Photolove.

 A wee bit of a change from the (by now usual) housing woes and I thought I'd update everyone (anyone?) on the other major thing going down at the moment which was my exciting (to me at least) adventures in photo-therapy up at Gartnavel Hospital in 'sunny' Glasgow.

My home from home the last few months.

 

You see I've just finished my - 3 month - course so I reckoned it was time to review the whole hospital visit/treatment situation from an Autistic viewpoint.

I've briefly covered the treatment in a few posts previously (but refrained from posting photos of my oh so lovely Psoriasis scabs) so this is less about the treatment and more about staffing and attitude.

Oh and how they did putting up with me for 3 plus months.

As regular readers will know it can be a wee bit hit and miss when it comes to medical matters - some folk, like the physiotherapist  I had to see a few years back, have been utterly fantastic - she even incorporated my wrist/hand stims into my treatment whilst others (yes that doctor at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital I'm looking at you) appear to be the most clueless people you could ever meet, which is quite scary seeing as the first 'official' mention of Autism in the NHS is from 1957.

I don't know tho' maybe it takes a while for the information to trickle down.

An actual photo of me in light therapy (no, really).

 

But back to the subject in hand - yes, I know I love a ramble -  how did I find the whole experience?

Well I can honestly say that the staff were some of the nicest and most accommodating I've ever dealt with, after my initial appointment  and discussions around sensory issues, body dysmorphia (yes, really) and general Autistic stuff (like a need for - all the - information regarding treatment and my unnerving ability to chat about absolutely anything including the fact that I was pretty sure I smelled of barbecue after my sessions) the staff took all this oddness onboard and ran with it making what could have been a really stressful experience (stripping to your pants infront of strangers and standing in a hot box) actually really pleasant  and fairly stress free.

All my sensory/Autistic needs were taken into account and nothing seemed too much trouble, the staff were attentive and genuinely seemed interested so when I ended up having to miss a session due to a Psoriasis stress flare up (thanks housing) they understood why which actually help alleviate some of the stress.

Housing officers and Doctors take note. 

The only downside is that with the treatment and all it entails (travel etc) becoming part of my routine I'm now missing it!

 But never fear as it looks like I may be back at some point as although the treatment has worked amazingly, it hasn't done as much as was hoped so I'm back for a meeting next week, hopefully these staff members are as helpful.

Fingers crossed and big cheers for the dermatology team at Gartnavel.

I can get back to complaining about stuff now.