Michæl McFarland Campbell

Always telling the story

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Two minutes of silence to remember

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Every year since 1919, the nation has paused for two minutes in silence remembering the millions of men and women from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth who have served and sacrificed in defence of our democracy and way of life. Remembrance unites our communities across faiths, cultures, and generations, and the Royal British Legion want to inspire and encourage a new generation to take part in the two-minute silence and to engage with Remembrance in either traditional or new ways.

Therefore, for this Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, we have created a new ‘Pause’ film featuring spoken word artist Eno Mfon. This film both underlines why it is so important that we pause, breathe and reflect together for two-minutes as well as providing an engaging platform to discuss Remembrance and what it means to individuals and communities.

Royal British Legion

The Legion would like to encourage you to share the Pause film with your family, friends, networks and community, so we all pause, breathe and reflect together this Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

You can find the Pause film on via this link:

You can read more of my thoughts about Remembrance at Our Brave Boys: some thoughts on Armistice 100.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

November 9th, 2021 at 8:43 pm

Self care on dialysis: a journey to control

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By days, weeks, months, and years, kidney dialysis patients learn to live with their thrice-weekly life-saving dialysis treatment. The alternative of not having treatment at all is much worse. Most of us still want to live; so, in order that we might continue to do so, we travel from our home to our dialysis unit three times each week and sit in our chair or bed for anything from 3½ to 4½ hours at a time, so that the dialysis machine can do its work and clean our blood as a replacement for our failed kidneys.

As kidney patients, we have little control in our treatment. We are usually told where we will go for dialysis, what time to be there, and what time we will finish. We are reminded about what we can—and usually what we cannot—eat, and how much we are allowed to drink each day. For me, that is one litre of fluid in the day as I am basically anuric. One litre of fluid is quite quick to mount up if you don’t take a note of what you have drunk, as you drink it.

Historically, I have never been one for knowing my weight on a weekly, let alone daily, basis. That has changed with the renal failure. On arrival to the dialysis unit, the first thing we all do is to go and get ourselve weighed. This allows the nurses to calculate how much fluid we need to remove to return us to our “dry weight”. When this is done, the amount in millilitres is entered into the machine, and off we go.

For most dialyis patients, they come in and everything is done by the nursing staff in the dialysis unit they attend. For most people, this seems to be what they want to happen. There is little patient control on what happens. But there is an alternative. It is possible to take some responsibility for your own dialysis; to take part in some of the procedures that are needed to ensure that dialysis functions well.

Education

When I was a patient in the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore, I was fortune to be offered this option. I was educated in how to prepare the dialysis machine, how to set up the trolley in advance of dialysis, how to cannulate myself (put the needles in), and how to take them out at the end. These are big steps that I am sure must seem very scary to patient swho are not used to doing them, and who are used to letting the nurses do all of this.

Doing these parts of the process gave me some control over my dialysis. For me, it is important to take ownership of the treatment. It is not something done to me; it is something in which I take an active part.

For a while, once I was on the twilight shift at Tullamore, I did revert to letting the nurses do most of the process, as it meant that I was in and out in as short a time as possible. But then, in the spring of this year, I changed dialysis uni to the B Braun Wellstone Midlands Renal Care Centre in Port Laoise. I visited one week to see what it was like, and then the next week, my care was switched there. One of the main reasons that I moved was that there is a self-care room built into the unit. I am not using it yet, because it is currently in use as the isolation room for COVID-19, but the plan is that when COVID-19 is over, I will be able to do so.

Typical dialysis day

So, I now have more control over my own dialysis. A typical dialysis day for me sees the following happen on arrival to the unit:

  1. On arrival, my temperature is taken, and I take a note of it;
  2. I weigh myself, and record that in my notebook;
  3. I calculate how much fluid we’re going to take off by subtracting my dry weight from the weight recorded, and adding the Washback. Then I record that in my notebook too:
  4. I then check that I have all that I need to cannulate and to come off dialysis:
    • An on/off pack;
    • 3 syringes of saline;
    • 2 buttonhole needles;
    • 1 single-use tourniquet;
    • 1 pair of tweezers;
    • 2 plasters;
    • tape for holding the needles in place;
    • disinfection fluid; and
    • any medication needed.
  5. Once I have confirmed that I hae all I need, I wash my hands, and start to prepare the trolley.
    • I open the on/off pack, and lay the “on” pack on the trolley setting the “off” pack to one side for later;
    • I open the “on” pack, and place the sheets of gauze in the top left-hand corner of the sheet, and place the sheet for under my arm on the pillow on my chair;
    • I open the buttonhole needle packs, and allow the needle to drop onto the sheet, then do the same with the saline syringes; and then I put the saline into the needles, and lay the tips of the needles on the gauze;
    • Then I put the tweezers on the gauze, and pour some disinfectant liquid over them, and onto the gauze;
  6. I go back and wash my hands again, and wash the fistula, drying both with paper towels, and then get into my chair.

Cannulation

Cannulation follows with taking off the scabs from the fistula access points, then putting the needles into my arm, and securing them in place with the tape. When that is done, it is time to connect the dialysis machine to my arm via the needles.

I ensure that both needles are clamped, before then clamping the arterial line, taking it off the machine and connecting it to my needle, followed by the same for the venous line. Then it is time to ensure that the machine is set with the right amount of fluid to come off, in the right time. Then, when I am sure that all is set , I start the machine.

Medication and records

An example of the records table in my notebook for dialysis.

As a self-care patient, I have the responsibilty to put in the medication that is needed while I am receiving the treatment. Therefore, I have the anti-coagulation medication ready to put in when alerted to do so by the machine, just after starting the treatment. Later on in the session, there may be Aranesp, Venofer, or Zemplar as required. After putting any medication in, I always record that I have done so, and when, in my notebook. I also enter an hourly record of vital stats including: time; blood pressure; heart rate; blood flow rate; arterial pressure; venous pressure; UF rate; UF volume; and whether the machine is in HDF or HD mode. At the end of dialysis, the nurses photocopy the relevant page and put that in my notes. Historically, all of these vital stats would have been recorded by the machine, but since the cyber attack on the HSE, the dialysis machines have not been connected to the internet, so nothing is recorded that way. My notebook is my way of recording it all.

Responsibility and control

It is a simple thing, but taking some repsonsibility for my own dialysis has given me some control back on how the kidney failure is looked after. Before I started do this, I was quite an angry patient. I was very frustrated with some of the nursing staff. But now, I am much calmer, and I look forward to coming into my dialysis sessions as I have things to do.

It is not just in the dialysis unit that I have some control: I also get myself into the unit by using public transport. The sheer exhilaration of walking up from the station to the unit has really helped my mood. Of course, I know that not every dialysis patient is fortunate to be able to travel in this way, but maybe they could have a think about it.

Taking responsibility for my own care has turned the dialysis session from something that used to be a chore into something I enjoy.

Self-care or shared care?

I understand that total self-care is not for everyone. But shared care can be. I urge all dialysis patients that are fit and able to do some of the preparation to do that. Maybe it is simply weighing themselves when they arrive; maybe it is preparing the trolley before cannulation; maybe it is setting the amount of fluid to take off on the machine; maybe it is starting the blood pressure pump. Whatever part of the process that individual dialysis patients can take responsibility for, will give them some control over the whole process. I know from my experience that that can only do good. If you are a dialysis patient, why not talk to you dialysis nurse about having a go at some of this yourself?

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:22 pm

Three connexions to my paternal grandparents

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We all have grandparents. Each and every single one of us has grandparents. Some of us are fortunate to have known all four of them. I know that many have not had that fortune, but I did meet all of my grandparents. I even have some items that I was gifted by them.

This afternoon when I was tidying in the house, I found a Parker pen that I thought I had lost. It was the pen that I used when I was at Ballymena Academy. I know that I was given it by my two paternal grandparents. That must have been for my eleventh birthday — the one before I went to the grammar school. It had to have been for that birthday in early May 1989, because by the end of June my paternal grandfather, Hugh Campbell had died. He was the first of my grandparents to die.

Andrew and I have done some research to find out more about this particular pen. It turns out that it is a Parker 25 Mark III. And we know from the date letters on the cap, it was manufactured in the first quarter of 1985.

The other item I have in my possession from my paternal grandmother, Mary Campbell (née Carchrie) is a Red Letter edition of the King James Bible printed by Cambridge University Press. It is bound in black French Morroco leather, and is the Compact C.R. India paper edition, with bold-figure references. As a presentation edition, it has a note in the front saying that it was

Presented to Michael by Gran’ma with love on Confirmation 1-12-91.

This Bible is the only item that I have that has my Gran’ma’s handwriting in it.

When my paternal grandmother died in 1994, I inherited a painting of a middle-eastern woman that my grandmother had painted. It used to hang in the dining room at my grandparents’ flat in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, but now it is with us. I see it every single day, and it makes me give thanks for my grandparents and their lives. It’s just a simple picture but it is rich in colours of reds, golds, and greens, and I love it.

I burst into tears after showing each of these to Andrew. They are the only things that I can connect to my paternal grandparents other than the Campbell part of my surname. It is sometimes quite hard to believe that they both died whilst I was still at school. They were both 84 years of age when they died, albeit five years apart. That means that I am just over half way to their age now.

My usual fountain pens at the moment are my Lamy Safaris and my Lamy Vistas. I suspect, however, that they will be supplemented on occasion by this longlost friend the Parker 25. The memories of Hugh and Mary Campbell will live on for a while longer.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

July 15th, 2021 at 7:50 pm

Monastic connections

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The clue is in the name of the town, Monasterevin, or as Gaeilge, Mainistir Eimhín, of Monastery of Evan. There is clearly a link to monasticism in this place. But what is this link?

Early Irish monasticism

From the time of St Patrick there were monastic houses all over the island. It is said that St Evan, brother of Becan who died in 689, brought monks from his district in Munster, and built a monastery at Rosglas na Muimneach, where he was buried. St Evan wrote a Tripartite Life of St Patrick in Latin and Irish, and a Life of St Comgall (of Bangor). It is likely that this early monastery was destroyed by the Danes during their ravaging expeditions across the island, probably by the eighth century.

Mediæval monasticism

By the twelfth century, monasticism had seen the rise of the monks of the Order of St Benedict, and the reform of that order by the Cistercians who wanted to live a life more strictly following the Rule of St Benedict.

In the charter of the twelfth century, Dermot O’Dempsey, King of Offaly, granted and confirmed the site and possessions to the monks of Rosglas in honour of Blessed Mary and St Benedict. The charter mentions no order specifically. The first two witnesses are Nehemias, bishop of Kildare (from 1177) and Donat (Dungal), bishop of Leighlin, who died 1181. Bishop Donat had attended the Synod of Kells at which the Irish Church was reformed and divided into the dioceses we now know. It follows, therefore, that this charted must be dated between 1177 and 1181. The date of foundation has been given as 1178, as 1189, and the date of consecration as 27 October 1181. The Annals of the Abbey of St Mary Dublin give 22 October 1189 as the date of colonization from the Abbey of Baltinglass.

The inclusion of the name of St Benedict in the charter and these two dates may mean that the monastery was founded in 1178 for Irish monks of the Order of St Benedict, who wished to be and lived as Cistercians, with their official affiliation to the Cistercian Order being delayed until 1189. The founder died in 1193, and in 1198, John, Abbot of Monasterevin became the bishop of Leighlin, having been consecrated in Rome by Pope Innocent III on 18 September.

In 1228, the abbey was made subject to Fountains Abbey with the abbot of Buildwas as visitor. Both Fountains and Buildwas are in England and have substantial ruins still extant. Fountains Abbey is about three miles south-west of the city of Ripon in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The ruins are in the care of the National Trust. It is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. Buildwas Abbey is in Shropshire, on the banks of the River Severn, about two miles west of Ironbridge.

In 1273, the abbot of Monasterevin complained in the chapter general against the abbots of Kilcooly, Monasteranenagh, and Woney. In 1297, the abbot was accused of harbouring felons, murderers, and robbers. The jury found that he not done so voluntarily, and he was fined half a mark. In the taxation of 1302–06, the temporals were worth 55 shillings. The abbot was a spiritual peer and sat in the Irish Parliament. In 1427, the abbey had been almost completely despoiled of its goods. Abbot Matthew Obythechayn was accused in 1482 of various offences including of having offspring by a nun of the Order of St Brigid. In 1540–41, the value of the farm of the house of St Evin and manor of Ley was £20 13s. 4d. The grantee was George, Lord Audley and the assignee Adam Loftus, Viscount Ely. Later, the property came into the possession of the family of the Earl of Drogheda.

Monasterevin Church of Ireland

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Monasterevin. Credit: Michæl McFarland Campbell 23 Feb 2020.

The first Protestant church was built on the site of the old Cistercian Abbey Church which stood where the kitchen now is in the main house of Moore Abbey by Adam Loftus who took possession in 1607. It was rebuilt in 1664 in the same place. The Anthologia Hibernica Magazine, vol III, p. 104, 1794 says that Charles, 6th Earl of Drogheda in 1767 pulled down the old church and rebuilt it in a neat Gothic style at the other end of the town. It would appear that at least the top of the tower of the present Church of St John the Evangelist belonged to the Cistercian Abbey.

Monasticism in the parish today

It is not often that we hear of the Religious life in the Church of Ireland, but there are links to religious orders even so. There is the Community of St John the Evangelist in Dublin, present since 1912. There is Br David Jardine of the Society of St Francis living in Belfast. I can think of Fr John Gribben of the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield who originally comes from Belfast. Here in Monasterevin, in the Roman Catholic community there is the Presentation Sisters Generalate, and the Sisters of Mercy in the town, and the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary at Moore Abbey are present.

We may not have a Cistercian Abbey still extant, nor a Benedictine house, but there is a small connection to the Rule of St Benedict each day in the parish. This small connection is myself. For I am connected to an Anglican Benedictine Community called the House of Initia Nova. The community has members in the USA, Australia Great Britain as well as two on the island of Ireland. Community members live by reading a portion of the Rule of St Benedict into their lives each day. They say Morning and Evening Prayer and come together globally on Sunday evenings via Zoom. Members are ordained and lay, married and single, straight and gay. You can find out more about HIN at http://hinuki.org  

Works referred to:

Gwynn, A., & Hadcock, R. (1970). Medieval Religious Houses in Ireland. London: Longman Group Ltd.

Sr M. Stanislaus. (n.d.). Schools’ Collection, The. Retrieved June 8, 2021, from dúchas.ie: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4769966/4763140

St Mary’s Training School. (1987, March 25). Facts about St John’s Church. Monasterevin, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Originally published in In Touch, the magazine of the Parish of Portarlington Union, July and August 2021 edition.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

July 4th, 2021 at 12:50 am

HSE computer hack has helped mental health for me as a dialysis patient

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Dialysis, like much of healthcare, is all about numbers. The numbers may be examined on a yearly, quarterly, monthly, or weekly basis. Some are checked hourly during each dialysis session. Usually, these hourly numbers are registered and checked by the computer system and logged that way. However, since the attack on the HSE computer system last month, none of the dialysis machines are connected to the internet to make this possible. Therefore, other methods have to be found.

In the B Braun Wellstone Midlands Renal Care Centre in Port Laoise, the nurses have enlisted my help in recording certain key numbers and observations whilst I am being dialysed. They have their own form that I am to use. However, in order that I have my own record of each dialysis session, I have created my own version in a Leuchtturm1917 B5 notebook using pencil, ruler, and pen.

Although the table in the centre is the table that matches the one that I have to do for the clinic, I have added in other key information for myself including:

  • Pre-dialysis weight
  • Post-dialysis weight
  • UF volume – that is the amount of fluid to take off during the dialysis session
  • Nurse – which nurse looked after me
  • Temperature (in ºC)
  • Medication check list.

I find that having my own record, especially since I self-cannulate now, is very important and helps my own mental health. It means I have somewhere to record things if needed, and can look back over the entries to see how my dialysis is going. Personally, I would urge all dialysis patients to do similar. Even taking the time to rule out the pages helps me, it is a simple but calming task to do.

Originally posted on HIV Blogger.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

June 11th, 2021 at 10:24 am

Authenticity dimension certified by Institute of Leadership & Management

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I’ve been taking some time to complement my studies with Code Institute by working through the #MyLeadership platform of The Institute of Leadership & Management as part of my continuing professional development.

Many of my experiences both as an adult and a young person in The Scouts and Scouting Ireland as well as working with St John Ambulance Ireland have helped to nurture my skills in these areas.

Having grown up through Scouting, I known that it is important to maintain my personal integrity. And by doing that, it inspires trust from those in your team. It is only by knowing and living my own values that I can challenge and empower others to be the best that they can be.

Yesterday, I was certified in the “Authenticity” dimension’s eight categories.

  • Self Awareness
  • Conversation
  • Ethics
  • Integrity
  • Supporting
  • Aligning Values
  • Challenging
  • Building Trust

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

January 19th, 2021 at 11:46 am

School Carol Service with a difference

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The first year the Carol Service of my old school, Balllymena Academy, was in St Patrick’s Parish Church was the year after I left. I remember three of us re-joining the “back row” of the choir to sing the familiar carols and other music that the choir was singing. It was lovely to be back among the senior choir and to do so.

This year, that Carol Service is not possible due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the musical members of Ballymena Academy have put together an online Carol Service via Youtube.

I am so pleased to see that the musical traditions of the school are continuing. Hopefully, the carol service in St Patrick’s will be back next year. I hope all members of the school community past and present have a very happy socially-distanced Christmas.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

December 16th, 2020 at 3:42 pm

My Poppy Run 2020

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I’ve signed up to take part in My Poppy Run 2020. I’ll be joining a virtual community of fellow runners across the UK and completing my own run. By taking part in this challenge I’ll be raising funds to support the Royal British Legion. Their Poppy Appeal was founded to help those in need following a national crisis. Right now they are helping those who are isolated from family, facing homelessness, struggling to feed their children and are in financial crisis. They are working tirelessly to ensure that those who have served are being looked after no matter what challenges they, and the country faces. Your donation will mean they can continue to provide the life-changing support that our Armed Forces community needs and deserves. Thank You.

If you would like to donate to my fundraising challenge, please visit my page at:

https://mypoppyrun.britishlegion.org.uk/fundraising/MyPoppyRun2020-MichaelMcFarlandCampbell

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

October 7th, 2020 at 9:42 pm

2020 Irish Poppy pins available

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I’m really pleased to see the announcement from the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland District that this year’s Irish Poppy pin is now available. It’s a new design with the shamrock alongside the familiar red poppy together with the year “2020” on the poppy.

As the RBL said:

Suggested donation €3/pin + €3.50 p&p (up to 10 worldwide)
Use https://paypal.me/poppyireland?locale.x=en_US (PayPal account not required).

https://www.facebook.com/RBLROI/posts/3351697861585181
2000 Irish poppy pin next to a remembrance cross.

If anyone has any questions, please get in touch with Brian Crawford, Poppy Appeal Officer on rblpoppyireland@gmail.com

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

October 2nd, 2020 at 6:15 pm

Ireland needs sick pay for all

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Many of my friends across Europe were shocked to hear that when I was first diagnosed with my Goodpasture Syndrome and its associated kidney failure, I received no sick pay from my employer. It took many months to get the Illness Benefit from the State as well. If it had not been for Andrew, I do not know what would have happened.

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, many other workers in Ireland have faced just that problem. With no legal right to sick pay, they are forced into a Hobson’s choice of going into work while sick, or else losing a portion of their income.

The (Irish) Labour Party has been calling for the government to introduce Sick Pay for All Workers since the start of this month and today we heard that the government are proposing a six month consultation on sick pay provisions.  This is just not good enough.  The pandemic is happening now.  At this rate, we could have a vaccine before we see progress on statutory sick leave from the government!

Ireland is one of the very few European countries where workers do not have a legal right to sick pay.

The Chief Medical Officer, Chief Clinical Officer and the CEO of the HSE have all come out saying that the Government needs to do something to make sure workers do not have to choose between not going to work because they may have COVID, or not getting paid.  So far, this Government has done nothing about it.

We in the Labour Party are not going to stand idly by as the health of our workers, and future of the country and this pandemic hangs in the balance, while the Government stumbles from fiasco to fiasco.

https://www.labour.ie/sickpayforall

The Bill proposed by the Labour Party would introduce a temporary extension of force majeure leave so that parents can take paid time off to look after their kids if they are sent home from creche or school because the need to isolate or because the setting has had to close. This is another crucial step in providing the clarity and stability to working parents and their families across the country.

We need Sick Pay for All and we need it now.

Written by Michæl McFarland Campbell

September 23rd, 2020 at 9:10 am