I followed the instructions, placing the sauce and noodles in the cup before filling it 3/4 of the way. I left it for 3 long minutes and added a splash of cold water.
Finally it was ready to try.......

At first smell I thought "uh oh I'm not going to like this it smells spicy" but I decided to have a go, after all you never know until you try.
Wow was I glad I tried....

I filled the spoon and took a tentative sip.
My mouth exploded with sensations, firstly there was a hint of tomato type taste followed by the spice, it wasn't as I expected though, it was a tasty spice as opposed to a mouth on fire spice, after swallowing the mouthful of soup I was left with a pleasant tingling and an indescribable taste. I say indescribable as there was too much going on on my tongue to determine what was what.
After demolishing most of the soup I got to the noodles, at first glance they look a bit bland but as they are made with the sauce you get all the flavour of the soup with something to chew on and thanks to the "spork" you can have soup and noodles together. Yum!!! I swiftly finished and felt pleasantly full and satisfied. I didn't eat again all night as I didn't feel hungry, a very rare occurrence for me!!!

A few nights later I tried the Classic Chicken and this was just as good....

At first smell it reminded me of a thai green curry but it tasted much nicer.
After taking a not so tentative sip I had another party going on with my taste buds, firstly there was a citrus flavour, delicious, followed by a coconut hint which then mingled with the citrus to make a divine flavour. I swallowed my mouthful of soup and was left with the delicious citrus taste. Again the noodles tasted of the soup and the whole thing went down very quickly, leaving me with the same pleasantly full feeling.

Having such limitations to my diet can mean that new food is often bland or over flavoured with the wrong thing.
I'm glad to say this isn't the case with Itsu.
They have the balance perfect in my opinion, so much so I now have a shelf full in my cupboard.
So Thank You Itsu for making these innovative and delicious taste bud parties that I know I'm going to enjoy at home or at work, for a very long time.
To finish, if you haven't tried these noodle cups, hunt them down and have your own taste bud party!!!

Love and Hugs
Cheryl
XXXX









 

Taxi Rank Stand Off!!!

I'm the sort of person who will give you the last pound in my purse if you need it, I always tell my friends I'm on the other end of the phone if you need me, just ask.

So on Thursday, when my lovely friend Jo of Carsonsmummy.blogspot.co.uk sent me a message on whatsapp, asking if I could pick her up from Lime Street Station in Liverpool on Friday, I was only too happy to oblige.
On Friday I set off to pick Jo and Carson up from the loading bay at the station, the maps app on my phone took me straight there.
Here's where the fun starts though.....


To begin with the stupid app took me to a tiny street on the wrong side of the station, the street was packed with hackney cabs, they were everywhere. I got a bit flustered so I pulled up intending to phone Jo. There was a space marked "Taxi's only", I didn't want to pull in there but luckily there was a gap just big enough for my little polo between the end of the taxi rank and an opening to a car park. So I pulled in and got my phone out to phone Jo. As I was doing this a hackney pulled up beside me and the driver said something, so I put my window down to see what he was saying, "Oi luv you're parked in a taxi bay, you can't park there", was he blind or just stupid?? I replied that in fact I wasn't parked in the taxi bay if he actually looked at where my car was parked, the torrent of abuse I then got was unbelievable!!!
(Excuse the language I will try and sensor it as much as possible)
The conversation went like this...
Taxi driver "You stupid B***h, you need to f***ing move 'cos you can't f***ing park there you f***ing tramp"
Me (I did get a bit annoyed at this point) "Oh do me a favour and p**s off, I'm lost and I'm not staying here I'm just stopped for a minute"
Taxi driver "You need to f***ing move, you can't park there"
Me "I am not parked, my engine is still running and I'm not getting out so no, I won't f***ing move"
Taxi driver "Yeah you fucking will, you f***ing tramp"
Me"Oh p**s off and go and do your job!!!"
(Window goes up and he drives off)
As you can imagine I was a bit shaken by this exchange, as well as furious, so I swiftly moved on as I had finally figured out where I needed to go.
Eventually I got to the right place to pick up a weary and relieved Jo and an excited Carson (I hadn't seen him for a while), when I told Jo what had occurred she was shocked, albeit a little abused at me telling him to go and do his job. Jo and Carson safely home I went home and mulled over what had happened. 
So, did this " Public Sector Worker " think he was being a "big man" verbally abusing a female who was on her own in an unfamiliar place even though he was in the wrong??
I am thoroughly shocked that someone who provides a public service can act in such a way. If I was in the wrong I would have explained, apologised and moved somewhere else, but as I wasn't there was no way I was going to sit there and listen to his torrent of abuse.
Am I the only person who thinks this is a shocking and vile way for a taxi driver to act?? Imagine if I had been in his cab and he was treating me like that?? I'm so annoyed with myself though because in my furious haze it didn't even occur to me to get his license plate/taxi number, durrr Cheryl!!!
I would like to state that I am not slurring taxi driver's as a whole, just the complete A-hole who thought it was acceptable to verbally abuse me the way he did!!!
Lastly, a bit of advice, if you have a similar experience, get the license plate/taxi number and report them!!!
Thanks for reading
Love and Hugs
Cheryl xxxx

**Review** - Marks and Spencer Gluten Free Crumpets

Being a Coeliac means that you miss so so many things

Doughnuts, Rich Tea Biscuits, Smarties and Muffins, to name but a few, but I always missed Hot Crumpets dripping with butter

I've tried various gluten Free brands of crumpets but none could quite match up, until Marks and Spencer!!!

 

I'm always wary when trying a new Gluten Free product because 9 times out of 10 they just end up being a huge disappointment. I still try them though because if you don't try them you'll never know.

 

So a few months ago I picked up a packet of crumpets from Marks and Spencer's "without wheat" range, at £2 for 4 I did think it was a little pricey but to be fair I should be used to that by now.

I was intending to have them the next day for breakfast but I got too excited when I got home and had to try them

When they're first out of the packet they felt a bit hard but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I popped them in the toaster on a number 5 for roughly 4 and a half minutes, this may seem like along time but it crisps the top up nicely.

Once done I coated them with clover and took my first bite.....

 

WOW!!!

 

I was in heaven, I think I might have even squealed with excitement

The top of the crumpets had gone lovely and crispy, the base had a lovely crunch and the inside was fluffy and tasted divine, the clover melted in beautifully to make the crumpets have a lovely buttery taste and make them that little bit more meltingly good

They were that good that I ate all four in one sitting and only allowed my mum to try the tiniest bit (she was not impressed)

I have since bought lots more and I am very disappointed if I go to my local store and they don't have any

 

So to conclude, a scrumptious 10/10 for Marks and Spencer who have managed to achieve crumpet perfection and make my breakfast times so much more enjoyable!!!

 

Thanks for reading

Love and Hugs Cheryl xxx

Living Gluten Free - It's necessary!!!

11 years ago in November my brother and I were diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, after my Mum previously being diagnosed some years before.

As a 17 year old being told you have to completely change your life is so hard

The blow was softened by the fact that my brother and I had our Mum there who had already been living as Gluten Free for a good few years.

When we were diagnosed there was barely anything out there in the shops, if you wanted bread it had to be homemade, which would only be fresh for two days, or you had to get it on prescription and to be honest that was barely edible.

So it has been nice to see supermarkets, restaurants and take aways finally catering for people with specific dietary requirements. 

Now for the technical bit, when someone has Coeliac Disease they can't eat gluten, why I hear you ask, because in the small intestine there is something called villi, villi are like little hairs that absorb the nutrients from our food, when you have Coeliac Disease gluten knocks these villi off so then the nutrients aren't absorbed which can lead to all sorts of problems.

So you can imagine how much it enrages me when people make comments, post blogs and stories and stupid little pictures saying that gluten free is a lifestyle choice and people are being picky. UTTER CRAP!!!!! 

For some people gluten can be as dangerous as nuts to a nut allergy sufferer, they can't even cut bread on a bread board used to cut regular bread.

Imagine doing your shopping and having to check the ingredients of every packet, imagine going out for tea and being so unsure about how the chips, sauce or gravy is cooked that you end up with steak and a jacket potato every time.

People who don't have Coeliac Disease have no idea how lucky they are to be able to eat anything they want, to be able to pay 80p for a loaf, anyone know how much an average gluten free loaf cost?? £2.50!!!! And sometimes that loaf is the size of a small hovis loaf.

Sometimes I get people looking at me like I'm stupid because I'm asking about the ingredients used in dishes and 9 times out of 10 they don't know what gluten free is. People seriously need educating, especially when working in the catering trade.

Now for a nice part, a little while ago my brother offered to treat the family to a Domino's, who do a gluten free base. So we put the order through online and waited for our yummy tea to arrive. About 5 mins after the order was placed he got a phone call from our local Domino's,  the lovely man on the phone explained that the meatballs my brother had chosen for his pizza contained gluten and what alternative would he like!!! To be quite honest I was gobsmacked at first, not only are they clued up enough to know which of their ingredients contain gluten they had the sense to phone my brother and bring it to his attention. Well done Domino's!!!!

So if you work in the catering industry, in a supermarket or even in customer care, do a little homework and educate yourself so at least we don't feel like we are the stupid ones.

Love and Hugs 

Cheryl xxx

The everyday pain of being in pain.

Ever have a night when you don't sleep properly? Ever sit down and you can't get comfy?

Ever feel like the pain you're feeling won't go away?

More importantly ever struggle to hold your head upright or drive without your hands and arms going numb?

Everyday I live with all these problems. What is the cause of this you ask, a minor car accident I had nearly 13 months ago. Let me go back in time a little bit....

On the 2nd April 2013 I was minding my own business sitting in a line of traffic, with my handbrake on, when suddenly there was a boom and my car went into the car in front. "Apparently" the women's foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator, load of bol***ks in my opinion. Anyhoo I was flung forwards then backwards and ended up in a whole load of pain. After going to the local walk in centre I was told I had "whiplash". Cue rubbing salt into the wound,  my car was written off with over £4000 worth of damage.

Through my insurance company I saw a private doctor who diagnosed whiplash and intermittent paraesthesia and sent me for physio, after having physio, which helped for a total of a week, my pain was back with a vengeance. I contacted my claim handler and he organised for me to go and see the private doctor again, who subsequently sent me to see an orthopaedic surgeon who is sending me for an MRI (which I'm still waiting for).

So back to the present, since the crash I've had to give up playing football :( , I don't get a full night's sleep as I can't get comfy and some days it's a struggle to walk kez, my dog. When im having a particularly bad day it's a supreme effort to hold my head up. I can't drive in the "correct" manner of hands at ten to two because my hands and arms go numb. Initially I was given diazapam and zapain, which only succeeded in making me high as a kite thinking I was walking on the bouncy mushrooms from a Mario game. My GP prescribed me amitriptyline to help me sleep, took it once and was hungover for 2 days, and tramadol for the pain which apparently I'm allergic to. Imagine waking up with your whole body itching, even your eyeballs and tongue, bloody awful!!!! I don't want to be popping pills all day and night though. Especially as I have a full time job supporting people with spinal injuries.

If you were to meet me in the street you wouldn't know because for the most part I'm suffering in silence, I loathe the fact that I have to ask people for help in everyday life, I find myself getting frustrated and grumpy due to lack of sleep and I just want this pain gone. People say "oooo but think of the money you will get" and yes that will help but right now I just want to be pain free, have a full nights sleep and feel like myself again.

I'm welling up as I'm typing this because it's so hard being like this when I don't want to be. Trying to ignore something that is persistently there and being unable to find anything that can relieve it. 
So my message is this, you never know what people are dealing with on a daily basis so   be that little bit nicer and have a bit more patience and you could just make someone's day have a little more sunshine.

Love and hugs
Cheryl xxx