General Chat

Hello Colin - welcome back. We have missed your input, so hope you will be a regular contributor again. How have you been? and how is your OH?

Allan will no doubt recruit you to add to his "Men Only" thread, but we would all like to have you back on this one.

Perse - we'll miss you. Haven't come across that word before. I thought my specialist was bad enough - he's a Professor of Endocrinology - but at least I can say that one - I can't evey say yours!

I had to go and get my information sheet with his name on it Berona so I would spell his title correctly.
His degrees are interesting as well has a BSc MB ChB FRACS & BMus.
I am glad he didn't test my musical ability - as I am tone deaf.

Perse

I know what a BSc is, but the rest escape me. Would the FRACS be anything to do with being a surgeon?

I mentioned to my GP to-day that since I have not been able to walk much over the past month, the osteo-arthritis has been affecting one of my knees now that I am walking more and the joint clicks, giving me no warning, and tends to 'throw' me. I have not fallen, but it makes me walk close to things so that if that happens, I have something to reach out to.

Because of this, I don't have the confidence to walk out in the open where there is nothing to grab. The look on the doctor's face was priceless as she tried to suggest to me that perhaps I should consider using a walking stick. She looked so embarrassed that both of us burst out laughing!

We don't like to be reminded we are getting old, whatever age we are, do we? I have actually been considering it myself, but I'm hoping the knee will get better with more use now that I am walking more.

Hello everyone:-)) How nice to see Colin back and nice to see Candie too. Really Candie - it's hard to take you seriously with a name like that:-))

Persey - I've only just got back and off you go.

I'm wondering where Diane is as I've read through some of the pages and I've noticed she's been AWOL for awhile. I do hope you are well Diane if you're looking in. I've also been concerned about Ali. I've sent her a message but it's unopened. Hopefully she will see it soon and let us know how she is.

Tec - I hope our Duchess is feeling better and that you've been able to rest too.

Sue xx

Good Morning/Evening Everyone,

Berona,
I think your doctors suggestion that you may benefit from using a walking stick is very sound advice, and perhaps you should seriously consider getting one. It doesn't have to be some clumpy looking thing, they make some quite elegant and ladylike ones now - though it has to be able to support you when needed, as some are useless, and just for looking at.
The Duchess also suffers with arthritis in her knees, she uses a walking stick occassionally, but when I first suggested it, she gave me a look that needed no words - now she realises the benefits of using one when she needs to. It could save you having a nasty fall, that could prove catastrophic - Pride comes before a fall - so get a walking stick.
Lecture over - but you know I mean well.

C.C.
I think our National Health Service is far from perfect, but everything considered, given the demands made on it, I still think it's the best service of its kind in the world. Whether we need a flu jab, or major surgery, it's available free to everyone, prince or pauper.
Having paid my National Insurance contributions all my working life, I think I've had my moneys worth several times over. On four occassions now they've literally saved my life - I would not have been able to afford all that specialist care.
I did have cause recently to have words with OHs GP as I felt he was palming her off in an offhand manner, because she is not of a complaining nature, and just accepted being brushed off. This came to a head when she was airlifted into hospital before Christmas in a diabetic coma. Since I spoke to him and told him what I thought, he has sharpened his pencil considerably, and now she gets specialist care that she should have had all along.
I think our hospital wards are not as clean as they once were - but that again is down to funding.

Tec

Good evening/morning everyone. Blue skies and sunny here with an expected top of 28. I didn't bother to check the forecast - it's probably for thunderstorms, anyway!

CC - we do have Medicare here. That $100 which I paid my specialist will probably attract about $55 refund when I claim. However, when I see my GP, it costs me nothing, as she 'bulk bill's. Some doctors do, some don't. If they bulk bill, they are satisfied with the amount paid by Medicare. Those who charge over that amount, expect the patient to pay at the time of consultation, then claim - with the patient paying the extra. On top of that, we do have health insurance which has various levels of cover according to what plan is chosen. I have the level of insurance which covers me in a twin room in a private hospital, with the doctor/specialist/surgeon of my choice. It's not cheap to have the insurance, and the more that is covered, the dearer it gets.

Good Morning Sue,

I see you are looking as radiant as ever this morning.

I do hope Alison will contact you soon, just to let us know how she's doing.
Also it is worrying that Diane has been missing for so long - I hope nothing is wrong there, hopefully it's just her internet connection again.

The Duchess is better, but a bit cross as she wanted to go out to buy shoes today to go with her wedding outfit, but wasn't up to it today. Unfortunately I can't do that for her - can you imagine?
Would you send your OH out to buy shoes for you? I think not.

Tec

Tec

Good evening Tec. Thank you for your advice. I know where the sticks are sold, so I might take a look next time I am near there. Of course, I was worried about our dance, but I'm sure I can leave the stick behind while we are dancing - I will be safe with you! - just as long as the boat isn't rocking!!

Hello Tec:-)) When my father was ill I often went to the doctor with him as I felt he wasn't getting the care he needed. I'm afraid I still partly blame him for dad's decline although that may be a little irrational. Having said that my mum was complaining of swollen ankles for quite awhile. It was only after my daughter rang and told me she was concerned that I realised how bad her ankles were. My daughter gives my mum a regular pedicure and had told her that she should see the doctor. She said that she had often mentioned it but he had said they were ok. So I went to the doctors with her and he changed her blood pressure medication and her ankles were back to normal within a week. He is always a little wary of me - but that keeps him on his toes:-)))

Hello Berona - I can remember the look on dad's face when it was suggested he have a walking stick. He wouldn't have one and fell on a couple of occasions.

Sue xx

Good morning/ evening to all

Colin, it's good to see you posting again.

Don't believe C about Polly and her whip. It is not done to keep me in line :0))

Berona, I don't have Private Health Insurance. In Bunbury we have two hospitals, one private and one public but they are both built side by side and operate joint facilities such as pathology and radiology.

I have found that on those few occasions when I have needed hospital treatment that the public one still provides an excellent service.

Ysterday it was 31c by 8.30 am Hot and stcky all day!

Allan

Hello CC - I didn't see you there and you ARE very sweet:-))

I have no fear of doctors and I'm afraid when it's needed I can be very sharp and rather annoying but where elderly parents and in-laws are concerned it has sometimes been necessary. However I'm always appreciative when I know the right thing is being done and I would never be unpleasant - especially to the hospital staff who are in general overworked.

Sue xx

Berona,
When you are dancing with me, you won't need any support because you'll think you're dancing on air - your feet won't touch the ground, or the deck...............................

Sue,
I now think that when visiting a doctor, an elderly person should be accompanied by a younger relative. many doctors definately havea strange attitude towards elderly patients.
Once upon a time I would have said "nonsense" to this, but experience has taught me that unfortunately this is often the case.
Also I think older people sometimes regard doctors as Gods, as wouldn't dream of questioning his descisions.
As far as I'm concerned they are tradesmen with medical training.

Tec

Good Morning Allan,

What's all this talk of whips - I do hope you haven't been meddling in things you shouldn't have - what will the neighbours say?

Tec

CC - when we fill in a prescription for the first time at our local pharmacy they give us a print-out of all the side-effects. This was especially important when our son was taking anti-depressants awhile back. It was fairly new and a couple of the side-effects were nausea and headaches. The doctor didn't tell him this - it was the pharmacy print-out that alerted us. Having said that my son's temporary problem was well looked after and he was fine within a few months.

Tec - that's the whole problem with my parents. Mum thinks her doctor should never be questioned and has been embarrassed by my persistence. I think of a doctor as no different than a plumber or electrician.

Sue xx

Tec don't ask about the whips, my writing goes all jerky just at the thought :0))

CC, I think that in the past people have treated doctors as infallible and they have acted as such.

Given the number of wrong diagnoses in my family, including myself who was told I had gallstones when in fact I was lucky to survive a pulmonary embolism, I now query everything. Fortunately my GP (to whom I was referred bt the Specialist after the foregoing incident) is very good but even she takes some convincing!

As I posted on here recently I suffer from white coat hypertension and after ten years she has finally agreed that i do

Allan

I take all sorts of prescription meds. Seven at breakfast, five before dinner, and four to go to bed - I just hope for the best, and hope not to explode.
I have had some very nasty side effects, but basically just live with it.
Given up reading the leaflets re side effects, as it's mind bending.

Tec

CC - the information that our pharmacist gives is actually just off the internet and is readily available. The leaflets - I feel - are written by the companies that make the medication so I'm thinking they aren't going to make the pills sound bad.

Allan - if the whip isn't used to keep you in line then what is it......oh yes. Perhaps we shouldn't discuss that:-))

Sue xx

CC I do have hypertension for which I am on medication but I do also monitor my own BP at home.

These days I record those figures and take them along to my GP when I have to see her

Allan

When my OH was 36, the local GP gave him a referral to a specialist, who ordered X-rays, etc. and said that his kidney was shrivelled up and should be removed. He went back to the GP and asked for a referral to a second specialist. This was given without incident. The second specialist gave the same diagnosis.

He then heard about a specialist who had just returned from studying in other countries and once again, OH returned to the GP for yet another referral. The GP came to the door of the (very full) waiting room and called his name. He then said in a loud voice - "you don't want another referral do you?". OH said "yes, I do". The GP said "Good God, man, you've already seen two of the best in the country - why should you want to see another?". OH said "because it's my bl**dy kidney and I want to make the decision on what happens to it!". He was very annoyed that the GP had put on a "show" for the other patients. He got his referral.

The outcome was that the third specialist wanted to do a 'repair' job on the kidney. He gave no guarantee, but hoped to get some use out of the kidney, and said that if successful, he could get another ten years' use out of the kidney, before it would probably need to be removed. He got the job - it was successful - and it did last ten years (exactly, to my amazement). It was then removed, but he had two kidneys for ten years longer than anyone expected.

Needless to say - we never used that GP again.