Here we can all be heard for a little while. Part 3

System

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Messed up. The chances are it's not what you fear but there's only one way to find out. Could someone go with you? Please try and get help.

I'm going to try and make a GP appointment. I don;t feel i can talk to Swain about it cos this is probably anxiety and i'll feel stupid for worrying him over potentially nothing. I know he'll understand but i don;t want him worrying about me more than he already does. I don;t know how to even bring this up with my GP? Like do i tell him i think i'm ill and can they do tests? how does that even work? will he think i'm stupid for worrying about it? Mentally i'm just about coping but physcially i think my body is a wreck and i'm scared to find out how much of a wreck it is if that makes sense?

I;ve had bad backpain for about 2 years now but i;ve been trying to cope on my own (and taking coedine and paracetamol) because i know the first thing, the only thing i will get told is to lose weight, my mum was in agony for years, she went to her GP and they told her to lose weight. My mum, being my mum crash dieted and lost about 4st only to be told she had rheumatoid arthritis all along. Thats what scares me. I'm scared i wont get taken seriously and everything will be attributed to me being overweight.

elsien

Say it like you've said it on here - you've explained it well and it makes perfect sense. That's what I did with my GP when I had similar concerns for similar reasons - my aunt had x, now I've got this and I need to check that it's not the same thing. They won't think you're silly, lots of people feel the same. I procrastinated for about 18 months before I took my concern to the GP which was a bit silly of me because if it had turned out to be something more serious (luckily it wasn't) the sooner it could have been treated the better.

Tell them about the pain and that although you know your weight doesn't help this is what happened to your mum and you need to be sure it's not a similar thing happening with you. It may be that after an examination other things are suggested initially, such as physio or core exercises but if that doesn't help you go back and say "didn't help, what next?"
Write it down if you need to and wave it at them/read it out when you get there. Tell them you are worried and it's impacting on your MH. You're probably not going to get sent for a battery of tests after a first visit, but if weight comes into it you could say that with the impact of your meds they can't just say go away and lose weight so what practical support can they offer?

Have you ever tried Pilates? That's good for building up core strength which in turn should help with back ache if there turns out to be a postural element - you're on your feet all day, don't forget, which isn't easy.

onomatopoeia99

Response to MU so penguin for health stuff etc

The way I look at it is that knowing is scary, but if it is serious I can get treatment and might not die, or it might be something simple and I have nothing to worry about. Not knowing is more scary to me and it is always there in my mind, and if it is something serious and I don't know, I will die anyway.

Rational me triumphs over terrified me and I do go to the doctor and get the tests, so with the symptoms I had a few years back it I ended up with him sticking his finger up my bum to check my prostate then sending me off to be given an enema (sooo embarrassing) and have a camera stuck up by bum / lower bowel (not an experience I ever care to repeat :eek: ). Turned out to be the least serious of all the possible outcomes for the symptoms I presented with in the end and required little more than minor adjustments to my diet to deal with.

Basically I'd rather know, as I find living with wondering and worrying about what might be wrong totally debilitating, to the point where I make myself ill from exhaustion as it stops me sleeping.

end penguin

Doctors are used to people's worries, they know we all have our fears and phobias. They know that to most people the human body is a complex mystery and we get scared when it goes wrong. If necessary, write everything down so you don't forget (advice I would do well to heed myself at times )

jobbingmusician

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Doctors are used to people's worries, they know we all have our fears and phobias.

And the other thing - doctors are just the same as us and have their own fears about their health! So they should sympathise, even though their fears about their health are in theory better informed.

Ono - hugs! I was listening to a programme about prostate stuff on the radio yesterday, and tests do seem a bit of a mess at the moment from what I could tell. The main thing I took from the programme (this bit is not directed at you but at hummingbirds - sounds like your concerns are resolved) is that Cancer Research UK have lots of helpful things on their website, especially about prostate stuff.

Hugs to all, and a gentle little non-pervy pat on the bum for ono! :rotfl:

calleyw

Afternoon my Lovelies,

Hugs and squishes and handshakes all round.

Torry, sorry to hear you are still struggling. As WaS said its going to take time. It was a massive shock. As I keep saying be kind to yourself.

MU, I know its scary to think you might have x or y. I had a cough for about 2 months that would not go away. There are other reasons I worry but wont go in to that here. I was sent for a chest x-day and convinced they would find some thing and it came back clear.

So please do go the same for all the ladies who have not had a smear recently. Please do go. its is nice of dignified but could save your life.

Everyone take care

Yours

Calley X

jobbingmusician

I saw this and thought it was gentle and lovely. And inclusive (I sometimes have a bit of a pang at being childless, and get annoyed with people with prams when they run my feet over!) Hugs and squishes to all - consider the cupboard replenished! (((xxx)))

onomatopoeia99

Hi all, hope everyone is managing OK. Next couple of paragraphs are about health but I don't think it warrants a penguin.

Been having a few family health dramas recently. Dad has been struggling a lot, had some tests at the hospital which were inconclusive and has to go in for another whole day of tests soon. I hope they can find out what the problem is as at the moment he can barely walk ten yards without stopping for a rest and can't lie down as it makes him breathless.

Mum wants to make out an LPA for health and welfare, and I spent quite a bit of time going through it with her last weekend. This is partly brought about by gran and the seven years she spent declining in a care home with alzheimers, and also other people they know that are going downhill a lot, needing a lot of care and having no quality of life. The problem has been getting her to explain what she does and does not want her attornies (I'm one of them) to do in particular situations if she lacks capacity. I don't find it difficult to talk about (I thought I would, but turns out I was wrong), but I do want to make sure I properly understand what she would want . I've suggested that when she takes the form in to the GP for her to sign she talks to her to try and order her thoughts because I basically failed to help - my suggestion that plain English is fine, no complex medical terminology needed, just some guiding principles was not found helpful.


One for those of you with health and safety background - apparently we are going to need someone in our office to be trained in "handling dangerous goods", as we sell those little displays that some banks use to give you an ever changing password each time you log in to your account, as they have tiny Lithium ion batteries built in. Our courier won't accept them from us for delivery unless we have a trained person and they have come in to inspect our procedures. Blimey life's complicated, and to think, people carry them around in their pockets!

Bit of nice news for me, I'm actually going to manage a holiday this year, staying in a villa near Lake Garda in high summer Hope to do day trips to Verona and Venice on the train while I'm there, and try out my Italian on unsuspecting locals :rotfl:.

Pyxis

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Hi all, hope everyone is managing OK. Next couple of paragraphs are about health but I don't think it warrants a penguin.

Been having a few family health dramas recently. Dad has been struggling a lot, had some tests at the hospital which were inconclusive and has to go in for another whole day of tests soon. I hope they can find out what the problem is as at the moment he can barely walk ten yards without stopping for a rest and can't lie down as it makes him breathless.

Mum wants to make out an LPA for health and welfare, and I spent quite a bit of time going through it with her last weekend. This is partly brought about by gran and the seven years she spent declining in a care home with alzheimers, and also other people they know that are going downhill a lot, needing a lot of care and having no quality of life. The problem has been getting her to explain what she does and does not want her attornies (I'm one of them) to do in particular situations if she lacks capacity. I don't find it difficult to talk about (I thought I would, but turns out I was wrong), but I do want to make sure I properly understand what she would want . I've suggested that when she takes the form in to the GP for her to sign she talks to her to try and order her thoughts because I basically failed to help - my suggestion that plain English is fine, no complex medical terminology needed, just some guiding principles was not found helpful.


One for those of you with health and safety background - apparently we are going to need someone in our office to be trained in "handling dangerous goods", as we sell those little displays that some banks use to give you an ever changing password each time you log in to your account, as they have tiny Lithium ion batteries built in. Our courier won't accept them from us for delivery unless we have a trained person and they have come in to inspect our procedures. Blimey life's complicated, and to think, people carry them around in their pockets!

Bit of nice news for me, I'm actually going to manage a holiday this year, staying in a villa near Lake Garda in high summer Hope to do day trips to Verona and Venice on the train while I'm there, and try out my Italian on unsuspecting locals :rotfl:.

Ooooh! Ono! :T Nice one!

You must, must, must factor in a visit to D'Annunzio's house, Il Vittoriale degli Italiani! It is absolutely fascinating!

The writer of this found it oppressive and depressing, but it so isn't, if you like quirky and barmy things, plus D'Annunzio was very eccentric and wasn't afraid to criticise Mussolini, despite being a fascist himself.

http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/dannunzio-and-il-vittoriale-degli-italiani-poets-fantasy

It's also an interesting period of Italian history.

I had never heard of him, but my Italian teacher recommended I visit it, as it is so off the wall!
I was so glad she did, because it was the highlight of my holiday at Lake Garda!
You can get to it by the ferry from anywhere on the lake.

When I went, several years ago, they didn't do tours of the house in English, but the guide said she would try to speak slowly, and between her speaking (not very slowly!) and the English guide leaflet, I managed.

It was also interesting because he was around with Mussolini, and because the Italian populace loved him (D'Annunzio), Mussolini couldn't touch him!

Explore the buildings in the grounds too, because there is an amphitheatre, a concrete battleship, (!!!) and D'Annunzio's tomb.

onomatopoeia99

I'd never heard of him either, but looks well worth a visit, so thank you!

elsien

It's all gone very quiet in here, just checking it to say I hope everyone is ok and life is going as well as it can be.
We are mid-tender at work, so it's all a bit wait and see on the job front at the moment so a bit of a worrying time. But I've got a few days off and a very long to-do list. Plus if it stops raining a planned day at the seaside with Gitdog.
Life always seems better when the clocks have changed and it's lighter evenings.