MEDICAL MATTERS

[Tizer]

"He's now with GB News and seems to have become a big wheel in the conspiracy and misinformation world."
Commenting on it or generating it?

Generating and propagating it. Look at the Politics section of this Wikipedia web page: Neil Oliver

[Sue]

Lets hope this is good news for the perpetual killer, malaria. Interesting article. It doesn’t say which science magazine the article is in.I shall be having a browse on t’internet.

Chance discovery helps fight against malaria https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66394117

[Stanley]

I heard that report yesterday Sue. I hope this time the miracle works. Malaria is I think the biggest killer world-wide?

[Tripps]

Malaria was eliminated in Singapore in about 1960. Strong government effort to spray all places where they bred. I think water is needed for breeding. Anti malarial tablets were only given to anyone who crossed the causeway into Malaya. That was a long time ago and may be out of date now. I've lost count of how many such stories I've heard over the years. Remember the sterilised male mosquito project? Let us hope this one works.

**********

The Governent minister tasked with spinning the latest ratchet in the privatisation of the NHS this morning - diagnostic centres in non hospital settings including Brighton and Hove Albion football ground. - used the words 'independent' rather than 'private' providers throughout her interview. She reinforced her view by reminding us that GP's were separate businesses and also independent of the NHS.

Got me thinking - that the last scan I had, was conducted in a mobile unit parked up in Addenbrookes. I thought it odd at the time, but perhaps that was preparation for it being moved later to somewhere else?

Somewhere more independent?

[PanBiker]

The new imaging unit at St James in Leeds is owned by the hospital but run by technicians from a private company.

[Tripps]

but run by technicians from a private company.

I think you meant to say "independent' company.

[Sue]

Malaria was eliminated in Singapore in about 1960. Strong government effort to spray all places where they bred. I think water is needed for breeding. Anti malarial tablets were only given to anyone who crossed the causeway into Malaya. That was a long time ago and may be out of date now. I've lost count of how many such stories I've heard over the years. Remember the sterilised male mosquito project? Let us hope this one works.

**********

The Governent minister tasked with spinning the latest ratchet in the privatisation of the NHS this morning - diagnostic centres in non hospital settings including Brighton and Hove Albion football ground. - used the words 'independent' rather than 'private' providers throughout her interview. She reinforced her view by reminding us that GP's were separate businesses and also independent of the NHS.

Got me thinking - that the last scan I had, was conducted in a mobile unit parked up in Addenbrookes. I thought it odd at the time, but perhaps that was preparation for it being moved later to somewhere else?

Somewhere more independent?

Yes they sprayed with DDT wich I believe was damaging to the survival of birds eggs further up the food chain. There have been endless solutions over the years, all failed in the end.Biology is a wonderful complex subject

[Sue]

I heard that report yesterday Sue. I hope this time the miracle works. Malaria is I think the biggest killer world-wide?

Yes it is. Because we don’t have it …yet..we tend to forget about it. With cli ate change the offending anopheles mosquito may arrive in our country and may carry with it the malarial parasite. We can try to control it by controlling the insect, its larvae or the parasite itself. Sickle cell trait provides a natural parasite prevention as the parasite cannot penetrate the sickle shaped red cells ( I think I remembered that correctly. Long time since I taught it) . Sadly people with sickle cell or carriers of the sickle cell gene suffer from other extreme problems .

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1804388115

[Tripps]

There have been endless solutions over the years, all failed in the end

"Singapore was declared malaria-free in 1982 after meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of having 1) a comprehensive and efficacious case detection mechanism; 2) reliable microscopic diagnosis of blood smears; 3) thorough epidemiological investigations and a satisfactory epidemiological situation; 4) adequate preventive and remedial actions upon detection of cases; 5) adequate general health services, effective system of case notification, and epidemiological follow-up for prevention of re-establishment of malaria."

[Stanley]

I'm glad we don't have it in Barlick yet....

[Sue]

There have been endless solutions over the years, all failed in the end

"Singapore was declared malaria-free in 1982 after meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of having 1) a comprehensive and efficacious case detection mechanism; 2) reliable microscopic diagnosis of blood smears; 3) thorough epidemiological investigations and a satisfactory epidemiological situation; 4) adequate preventive and remedial actions upon detection of cases; 5) adequate general health services, effective system of case notification, and epidemiological follow-up for prevention of re-establishment of malaria."

I didn’t know that or hadn’t remembered it. I must admit most of my knowledge was about the biology rather than the prevention, and not much of that remains

[Sue]

Well perhaps the vaccine wasn’t effective and we all suffered the placebo effect. What ever there was a positive reduction in infection and severity




SORRY THIS SHOULD BE IN CORONOVORUS

[Stanley]

Never mind the wrong topic.... That's the way I look at it Sue. Whatever the 'truth' most of us survived!

[Sue]

Never mind the wrong topic.... That's the way I look at it Sue. Whatever the 'truth' most of us survived!

Agreed

[Stanley]

I was thinking about the way we interact with doctors these days. It used to be entirely different. See if this chimes with the way you remember it. (I should say that one of the reasons why I remember this so well is that I had a long conversation with Arthur Morrison about his technique.....)
As you entered your doctor got a general impression and when you sat down asked you how you felt and what you wanted from him. At the same time he had taken your hand and was taking your pulse from a vein in your wrist. Next he pulled the skin of your bottom eyelid down and looked at the colour of the skin inside. Then he'd use a wooden spatula to hold your tongue down as you said aaahhh. Arthur also always looked at the skin in between your fingers where they joined the palm, he reckoned he could get a lot of information that way. Then depending on why you were there he would look in your ears or your eyes or perhaps listen to your breathing by using his stethoscope on your back.
The information he got by this hands-on routine was an essential part of his diagnosis and the thing that strikes me is that in a telephone consultation all this is missing. Is it no longer relevant or are we looking at a deterioration in professional skills? Have test results taken over completely from old fashioned diagnostic skills?
Or am I hopelessly old-fashioned in preferring this more intimate contact.

[plaques]

Have test results taken over completely from old fashioned diagnostic skills?
Or am I hopelessly old-fashioned in preferring this more intimate contact.

Our much quoted Dr John Campbell has said several times that immediately you saw a patient you had a good idea what was wrong. As I see it the lab tests confirm those suspicions giving more depth to the diagnosis. Lab tests are an essential part of todays medicine and I cringe when I hear people say " They may find something". In this case ignorance is not bliss.

[Tizer]

I've finished my 6-week course of Efudix cream on my face for treating the basal cell carcinomas. It was a trial having to clean the pillow cases every morning due to the leaked lymph and blood - dressings are not to be used with the cream. I wore a large floppy hat when I left the house because my face looked like a battlefield, with 8 or more red patches of erupted skin. Now I've just got scabs but they're drying up and falling off so I might look respectable soon!

In parallel I've had treatment and investigations for my leg pain and breathing limitations when walking uphill. My GP has gone down the route of looking for obstructions and I've had a chest X-ray last week and tomorrow a high resolution chest X-ray. She made an appointment for me to go to ENT to check for nasal polyps but after some research and discussion with family we concurred that I had no signs of such polyps so I cancelled the appointment. I've already been on a course of mometasone - which is what ENT use first to shrink polyps - and it's made no difference to my Peak Flow breathing measurements. I think the problem is more likely to be muscle weakness which puts a greater demand on my breathing when walking uphill. But that's not easy to diagnose, let alone treat. There are too many possibilities. At least I'm getting a lot of attention and I live in walking distance of the surgery and the hospital - and the walk is on the level!

[Big Kev]

The NHS are giving me a lot of attention too, the Radiology and Neurology people, at Preston, want a look at me now. I must be interesting

[Tizer]

Likewise me and my second chest X-ray. At the first one last week I arrived early and decided to sit in the main hospital corridor for a while until nearer the appointment time. There are rows of seats along the sides that can be raised when necessary to allow beds to be wheeled past etc. I pulled one down expecting it to be sprung but it dropped and hit my leg on the side of my knee. The frame is solid iron and it hurt! When I got up to go to the X-ray reception I could hardly walk and staggered through to the desk. The two ladies behind the counter noticed my gait and I explained what had happened and that I wasn't drunk. We had a laugh and one of them said "After they've done your chest you'd better ask them to do your leg while you're here!

[Big Kev]

What a fine pair we are

[Stanley]

I read what others have to put up with and decide to keep quiet about my shortcomings. I think I am very lucky, Only got cancer, diabetes and a buggered knee to cope with.....
Ken, you are right about tests of course but my point is how often do we see our GP face to face?

[plaques]

Another 3 AM ambulance trip to Blackburn Hospital for much the reason as before but with the added joy of a 3X pain factor in all the bones and nerves from my head down to bottom of my chest. Repeat of all the blood tests plus the usual statuary checks. Can't find anything new, so take it easy, we will be sending a list of recommendations to your doctor. Take it easy! I had already taken the full amount of Paracetamol and was in bloody agony. The good news is that I was home by 3.0 PM the same day.

I recon that this is the most I can do for the next few days.

[PanBiker]

Bloody hell Ken that's scary. It's a worry when they can't find out what's wrong, take care.

[Wendyf]

Ken that sounds frightening, I hope your doctor acts quickly on those recommendations.

[Sue]

Blooming heck. I hope they get you sorted very quickly