Wednesday 3 September 2014

I Love My Neti-Pot

I first heard of Neti Pots in one of Rachel Wilkerson's posts.  I thought it sounded interesting, but didn't think about them again for a few years until the Nose Buddy came to my attention, a few weeks ago.  I can't remember quite how, now.

For those of you who are as unfamiliar with the process as I am, neti pots are used to aid in nasal irrigation.  Basically, you pour a saline solution through one nostril and out the other side, in order to clear out your sinuses.  Apparently, it can be helpful for those with pollen allergies, as it helps to wash out any remaining bits of pollen.  I don't suffer with hayfever, but I do know that I snore, and that I often wake up with a slightly blocked nose.  I hoped it would help with that.

So, on a whim, I got myself a neti pot.  A bright green one.  And for the past two weeks, I've been pouring water through my nose.  I really like it, and that surprised me.

I thought it would feel like when you get water in your nose in a swimming pool.  It doesn't.  You feel a little pressure, and then it starts pouring out of your other nostril, and you don't really feel anything.  I also thought it would be hard to remember to breathe through my mouth and that I'd end up choking, but I didn't.

I normally read my kindle while cleaning my teeth - I just prop it up against the window.  That's not really plausible with the neti pot, so I typically just listen to an audio book for a few minutes, while using my phone's camera as a mirror.  I find the process is easier if I can see myself.  Plus, that way, I can gauge when I've used half and switch sides.

I normally use coarse sea salt, measured out with the spoon that comes with it.  I'll use either a full pot per side, or half, depending on how my nose feels that day.  I think I had a cold last week, but since I combined my neti pot use with being really hydrated - like, 6l of water per day hydrated - I couldn't really feel it.  I didn't sniffle, my throat didn't hurt, it was great.

I also recommended a neti pot to my friend who constantly complains of his allergies and sniffles.  In his own words;

"I think I'm a fan of neti pots now.  Doesn't hurt at all anymore.  I can breathe freely.  The worst things about colds was always my nose running like mad and getting backed up at the same time.
Which then leads to headaches, raw skin, and this constant discomfort inside my head.  Right now I have a very light throat ache, some slight discomfort in my ears... well plus a fever and exhaustion... but that's nothing in comparison."

"I can't believe how freely I can breathe through my nose.  It's unprecedented :D"

I just wish I could find some proper studies on nasal irrigation.  Not even on the neti pot specifically, just on any measurable benefits for cleaning out your nasal passages in this way.  There's a nice article here and another here. For now, it feels good, so I'm going to carry on.

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Why I'm Pissed Off at the NHS

I've been feeling suicidal for a while now.  Lots of sources of stress, all coming one after the other without enough recovery time.  I've been self-harming since early May and having suicidal urges since June.

I spoke to my doctor about this in late June.  He prescribed amitriptyline for the insomnia, and put me on the waiting list for a counselling session at my local mental health centre.  Let's call them Riverview.  When I say 'local', I mean about 40 minutes away on public transport, not through distance, but because they're in an area that's close as the crow flies but geographically inconvenient.



A friend took me down to London for a few days shortly after this.  I ended up calling NHS direct because I was having an overwhelming urge to jump into the Thames/under a tube.  They ended up calling an ambulance, and I spent a few hours waiting around to see a psychiatrist in the hospital.  Good Psychiatrist agreed that, at that point, I was no longer a danger to myself; despite feeling suicidal urges, I was able and willing to ask for help.  Plus, as in most suicidal people, the urges come on very strongly for a while then fade away.  She agreed that it was best for me to seek longer term care in Birmingham rather than be sectioned in London, and faxed information over to my GP, asking that they hurry the mental health team along slightly.

A few days later, I got a call from Nick at Riverview.  He set up an appointment for me to come in at 2:30pm the next day for an initial assessment.  I got there at 2:15pm, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Eventually, at twenty to four, Nick called me on.  On hearing his name, I was expecting an apology for the waiting; since he'd set up the appointment, surely he knew I'd been waiting an hour?  Apparently not.  When I pointed this out he said "I'm sorry if that's what happened."

I corrected him.  "There's no 'if'.  You set up an appointment for me for today at half past two."

He then apologised for that, and asked if I'd like to see someone else.  He said the wait would be about an hour for someone else.  Since, you know, leaving a suicidal person alone with their (suicidal) thoughts is generally not a safe option, I decided to stick with what I'd got rather than risk it.

Nick and I talked through my sources of stress.  He offered to have me wait for the doctor, while agreeing that since the doctor on duty could only prescribe anti-depressants, this would not be the best option for me.  My issues are poor coping methods for the huge amount of stress I was under; not a chemical imbalance.  Instead, he said he'd set up a counselling appointment for me.  I did get a letter about an appointment two weeks later, but I only received notice of it the day before it was scheduled for.  It was in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon.  I called during my lunchbreak and told them I wouldn't be able to make it.  Okay, there is a huge overlap between the mentally ill and the unemployed, but it certainly doesn't cover all of us.  They said they'd get back to me, in a way which suggested they were astonished that I'd even think of not immediately dropping everything - regardless of the consequences - to come in when it was convenient for them.

I appreciate that the NHS is overworked.  I see no reason for it to result in this total inflexibility.  Would it not have been possible to call and discuss, say, three possible appointment times in the slightly further future instead of

I didn't hear anything for another three weeks. After a small episode at work, I ended up in A&E again.  This time it was the hospital near work, in Solihull.

Going to A&E doesn't have a major boost to my long-term mental health.  But, it does mean being under supervision immediately, which was reassuring to my employer, as HR was able to physically walk me over and hand me over to the reception staff there.  Being in the waiting room, knowing that people around know I'm a suicide risk means I can't actually do anything to hurt myself for the few hours it takes for the urges to pass.

Anyway, after two hours, spoke to another psychiatrist.  She said she'd fax Riverview again to remind them that I still needed help.   After checking their records, she told me that I'd "refused" to see a doctor and that I'd "cancelled" my initial appointment.  I pointed out that I'd just told her; Nick had agreed that seeing the doctor for medication was not the best option for me, and that I hadn't "cancelled" an appointment - I'd asked for it to be rescheduled, as they hadn't given me enough notice to rearrange things in order to actually make that appointment.

She said "Well, I don't know what you expect me to do about that," in a way which I felt was snotty and unprofessional.  She then told me that I have an appointment on the 3rd of September. 

I asked why I hadn't been told about this, since I was actually in the process of making plans to visit a friend in another city on that date.

She said "You should prioritise your health!".

Yes, that's what suicidal people are really into.  Chasing after useful parts of the NHS to make them do their jobs to keep us alive.

I pointed out that, now I knew the appointment existed, I would be able to attend it.  I asked when they would have informed me had I not needed to visit A&E that day.  After all, if I hadn't found out, I'd have bought train tickets which would not have been refundable if I'd suddenly had to drop everything.

She said they'd tell me a week in advance, since people tended to forget if they were told earlier.  I said this was a stupid system, because of the aforementioned not-being-able-to-drop-everything-at-the-last-moment.  I also expressed dissatisfaction with Riverview in general, pointing out Nick's being over an hour late to an appointment he'd made for himself, and the snotty phone attitude.

The psychiatrist put on a stupid expression and said "But you've only been there once!  How can you say they've always been terrible?"

I pointed out that I'd interacted with them on a number of occasions, which is what I was referring to.

She then said again, "I don't know what you expect me to do about it!" and "You're being very inflexible!".

I asked what was inflexible about being perfectly willing and able to attend an appointment once I knew it existed?

She said we should agree to disagree, because we could argue about it all day.  I actually started crying through frustration at one point - I only wanted her to agree that it sucked - but after getting me a tissue, she'd started up again.  I know I'm a pain in the arse sometimes, but you'd think medical professionals dealing with suicidal people would remember to behave like medical professionals dealing with suicidal people no matter how much of a pain in the arse those people are being.

Anyway, nearly the end of the story.  It's now the 2nd of September.  I have yet to have confirmation in any form from Riverside regarding an appointment tomorrow.  Maybe it'll come in tomorrow's post.  I'm in two minds as to whether to go or not, even if it does.  I hardly trust them to safeguard my mental health!

Monday 10 May 2010

Time for a girly chat

I should probably apologise to those of you who got the impression that this was a gaming blog. It isn't. This is my personal blog, where I type up whatever I feel like. Normally, that does happen to be gaming notes. Right now it's menstruation.

No one here who doesn't want to be?

Kay.

So, I used to assume that the amount of blood I lost was average (average being 30ml to 80ml per month). I'd complain about cramps for four days, and be annoyed messing about with stupid sanitary things. Then I got a menstrual cup, which is freaking awesome (just saying). It also had the side effect of letting me know exactly how much blood I lost each month.

It averaged out to 20ml, which is very much below average.

I felt a little bit ashamed of myself for complaining. In my defence, I've never been anyone else, so I assumed everyone was about the same as me.

I asked a couple of people on an LJ comm how much they lost, and that was generally around the 110-130ml mark. And I felt both embarrassed and incredibly lucky.

Three months ago, I was fitted with an IUD. Since this was a flexi-T 3000, it had the effect of making my periods heavier. I knew that it would, but I figured, since I was so far below average, I'd take that rather than the hormones in the mirena.

So now I'm losing 40ml a month. I'm just about average, if on the low side.

It's not fun.:(

Thursday 11 March 2010

Mooncup

An email inquiry I sent to the Mooncup company through their website;


A few days ago, I had an appointment at the Brook, and the nurse and I began talking about my use of the Mooncup. Although she had heard of them before, the information had consisted of a ten minute talk during her training, and she'd never actually met a cup user before. On hearing my positive reaction, she wondered if perhaps cups were something that the Brook could learn more about, and suggest to girls.

I think this would be a wonderful idea. My knowledge of menstrual cups came solely from a livejournal group on the subject ( http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/ ), and when I went to buy mine from Boots, the sale assistant was initially confused as to what I was looking for (she did eventually figure out what I meant and was able to locate them, but it clearly wasn't a well known product).

So, my query is, would it not be possible to offer more information about the Mooncup or menstrual cups in general through health services such as the Brook? Even something so simple as leaflets in the waiting room, or nurses or gynacologists with more information would make a difference. I feel that it would also be helpful is Mooncups were discussed in schools, as part of sex education, or PSME lessons. Even if people don't act upon the idea right away, at least they're aware of it, and may check out more information online, or be more open towards the idea the next time it comes up.

Are there any leaflets or any other information easily available which I can carry around with me to show to people when the subject comes up?

Thank you for your time.

Just by the way, I find your reaction to the Keeper Company's unethical business practices very classy.


I sent it under "all other enquiries".

The Brook is a charity which provides free confidential advice and contraception to young people under the age of 25, and PSME was, in my school anyway, Personal, Social, Moral Education. We did two years of it in secondary and had a few odd lessons in primary school. In primary school it was all about people with disabilities, and racial issues, while in secondary it was mostly about sex, and growing up.

Friday 15 January 2010

Yesterday

Things I did yesterday;

Learned to crochet, got my eyebrows waxed, walked two miles, found out I got 87% on my last Welsh history assignment, watched the entire series of White Teeth, watched five episodes of Smack the Pony, did some yoga, read 'Salem's Lot, solved some puzzles, danced, called the bailiffs off of my grandmother's dead boyfriend, spoke to a friend on the phone for an hour, learned to express ownership in Welsh (fy mlog i!), organised my purse, played Final Fantasy 2.

Things I did not do yesterday;

My next Welsh history assignment.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

How to Write a Game Review

A lot of people find writing reviews tricky, to begin with.

The point of a review isn't just to express your opinion on the game - it's also to define why you feel that way. Other people may not feel the same way, and would probably appreciate being given enough information to decide if they'd also find that feature good or bad.

I find that the easiest way to begin a review is by going through a checklist and making notes. I mostly play RPGs, so this list is going to be biased towards them, but you should be able to adapt it to other games. I'm going to be mostly thinking of FFI here, since that's what I'm currently playing.

This list isn't in any particular order - you'll do that later. Note also that I'm using the key words (the bolded headings) as starting points for other ideas. You'll probably find that some sections blend into each other - that's absolutely fine. You can always copy+shuffle+paste later. Just get it all scribbled down.

Controls

How does the game handle? Do you keep accidentally pressing the wrong buttons, or find that your characters move or react annoyingly slowly? Or does the game seem to follow your ideas almost intuitively? Perhaps it falls somewhere between the two?

Gameplay

How do battles work? Are there random battles? How does the menu work? How are key items used? How do weapons and skills work? How does levelling work? Are exp/money ratios set high or low (ie, do you find yourself constantly under levelled and broke, or stupidly overpowered?) Is there anything particular unusual or unique about the gameplay, particularly in relation to other games in the series, if it is part of a series? How do save points work Can you save at pretty much any time, or you going to have to be prepared to slog through a couple of hours before you can? Are any of these features annoying? Useful? Something that probably sounded good on paper, but doesn't work very well at all within the game? Is there a steep learning curve (ie; in Vandal Hearts II, I found that the weapons/skills system was a little confusing at first, but then, once I'd got the hang of it, it worked incredibly well).

Progression

Does the game lead you by the hand, or does it just drop you in the desert with no clue as to what to do or where to go next? Is it linear, or more freestyle? Does it have a check-list kind of style, with a clear list of set objectives to complete (ie, .hack, FFX-2...)? Is this enjoyable or constricting? Would you rather the game had more structure?

Subquests

Are there any? Are they enjoyable or a pain? Are they easy to find, easy to miss? Is this one of those games where you suddenly get a glut of quests as soon as the final dungeon opens and spend so long completing them that you lose interest in finishing the game entirely?

What would you want to know?

For instance; does the .hack series require online access (no, it's a simulated MMORPG, and is entirely self-contained)? Are you going to miss out on any features if you don't have another system (I find that several GBA and Gamecube games offer additional features to people who either have both systems, or are able to link their systems to other players - this means that single players, or gamers with only one system won't be getting the same experience)?

Graphics

Breathtaking? Simple? Confusing? Do treasure chests blend into the scenery, or do stealable items sparkle at you? Can you tell the difference between characters? Do the FMVs drag on, or are they tantalisingly short? Did you get drawn into the story, or did one badly drawn expression have you cracking up?

Comparisons

Is this game part of a series? What features does it keep from other games in the series (whether they came earlier or later - if you're reviewing an older game, readers have probably played or heard of the later games). What does it change? Do these changes work well, or is this the bastard child of the series?

What games does it remind you of? How?

Try not to make these the key point of your review, as many players won't have the exact same game library you do. However, they are worth dropping in occasional, as people who enjoyed/disliked particular features of one game will probably like to know if they show up in another. Just remember to describe the feature you've talking about, rather than just relying on the reader's previous knowledge.

Trivia

You'll probably want to include this bit in the introduction.

Do you know any cute stories about how the game came to be? About the company? About any of the key developers? For instance;

  • Sacnoth, the company who developed Koudelka and the Shadow Hearts series, was formed by ex-Squaresoft employees, who wished to take RPGs in a different direction. Unfortunately, through a lack of funding and faith, they couldn't take it quite as far as they wanted, and ended up with a curious (and, in my opinion, brilliant) combination of horror and RPG.

  • The concept of Project Zero came from the idea of getting right up close and personal to the ghosts, instead of running away, as in other games (and that works pretty well too).

  • The first Final Fantasy game is called Final Fantasy because, at the time, Square was dying, and the game was to be their swan song.

  • Final Fantasy IV was originally released as FFI in Europe and North America, because the first three games were only available in Japan. Although the first two games were later released for the GBA and PSX, the third game is only available on the DS.



See? Don't worry if you can't think of anything; you can always just list down other games the company is known for (or, if this is their first, mention that), when the game was released...



Characters

One? Dozens? Do you control them directly, or does the AI? How intelligent is the AI? Do the characters stick around, or are you going to want to strip them of their equipment before they disappear for half the game? Are they voiced? How is the voice acting? Do you care about the characters, or are you killing half of them off every chance you get? Are you relying on one character while the others sit on the sidelines, or are you completely ignoring one useless character and using the others? Does the player's style make much of a difference in how useful a character is? For instance, games like Shadow Hearts and Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, use different models of attack for each character, so while some people will find Alice and Zhuzhen effective, others will fail their judgement rings constantly, and prefer Margarete or Keith. Are the characters clichéd, unique? Do they fall into any specific roles (ie, Princess and Knight, the Ditzy one, the Solemn Violent Girl, the Smart One)? Is this well done or clunky? Were you rolling your eyes, or utterly entranced?

Spoilers

Avoid them. You're trying to describe the feel of the game, not the plot. If you must include any, warn for them.

Writing The Review

Now you've got all those notes scribbled down, it's time to put it all together. Start with an introduction, usually involving the trivia or history of the game, and then work your way through your notes. What you're attempting to achieve is to describe the feel of the game, so people can tell whether it will be something they'd enjoy or not.

Monday 4 January 2010

Final Fantasy I - Monster List

This table lists the monsters found in the first Final Fantasy game, and where to find them. This list is applicable to the version released for the PSX as Final Fantasy Origins, along with FF2.

I wrote it because the game includes two very simple lists (you can find them in the menu, under 'config') - items collected, and monsters defeated. Each treasure chest opened adds to your percentage on the former, while each different kind of monster defeated adds to your percentage on the latter. As you complete these lists, more artwork will be unlocked.

I admit, the sheer fact that a percentage is listed means that I want to reach 100%. It's impossible to find a similar guide anywhere that I've seen, simply because most sites are geared towards the US, where I gather the games were released differently. And, half the time, they're for the GBA edition anyway.

Use ctrl+f to search through the list. It's ordered as it appears in the game, which is, generally speaking, in order of appearance. The places listed may not be the only places the enemy can be found. The objective is - as far as I'm concerned - to fill in empty spaces. Should you find one, look up the monster just above it and scroll down.

Because I'm already 65% through on my current playthrough, at the time of writing, for many monsters, the location will simply be the name of the dungeon.
































































































































































































































































Name of Monster Where can I find it?
Goblin Near Cornelia
Goblin Guard Near Cornelia
Wolf Near Cornelia
Crazy Horse Near Cornelia
Skeleton Temple of Chaos
Black Widow Temple of Chaos
Gigas Worm
Temple of Chaos
Warg Wolf
Temple of Chaos
WerewolfTemple of Chaos
Zombie Temple of Chaos
GhoulTemple of Chaos
Garland Boss of the Temple of Chaos
CobraNear Provoca
Ogre Near Provoca
Ogre Chieftain Near Provoca
Lizard Near Provoca
Pirate Provoca
Sahagin Ocean
Sahagin Chief
Ocean
Privateer Ocean
Shark Ocean
Goggler Ocean
Tarantula Near Elfheim
Ghast Near Elfheim
Scorpion Marsh Cave
Shadow Marsh Cave
Green Slime Marsh Cave
Crawler Marsh Cave
Gray Ooze
Marsh Cave
Gargoyle Marsh Cave
Piscodemon Marsh Cave
Astos Western Keep
Mummy Where can I find it?
Wraith Where can I find it?
Anaconda Where can I find it?
Hyenadon Where can I find it?
Lesser Tiger
Where can I find it?
Minotaur Where can I find it?
Hill Gigas Where can I find it?
Gnoma Where can I find it?
Troll Where can I find it?
Wight Where can I find it?
Ochre Jelly
Where can I find it?
Cockatrice Where can I find it?
Vampire Where can I find it?
Ogre Mage Where can I find it?
Sphinx Where can I find it?
Lich Where can I find it?
Centipede Where can I find it?
Piranha Where can I find it?
Red Piranha Where can I find it?
Crocodile

River near Crescent Lake
White Croc River near Crescent Lake
Ochu River near Crescent Lake
Neochu River near Crescent Lake
HydraRiver near Crescent Lake
Horned DevilMt Gulg
Pyrolisk Mt Gulg
PyrosMt Gulg
Fire HydraMt Gulg
Lava Worm

Mt Gulg
HellhoundMt Gulg
Fire Lizard Mt Gulg
Fire Gigas Mt Gulg
Red Dragon Mt Gulg
MarilithMt Gulg
White Dragon Ice Cavern
Winter Wolf Ice Cavern
Mind Flare Ice Cavern
Ice Gigas Ice Cavern
Specter Ice Cavern
Remora Ice Cavern
Dark Wizard Ice Cavern
Evil Eye Ice Cavern
Desert Baretta Near Onlak
Sabretooth Near Onlak
Wyvern Near Onlak
Wyrm Flying Fortress
Manticore Near Onlak
Baretta Near Lufenia
Basilisk Where can I find it?
Allosaurus Near the Tower of Mirage
Weretiger Near the Citadel of Trials
???? Where can I find it?
NecrotaurCitadel of Trials
King Mummy Citadel of Trials
Medusa Citadel of Trials
Rakshasa Citadel of Trials
Clay Golem
Citadel of Trials
Nightmare Citadel of Trials
Dragon Zombie Citadel of Trials
Sahagin Prince Sunken Shrine
White Shark Sunken Shrine
Deepeyes Sunken Shrine
Sea SnakeSunken Shrine
Sea Scorpion Sunken Shrine
Sea TrollSunken Shrine
Ghost Sunken Shrine
Aquos Sunken Shrine
Water Naga Sunken Shrine
Kraken Boss of the Sunken Shrine
???? Where can I find it?
Black Knight Tower of Mirage
Chimera Tower of Mirage
Guardian Tower of Mirage
Blue Dragon Tower of Mirage
Green Dragon
Temple of Chaos
Stone Golem Flying Fortress
Aeros Flying Fortress
Spirit Naga Flying Fortress
Doom Knight Flying Fortress
Earth Medusa Flying Fortress
Dark Flan Flying Fortress
Soldier Flying Fortress
Vampire Lord Flying Fortress
Dark Warrior Flying Fortress
Warmech Flying Fortress. You only have a 1/64 chance of meeting this monster. The best place is on the bridge just before fighting Tiamat.
Tiamat Boss of the Flying Fortress
Rhyos Temple of Chaos
Death Eye Temple of Chaos
Purple Worm Temple of Chaos
Name of Monster Where can I find it?
Lich Temple of Chaos
Marilith Temple of Chaos
Kraken Temple of Chaos
Tiamat Temple of Chaos
Chaos Temple of Chaos