Submitted by Aspergillus Administrator on 30 May 2012
Written by the National Aspergillosis Centre Manager Chris Harris, this poem has resulted from many conversations with many hundreds of patients
Things have been wrong for quite some time
Some days I struggle, some days I’m fine
I’m breathless, tired and ask for tests
To see what is happening with my chest
They tell me I have some fungal spores
But do not understand the cause
So I ask around and make a fuss
And discover a fungus called Aspergillus
I use the clever search engine to find out the facts
Which directs me to experts at a place called “NAC”
I ask my doc if he will send me there
Though still want him to share my care
He agrees it would be nice to be helped
To unravel the mystery that has developed
So he sends me off to visit the team
And asks me to tell him what knowledge I glean
I meet the doc and tell my tale
Of how my strength continues to fail
Fit as a fiddle I used to be
Now I have trouble making tea
My chest is tight and I cough a lot
The nurse then tells me to spit in a pot
For some special test to see what it grows
Funny named fungus that few of us knows
What did I do in my fitter days?
Cos now they are spent having frequent x-rays
Blood tests are taken for more special tests
Which leaves my arm in need of a rest
But although I feel like I want to curse
I would be lost without my specialist nurse
The doc keeps an eye on my CT scan
To check and see if my cavity has gone
He sends me away with a cocktail of medicine
And they ask me to fill their questionnaire in
At the start of the month I can meet others like me
To share our experiences over a nice cup of tea
Speakers and staff tells us the latest news
And our friends on the web are asked their views
It’s good to know that fungus is widely debated
And makes my family and me feel less isolated
So while I know I have to keep coming back
I’m so glad to be part of the place called “NAC”
Chris Harris May 2012
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