I spent most of the week at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting. It was a great mix of catching up with colleagues, discussing projects, and learning from the latest research. It’s an exciting time in the world of COPD with real hope for new treatments and a transformation of care over the next few years.
Medical conferences are not always comfortable spaces. I wrote about my ups and downs in a thread. Thankfully 2024 was a definite up.
I wrote this 🧵on the other place in the run up to #BTSWinter2024. The conference starts today, so I’m copying it over here. On belonging, joy, fear, imposter syndrome & how to enjoy medical conferences. 💙 1/n
[image or embed]— DrLJ (@drlaurajane.bsky.social) November 27, 2024 at 6:58 AM
We went to the V&A to see The Great Moguls: Art, Architecture and Opulence. The exhibition covers the reign of three emperors – Akbar (1556-1605) Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1628-1658). I know almost nothing about this period, but have visited the Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan to commemorate his wife. The paintings and illustrated manuscripts in the V&A exhibition were the highlight, particularly due to the incredible detail. There were also some stunning textiles, and more than one bejewelled dagger. It’s hard to imagine the lives of people at this time in India, but many of the paintings, and the domestic artefacts, show more parallels than I imagined. Afterwards we went for vegan burgers in the best bar in South London.
On Saturday I spent some time at the weaving studio, finishing the fabric for my coat. It was an exciting moment to cut the threads and release it from the loom. It’s gone to the talented couturier to turn it into the shape we designed together. I can’t wait to see it finished!
I spent time with a local resident who needs some help getting online. Having seen many of my patients excluded from so much of modern life, I recently trained as a digital champion with Digital Unite and this was my first volunteering shift. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t use a computer. At home, from a young age we had a ZX Spectrum, and at school we had a BBC Micro on which we were allowed to play Granny’s Garden if we finished our handwriting exercises.
So I have grown up with computers and adapted to them as they have evolved. But there are many people, especially those who are older, who never had such exposure. Despite being intelligent and capable people they find themselves unable to navigate the the online world of internet sites, apps and email. The person I was supporting also had a healthy scepticism and concern about scams. We spent an hour together, discussing the differences between malware and computer updates, sending an email to ask for a healthcare appointment to be changed, and checking emails on a phone app. It was really rewarding and also eye opening. If you don’t already know how to navigate gmail it is impossible to find the sign out button, and why does it say ‘compose’ rather than ‘write email’? If you don’t know where the @ sign is it takes ages to find it and work out how to get the keyboard to type it. But it does not take much to gain confidence.
The devastation in Gaza has reached an unimaginable level. The number of dead children haunts me. There are reports of people being murdered within hospitals. There are arrest warrants out for Netenyahu and Gallant. The international community watches and does nothing. I cannot believe that there is not greater use of sanctions. People in rooms in Westminster are having meetings in which they decide to continue to arm the genocidal Israeli state. And then they go about their day. At this point Keir Starmer and the entire government is complicit in genocide. History will judge them harshly. I matched money donated to Osama and his family this week. It is not enough. It is getting colder. There is so little food. It is unimaginable what they are experiencing every day from hunger, illness and the harsh realities of daily survival, even without the constant threat of death from drones and bombs. I’m looking for more ways to raise money. It feels like so little, but it is something.
drlj 