MEDICAL MATTERS

[PanBiker]

I have worn two rings on my left hand for nigh on 40 years. A wide wedding band on the ring finger and on my middle finger the signet ring my parents gave me for my 21st birthday. Over the weekend my hand flared up with a condition I sometimes get when I have subjected my hands to a lot of vibration or banging such as drilling or nailing. The condition manifests itself as pain in the joints with slight inflammation to the fingers, this can run into the wrist and is hot to the touch. I have been to the docs with it in the past and he says it may be arthritic. It mainly happens in my left hand despite me being naturally right handed so the aggravation by vibration or banging is a bit of a mystery as I hammer with the right although a drill would be steadied using both hands.

I have not been drilling or doing any heavy manual work with my hands the previous week so I have no idea what triggered it this time. It was so bad on Sunday night that I had to get my wedding ring off using washing up liquid. I tried to get my signet ring off but it would not come over the knuckle so It had to stay although I was contemplating cutting it off if the swelling got any worse. It's the first time I have not worn my wedding ring since 1976 and It feels quite alien. It looks like this episode is over although there is still some swelling in the knuckle of my middle digit although the swelling in the finger itself has gone down. It looks like the signet ring is destined to stay no matter what.

[Tripps]

"The doc has referred me for physio but says it will be a while before I get an appointment."

I had a similar situation last year, and the Doc said don't wait, go private, and gave me a phone number. I had one appointment - at home, and was given some exercises, which resolved the problem. Was it a case of seven days with the treatment or a week without? We will never know. Cost was £35 which I think was fair value. You wouldn't get a plumber round for half an hour for that.

It emerged that the lady lived in the village, and was Chairman of the Local History society, and - what a bonus - lived near, and knew Peter Allen of Radio 5 Live personally. We spent 10 minutes on the physio, and twenty on village gossip. Good value all round. Sadly she retired the next week.

[Tardis]

I have worn two rings on my left hand for nigh on 40 years. A wide wedding band on the ring finger and on my middle finger the signet ring my parents gave me for my 21st birthday. Over the weekend my hand flared up with a condition I sometimes get when I have subjected my hands to a lot of vibration or banging such as drilling or nailing. The condition manifests itself as pain in the joints with slight inflammation to the fingers, this can run into the wrist and is hot to the touch. I have been to the docs with it in the past and he says it may be arthritic. It mainly happens in my left hand despite me being naturally right handed so the aggravation by vibration or banging is a bit of a mystery as I hammer with the right although a drill would be steadied using both hands.

I have not been drilling or doing any heavy manual work with my hands the previous week so I have no idea what triggered it this time. It was so bad on Sunday night that I had to get my wedding ring off using washing up liquid. I tried to get my signet ring off but it would not come over the knuckle so It had to stay although I was contemplating cutting it off if the swelling got any worse. It's the first time I have not worn my wedding ring since 1976 and It feels quite alien. It looks like this episode is over although there is still some swelling in the knuckle of my middle digit although the swelling in the finger itself has gone down. It looks like the signet ring is destined to stay no matter what.

Could be pseudo-gout, or non-regular gout

Check your kidneys

[Bruff]

The interesting word up there for me is 'vibration'. Hand-arm vibration has been known for a long time to cause peripheral damage, manifesting as for example Vibration White Finger (VWF) which as the name suggests causes the fingers to go white. It's an occupational health issue and debilitating - we have the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations to focus employers attention in controlling the risk from vibrations from for example tools. I think it's an example of what is now termed 'red tape'. Nowadays, VWF is lumped in with the more generic Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

How much drilling do you/have you done? It needs a fair bit of exposure. But might be worth mentioning this if you go to the Dr's.

Richard Broughton

[Stanley]

Funny thing is I used to get White Finger but old age seems to have cured it. Gave up rings years ago when I got the ring caught in a machine and luckily got away with it. Once bit, twice shy! Tiz, best thing for you is rubbing with old fashioned white emulsion liniment frequently and keep it warm! I'll bet you can reach it yourself, if so get cracking, it's the rubbing and increased circulation that helps the tendon to mend and it's six weeks of a job just like a broken bone. Cheers! (I always remember going to the doc with a torn tendon in my elbow and he told me to go away and rub it. I said "Great! Modern medicine has nothing better to offer than 'rub it'" He said yes and he was right....)

[Tardis]

I am advised, by an outside professional body, to make an official complaint about the lack of continuity in my care from the GP to the NHS area board. Luckily the 'panic' has subsided from my consultant, but not because of anything that the GP has done

I will decide on Monday whether to write and begin the process

[Stanley]

I have to report a serious occurrence. Tonight, at 16:46 my bottom denture broke in two. After 55 years of splendid service I have to accept that the break is irreparable. So sad to see the end of a faithful servant.
That's the bad news. The good news is that I rang the dentist on Harrison Street and spoke to a very nice young lady who took my details, gave me an appointment for 10:30 tomorrow and asked me to come early and bring my Pension Credit award papers as there would be help under the NHS. You couldn't get better service than this and it's nice to see yet again, the NHS giving the lie to the carpers. I am very grateful we have it! (The young lady asked me when I last went to the dentist, I fancy she caught her breath when I told her it was in 1959. I rather think this was long before she was born!)

[Tardis]

All gone very quiet at the surgery after I made my formal complaint

[Stanley]

It was a hoot at the dentist's yesterday. They have never seen dentures 55 years old and told me that the modern advice is to have a new set every five years. At up to £600 a time I'll bet it is! They wanted to make a full set but I refused, they can't make a new top set that fits as well as the one I have. The dentist told me that even if someone comes in and requests to have all their teeth pulled they aren't allowed to do it without evidence from a higher authority in the profession. Gone are the days when you could give full extraction and dentures as a wedding present! I'm not going to clap till it happens but they tell me that my new bottom teeth will be free. Lots to be said for being poor and treated under NHS rules!

[Stanley]

Amazing how quickly you adjust to being minus half your teeth. I'm even speaking better now! Mind you, there is a downside, the jaw muscles start to adapt to the absence of the teeth and move your jaw closer to the top teeth and this means that when you get your new teeth you have to go through a period of adjustment as you adjust again. This is why new teeth always feel like a dustbin lid!

[Tripps]

I had a saga with a denture earlier this year. I'll spare you the detail, but this may be of interest. This is the chap who made the original, which only lasted fifteen years, and the replacement which is doing fine.

LINK

[Stanley]

Looks as though he was doing a good job, registered or not. 15 years is three times what they crrently recommend at my new dentist's.... My top set could end up being the oldest in use!

[EileenDavid]

Glad to say I have my own teeth but my friend changed hers a couple of years ago hers were also over 50 years old. The reason they say to change them is something to do with reseeding gums isn't it? I know my friend has her bottom set lined but there is only so many times they can do that.

My problem is the eye. After three attempts the retina seems to be flat but 10% has still got a gas bubble keeping it down. The last gas bubble I had lasted two weeks this one is still present and its now over 7 weeks. Hopefully when it does disappear the retina will have healed without forming scar tissue. Next appointment is 9th July hence why I am here in France. Can't fly until the gas is gone.

Eileen

[Stanley]

Good luck with it Eileen. When I went to the opticians this month they asked me if I wanted referring for my cataracts but I refused again. I think though that next year I may have to bite the bullet as my sight is gradually getting worse. No big problems yet but annoying.....

[EileenDavid]

When I went for my last op there were three cataract operations prior to me and they all three were done in an hour so it's worth having done to keep your site. Eileen

[Moh]

Eileen's reply made me chuckle - I can see grass growing all over the gums!!

[Stanley]

Same here Moh but I was too much of a gentleman to mention the mis-spelling. Nobody loves a smart arse.... (Not suggesting you are one Moh!)
Yes, I think waiting has probably been a good idea, they tell me that it is almost regarded as a routine procedure now. I remember when my dad had his done about fifty years ago it was a major job and I have an idea they had his head clamped to the top of the bed for a couple of days! He was certainly in Burnley Hospital for about a week.
I sat down and read the small print on my Pension Credit Award and am almost certain that the Harrison Street dentists are wrong in assuring me that my treatment will be free under the NHS. I suspect that they couldn't care less if I am rejected as they will get their money one way or another. But it was bothering me so I wrote to the Pensions Service yesterday, alerted them to my fears and asked what routes were available for help even if my claim falls. I feel better now I've flagged it up, I don't like surprises!

[EileenDavid]

Spelling never been my best subject should have been sight Eileen

[Stanley]

I shouldn't worry about it Eileen, we all do it from time to time and they can sometimes be funny. I posted a typo from a newspaper the other day that reported that a man had been admitted to hospital with a troublesome prostitute......

[Tizer]

The BBC News is making a big thing this morning about medical operations at the end of the week resulting in more deaths than those earlier in the week. They say: "The paper shows people who have their operations on Friday are 44% more likely to die than those who have a procedure on Monday."

Unfortunately this "44% more likely to die" statement is likely to frighten some people when the truth is that the likelihood of death is still low. The risk of death within one month of surgery was found to be lowest for Mondays at 55 per 10,000, rising to 82 per 10,000 for Fridays. Any extra deaths are obviously undesirable but the Friday risk is still low.
Full paper here: http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2424

[Moh]

I did not mean anything by it, it really made me laugh - and anything that can do bad can only be good!!

[EileenDavid]

I'm all for having a laugh it brightens up the day Moh. Eileen

[Stanley]

I seem to remember a study many years ago in which cancer patients were encouraged to laugh out loud and they found that it was noticeably beneficial.

[EileenDavid]

An old lady I knew when I was little used to say a good laugh was worth a £100 not that she had that amount of money Eileen

[Tizer]

From the Mayo Clinic web site:
Short-term benefits
A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects
Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long haul. Laughter may:

Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.
Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.