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.

  • 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

  • When Playground Politics Spill into the Classroom (with Guiding Principles from School Policy)

    Disclaimer This post reflects our personal experiences as parents and is written in a private capacity. It is not connected to my professional role as a nurse and should not be interpreted as professional commentary. All individuals, schools and organisations are anonymised. The views expressed are entirely personal and intended for reflection only, in line Read more

  • From White Stripe Wobbles to a Yellow Belt Triumph

    Disclaimer No parents, children, or Taekwon-Do coaches were harmed in the making of this blog. Parental pride levels may, however, have gone up a notch. As always, the following is just our family’s light-hearted take on sporting life and not an official endorsement of how to revise for martial arts exams. A Kick-Start Three Years Read more

  • Compass Battles and Somerset Smashes: U9 Blackbrook Tournament Recap

    Disclaimer This blog is written in a personal capacity and reflects only our family’s experiences of junior tennis tournaments. It does not represent any official tennis body, coach, or club. Any emotional drama, questionable line calls, or parental sideline sighs are entirely our own. A Grade 4 Weekend in Taunton This weekend saw Blackbrook Tennis Read more

  • The hidden costs of bariatric surgery abroad: why the NHS can’t afford to look away

    A deep dive into the UK’s “bariatric tourism” problem — the waiting list mirage, the real cost of complications, and why we badly need an audit. Disclaimer This blog reflects my own views and analysis. It does not represent the official position of my Trust, the NHS, or any professional body. I remain firmly bound Read more