MEDICAL MATTERS

[Marilyn]

Panbiker...don't get sick! You have stuff to get thru!

[PanBiker]

Not a lot I can do about it Maz, if I knew how to avoid catching random viruses I would be a millionaire. Not helped by multiple visits to hospital and surgery. These paces although there to fix you are full of poorly people and are a health risk in themselves if you linger too long. That's why they discharged me from the AAU and it is common practice to get you up, mobile and out of the door as quickly as possible to minimise the risk.

When I was having my MRSA screening the nurse said that it is constant battle to keep on top of the infection levels which is not helped by folk visiting the wards and not using the sanitation facilities provided. There are washbasins in all the ward bays and toilets of course and alcohol hand rubs in corridors, ward entrances and bays but not everyone uses them and the nursing staff don't have time to police everyone for best practice. She said one of the ones which is often misunderstood is a visitor sitting on the bed, no idea where that behind has been before hospital.

I read in the neurological ward notes that I was given that the regime for the surgical wards is daily sanitation and cleaning combined with a weekly deep clean where all the beds come out and the bay is bottomed. This is normally done in the morning prior to that weeks PM intakes for surgery. You are obliged to shower or bath with antiseptic gel before you are allocated your bed, surgery is normally the following day.

[Stanley]

Interesting. I have got used to my own population which has no doubt been enhanced over the years by contact with animals. I am perhaps a walking biological weapon!

[PanBiker]

Most folk exist quite happily with various strains of bacteria. A lot of people are MRSA carriers and never know it unless tested for a specific purpose in order to reduce infection risk as in hospital surgery. It's the possibility of cross infection which carries the greatest risk, one man's meat is another man's poison.

[Stanley]

Is someone who is a carrier less likely to be subject to the infection?

[PanBiker]

Don't know Stanley but there a lot of folk who are carriers.

Got a letter this morning from the NHS. Thought it would be my MRSA results or a potential date for surgery but no luck. This one is from Gateshead and is regarding screening now offered to all men in their 65th year. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening, checking for enlarged aorta which if minor can be checked more often and if large can be improved with surgery. My appointment for screening, which is just a non invasive ultrasound is at Yarnspinners at Nelson for 5th October. This might not be a good date for me for obvious reasons, I could well be in Leeds by then or maybe on MRSA detox. I will leave the appointment as it is for now until I hear from Leeds. Apparently if I cancel my GP will be informed and I can rearrange a scan through the surgery.

[Whyperion]

Carriers (Generally) Tizer might know, but I think there are different strains of Bacteria/Viruses and I get the feeling one may acquire some local immunity but that regional movement (even within the UK) exposes one to a variation that while probably not fatal can result in illness and need for rest while the body immune system works. I guess one evidence of this is disease spread at colleges and universities as people intermingle from various locations.

[Tizer]

Is someone who is a carrier less likely to be subject to the infection?

By definition, if you are a carrier you are infected but you don't show symptoms of the infection.

[Stanley]

[PanBiker]

I got a call yesterday from the local surgery. Apparently they had availability of a BP monitor for me to take 5 days of readings with! These will be the readings they asked for after my last surgery BP check and which I supplied them with around six weeks ago from my own machine. I remember handing them in at reception, slight lack of communication?

[Stanley]

I fear you may be right Ian after recent experiences.....

[PanBiker]

I seem to have shaken off the cold and cough that I picked up late last week.

On the down side I am still experiencing the temporary seizures which for the last few days seem to be a bit more frequent. No change in intensity in fact some slightly milder. I am also experiencing very mild "altered sensation" often in my right wrist and occasionally my right cheek just below the eye socket.

The frequency or intensity is not activity or orientation based. They can trigger stood up and active in which case I normally detect loss of muscle strength in the right leg or sat down resting or indeed when I'm in bed. The ones during the night are worse as they arouse me from sleep and then it's difficult to get back off. I'm compensating by sleeping more during the day, something I don't normally do.

My doc Hassan will have the notes and suggested medication from Mr Anderson now. I think I will ask for a catch up tomorrow and see what he has to say, I need advice on my flu jab as well as the upcoming aorta scan, (I will probably defer both).

[Tizer]

I'm glad you've got rid of the cough and cold, Ian.

...I remember handing them in at reception, slight lack of communication?

Many of the problems in the NHS are due to shortage of staff and are likely to become worse if we can't bring in as many staff from overseas. At the same time we have people saying that they `don't want foreigners taking the jobs'. The obvious answer is that we should employ British people instead but there are two factors preventing that happening: first, we don't train enough British people to be doctors, nurses and all the other medical jobs that are needed in the NHS and, second, not enough Brits want to do these jobs. The failure to train enough people is partly because too few have the school science and maths to provide the grounding for training in the medical qualifications. In the more successful countries all students continuing to the equivalent of our A level have to do maths and science regardless of their other subjects. It isn't just surgeons who need extensive qualifications. An example of the problem is the serious shortage in the UK of pathologists. To qualify this requires a 5-year medical degree followed by a 2-year foundation course of general training. We have to get more of our youngsters up to a level where they are eligible for, and have confidence to, embark on that sort of career. At the same time we need more promotion of the benefits to the individual and to the population of training for a job in the NHS.

[plaques]

Lack of communication? More likely there was no box to tick. So I'm blaming the IT gang. Sorry Kev.

In my school days it was always said that you couldn't become a doctor unless you were good at Latin. Asking why this was so the usual answer was 'well all the prescriptions are written in Latin and all the medical terminology was in Latin' Therefore Latin was an absolute must. A side issue to this was the assumption that if you were no good at Latin you hadn't the brain power to become a Doctor. My pal at school had his heart set on being a doctor and was probably in the top 10% at school but because in his early years he didn't do Latin our schools system stopped him from doing biology making it very awkward to get a suitable university place. Fortunately his father was a high ranking RAF officer and got him a place through the RAF system. After going through all these hoops he finally qualified as a Doctor but remained in the RAF. I often wondered how many people were put off because of preconceived ideas about intelligence.

[PanBiker]

I can't get an appointment with my own doctor until next Tuesday, I have taken it but may have to see someone else before then. My records should now carry a suggestion of medication from my consultant. They have not been prescribed yet so I will have to ask for an emergency appointment with someone else. I don't think I can just order these up through reception and I want to know how they will slot in with the steroids and other medication I am scheduled to take.

[Tizer]

Ironically I was never taught Latin yet I've been using Latin words throughout my science career and in my hobbies and continue to do so. I know nothing about Latin Grammar but I'm brim full with Latin words. You can't get far in biology and geology without absorbing Latin words. Oh, and some Greek ones too!

[Stanley]

"may have to see someone else before then" That's a bugger Ian, I would be shouting my head off! Didn't I see something recently that there is a guarantee you will be able to see your own GP in certain circumstances?

[Tripps]

Got a hospital appointment letter today - for next Monday. Totally unexpected, and almost uniquely, I'm busy that day. Immediate Stewards Enquiry. Got through on the phone commendably quickly to be told that in fact it's for 2019. Oh yes so it is. Collapse of stout party.

[Tizer]

We've got our flu jab appointments this Saturday at the surgery. It's like a military operation - I'm booked for two minutes at 10.14am. You're told to have your sleeve rolled up ready before you go in. There'll be lots of us oldies zapping back and forth across the waiting room.

[PanBiker]

Same at our surgery Tiz but we have a long corridor where everyone lines up, same 2min slots. They sometimes run two treatment rooms when it's very busy.

[Sue]

Lack of communication? More likely there was no box to tick. So I'm blaming the IT gang. Sorry Kev.

In my school days it was always said that you couldn't become a doctor unless you were good at Latin. Asking why this was so the usual answer was 'well all the prescriptions are written in Latin and all the medical terminology was in Latin' Therefore Latin was an absolute must. A side issue to this was the assumption that if you were no good at Latin you hadn't the brain power to become a Doctor. My pal at school had his heart set on being a doctor and was probably in the top 10% at school but because in his early years he didn't do Latin our schools system stopped him from doing biology making it very awkward to get a suitable university place. Fortunately his father was a high ranking RAF officer and got him a place through the RAF system. After going through all these hoops he finally qualified as a Doctor but remained in the RAF. I often wondered how many people were put off because of preconceived ideas about intelligence.

I wanted to be a Doctor, did the requisite Latin, and three sciences and maths at A level, but being a female entry grades were higher than for males and I didn’t make it. I wanted to do medical research in fact cancer research but in those days you could only do that by being a Dr. Thank goodness things have changed now. Obviously only Drs could understand the disease adequately to be able to research for a cure. Now we have so many specialist branches of biology that they could leave a medic standing on the in depth knowledge.

[Stanley]

Sue, did you hear the lady on Woman's Hour yesterday who had to have a kidney transplant as a child and that decided her to take a course that led her to being a leading researcher in transplant surgery?
I usually get my flu jab appointment early but no sign of it this year. Did I hear that we are to have an enhanced vaccine this year?

[PanBiker]

I believe there are two variant jabs. One for the under 65's and another for those over. Apparently I qualify for the latter even though I am still 64, I am in my 65th year.

[Whyperion]

I believe there are two variant jabs. One for the under 65's and another for those over. Apparently I qualify for the latter even though I am still 64, I am in my 65th year.

Although younger I wonder as I have some serious health conditions which is the suggested 'best' one ?

[Tizer]

According to the Dept of Health the new vaccine is supposed to be used `for vulnerable individuals' so guess you should ask your surgery whether you fall into that class.