A parent's dilemma

I have been following the Sally & Neon Roberts case with interest. As a parent, I wonder what I would do in a similar position. Thankfully my son is blessed with good health. There is a higher than normal chance of him developing diabetes as I have it, but this makes us extra cautious regarding his diet.
We live in a world nowadays where information is available at our fingertips. Medical reviews, studies and encyclopedias on medication and medical conditions is available for anyone to view on a computer. Nothing it seems is out of reach. With this in mind, it is no wonder that we carry out our own research into things that are wrong with us and the effects of treatment. We do it for ourselves and we do it for our family members. If , God forbid, anything was wrong with my son, I would insist on finding out all that I could. I would question any diagnosis and investigate any recommended treatment. I wouldn't go as far as refusing it, but I would want to formulate my own opinion based on solid research.

One of Sally Roberts' objections is to her son receiving radiotherapy, a process that targets an area of the brain where a tumour is present with radiation. The fact that a doctor had referred previously to this as 'scrambling the brain' probably didn't help one little bit. She is understandably concerned, as I would be. It is a natural parent's instinct to be concerned for one's child. Having said this, I have no doubt whatsoever that the medical advice given is correct and given the urgency of Neon's condition, it is right that the treatment is given. Still, I do understand Sally's concerns for her son.
I do wonder if she has left things a little late. The time for seeking second opinions and alternative diagnosis is early on when the tumour is first discovered. It is possible we know only part of the story and there is very likely to be more to this than has been reported in the media. There often is. The emphasis is most likely to be on making Sally appear to be a mother who takes risks with her son's health and is anti established forms of medical treatment. This of course is wrong.
Sometimes, we simply have to leave it to the experts. I say this in the full knowledge that sometimes it is right to question the opinion and diagnosis of a professional. I've done it myself, and been proved right. I have commented before now on situations where I appear to know more than my GP having resorted to the Internet. It does happen. We assume GP's are constantly connected to the Internet for the latest news in all things medical and health, but they are not. Sometimes, they are very lacking.
I'm certainly 'on the fence' with this one. I have enormous sympathy for the mother, but can't help feeling she has left things a little too late. This has necessitated the legal action we have seen for her son to receive urgent treatment and in effect overrule her wishes. After all, it is the life of Neon that is at stake here and everything should be done to provide him with the best possible treatment.

Still in one piece

I completed my driving assessment this morning. I arrived in good time and met a fellow trainee driver who had recently joined and was learning to be a PCV driver. He came with me together with the guy from HR and the driving instructor. We took the coach to the outskirts of Peterborough, my new (soon to be) colleague driving. Near to the A1, we parked up and it was my turn to take the controls. The size of the vehicle was daunting at first, but I soon found my confidence and managed a good hour's driving without any major problems. I did clip the curb a few times and managed to select the wrong lane using a roundabout, but on the whole I was quite pleased with my performance. I didn't hit anything and no harm came to my passengers - all three of them. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is certainly the biggest vehicle I have driven to date - a Volvo B10M coach, but it handled much like a large car but not as fast of course.
I was told I would hear about my start date as soon as my medical is complete. I'm really looking forward to starting and knowing there is someone else learning to drive, I don't feel too bad.
I did try to get a photo but my phone had run out of memory. There'll be plenty more opportunities I'm sure
So the medical is next on my checklist. Get through this and my new career awaits...

Assessment

I took a call yesterday from my (soon to be) employer in Peterborough. They have asked me to take an assessment drive tomorrow. I believe they use a coach for their training and this will involve driving it around Peterborough to assess how much training I will need and how confidently I handle the vehicle. They also told me my medical will take place on 8th August in Peterborough. Assuming this goes OK, I hope to hear from them soon after to let me know my start date. At last things seem to be coming together. I can finally begin the see the culmination of two year's effort to get where I want to be. I can't wait to post an entry of my first day and a photo of me with my bus. But first thing's first. Get the assessment and the medical done.

Worries? I have a few, but the thing I'm most worried about is my rather patchy knowledge of Peterborough and its maze of roads. I know I am going to need a good knowledge so I am using Google Maps to navigate the roads from the depot and around the city centre. It's an invaluable tool and very effective, providing an all round view of each route. I will certainly be making good use of it as I suspect the use of a Sat Nav will be somewhat frowned upon...
I need to be at the depot for 9am so I will be leaving around 7.30 to ensure I get there on time. Everyone else will be travelling in the same direction at that time so the roads will be very busy. I have a worry too about the car, it got a little hot earlier (I had to drive to Spalding to sign-on), and the engine fan was running constantly. The coolant is certainly low and I suspect there may be a leak somewhere, possibly in the radiator. I've topped it up and we'll see how it is tomorrow.
So, provided I don't prang their coach tomorrow, I should be able to post some good news very soon.
Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors & MSM...

Another step forward

Today I received a letter from the bus company I'm soon hoping to be working for. It asked for me to sign a copy and return which I did straight away. It also said that they would be in touch to let me know the date and time of my medical. Provided I pass this, then they look forward to welcoming me to a 'rewarding and enjoyable' career. Little do they know that this has been my career of choice since I was old enough to speak. So I'll wait now for the appointment details for my medical. As I mentioned previously, I am on a strict diet in the hope that I can get my weight down. I'm not starving myself but I am cutting out all the snacks I used to eat during the day and the evening. I've actually managed to supplement them with carrots, which I do enjoy and also find quite filling.

In other news, my parents today received a letter from their bank telling them they had credited their account with the money paid to those crooks at First Class Trucking Ltd, who recently went into administration whilst owing tens of thousands of pounds to many unfortunate people. What I do find ridiculous though is the fact that having credited the money they also threaten to take the money back if it's found that the course was made available. I would have thought common sense would dictate that the money should be credited once the investigation was complete and the bank had no doubts whatsoever that the vendor was at fault...
Call me Mr Picky but surely that's normal practice?
So I'll be writing a further letter to them pointing out the error of their ways.
Some good news then and certainly a significant step forward in my grand plan but an erroneous outcome with the bank...

On the vegetable garden, birds have been eating my seedlings so I have deployed garden netting in the hope that I can prevent them from getting close to my plants.

Having blamed the birds, I have just caught a slug on its way to munch through another of my seedlings. Luckily I was able to stop the bugger and deploy him swiftly to next door's garden...

Vegetable Garden Update & Some Possible Good News

I had a call last Thursday from the guy that interviewed me the previous day in Peterborough. He had an odd question to begin with - my weight. Apparently there is a weight limit for driving that I had to be under. I told him I was and he replied 'thank God' followed by 'provided you pass the medical, you've got the job'. That was fantastic news. They are sending me a letter which should arrive in the next few days. It should tell me when my medical will be. Hopefully it will be next week and provided I pass this I should start training soon after.
It'll be great to get back into work doing the job I want to do and be able to help my wife with the bills. Needless to say, I'm chuffed to bits and can't wait to start training behind the wheel. The medical is the only thing standing in the way at the moment. I am diabetic - type 2 treated with tablets - and I do take a good few tablets each day. It shouldn't prevent me from driving though, provided I keep the diabetes under control.
So, I'm just waiting for the letter now. Peterborough is a good 45 minute drive from where I live but provided I leave enough time, it should be fine. After all, I enjoy driving and I used to do the trip to and from work for several years previously.

My seedlings are really starting to shoot up. I have broccoli, spinach, carrots and cucumbers on the go at the moment as well as my tomato vines. I'll prepare the ground in the next couple of weeks to receive the plants once they're a little stronger.

I'm also having a go at growing some herbs - rocket, thyme, coriander and mint. At our local 99p store, I picked up rather a nice honeydew melon growing kit so I'm giving that a go too! Well, why not? What we don't have a use for I'm sure the rest of the family will be glad of.

Oh, in preparation for my imminent medical (whenever the company decide to let me know), I am on a strict diet. Basically, I'm eating loads of vegetables and steering clear of anything fattening. It's not easy but it's certainly worth doing. My aim is to lose about 6-8 lbs. I've developed an odd craving for carrots which do an excellent job of keeping the hunger pangs at bay.

So now I'm waiting for that letter to arrive, to confirm to me that I didn't imagine the interview I had last week and subsequent phone call offering me a job pending a medical. I really hope it arrives soon. My mortgage insurance company are getting picky, more so than ever it seems, so any good news I can give them will be a good thing.

I'm keeping a close eye on the weather. It's bright, sunny and warm. In fact the sun is quite hot when it emerges from behind the clouds. The storm clouds are gathering though - we are forecast very heavy rain this afternoon and thunderstorms in places. I'm holding off watering my vegetable seedlings and tomatoes just in case.

OK, that's an update on where I'm at right now.

Rain and pizza

We had the first significant rain today. It was quite welcome here by the Wash. It can rain half a mile down the road and we can miss it completely. We seem to have our own mini weather system here. At least the car got a wash...
I didn't hear back from the teaching agency I contacted yesterday - I suppose it's too early. I'll give them until the end of the week and then chase. I'm signing-on again tomorrow so at least I can tell them I've applied.
Pizza tonight - it's the real thing. Asda let you make your own and it has a thin base, just the way pizza should be. The best pizza I've ever had was in Yugoslavia, many years ago. It was thin and big - really big. I haven't found one to beat it but I've got close.
The government here today announced that they are re-vamping the disability assessment process. Up to now, it has been a complete sham. I remember being assessed myself by some untrained 'medical assessor' who simply clicked at a checklist on a computer when I was signed-off work with severe depression. I was deemed 'fit for work' and had to then appeal the decision which induced further stress. I've read so many accounts from others who are severely disabled enduring the same treatment and having to appeal. Apparently last year, there were more than 300,000 appeals. Disgusting. But that's how this country is I'm afraid - an I fear it's getting worse.
Hey ho, that's life I suppose... It seems if there's anything wrong with you, you suffer.