The health and fitness thread about random things

[hellymedic]

Partner & I BOTH saw GP for lumps on face on 17 January, me because I had spot in EXACTLY same anatomical location as Mum had Keratoacanthoma removed a few days before and he because he has a spot I thought was a basal cell carcinoma.
We sent mobile phone pictures to GP
I asked to go to Ealing Hospital, where Mum had been treated and brother-in-law is a consultant. I was seen in Ealing on 30 January, reassured and discharged.
David has just been seen by a Community Dermatologist in Wembley. They are going to cut his spot out at some point in the future, at some clinic in Rayners Lane.
Await events...

[T42]

Funny you should mention that: I'm off to the dermatologist in a thick hour from now for her to have a gander at the pink patch on my forearm that first appeared as a tiny itchy point mid-october.  I showed it to a pharmacist last week, she gave me a new mycocide and told me to show it to the GP if it didn't disappear in 6 days. On Tuesday GP listened, looked and got his secretary to book the dermatologist. Two days later and I'm in.

Fingers crossed.

[T42]

And out again, having had pink patch + divers blibs & blebs cauterized with liquid N2: "pre-cancerous". Cheery lass, the dermato, same age as my son, thought I was 10 years younger than I am so now I'm a cheery lad. Tell you what, though, liquid N2 on the bridge of your nose hurts.

Last time I had N2 treatment was at university, when a bored doc with a vast Dewar vessel daubed warts with a Q-tip.

Hope everyone else's skin issues turn out as trivial.

[mrcharly-YHT]

My dad used to burn out any warts we got using a philips screwdriver chilled in liquid N2 (we had it on the farm for branding horses).

Yes, it bloody hurts. Only had it applied to feet, so not sure if nose would be worse or not.

[Arminius]

Doc thinks I have Dupuytren's disease in my hand, which accounts for the odd lump that's been growing slowly for the last 4 months or so. I hope it doesn't develop much further - I don't really fancy having a finger stop straightening, or surgery.

[chrisbainbridge]

80% probability that it will never progress. Lower if you have a first degree relative with the cndition

[mrcharly-YHT]

My dad had crooked little fingers, one bent at 90degrees. My brother's were a little crooked, mine not noticeable and it straightened.

I think that was something different to Dupuytren's, erm Camptodactyly it is called

[chrisbainbridge]

My dad had crooked little fingers, one bent at 90degrees. My brother's were a little crooked, mine not noticeable and it straightened.

I think that was something different to Dupuytren's, erm Camptodactyly it is called

camptodactyly or clinodactyly depending on orientation

[hellymedic]

And out again, having had pink patch + divers blibs & blebs cauterized with liquid N2: "pre-cancerous". Cheery lass, the dermato, same age as my son, thought I was 10 years younger than I am so now I'm a cheery lad. Tell you what, though, liquid N2 on the bridge of your nose hurts.
Last time I had N2 treatment was at university, when a bored doc with a vast Dewar vessel daubed warts with a Q-tip.
Hope everyone else's skin issues turn out as trivial.

Some 35 years ago, one of the services the Surgical team at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Shetland offered was the Wart Clinic, where we applied liquid N₂ to the warts & veruccæ of Shetland every 3 weeks, when the boat came in.

I asked Boss to do the 20+ vericcæ on my left foot, at the end of clinic, when all the other punters had gone home and he obliged.

3 weeks later, he was on Paternity Leave so I DIYed my 20 veruccæ & kept working/walking.
Decided I could do this if I wore spongy running shoes rather than Smart Shoes and dress code laxity was better than going off sick.

Cured my feet...

[Arminius]

80% probability that it will never progress. Lower if you have a first degree relative with the cndition

Do you mean 80% chance of it not progressing far enough for surgery to be recommended, or something else? If the former, that's comforting, thanks; the impression I got from the Dr was that it was almost inevitable. I'm not aware of any relative having it.

[hellymedic]

Both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher had Dupuytren’s contracture...

[Arminius]

Not people I was hoping to have much in common with.

[barakta]

Isn't Dupuytren’s straightening surgery one of the most effective ones? My stepmum had surgery for hers very successfully.

I have a finger stuck at 45 degrees for OtherReasons, it is annoying, but the hand is so generally impaired there isn't much that could be done, so thankfully no one tried to hack at it in the 1980s. Just a stupid splint that made my finger go blue so I binned it.

[barakta]

My mum treated our verrucae, with razor blades and salicylic acid. Nurses really are fucking sadists.

I think both sisters did have bad enough ones to see chiropodists for more serious treatment or perhaps were less tolerant to my mum's slicy treatment than I was.

[Arminius]

Isn't Dupuytren’s straightening surgery one of the most effective ones? My stepmum had surgery for hers very successfully.

I have a finger stuck at 45 degrees for OtherReasons, it is annoying, but the hand is so generally impaired there isn't much that could be done, so thankfully no one tried to hack at it in the 1980s. Just a stupid splint that made my finger go blue so I binned it.

I'm not sure. I've read there are 4 different surgery options, and they sounded relatively straightforward to a non-medic, but I've not seen any stats.

[chrisbainbridge]

80% probability that it will never progress. Lower if you have a first degree relative with the cndition

Do you mean 80% chance of it not progressing far enough for surgery to be recommended, or something else? If the former, that's comforting, thanks; the impression I got from the Dr was that it was almost inevitable. I'm not aware of any relative having it.

80% of nodules never progress to a contracture. If you are over 65-70 it is probably 90%. Even if it does progress to a contracture there are simple treatments available which are n and out in 30 minutes and using the hand the following day.

[Jaded]

I had a verruca done with a hot wire.

Local anaesthetic, then hot wire. Cue magnificent smoke and a smell like at stubble burning time, and a cured verruca.

I think I got it off a toilet seat.

[T42]

My dad had crooked little fingers, one bent at 90degrees. My brother's were a little crooked, mine not noticeable and it straightened.

I think that was something different to Dupuytren's, erm Camptodactyly it is called

Now I'm imagining a mincing pteranodon.

[Regulator]

80% probability that it will never progress. Lower if you have a first degree relative with the cndition

Do you mean 80% chance of it not progressing far enough for surgery to be recommended, or something else? If the former, that's comforting, thanks; the impression I got from the Dr was that it was almost inevitable. I'm not aware of any relative having it.

80% of nodules never progress to a contracture. If you are over 65-70 it is probably 90%. Even if it does progress to a contracture there are simple treatments available which are n and out in 30 minutes and using the hand the following day.

As Chris says, the surgery is very quick and straightforward - the procedures used are primarily done as an outpatient procedure these days. 

However, that's if you can get it done.  Dupuytren’s contracture release is on the Evidence Based Interventions list and subject to Prior Approval.  It's one of the treatment's that ICBs tend to restrict when they're running short on funds.

[chrisbainbridge]

Regulator is technically right but on this occasion the rules were at least helped by the surgeon.  the limits are 25deg contracture at the MCP joint or any contracture at the PIPjoint.  Needle Aponeurotomy is a game changer and is so cheap that I do not know of a single place it is banned.  problem is that not all surgeons are trained or willing yet.

[L CC]

Given Chris Bainbridge is THE MAN for this I'm astounded even Regulator feels the need to interject.

[Regulator]

Given Chris Bainbridge is THE MAN for this I'm astounded even Regulator feels the need to interject.

I'm not not really commenting the technical side of it... I'm commenting from the perspective of a provider who provides these procedures for the NHS across England on the restrictions that are being placed on patients accessing them in a timely manner.  It gets worse as the financial year wears on...  roll on April (if the Treasury actually get round to agreeing the 2024/25 NHS settlement before the General Election in May).

[BrianI]

I guess with my lack of exercise, general lazyitis, and winter hibernation feeding, I'm becoming a lardy fatty.  205.8 lbs  BMI 26.4, 0.56 waist to height ratio. Which is a bit concerning as both my dad, and grandad were very overweight, and had issues with their heart (dad died of sudden heart failure in 2016).

[mrcharly-YHT]

I guess with my lack of exercise, general lazyitis, and winter hibernation feeding, I'm becoming a lardy fatty.  205.8 lbs  BMI 26.4, 0.56 waist to height ratio. Which is a bit concerning as both my dad, and grandad were very overweight, and had issues with their heart (dad died of sudden heart failure in 2016).

Don't listen to BMI.

I'm currently 28.

[cycleman]

A little over zealous hill climbing has made my right knee intermittently very painful. I'll hit the ibuprofen tomorrow and see if it settles down again.