My UFO has come home and a not so simple blood test

On Sunday at Bakewell I helped out Kate with her Sparklies stand and amongst the visitors during the day was Allie and she brought my UFO from the RR we've been doing with her and handed her over in person, I'm over the moon with the progress made on her.

Angel of the Morning as she left me

And as she came home

I've not made my mind up yet if she'll go out on the next round that's due to start next month or not, I have a few candidates for it but none are screaming out to be sent as yet.

Yesterday I went to see the Diabetic specialist at the Imfimmary not because I needed to but because my GP attended a lecture he gave on MODY people and she thought that it's possable I'm one because I developed it at the age of 31 and my Dad, his Sister, their Mum and her sister all have/had it. I saw one of his minions who was an overseas Doc (no objection there but I wish his english was better it would of made life easier) he asked loads of questions and at the end of it said that he's not convinced I am but he'll send off my blood for the tests anyway and that's where the fun started. He gave me 3 forms for blood telling me that they were all fasting ones so I'd have to go back for them in a few days along with a card for a container in which I have to collect all my samples for 24 hours. He didn't explain any of it very well and when I asked a question to claify something he still didn't make it clear, so I left none the wiser as to what I was supposed to do. Off I go to the blood bods to get my container which thankfully comes with an instrustion sheet but while the lady was getting it or me I noticed that one of the boxes he'd ticked was for a non fasting test so I asked her about it and said that shouldn't I be getting this one today, she takes my form and we go to the blood room. She starts looking at it and said that something was wrong as the doc had ticked the box for PSA which is for a bit of anatomy that I don't have being a female of the species! On top of that they are completely confused about one of the things he's written on it so she goes off to check with him, when she comes back she tells me that he meant to tick throyd (sp?) and that yes they can do 2 lots of the bloods there and then. Then she has to get out her little book because she's not seen one of the tests before and nor has the other blood bod, a phone call to the main hospital later and it turns out that they can't do it there as the sample has to be frozen and they don't have the facillities to do it. A second phone call to main hospital follows to book an appointment to have my blood taken today (you can't just turn up there unless it's from an out patient clinc plus it's a 40 mile round trip) and instuctions to take the other form with me so they can check it there to tell me if I can have it done locally or not.

Lunch time today I set off and for once the traffic is kind to me and I make good time, the car park is half empty so parking is no problem, I get my ticket and walk over to the blood bods there only to find no one on reception so I ask at the one opposite about it and a guy goes and talks to them for me, he comes out and tell's me that as soon as they are done with the one that's in I'm in. 7 viles later I'm done and I have another 5 viles for the other test and I manage to get out of the hospital in under 20 mins (more than that and you have to pay for parking) and I'm back home in a little over an hour.

I'll never think a blood test is a simple thing again after that!