6 May
The
memory test took place at the old Manor Hospital, now a dedicated mental health
facility just off the town centre. When we arrived we were asked to sit in the
waiting area, as normal. Already in there was a young woman who was shaking
like a leaf, especially her right leg. She looked terrified, poor lass. She
looked a lot better when the young man she was with came back and sat down with
her; I ‘looked better’ but it was hardly an improvement.
Over the
years I’ve come across a lot of people with mental health issues. Some of them
were clearly put on for some daft reason. Some were claimed but I felt there
was nothing wrong. And then there those who clearly were mentally ill. That lass
yesterday was one of the latter. It makes me wonder what it was that made her
like that. Of course, if that was known then the chances are it would have been
sorted out for her.
Thinking
of that lass makes me realise just how much better I am right now, with my
depression (not an issue right now). Neither of them spoke so I don’t where in
the country they come from, but it reminded me that there are you people and
children being moved away from home hundreds of miles from home because of the
lack of local provision for mental health inpatient treatment here in the UK
right now. Now I really do understand just how devastating such illness can be.
Add in being so young and so far from home, it’s no wonder that some of the
patients give up the fight.
Years ago
when I first began to post regularly on Facebook, I became aware of the Black
Dog Tribe, a support group for those with mental health issues. It’s run
through the SANE charity and since I found out about them I have shared every
post of theirs that I come across. Another charity I've come across on-line, is
MIND; that is now being shared too. I also retweet their post as well. I can’t
do a great deal to support them physically, so I do as much as I can to
highlight the issue every time I see it.
Kile has
been feeling a bit rough since he got here the other day. This morning he was a
lot worse, but Jan sent him off to school anyway, but gave him a note to explain
how he was and to ask if they also thought him too ill to send him back here.
They called us just after 9 o’clock to ask Jan go and pick him up. It seems he
too young to walk home at this time of day. So now he is sat here with us
feeling pretty miserable because of whatever it is that is causing him to feel
poorly. His mum knows and is happy about how we have dealt with it and for him
to stay here as planned.
What he
really needs is to see his GP yet again, to get to the bottom of what is causing
this illness to hit him every couple of weeks. He has been diagnosed as having
asthma, but what he now has isn’t asthma. At his age I always had a runny nose
and eyes. While I was in the army all the symptoms cleared up, but they all
came back when I left, got married and Jan and I moved into our own house. One
of the first thing we did was buy a puppy and a kitten. You can guess what’s
coming next can’t you? Yes, my symptoms all came back.
Even so,
it took years for the penny to drop that I have an allergy to dogs. That is why
Sally-pup had to be re-homed and we were dogless until we got Cindy-pup. Cindy
was a Yorkshire Terrier and they don’t moat their coats, and that is why she
didn’t cause me any problems. Poor old Kile, I’ve left him hanging there in
last paragraph waiting to released … The point of all this is that his symptoms
are just like mine, which has got me wondering if he too has an allergy to
dogs. They heave a Jack Russel, Mia, a small ball of love and fun who sits
getting a fuss from Jan and me when we go there. She doesn’t have any effect on
me because we are not there long enough, but Kile lives there with her. We
shall mention it to his mum later and see what she says. It’s likely to be hard
for them though, Billy, Kile’s half-brother has grown up with Mia and he will
be really upset if they have to re-home him. Kile loves her too, so does Sam;
heart break ridge beacons methinks.
Oh yes, I
just remembered; I had a story line come to mind a couple of weeks ago, so I
made a note of it. Last night I sat wrote the first 2500 words of new story
that brings back Alan Parsons, the head cop in my first ever novel, The Mission.
Today’s
photo …
Broadgate, Coventry city centre.
Today’s
funny …
Two drunks were riding a roller coaster, when one turned to the
other and said, "We may be making good time, but I've got a feeling we're
on the wrong bus."
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