OneGuyFromBarlick

That's encouraging news Wendy. Again, speaking from experience, I am very familiar with sciatic pain! Years of back pain does have some useful side benefits!
The cause of true sciatic pain is almost never at the site where the pain is felt. That takes some getting used to because the body uses pain nto tell you where the problem is but in this case is almost always wrong. Have a look at Dennis' back when he is stood side on to you. You'll see that his spine curves down from his hindquarters and then slowly rises in a slope to his neck. The in-curve is called the Lordosis. (LINK) Lordosis is the medical name used for excessive curvature of the spine but a small degree of curve is natural. We were built to move on all fours like a gorilla and if you look they have it as well. Walking upright tends to straighten the spine. (Incidentally, walking upright is a contributory factor to sinusitis, the sinuses only drain freely if we are on all fours with our head down) The Sciatic nerves are branches of the spinal chord and exit the spine through channels in the vertebrae in the lower back, in the area of the Lordosis. If the spine is too straight at this point it can put pressure on the nerves where they exit the spine and this is what causes true sciatica. The pain you feel in the leg is phantom pain and it's position depends on which nerve or part of a nerve that is under pressure. re-establishing the lordosis by a small round cushion placed in the small of the back and sitting upright. It costs nothing to try and is very effective and quick. Over the years I have become very conscious of the need to preserve the lordosis and habit can result in permanent improvement. Gentle rubbing of the back at that point, particularly with a liniment that promotes blood flow can be very effective.
One 'old wife's tale' that works in many cases is to plait together a few threads of coarse knitting wool and tie it round your waist. Don't take it off, just leave it there and replace it when it fails. It worked for me.
One warning.... I don't know whether you can still get it but Sloan's Liniment was good because it is a very effective promoter of blood circulation. It doesn't need rubbing in, just gently spreading. When my back was really bad I'd lay down and Vera would rub some Sloan's in the curve in my back. One morning she poured some in to warm it and I involuntarily arched my back because of the shock of the cold liquid and it ran down the crack of my bum. I can tell you that Sloan's on slightly exposed piles is to be avoided at all costs!
Give Col my best and tell him that when Arthur Morrison told me that age cures back ache he was right! One more thing that I discovered. I used to get sudden stabbing pains in different locations, sharp enough to make me cry out in pain. It took a long time for me to realise that they were caused by taking anti inflammatory drugs regularly for my back pain. I stopped taking them and the pains vanished.

There's an increasing incidence of pain in the neck, shoulders or back due to spending hours hunched over a smartphone. People tend to bend their neck sharply forwards to look down at the screen and it's so common that the problem has the name `text neck'.

Stanley's `old wives' tale' about the knitting wool might work because the wool simply acts as a reminder to maintain a healthy posture. It's a bit like we discussed elsewhere how putting something in an odd position in the house can be used as a reminder.

Not all "sciatic" pain is down to the common and garden prolapsed disc problem. Recently a friend who has been a life long distance runner, the great north run etc: started to suffer from what was seen to be classic sciatic pain. So much so that he was unable to drive his car or sit down at a table. The real culprit was that some slightly oversize running shoes which had placed an undue stain on his knees and lower thighs which in turn had pressured the leg nerves. The obvious answer is not to rely on self diagnosis but get a professional opinion.

P. Quite right but there is a place for self-diagnosis. Like taking notice when touching something hot causes a pain.....

Had my 'flu jab for another year.

I had mine as well Moh, no appreciable side effects.... Hope you experience the same and that this year they have guessed correctly! They admitted last year that they got the strain wrong.....

Our surgery is doing flu jabs next Saturday and we'll be there. Every jab helps, not just for the current year but for the future. Infuenza vaccination is like compound interest on your savings account - each year builds on the previous year.

I agree and feel sorry for people who are misinformed to the extent they don't trust immunisation..... Of course you can't 'prove' a negative, all I can say is that I have not had flu.....

News to horrify Maz on a couple of fronts. This morning, very unusually, I had an attack of the squits. (I know, too much information....! But bear with me.) I remembered that I had a pack of Loperamide in the cupboard dating back to my travelling days. There was one left in it so I took it. Then I looked at the expiry date on the pack. December 2002! Only 13 years out of date! But it worked. I suppose I should really take more notice of these things.....

I read somewhere, but don't take this as gospel, that the pharmaceutical industry generally did a follow up on preparations for two years. It was generally limited to this time period because of the cost of running this type of follow up. It is believed that many of the 'solid' medicines would easily exceed this time limit but are given the same expiry date as the other more sensitive preparations. Keep taking the pills.

That poor pill has been sitting in your cupboard for 13 years waiting for its few minutes of fame!

I don't usually fly to the cupboard for every simple circumstance but didn't want any nasty surprises when I was walking Jack. (It has happened once!) It worked perfectly with no side affects. I assumed it was OK because it was a tiny sealed capsule and hasn't been subjected to any extremes.

Good Grief...how could you Stanley!!!!!?
That is beyond the pale. Couldn't you have bought some new tablets?
They don't cost much you know....

Flu jab done this morning. It's always amusing to see the small town flooded with oldies like me, all having a good gossip and enjoying an excuse to `hang out' while they wait their turn!

Same here Tiz, you look at them and realise that you are perhaps looking older than you feel. The nurses treat you very kindly as well, I suppose they are seeing themselves in 40 years!
Maz, calm down Dear! Waste not want not and it was perfectly OK, did the job with no side effects....

How is Col going on with the non statin regime? is it still working? Give him my best.

It is going well thank you Stanley. He feels much stronger and even the long standing pains down his leg and in his back are starting to ease, but that is probably due to the physio pummelling him on a weekly basis to get rid of the knots! He must be much improved because he has spent the last few days working on the underside of the pick-up, getting it ready for it's MOT. There has been a lot of hammering and swearing, sparks from the grinder, some welding and a lot of black stuff being painted on....he wouldn't even have contemplated being able to do it 3 weeks ago.
Unfortunately, as one problem eases another raises it's ugly head! Last week his blood sugar levels suddenly shot out of control after years of tight management. The doctor upped his drugs to maximum levels but it hasn't done the trick, so it looks like he might have to go onto insulin. Discussions due with the doctor this morning.
We can't see that this can be linked to stopping the statins...they are meant to raise blood sugar levels slightly.

Has he been missing out on meals while doing his work, Wendy, or not eating often enough? That might mess up his blood sugar control. I'm not diabetic but my body's control of my blood sugar is poor and I have to make sure I eat frequently and regularly.

Wendy...sounds to me as though there is something going on with Colin that no one has quite put their finger on yet...poor fellow.

Tiz, he always eats regularly and well, and has been able to control his diabetes well with diet & drugs for over 12 years. It is a progressive disease, and he knew it would just be a matter of time before his pancreas gave up producing insulin, it could be that point has been reached.
Great frustration this morning as he missed his booked phone call with the doctor...the house phone rang, he went to answer it but it was someone else and a few seconds later his mobile rang but he couldn't get to it in time. When he spoke to the receptionist she told him he wouldn't get another call, and it would be 2 weeks before that doctor (the diabetes "specialist") could speak to him again. Stress levels had been building up awaiting the call and he got slightly annoyed! I think he persuaded them to book another call this evening. All my fault of course as the the first call was for me!

Maz, it would be nice if someone would look at Col's problems in a "holistic" way, everything is treated separately. His father died quite young from complications caused by diabetes, but not until he had lost both legs. His mother died in her early seventies from pancreatic cancer and Col himself is suffering various effects now from the hefty doses of radiotherapy he had for cancer in his early twenties. My task is to help him stay positive and cheerful!!

Wendy, so sorry to hear about Col's latest symptoms, give him my best. I am sure you are right about the need for a holistic attitude. I shall continue to refuse all other drugs and am interested to see what my next blood analysis reveals about my blood sugar after losing over twenty lbs. All I know at the moment is that I feel fine.....

Wendy, I'm glad to hear that he's eating well and I hope he gets better help from the medics. The telephone thing was ridiculous - no wonder he was annoyed, sometimes people forget they are supposed to be providing a service.

Tiz, he was quite shocked to find the doctor wasn't really concerned about his blood sugar levels suddenly shooting up. He had an HbA1c blood test taken last week which only showed a slight rise, but as this is an average over 4 to 6 weeks and he had only been experiencing very high levels for 3 days it really isn't relevant. The doc suggested waiting till Col's next scheduled review in 2 months to see what the next blood test showed before making any changes and actually criticised Col for monitoring himself! Having suffered some damage to his eyesight and to the nerves in his feet before his original diagnosis Col is well aware of the problems that high blood sugar levels can cause and he isn't prepared to spend the next two months worrying himself sick over it. He fought his corner and the doc agreed to refer him to the Diabetic clinic at Airedale to see a consultant.
This all kicked off at exactly the same time as he started on a new batch of Gliclizade from a different manufacturer to usual, so I suggested he have a chat with the pharmacist about the possibility of there being a problem with the drugs, and to ask if he could swop one pack to a different batch. The pharmacist agreed that it would be a good idea and is getting some more in tomorrow. It's unlikely I suppose, but worth ruling out.

Thanks for the update Wendy... It seems to me that some doctors are unwilling to recognise that an intelligent person like Col has learned quite a bit about his body and is a valuable source of information. There is another problem.... doctors, quite rightly, rely on modern drugs and I have no objection to the right drug at the right time administered on good evidence. Where I have a problem is when drugs are suggested to the patient on the basis of research that 'proves' that on average they have good effects. The classic case is a drug like the statins. It is not prescribed because you have a condition and it is good for it but on the basis that 'on average' if you take it you might avoid a possible event. My problem is that 'average'. Like Col, I am not average. Very few people have as healthy a life style or as good a diet as us but these are seen by the medical profession as imponderables because many don't understand the benefits of the 'non average' life style. My attitude, right or wrong, is to listen to what my body is telling me and go on that basis. I am almost 80 years old, I will die because my heart stops, that is a fact of life. I believe that will happen sooner if I start interfering with what up to now has proved to be a very reliable body. Of course, this may mean that I am, in fact, a dinosaur! Tell Col I am with him in spirit!

On Tuesday when I disinfected the grey waste bin using warm Jeyes Fluid and the mop I finished up with a clean mop ready charged with disinfectant. Waste not want not to I gave the vinyl floor in the kitchen a wipe over. I made the mistake of using a side to side motion at one point and woke up a muscle injury in the left side of my back, an old friend.... I put up with the occasional stab of pain until this morning when I cracked and took one 325mg Ibuprofen tablet.
Many years ago Arthur Morrison recommended this strategy to stop the spasm in the muscle before it started as it was this spasm, a natural defence of the body, which caused the pain. I remember Ian Brown once telling me that one tablet was useless but he was wrong, it works for me! Given ordinary caution I know I shall be pain free in that muscle today as I will have stopped the spasm.
Ian Brown's observation convinced me that when a doctor prescribes a drug he is using the dreaded 'average effect'. Not everyone is the same and my body is evidently so detoxified because of my diet that I am more sensitive to that single tablet. If this is true for a common drug like Ibuprofen it could be true for more serious drugs. The same thing applies to some spices, I have to be careful about using nutmeg, I remember once going over the top with an apple pie and giving myself palpations of the heart!