u/SpeechTherapy85

My job mostly involves working alone with very little social interaction, so I try to use weekends to see friends and do things like bowling, arcades, eating out, day trips, or just hanging out.

I have ADHD and find it hard to enjoy spending time with people I don’t find interesting, so I struggle to make new friends. I mainly have three people who I hang out with often: A, U, and L.

A rarely meets up, but we message almost every day. U is responsive, but often cancels plans at the last minute, and I don’t really enjoy messaging him. L usually does meet up, but over the last year he has become very unreliable. He is often 30–60 minutes late and can take 2–3 days to reply to simple messages.

Recently, L and I bought passes for various attractions. We agreed to go to a theme park, and he said he would book his ticket. After two days with no response, I had to chase him, and eventually I cancelled my booking and suggested going next month instead. He agreed, but by this point I’ve lost a lot of trust in his reliability. Making plans with him often feels like a 3–5 day process because of how slowly he responds.

Because of all this, I’ve started spending more weekends at home, which I find boring and mentally draining, I crave social interaction. I sometimes try doing things alone, but I really don’t enjoy it. For example, I went to the zoo alone because nobody was available, and even though I normally love the zoo, I hated the experience.

I also don’t have a car, so travelling further away is difficult, and I don’t enjoy most local activities by myself.

I feel a bit stuck. My current friends are unreliable, but I also find it difficult to make new friends unless I genuinely find someone interesting. I’m not really sure what to do. I don't have a car, so going to these hobby clubs can be difficult too.

I’ve been diagnosed with combined-type ADHD and am currently going through medication titration. I initially tried Concerta XL, switched to Elvanse, and have now switched back to Concerta XL.

I’m currently taking 54 mg of Concerta XL each day. The plan is to stay on this dose for two weeks and then increase to 72 mg by taking one 54 mg tablet and one 18 mg tablet together.

I usually take my medication at around 10 am with breakfast. I notice positive effects for approximately two to four hours. However, from around 2 pm until 9 pm, I tend to feel sad, bored or emotionally flat. This feeling then goes away, and by the time I go to bed at around 11 pm, my mood is usually good again.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I know that Concerta crashes can happen, but this seems quite early for the medication to be wearing off.

I think I read someone comment somewhere that adding a small dose of immediate-release methylphenidate when the crash begins can sometimes help. I plan to discuss this with my prescriber at my next review.

I also take a bile-acid sequestrant with lunch, although my prescriber is aware that I’m taking this sequestrant. 

I’m also wondering whether this could simply be an afternoon slump. Perhaps taking Concerta earlier would mean accepting that I function at my best from around 7 am to midday instead. I’d be interested to hear whether anyone has had a similar experience.

Had Restalyne injection in both vocal cords 2 days ago, completed 48 hours voice rest, tried speaking gently today, unable to bring out any sound only a whisper, have an important meeting next week that I am not able to reschedule, stressed and worried.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Does anyone know how the process would work if I were successful at interview and received an offer for another department?

As this would be a level transfer to another government department, would the initial offer normally be provisional, allowing some time to discuss the position with my current line manager before formally accepting the role?

I have a few employment-related requests that I previously discussed with HR for the new role, and these would be important factors in my decision whether I want to remain in my current role or go for the new role (if offered). My current line manager is on leave for a week, so I may need a short period to speak with them and obtain the relevant information required to give to HR before responding to the offer.

I appreciate that no offer has been made at this stage; I am asking in advance so that I understand the process and likely timescales.

Hi all,

I was due to have a planned NHS day-case procedure under general anaesthetic today. This had been booked weeks in advance, and I had also actively chased to get it booked because it is something I’ve been waiting for a while.

I took time off work, woke up early and stopped eating after 7:06am, travelled around 1 hour to the hospital, and had to be dropped off/picked up by my parents. I went through admission/observations, but then I was notified by the doctor that a required product/medication needed for the actual procedure was apparently not available/in stock, so they cancelled the procedure.

I’m trying not to blame individual staff, and to be fair the doctor was apologetic, so I’m not furious at them personally. I’m just frustrated because this product is central to the procedure itself. Apart from the general anaesthetic side of things, it is basically the main thing needed for the treatment. If the procedure was booked weeks in advance, I don’t understand why the required product wasn’t checked, ordered, or reserved for the procedure beforehand.

And why was I not notified beforehand?? Even if it had been like a few hours before instead of after being admitted? They even emailed me on Friday saying we are good to have the procedure.

Why not call me and be like “hey, sorry we don’t have x in stock but we are trying to get it. Do you want to reschedule or you can come but we’ll have to cancel your procedure if x does not arrive by admission time?”

The consultant only seems to operate once every few weeks, so I’m worried this may now mean at least a few weeks’ delay at least. The doctor said he would ask the waiting list coordinator to call me tomorrow, so let’s see if they do. If not then I will call them.

Would it be appropriate to contact PALS at this stage, or should I wait and see what the waiting list coordinator says first?

For any future procedure, plan is to call 1–2 days beforehand to confirm the list is still going ahead and that any required materials/equipment/products are ready

Has anyone had an NHS procedure cancelled after arrival because something required for the procedure was missing/not in stock? What is the best way to handle this as I am quite tired?

Do hospitals cancel/reschedule surgery if patient does not bring slippers and dressing gown?

For a day case but the letter says to bring them, but don’t have any and procedure soon.

I have normal trainers for footwear and it’s probably like 30 degrees tomorrow and can wear jacket if cold?

I was diagnosed with combined ADHD a few weeks ago and I’m currently still on titration, taking Concerta XL 54mg.

I really struggle with weekends. I only really meet up with around three close friends, and even that is irregular because they work different hours or have other commitments. When I do meet them, I really enjoy it because it feels like I’m “charging my social battery.” During the week, I barely speak to anyone outside my family, and my job is not very social or vocal.

Some weekends, I do not meet any friends at all, and I find that quite difficult. I usually try to go out on weekends, but I do not really enjoy doing solo activities. Does anyone else with ADHD find this to be the case?

I often find myself looking forward to Monday because weekdays feel more structured and productive. On Friday evenings, I can feel quite sad unless I already have plans for the weekend.

It is also harder because I cannot really drive, I get tired quickly, and I have Crohn’s disease. This limits the places I can go, especially if they are far away or difficult to access by public transport.

I struggle to make friends as if I find people boring or not a "good match", then this puts me off, and I would rather spend time by myself than with people who I don't enjoy the company off, if that makes sense?

How do other people manage weekends when they do not have social plans? I am thinking of maybe volunteering, studying for something, or trying to find a part-time job for the weekend that involves socialising with people, for example working in retail, but this is something to consider down the line. And would you say this is an ADHD thing?

I was diagnosed with combined ADHD a few weeks ago and I’m currently still on titration, taking Concerta XL 54mg.

I really struggle with weekends. I only really meet up with around three close friends, and even that is irregular because they work different hours or have other commitments. When I do meet them, I really enjoy it because it feels like I’m “charging my social battery.” During the week, I barely speak to anyone outside my family, and my job is not very social or vocal.

Some weekends, I do not meet any friends at all, and I find that quite difficult. I usually try to go out on weekends, but I do not really enjoy doing solo activities. Does anyone else with ADHD find this to be the case?

I often find myself looking forward to Monday because weekdays feel more structured and productive. On Friday evenings, I can feel quite sad unless I already have plans for the weekend.

It is also harder because I cannot really drive, I get tired quickly, and I have Crohn’s disease. This limits the places I can go, especially if they are far away or difficult to access by public transport.

I struggle to make friends as if I find people boring or not a "good match", then this puts me off, and I would rather spend time by myself than with people who I don't enjoy the company off, if that makes sense?

How do other people manage weekends when they do not have social plans? I am thinking of maybe volunteering, studying for something, or trying to find a part-time job for the weekend that involves socialising with people, for example working in retail, but this is something to consider down the line. And would you say this is an ADHD thing?

New Vodafone broadband customer, installed but no internet for over 4 days

I’m a new Vodafone broadband customer. Openreach installed my Vodafone broadband on Monday, but the internet has not worked at all since installation.

I raised the issue with Vodafone on Tuesday. After I spent almost 1.5 hours on the phone with them trying various different things to see if it would work, they escalated it to “engineers” and told me I would receive an update on 02/07/2026, but I have not heard anything. Whenever I request an update through my Vodafone account, it just says: “We’re already working on your broadband issue" after a bit.

It is now the weekend tomorrow and I have been relying on my mobile hotspot for work this week, but I cannot do this long-term. This is causing a lot of inconvenience and is not really acceptable.

I am not sure who is at fault. It could be an Openreach installation/provisioning issue, but Vodafone confirmed that the physical setup looked okay, and my contract is with Vodafone. Vodafone’s contract is with Openreach, so I assume Vodafone are responsible for getting this resolved.

The Wi-Fi network connects, but the internet itself does not work. Devices connect to the Wi-Fi, but websites and apps do not load.

Has anyone else had a similar issue with Vodafone/Openreach where everything looks connected but there is no usable internet? How long did it take to fix? I am now considering cancelling, but that would also be a huge hassle because I need broadband soon.

UPDATE: It seems like removing the LAN cables from the back of router now makes the internet work... interesting.

I’ve recently been diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea from a home sleep study. My report says AHI 7.1, ODI 8.7, mean oxygen saturation 94.4%, and the consultant said I “only” have mild sleep apnoea and offered a CPAP trial in 4 weeks to see if it helps my daytime tiredness/symptoms.

The issue is I have a long-awaited day-case ENT/vocal cord procedure under general anaesthetic coming up in like 5 days. Pre-op are now saying that because CPAP has been mentioned, I may need to use CPAP for 6 weeks before surgery is even considered, but decision is still pending and I will ask the pre-op assessment nurse that I want to speak to the consultant anaesthetist.

I’m quite frustrated because CPAP was offered as a trial for symptoms, not because anyone told me surgery was unsafe. Another sleep consultant also said in writing that my mild OSA should not significantly affect anaesthesia/surgery.

I’m also anxious because during the home sleep study, I don’t think I actually slept for the full recording time of 9 hours 31 minutes that they are stating. I may have only slept around 3–5 hours and didn’t sleep much on my back, so I’m worried my OSA could be underestimated and maybe closer to moderate.

For those with sleep apnoea:
Did any of you have general anaesthetic before being established on CPAP? Did pre-op delay your surgery just because CPAP was being trialled, or did the anaesthetist review it individually?

I’m just really anxious and frustrated because I’ve been waiting a long time for this vocal procedure and I would have to wait another 10 weeks + if its cancelled probably, but I’m also scared of general anaesthetic with OSA as I have never done it before, and only recently diagnosed with sleep apnea.

I’m due to have a long-awaited day-case vocal cord procedure under general anaesthetic next week under a different NHS trust than my main one.

I have mild sleep apnoea from a recent sleep study. I already told pre-op that I had sleep apnoea symptoms/findings, and they seemed happy to proceed on that basis. A locum sleep consultant also said they were happy with me going into surgery based on my sleep study findings, but CPAP can be discussed later for long term symptoms management.

I then had a sleep clinic appointment recently where the doctor suggested I could trial CPAP in around 4 weeks to see if it helps with tiredness/energy levels. He was also made aware of my vocal procedure next week, but he didn't raise any concerns though he did tell me to give the report to the surgeon, and he will tell his secretary to urgently process it. I am currently chasing this.

Now the pre-op assessment nurse called today saying that if CPAP trial is mentioned, I may have to wait until I have used CPAP for 6 weeks before they will even consider the surgery. That could delay my procedure by 10+ weeks.

I’m honestly really frustrated because I tried hard to do everything properly. I told pre-op about the sleep apnoea, attended the sleep clinic appointment, and chased the report, why did the pre-op nurse not mention a possible delay due to CPAP and I could have discussed this in detail with the sleep consultant when I had the appt. The nurse seemed happy to continue despite knowing about the sleep apnoea symptoms without discussing anything about the mentioning of a CPAP causing a delay.

I’ve emailed the surgeon’s secretary asking for this to be urgently reviewed, and will chase the sleep consultant tomorrow for the report.

The pre-op nurse plans to call me tomorrow. Can I request that the surgeon/anaesthetist team review this instead of it being directly blocked by the pre-op nurse, do I have that right as a patient? Can the surgeon overrule the pre-op nurse on something like this, or would it ultimately need to be decided by the anaesthetist?

Is this normal, or should this be reviewed by the anaesthetist/surgeon rather than treated as an automatic delay? Really frustrated. This is my first time doing a procedure under GA too.

26M, 5 ft 10, around 90 kg, non-smoker, based in the UK.

**Current medications:**
Cholestyramine Light 4 g twice daily — for bile acid malabsorption
Vitamin D 4000 IU, 2–3 times per week — for deficiency
Protopic 0.1% ointment as needed, usually at least once weekly — for eczema/itchy skin
Fexofenadine hydrochloride 120 mg once daily as needed — for hayfever
Concerta XL 54 mg once daily in the morning — for ADHD, currently under titration

**Medications I may be starting soon:**
Infliximab — for Crohn’s disease
Possibly alfuzosin 10 mg — for bladder issues, pending ultrasound results

**Existing conditions:**
Active small bowel Crohn’s disease
Bile acid malabsorption
Fatty liver with raised ALT around 100+, currently under hepatology investigation
Eczema / itchy skin condition
Vitamin D deficiency
Hayfever
ADHD

**Current issue:**
I was prescribed flucloxacillin four times daily for 5 days for irritated/infected skin behind both ears. I am now on day 5, the final day.

I have noticed only slight improvement. The skin now seems to be becoming irritated again behind both ears. I am unable to add images as it is barely visible behind my ears at the moment.

Unfortunately, I have not taken the flucloxacillin at perfectly regular intervals. This week has been difficult because I had a liver MRI, ultrasound, other appointments, and I have also had to time the antibiotic around cholestyramine and meals. Some doses were delayed and the gaps have been inconsistent. But I plan on finishing it.

I also have a vocal procedure under general anaesthetic next week, in around 6–7 days. This will be my first time having general anaesthetic, so I am quite anxious.

**My concerns are:**

1. Could the irregular flucloxacillin timings mean the skin infection is still active?

Even if I finish the course? Timings gap range from 4-5 hours to 9-10 hours between doses.

1. Is it likely that this has caused or increased the risk of MRSA?
2. Could this affect whether my vocal procedure under general anaesthetic can go ahead next week? I really want to avoid a delay as I have been waiting for this procedure for a long time.

I am planning to contact my GP tomorrow to ask for an urgent review and possibly a skin swab/culture. I would also like to know whether I need a longer course, a different antibiotic, or any further treatment.

I am very stressed because I do not want my procedure to be delayed, but I also want to make sure it is safe.

I have a condition that would need PVR assessment (confirmed with private urologist that this is clinically correct) to see how much urine is leftover after I urinate, but I am not sure if the GP has requested it as all I can see is ultrasound urinary tract. They have asked me to come with full bladder and not go to the toilet until after the scan, but no mention of if a quick second scan will be done to measure leftover urine in bladder.

Obviously it would be a waste of time for both me, my GP, and the ultrasound team to have to do this scan again because PVR was not done, and the GP would probably request it again. Would the ultrasound person usually do a PVR assessment if I mention this as I think a PVR may add like maybe 3-4 minutes to the scan as I just have to go to the toilet and then they scan me after again? or they only do whatever the GP requested to the dot? This is all bearing in mind that they do not do PVR anyway, as they might do it as default even though nothing is mentioned on the letter for it.

Quite stressed about this as my appt is today and I really don't want to wait another month or two for another ultrasound and I don't think I can afford a private ultrasound with PVR in the meantime...

UPDATE: they did the PVR measurement

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD combined type around 4 weeks ago. I took Concerta XL 18 mg for around 2 weeks, then 36 mg for around 10 days, and today was my first day on 54 mg.

I have noticed some possible benefits on Concerta XL, including better emotional regulation, around maybe 10–15% improvement in focus, and slightly better appetite control, which is helpful as I am trying to lose weight. However, I still get distracted a lot and struggle to focus on tasks, and struggle with boredom often.

Today on 54 mg, I felt good in the morning, but from around 3pm I felt slightly low in mood, although this may have been affected by the heat.

The plan is to trial 54 mg for 4 weeks and then consider Elvanse if it does not help enough. My concern is that because I have noticed some benefit from Concerta XL, I am unsure how to judge whether it is “good enough” or whether switching is the right step.

How would I know whether I am on the right dose and medication? What level of improvement should I realistically expect from Concerta XL 54 mg before deciding whether to continue it, adjust treatment, or consider switching to Elvanse? 

Either way I am assuming if we do try Elvanse, then can move back to Concerta if Elvanse does not help?

Of course I do plan on discussing this at my medication review, but wanted to seek some thoughts from here first. 

I have a bunch of “long term” illnesses requiring me to have frequent visits to GP, so on average maybe once or twice a week, with some long periods with no visits at all and other periods with more frequent visits. These are all valid clinical visits, for e.g. vaccines, GP appts, blood tests, picking up and handing in samples for the lab, booking appts, referrals, etc. So far they have been accommodating.

But I was wondering if the GP can eventually remove me from their list as I may be costing them too much in resources as one single patient vs the average patient?

I had a vaccine appointment today at my local GP for two vaccines. The nurse seemed somewhat distracted or possibly affected by the heat, and I found myself having to prompt her several times during the appointment.

For example, I had to remind her to clean the injection site before administering the vaccine. She also initially forgot that I was due to receive a second vaccine and only administered it after I reminded her. Although she then used a wipe, I am not sure if she injected into the area she had cleaned.

After the second injections, there was a significant amount of bleeding. The nurse appeared surprised by this amount and applied a plaster, I think it was a bit more painful than usual where she injected too compared to the first one.

I am also concerned that she may not have recorded the vaccine batch numbers as I can’t see it mentioned on the notes in NHS App. She discarded one of the vaccine boxes before I could note the details. I managed to ask for a photo of the second vaccine box before it was thrown away. The first vaccine had been dispensed by the pharmacy, so I plan to contact them tomorrow to see whether they can provide the batch number.

There was also some uncertainty about scheduling my next dose for the first vaccine. To be fair, this may partly have been due to my circumstances, as I received the first dose privately about five months ago and did not complete the recommended follow-up doses at the time.

Is this normal? Is it worth me chasing down the batch numbers or does it not matter?

Does PCS have a cooling off period where you have to wait before receiving help after joining?

So if someone joined a few days ago, but needs advice today/tomorrow.

And do we email the work email of the rep or their personal / union email (if they have one)?

I often check my NHS App and sometimes notice mistakes in my GP record. When I have pointed these out in the past, the practice has usually been quick to correct them.

I now need to raise a more serious issue. I can see entries in my NHS App that are not true. What happened was that the hospital accidentally mixed another patient’s results and diagnosis with my name and details and sent this information to my GP practice. It looks as though the GP practice may then have coded those entries into my medical record.

I have already informed the hospital. They apologised and said they have sent a letter to the GP practice explaining the error, this was done a few months ago and I can see the letter in the app. I now want to confirm whether the incorrect entries have actually been removed from my GP record.

If I remember correctly, a friend who works in the NHS mentioned that if I can still see the entries in the NHS App, that may mean they have not been removed. However, I do not know whether that is definitely correct.

My concern is whether repeatedly pointing out errors, or asking for corrections, could lead to my GP practice restricting or removing my access to the NHS App. I have several chronic illnesses, so I do spend a lot of time reviewing my records and trying to make sure they are accurate.

Due for my Engerix B vaccination and Shingles vaccination on Monday (required to become up to date with vaccine prior to starting Infliximab infusions for my Crohn's disease), but I am unsure if I should take Concerta XL 36mg on the day or not. Still going through titration. Have asked the ADHD prescriber but they told me to ask my GP. GP closed during weekend I think, so unable to ask them. Planning to ask pharmacist tomorrow, and also ask a non-NHS GP.

But has anyone experienced anything? I think I read somewhere that someone almost died from a certain type of vaccine and taking their adhd meds on the same day??

They seem to use a different grade structure, but also put the CS equivalent grade in their job adverts.

For example, "Band F / SEO". So would existing SEOs get to keep their current salary if it's a bit higher (2k-3k extra) than the advertised range for example?

Also, anyone know if contractual work from home is transferrable?