MEDICAL MATTERS

[plaques]

As for the testing kits. Call in and see me Ken and take mine before you spend money. I haven't had them all that long.....
Mrs P will down at Sainbury's to buy a kit £9.70 for 5 off. Mid March is my next visit to Barlick.

[Stanley]

Call in for them, 3 boxes free....

[PanBiker]

I am a bit out of sorts today, actually a lot out of sorts. Enough for me to ring the surgery for an appointment with the doctor. All of last week I had a dry cough. Waking up on Saturday morning I felt like someone had been stood on my chest all night but only at the right hand side. It's so painful that I cant take a full breath, thankfully the coughing has stopped, it think that would actually be torture at the moment!

I rang the surgery and hung on to speak to reception, I was fourth in the list and got through about 12 minutes later. I asked to see a doctor today if possible, not bothered who I see. I am currently waiting for a call back from a doctor to see if I need to see a doctor if that makes sense! I am currently managing the pain with paracetamol but the pain relief only lasts about 90 minutes if I am lucky, then its the wait for two more hours before I can take any more. My ribs ache when I move. I am concerned that I may have a chest infection and I need a competent clinician to confirm if that's the case.

I don't have a temperature but I have noticed that my heart rate is up. I normally tick over at 55 to 60 resting HB but I am currently running at 70 - 80bpm. I didn't want to ring the 118 or whatever number it is and report chest pains or that would press too many panic buttons. I am confident that it's nothing to do with that. With a bit of luck I will get a doctor to give me the once over today.

[Big Kev]

I don't have a temperature but I have noticed that my heart rate is up. I normally tick over at 55 to 60 resting HB but I am currently running at 70 - 80bpm. I didn't want to ring the 118 or whatever number it is and report chest pains or that would press too many panic buttons. I am confident that it's nothing to do with that. With a bit of luck I will get a doctor to give me the once over today.

Hope they sort you out soon Ian. I used the 111 online service when I bruised my ribs, it's listed on my medical record as chest pains...

[Tripps]

From my recent personal experience I'd say ring 111 immediately.

Unless you are confident of seeing as doctor very soon.

[Wendyf]

I hope you have seen a doctor by now Ian and have received some treatment. Having seen Col struggling in a similar way when he had embolisms in his lungs I agree with Tripps...phone 111 now!

[Big Kev]

https://111.nhs.uk
Fill in a form and get a call back, might be delays today though as there are NHS strikes.

[Stanley]

Worrying stuff Ian and good advice! I hope you have had some more positive news....

[PanBiker]

An interesting 8 hours in A&E and the AAU over at Airdale yesterday although rather tiring.

I waited for a call back from the surgery until 4pm, my symptoms weren't getting any better so I rang 111. The preamble message told me that there could be up to half an hour wait in the queue and suggested that I use the online 111 triage service which apparently asks all the same questions. All tick boxes OK until I got to the chest pain question, there is only one, it's a binary choice. No different degrees of pain just an all encompassing question. I knew what would happen when I ticked that box and I was right. Big red flashing sign CALL 999.

I did as I was prompted and after giving my postcode was put through to NW ambulance. "Is the patient breathing etc", 2 minutes later she was ordering me a red light job for the hospital. I assured her that I was pretty certain that I was not having a heart attack and that I wanted to decline the emergency response but would make my own way to AE at Airedale. She asked me to confirm my mobile number and told me to take it with me in case I had a turn for the worse. I said I was sure I had a chest infection but needed clinical confirmation. A quick call to our Jack and he had just come home from work and was at ours in five minutes. Twenty minutes later about 16.45 I was checking in at A&E reception which was pretty rammed. We managed to find a couple of seats and waited to be called for triage.

I had the first session about an hour later, BP and oxygen, back to the waiting room for a couple of hours then back in for bloods and ECG. Nurse had difficulty with some of the pads but flatly refused to shave another bloke that day. Surgical tape was the backup and she got her trace. Preliminaries sent of to the docs and back out to a different waiting area. We got called in to see the doc two hours later, doc and trainee actually. She went through the ECG and blood results, As expected, nothing wrong with my heart but markers all over the place for infection. She was the first one to run a stethoscope over me. She said she would see the consultant about my results. The treatment rooms in A&E are double ended and the back doors go through into the AAU so we were shunted into there. BP and oxygen again, oxygen perfect but the machine was flashing red on my BP 149/111 and my pulse was up to 96, (my normal resting is (55 - 60) she asked if I was having palpitations and could honestly answer no. Anyway, consultant wanted a chest X-Ray so we walked up to the imaging end of the AAU and waited for the radiographer to give us a call, only about 10 minutes and we were then told to loop round out of the AAU and back to the main waiting area. The bloke who was sat next to us came in about the same time as us and he said that at that time 10.30pm they had just announced a 9 hour wait for anyone just checking in, we were already 7 and bit hours into our stint.

Three quarters of an hour later the doc reappeared clutching medications and said I could go home. She said the X-Ray showed infection on both sides of my chest but far worse on the right. Consultant has agreed opiate laced tablets (Co-Drydomal) for pain management and high dose penicillin (Amoxycillin) for the infection. All my results will go to the local surgery and I should call in late March and ask my doctor to book me another chest X-Ray to make sure I am sorted.

Incidentally Dr Bhatti who was the on call responder at the surgery yesterday rang me on my mobile while we were waiting for my ECG and blood results. I thanked him for the call and he agreed I was in the best place.

Our Jack went over to Carla's in Silsden to wait and have brew etc. It was just after midnight when we asked him to pick us up. We are blessed with kids that step up when required. I though he worked from home on Tuesday but apparently not the case at the moment, he had work to do which had to be ready for a school opening this morning. 6am start from home to get there as well.

Sorry for the long post but I have nothing better to do (or no inclination), I just feel weary. Can't say I am coughing better because I don't want to cough it's agony at the moment until Dr Fleming's magic pills kick in.

[Big Kev]

It's good to have a 'self diagnosis' confirmed, shame it took so long. Hopefully the ABs will kick in soon and you'll feel better.

[PanBiker]

Thanks Kev. I was pretty sure what was wrong with me before I rang 111.

[Stanley]

Glad you finished up with the least serious option Ian. Hope you are feeling better this morning.

[PanBiker]

I think the antibiotics are just starting to kick in. My chest pains when I breath are easing slightly. Still cant take a full breath though. Sally has been to the doctor this morning she also has a chest infection. She had the cough for weeks before I succumbed and the docs at the hospital though I probably picked it up from her. She doesn't have the tight chest though just the cough.

[Stanley]

Give Sally my best, I hope you both get better as soon as possible.

[PanBiker]

Thanks Stanley, new operative at the surgery, could be a locum, a young lady examined Sally yesterday and prescribed antibiotics for her, only 5 days worth though, I got a 7 day supply. I still have tightness on the right but it is easing, not quite out of the woods yet.

[Stanley]

I got news this morning that grand daughter Katie in Perth is in the operating theatre having her gall bladder and 13 gall stones removed. Is 13 normal or exceptional? Does anyone know?

[PanBiker]

Don't know Stanley but I hope she goes on OK.

Sally is dragging her feet in showing signs of recovery despite the antibiotics. She still has a very raucous cough which is wearing her down, she's asleep on the couch as I post. Almost certainly connected with her compromised immune system. Sally was told to book another appointment with the doctor next week after her 5 days of AB's.

I continue to improve, still tight on the right but my resting heart rate is now at 68 rather than the 96 that is was going at a few days ago. I might check my BP shortly and see if the pills are working in that department. Despite the slightly raised BP the heart health markers in my blood test results were excellent.

[Stanley]

Please tell Sally I have everything crossed for her....
Over in Oz, Katie is out of surgery and all we know at present is that her gall bladder is out and her bile duct is intact which I assume means so far so good! Margaret assures me that it was a lot of gall stones......

[Cathy]

Gosh, poor Katie. It sounds like her condition would have been very painful. Glad she is all sorted now.

[Stanley]

That's what I thought Cathy..... She's past the worst now. Next we have to worry about Margaret, she has damaged her knee and might need an operation on that!
I am looking after myself and avoiding the doctors!

[PanBiker]

Glad everything went OK Stanley.

Sally and I have just been out to take her time sheet up to West Craven School. First time out for a bit of a walk. Glad to report that my heart rate didn't exceed 77 even though I was panting a bit by the time we got back.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of the transmission of bird flu from domestic birds to humans.
"An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died from the country's first known human case of bird flu in nine years, health authorities have confirmed. The girl from the rural Prey Veng province was diagnosed with the H5N1 virus on Wednesday. She had fallen ill a week earlier with a high fever, cough and sore throat. Cambodia's health ministry said her father had also tested positive and 11 others had been tested.
UK experts are on record as saying that we should watch this like a hawk as the last thing we need is another bout of infection. They say on no account touch dead wild birds you may come across.

[plaques]

A bit of good news the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has released a study to show that people are developing a natural immunity against the Covid virus. Their study shows that people who have already had the virus have a 90% immunity. while those who have never had it but have had multiple vaccinations have a 40% immunity. Also the current BA 1 variant has a much milder illness with a very low risk of hospitalisation. Although the government has said nothing on this subject the withdrawal of mass vaccinations for the under 50's suggest they recognise the trend but are not saying so. The debate about the long term risk of the mRNA vaccine continues but at a very low level. The old adage that Doctors bury their mistakes seems to apply to governments and biopharmaceuticals.

[Stanley]

Looking back, it could have been a lot worse but let us not forget the people like my Susan who are still under the cosh with what the doctors believe is long Covid because Sarcoidosis is a malfunction of the immune system closely related to Lupus. Also included is Mick but his legacy is heart problems.
I consider myself lucky, I seem to have emerged unscathed.

[Mags]

Update on Katie, we have been told today that the fluid draining from Katie should be clear but it is yellow and frothy (she has been on antibiotics intravenously sine Friday after the op). They gave her another scan today as they think that there may be stones floating around in her abdomen and posibbly a tear somewhere in the cavity.

From what I can gather a "normal" gall bladder removal takes roughly an hour in actual surgery, Katie was in theatre 5 hours...............

Just waiting for an update..........