A different visit

 

A different visit

My appointment was for 11:15. I arrived early, booked in, and sat down. Almost immediately my name was called, and I was optimistic that the whole event would soon be completed. After the vision test, and eye pressure check, stinging drops were applied, and I was directed elsewhere.

Along with several others, I sat and waited, and after some time someone official appeared, full of apologies for the delays we were experiencing – too many patients, too few staff, immediate referrals appearing, and so on and so forth. We murmured our thanks for the update.

Anyway, what should have taken a short time – fifteen minutes or so – extended to three hours. Meanwhile, Barry was waiting in the car, listening to a book about Rommel – he had a pet fox, did you know?

Now we’re at home again and Barry, not known for his patience, is trying to self-refer for a hearing test. He is not having much success and is ranting about the poor IT. This is a common complaint and tries my tolerance. It tries his even more. He spent his working life developing large IT systems and knows they should be debugged before being rolled out. The NHS is particularly bad in its operation.

I have been telling him for some time that his hearing is not as good as it used to be. It is quite difficult to converse with him sometimes because he often gives the impression that he hasn’t heard, or, worse, is ignoring me, when he is simply thinking about his answer or something else entirely.

 However, he didn’t ignore me when I pointed out his less than perfect hearing, but neither did he decide to do anything about it, until one of his electronic devices (his ear buds) alerted him to the fact that his hearing is not as acute as it should be. Now, research is ongoing into hearing aids – reviews, reports, problems and so on and so forth . . . and booking a hearing test.

The problem, and it is a valid one, is that he likes to pin everything down so there are no misunderstandings, but in the process ties everyone up in knots with the details.

 Some would call it nit-picking! I don’t because I know he is seeking answers. Most people are extremely helpful, but occasionally, for after all, people are only human, a little irritation creeps in. The most accommodating people are those who understand the questions and can answer them fully and succinctly.

Update: He now has an appointment to see a doctor – that in itself is a minor miracle! – on 2^nd July, despite the fact that, and I quote, ‘Individuals over 55 can access free NHS hearing aids and related services through a self-referral pathway for age-relate hearing loss, meaning they don’t need a GP referral if they meet specific criteria.’

Maybe they just want to ascertain that it’s not something else that’s creating the problem. He’s quite sure the hearing discrepancy in his left ear is from his time as a soldier, shooting his rifle left-handed.

 I suggested that he will probably not opt for free hearing aids. I know him well and he will want need something he can fine-tune. He says he would use NHS aids as spares.

We shall see.