Web feedSunday, 22 January 2012
"Just popping to the hospital..."
I woke up on Thursday morning feeling, if not completely ready for work (since I'd returned the previous evening from another trip to MediaCity UK in Salford) generally OK, save for a rather annoying discomfort in my thorax that I put down to bolting my food the previous night. I took some antacid tablets and, in my usual rush, left the house for work.
I was conscious that what I thought was indigestion hadn't cleared when I arrived in the office, but wasn't overly concerned, since - although it affected my chest area, I was still able to walk the two-and-a-half miles of the on-foot part of my commute and felt generally well (when the coffee had taken effect!) Late morning, though, after several mugs of peppermint tea, I thought I might just check the NHS Direct website to see what it suggested I should do about it. All the options said "call 999" so I did the next best thing and went to a meeting. I made the decision (having taken the advice of Beth, Twitter and work colleagues) that I would go to the nearby University College London Hospital for a look over. At about quarter past three, I let my colleagues know I was just popping to the hospital, and then made the fiifteen minute walk to the A&E department there, not really knowing what to expect!
Accident & Emergency
When I entered A&E, I was surprised that there weren't more patients there - I was one of maybe fifteen people; I had heard tales (and seen them for myself) of long queues and three hour waits, but I was called in to the first set of cubicles in under thirty minutes, and had been wired up to an ECG machine within the hour. The doctors and nurses were friendly but extremely organised - this was a highly tuned machine, although there would occasionally be a call out from the tannoy "Has anyone seen the keys for majors..?"
The bays in this A&E were cleverly constructed - in a horse-shoe arc around a central desk area they could accommodate two trolleys at busy times and there must have been something like twenty-five bays, with curtained fronts for privacy and swift access. There were all sorts of folk being admitted - from stretchers being pushed passed bearing injured from ambulances to drunk people being wheeled around, security guards in attendance in case of a fracas. I cannot fault the dedication and the care they took.
Even after futher ECG tests and an X-ray, I was still hoping that, by about half-past six, I might be allowed to escape. My Twitter - and now real life - pal Brennig was waiting in his car for any news of my imminent release, but none came.
Ward T1
In fact, I was taken by trolley - always somewhat frustrating when I'm entirely mobile, but I was wired up to a monitor to be fair - to a hospital ward (T1 in the Acute Medical Unit - bed 25 in the green zone, if you're interested) where I perched for a while - after inviting Brennig up for a chat! He stayed for a while, and it was lovely to have his company - especially given the uncertainty of the situation. Being an optimist, I was hoping that they'd complete the tests (I had another ECG shortly after I arrived which I thought might be my key to freedom) but most of the people I spoke to suggested that things tend to take a lot longer with the NHS...
At half past ten my pal Ann turned up, kindly bringing some emergency things (toothpaste, toothbrush, biscuits) but she wasn't able to stay. In fact, Brennig was asked to leave, too - I had assumed, since the patient opposite had visitors, it would be OK for my companion to stay after the 9pm close of visiting hours, but it wasn't until the next morning that I discovered why my initial assumption was wrong!
Here's the evidence of our brief tweetup - and the reason I couldn't venture further than the reception of the ward.. a wireless cardiac monitoring device that would send an alarm if it lost contact with the central system... they really wanted to keep track of me!
Overnight - and my fellow inmates
By the time I made it to the ward, the dayshift nurses had handed over to the nightshift team - there is, from my observations, a significant difference between the two types of care... much to do with the tasks that need performing, I suppose. My sleep was fitful, not least because my bed was right next to the nurses' station and there was a light above it which shone onto my eyeline. Still, I had podcasts, and I did drift off on occasion (which is frustrating since I missed the end of quite a few shows!) only to be woken at half-past two for my observations to be taken and at 5am for bloods.
It was only when the curtains were drawn back around the bed opposite, shortly before breakfast was served that the mystery of the extra visitor was solved - there was a chain between him and the occupant of the bed, a frail old man in his late 70s, who was clearly a big fan of tea and a regular visitor, since the nursing assistants knew exactly what he liked, bringing it to him long before the breakfast trolley arrived. His companions (for there were, indeed, two people with him - obviously to make it possible for one or other to leave for a brief time, although he clearly wasn't going anywhere!) were guards from Pentonville prison (at a guess - their epaulets had "PV" on them) and he was in for treatment after his lungs and heart developed faults. They changed over during the course of the morning, replaced by some other guards whose sole job was to be there... a pleasant enough pair who were regailed with his stories of a life as a sailor, forger, husband and father in the East End, along with poems and opinions... whatever came to his mind, really. I really enjoyed listening to his words, knowing that he might not have much chance to share them with others (he did seem very unwell!) - as I get older myself, I value the historical perspective offered by those who have seen more of the past than I have. I'm really glad my Dad is writing his autobiography for just that reason.
Anyway, breakfast was served (rice crispies, a slice of toast with butter and jam and some dreadful coffee), and the nurse shift changed - I was assigned to Alex and Helen (a trainee in her third year) who were wonderful - and very tolerant! As Beth pointed out, since this was an acute unit, there is a lot closer ratio of nurses to patients, and I felt quite guilty considering those around me had much more severe ailments. However, it was a good opportunity to listen about life as a nurse, certainly to Helen, who had a little more time to spend with patients. My friend Ann joined me once again, so I had company for the remainder of my stay. I'd also arranged for one of my colleagues to sneak in a decent cup of coffee on his way to the office - I honestly needed it!
Ironically, shortly after I'd finished my coffee, I had another ECG, and was visited by doctors at about half-past eight, who reassured me that all my measurements showed a healthy heart, but there was an abnomality just after the beat (called the ST segment in an ECG) which needed further investigation. This hadn't, however, changed from the previous one taken on my arrival, hence the need for blood tests.
Waiting for the heart doctor
Nothing happened for a while, until I was visited by Doctor Vivienne Ezzat, a cardiac doctor from the Heart Hospital who explained the theory - that I had an inflammation of the sac around my heart (also known as pericarditis); the measurements tallied with this theory, and they just needed to wait until the consultant came over to confirm this.
Doctor Walker arrived shortly before lunchtime and brought up the interesting question of whether I'd done a lot of long-distance travelling recently. I told him that I'd just come back from Salford, so had probably done ten and a half hours travelling in two days... he requested that a further blood test was taken to ensure that I didn't have any blood clots.
Release!
Not much else happened until a little before 5pm, when Beth had settled the children with her parents and made her way down to London so she could meet up with me either before I came home or - in the worst possible case - had to stay another night! As it happened, though, Doctor James (I can't remember his surname!) came in with the results that I was hoping for - nothing came back on the final blood test, so all I needed was some anti-inflammatories and I could escape once all the letters were signed!
It was. therefore, lovely to sit in St Pancras station with Brennig, Sophie, Ann and Beth, celebrating my release before we all went our separate ways - during the time I was there, I was kept company both in person and on Twitter, with lots of words of support and kindness. It could so easily have been an unpleasant, challenging experience, but in the event, I learned a lot and got a free heart health-check into the bargain!
Thank you if you sent me a message on Facebook, Twitter or on my phone - it's at times like these when one really knows how much one is cared for. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again any time soon!
Posted by james at 5:30 PM | Comments (0)
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
A morning at the Birds Of Prey Centre at Shuttleworth
Up to now, the concept of 'Groupon' has somewhat passed me by - mainly because I don't have a lot of time or money to spend on such activities; it's a very interesting - and successful - business proposition, though, since it increases customers (repeat ones, hopefully!) by reducing prices.
Beth saw a special offer earlier in the year that intrigued her - and she (quite rightly!) thought I might be interested: a morning at the Birds Of Prey Centre near Biggleswade, learning about falconry and 'flying' some of the birds.
The session started at 10am, with a demonstration of owl flying, although we arrived slightly early, so we could have a browse round the avaries and bird perches. One of the misapprehensions about displays of falconry is that it's cruel that the birds sit all day tethered to their perches - in fact, they are (and this is true!) incredibly lazy, and would otherwise just be sitting in trees all day, only moving to hunt and catch their prey. In the wild they find a clifftop or another post to sit on and do.. nothing!
The falconers have a strict regimen of exercise for the birds - even down to the moulting and measurement of weight, and there are 'summer' birds and 'winter' birds, appropriate for the season of hunting or displays.
However, the owls that were brought into the arena for some flying - we took turns to wear leather gauntlets for this! - didn't really feel like playing. Birds of prey, as well being lazy are also rather stupid - even owls! As a consequence, if they're not hungry, they'll just sit there. And that is what they did.
More gregarious are the Harris Hawks - Aidan (our instructor - a friendly, professional and rather tall man) trained Galifianakis, who was a young hawk; Nathan was twelve years old and more experienced. We had intended to do a demonstration 'hawk walk' where the hawks and the humans work in partnership to rouse the prey from the undergrowth and tree cover so the hawks swoop down and chase them. In fact, although Galifianakis (last year's brood was named after actors - they also have celebrity chefs, too!) behaved well, Nathan decided that we were incompetent, so flew off to the trees by the lake to find his own prey. Beth managed to hold him while he was still co-operating, though, and Galifianakis flew to each of us in turn, when we could persuade him from a tree (they get very nervous in open spaces... see - I told you they were a bit thick!)
Beth with Nathan the Harris Hawk
Consequently, we were left waiting while Aidan looked for Nathan - the hawks have bells on their tails, because they (rather unusually!) waggle their tails whenever they land, which makes them easier to find! That didn't help Aidan, though - he had to call his boss, who said that if Nathan goes on a hunt and misses his prey he tends to go for a bath... that's where he was found!
It was clearly a lighthearted occasion, though - when Aidan emerged with a damp bird, we all saw the funny side; fortunately it was a sunny, warm morning, so it was actually very pleasant standing in the enormous field and enjoying the countryside.
To make it up to us for the rather unco-operative birds, Aidan gave us a treat - an opportunity to hold a juvenile - hence the dark plumage - bald eagle, called McCoy. This is the most mild-mannered eagles he'd ever known; the other bald eagle there was extremely fussy and would only be held by women, since he thought men were a threat... given they have no sense of smell, I have no idea how they can tell!
Here, then, is me with eight pounds of (fish-based, mainly) killer:
We were then invited to the bird display, where owls, falcons and even a stork showed their flying abilities, nearly knocking some of the spectators off their seats as they swooped overhead!
After the display we went to the wooded area, where the owl - who had been in the display - behaved much better, flying to our hands with almost no prompting. We were invited for coffee and cake - where we had the opportunity to ask questions about the birds; they supplied the hawks, for example, that cleared Trafalgar Square of pigeons a few years ago, making it a much more pleasant place to be a tourist!
And that was the end of the event - one that I would certainly recommend, and we'll definitely be bringing the children to enjoy a flying display! There are more photos in the gallery: www.mus-ic.co.uk/gallery/birdsofpreyoct2011.
In case you're wondering what the appeal of falconry is, here's a rather impressive bit of video that shows (in typically overdramatic style) how fast they can go:
Here's an Audioboo.fm recording I made near the hawks and owls - all the noise they're making is social - they like to squawk to each other!
Posted by james at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Router woes and fast broadband...
We've recently discovered that our dear old wireless router (a Linksys WRT54G) has been suffering a little, dropping wi-fi connections and even completely forgetting the internet was there.
At first, we thought it might be our connection to Virgin Media - not least because of my suspicions that the cabinet up the hill from us had been left unlocked and water might have got in to disrupt the connection. I have to say that, in the times we had trouble with the internet dropping out, the customer service centre and the social media team on Twitter have been remarkably helpful, to the point where I finally concluded that the router was at fault.
Linksys WRT54G - no longer usable.
Why? Well, the advice I received over the phone, when the internet connection next failed, the 'cable' light extinguished on the cable modem, was to plug a computer directly into the modem and enter "http://192.168.0.100" into a web browser. That would display a page that indicates whether the problem is 'upstream' (i.e. beyond the cable box in the street) or 'downstream' (i.e. from the cable modem to the box). Armed with this information, I didn't have long to wait until the next internet failure - I plugged a laptop into the network connection of the cable modem, and... straight away the internet started working!
This reminded me of something. Earlier on in the year, my Dad had been complaining that his desktop computer had been refusing to connect to the internet, and he was unable to connect his laptop to the wi-fi router, so he'd given up and plugged the computer straight into the cable modem, which seemed to work (although rendering his laptop frustratingly offline). Guess what.. yup - he had a WRT54GL.. practically identical to ours!
My theory is that, as broadband speeds have increased, the ability of such routers to cope with the amount of data that can be passed from WAN to LAN reduces to the extent that, on occasion, they simply give up.
I ordered a cheap - but modern - router to replace my Dad's ailing Linksys (a TP-Link TL-WR543G for less than £20) which seems to do the trick, and, since we have tens of wireless devices that might connect to the network from an iPod Touch to an internet radio - and since I had some savings, I thought we might need something a little more robust, so we ordered the DrayTek Vigor 2830n, which can do lots of cool interesting things like plot graphs of our internet usage and limit bandwidth to PCs which would otherwise use up the traffic limits Virgin media applies to their customers.
DrayTek Vigor 2830n Traffic Graph
Co-incidentally, I related my tale of woe to my brother Dave, who said that he had just replaced his router because it kept losing its internet connection. Yup.. it was a WRT54G! He's got himself a Draytek, too (a Vigor 2110 in his case) - they clearly come highly recommended.
So far, the new router's done us very well - at least the internet doesn't inexplicably stop working now!
Posted by james at 11:55 PM | Comments (1)
Saturday, 6 August 2011
An unusual but nostalgia-inducing email...
I received an email this morning - I have no idea who it was from, but it read thus:
A few years ago a few friends of mine in Scranton, Pennsylvania received a letter with no return address. It contained a blank c.d. with about 10 tracks on it. Most of these tracks were awful sounds and children singing out of key, or bad pop-punk. The last track however, was 'sent fishing by your neighbor'. We listened to this track over and over, and while investigating it, someone decided to rewind the track using the search button. It clearly spoke sent fishing by your neighbor while played backwards. And forward search as well. This only worked on my stereo. Then the c.d. mysteriously disappeared. I just discovered your web page. Is this intentional? If not, you should be aware of your spooky powers. You have them. We want to know if our parachute works. Does it work? I have to know now. If it doesn't work, what am I supposed to do? Think about my death? You tell me friend.- Your Friend,
the Hubble space telescope.
This email refers to a piece of music that was created by a small collection of us (Suzanne, Beth, me, Ed and Beth's Mum) on a Monday evening as a contribution to MP3.com, a site which encouraged musicians to submit their own music, and showcased it to the world. In fact, at one point it even gave royalty payments for every time a track was played.
It was possible to create publically sharable 'playlists' of favourite songs, and it wasn't long until someone came up with the idea of collecting together the weaker, cringier and generally outsider songs onto a playlist, calling it "The Worst Of The Worst." This caught my imagination - along with a short-lived WFMU programme called The Incorrect Music Show, and one Monday evening, a small group of us got together to record our own interpretation something that was a little.. unusual, in the hope of getting onto the Worst Of The Worst list.
What was quite amazing was that Time magazine published an article on the Worst Of The Worst collection, and cited our song "Sent Fishing By Your Neighbour" as an 'alternadirge'. Unfortunately, the page is no longer available - I am fairly sure I scanned in the article, though... I wonder if I can find it.
edit: Thanks to Paul from Macsessed.com, here is the article in Time Magazine... great find, sir!
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1000034,00.html
The work of Offwight Radiator, although somewhat hard to digest, is still available, although the band is on hiatus, so can no longer do personalised performances.
I'll mention in passing that another band that made it onto the Worst Of The Worst playlist was "PritStik" - a pair of Scottish siblings who recorded some lo-fi pop when they were about the age Chris and Lenni are now. MP3.com enabled musicians to create bespoke CDs with their music, making it available on 'hard copy' - I am one of (I believe) very few owners of the whole PritStik album. I wonder where PritStik Mik and PritStik Mej are now... MP3.com was sold in 2001 to Vivendi, and no longer encourages people to upload their own music.. the content was sold to Garageband.com, which is now part of iLike/MySpace. Ten years ago there was an internet phenomenon - it's just so odd that I got an echo of it this morning, but it brings back some wonderful memories.
What an interesting way to start a weekend, though... whoever sent that email: thank you! (I may have to ask the children to perform a moving tribute to it later, as a tribute to PritStik...)
Posted by james at 8:41 AM | Comments (5)
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Audioboo: They Might Be Giants at Koko, Camden
An audio recording from audioboo.fm. More information to follow...
Posted by james at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)
