Happy Friday all, and welcome to this week’s waffle, in which I periodically like to share my own slip-ups and general tomfoolery, in the hope that it might spare you, our dear patients, unnecessary tedium or suffering.

This Thursday morning, I awoke early (the clocks have changed, my body clock is still catching up). As is often the case, until I give it an actual waking day to deal with, my brain sets off in somewhat overactive mode. It likes to scan frenetically for something to worry about. And it was in this stimulated state that I picked up my phone to see an email from Southern Water indicating a terrifyingly high number for our water bill.

Now, for context, we have a bit of form with Southern Water. A few years ago, they repeatedly read the wrong meter for us; the one belonging to the local dairy farm; resulting in gargantuan overcharging. So my instant reaction was ‘Tut tut, they’ve done that thing again. How much time am I going to have to waste on the phone this time…?’

Further, because I was feeling active, I decided to throw on my trainers and venture out to our verge, where our water meters can be found. I fancy myself as a bit of a can-do gal and, undaunted by the very solid-looking manhole covers, decided to get the 'lifting tool thingy' from the toolbox.

‘I can do this and I will jolly well show them’ was my general 6.23am vibe…

Fast forward five minutes and, having uncovered the meters, I made two discoveries, both undesirable. Firstly, Southern Water had actually read the correct meter, and secondly, it is considerably easier to lift a manhole cover than it is to get it back in its hole!

Yes, dear reader, I had managed to fully block our driveway by lifting up two manhole covers in a 6.23am fit of pique, and now I was being resoundingly humbled. All my well-laid plans for a workout, cup of coffee and generally zen start to the day were evaporating before my very eyes.

It’s at this point that my knight in shining armour arrived. Not Tom this time (he is, of course, my top pick generally, but was still asleep like a sane person), but a wonderful gentleman from R H Hammond building contractors (I wish I’d got your name!) who was driving by and saw me grappling with enormous lumps of metal and tarmac by the roadside. He accurately surmised I was in a pickle of significant proportions and leapt out of his vehicle. He proceeded to jovially sort the situation out in minutes, with his highly competent assortment of tools, levers and general experience in such matters.

Thank you, thank you, oh thank you, lovely man from R H Hammond who was working in Sparsholt that morning. I am endlessly grateful!

We are not done yet, however… because when I finally sat down at my desk to properly and calmly read the Southern Water email and work out where the terrifyingly big number had come from, it turned out that it covered an entire year (not a month, as I had assumed!) and we had already covered most of it with our direct debit.

So all in all, it was the biggest non-drama, a molehill that I had single-handedly turned into a very literal concrete mountain. Doh!

I share this with you partly for sheer entertainment, but also as a parable in ‘taking a beat’. Not least when thinking about your health. Whether you have a new symptom or have perhaps ordered some tests for yourself that have found ‘something’, try not to do the metaphorical equivalent of getting up at 6.23am and opening a manhole cover you then can't close!

Of course, if you have symptoms that are severe, sudden or need urgent attention, don't sit on them. But for those more uncertain situations, a moment to pause, take stock and talk things through with someone who knows what they're doing can make all the difference.

Wait for your knight or knight-ess in shining armour (aka your Winchester GP doc) and let them get out their highly competent assortment of tools, knowledge and experience in such matters. The rest of your day is likely to go way better as a result!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,

Gemma, Tom and all at Winchester GP