Aaron Foulds is a severe asthma sufferer. We were delighted to welcome him to share his thoughts on his life coping with asthma but also to hear how he feels asthma care can be improved in the UK and beyond. How long have you had asthma? I have had asthma all my life […]
Patient perspective
A patient view of pharmacy medication use reviews…community pharmacists would do well to listen
Friday, 11.00am… I am standing at the reception counter of my local pharmacy, waiting for my monthly prescription that the pharmacy ordered a few days ago. Janine, the technician, gets the bag from the storage area and shouts to the regular pharmacist: “Hey! Tom! Do you want an MUR? Says here that she last had one eighteen months […]
Patient perspective – Asthma is dangerous so carry your reliever inhaler
Recently I had a small rant about asthma. Asthma is dangerous. Why do people not get that? I think what got me most is that how are we ever going to change attitudes towards asthma if those with asthma are so cavalier about it. I was at a Design Informatics Collider event with […]
Patient perspective: What is it really like to have coeliac disease?
Kaye Gambles When, like me, you have been able to eat what you like for 45 years with no symptoms, bar excessive fatigue, it is a shock when this comes to an end. I was a silent coeliac. A sense of loss One of my favourite pastimes was trying out new food, […]
The tale of the consultant pharmacist and complex regional pain syndrome
It was 2012, and I was very happy, four years previous we had left London and bought a beautifully converted barn just outside Petersfield. I had three gorgeous children and a loving husband. I had started running post-children and fitness was improving. I was awarded a consultant post, alongside Steve Tomlin in 2006. This […]
Insulin pens vs insulin pumps – a patient perspective
THERE are several methods for delivering daily insulin doses to manage type 1 diabetes. The most often prescribed is an insulin pump. While this method is widely considered the most efficient for managing Type 1, I opt for old-school insulin pens. When I was first diagnosed two years ago, my healthcare team and […]
Patient perspective series: A first hand account of post traumatic stress disorder
Matt Johnson IT has quite surprised me how many people are now trying out writing as a contributory means to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Questions levelled at me, as to how writing helped me have prompted me to repeat this post, which I originally published last year. PTSD – the chemistry In examining […]
Oral steroids for asthma: “The Devil’s Tic-Tacs”
Everyone has heard of steroids and the majority of people will think there is only one type of steroid. The ‘bad steroid’ is the anabolic one that the bodybuilders abuse and that you hear about when athletes have failed drug tests. But these steroids are not the steroids which most people with asthma will depend […]
Patient perspective series: My experience of chronic fatigue syndrome – People and pain
I’M sure it isn’t just me but I felt like I told a lot of lies when it came to my chronic fatigue and pain. This probably got me down more in a lot of ways that the actual symptoms themselves. So much of my energy was devoted to pretending that I was ok because […]
Patient perspective series: My experience of chronic fatigue syndrome – Hope
THIS subject is a big deal for me just now. Now, I am all for having a positive mental outlook, “cheerfulness in the face of adversity” and making the best of what I can in my new found circumstances but I am really struggling to manage or understand what I hope for. The importance of […]
