Ivor Hutchinson's Blog

Haven’t been arsed to do any blog updates since November, it would appear. But maybe it’s time for another tale of woe…

New Years Eve, 6:20am, Mel decides to get up for a wee, so I think I might as well go too. And go I did – slipped on the stairs and bounced down on my left shoulder… Result: absolute agony making the slightest movement. Called for ambulance, but, sadly, that was a waste of time: first I was considered non-emergency (which I suppose was fair enough), then 2 hours later upgraded to emergency. However, after a further 3 hours, still no sign of an ambulance, so, as I could manage to walk a bit by then, I cancelled the ambulance and got Becky to come over and take me to the Northern General. Not a pleasant journey as she seemed unappreciative of G-forces on a damaged arm…

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After many years of stout service, I’ve finally had to give up with the UR1 post-crown. Since the beginning of the year, it was coming out every 2 months, but then started lasting only a few days. So, one hour in the dentist today while he took an impression of UL1 and UR1, sealed off UR1, drilled off the crown on UL1 (tooth underneath still strong, thankfully), and made a (plastic) temporary 2-unit bridge. He also shortened both, because (apparently…) the two tend to show longer as you get older…

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… being bloody housebound! Apparently, back problems are the biggest issue for GPs nowadays, and I’ve added to the statistics… Had a mild lower-back pain 4 or 5 weeks ago, so did the exercises that the GP had recommended in the past, and that cleared it up, apart from a small niggle on the lower right. “Good enough”, I thought, and left it at that for a couple of days, until I had the brilliant idea to keep doing the exercises anyway, to keep the back in good nick. Big mistake! One of the routines upset that niggle, and it decided that agony was the best response… Sitting and lying in bed were fine, but stand? walk? – no chance! Only way I could manage either was by bending forward at 45^o… and only for a very short time… So, I’ve had weeks of sitting and lying around the house, which effectively means TV and PC and a numb mind.. Thankfully, it’s finally getting back to normal, and I’ve managed a few walks outside – for a whole 10 minutes! Oh, the power!

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Poor old Ziggy: after all this time treating my tennis elbow, he’s been suffering from the same complaint for 2 months! It came on when he was testing another patient… And, yes, he is treating himself.

In previous posts, I’ve alluded to this “tennis elbow” condition that had seemingly settled in for the duration. I finally got referred to a physio three weeks ago, and two sessions with him have made a world of difference! Just a simple exercise to do thrice daily, and the pain has all but gone now. So much time wasted to get to this point. Thanks to Ziggy the physio for his time and skills, and to the NHS for still being able to provide such brilliant staff despite the best efforts of Lansley and Hunt since 2010.

Well, this flaming “tennis elbow” is not going away in a hurry. The first prescription of some NSAID eased the pain for a couple of days, then flatlined. The second prescription of a strong ibuprofen gel did bugger all. And the third prescription of cocodamol was, I think, clutching at straws on the part of my GP (quite useful for hangovers, though). Meanwhile, it’s now spread to my right arm and may have reached crisis point as it’s a struggle to lift my beer glass.

Aches and pains… The doc confirmed today that I have Tennis Elbow, and used the word “degenerate” (verb, not noun): once you hear that word, you know it’s all going downhill – and even downhill will probably leave you out of breath.

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