Dr Ayan reflects on life on the road
We asked Dr Ayan to look back over his summer on the road with the Street Doctor team and recall some of his favourite moments. Here is what he remembered.
I loved Liverpool and Cardiff the most as I used to live in both places as a child. Boy, how they've changed, but the familiar local accents and road names brought a huge smile to my face. I really enjoyed walking around the streets and seeing the local buildings like the Liver Building in Liverpool and Cardiff Castle in Wales. I even went back to see my old school in Cardiff on the way back!
The oddest ailment I came across would have to be a girl we met in Liverpool but didn't film. She kept feeling faint whenever she turned up to work... Mmm.. Nice one... Work allergy maybe? That was bizarre.
Sometimes you remember a story and sometimes you remember a case because it is interesting. I met so many nice folk on our travels but Marie in Birmingham really sticks in my mind.
She was so grateful that we picked up her high blood pressure that she thanked us for saving her life! She originally had terrible recurrent headaches but after we saw her, she was started on blood pressure treatment by her doctor. Her headaches have gone and she's hugely reduced her risk of stroke.
I also remember Neil in Cardiff who had groin pain. He turned out to have something very rare called transient osteoporosis - an xray finding of thinning bone which corrects itself spontaneously. Rare as hen's teeth.
Related Links
- High blood pressure
- BBC Health article answering a question about the best way to control blood pressure.
Health Tips
from Dr Ayan
- Eat five portions of fruit and veg a day.
- Drink plenty of water, eight glasses a day for an adult.
- Exercise is crucial. Twenty minutes minimum, three or four times a week.
- Avoid stress by managing your time better. If you leave everything to the last minute then it creates stressful situations.