Well that's me off my bike for a while

[MacB]

GWS you could really do with a break healthwise

 

[cyberknight]

Tell your other half to just get the garden house , roll you onto the floor and give a good rinse!
No need to stand up
Seriously it sounds like your need lots of TLC and i hope the meds /doctors can get you sorted out asap , its a pity your so far away or i would be round with cake as im sure many on CC would be as your a star .

 

[Scoosh]

GWS you could really do with a break healthwise

Like she doesn't have enough to worry about - you want her to break something ?

 

[Elybazza61]

Sorry to hear this hope things get better asap;as others have said at least it's now and not the sunner.

 

[Stonechat]

Hope you see improvements soon

 

[dan_bo]

Yeah get well soon eh

 

[ColinJ]

You will probably be losing muscle tone at an alarming rate. Extended bed rest in 2012 made my leg muscles wither away to the extent that I ended up avoided looking at them because it sickened me that they looked more like arms in terms of size. Anything that could be done to avoid that would be a good idea, though it sounds like you would struggle to do very much at all with your legs at the moment.

The thing that really worries me is that you will be at greatly increased risk of developing DVTs in your legs. I know I go on about the subject a lot, and you have possibly already considered the risks, but I felt that I ought to mention it again here - it would be awful for you to end up with clots on top of all of your other problems!

If you can wiggle your feet about, do so to try and keep the blood circulating, and make sure that you don't get dehydrated. I was struggling to get to the bathroom so I drank a lot less than I normally do and that certainly added to my problems. Keep your legs warm.

If you haven't considered it already, it might be worth asking your doctor about having daily heparin shots to keep clots at bay. When I was in hospital, everybody got them, just in case.

(You probably don't need me to mention all of this because you have spent an awful lot of time in hospitals in the past, but I would have hated to read that something had happened to you that could have been prevented!)

I hope the pain goes away soon. I was laid up for 3 days once with a strained muscle in my back and that was bad enough. Back problems are horrible!

 

[Col5632]

GWS

My mum is currently suffering from the same thing, well a slipped disc is pushing on her nerve, that's been since May but in September it really hit her but thankfully she is on the mend

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well there has been a touch of good news today. My husband included me (at extra cost)on his works private health care with bupa. He had made contact with them and got the go ahead for 6 rounds of physio if my gp agrees that it is time to start it. Even better is that the physiotherapist can come to me which will help considerably.

@ColinJ luckily blood clots are not something I have ever been at high risk from, I am at the other end of the scale, I bleed only too well from the slightest knock and my bruises are something legendary in our family! I also don't sit or lie still particularly well, even when asleep. But I have been thinking about it and you from day 1 and made a constant effort to keep my lower limbs moving with frequent movement, 'stretches' and carrying on with the physio on my left leg from the dog bite - in really can't afford to let that deteriorate because that is not covered under the private health care being ruled out as a pe existing medical condition.

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ luckily blood clots are not something I have ever been at high risk from, I am at the other end of the scale, I bleed only too well from the slightest knock and my bruises are something legendary in our family!

Hmm ... Do you get plenty of Vitamin K in your diet? Vitamin K is used in clotting, but also in putting calcium into the bones and teeth, and you mentioned that you have some osteoporosis ... (You also need Vitamin D and a few other nutrients to get the calcium out of the food/drink in the first place,)

My parents used to say things like "Don't sit like that [crossed legs] - it's bad for your circulation" but never explain why. I knew that my mum had problems with varicose veins, but what I didn't know was that she had developed DVTs and been on warfarin herself. I had been on warfarin for 6 months before my older sister thought it relevant to mention that fact to me! It looks as though my family could be at the other end of the bleeding-clotting spectrum.

I also don't sit or lie still particularly well, even when asleep. But I have been thinking about it and you from day 1 and made a constant effort to keep my lower limbs moving with frequent movement, 'stretches' and carrying on with the physio on my left leg from the dog bite - in really can't afford to let that deteriorate because that is not covered under the private health care being ruled out as a pe existing medical condition.

That's good.

I didn't really understand how quickly muscles shrink when you stop using them and don't eat much! After it happened to my legs, I remembered a classmate of mine when I was about 10 years old coming back to school after a long time in hospital. He was on crutches because his legs could no longer support him unaided! It took him months to get back to normal.

My legs are finally back to being strong and chunky, about 28 months after falling ill. It took about 4,000 miles of hilly cycling and about 1,000 miles of hilly walking to achieve that.

I hope the physio gets sorted out and helps!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It is peculiar with the bone thing. It is literally only my left femur that has osteoporosis and it is full blown osteoporosis, not the early stages which has another name. I had dextor bone scan done 18 months ago and am due another in 6 months because of my steroid use. For around 7 years I was steroid dependant when I'll or injured and ended up on average spending 1 week in 4 on prednisolone during that time. 12 months ago another test of my adrenal g glands showed that they were no longer producing anywhere near enough cortisol to sustain me, so I was put on to Hydrocortisone permanently.

The only good news with the bone scan 18 months ago was that it showed that the rest of the body has a very significantly higher than average bone density. The left femur is in this state because of the mild paralysis down the left side of my body which no-one believed me about 20 odd years ago when my wrist became a problem after a fall that jarred my spine/neck. Such is life. I manage the osteoporosis myself with a high calcium (plus other relevantvitamins and minerals) diet plus lots of homemade nettle ams peppermint infusions which have a significant level of easily absorbed calcium in them as well as other vitamins and minerals. B the infusion also includes comfrey, red cover, oat straw, horsetail and a couple of others which my endocrinologist is happy with. It's not at the nettle tea bag strength you get from supermarkets... And it has made a considerable difference and noticeable difference to my finger nails in both strength and thickness. I guess the next bone scan will tell if it is working but my endocrinologist can't be too worried if he has allowed me to pursue this option over medication that is not tested on our designed for premenopasal women. Mind you my asthma consultant wasn't too impressed with the medical option either which is a tablet you have to take one a week and sit bolt upright for for 30 minutes without moving, eating etc and causes acid reflux. Not something he wants me to take with my tracheomalacia....

 

[ColinJ]

It is peculiar with the bone thing. It is literally only my left femur that has osteoporosis and it is full blown osteoporosis, not the early stages which has another name. I had dextor bone scan done 18 months ago and am due another in 6 months because of my steroid use. For around 7 years I was steroid dependant when I'll or injured and ended up on average spending 1 week in 4 on prednisolone during that time. 12 months ago another test of my adrenal g glands showed that they were no longer producing anywhere near enough cortisol to sustain me, so I was put on to Hydrocortisone permanently.

The only good news with the bone scan 18 months ago was that it showed that the rest of the body has a very significantly higher than average bone density. The left femur is in this state because of the mild paralysis down the left side of my body which no-one believed me about 20 odd years ago when my wrist became a problem after a fall that jarred my spine/neck. Such is life. I manage the osteoporosis myself with a high calcium (plus other relevantvitamins and minerals) diet plus lots of homemade nettle ams peppermint infusions which have a significant level of easily absorbed calcium in them as well as other vitamins and minerals. B the infusion also includes comfrey, red cover, oat straw, horsetail and a couple of others which my endocrinologist is happy with. It's not at the nettle tea bag strength you get from supermarkets... And it has made a considerable difference and noticeable difference to my finger nails in both strength and thickness. I guess the next bone scan will tell if it is working but my endocrinologist can't be too worried if he has allowed me to pursue this option over medication that is not tested on our designed for premenopasal women. Mind you my asthma consultant wasn't too impressed with the medical option either which is a tablet you have to take one a week and sit bolt upright for for 30 minutes without moving, eating etc and causes acid reflux. Not something he wants me to take with my tracheomalacia....

It really boggles my mind that a doctor would dream of telling patients that they were imagining their problems. Well, unless he/she had actually done enough tests to PROVE that the problems did not exist!

It is interesting what you say about your nails ... Warfarin messes with Vitamin K metabolism in order to control coagulation (the desired effect), but there is some evidence that this can lead to problems with calcium not going to bones and teeth, ending up hardening arteries instead (a very undesirable side-effect)! Since I am going to be on anticoagulants for life, I am naturally concerned about potentially getting brittle bones and/or having a heart attack or stroke. This is a long-winded way of getting round to saying that since I have been on warfarin, my nails have become very brittle. I try to grow them on my right hand for fingerpicking on my guitar, but they break at the slightest provocation now, which they never did before I went on the drug. This worries me ...

How is a bone scan done? I was thinking that I might request one when I see my consultant in the NY, by which time I will have been on warfarin (this time round) for about 18 months. If a scan showed that my bones were ok, then I would probably stay on warfarin for another few years before considering the question again. If my bone density did not look good, then I would probably switch to one of the newer drugs, as long as they do not cause bone density problems.

 

[summerdays]

You sound extremely knowledgeable! (Though you need to be with your allergies and medical conditions).

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

How is a bone scan done? I was thinking that I might request one when I see my consultant in the NY, by which time I will have been on warfarin (this time round) for about 18 months. If a scan showed that my bones were ok, then I would probably stay on warfarin for another few years before considering the question again. If my bone density did not look good, then I would probably switch to one of the newer drugs, as long as they do not cause bone density problems.

It is not that much different from an x-ray, in that you lie down in a certain position with no metal on you and instead of nothing happening you can see a red line go up or down you limb / body... Nothing to it really from a patients point of view!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You sound extremely knowledgeable! (Though you need to be with your allergies and medical conditions).

When tablets mostly use a filter based on something you are severely allergic to, you don't get much choice and then I have several conditions which are classed as chronic conditions that are not common.

Bronchiectasis affects something like 30,000 people in the UK.that is not many and to top it off in have available rate form of tracheomalacia and I am my consultants only patient with this form of it. He is a very well known and respected consultant in a manchester university hospital.

Plus there are the complications of having a cortisol deficiency (sonic can present as being in a diabetic shock despite not being diabetic) and the fact that most people who say they are allergic to dairy are in fact only intolerant to lactose, whereas my body has decided that anaphylaxis is the way to go and it has also decided to be allergic to a rather common painkiller and anti-inflamatory drugs -v seriously not helpful! . I would add a dizzy head emicon at this point but I can't get the Web browser to keep them! Just got to try to keep smiling...