OneGuyFromBarlick

Had ther MRI scan on my leg yesterday (what a noisy machine that is, I am glad I only had my legs in and not my whole body!) - so a wait until the 13th to get the result.

Moh, I hope it leads to some better treatment and an improvement in your leg. Ulcers can be so intractable. Best of luck with it!

Sorry about the leg Moh, and the scans can be traumatic. Went to the hospital after my appointment was cancelled then reinstated only to find they had moved it by one and a half hours so was kept waiting from 2.00 - 4.45pm before I saw the doctor. Then found the receptionist had forgotton to get my file out so loads of patients were then in the queue before me. What a nightmare. The doctor told me the retina was attached and in exactly the same place it had detatched from but I now have to have my eyes retested and get a report from the opticians to take to the hospital to find why the sight improved then deteriorated. Another appointment in 4 weeks time lets see how admin make a mess of this one. Eileen

A few months ago there was news of a spray-on treatment being developed for some types of leg ulcers. The NHS web site says:
"`Spray on skin to help leg ulcers', The Daily Telegraph headlines, reporting that scientists have developed a skin spray consisting of a “soup of skin cells and proteins” that can be used to treat venous leg ulcers. This clinical trial investigated the use of a new spray treatment to heal venous leg ulcers, which are a complication of a condition where the valves in the veins of the leg do not work very well. The new spray (HP802-247) consisted of a combination of donated skin cells and proteins. The researchers wanted to see if use of the spray, in addition to standard treatment for venous ulcers, could accelerate the process of healing. The results from the trial were promising. They are likely to lead to further trials testing the safety and effectiveness in larger numbers of people with venous ulcers. The potential value of this spray is that it could treat those people whose skin will not heal with conventional treatment (such as compression bandages and dressings), and for whom the only alternative option could be skin graft."
Full details here: LINK

Moh, print the information out and present it to your consultant!

Lousy night and worse today. I think I have a UTI so it's a call to GP tomorrow to try to get an appointment. Nolic

Good luck with that Nolic, a course of Dr Flemming's finest will probably set you right as long as you are not intolerant.

Commiserations Comrade! For many years I had recurrent bouts of Cystitis and Arthur Morrison, my old GP, had great fun pointing out the various ways I could have got the infection. It was not good and I always have sympathy with anyone who has it. I had one particularly bad episode when I was under a woman doctor in Bacup and bless her, she hit it with exactly the right antibiotic. Subsequent exhaustive tests could find nothing and touch wood I have never had it since. Good riddance I say! Probably the worst pain I have ever experienced.

Cranberry juice and Robinsons lemon & barley by the gallon. Eileen

I completely agree with Eileen.

Managed to get an appointment to see a GP tonight which came as a bit of a surprise. I've been on cranberry juice all weekend and it does help but I need some antibiotics as peeing is still a problem and I'm feverish with hot and cold sweats as well. Nolic

Tizer wrote:A few months ago there was news of a spray-on treatment being developed for some types of leg ulcers. The NHS web site says:
"`Spray on skin to help leg ulcers', The Daily Telegraph headlines, reporting that scientists have developed a skin spray consisting of a “soup of skin cells and proteins” that can be used to treat venous leg ulcers. This clinical trial investigated the use of a new spray treatment to heal venous leg ulcers, which are a complication of a condition where the valves in the veins of the leg do not work very well. The new spray (HP802-247) consisted of a combination of donated skin cells and proteins. The researchers wanted to see if use of the spray, in addition to standard treatment for venous ulcers, could accelerate the process of healing. The results from the trial were promising. They are likely to lead to further trials testing the safety and effectiveness in larger numbers of people with venous ulcers. The potential value of this spray is that it could treat those people whose skin will not heal with conventional treatment (such as compression bandages and dressings), and for whom the only alternative option could be skin graft."
Full details here: LINK

Thank you, I will look into it. The problem is it is only the size of a pin hole and it is on grafted skin from when I had my accident with the bus in 1949. The Dr. at the hospital said it would be very difficult to operate on - will see what he says tomorrow (not the 13th like I thought).

Good luck with it Moh.
Comrade, the broken glass syndrome! One of Arthur's methods of treatment was to tell me a joke.... Old bloke goes into doctor and tells him he has a problem making water. Doc asks if it burns. Old bloke says I don't know, I haven't tried setting light to it. I well remember sitting in the recovery room after an endoscopy to investigate me kidneys. About four blokes all sat there waiting for the obligatory passing of water before we were allowed to leave. One of them knew what was coming and said "You're not going to like it!" He was right! It was like passing concentrated acid. We had great fun comparing notes.

Really cheered me up Comrade. I'm glad you didn't post that yesterday. Antibiotics kicking in and had a fairish nights sleep. Slight worry in that GP thought there might be a trace of blood in me pee but fingers crossed. Back to work today preparing for some training tomorrow. Nolic

OGFB members may remember me posting about one of our Barlick GP's having a good laugh when a swollen tongue rendered me speechlessa few weeks ago...

Since then, I've had an interesting few weeks with swellings (diagnosed as angioedema) in various parts of my body. Not much of an issue when it's part of a hand or foot, or even genitals, but more of a challenge when it's my tongue or throat that's swelling up!

(On one occasion, committee members were amused when I chaired a meeting with my genitals swollen to the size of a small grapefruit... my colleagues are a cruel lot! Another meeting was enlivened by my lips beginning to swell, fortunately the meeting ended before they achieved maximum size.)

When the swellings have threatened my breathing, I've ended up at A&E. I now carry an epipen to self administer adrenalin if needed (used once).

Regular dosing with an anti-histamine has helped control the episodes, but made me very sleepy. I think the balance between episodes/sleepiness is now as good as possible - when I reduced the anti-histamines too much, the swellings proliferated.

I'm told the cause could be an allergic reaction, side effect of medicine, immunological or viral (not a lot of choice there!). It'll be February before I get to see a dermatologist to try and work out what's going on.

Recuperation from the heart surgery is good and I felt fit enough at the weekend to take part in taking down Barlick's shop front Christmas trees, but the team at Leeds won't discharge me as they want to make sure I'm kept on necessary cardiac medicines during dermatology investigations.

Sorry to be a medical bore, but I'm a bit fed up of the swelling thing and this is part of venting my frustration!

I have been to BGH and seen the orthopedic Dr. who has decided it it not his problem, the scan showed some thickening of the skin but he said it would be no good for him to operate as the hole is on grafted skin and it would break down and cause a bigger ulcer. So now he is referring me to the 'plastics' team at Preston - maybe third department lucky!!

David Whipp wrote:...committee members were amused when I chaired a meeting with my genitals swollen to the size of a small grapefruit...

Was a special viewing flagged up on the meeting agenda or were they a surprise item?

Tizer wrote:David Whipp wrote:
...committee members were amused when I chaired a meeting with my genitals swollen to the size of a small grapefruit...

Was a special viewing flagged up on the meeting agenda or were they a surprise item?

Certainly a surprise item!

No other members took part...

David.. I can imagine these swellings are actually quite alarming.
I am wondering if the sutures they used in your cardiac surgery could have set off this reaction? They would be the only foreign matter now residual in your body after surgery.
Worth considering.
( I had abdominal surgery some twenty years ago and still have to scratch occasionally. I never mention it of course, as I am quite fearful of the medical profession these days. I am quite against any more investigations!. I did have to have removal of some rogue sutures that had worked their way to the surface several years after the surgery. It is possible our bodies cannot cope with these foreign things)

Moh, I hope they come up with a solution.
David, commiserations! It must be alarming when your airways are affected. Not nice. I hope it soon settles down and you get back to normal....

Had a recurrence of me nose bleed problem last week. Stopped taking the wimp's aspirin each morning and that cured it. We had a discussion about this a long time ago and it was Tiz who pointed out that my platelets were perhaps non-sticky enough because of my daily cod liver oil. It seems that the same circumstances apply, no wonder I have a 16 year old's BP readings!

I've had yucky nose bleeds too...which I put down to the tail end of this Virus mixed with the hot weather. ( I know it isn't my Blood Pressure as we both check our BP each morning and my readings are normal...so BP medication is doing its job.)
Hate waking up with blood on my pillow case.

I've had a couple of slight nose bleeds this week too and a nasty headache, reckon it's the heat.

Could be a tumour, Cazza.

as the child in kindergarten cop (?) says to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

That would be my brain. I'll give you a tumour (blah blah blah *!(#&!!)