The more I think of the events recently where I was offered a position in a local company, only to have the offer withdrawn a few days later, the more ridiculous it sounds. I was offered the position by a Director, after the position had gone through the companies HR department and had then been passed to a recruitment agency. After being interviewed by the agency and then by a manger in the company, I had my session with the director, during which I discussed my medical condition of diabetes, and the Director showed no concern at the time and the position was subsequently offered.
Now the offer was withdrawn a few days later and the reason given was that the US arm of the company had not given approval for the vacancy. I find it incredible that a company the size of the one that I am talking about can require overseas approval for local junior positions. I even offered to work as a team member with a view to getting the Supervisory role if and when it was approved, this was not acceptable. May be it is paranoia, maybe not, but I really cannot believe the reason I was given. It feels to me much more like second thoughts after considering my health situation.
Well that is their loss. They have lost some one vastly over experienced to do the role, who would have been a great asset to the company, and who was looking to stay long term and establish a new career.

I am now attending my local pain clinic at the hospital and going through various ways of better dealing with chronic pain. You might think that having had constant pain since being a teenager, I would be well versed with dealing with it by now, but I still think that there are new tricks to learn, and I am not an old dog yet!

Gabapentin. It is my prescribed pain killer at the moment. It wasn't yesterday, but it is today. Let me explain.

I went to a Pain Clinic group hug the other day. Following on from the nerve killing (more like nerve irritating and getting them jolly mad!) injection, my follow up appointment was a group session in the Centre for Pain Management. A sort of group hug if you like, but we were presented details of how they (the Pain Clinic) could help us manage our pain. We were told in no uncertain terms that they would not get rid of our pain, but help us come to terms with it. Good Grief! I've been in pain since I was 14, 38 years ago, I think that I have learned to come to terms with it by now. But anyway, I will try anything, I have nothing to lose. Back to the hug, there was a psychologist there (!), a nurse and a previous 'graduate' of the programme. I listened, but mostly to the other patients. I had to suppress my smiles at one other inductee when she complained about her co-codamol. Good Lord, I mean, my pain went beyond co-codamol twenty years ago. Bless, she was new to it all.

One snippet did make sense though. A fellow inductee mentioned that she wouldn't take gabapentin because it caused memory loss. PING!!! Yvonne and Hannah have 'complained' to me recently that I haven't done things they asked, such as use up some specific food stuffs when I make tea. I had completely forgotten it, and on several occasions too. The nurse confirmed that memory impairment was a major side effect of Gaba.

Right, so I came straight off it. That was Tuesday. Wednesday was okay, and I thought, hey, I can handle this. Thursday I hurt and ached in places that I had forgotten existed. Yesterday, (Friday) I could hardly move with the pain. It obviously takes a few days to work out of the system, and boy, do I now know how much pain it suppressed.

Sod the memory loss, give me my gaba!

Sorry, what was I saying?