Our British Friends, South African Mates etc

Hello doing good here on the emerald isle aka Ireland.

Despite this whole Corona thing here I can't complain too much.
 
Excellent Dino! But if you ever do want to complain this is the place! On the other hand, if you are in Ireland I'm sure there's much to enjoy I M am Irish summer.
 
Right now the weather is lovely and warm.
But in Ireland were never completely happy with the weather. It's either too hot or too cold.
 
Had a very frustrating consult with a doctor today. This potentially neuro stuff is still dragging on and considering that the osteopath I saw was extremely concerned about my symptoms and was keen that I get a referral the GP didn't seem to care all that much. Also, I can't quite get why two GPs I've spoken to now have little to no interest or concern in my bladder/bowel issues. Basically I rocked up, she performed a very basic physical exam (less in depth than my osteo)and appeared to be hitting the reflex tests in the wrong places as they felt different to other ones I've had and then basically just said she was stumped but didn't think it warranted a proper referral.

To put things in perspective, I could barely move properly for the majority of last week and any movement of any kind still results in immense fatigue. I'm struggling to stand up properly making showering difficult and writing properly is nigh on impossible(considering I'm a teacher, that is a bit of a worry!). Added to that, the bladder and bowel stuff is worse than it's been before (although I think the osteo has helped alleviate the worst of the IBS stuff). In short it's difficult to do basic things and I'm struggling but no questions about how I was coping at all. I bought a crutch off Amazon last week to help get about and she asked about that and said I bought it because of the weakness on my right side. I mean, considering a month ago I was doing long distance running multiple times a week, you'd have thought that would have raised some eyebrows.

I can only conclude that, to the majority of British GPs, it's entirely normal for a 29 year old to have to wear nappies to guard from accidents and have to use a crutch to walk about. Plus, I mean, it's not all that important to be able to write at all is it? Sorry for the rant but it's so frustrating to be getting absolutely nowhere and zero sympathy from healthcare professionals! I'm waiting to hear back from another doctor as walking (or rather hobbling!) down to the surgery has made my right side worse and they said to call if anything was the matter.

@justej I hear that re embarrassing designs! I needed something more than the regular Tena when travelling and looked for a plastic backed product with refastenable tabs. I tried the Tykables camo one which was a bit understated but the sizing didn't really work out so I bought the Rearz elite ones which are perfect in every possible way except for the dinosaur designs! Still, it's better than leaking I suppose!
 
I am so sorry that you are struggling
I personally don't understand doctors sometimes. I have had some truly shocking experiences involving doctors give me advice, and then move on to the next patient (just like that), and I don't just mean with incontinence- I mean other issues too, and well.... blame the NHS. it's great they are doing what they are to help with the fight against kovid, doesn't change the fact though: that some doctors are just useless or unprofessional.

and i'm 23 and wear nappies 24/7, so don't feel you're the only person in your 20's who has this issue, because you arn't.
 
Sci fi you are absolutely right to push hard for answers.
Write a list of your former activities and when the weakness started so they see you are presenting with very new symptoms and it is over all debilitating
 
Hi @Sci_Fi_Fan and @Emily91, Unfortunately our doctors here in the States can be just as clueless as well. And if they spend five minutes to talk to you before moving on to the next patient then consider yourself lucky! I don't think any medical system, whether it's the NHS or the Canadian system or the U.S. system, but unfortunately it's all we have. And sadly some of the doctors are just plain unprofessional. When you come across an unprofessional one, you just go to one who is professional. Been there, done that. That happened to me once. My insurance plan sent me to an optometrist for a basic eye exam. (bit of back ground, I have a macular pucker in my right eye, which is stable and makes looking out my right eye like looking through a rain-washed window. An M.D. who's a retina specialist diagnosed that a few years ago). This optometrist said I have macular degeneration and it's going to end up in the left eye as well. To make matters worse, his "chairside" manner did not convey any empathy or sympathy whatsoever! Like someone saying, "you have a hangnail, so get over it!" I did complain to the insurance company, told them I was never going back there again. So a couple of weeks later I was back the retina specialist. He said the pucker, or "wrinkle" was stable, adding "if anything, it's gotten a bit better." He added that my left eye is fine and should last a lifetime. Sorry for the rant but we are at the mercy of the doctors. Bottom line, we do need to speak up!
 
Thanks for the replies!

Another doctor got back who seemed very annoyed I wasn't happy with the 'care' I'd received, ensuring me that everyone there cares a lot etc. etc. and proceeded to act like someone who had watched too many episodes of "House"...

He called my bluff and basically said, 'fine, you want to see someone proper, how's a brain scan tonight. Bring an overnight bag.' I scrambled round and rocked up and think he was surprised (and rather annoyed!) that I'd actually done it. He then proceeded to be a big ass about everything. I think the issue is that because of the autism (and the inevitable history of anxiety of depression that brings), they just assume I'm nuts and I'm overreacting. However, my osteopath's mindset is surely it's a good thing if it is nothing and just some muscle issues but best to get rid of other possibilities. I do get the impression that any negative result is seen as a bad thing over here! Anyway, long story short I have a neurology consult tomorrow. Also, I'm due to start a new teaching job in a couple of weeks so I'd rather get hospital visits out the way whilst I have time.


The only vaguely amusing thing about all of this is that I'd ordered a box of DryNites/Goodnites from Amazon as I've found they're great for boosters in the Tena products and a lot cheaper than the Tena pull ups. They're due to come tomorrow and considering what happened with the bed mat box, I was terrified I'd be in hospital and they'd be outside my front door for hours for all to see! Fortunately, Amazon have the option to change the delivery date...

@emily91 Hey! Glad to know I'm not the only young person with issues! Psychologically, I've gotten to be okay with the nappies and don't think anything of them anymore. When combined with other symptoms that make me feel like my body is failing me it is far more draining though. I'd still been holding onto the hope that it was purely due to anatomical issues that I was leaking rather than any other issues.
 
Sci_Fi_Fan said:
Had a very frustrating consult with a doctor today. This potentially neuro stuff is still dragging on and considering that the osteopath I saw was extremely concerned about my symptoms and was keen that I get a referral the GP didn't seem to care all that much. Also, I can't quite get why two GPs I've spoken to now have little to no interest or concern in my bladder/bowel issues. Basically I rocked up, she performed a very basic physical exam (less in depth than my osteo)and appeared to be hitting the reflex tests in the wrong places as they felt different to other ones I've had and then basically just said she was stumped but didn't think it warranted a proper referral.

To put things in perspective, I could barely move properly for the majority of last week and any movement of any kind still results in immense fatigue. I'm struggling to stand up properly making showering difficult and writing properly is nigh on impossible(considering I'm a teacher, that is a bit of a worry!). Added to that, the bladder and bowel stuff is worse than it's been before (although I think the osteo has helped alleviate the worst of the IBS stuff). In short it's difficult to do basic things and I'm struggling but no questions about how I was coping at all. I bought a crutch off Amazon last week to help get about and she asked about that and said I bought it because of the weakness on my right side. I mean, considering a month ago I was doing long distance running multiple times a week, you'd have thought that would have raised some eyebrows.

I can only conclude that, to the majority of British GPs, it's entirely normal for a 29 year old to have to wear nappies to guard from accidents and have to use a crutch to walk about. Plus, I mean, it's not all that important to be able to write at all is it? Sorry for the rant but it's so frustrating to be getting absolutely nowhere and zero sympathy from healthcare professionals! I'm waiting to hear back from another doctor as walking (or rather hobbling!) down to the surgery has made my right side worse and they said to call if anything was the matter.

@justej I hear that re embarrassing designs! I needed something more than the regular Tena when travelling and looked for a plastic backed product with refastenable tabs. I tried the Tykables camo one which was a bit understated but the sizing didn't really work out so I bought the Rearz elite ones which are perfect in every possible way except for the dinosaur designs! Still, it's better than leaking I suppose!
Click to expand...

In Ireland I've experienced something similar. My gp of many years done blood tests to see if kidney function is okay.
It came back normal. When he retired and I got a new gp they ordered a bladder and kidney scan for me.

The public health nurse who prescribed the pads I'm wearing got me to try pelvic floor exercises and to fill out a bladder chart.

So I haven't found out why I have overactive bladder urge incontinence.

Whilst it's not for everyone for now I'm happy to wear the pads and if I can ill use the toilet if I can make it their on time.
 
Hi @Sci_Fi_Fan, You're wise to get the hospital visits out of the way before your school starts again. Hopefully that will all come together for you! You mentioned your osteopath again and I think they are the ones who are most patient-oriented. Maybe you can enlighten me on this, but are British osteopaths different from American ones? Our osteopaths have a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree and they go to medical school the same length of time that M.D.s go. Their medical schools are not associated with M.D. med schools and grant a degree in osteopathic medicine. Our osteopaths perform the same functions as M.D.s, that is do surgery, prescribe medications, deliver babies, etc., etc. The difference is a D.O. regards the patient as a whole and not just as a body part or a disease. They tend to take into account the patient's whole environment and realize that pain in one area can be caused by a malfunction in another area or part of the body. Our D.O.s also do manipulation in addition to surgery and medication, etc. So if you go to a D.O. I think that doctor would try to give you more options rather than give you more pills or rush you into surgery. Here, M.D.s for the longest time looked down on D.O.s That attitude prevailed to such an extent D.O.s were not allowed to practice in hospitals staffed by M.D.s So our osteopaths set up their own hospitals (I was born in one and worked in another one before going to college)in which graduates of osteopathic medical schools could intern, do residencies and see their patients. Now the M.D.s here realize they share a lot in common with the D.O.s and those doctors are now allowed to practice in hospitals formerly staffed only be M.D.s. I hope that wasn't too long-winded but that's American osteopathy in a nutshell!
 
Well done Billie I think that should go in the best of August as it would be important to many of us to be seen as a whole person given the complexity of incontinence as individuals
 
@billliveshere Osteopathy's very much seen as an 'alternate' therapy here and it's seen mainly as something to help with joint pain/sports injuries etc. As a kid I had lots of sinus issues and I remember a teacher being surprised I was seeing an osteopath for that. My personal relationship with it is probably different though as I was seeing one since the age of four. As a small child I had terrible ear issues and had frequent nosebleeds and no regular doctor was helping. My parents were at their wits end and read an article about osteopathy in the paper and booked me in. It worked a treat and have seen one ever since for various issues. Prior to all this my main issue over the last ten years or so was joint pain caused by hypermobility. I've always found them extremely helpful (but alas rather pricey!). My first thought was to try and see one in my new area to try and help with symptoms and its worked wonders (and I think helped a bit with the bladder/bowel stuff as well!).


@Maymay941 Indeed! I find the biggest issue I've found with doctors is that they don't see the patient as a whole. The urologist had no interest in my probable IBS issues and how much of an issue my bowel stuff has been. Similarly, the GPs I've seen about these new symptoms didn't seem at all interested in my incontinence issues, even though they've been getting worse as these symptoms have appeared/worsened. One of my old surgeries had the rule 'one appointment, one problem' and I fear that's the philosophy of most GPs, however most issues are interconnected. For example, I was misdiagnosed with depression and bipolar prior to my autism diagnosis. The doctors never seemed to care that I was struggling to make eye contact, verbalise how I was feeling or had sensory issues. It was actually a therapist which picked it up. Very much a 'x is wrong, let's fix x' rather than wondering what the root cause of x is and trying to attack that and seeing what other issues might be related to it.
 
Sounds like you have a thriving proactive approach to life and will get to a big picture understanding of what is going on.
 
Thank you, Maymay! I would be honored to go into your compilation! :)That is true incontinence issues do affect the whole person and reading your post, it's ridiculous that your urologist is not interested in your IBS issues and your GP wouldn't give your incontinence issues the wrong time of day!:( It seems to me, and your post really made it clear for me, that doctors just want to do that one thing and hope the symptom will go away. They don't want to find the root cause of it, well maybe because it will take too much time away from their other patients and Doc will be relegated to seeing only 35 patients today instead of the usual 50. After all, gotta make enough money for that monthly Mercedes payment, don't ya know? Well I'm being snarky, but it's like "give 'em a pill and they'll shut up?" Snarky again!:O
And Sci_Fi, sounds like you and osteopathy are a good fit. You would do well to find one in your new area if going to the one you've been seeing is too much of a transportation hassle. One thing I need to add to my post on osteopathy, as with the M.D.s, D.O.s also specialize in the major specialties. I have Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas dinner with a urologist who is a D.O. and his family and mother-in-law. They are old family friends. He got his D.O. degree from Midwestern University near Chicago and did the usual internship and residency. Then he honed his skills serving for a few years in the Air Force. His name is Dr. Fountain, I kid you not!:D
 
Bit of an update, went to the hospital for some brain scans, both negative which is a good thing so nothing big and scary like MS which is what they thought it might have been. The only downside is nobody really knows what's going on so I've been referred to neurology because I could have some nerve issues. Re the bladder/bowel stuff, a really helpful student doctor was trying to get a urologist to come and see me but unfortunately that didn't happen so back to waiting for the consult. So yeah, still feeling very rough but coping and nothing major seems to be wrong!
 
This may be no help at all to you but a few years ago I became EXTREMELY fatigued could barely get up. Dragged myself to doctor then gastroenterologist as my blood showed signs of elevated something to do with liver, possible hepatitis
Specialist said no to Hepatitis, after review of blood test, it was my diet I'd not eaten properly.
I did a home made cure of liver cleansing foods (googled and prepared massive amounts of kale and black cherry juice apples in my blender all I recall but in 3 days I was right as rain.
 
so thought I'd do a little bit of a check-in

went through 3 nappies today (1 of which extremely severe), and because of that (just how bad they were), I just stayed in and chilled today watching tv, had some music on etc

later, a friend came round (it's his birthday) and I got him a cake and a dvd he wanted. I think he liked them, and spending some time with me

got a takeaway for dinner (delivery), I got chinese. very full up now

so about to go to bed.

so far: quiet weekend mostly, I guess
 
Hi Emily, glad you checked in to say hello to us. Sounds like you had a pretty nice day when your friend dropped in and you gave him a birthday cake and a DVD.:cool: Sounds like you're a good friend yourself!:D And I haven't had Chinese food in a long time. Hope it was good! Wishing you a good night!:)
 
freaking out today.

came down to breakfast and saw 2 wasps buzzing around the kitchen

alergic to the things, so had to quickly close the door and find something else for breakfast

hope they go though: I'm hoping to cook my roast dinner today. I've kept the window open, so they should well.. buzz off. (see what I did their?)

I always have roast dinners on sunday (usually chicken, sometimes lamb)

need to do my game on alexa too. I have one of those amazon assistant things and use it every day to help with everything, from waking me up and reminders, to playing music and games

another day inside though
 
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