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Saw the orthopaedic specialist on Monday

My (s) daughter was with me. Of course the sod's law that you won't appear as bad as you can be at home occurred.Fluctuating condition!? I could be referred for X-rays, but not much might be done as a result of having them done. I got the impression that more would be done if I was younger.
I decided against the X-rays. In the current situation it would've been selfish to have them done.

One interesting thing that came out of the appointment was that I have a long curvature of the spine. The length suggests it's been that way since at least my youth. My youngest niece had to have an operation for her scoliosis(medical name for it) because it was so bad.  A referral for physio is going to be made.
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Comments

  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    What problem did you have with you spine, is it pain?
  • I have had pain in my lower back for over a year now. Curvature of the spine can cause that. I can't walk far because the pain kicks in. Ditto standing more than a short period of time. My balance, which has never been good, has got worse. I was told my hips are in excellent condition, but that doesn't stop them hurting.
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    sometimes a pain in the spine can be caused by a nerve lower down.

    what part of the spine doe sit hurt?
  • verity said:
    sometimes a pain in the spine can be caused by a nerve lower down.

    what part of the spine doe sit hurt?

    It's pain in my lower back.
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    It could be the sciatic nerves. Is there a prominent side?
  • The right more than the left side. What gets me up almost every morning is waking  up with a heavy ache in the small of my back. Luckily I haven't it for quite a while, but I've experienced muscle spasms more than a few times . They can occur with scoliosis.
  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    It might be sciatica. This is not medical advice as I'm not a doctor, but that would be a my guess.  It would also be why is it is fluctuating.
  • Sciatica can manifest through various symptoms, such as:

    • pain that oscillates from moderate to severe
    • sharp pain in the lower back that spreads to one leg
    • a burning or tingling sensation all over the leg
    • leg stiffness
    • limited foot function
    • pain that becomes more intense while sitting
    Taken from  https://sciaticapain.co.uk/sciatica/

    More there/not there than moderate/severe
    No
    No
    No
    No
    The opposite 

  • Are you eligible for physiotherapy on the NHS? Hydrotherapy is extremely beneficial for many spinal conditions. I think it would be good to have x-rays. Why would you feel bad about having them? Because of the Corona crisis? In order to have effective physio there must be up to date x-rays to prevent further damage so they know exactly what you can and cannot do.
  • Teach51 said:
    Are you eligible for physiotherapy on the NHS? Hydrotherapy is extremely beneficial for many spinal conditions. I think it would be good to have x-rays. Why would you feel bad about having them? Because of the Corona crisis? In order to have effective physio there must be up to date x-rays to prevent further damage so they know exactly what you can and cannot do.

    Having been told even if anything  is found there's  a high chance it won't be acted upon, I thought it would be pointless. The specialist never mentioned having the x-rays so the physio could do a better job.
  • Would a back support help? I know they are used sometimes in scoliosis in young people but I don't know about older people. Could you get a second opinion? 
  • I think it's dictated very much by age. I just hope when physio starts  it'll be someone less cynical & couldn't really be bothered than the last one.
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    When I was going to go to physio just for my T7 vertebrae they wanted me to get x-rays. I think good physios want people to get x-rays so they get a better look at each vertebrae and the discs, etc. so they can treat you better (+ not cause more damage 😳). Some won't even do the work if you don't get them. If the physio suggests it I'd go through with them for your safety.
  • firemonkeyfiremonkey Citizen
    edited October 2021
    I had a tumble yesterday morning sorting the braces on my trousers so I could put them on.Hit my head on the wall. Told my (s) daughter . She phoned the GP for advice, and was told to phone 111. She did that when she got to me. I had to answer some questions. We were told if 111 didn't get back to us within 30 minutes an ambulance would be sent out to check on me. That was early afternoon . My (s) dau stayed with me till 9.30. She cancelled the ambulance just before she left , as the main problem was pain in my upper left leg but I can weight bear. It was bad that no one had got back to us re the ambulance.
    Left leg still hurts today. Have been as mobile as I can be.


  • Hylian said:
    When I was going to go to physio just for my T7 vertebrae they wanted me to get x-rays. I think good physios want people to get x-rays so they get a better look at each vertebrae and the discs, etc. so they can treat you better (+ not cause more damage 😳). Some won't even do the work if you don't get them. If the physio suggests it I'd go through with them for your safety.

    I totally agree H
     
    @firemonkey:
    Hope you have recovered from your fall.❤

  • Teach51 said:

    @firemonkey:
    Hope you have recovered from your fall.❤

    Thank you @Teach51 and @Hylian.  Left leg is playing up. Can walk, but it's quite painful.


  • AmityAmity Administrator, Citizen
    Hows your leg today @firemonkey?
  • firemonkeyfiremonkey Citizen
    edited October 2021
    Sorry for the delay in replying. Internet connection has been awful. Changing provider on the 27th.

    Leg is still bad. Couldn't manage a bath Tuesday evening because it was hurting too much trying to lift it into the bath. Didn't even try last night. Had a strip wash instead. (S) daughter has asked again for adaptations. First time she asked the response reeked of cynicism. Sadly that's par for the course. Physical problems get ignored for decades, and when you need help because of such incompetence and stupidity( previous mental health trust not this one) you have physio/OT staff not taking things seriously because after all -'he's just a psychiatric patient'.

    This is what you get if you're a psychiatric patient and your physical health has been regarded as very much secondary to your mental health issues for decades and decades. My balance,coordination and gait  has been dodgy for over 60 years, but it's not been seen as something to look into. OK to be strictly accurate there was one male nurse back in 1978 who said he could tell I was schizophrenic by the way I walk. That was a throwaway comment though.
  • I am really sorry that your leg is still painful. Hope your new internet provider is better. Please have your leg x rayed just to be on the safe side.❤ 
  • Another day of agony. P/Ks do next to nothing. S/daughter says it's likely muscle strain as a result of the tumble, and will go eventu
  • Had another fall on Friday evening. Took me over 5 hours to bum shuffle and then get my mobile and then phone my s/daughter.

    First time I hit my head against the bedroom wall in doing so. For some reason that really affected my upper left leg and knee. Then the second time my legs gave way trying to get into bed. Both falls have resulted in what would be called ‘muscle pain’ according to my (s)daughter. They had to be called out again,as it was looking like I wasn’t going to be safe enough to say at home. The second time there was a Scottish man, and Welsh woman. When my s/daughter mentioned I had autism and very likely dyspraxia, the Welsh woman’s attitude became rather contemptuous. Even more so when I mentioned the schizophrenia. The Scottish man noticed my s/daughter had brought a wheelchair up to my flat. He wanted to see how I cope using the wheelchair. I coped reasonably well. Well enough to stay at home.

    Had hoped for better sleep after no sleep for the last 36 hours or so. Wasn’t to be. Was in bed by 7.30 pm. Slept till about 10pm. Then woke up needing to pee. Managed to that, but doing it really exacerbated the muscle pain. I struggled to get the p/ks that had been left out for me and get comfortable. Had the urge to do another pee around 2.15 am. Managed to get to the toilet about 45 minutes later. After doing so I couldn’t face the struggle to get back in bed. So I got up. 

    An emergency team will be coming in 2x a day. to make sure I can eat etc. My (s)daughter will cover the rest,but she has an important job as a branch manager of a home care agency.

    Waiting to be taken for x ray. I think the pain may be increased due to fear on my part. I'm prone to physical reactions to stress. The prime one being 6-24 hour flu like reaction.

    My s/daughter is going to see about having power of attorney. My sister may be upset, but truth is she's often been very negative about my mental health problems etc, and hasn't seen me for well over 4 years. My brother has too many problems of his own to take it on.
  • So sorry to hear that you have fallen again. Is there not an alarm button system available for invalids/elderly ?
    I don't think it is wise for non- medical laymen to speculate where a pain originates from, how serious it is, if it's muscular or worse, only doctors should do that. Glad you are being x rayed now at least. I do hope you will receive the care you deserve. 
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    That's horrible that it took you that long to get help and they're still not taking you seriously! >:(

    Hopefully your s/daughter is able to get power of attorney (if you want that, of course). She seems to take very good care of you, and maybe professionals would listen a little more if she had more say in + more ability to advocate for your health.

    I also get that fear/anxiety can make pain feel worse. I think it's the addition of focusing more on things + the brain wanting to make sure those things are noticed and addressed. Do you have anything you can easily do that relaxes you and/or distracts you?
  • Teach51 said:
    So sorry to hear that you have fallen again. Is there not an alarm button system available for invalids/elderly ?
    I don't think it is wise for non- medical laymen to speculate where a pain originates from, how serious it is, if it's muscular or worse, only doctors should do that. Glad you are being x rayed now at least. I do hope you will receive the care you deserve. 

    My s/daughter has ordered an alarm pendant. No x ray as yet. They're doing their best to keep me out of hospital.
  • I would rather my s/dau has power of attorney.Best to be prepared if things go south.
  • I am sorry you seem to be "falling between the chairs" as we say over here. Have you been examined by an Orthopedic doctor at least? Administered something for the pain? 
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    I'm glad that your s/daughter is working on getting you one of those alarm pendants, it'll probably be reassuring that you can get help easier if something goes wrong. Has the emergency care team been checking on you like they said they would?
  • Alarm pendant has been fitted today. Managed about 9 steps holding on to the back of a chair with a granddaughter just behind me with the wheelchair.
  • Good news about the alarm pendant👍
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    I'm glad you got that pendant! I hope that you continue to recover and that your pain starts to subside.❤
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