3 Nov.2015

It is 3 November and I have a list of things to do though it is my day off. First, a long awaited GP appointment to discuss this chronic pain in the neck. Though this could have been sorted on 20 Ocotber at the physiotherapists', it wasn't. Was it professionalism and being accountable for their own actions or was it literally sticking to the referral letter despite being informed that I had had sleepless nights because of excruciating neck pains sometimes shotting down the spine? Well let's see what my GP thinks. Secondly, I had a haircut appointment which I was determined to keep. Thirdly, a blood test at NPH in preparation for the 60 ml pamidronate infusion on 9 November. This is to check that the calcium level in the blood is still normal so the infusion can be effective. This was in the order I had planned to get through my agenda.
The day began as planned: the GP arranged another appointment with the physio making sure that the entire spine and the areas on the right side were examined. I will have to wait for this appointment. 
Besides, some prescriptions for an ointment for my neck pain, and pain killers, the GP wanted to have the area x-rayed - an x-ray beam is passed through the back to produce a two-dimensional picture. This test can show the structure of the vertebrae and the outlines of joints, and can detect calcification. Perhaps other tests will be done after establishing signs of an injury, tumor, or inherited problem by the x-ray. So two more items added to the day's agenda. No worries, it is my day off.

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source: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Spinal_Stenosis/#spine_e

Before heading off to the hairdresser's, Andrew proposed that we went to MVH for the x-ray as it was just up the road. When we got there we discovered that there was a 45 minute wait which would delay my haircut appointment. So we came back home and then I drove to the haircut at 10:30. I got home at 11:00 and then we took the metropolitan line to NPH for the bllodtest.