ICON9 Trial - Covid glitch last gasp and check up the third - 16 March 2021

I think the count so far was one positive Covid test followed by two negatives. It didn't take long before the trial practitioners were on the phone again - the Friday before I was due for the third check up. This time they were relaying the word of matron who wanted another negative test before they'd allow me into the hospital/Macmillan Centre. This time I did splutter a bit. Ridiculous, overkill, how would I get a test done and the results back before Tuesday anyway, that sort of thing. Spluttering over, the trial practitioner agreed to go back to matron and I agreed to try to get a test. 

I couldn't face asking the surge test people again, so went online to request a test - 'for research' I think I said. Test arrived in the post on Saturday but not early enough to catch the post, so sent it off on Sunday by the special Covid Priority Post Collection. Royal Mail may have served their sub-postmasters and postmistresses very badly in recent years but they've pulled out the stops for Covid tests. On Monday, the trial practitioner rang to say that matron had capitulated and accepted the previous tests so I could go in on Tuesday anyway. And astonishingly, the test result came back that evening. Less astonishingly, it was negative.

I opted for the easy for  me, tough for Christopher, travel option and got driven in to the hospital. Unfortunately, it was one of the nasty early start appointments, the schools had gone back on 8 March, the traffic was terrible, and we were really late. Nobody really minded except us. I'd been feeling worrisomely infected over the previous weeks - another boil, almost another UTI (successfully chased off with cranberry juice and lots of water), a cold sore, but they weren't too worried about any of that either.  And it's all becoming pretty routine - standard bloods, BP (141 - need to get back on my bike), temperature, weighing in, questions from trial practitioner and answers input to computer, health and quality of life questionnaire, Dr M for a bit of stethoscoping and tummy prodding and then a walk to Regents Park to rendezvous with my driver and his dog.


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