Today was a visit to Calderdale Hospital’s Macmillan Unit to receive my pre-chemotherapy briefing.

They dispensed some nice drugs.  Folic acid to take daily throughout treatment.  Steroids to take twice a day for three days surrounding each dose of chemotherapy.  And an injection of something where the needle went about two feet into my upper arm for reasons I can’t quite recall.

Nursey Nicola then went on to tell me all the things that can go wrong with chemotherapy.  Probably not a good idea with a patient who has a touch of cynicism towards the benefits of the treatment.  Not helped by oral thrush being high on the list of possible side effects.  At least hair loss isn’t likely.  Phew.

As a cancer patient I have a card that I can flash at hospital reception staff in both Halifax and Huddersfield to get them to do something to my ticket to allow free parking.  While I have wondered why rheumatoid arthritis sufferers don’t get the same perk, I’ll take what’s on offer.

Calderdale Hospital has a nice entrance to its Macmillan building well away from the main hospital entrance.  There is also some disabled parking right outside.  So far so good for a chap like me with restricted mobility.

Then, as we left the hospital, the fun started.  The realisation that to get the free parking Mr or Mrs Disabled have to exit the Macmillan building, walk around the front of the main hospital and then queue at a reception desk to get their ticket scanned, and then walk all the way back to the disabled parking space outside the Macmillan building.

Now, in fairness, not every cancer patient is disabled.  But it does seem like a rather convoluted assault course to me.

Still, it’s a perk of the illness.  I shouldn’t knock it.

New Agony