A poem about visiting the dentist

I wrote this the evening after I had been to the dentist at Guy's. I had left home at 9.30am for my appointment at 10.30am, and didn't get home until 1.55pm. I was in there for just over two hours, then when I got to the train station, the train that was going to my stop suddenly announced it wasn't and I had to get another train which was 15 mins later. Phew. Here it is

I went to the dentist the other day,

and that's quite a story.

First of all

they asked me my medical history.

Then I saw the consultant

about my antibiotic cover,

so the treatment could begin.

when that was over,

They checked my teeth

to see if they were OK.

Another wait before

I had to have an X-ray.

I hate those bites

they make me gag,

so pleased it was done,

I picked up my bag.

Then another wait,

the X-ray showed I needed a filling

I have to go another day,

all that waiting, it was killing.

Then I got to the trains,

the one I find wasn't going to my stop,

yet another wait,

I felt like doing a strop.

I'd left home at 9.30,

it was now four hours later.

I was finally home,

so glad to see my mater.

Coping with IBS whilst working, or not

Having IBS really affected my life when I worked. In the morning I sometimes had IBS after breakfast, so it would delay my leaving time to get to work. If there is one thing I hate it is being late to anywhere (something connected to my Asperger's, I think). I remember a time many years ago when I was on what was then the Youth Training Scheme (one thing that I feel should be still available today to youngsters leaving school. Esp young ones who are like me quite shy and not sure about working straight after school), there was a period when I had pseudo diarrhoea. That is when you feel you want to go to the toilet time and again but can't go. Later on when I worked properly, just before I found out I was intolerant to dairy, it really affected me like that again. I kept going in and out of the toilet (I know it's not nice to talk about, but that is what IBS is). It really affected my work performance, in that I couldn't do all the work I had to. It affected me on and off over the years until the last time it really affected me again was due to stress - after I was told I was being made redundant from my job of 20 years. I found this really stressful, and it didn't help that a colleague wasn't very nice to me. When we had this altercation, it really stressed me out, and brought on IBS again, v badly. So badly that everytime I did a number two I bled.

So it appeared that stress made my IBS flare up badly when I worked. Next time I shall post about IBS, it will be about how it has affected my home life. But my next post will be about the workshop I attended yesterday and what I learnt and what I did. Until then...