General Medical issues thread

[Pushka]

I have to use nurofen very sparingly on anticoagulant for obvious reasons but when I get one of my whammy heads they are the only things that work. Always taken with a full drink and toast as that’s usually all I can stomach.

 

[JohnK]

I try to use Ibuprofen sparingly. Ibuprofen is not good for gut health and it also disrupts cartilage synthesis.

I usually don't take Nurofen but was desperate yesterday.

I took 2 x Panadeine Forte at 9:00am today and it was doing nothing for 2.5 hours. I now feel some numbing but the pain still there.

Suspect some form of tendonitis as wrists, triceps, hips, neck/shoulders are sore and feel tight. In 2000 I fractured my ankle an 2 x Digesic tablets would totally numb the pain.

 

[JohnK]

GP suspects medial cruciate ligament injury. Has requested ultrasound +- MRI depending on whether I feel comfortable having an MRI.

Called to make appointment for Monday and told there is an out of pocket payment of $185 + $70. Non bulk-billing? Nope. How about private health insurance? Depends on extras cover. Um.... no thanks. Call another place and they wanted $320+ for MRI. No thanks.

Back to GP tomorrow on where to next.

 

[QF WP]

Ones health (and having diagnosis and pain management plan in place quicker) in my opinion, is worth every $ paid. I'd rather be poorer and happier than richer and unhappy.

 

[love_the_life]

Friend just had two knee replacements done at once. His repeat for one of them as he didn’t exercise properly. Still in hospital after 5 days.

Two knees at once does my head in.

 

[JohnK]

Ones health (and having diagnosis and pain management plan in place quicker) in my opinion, is worth every $ paid. I'd rather be poorer and happier than richer and unhappy.

Perhaps you are right.

Some pharmacies sell 30 Pantoprazole 20mg tablets for $17. Others sell the same thing for $5.30!

 

[Milboo]

GP suspects medial cruciate ligament injury. Has requested ultrasound +- MRI depending on whether I feel comfortable having an MRI.

Called to make appointment for Monday and told there is an out of pocket payment of $185 + $70. Non bulk-billing? Nope. How about private health insurance? Depends on extras cover. Um.... no thanks. Call another place and they wanted $320+ for MRI. No thanks.

Back to GP tomorrow on where to next.

Yes - per my post you only get bulk billed MRI if you have a specialist referral (some express exceptions but none that would apply).

A Physio should be able to determine injury based on simple stress tests. I was concerned I'd hurt my MCL recently - Physio ruled it out with the stress tests, worked on the cause (being tight quads in part) and it came right promptly.

The trick is getting a good sports Physio vs a regular one. They will see hundreds more knees than a GP.

 

[JohnK]

The trick is getting a good sports Physio vs a regular one. They will see hundreds more knees than a GP.

GP has mentioned to go to a physiotherapist. These injuries could well be soft tissue. The trick as you say is finding a good one but I am working in Brisbane and do not have a car and very little time to run around looking for the right physiotherapist. I have been to a physiotherapist before. Feels great for an hour, maybe 2 hours but then back to normal and in some cases worse. It is very depressing.

I know I am using excuses but I can't do exercise. Too taxing on my sore arthritic joints and I give up quickly. Also a catch 22. When do you exercise? In the morning and then not be up for a full day of work or 9:00pm at night after a full days work and tired? I play golf. I walk. That is the exercise I can do. Maybe do more of it.

And the GP has also given me prednisone. I took one earlier in the afternoon and I have to say I feel much better. I will be on prednisone for 10 days so hopefully that helps with the inflammation. And I need to see about getting a free MRI without paying $175+ on a rheumatologist. Another catch 22. Also how do you get a rheumatologist appointment in the next 4 weeks? Not easy at all.

 

[Renato1]

GP suspects medial cruciate ligament injury. Has requested ultrasound +- MRI depending on whether I feel comfortable having an MRI.

Called to make appointment for Monday and told there is an out of pocket payment of $185 + $70. Non bulk-billing? Nope. How about private health insurance? Depends on extras cover. Um.... no thanks. Call another place and they wanted $320+ for MRI. No thanks.

Back to GP tomorrow on where to next.

Hi John,
About six weeks ago, my GP referred me for an MRI at the local public hospital. I got it the week later, the cost was nothing, but I had to pay $7.80 for about an hour's parking.

My specialist referred me for an MRI at MIA several months ago, and he put on it that I be bulk billed, and I was. So that cost me nothing too, and MIA had free car parking.

I found Panadiene useless after my recent back operation woes. Most Doctors won't give you the strong stuff like Oxycodone (Endone or Targin) unless you've had an operation, but I don't understand why many seem reluctant to prescribe Tramadol, which is stronger than Panadiene but a lot weaker than Oxycodone. Other Doctors seem less reluctant to do so. Tramadol comes in 50mg Immediate Release capsules, and in 100mg, 150mg and 200 mg Sustained Release tablets. They all cost the same, and are heaps cheaper at Chemist Warehouse. If you can get your Doctor to prescribe you Tramadol, try get the Sustained Release ones. You can either take one as sustained release, or break the tablet into two or four pieces, whereupon they act like Immediate release tablets. So that if one gets a packet of 20 200mg SR Tramadol, one can easily turn it to the equivalent of 80 50 gm Tramadol capsules at a quarter of the price - and one has the added of flexibility.

At the moment, as I've gotten better, I break a 100mg Tramadol into four pieces and use one or two pieces a day to get rid of annoying back pain.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Friend just had two knee replacements done at once. His repeat for one of them as he didn’t exercise properly. Still in hospital after 5 days.

Your friend is not going to be very happy. When I did outpatient rehab after my back operation, the rest of my classmates at rehab were there after their knee replacements. And they were suffering a whole lot more than I was when doing their exercises.

Also, they were going to rehab for six weeks (twice per week), whereas people with back operations only went for four weeks.

My wife had her back operation after I had mine, and she too noticed that her fellow knee replacement colleagues at outpatient rehab, were suffering a lot more than she was.
Regards,
Renato

 

[cove]

Lots of knee reworks come to the hydrotherapy pool with physical work out sheets from physios. They all say that it helps to go in the deep warm water that takes a lot of the body weight off their joints. I tend to walk for about 75 to 90 minutes a day in the hydrotherapy pool 5 times a week together with some other exercises. Haven’t broken anything and I use a chlorine removing soap I get from Amazon as soon as I get home.

 

[drron]

I have said before not all knee replacements are complicated.2 weeks after mine I was looking after myself-driving,shopping etc as mrsdrron was in hospital with her broken ankles.And very little pain.I had 2 visits to a physio after the operation and was told I didn't need any more being able to fully straighten the leg.

 

[Pushka]

I have said before not all knee replacements are complicated.2 weeks after mine I was looking after myself-driving,shopping etc as mrsdrron was in hospital with her broken ankles.And very little pain.I had 2 visits to a physio after the operation and was told I didn't need any more being able to fully straighten the leg.

Indeed. But our friend has been told no driving for 6 weeks and has already had one unsuccessful knee recon so suspect he’s up there with complicated. Poor joints I guess. He certainly didn’t play much sport.

 

[drron]

I was told no driving for 6 weeks as well.Had to say when I visited my orthopod for post op visit that friends drove me-I wasn't stupid enough to leave the car within sight of the rooms.
My point is that you always hear of the complicated cases or disasters.You rarely hear of the ones that went well.
It does break both ways.I often have to correct junior colleagues who think that all elderly people are ill and disabled.They just don't see the healthy ones.

 

[QF WP]

GP has mentioned to go to a physiotherapist. These injuries could well be soft tissue. The trick as you say is finding a good one but I am working in Brisbane and do not have a car and very little time to run around looking for the right physiotherapist. I have been to a physiotherapist before. Feels great for an hour, maybe 2 hours but then back to normal and in some cases worse. It is very depressing.

I know I am using excuses but I can't do exercise. Too taxing on my sore arthritic joints and I give up quickly. Also a catch 22. When do you exercise? In the morning and then not be up for a full day of work or 9:00pm at night after a full days work and tired? I play golf. I walk. That is the exercise I can do. Maybe do more of it.

And the GP has also given me prednisone. I took one earlier in the afternoon and I have to say I feel much better. I will be on prednisone for 10 days so hopefully that helps with the inflammation. And I need to see about getting a free MRI without paying $175+ on a rheumatologist. Another catch 22. Also how do you get a rheumatologist appointment in the next 4 weeks? Not easy at all.

JohnK, I have been to South City Physio in the 3 times I needed back when I lived inner City (saw Phillipa).

 

[whatmeworry]

Doctor told me to swim for exercise, problem is the knee sort of clicks when I swim. Guess I will stick to 20km bike rides and the occasional 5km jog (shuffle).

 

[JohnK]

At the moment, as I've gotten better, I break a 100mg Tramadol into four pieces and use one or two pieces a day to get rid of annoying back pain.

We discussed Panadeine Forte, Tramadol and Endone with GP yesterday.

Endone was fantastic when I had chicken pox in 2010. Couldn't feel the burning. I got a script a few years later for chronic pain but it didn't help much so haven't been on it since.

I tried Tramadol 50mg a number of years ago and it didn't do much for me. Should have gone to higher doses but didn't and now reluctant to go back. What worries me with some of these medications such as Tramadol, Di-gesic etc is they don't seem to work if haven't been used for a while and you go back on them.

Panadeine Forte usually works for me but the full 60mg codeine of 2 tablets. Took 4 tablets yesterday. The first time it took a while to work and the second time helped more quickly. Haven't taken any today. GP worried I will get hooked on Codeine. That's not going to happen.

Luckily he also prescribed Prednisone. 2 tablets so far and knee feeling much better. Still limping slightly but most pain gone. Swelling still there.

When we discussed chronic pain GP mentioned to go to a pain management clinic. Not sure what they can do. GP also Radiofrequency Ablation? He thinks it could be effective. Need to do some research.

 

[whatmeworry]

I can't wait till they get stem cell treatments right.

 

[JohnK]

I can't wait for my new body. Hope it's better than the current one....

 

[Cossie]

Off to Europe on Monday, don't feel so good, not sure what tablets I should take to make me feel better, guess I should just suck it up and hope everything works out ok, maybe they won't let me into the UK if I have flu type symptons.

Did I tell you about my knees, ever since the boss had a new knee 4 weeks ago, mine just keep on hurting like you wouldn't believe, don't know what to do, what pain killers should I take?

Perhaps though, it's just all in my mind and they are going out in sympathy, although maybe I'm just an attention seeking hypochondriac, dunno?