Pseudocyst

The adventures and life of a Specialist Nurse in Upper GI and Bariatric surgery. If you then double and triple this by having a primary school age child AND being married to another Nurse then you have double the trouble….aehm I mean fun. Hobbies are playing chess, board games and being taxi for our son!!!

Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this blog are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  • Pandemic Survival: Because Apparently We Needed More Stress in Our Lives

    Disclaimer This blog entry represents my personal thoughts, reflections, confusions, questionable life choices, and general observations on board gaming. It does not represent the views of: – the Holiday Inn – the World Health Organization – local pandemic preparedness teams – any board game publishers – or Stephen, who is probably already stressed enough. No Read more

  • Holiday’s Over – Batteries Recharged, Wallet Depleted, Reality Restored

    Disclaimer This post may contain traces of sarcasm, mild exaggeration, and leftover holiday smugness. Any resemblance between the author and a functioning adult is purely coincidental. No Aldi trolleys, tennis balls, or board-game meeples were harmed in the making of this post. Side effects may include eye-rolling, spontaneous laughter, and the urge to check if Read more

  • Half-Term, Hemoglobin & Haircuts

    Disclaimer No safeguarding officers, blood donors, or hairdressers were harmed in the making of this blog Tomorrow officially marks the start of my short holiday — a grand total of four and a half days, which in NHS time feels like two hours and a nap. My wife has already been off since last Friday Read more

  • Norms, Mountains & One Horrible Move

    Disclaimer The following contains mild traces of self-pity, regret, caffeine withdrawal, and the occasional burst of chess-related melodrama. No boards were flipped in the making of this post. All views are entirely my own, occasionally supported by logic, coffee, and deep sighs. Please read responsibly. So: the title norm climb for my correspondence chess SIM Read more

  • Two Tournaments, 29 Boards, One Sanity: A Correspondence Chess Survival Plan

    Disclaimer No openings were harmed. Any blunders were raised ethically on a free-range analysis board. There’s a comforting myth that once you’ve got “IM” next to your name you can retire to a hammock woven from laurel leaves and engine hash tables. Sadly, titles don’t auto-renew like Netflix. And because I didn’t exactly study the Read more

  • Interpreting Liver Blood Tests in the UK: ALT, ALP and Bilirubin — Mechanisms, Patterns, and What NAFLD/NASH, ARLD and Gallstones Do to Them

    Disclaimer Educational overview for clinicians and informed readers; not individual medical advice. Following my recent entry regarding LFT’s I though I follow this up with this blog entry: Why these three markers matter “Liver function tests” (LFTs) are misnamed: ALT and ALP are primarily injury/excretory markers, while bilirubin reports excretory capacity and, when high, overall Read more

  • “Check, Please” — My First Chess Tournament in a Decade

    Disclaimer This post contains scenes of mild self-deprecation, time scrambles, and questionable endgame technique. Viewer discretion advised. All views expressed in this post are entirely my own and written in a personal capacity. This blog is for entertainment purposes only and does not represent the views of my employer, colleagues, or any chess federation I Read more

  • The Curious Case of the Liver Enzymes (or: Why My Wife Thinks I Don’t Know My Job)

    Disclaimer: This blog post is brought to you by the Department of “Apparently I Know Nothing.” Any resemblance to real domestic discussions is entirely intentional. Medical information below is accurate (because yes, I do actually know my job), but the tone is—how shall we put it—somewhere between “Dad joke” and “mild existential sigh.” The Interrogation Read more

  • The Regional Adventure: When It (Finally) Clicked!

    Disclaimer This post reflects our personal family experiences with junior tennis tournaments and should not be mistaken for professional sporting advice. All opinions are our own and written with a large cup of coffee in hand, some laughter, and mild parental exhaustion Intro Back in August, while we were still on holiday and our son Read more

  • The Return of the (Almost) Chess Player

    *Or: How £27 Bought Me Nothing but Itchy Feet* Disclaimer This blog is written in a light-hearted spirit. Any financial decisions regarding tournament entry fees, refunds, or Domino’s pizzas are entirely my own and should not be taken as financial advice. Any references to my chess titles or ratings are purely factual and not an Read more