Grey Skies and Happy Sighs...: December 2024, Selfies and a Soap Box Rant.

Hello my lovelies, and happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2025 brings you all that you wish for and more. Did you have a merry festive season? Mine was absolutely magical, and I have lots of photos to share with you soon, but first I have to catch up with myself, haha. So here are some photos from the second week in December. Nothing too exciting, I was busy running errands and getting ready for my trips to England, Sweden, and Norway. As you can imagine, there was a lot to do!
I finished writing all my Christmas cards and walked to Clonmany to post the overseas ones, and then went to visit some friends in McFeeley's for the Monday Night Club, which I hadn't been to in far too long. It was lovely going out for a festive drink and enjoying the craic. Another day I was back in Clonmany to go to a Doctor's appointment, and I've been referred for some scans in Letterkenny for my GI issues, which is a relief.
Can I just take a moment to mention how amazingly efficient I find the Heathcare system here? Especially compared to America, where I spent $$$$$ trying to get answers. Here, I made an appointment with my GP, a week in advance. He listened to my concerns, ordered a few blood tests (also taken that visit) and referred me to the hospital in Letterkenny for a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy. By the time I had walked home, less than an hour later, I had already heard from the referrals department in the hospital, confirming my details. It will probably take a month or two to get the actual scans, but I'm already so far ahead, and the start contrast between this and some of the "treatment" I received in America is insane. All this happened during one appointment with my GP. By contrast, to get to this point in America, I saw my GP, which cost me $50, and then was told to see a GI specialist. The onus was on me to make the call to the specialist and book an appointment (which took months) AND to see if they took my insurance. When I finally saw the specialist, it took several more appointments, multiple blood tests, being told it was all in my head, or that I should cut out dairy/gluten (without bothering to even confirm I have allergies or intolerances to them. I don't) before, many visits later, finally being referred to get a Colonoscopy/Endoscopy. Each visit to the specialist cost me a $200 co-pay to even get in the door. Each blood test cost more, and the final scans cost me thousands of dollars. The whole process took close to eight months, meanwhile my health was deteriorating, I was losing money because I couldn't work reliably, and still having to pay $$$ each time I saw a doctor. I know I've mentioned this before, but I am SO happy I don't live in that country any more!!
Anyway, back to these photos. I enjoyed the cold, misty walks over to Clonmany and back, especially as I hadn't been out of the house much lately. It also felt good to put some makeup on and some nice clothes, and feel more like myself. My GI issues were still bad, but having a plan in place was a big help mentally, and in the meantime, I just hoped that I would be able to enjoy some food and drink over the holidays! On Sunday 15th December, I flew from Derry into Manchester, where Gareth picked me up from the airport and drove us back to Shrewsbury. And I got to play Christmas music all the way back, haha!