Author Topic: The health and fitness thread about random things  (Read 463811 times)

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3750 on: 13 January, 2022, 02:15:30 pm »
Well that's a bloody bastard.  Can they pump the joint full of hyaluronic acid to give you a bit of interim cushioning and let other inflammation sites calm down a bit?  I suppose they tried that already, though.
Their treatment/management plan seems to be throw painkillers at it. I don't want to. Mostly because this is a degenerative disease and I want to know what activity exacerbates it and not drug myself daily so I can walk to the shop. There isn't any visible swelling or inflammation so NSAIDs seem pointless.

Consultant for my foot says it's early days and they expect 3-6 months before it's fully healed. He signed me off despite me answering 'no' to 2 of his 3 questions, to whit: Is the wound healed (yes) Can you walk normally (no) Are you free from nerve pain (no).

Anyway, I'm now on a long and tedious path where I will be constantly nagging for better options and fighting for treatment they don't want to fund. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.


Sounds like "wait and see".  3-6 months is a bummer, though, especially if your knees are suffering in consequence.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3751 on: 13 January, 2022, 05:46:37 pm »
I'm always wary of the "too young for joint replacement surgery" given knee replacements are quite good and it's a tradeoff between mobility now and mobility in the future and screwing over the now for some unknown future and increasing risk of putting on weight and other effects of poor mobility doesn't seem worth avoiding surgery for.

Good luck with the fight Fboab, that is the nature of the NHS, you have to be assertive about your priorities which includes not being in pain. I would discuss pain management further though as NSAIDs may well work on stuff that has inflammation that you can't see externally - IANAD so don't know for sure. My understanding is that some NSAIDs or even daily 2-3g of paracetamol can give quite significant long term reduction in pain if they're managed properly e.g. you get a proton pump inhibitor and the right NSAID... There is more than just ibuprofen for example.

(I know this cos I can't tolerate paracetamol or NSAIDs cos my brain is a stupid special fucking snowflake and throws migraines if I take them, but most people's bodies/brains aren't that stupid).

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3752 on: 13 January, 2022, 09:43:00 pm »
I would support baratka in her comments. I do not know how old you are fboab but I would guess mid 50s?  Increasingly surgeons are going for unicompartmental replacement preserving the ligaments. One of my friends is a specialist knee anaesthetist and was telling me that he expects patients to be up and walking the same day and home the next.
GPs May not be aware of the latest technology.
Does your company do any private health scheme?

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3753 on: 14 January, 2022, 01:16:06 am »
Hip replacement was a serious consideration (now it's Plan B) for my hip nonsense and I'm 42 in 6 weeks. I think you're older than me by at least a few years.

One of my (many) lovely GPs told me a few years back when hip-nonsense was first picked up that her mum (also a Doctor, so needed good mobility) got hip replacements in early 40s for the same condition (hip dysplasia) and they're still going strong in her mid-70s.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3754 on: 14 January, 2022, 07:59:21 am »
I'm 53.

I don't plan to take it lying down (although to be fair that is largely a pain-free option for me) but the biggest problem at the moment is how depressed it's making me, particularly as my 'coping mechanism' appears to be chocolate.

No private health care from work. In a worst case scenario I'll flog all my bikes and a kidney and pay for it myself.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3755 on: 14 January, 2022, 08:21:50 am »
Paying for the first visit saves months in the queue then get transferred to the NHS.
Get the x-rays done by the GP and even an MRI scan if you can organise it.
Then tell the consultant private and NHS secretary that you are seeing him/her privately but please could he look at NHS X-rays. Then see them privately.
Read around. You want to see either pure knee surgeon or knee/sports surgeon. Look them up on the joint registry (May be hospital level).

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3756 on: 14 January, 2022, 08:51:06 am »
Sounds good, Chris.  I'd have thought that the decision to replace would be based on the condition of the patient rather than on some imaginary decrepitude schedule.  Or is it imaginary?#

ETA: MrsT reminds me that a friend of ours in Walsall has been waiting for a new knee for the last 8 years. She's hobbling with a walking frame and is continually being told "it's not quite bad enough yet".  She's 78, and reckons they're just fobbing her off until she dies.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

BrianI

  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Lepidopterist Man!
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3757 on: 14 January, 2022, 08:43:59 pm »
Yay for bowel "issues" again.  >:(

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3758 on: 14 January, 2022, 09:41:06 pm »
The decision to undertake major surgery is multifactorial but includes patient condition as in the level of pain and disability, the health of the person in general and the psychological makeup.  I often refer patients for counselling before surgery for example. For many patients the fear of the pain and the impact of that fear is more debilitating than the pain.
Next is the x-rays or other investigation showing the extent of the arthritis. Could a simpler operation work or an alternative. Sometimes we get so used to joint replacement in the elderly we forget to consider osteotomes, debridement, etc in younger patients to buy time.

Finally the longevity of a joint replacement. Hips and knees are the gold standard with 15+ years now normal. However that does mean that someone in their 50s will probably need at least one revision. Revision joint replacement is a massive undertaking!

All of these factors have a different weighting for each patient and surgeon as well.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3759 on: 15 January, 2022, 08:40:26 am »


The decision to undertake major surgery is multifactorial but includes patient condition as in the level of pain and disability, the health of the person in general and the psychological makeup.
(snip)
All of these factors have a different weighting for each patient and surgeon as well.
Which brings me back to Mrs M's knee replacement which has now been postponed until she's seen the High Risk Anaesthetic Team, which is likely to be late February.
I suspect her surgical team are, for whatever reason, very risk averse. I have no particular problem with that.
 
In the meantime they are arranging for a rerun of all of the cardiac investigations that were done prior to, but not connected with, her last knee surgery. Nothing has changed - cardiac related - since that surgery except for the episode of AF.
She's always had a PDA too small to be operated on, and it doesn't cause her any issues.

Having already been for the Echocardiogram yesterday she's had a hint that the cardiologists will refuse to do another 'stress MRI', for which Mrs M would be truly grateful.

The new delay, a promise of surgery with it snatched away, has had a huge impact on her mental health. I think she'd have been content if it'd been covid staff shortages on the day.

So yes, different surgeons take different approaches. But, i wish they'd read her notes before the clinic.
Too many angry people - breathe & relax.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3760 on: 17 January, 2022, 09:37:04 am »
Well that's a bloody bastard.  Can they pump the joint full of hyaluronic acid to give you a bit of interim cushioning and let other inflammation sites calm down a bit?  I suppose they tried that already, though.

I'm getting this done this afternoon. Crossing my fingers for the potential 6 months relief. The physio implied that if it works I can keep getting it done at intervals until it stops working. I'm totally on board with that.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3761 on: 17 January, 2022, 09:46:11 am »
Best wishes for this afternoon and subsequently.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3762 on: 17 January, 2022, 09:54:43 am »
That sounds positive. Fingers crossed.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3763 on: 17 January, 2022, 05:24:57 pm »
Good luck, hope it works and that there isn't a worse-before-better period.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3764 on: 18 January, 2022, 05:58:53 am »
Going through suspected knee bursitis here. Had a weird minor swelling like I'd bumped the knee and then managed to do a suspected minor meniscus tear, which might have masked the bursitis issue. About 3 weeks later, with knee virtually pain free, I was out on a light hike with the dog, when the area below my kneecap swelled up to like 1/2 egg sized.
 Physio agreed that it was most likely bursitis, the temp  doctor (my regular GP was away) agreed, but wanted me to complete a course of naproxen first. (This was the second time I saw him on the issue, first time was "well, just rest", which is just about the worst advice ever).

Completed that, knee still feels like at 70%. I can do most things, but it will get 'angry' if I push it and I need to ease off for a few days.
Spoke to my regular GP today, she's reluctant to go to corticosteroid injections and now wants an x-ray. Amazingly there's a couple of new walk-in imaging clinics and it took 10 mins, so I'll book a new appointment at the end of the week with the doc.

It's been extra annoying as it happened just before my 2 month break from work, where I had planned to A) get fit again B) do a bunch of renos, and neither has been possible with the knee buggered up.  I'm close to buying a trainer for my bike, but I've always hated those things.

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3765 on: 18 January, 2022, 10:06:49 pm »
Jakob, sympathies.

I'm not speaking to my right knee. It's been extremely painful since I started weightbearing on my operated leg in early December. The surgeons trashed my flexors and it's taking ages for them to recuperate despite a lot of work in hydro. I can't tolerate the physio very much - the knee craps out. Physio appts are one per month (they're supposed to be one every 1-2 weeks but they're short of slots). I'm giving it till my next physio which will be 2 months of knee pain (despite re-increased morphine) and if it's still sore I'm emailing my surgeon's secretary to chase up my due-appointment and X-ray.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3766 on: 18 January, 2022, 10:23:58 pm »
This morning I had my first session in a gym, since leaving college in 1975.

I lifted some weights, amongst other things.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3767 on: 19 January, 2022, 04:36:55 am »
Ouch, yeah, mine is nowhere near that bad!. However, doctors office already got the X-ray report (in less than 12 hours?!??!) and they called to book a follow up, which frankly has me a little concerned. Either my GP is being extra diligent or there's something else going on. (Normally they're happy to wait for you to book the follow-up!). Granted, it's a mostly functioning knee, so it's unlikely to be life(-style) threatening, but still? Maybe bone spurs? (Paranoia grows!).

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3768 on: 19 January, 2022, 11:34:01 am »
Well that's a bloody bastard.  Can they pump the joint full of hyaluronic acid to give you a bit of interim cushioning and let other inflammation sites calm down a bit?  I suppose they tried that already, though.

I'm getting this done this afternoon. Crossing my fingers for the potential 6 months relief. The physio implied that if it works I can keep getting it done at intervals until it stops working. I'm totally on board with that.

How's it going?  First time I had it done it lasted a week or two, second wasn't so good.  Cost 150€ a shot, too - I hope yours is 100% NHS-covered.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3769 on: 19 January, 2022, 11:43:14 am »
Well that's a bloody bastard.  Can they pump the joint full of hyaluronic acid to give you a bit of interim cushioning and let other inflammation sites calm down a bit?  I suppose they tried that already, though.

I'm getting this done this afternoon. Crossing my fingers for the potential 6 months relief. The physio implied that if it works I can keep getting it done at intervals until it stops working. I'm totally on board with that.

How's it going?  First time I had it done it lasted a week or two, second wasn't so good.  Cost 150€ a shot, too - I hope yours is 100% NHS-covered.

Heh £140. Plus £50 for the initial consult. She said positive effects could be felt in 2-4 weeks and last for yonks after. Next line of attack (if/when this doesn't work) will be PRP in the joint. Today was single leg drills on the rower as my range of movement is massively reduced.  ::-) Early days.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3770 on: 19 January, 2022, 02:09:49 pm »
Well that's a bloody bastard.  Can they pump the joint full of hyaluronic acid to give you a bit of interim cushioning and let other inflammation sites calm down a bit?  I suppose they tried that already, though.

I'm getting this done this afternoon. Crossing my fingers for the potential 6 months relief. The physio implied that if it works I can keep getting it done at intervals until it stops working. I'm totally on board with that.

How's it going?  First time I had it done it lasted a week or two, second wasn't so good.  Cost 150€ a shot, too - I hope yours is 100% NHS-covered.

Heh £140. Plus £50 for the initial consult. She said positive effects could be felt in 2-4 weeks and last for yonks after. Next line of attack (if/when this doesn't work) will be PRP in the joint. Today was single leg drills on the rower as my range of movement is massively reduced.  ::-) Early days.

Good luck!  I dunno if they'd do that with me since I'm on clopidogrel, which keeps my platelet count down to around 50% of normal.

I suppose they charge a lot for hyaluronic acid because it's also used in cosmetic surgery.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3771 on: 22 January, 2022, 09:10:13 am »
Called my physio in (he does home visits) to take a look at my forearm, I suspected golfers elbow, which he confirmed. 

I think he knows me too well though, as I was roundly mocked when I said it's starts getting niggly after a while on the bike riding on the hoods.  His response was "when you say a bit niggly after a while, knowing you, that means about 5 hours and pain that would have my other patients roling around on the floor".

He's very good at tailoring his treatments to the patient, also gave me some very good advice on my achilles, as he has the same issues and is also thinking about entering the CAmbridge half-mara in march
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3772 on: 22 January, 2022, 07:04:14 pm »
So, not bursitis, but a knee effusion. 6 weeks of rest. (But I've already done 10 weeks, doc!) Well, take 6 more.
Crap.
Gonna get a copy of the X-ray report and see if my physio can't get one of his tame sports medicine doctors to have a quick look.

Pedaldog.

  • Heedlessly impulsive, reckless, rash.
  • The Madcap!
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3773 on: 22 January, 2022, 11:14:42 pm »
Sister Liz', Sprogs OTP, is on her first full week of a Bloody Awful case of TEH SHINGLES. Both arms and the top half of her back!
Please to be sending her The Sympathy, hoping the Drugs help before she goes (More) Insane!
Our brother is going in for a Hip Operation on Monday, there's no way he can risk contact before then so she's stuck with putting up with I, and I.
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The health and fitness thread about random things
« Reply #3774 on: 23 January, 2022, 02:12:33 pm »
Oh, that's horrible, P-D!

Get Well Soon Sprogs!

Best wishes for brother's hip!