"Each stay has benefited me enormously"

I was first referred to the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital (CIC) around 1995 after having been rushed to hospital in 1994 with peritonitis whereupon I was given an emergency illeostomy and diagnosed with probable ulcerative colitis. The surgical wound took two years to heal, I lost 3 stone and I was understandably depressed and frail. mentally and physically. I was then diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and more recently with tonsil cancer.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to be referred as an in-patient on 3 occasions when I was struggling to cope. Each stay has benefited me (and my fellow patients) enormously. After only 5 days of receiving a wide range of intensive therapies including massage, laser therapy, accupuncture, physiotherapy, classes in stress and pain management, mindfullness and much more, I noticed that many of the MS patients who came in on wheelchairs were able to leave on foot and they all said this respite support was invaluable to them. The staff work brilliantly as a team and. unlike other hospitals I have spent time in, seem to communicate well and all work together for the good of the patient. I have nothing but praise for all other NHS staff but I beleive the CIC staff benefit from the luxury of having more time. I have never had a rushed 10 minute appointment with one of the CIC's doctors.

For me, it has helped me manage and come to terms with my health problems without resorting to a regime of antidepressants and painkillers and has played a huge supporting role to the procedures I have undergone with the NHS. The Wellness courses have also helped give me strategies to manage my life and problems more easily.