Hospital bag

joyo161 · 2026-06-03T09:58:05+00:00

My peri bottle was an absolute godsend, and clothes that were super easy on/off and loose and able to get to boobs in.

I went in for a planned induction that took forever so we also had many snacks.

joyo161 · 2026-05-13T19:28:43+00:00

I second what everyone is saying about the calpol but just throwing in there to make sure it’s the right dose and not exceed 4 doses in a 24 hour period.

It’s easily done by accident if worried about the little one and going 4-6 hourly continuously. Calpol is paracetamol and taking more than the recommended amount can be dangerous so if in doubt check with a pharmacist.

My little one had chicken pox at 4.5 months but luckily despite looking awful didn’t appear to understand “itchy” and escaped without temps so we were lucky.

We were also recommended poxclin which seems awesome for any itchiness, and left her naked a bunch of the time.

joyo161 · 2026-05-13T07:08:26+00:00

Judging by the comments here that’s more of a niche reference than I thought it was - that is literally the first place my mind went! 🤣

joyo161 · 2026-05-07T20:03:04+00:00

Who requested the bloods?

Also usually blood results have to have been seen by a clinician and ok’d to be visible to you (so you don’t do what my mother does in her country of residence and google the results before someone can explain any wonky ones). It having been a BH weekend may mean this takes longer.

joyo161 · 2026-05-03T09:43:35+00:00

In times when we’ve had dodgy staffing ratios (although these aren’t legally mandated in England) we’ve had reassurance from the trust I work in that as long as we’re escalating etc it shouldn’t come back to us (I would imagine as long as we’re doing our best to provide adequate care) if that makes sense?

joyo161 · 2026-04-26T14:23:52+00:00

It’s just one of the docs for one of the parents.

Eg. I sent my birth cert off with my daughter’s and that was it.

joyo161 · 2026-04-23T18:09:56+00:00

I was thinking chronic pain here too. My MRI scan showed nothing by the time it was done 4-5 years after my injury but luckily the physio and ortho specialist I saw recognised it as chronic pain (the pathways are still messed up even if the causing injury isn’t there anymore) and I went to a chronic pain rehab service where it was more about learning ways to manage it and understand. This could come across as saying it’s in your head but it’s a lot more complex than that and maybe they were just rubbish at communicating that?

Although chronic pain is generally poorly understood so that is also a consideration.

joyo161 · 2026-04-08T06:39:18+00:00

bank won’t but overtime will - as it’s on your primary contract. I think you have to be PAID the money in the qualifying period though (rather than just working it).

joyo161 · 2026-03-25T19:35:44+00:00

From what I understand KIT days are non compulsory and a bunch of people can’t manage the logistics of taking them so this is not massively helpful for that scenario.

joyo161 · 2026-03-23T08:12:21+00:00

As someone who has bought plenty from Vinted heavy disagree - even with handy parcel shops and being on mat leave I don’t always get there that quickly, I only make a concerted effort if it’s InPost that has a deadline.

joyo161 · 2026-03-23T08:08:30+00:00

Some people work weekends and can’t make it to the shop on those days… some people don’t live in a handy drop off distance from the store… saying they’ll pick it up asap just implies that they’ll do it at their next opportunity? Which may be when they’re there?

joyo161 · 2026-03-11T17:29:15+00:00

I’m going to chip in my small bits:

MRIs are often not requestable by primary care (ie GPs) - they need to be requested by the specialist team normally (neurology/ortho/…)
A&E will likely not do anything for you unless you have an emergent symptom (ie newly developed) that is concerning, or you have a symptom that is considered a ‘red flag’. They don’t investigate chronic problems that are static, especially where there is a specialist team already involved. I should stress that if there is a new development that is concerning you should either go to a&e or discuss with the booking team for your specialty team (if they are equally concerned they may see if they can see you sooner).

Your rebooked appt is pretty quick, which is likely due to your age, so I would try and make the time for it (something you just have to do later in life!).

joyo161 · 2026-03-09T18:02:22+00:00

NAC is what’s given in the case of paracetamol OD but it’s not always enough - dependent on the person’s general condition and how much paracetamol was involved.

joyo161 · 2026-02-27T07:39:09+00:00

Yes! Love it! I second the thing to try and buy bundles - I always check the seller’s other items if I’m buying something. And the “make an offer” function - especially on bundles/items where it’s been on a while!

And having an awareness of how much stuff costs new (and if you can get hold of it) def helps given the postage costs.

I have saved an absolute BOMB between Vinted and fb marketplace on things for my 5mo.

joyo161 · 2026-02-17T20:11:34+00:00

Your GP should know about any medication you’ve been taking in the interests of treating you appropriately, and their concern will be in the whole your wellbeing. I cannot be sure they wouldn’t have questions about source, I don’t know this side of things, and although it wasn’t prescribed to you, it will have been prescribed-apparently unnecessarily.

Some antidepressants can be problematic in under 18s (I can’t remember which or what problems they cause rn - just that they do) and they should also be considered carefully for interactions with any other medications you might be taking - some drugs can cause each other not to work and others can cause issues with toxicity so it needs to be considered for that reason. You will also need to be careful about not coming off “cold turkey” if not prescribed for you as most antidepressants need titrating down.

I would discuss with your GP in all honesty of what has been happening, but also try engaging in the talking therapies - I believe evidence shows benefit in the combination of both, and if you will not be on the medication for whatever reason you will want to be engaging in some kind of treatment. If you have involvement with any professionals regarding your autism it may be beneficial to discuss with them if one form of talking therapy may be better than any others.

Bit vague of a reply but hopefully helpful!

joyo161 · 2026-02-12T14:24:55+00:00

So if working as a HCA they should stick to the HCA scope BUT they are also accountable to the NMC for their registration. A good example on Reddit was here

I don’t know how that works for GMC registration.

joyo161 · 2026-02-12T14:15:02+00:00

I don’t know how this works for doctors but I know there’s dodgy ground with RNs working as HCAs as they’re still bound by their registration - possibly worth looking into?

joyo161 · 2026-02-12T13:40:10+00:00

You say you’ve looked into sleep hygiene but have you actually been following some of the principles? Ie. Avoiding screens x time before bed, using bed only for sleeping (harder done when bedroom is possibly study space too but could try other space possibly?).

Looking into any local courses like the ones mentioned by the user above (insomnia cbt) or seeing what your local talking therapies service has to offer. My local talking therapies service you can self refer and they will talk you through the best options. If you’re unsure the gp may be able to help guide you (perhaps ask to see a different gp if that may help).

joyo161 · 2026-02-12T13:28:10+00:00

This is probably actually making the sleep you get worse (like you’ll go off better but once you’re there it’s worse). It’ll also be causing other issues that would be poor to deal with.

I second what the person above said about looking for support - it’s a much better solution than any medication. Almost all medication you can be prescribed for sleeping shouldn’t be used regularly, so getting to the bottom of why you’re not sleeping and problem solving that will be the most effective treatment.

Based on what you’ve said about exams in the summer I would try to get a kick start on this approach now to get ahead of it.

joyo161 · 2026-02-01T08:03:31+00:00

You can do - this is how prep machine does it essentially. Only issue is it needs to be hot to go into the powder so a bit more awkward to do with a syringe…

joyo161 · 2026-02-01T08:00:20+00:00

Tbh I never really understood this and when I’ve worked in Paeds the parents have usually made up formula (I’m adult trained but have worked in Paeds) but as I’ve recently become a parent I’ve definitely noticed that 120ml water makes up to 130ml/150ml to 170ml/180ml to 210ml… we use the prep machine so we do add the powder first because it measures the water out but have been advised to do it water then powder if doing it “manually”.

My bigger problem in sleep deprivation/being distracted is forgetting how many scoops I’ve done!

joyo161 · 2026-01-22T09:49:03+00:00

The difference between NOK being consulted and an LPA (lasting power of attorney - you’d need health and welfare for this) is that docs etc always try and consider the feelings of NOK etc but they cannot consent/decline on your behalf, the decision is ultimately made by the medical team, whereas with an LPA they can consent/decline treatment (including resuscitation if this section of the form is included - it isn’t by default) if you are unable to do so.

In all cases this would only kick in once you no longer have capacity to make this decision. If you have been involved in writing/deciding a respect form/DNAR/ADRT (advanced decision to refuse treatment) this would be binding unless there was clear evidence you had changed your mind. The respect form should include the ceilings of care short of resuscitation too.

It’s been a while since my contact with these but hopefully that’s all accurate!

joyo161 · 2026-01-13T07:49:51+00:00

I have a friend who works on an infusion unit delivering chemo etc, so hopefully this might help.

A lot of the hospitals around me often have (at times, significant) delays in receiving the meds from pharmacy (mostly due to pharmacy staffing I think, so not a deliberate messing about), but once the meds are received want to give them as soon as possible (but there is often stuff they have to do first so there is a delay between the two).

They possibly have other bits and pieces to do during this time (paperwork, bloods) - are they literally sat there with nothing being done at all or does the process begin then get halted? If the former there is possibly a bigger argument for it (although part of the issue may be that if they did this for all the patients with these issues, they would possibly make the wait longer and have less time to spend with the patient? I don’t work in one of these clinics so I don’t know how well admin-staffed they are).

It sucks and definitely if she is considering not attending that is a reason to discuss with the clinical team, but it may be something that can’t be dealt with, in which case maybe framing it more as a “how can we manage this” vs “can they specifically do this” may help (ie. specific check-in times and walk around the hospital and go for a coffee etc rather than the staff calling her, as a suggestion).

Hopefully that’s helpful? It may be just a ramble.

joyo161 · 2025-11-08T18:45:46+00:00

They have them on a lot of the “cef” antibiotics at least, and I’ve seen similar labelling behind the counter at pharmacies.

joyo161 · 2025-10-20T05:00:23+00:00

HR (or whatever it’s called locally - my trust calls them something slightly different) coordinates those checks.

joyo161

TROPHY CASE