I'll start the new whinging thread; I've just rung the surgery to see if my xray results are in.

The good news is they are and I have an appointment for the doctor to ring me at work tomorrow to talk about them.

Bad news is I rang back to see if there was any chance she could ring me today instead and I was told I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Strangely enough, I don't feel too worried but I would very much like to have known.

Liz, I think that if it had been anything really urgent, you would have been put through to the doctor when you requested it.

Best of luck!

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

My thoughts exactly, Jennie. Or the doctor would have rung as soon as she saw the results without waiting for me to ring first.

My leg's been really painful this week and I'm not sleeping much but somehow I'm not worrying too much even though I've been really yelling when I drive home from work at night because it really hurts when I'm sitting with my leg stuck in one position for any length of time.

Fingers crossed for good results Liz.

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"And I'm sure there was blood in the gutter from somebody's head, or else it was the sunset in a puddle."

Also crossing my fingers for you Liz.

It seems that some people's idea of supporting the bereaved is to complain about the funeral being more than 3 days after death (which is because it needs to work around travelling from abroad and people's medical procedures - not that failure to throw someone into the grave with indecent haste ought to need to be explained).

I am very angry.

I have not yet told the person in question that if the timing outrages them they are very welcome not to attend. But that's only because I wasn't given access to the phone while it was being said.

If I see that person IN person in the next few days, I may very well lose the will to behave well.

Oh dear, whitequeen - more of death bringing out the worst in some people. Good luck with that situation and rant at us instead if necessary?

Ugh, what is wrong with people? Behaving badly entirely justified in such circumstances whitequeen. <3

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"And I'm sure there was blood in the gutter from somebody's head, or else it was the sunset in a puddle."

My doctor rang this morning. X-ray results show arthritis in both knees and right hip so she's referring me to orthopaedics.

Oh Liz, I feel for you. My right knee "went" about 9 years ago, the left followed some years later and I think one of my hips is now affected, though not badly.

So far I have managed to fend off the operation but I think it is drawing ever closer. I have been walking with the aid of Nordic walking poles for years now and I highly recommend their support, rather than a stick. (Not doing the actual nordic walking though....). This month I finally succumbed to the increasing need and bought this off ebay. I am delighted with it but hopefully that is way down the line for you!

Did the doctor not prescribe any anti-inflammatories like Diclofenac? I hope she did because in my experience orthopaedic appointments don't always come through quickly....

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Cestina's dolls houses - Laterne, Laterne...

Liz, there is nothing more miserable than arthritic knees, but do get up and walk around for a short time several times a day. If I don't do at least a mile a day, the pain is really bad.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

Yes, Cestina, I've been prescribed pills, can't remember the fancy name but it's paracetamol and codeine combined and they certainly help. I'm also going to start back at Slimming World next week (every little helps!!).

Hugs to everyone who needs them! Liz, sounds awful! Hope the referral is as quick as can be. It sounds like you're on cocodamol. Cestina, I'm pretty sure Diclofenac is very restricted nowadays.

It's certainly not desirable to take long-term and in quantity but it's really a balancing act. The doctor is still prescribing it for me; I try to limit how much I take but I cannot function without any at all.

As far as excess weight goes Liz, the good news is that for every pound of weight you lose, you reduce the excess pressure on your knees by the equivalent of four pounds. So even a small weight loss is highly beneficial. The Arthritis Foundation has lots of excellent information on its website.

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Cestina's dolls houses - Laterne, Laterne...

That is interesting Cestina, this time last year I was using a walking stick because of back pain, I lost 7lbs in first couple of weeks at Weightwatchers and was able to walk without a stick soon after. I thought that such a small weight loss couldn't really have helped my hips and back so much but if it is as you say, that 7lbs was equivalent to 2 stone as far as back etc was concerned. No wonder it helped.

I am not sure it is quite such a dramatic figure when it comes to the back Jan - the downward pressure is not as great as it is on hips, knees and ankles - but it will still make a noticeable difference.

Nice to get some good news on the weight loss front, isn't it?

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Cestina's dolls houses - Laterne, Laterne...

I've got a nasty message on the car dashboard, and the garage haven't got a free slot till Tuesday, and I've got to go somewhere on Tuesday so it can't go in till Wednesday, and I'm stressing in the meantime, plus the garage near my office has closed down and I'm stressing about getting between the next nearest one and my horrible office in time. And I'm having anxiety issues at the moment anyway because Easter's so late this year and it's a long time without a break, and it's the quietest time of the year at work so I'm trapped in there all day with nothing to do but stress. And it keeps being sunny during the week and raining at weekends.

Sorry, rant over!

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We really must stop eating like this ...

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

http://setinthepast.wordpress.com/

((((Alison)))) No helpful advice, I'm afraid, but keep venting on here when you need to.

Losing weight definitely helps with joint/back pain. I had various fairly minor aches and pains, which I'd put down to getting slightly older. Since I lost two stone, they have improved dramatically.

My moan is about my ears, which are now completely blocked and I can't hear a thing.

I'm waiting for my ears to be syringed, and have been putting drops in, but I began to have doubts about the cause a couple of days ago, when my hearing took a turn for the worse.

Since there's no doctor's surgery on a Saturday morning, I called at the local pharmacy and asked the pharmacist for advice.

In a nutshell, she said: 'Your GP needs to refer you to a specialist'. She confirmed the suspicion that I already had, that there is almost certainly an underlying problem, especially since this is the third time in 4 months that I've had problems with my hearing.

I just tried to book an appointment online, but can't get one until the 21st - they have a limited number of early morning appointments, which are only available online. I could go into the surgery on Monday, but really you're supposed to ring up at 8am (or soon after) for a same-day appointment, and I doubt I could hear the receptionist if I do ring.

Not sure whether they would give me a same-day appointment for this, anyway.

I do have an appointment on Friday, for my regular injection with the practice nurse. If all else fails, I may ask her if she can refer me to a specialist or help in any other way. She's generally much more helpful and sympathetic than either the receptionists or my GP.

All of this has got me thinking (again) about changing my GP. I seriously thought about it last autumn, when they messed up transferring my long-term consultant care from Oxford to Liverpool.

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''He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

((((((((((cal))))))))))

If I'd wanted to see my doctor in person about my xray results I would have had to wait at least 3 weeks. It's getting worse trying to see a doctor nowadays.

Update as of this morning.

Hearing still zero. Couldn't make out a word at church yesterday even sitting on the front row and with people using mikes.

Called in at surgery at 8.15 this morning, as they're open from 8. Explained situation. I now have an appointment for 3.50 this afternoon, as they didn't have a morning slot available. (Presumably they were taken up by people ringing between 8 and 8.15.)

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''He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot