The health and fitness thread about random things

[hellymedic]

Had my review X-ray this morning.  Greater than 50%chance of non-union so surgery on Monday all being well.

Hope all goes well!

How much radiological union can you expect to see a fortnight after injury in an adult? I presume the decision for surgery is more based on the nature of the fracture.

Mend well anyway!

[barakta]

Good luck Chris, hope you get a decent surgeon and the jobs a goodun. Also that being on the otherside of the bed is not too jarring for you!

[chrisbainbridge]

Had my review X-ray this morning.  Greater than 50%chance of non-union so surgery on Monday all being well.

Hope all goes well!

How much radiological union can you expect to see a fortnight after injury in an adult? I presume the decision for surgery is more based on the nature of the fracture.

Mend well anyway!

Not so much the absence of callus but the complete non contact between the ends and the movement

[hellymedic]

Had my review X-ray this morning.  Greater than 50%chance of non-union so surgery on Monday all being well.

Hope all goes well!
How much radiological union can you expect to see a fortnight after injury in an adult? I presume the decision for surgery is more based on the nature of the fracture.
Mend well anyway!

Not so much the absence of callus but the complete non contact between the ends and the movement

= the nature of the fracture... Seems like a wise and prudent move.

[Cudzoziemiec]

"Can we stop America's teen vaping epidemic arriving in Britain?"

Newton says that in the UK, regular e-cigarette use among young people “remains low”, but in America, worries abound about the 20% of high-schoolers who vape.

It's a lot less than 20% in my son's year (14-15 year olds) but significantly, none of the vapers have ever smoked and their stated reason for vaping seems to be that it's "healthy". No idea which brands they use.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/11/can-we-stop-americas-teen-vaping-epidemic-arriving-in-britain-

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'm still losing weight. Not so rapidly but creeping down.

Went on holiday for two weeks and had pretty much no exercise. A bit less food than normal, but quite a lot more beer. A lot of sitting around (in a car).
Lost a kilogram.

Down to about 70kg from a high of 84kg a little over 2 years ago. When I was cycle commuting a lot of miles, my weight was pretty stable at about 82kg, but I ate like a starving hog.

According to health check 12 months ago, when I was 75kg, I had a fat level of 18%. Considered very healthy for a man of 51. Getting another check in a couple of weeks. I can barely float in seawater now, so guess my fat levels are a lot lower.

[chrisbainbridge]

Surgery done and I am now dressed and ready to go home. Arm already feels better in terms of where it should be and stable.

[hellymedic]

Glad you're well fixed!

Hope you heal & recover well!

[barakta]

Keep recovering well! Hope discharge is reasonably efficient and rapid.

[T42]

Glad to hear it, Chris.  Hope nothing else untoward happens before it solidifies.

[T42]

Meanwhile, I've had to cut short three rides in a row with oomph tending to zero. Back to GP this pm.

[essexian]

So I saw the back specialist this morning about my back/leg pains and received some good news.... I have the most powerful legs he is likely to see all week due to my cycling, although my flexibility is quite poor due to age degeneration. After a number of tests, we agreed that I am not a candidate for a back op as I would gain from physio instead. So, that's good news 

I should carry on doing what I am doing cycling wise and would benefit from swimming again. As to walking, it is thought that that is what caused the recent attack so I was informed to walk, but perhaps not to do 12 miles over three days as I did but to build the distance gently.

So, generally good news. My gout has almost gone, the carpal tunnel found in my right hand was "mild" my back is not as bad as it could have been and my general health is okay but with a bit of work could be better. 

[chrisbainbridge]

Essexian that sounds good news.

[essexian]

Thanks Chris, it does feel like I am on the road to recovery. 

Hope you heal quickly also.

[barakta]

This should probably be in the rant thread, imagine suitable sweariness.

20th June I saw a random hip doc in clinic who was extremely conscientious and reassuring about the anomalous scan results, followups and indeed very carefully breaking the news (which he didn't realise I'd had/worked out) that I'm almost certainly looking at surgery by Orthopods with big saws in my near future... He spent a long time measuring scan angles and explained what that meant.

So outcome was that I was all clear for steroid injection attempt 2, expedited with "urgent" written on the form cos my mobility is deteriorating and pain increasing and it's clear that they want me on waiting list for Saw-Time. I was told ~6 weeks...

Fast forward to 6 weeks and I haven't even received an appointment letter, so I email PALS.

First reply is that the steroid injection is dependent on me seeing pain management which is at the end of August and I'll get referred after that... I reply saying wtf cos hip steroid is nothing to do with pain mgt which is for the shoulder/arm fail which is "clinically unfixable" and too painful for me to physio properly (although neither surgeon felt physio would help much)...

Second reply is "Oh, yes, you're right, but the locum you saw didn't do the paperwork... So I replied to that to say "Yes he flipping well did, he wrote it out in front of me, and it was taken out of my hand as I left the consulting room by one of the nurses in what was the most chaotic clinic I've been in. So it's been lost, please don't blame Dr Conscientious... Cos he did it...

Now seeing how quickly consultant's secretary can get me on the steroid injection list which I've stressed is really urgent given I have 6 weeks after that to see clinic then however long the waiting list for surgery is... I'd like to be able to walk more than 500m a day without pain and fatigue kthx. Especially as the drugs I have don't touch it.

I shall give them a week to send out an appt letter or update and check again. New policy for hospital is chase all referrals after 2 weeks to ensure not lost or put at bottom of pile. Fneh!

[hellymedic]

Just had a report of a death, and several cases of serious respiratory illness associated with vaping, from the USA.

Watch this space!

[woollypigs]

Been reading about Vaping Lung for a few months now

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/23/health/vaping-lung-disease-death-illinois-bn/index.html

These numbers are an increase from the 153 potential cases in 16 states that the agency reported Wednesday. At the time, there were no known deaths reported, the agency said.

[Kim]

That stuff's clearly not good for you.  It's just much less not good for you than tobacco, and it seems like we're going to find out how much...

[Cudzoziemiec]

To quote from BAT, vaping, heated tobacco and oral tobacco are "novel ways of reaching nicotine consumers".

[T42]

They forgot the suppositories.

[hellymedic]

The French seldom forget; T42 can remind them...

[Sergeant Pluck]

Been reading about Vaping Lung for a few months now

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/23/health/vaping-lung-disease-death-illinois-bn/index.html

These numbers are an increase from the 153 potential cases in 16 states that the agency reported Wednesday. At the time, there were no known deaths reported, the agency said.

I suspect this cluster is related to people vaping something other than normal nicotine-containing e-juice.

Having said that, I continue to believe it is too early to know if even “normal” e-juice is safe, and I remain amazed that PHE put their name to this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

I think it is inevitable that some vapers, even those who do not vape anything other than normal e-juice, will go on to develop interstitial lung diseases or hypersensitivity-related conditions.

With that in mind I am weaning myself off at this very moment. Down to 0% nicotine tomorrow.

[T42]

The French seldom forget; T42 can remind them...

...you suppose.

---o0o---

Meanwhile, I am discovering that one consequence of following the GP's exhortations to cut down the caffeine is that the beans go stale in the hopper and the coffee tastes like batshit.

[spesh]

Been reading about Vaping Lung for a few months now

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/23/health/vaping-lung-disease-death-illinois-bn/index.html

These numbers are an increase from the 153 potential cases in 16 states that the agency reported Wednesday. At the time, there were no known deaths reported, the agency said.

I suspect this cluster is related to people vaping something other than normal nicotine-containing e-juice.

This. From the news reports I have seen, it's suggested that it might be linked to vaping cannabis or other drugs.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-vaping-illinois-idUSKCN1VD22Y
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49452256

Having said that, I continue to believe it is too early to know if even “normal” e-juice is safe, and I remain amazed that PHE put their name to this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

I think it is inevitable that some vapers, even those who do not vape anything other than normal e-juice, will go on to develop interstitial lung diseases or hypersensitivity-related conditions.

With that in mind I am weaning myself off at this very moment. Down to 0% nicotine tomorrow.

Well, quite. Even if you have substituted vaping for setting fire to dried shredded tobacco (or other) leaves and breathing in the combustion products, you are still breathing stuff into your lungs that your brionchial system wasn't intended to deal with, IMHO.

[Kim]

As a non-smoker, the main win is air quality.  Glycol fog doesn't linger like cigarette smoke, and appears to be Mostly Harmless (other than well-documented psychosomatic effects on actors and musicians^[1]) at low concentrations.  Walking down the street and getting the occasional whiff of Strawberry Rubbers^[2] is a small price to pay for reduced numbers of actual smokers.


_{[1] The trick being to head off the issue by saying that you're using a special new fluid that doesn't dry your throat in the smoke machine for this production.
[2] Teenagers: Ask your parents.}