THE GREAT FIGUEREDO!!

Did I see him today?

Well....yes, but not without having to make a considerable fuss first.

The appointment was for midday and we were actually seen at 1.30, but received no apology from the rather up himself registrar who had been appointed to deal with me in place of the great man.

Minutes into my consultation, there was a knock at the door and another registrar them proceeded to ask MY guy for advice about one of HER patients. This went on for ten minutes, with Charles and I twiddling our thumbs and quietly fuming.

Once I DID have my eye examined, it transpired that I do actually have active infection at the moment, although I had been unaware of this because the cornea is now so desensitised due to the scarring that I will feel less pain. This was a bit of a blow, as I thought it had all cleared up.

We then proceeded to ask laddo the questions we had no intention of leaving without receiving answers to. We wanted to know, basically, what, if anything, can be done to restore any vision to that eye.

I can honestly say, that I have never had such a snotty response. When we asked how long it could take for the infection to clear up, the response was - "How longs a piece of string?" And when I questioned the proposal to change the prescription of my specs - BECAUSE I KNOW I HAVE NO VISION AND see everything though a cottonwool effect - I was informed "I've been doing this job for ten years so I know what I'm talking about!!"

At this point I felt it necessary to point out that I had in fact been attached to my eye for half a century and I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT and that I wasn't prepared to leave without being seen by the top man in his field (Mr Figueredo, not Sam Allardyce!)

Laddo replied quite petulantly, "Do you want me to go and get him then?"

"Er, yes please, but if it's not too much trouble. He's been my consultant for the last seven years, and has only deigned to spend thirty seconds in my company up to now, so, yes, going to get him would be a good move."

So, to cut a long story short(ish) - the great man DID come - and he DID listen to me and he DID examine me and he DID talk to me, explaining the possible courses of action and he DID prescribe new meds and dosages. (As opposed to continuing with the same prescription, which is what Mr 'I've been doing this job for ten years, so I know what I'm talking about' Reistrar.)

AND - I've to go back in a fortnight - to see the Great Man himself AND I managed to get a 9am appoinment, so I shouldn't have to wait for an hour and a half before I'm seen.