MEDICAL MATTERS

[Stanley]

Good luck with the treatment Kev.....
BCG went well, in and out in 15 minutes and I have the sample bottle for next week.
I got a bit of a surprise when Helen started talking about progress and future treatment. She says she has told me all of it before but she hasn't, Susan and I agree that they keep the offer simple to get a good uptake. If they had told me the full extent of the treatment I would have been worried.
Basically, this six week round of irrigations is just the start. When I have had the sixth they will call me back in for a further cystoscopothy examination and if all is well I shall then go into a round of weekly 'maintenance' infusions with occasional examinations and stop when they are totally satisfied. There could be 21 further irrigations and I shall have Helen throughout as my nurse. So, more complicated than I thought but I am comfortable with it.

[Big Kev]

Complicated joints are knees and the muscles and ligaments around them. Good luck with your treatment Kev.

Cheers Ian. Should be a quick fix, hopefully. I should have read the handbook that came with the medical insurance earlier, muscular-skeleto issues don't require a GP referral. I could have started treatment at the beginning of January...

[Big Kev]

Good luck with the treatment Kev.....

Thank you, I consider myself lucky to only have a sprained MCL.

Twenty minute sessions with an ice pack started when I got home last night and the same this morning . No idea what my physio has in store for me today though, she warned me that it could be uncomfortable this morning. She wasn't lying

[Stanley]

I often think a necessary attribute for a physiotherapist is a streak of cruelty!

[Big Kev]

I often think a necessary attribute for a physiotherapist is a streak of cruelty!

[plaques]

I often think a necessary attribute for a physiotherapist is a streak of cruelty!

and quite a bit of cunning as well. When my back first started playing up I went privately to a physio: who also was an ex-NHS fully trained in the arts of torture. In one session I was sat on a chair and asked to lean forward I was then assisted in this manoeuver by being lent on until I was completely doubled up. Besides being very painful I could hardly breath. The physio: then said her assistant would then help to complete the exercise. A pair of feet appeared through the mist of pain and then the trainee torturer lifted my leg up and down as though it was a village water pump. The pain was tremendous, crying out was impossible and it was all I could manage to keep from passing out. It ran through my mind that when it was all over I would draw on my extensive vocabulary of industrial expletives and tell them what I thought. On straightened up the 'assistant' was the most beautiful looking young lady I'd seen for ages. I just managed to whimper " Oh that hurt". Cunning these physiotherapists.

[Marilyn]

Oh No...not for me...I couldn't handle any more pain at the moment. I would be an ambulance case.
I am barely coping some days as it is.

[PanBiker]

Laura, my neuro physio at LGI is a very bonny lass and was 7 months pregnant when she had her magic hands on me. Kev put a picture up with three girls on me at once where I seem to have a grin on my face. I can assure you that physically realigning my right shoulder blade and resetting it nearly 2cm from where it was used to was no grinning matter. I have that particular look because Sally asked me to smile and the girls paused for a couple of seconds which gave me some relief when the shot was taken. You cant believe all you see in pictures.



Laura is the lass knelt behind me on the couch, she should be a new mum by now and on her maternity leave.

[Stanley]

I think my case has been proved! (That was very funny P......)

[Big Kev]

Ligament friction, interesting terminology for 'digging your thumbs into an inflamed MCL' stings a bit.
Now just roll over onto your front and we'll just loosen up this hamstring sounds innocent enough, I knew about that one

I'm now sitting in the Butts Clinic waiting for my annual retina screening, the joys

[Stanley]

Those eye drops are a splendid test of self restraint! As my mate said of beads of molten metal rolling down your skin under your shirt, "Character Forming!".

[Marilyn]

Wonder how Moh is going?....

[Stanley]

She's on my mind as well......

[Moh]

Went for a scan on Wed. had to stop it because I was in so much pain, so will rebook it with strong pain killers. If I could only breathe better.

[PanBiker]

Oh no Moh, I hope they can get you sorted out.

Not received my MRI results yet, will chase next week.

[Stanley]

That must have been awful Moh..... I have you down as a tough cookie so it must have been insupportable. So sorry..... Hope the next one goes better!

[Stanley]

No change in the side effects of BCG. I'll admit to them being a bit wearing but even the back ache is supportable without pain killers. The watchword is do everything slowly and with great care! My understanding of how anti-infammatory drugs work is that they suppress prostoglandin activity and as those are an important factor in the immune response I don't want to do anything to inhibit them! I suspect one or two of you will know more about this, am I correct in my assumption? All in all, things are going well!

[Marilyn]

All I can say, in my present situation, is that there are no medals for bravery when it comes to pain. Mind you, I am finding increasing relief from Paracetamol both on its own, combined with Iboprofen, or combined with stronger pain killers. I take what I need to get me through the day, within the guidelines of what I can take. If my pain abates, I take nothing, because I don't need it. Today has been a good day! Haven't been in pain for 9 hours now, hence no medication. Could have a rough night though...who knows...hope not.
Pain gives you wrinkles! ( I have wrinkles now!)
Never mind about your prostaglandins Stanley. If a couple of mild painkillers get you back in the shed, it will do wonders for your mental health.

[Sue]

I can’t help youon that one Stanley, thetheory of pain relief and antiinflammatories are beyong my knowledge. I thought painkillers blocked the transmitter chemicals at the synapse, but hey its a long time taught if ever

[Marilyn]

Sometimes, not always, I find the combination of Paracetamol and Iboprofen superior pain relief to "the hard stuff". It tends to last longer and is just as good, and I am pleasantly surprised. My advice is...never overlook the minor painkillers. You don't need the cannon if the bullet does just as good a job.

( mind you, I do still need the cannon!)

[PanBiker]

Paracetamol is the base painkiller in the neurosurgery department at LGI. All I ever needed for my post op. It is very benign in relationship to other meds and I was on a raft of those for a while. I have taken it in the past along with ibuprofen for acute muscular and tendon damage to allow exercise when I tore the tendons in my shoulder. You can ramp up to the opiate based stuff which can have side effect issues but I have never had the need. Like you Maz, I cant see the point in putting up with pain if you don't need to especially with no real downside to short term use, conversely I don't take them if I don't need them but they are a good means to an end. I think if you checked with the doc Stanley his advice would probably be 2 x 4 times a day as required, you can be over cautious which can hold you back.

[Marilyn]

My thoughts exactly, Panbiker.
These minor painkillers can really work FOR you. You just need to jiggle a bit if you need "now and then" opiates. I find this is the best option - not to depend on the opiates too much. We all fear dependence ( well I do! And I have been in severe pain for over 6 weeks now. I keep a Pain Chart/Medication Chart for my GP. Not asked for...but I felt the need for it...so he knows that every single pill I have swallowed was necessary. He was impressed by my chart!)

[Marilyn]

Over time, I have realised that a lot of my pain is severe but spasmodic. If I can grit my teeth, I can get through, most times. But when I get spasm after spasm, lasting potentially hours...gosh...I need the painkillers!
I am on 12 hourly background (slow release) opiates. I can't tell if they help or not to tell the truth.

[PanBiker]

I have an interesting development in the region of my cranial surgery. When I get up in the morning the top of my head is perfectly smooth and you would be hard pressed to see the remains of the ear to ear incision made to allow access to the skull or the position of the temporary drain that I had post op. As the day progresses I develop two pronounced depressions in my skull a bit like the finger holes in a bowling ball although not as deep, there is no pain or irritation associated with this they are just there and noticeable at a glance. No idea why this should be so, when my wound staples came out there was a degree of temporary localised swelling and you could trace the incision track and drain site with your fingers. This resolved to an almost imperceptible scar. Maybe I have always had these waxing and waning depressions but have only just noticed it? I'll mention it the next time I go to the docs.

[Marilyn]

Dimples? How cute!