OA and a bit mystified with gp

johnsouthwales
johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
edited 8. Sep 2013, 15:22 in Living with Arthritis archive
after being declared fit for work, i had seen a gp a few weeks ago but a different one this time and i hoped that things would start to improve from the last one i seen.

basically, the gp i had been seeing since 2008/2009, i wasn't getting any joy. things like i had to press and press to get some physiotherapy and he made a judgement that it wouldn't do much good. it took a few months to get to see a physio and soon as they started ultrasound, it was giving some relief, the first time in two years. but the sessions stopped after 4 weeks and the therapist said it wasn't working as well as they hoped. something wrong with the foot, a calcaneous spur appeared from nowhere on the achilles summer 2006. plantar fasclitis is what the podietrician said in 2008, but the specialist at the hospital in 2007 or the gp since has never mentioned plantarF. 2013 i still have the same problems with the same foot.

anyway, as time went by, i asked the hospital in 2009 if i have osteoarthritis, and they said no. then i started developing something else, and i looked it up on the internet, and i asked the gp if i have got sciatica, he said no i haven't. from 2008/2009 on, it was getting worse, everytime i sit down, i have to stand up to relieve pressure from the foot, and when i stand up, it was creating more pressure on the foot. so it was a case of stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.

incidentally, i had an atos test in dec 2008 for IB and i failed, but i won the appeal a few months later. in 2011, i was still on IB and had atos test and the passed me. a few months after the atos test, i was sent to the hopsital for xray, and when i went back to the gp, he said i have OA in the spine and sciatica.. so when i was asking if i had either, they said no, and suddenly now the gp is saying i have.

up until 2006, i was quite active then suddenly stopped because of this poxy lump on the back of my foot. where that appeared from i never know, and i never noticed it until something started stinging. the gp said it was a boil and said come back in a couple of weeks. when i went back, the gp i seen had retired inbetween, a nurse had a look at the 'boil' and ran off, then suddenly another doctor came in and said for me to get to the hospital for an xray. at that time i was stunned cos you don't go to hospital for a boil.

as the years went by, the foot and leg were getting worse, tired, fatigue, strain. sometime in 2011, i was doing something in the garden and literally couldn't get up the stairs cos i was going to run a bath to subside the problem. i had to wait a couple of hours for things to settle down..but i noticed this situation before. when i had my atos test in 2011, i couldn't get home on the bus (18 miles) because the leg and foot swelled up bad and had to go for a coffee and stayed there til it calmed down.

things like carrying shopping, the strain in arms, neck, back, foot. bending over to reach for something. walking or trying to walk normal, or walking to the shop even if it causes pain. and everytime i walked, it caused the problem in the foot, and the gp never did owt about it.. oh, they sent me to another hospital for a test where they stuck some electrodes onto my feet and turned the voltage up to see how it reacted.
i don't see the point in that test because if there was no feeling in my foot, i wouldn't be feeling pain and discomfort at all. the more i'm walking, the worse the foot was getting. simple. what was casuing the problem, was for the nhs to find out.
it took around 3 years to get a blood test in case it was diabetes. i would have saved them the time and bother by saying i don't have diabetes as i know myself, but did the blood test to eliminate it anyway.

what i noticed with this other gp the other day, he said he looked at the notes and is basically siding with the specialists notes.

as time went by and i was looking more into things over the internet, not only i read up on plantarF, but came across tarsal tunnel syndrome, which is very similar, but you don't get calcaneous spur with tts. but plantarF isn't supposed to give numb toes.. is it possible i had both at the time time?

now, something caught my attention the other day with a comment he made. i want to tell the gp what i have experienced over the last few years but it seems like too that what has happened in the past counts for nothing not only with atos/dwp but with the gp too. i would have thought to understand the present, you have to look at the past. what is most important is how you are feeling today.

the gp literally said that osteoarthritis shouldn't be a problem with day to day activities and shouldn't be causing pain and discomfort...
at first, i asked myself did i hear it right?

is he saying osteoarthritis doesn't cause pain? or is the gp taking the pish?
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Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    That's very comprehensive and detailed, John, and I wish I could reply in the same vein but I think I've got a bit lost somewhere or other.

    We all know that OA causes pain. How much pain we suffer and how much it can interfere with everyday activities can vary hugely from person to person. If your feet are causing problems it might be worth asking to see an orthotist to get some proper insoles. They can make a big difference.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Colin1
    Colin1 Member Posts: 1,769
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Well John What a story, however your not unique many GPs are the same in the modern GPs, its seldom I see the same GP from each visit so the GP never gets the chance to know his patient. It can be the same with consultants and they can also differ in diagnosis and opinions but will never take your side to another doctor. In one week I was told I had Pulmonary Fibrosis and never had PM the next month I had it again and then the consultant told me 4 weeks later I never had it. 2 years on I have it so bad cant breath without oxygen. I know where your coming from but what to advise im at a loss, The way I dealt with it was telling the consultant what I thought of him.
    Colin
    WHEN GOD GIVES YOU LEMONS MAKE LEMONADE
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    i been on orthotics since 2007, tbh they do help but doesn't cure as the problem exists whilst wearing them. the orthotics the nhs supplied were no good as they were increasing the pain, eg curved insole to strengthen the arch - agony. the made a plaster cast of heel for them to make a cup and by the time it was made, it didn't fit - different types of footwear. anyway,that was say october 2007, over a year from the start. they even supplied an hard insole cut in half from the front, and where the line was cut, was digging into the bad area around the ball, and actually created a new problem. the problem with the raised arch insole was it was too high, around 20mm. but the problem was not only was it digging in, they supplied one.. which left me miffed.. when i was walking, i was 20mm higher on one side of the body than the other.

    they were at least 6 months too late with the orthotics. a reasonable nhs would have got in straight away rather than waiting a full year after a problem was discovered. and not forgetting i didn't know what on earth was going on and nobody was communicating.

    soon as the foot hit the floor, that's it - whether bedroom or pavement.

    of course any condition causes pain, why on earth this gp said it shouldn't stop you from doing day to day things is beyond my thinking. i just don't get it.

    i remember the first sessions with podiatry. they asked me to walk around barefoot. now anybody with some common sense would realise that is not a good idea especially with a foot problem as that would muck it up even more.

    this is what happened with a specialist. he used his thumb and forefinger to press on one of the affected areas, i reacted, the foot twitched back... he siad i don't know what is causing it... erm. if that is the specialist saying that, how are patients meant to think. and if he literally doesn't know, it's his job to find out.
    there were no broken bones involved and all they were working on up until 2009 was the late 2006 xray. so, in 2009 they took another xray of the front of the foot. they said it looks fine.. but how can they tell if there is any muscle damage, or nerve damage when all an xray will show is bone.. you can't see anything else.

    or as my own theory was that the calcaneous spur on the achilles was jamming against muscle, nerves, blood vessels etc, and was literally choking the foot. i can't think of anything else. could be wear and tear over the years from walking and work, uneven concrete factory floors etc etc. maybe it's simply a sensitive foot.

    i weigh around 12 stone, slim built so it's not a weight issue as such even though i could be 11.5. years ago when i was a normal walker, then became a faster walker due to various work.

    at no pint has anyone in the nhs asked me about history, except the podietrician who asked me what accident occured to cause the valcaneous.. i read on the internet that they appear after damage. for months i wracked my brain and couldn't come up with an answer as there was no accident or fracture... so, only last week i did some more reading and some specialist reckons now calcaneous don't appear after a fracture, they just appear...
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    it seems wikipedia have more answers than the nhs.

    detected by a radiological examination (X-ray).

    When a foot bone is exposed to constant stress, calcium deposits build up on the bottom of the heel bone. Generally, this has no effect on a person’s daily life. However, repeated damage can cause these deposits to pile up on each other,causing a spur-shaped deformity, called a calcaneal (or heel) spur. Obese people, flatfooted people, and women who constantly wear high-heeled shoes are most susceptible to heel spurs.[1]

    An inferior calcaneal spur is located on the inferior aspect of the calcaneus and is typically a response to plantar fasciitis over a period, but may also be associated with ankylosing spondylitis (typically in children). A posterior calcaneal spur develops on the back of the heel at the insertion of the Achilles tendon.

    but, this is what the problem is to me.. why on earth the nhs are not figuring it out is questionable.

    firstly, i didn't have plantarF before the discovery, that came after i started wearing sandals, unless the 'boil' was masking the plantarF, but i do not remember at all having a problem with the ball of the foot until later..

    so, according to wiki, a posterior calcaneal spur develops at the back of the heel on the achilles.. that where mine is.. but it doesn't mention planrtaF in the posterioral.

    but... An inferior calcaneal spur consists of a calcification of the calcaneus, which lies superior to the plantar fascia at the insertion of the plantar fascia.

    A posterior calcaneal spur is often large and palpable through the skin and may need to be removed as part of the treatment of insertional Achilles tendonitis.

    the specialist said he doesn't want to do the op cos of risk.. i hadn't looked it up until at least 2008, so for over a year the wasn't much info.

    Major symptoms consist of pain in the region surrounding the spur, which typically increases in intensity after prolonged periods of rest. Patients may report heel pain to be more severe when waking up in the morning. Patients may not be able to bear weight on the afflicted heel comfortably. Running, walking, or lifting heavy weight may exacerbate the issue.

    Many treatment options exist, and good results are often observed. Generally, a calcaneal spur develops when proper care is not given to the foot and heels. It is often seen as a repetitive stress injury, and thus lifestyle modification is typically the basic course of management strategies.

    To alleviate heel spur pain, a person should begin doing foot and calf workouts. Strong muscles in the calves and lower legs will help take the stress off the bone and thus help cure or prevent heel spurs. Icing the area is an effective way to get immediate pain relief

    With me, everytime i tried some calf excercises is was making the achilles tighter, and got worse when i was walking to the shop etc...
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    plantarF

    Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the sole (bottom surface) of the foot. It is often caused by overuse of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is a very common condition and can be difficult to treat if not looked after properly.

    Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termed plantar fasciosis.[1] The suffix "osis" implies a pathology of chronic degeneration without inflammation. Since tendons and ligaments do not contain blood vessels, they do not actually become inflamed. Instead, injury to the tendon is usually the result of an accumulation over time of microscopic tears at the cellular level.

    The pain is usually felt on the underside of the heel and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. Another symptom is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are brought toward the shin (decreased dorsiflexion of the ankle). A symptom commonly recognized among sufferers of plantar fasciitis is an increased probability of knee pains, especially among runners.

    An incidental finding associated with this condition is a heel spur, a small bony calcification on the calcaneus heel bone, in which case it is the underlying plantar fasciitis that produces the pain, and not the spur itself. The condition is responsible for the creation of the spur; the plantar fasciitis is not caused by the spur.

    Sometimes ball-of-foot pain is mistakenly assumed to be derived from plantar fasciitis. A dull pain or numbness in the metatarsal region of the foot could instead be metatarsalgia, also called capsulitis. Some current studies suggest that plantar fasciitis is not actually inflamed plantar fascia, but merely an inflamed flexor digitorum brevis muscle (FDB) belly. Ultrasound evidence illustrates fluid within the FDB muscle belly, not the plantar fascia.
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Sometimes ball-of-foot pain is mistakenly assumed to be derived from plantar fasciitis. A dull pain or numbness in the metatarsal region of the foot could instead be metatarsalgia,

    so, when i tell the podietrician i also have pain in the ball of the foot as soon as it touches anything, a small amount of pressure sets it off.

    with me, i am remeinding myself now from what i read before. calcaneous spur, pain under heal, plantar fascilitis, and goodness knows what else..

    from what i remember at the time, it hasn't been said that plantarF affects the toe. after more reading, i discovered tarsal tunnel syndrome.

    Surgery carries the risk of nerve injury, infection, rupture of the plantar fascia, and failure to improve the pain.

    but according wiki, it says The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue originating on the bottom surface of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extending along the sole of the foot towards the toes.

    it says towards the toes, but doesn't specifically mention 'in the toes'
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    which leads to this -

    Metatarsalgia (literally metatarsal pain, colloquially known as stone bruise) is a general term used to refer to any painful foot condition affecting the metatarsal region of the foot. This is a common problem that can affect the joints and bones of the metatarsals. Metatarsalgia is most often localized to the first metatarsal head (the ball of the foot just behind the big toe). There are two small sesamoid bones under the first metatarsal head. The next most frequent site of metatarsal head pain is under the second metatarsal. This can be due to either too short a first metatarsal bone or to "hypermobility of the first ray" (metatarsal bone + medial cuneiform bone behind it), both of which result in excess pressure being transmitted into the second metatarsal head.

    In the foot - the first metatarsal bone usually has two sesamoid bones at its connection to the big toe (both within the tendon of flexor hallucis brevis).[4] In some people, only a single sesamoid is found on the first MTP.

    A bi-partite sesamoid bone is when the sesamoids are in 2 separate entities — usually congenital, but may be related to a history of trauma.
    Sesamoid bones have a very limited blood supply. They are very difficult to heal when not treated early and oftentimes lead to Avascular Necrosis which is bone death caused by lack of blood supply
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    great, just great..

    Sesamoid bones have a very limited blood supply. They are very difficult to heal when not treated early and oftentimes lead to Avascular Necrosis which is bone death caused by lack of blood supply.

    If left untreated, the disease progresses, the bone collapses and the joint surface breaks down leading to pain and arthritis.

    the nhs didn't do any other tests except concentrating on the calcaneous spur and 'the plantarF.

    so, is this where the osteoarthritis in the spine came from by magic because they did't treat something else?
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    colin, i feel like telling these consultants what exactly i think of them. i already have stated i no longer trust the gp i was seeing.
    i requested to the gp i want a second opinion.. it never came. he said that another area might not even do it
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I've read everything you've written and my overall impression is this: you seem to be struggling with the fact that osteo arthritis is a degenerative and progressive condition, as is any form of arthritis. There is not much that the doctors can do about it, which seems unbelievable in this day and age, but that's the truth. GPs deal with osteo, it's a question of managing the disease with pain relief, maybe an anti-inflammatory drug and exercise to help keep the muscles surrounding the joint stronger and more supportive.

    I have an auto-immune form of arthritis and the joint damage from that has led to osteo, first in my knees, then my ankles, now my right hip and my neck is joining the party. Why has this happened? Well, place one joint out of kilter and that has a knock-on effect on the other joints. I also have orthotics (which correct my flat feet and make my knees face the front) but it still hurts to walk because of the joint damage in my toes, ankles, knees etc. I also have plantar fasciitis (I take an anti-inflammatory to help ease that) and bone growths all over the shop - caused by my body trying to help itself. I began in 1997 with one affected joint, now I'm up to around thirty nine. As I said, any form of arthritis is progressive and degenerative. My rheumatologist is doing the best she can with me meds-wise, my GP too. The rest is up to me. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    i remember the first sessions with podiatry. they asked me to walk around barefoot. now anybody with some common sense would realise that is not a good idea especially with a foot problem as that would muck it up even more....

    They ask that because it's the only way they can see exactly what's happening when you walk. If they can't see what's happening they can't hope to correct it.

    It's all about learning to live with this disease. It will progress and it will hurt because that's the nature of it but life goes on and much of that can be good. You sound very angry with everyone, John. How would you like us to help you?
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    i had a vistit to the gp this morning, and something wracked my brain again. the gp asked me why have you got your hand behind your back like that? and as soon as i heard him, it's becoming all so obvious he hasn't a clue what is actually going on. If he read the notes, he would have come across the osteo arthritis in the spine bit..can't mis it, xray result etc etc.

    reason why i had my hand behind my back was...because the spine gets some havoc sitting, my hand was kind of acting as a cushion and put it there to stop it rubbing against the hard plastic chair in the room.

    he said oh you got something else going on? i said yeah. (as in don't you know?)

    i changed my gp because i have cut all ties with the previous gp from 2008-2011

    then i asked him a couple of questions like how come you are the first gp that has prescribed me pain killers for condition since 2006? he said i can't answer for what others hadn't done, but i think he kinds of misses the point.

    as i said before, i often wondered why, but as i was following orders as someone did mention to take paracetamol (think it was the podiatrist).
    anyway, come 2011, the gp did prescribe me ibuprofen for the later sciatica.

    as i failed my atos/dwp test, i am appealing. i received the reconsideration letter from them and they're sticking to the decision.
    there was a part in it, that is intersting, and depending how a person looks at it, there is an element of criticism, and forming an opinion. not sure if the dwp are allowed to make an opinion like that is unsure.

    it says i take only paracetamol and ibruphen over the counter medications, which surely be inappropriate to deal with the level of pain incurs.

    since ibufroen is the only prescription i have been prescribed plus the paracetamol, who is the dwp aiming that statement at? can't be me as i'm following previous advice. it can't be at the nhs as the dwp haven't mentioned them. waht is the purpose of that statement?

    may as well have said i can't believe that he's only taking paracetamol for osteoarthritis. but, this is the position. i was prescribed ibuprofen for sciatica, but wasn't prescribed anything at all for the osteoarthritis some months later.

    dwp then say whilst in no doubt that i have health conditions that affect day to day living, these do not limit functional abilities sufficiently to have limited work capability. and go onto say, it must be remembered that activities do not have to be performed without any discomfort or pain
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I think you're being a bit hard on your GP, John. I think it was observant of him to note that you had your hand behind your back and sensible to ask why rather than just assuming it was because your back was hurting. You might have had a problem with your shoulder or wrist that was eased by such a position.
    then i asked him a couple of questions like how come you are the first gp that has prescribed me pain killers for condition since 2006? he said i can't answer for what others hadn't done, but i think he kinds of misses the point.

    Again, I disagree. He can't answer for the actions of others any more than you or I can. He is prescribing the pain relief and surely he deserves credit for that?

    I'm afraid I also can't answer the DWP stuff as I'm not familiar with either the forms or the process. However, I'm a bit puzzled, and concerned, when you write
    ibufroen is the only prescription i have been prescribed plus the paracetamol
    as I notice that, in your post on Ali87uk's 'Pain Management' thread, you said 'my next round of tabs is reduced dosage of co-codamol and amitriptyline'. That doesn't seem to add up but, more importantly, I hope you have been informed that, if you are taking both cocodamol and paracetamol, you mustn't take more than 8 in 24 hours – that's 8 in total not 8 of each.

    I hope you feel a bit better today.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    yes, credit could be given to the gp for noticing but that is not the point. when he asked if i got a problem with the spine as well, he would have noticed that 'if' he has read the notes as he said he had. so, if he read the notes, he wouuld have noticed the little bit of the 2011 xray result which the previous gp confirmed the osteoarthritis is in the spine.

    so, ditching the old gp who did nowt for a new one in the hope some progress can be made isn't exactly reassuring if the new gp hasn't read up the history in full...

    as for the paracetmol, i'll explain.. problem started in aug 2006, sudden lump on achilles, go to gp, gp says i got a boil. gp says don't wear trainers or shoes for 3 weeks and come back. i go back 3 weeks later and the gp had retired inbetween, i remember someone having a look at the lump and she ran off and a doctor came in. they sent me to the hospital straight away to get an xray, which got me thinking why the heck to i need an xray for a boil???. anyway, nov 2006 the gp says i need an operation. then i thought what the hell?? appointment with specialist in march 2007, he said he doesn't want to operate. turns out this lump is a calacneous spur. the specialist refeered me to podietry and the fist appointment was sept 2007.. and by this time the foot had weakened and collapsed gradually, walking became difficult without any pain or discomfort. this is where the paracetamol came in.

    i asked the specialist in 2009 can i get mri, he said no. all they did in 2007 was take an xray of the heel but they didn't bother xray with the rest of the foot, which later turned out to be plantar fascilitis according to the podiatrist, but the specialist and the gp never confirmed plantar fascilitis. so it was assumed to be plantar fash because the poiatrist said so.. by the time 2009 came, i completely had enough of the whole situation as personally i thought was becoming farcical because of the gaps between appointments and consultants. i wanted to know what the hell was going on and we weren't getting anywhwere as the foot just stayed the same and wasn't getting better, and i needed the foot to get better because i can't run a life like this, and wanted to get back to work as bills were mounting up etc.

    also, in 2009 i asked by chance if i got osteoarthritis, they said no.
    so, in 2010 i noticed something else was developing and wasn't comfortable. the thigh started going. then i started looking up on the internet about foot problems. i came across plantar fascilitis and it remended me of the same things i was experiencing, but i noticed plantar fash isn't meant to affect the toes. then i discovered tarsal tunnel syndrome, which is so similar to plantar fash, and could easily be confused.

    what if i had got both and they didn't realise.. the only thing they took was an xray of the heel. and we all know what xrays show...the bone. could it be damaged nerves, trapped nerves. was the calcaneous spur causing the damage to the foot, was it trapping the nerves, was it restricting blood supply, was it choking the nerves or muscle??

    i remeber the podiatrist asking me what accident i had and that was the baffling bit, there was no accident to cause the calcaneous spur. (i read about this later as it does mention that spurs appear after a fracture) and that was the baffling bit, how did it appear there in the first place.
    in that summer of 2006, i was my usual self. i remember going for some walks locally, going to a job interview which i was nackard cos it was a bit further than i thought and wished i had got off at the next two bus stops instead. but i remember not feeling quite right afterwards.
    if someone asked me how long that lump was there for, i'd say i would have no idea as i only noticed it when i felt a bit of a sting one morning.
    we looked at my trainer and the bone spur tore a hole in the trainer. so i been walking around on it not feeling a thing, so if it wasn't for the 'boil' bit, probably i would have carried on not noticing. i started wearing sport sandals for a few months because someone advised me to wear them to get the 'swelling' down, for a long time after i was trying to think who advised me to waer the sandal in the first place. it could well be that the sandal took away some support of the foot and by 2007 started developing more of a limp. a slight limp was there because of the boil anyway but by christmas 2006, i was feeling there was really something wrong with the foot but did not know what...

    quite an awful thing realising something is wrong but don't know why, and maybe don't know why because nobody is communicating properly.
    i remeber the gp in nov 2006 saying don't worry it's not cancerm but he definately said i will need an op. not forgetting it started off as a boil, then became an op but not cancer.

    it turned out that the person who advised to waer the sandals was the dwp doctor examiner.

    so, fast forward a bit, it turns out the podiatrist is asking questions and he told me that he doesn't comminicate with the specialist, so what is the point of relaying info that concerns the health and does nothing about it. this is my foot we are talking about here. all i am interested in is getting that foot fixed.

    so, in 2009 i asked the hospital, have i got osteoarthritis, they said no.
    in 2001, the old gp sent me for an xray because the physiotherapist contacted him. so, before the physio, i was saying to the gp i am getting pain in the thigh and it is affecting the walking even more. i asked if i got sciatica, he said no. he wasn't concerned about the pain in thigh and the back area. he basically said there is nothing they can do with the foot, and made the comment they can operate on it... but don't forget, the specialist said he is not going to operate, and the podiatrist also said there is not going to be an operation.. so why was the gp saying they can operate after what the specialist said no? if he was that concerned, he should have been pushing and pushing..

    anyway, this is the same gp i was asking for physiotherapy for the foot, he said no and it wouldn't work.. i beg to differ and said how would we work until we try it.. reluctantly, he reffered me to physio. after a month, the physiothrapisrt said the sessions are eneding because they thought it wasn't working as well as they hoped.... so, it was working.... but not as much as they hoped.

    the second xray only came about from the letter the physio sent to the gp. the physio said to me make sure they xray the hip. surely it was their job to tell the gp that and not relay that to me. the gp had ordered xray of the spine. so what happened to the hip bit as referred to by the physiotherapist.

    xray came back, spoke to the gp who said i have sciatica, and osteorthritis... so, where did this come from? the hospital said in 2009 i don't have OA when i mentioned it to them... then again, the gp siad i don't have sciatica but admitted i have got sciatica after the xray..

    so, 2011 came. started taking some ibuprofen because after my january 2011 dwp test, my leg was so seized up i was stuck in the town i went to. i wanted to get home but could not move, so eventually i used my head and went to a chemist and bought some and went to a mcdonalds and had tea&tablets and stayed there until the swelling to receded enough for me to get back to the bus station. think i stayed in mcdonalds for about 2 hours and that's how long it took.

    so, why hadn't the gp prescribed anything for the foot, and the 'thigh' previously?

    anyway, the first time the gp actually prescribed ibuprofen was may 2011.

    2013 - i remember the previous gp and getting the impression the gp wasn't listening, which is quite obvious by now what with all the shenanigans... so, could the new gp be any better? surely history cannot repeat itself?

    when the new gp said in july he has read the notes, how come this week he asked me oh you got something else as well? yes, the osteorthritis.

    and no, i wasn't mixing the paracetamol with the co-codamol. co-codamol already contains para. now i got reduced co-codamol plus something else to take for the next month...

    the gp made an appointment to get mri in july, he asked me if i heard anything from hospital, i said no, not a thing... then again, i asked for mri in 2009.... when i was holding my back when sitting down, he also said the osteoarthritis will show up on the mri... then i said the OA is on the 2011 xray anyway so why bother looking, it's already there..
    and if he looked at the notes, he would have known about the OA.
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    this is the same gp that said in july that OA shouldn't cause pain and interfere with tasks such as bending down to fetch something from the freezer or any similar movement
  • Boomer13
    Boomer13 Member Posts: 1,931
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi John;

    I'm sorry you are having difficulties getting this all sorted out. The downside of having a medical file with different doctor's notes is that no one wants, or has time, to read it. Mine's a book which is quite useless as it's too long for anyone to read in a short space of time.

    It's good you are having an MRI, or have you had it done already? That should help provide some answers. I'm finding in my case, it's difficult to get doctor's to invest much time and effort into you until they find out you are going to stay with them as a patient. Just my opinion there, given knowing it's also useless to stay with a GP who is committed to following the wrong opinion without doing any tests to find anything out. Very frustrating to say the least, especially when one's working career is at state.

    What I wanted to suggest was those night-time splints for tarsal tunnel syndrome can be helpful for taking pressure off nerves in your foot. I have had problems like this and, carpal tunnel, and swear by the night-time splints. Maybe that would help a little? Wearing them at night means you don't have the pressure points from trying to walk in them. I found I had to use them for quite awhile but they do seem to help with inflammation.

    Has anyone suggested cortisone injections for your foot pain? They work for short-term relief, and are useful when done by someone with skill (so as not to place needle to close to nerves). They can also help with diagnoses too ie, by identifying where the site of inflammation is.

    Also, the time release paracetamol works better than the regular type.
    Sorry I can't help more other than that.

    Best of luck.
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    2008 started getting worse. sit down and pressure builds up in the foot and leg and back... stand up for a few moments to relieve the pressure and more pressure builds up in the foot and back, and it hasn't stopped since. then again, i could say that in 2007 i found walk down stairs was causing quite a lot of discomfort, so something was wrong.. and when something is wrong and the nhs weren't looking into it.

    what started out as some stupid lump smack on the achilles turns into this chaos.

    like i said, the gp said it was a boil. hmm.

    from what i can see, it'll never be ok. and if this new gp wants to sort the conditions out as he said he does, try looking at the past to get the answer to the future.

    the only person who is familiar to it all is me, and if the nhs can't be bothered to listen and to act upon information given, things are not going be ok.. and why is that? maybe it's because of the nhs itself.

    then again, could it be simply down to age and getting on a bit? maybe. but from being fit and active and come to a standstill in a matter of moments, something is wrong.

    and something is even more wrong in the system when the specialists and the sytem take their time. as i was saying, initially the problem started in aug 2006, or was it july.. anyway, 3 weeks gap, then xray. i was told the xray will be back with gp in a week, so how come the gp didn't get it until november 2006, nearly 3 months.. then march 2007 the appointment with specialist, 4 months.. then september 2007, the first appointment with podiatry 5 months.. all they did was take a cast of heel and made a cushion cap to put in a shoe with a little hole cut out where the bone bit protruded, and didn't fit the shoes anyway. which by then was far too late. and some infrequent appointments later throughout 2008, more or less once every 3 months..

    i asked the gp to get a second opinion in 2009 as things were getting worse not better. he said he dount if that will happen, and since every patient does have a right to a second opinion, who was this doctor saying that and what capacity was he working in when he said that?

    if a gp is taking away the right to a second opinion in 2009, and i'm still waiting for one. so, it's not just a case of a foot condition anymore, you are up against the system.
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    i think the gp requested the mri in the first week of july. i haven't received a letter from the hospital. the norm around here is about 2 months and that first one is just a little letter saying they will contact in the near future. and when the second one comes, the patient phones up to make the appointment. all in all i won't be suprised if it's in october.

    but this is the system. and i doubt very much i'm the only person something has happened to.

    if they only just listened to me in 2009 it would have saved 4 years of this nonsense.

    But, over the years when i started sensing something is not quite right at that surgery, people i don't know have been saying things about the gp i was seeing at the time. the word useless was springing up quite often, and even citizens advice were saying there were strange things going on at the practice

    i was going to change surgeries altogether at one point.

    another thing i remember was around 2005. i had an attack. i was sweating a lot and dripping cos i was smack in a middle of an anxiety attack.. the locum said i was a sweaty person.

    and when i went back to the gp to see about some help and a chat, i was told not to come to the gp unless i was ill
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm so glad you're aware of the dangers of combining paracetamol and cocodamol.

    I'm sorry to read your story. There's clearly been a lot of pain and frustration there. I don't know if you'll find this at all comforting but, even if things had been different earlier on, I'm pretty sure you'd still have OA and OA is a progressive disease whatever the docs do or don't do.

    Personally I don' t like looking backwards to see how things might have been different. I prefer to use my energy to deal with the present. We all make mistakes and fail to do things. I find I'm happiest if I try to learn from what happened and then move on.

    You've had a difficult time in the past but I hope the future holds better things for you.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    cheers boomer, yes i was offered cortisone injection at the hospital, but they had a problem.. how would i get home? i had no idea about it as it wouldn't make much sense to be injected, walk from the hospital to the bus stop, walk from the twon to the train station 20 mins, and another walk from my station to home.

    i asked them can't they do they injection at the surgery where ia am as i can get a taxi back? they said no.. but i found out later they can do injection at surgery but they don't want to do it in case they tore the ligament. i asked the gp why can't i have the injection when the d=surgery gave someone else a cortisone injection

    anyway, what the hospital suggested was a choice. if i don't have an injection, i can have something else. but i can't remember what the something else was. think it was for xray of the toes but i can't confirm it.

    some people say they get fine after injection but comes back a few months later. some say it didn't work at all.

    the only thing i would say is, i wish i found them sooner, is a special pair of slippers for the house. i call them magic slippers but nothing special about them, they sell them in debenhams, £12 down from £16.. not a miracle cure but beneficial for the house, but still feel the other aches
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    what happened to me can happen to somebody else. i won't be suprised if something has happened to someone else before me
  • Boomer13
    Boomer13 Member Posts: 1,931
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    It's always mystifying to me when things like that go on.

    I have years of dealing with 'nonsense' too and not being listened to. I'm frankly tired of the whole thing. Some doctors really do not want other doctors giving opinions on their cases. If a doctor's assessed someone properly and according to protocol, all a second opinion should do is confirm the diagnosis. Getting good imaging, as in your MRI, is always good because the results leave opinion out to some degree.
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    before all this nonsense started, someone said to me back in 2008 during another discussion about something else, that doctors and the nhs back themselves up when things go wrong, like a closed shop.

    maybe one big problem the nhs has got is, that they don't have access to chiropractors. what i kind of learnt through the internet is that the british way is everything stems from the back, it's the nhs teaching.
    private chiropracters do not come cheap and some have been dismissed as quacks.. but some people have said they have been cured by private chiroprator. some say they haven't been cured, but that could well be down to what the condition is and what they were doing before the condition.

    some say taping up the back could work

    out of all the years now, i could swear the only time i can say i'm kind of comfortable is when taking a bath and relaxing, the water absorbing.
    another thing i notice is when i'm walking on grass, the foot isn't being so pressured as much as the pavement.

    i know it sounds like i'm being harshh on the nhs but in this circumstance, it's just how i feel and believe i have the right to talk about experiences whether good or bad. i'm not saying all nhs doctors are the same but what you see with your own eyes and ears, you are witness to that.
    some nhs doctors don't seem to care about the pain you got in your back pain, which is sad but true :(
  • johnsouthwales
    johnsouthwales Member Posts: 58
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    what the hell? i just looked up amitripyline. the gp said it's for the neves in the leg (sciatica)... why is it saying it's an antidepressant for treatment of depression,,, but goes onto say it is also commonly prescribed to help prevent migraine or for certain types of nerve pain.

    the gp actually said it's for the nerves...so why am i reading this? While you feel depressed or are taking amitriptyline, you may have thoughts about harming yourself or ending your life.

    jeesus wept, when is this nonsense going to end
  • Boomer13
    Boomer13 Member Posts: 1,931
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Yes, I don't think anyone can truly appreciate the level of pain some of us are in, until they experience it themselves. Yes, it is tiring dealing with people in chronic pain, but docs these days have unprecedented access to the latest research and treatments via the internet. Perhaps if they can't come up with something to stir their compassion for patients they may have chosen the wrong career. It's now the latest theory that chronic pain has enough effects on the body/brain long-term that it is basically considered a disease in and of itself. I know there are really good, compassionate doctors out there it's just a bit tricky finding one sometimes that you also have good communication with.

    I've come across a lot of people who would really benefit from having a patient advocate to help them make their way through the system. Too bad that's not available for the average person. Well, too bad that it's necessary in the first place!

    Maybe I'm closed minded but I don't have a good opinion of chiro.s. Any adjustments to my frame I've ever had have caused more problems, esp. with an existing arthritic condition. I steer clear of them.

    The anti-depressant medications help by calming down nerve impulses I believe, so reduce the amount of pain you feel. Unfortunately, a large amount of pain chemicals circulating in your system makes you feel more pain, in a nasty feedback loop.

    Treating depression, these drugs work on serotonin levels in the brain.