Just got home, after getting myself in such a state I was sick before setting off. 
Mixed news, really.
As suspected, she WON’T raise or switch the medication. She didn’t think my feet felt all that stiff (not surprising, really, as I’d taken every muscle relaxant in the house, including baclofen and double dose of diazepam - for the anxiety).
She thought it would have been better to see what it was like untreated. Well, I did wonder that, but they could have said so, couldn’t they?
I got told off for not doing my stretches - of course. I told her I already do them several times a week, and how far I walk, but she said: “No, it’s EVERY time you pass the bottom of the stairs”. Can’t see myself keeping up with that very long - or at all!
But we’re also going to try orthotics. She thinks it might not be spasticity at all, but that there’s something structurally wrong with my feet. (Hmmm, so why did Baclofen ever help, then, if it’s not spasticity?)
So it was either wait another month, or she had a cancellation at the orthotics clinic tomorrow.
She asked if it would be too anxiety-provoking to go back two days running, but I thought probably better that than have another whole month to worry. So I said I’d take the cancellation.
On the transport side, it all worked out well, as the volunteer driver turned up on time, didn’t get all snotty when it was obvious I could walk, and only charged me £2.50 return, when I’d been told it would be £4.70! I gave him £3 anyway, and thought it was still a bargain (bus probably would have been more than £2, and wouldn’t have been door-to-door, and I probably would have been standing in the cold for ages, and panicking in case it didn’t turn up).
Better still, the driver has agreed to do the run again tomorrow. We tried to book it through the proper channels, but they said: “It’s far too late now: all the worksheets have already gone out!”
I said: “Well, I’m not doing it on purpose, the hospital have only just asked if I can come back tomorrow!”
My driver said: “Their loss: just because they can’t do it, doesn’t mean to say I can’t.”
He said he is still insured, whether it goes through their books or not, so he’d pick me up tomorrow. It’s also convenient for him, because he does other volunteer work, tending the garden at the hospital. So whilst I was in the appointment, he wasn’t bored, but visiting the garden! Win-win.
I asked: “Won’t they get snotty if they find out you accepted work privately?”
He said: “I don’t care if they do or not! We gave them the chance; they said no! If they’re saying they can’t do it because the right bit of paper wasn’t in place by the right time, that’s their problem. We played fair, and gave them first crack, so they can’t complain if somebody else does it!”
I fully agree with all that. If the charity is saying they couldn’t possibly arrange anything at that short notice, but their driver is saying: “It’s perfectly fine by me!”, I don’t see why he shouldn’t go ahead.
So tomorrow, I will have private transport, NOT booked through the charity.
Also it was really interesting that he took half the time the taxi usually takes, so clearly I’ve been scammed all these years, and they were deliberately taking the longest route possible, to bump up the fare.
Tina
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