The Drugs Don't Work III

[peteryoung]

Am having to type this standing up.

Went to the emergency clinic at the Royal Berkshire Hospital on Christmas Day (at a time that coincided with the all-important Doctor Who, so I missed it). Was proscribed the strong painkiller Dihydrocodeine, which makes me feel sick and therefore averse to taking it, and a course of Flucloxacillin in case it's a bacterial infection.

Saw a new GP this morning. The thing I liked about him was the 'I heart Iraq' badge that he wears on his lapel, because he's from Baghdad. Everything else didn't go so well. Knee is now swollen up like a grapefruit, and alternates between a dull ache and a sharp throb, like now. He thought it worth trying to get a fluid sample from under the knee, which I cautiously consented to, but which ended with an empty syringe and me howling in agony with a needle an inch and a half inside my swollen knee. He apologised afterwards for this futile effort, but it has to be said that he has a very minimalist approach to the kind of bedside manner one hopes for from a GP. Had a blood test instead, the results of which should be available tomorrow, and we'll take it from there.

I keep trying some mild physiotherapy to bend the knee a little more, which usually works without additional pain and it feels things are actually on the mend, but then while attempting to walk I inevitably twist it the wrong way and I'm back to square one, unable to move. I'm not looking forward to tonight, and most unusually for me, I feel my age right now.

Enough of me whingeing, I suggest you go look at some pictures of cute kittens and feel happy.

Comments

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Sympathies. My left knee locked in the early hours of this morning, and I was only able to drive Ann to work after liberal doses of ibubrofen and paracetamol reduced the inflamation.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I'm still on the Diclofenac but I'm assured it's not worth taking Nurofen as well as they're the same family of drug.

Now what I really need is just half a tab of Temgesic which would knock me out senseless. That's what I'd be proscribing if one of my Billy Bunters came down with this in flight.

[dyfferent.livejournal.com]

*sending happy knee vibes*

What is it with everyone's knees lately anyway? Yours of course sounds the worst but there's a lot of terrible kneeage lately.

Get better! If I had any good drugs I'd share. . . would co-praxamol help?

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I thought co-praxamol was pulled recently, but if it's illegal I'll have it.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I heard Ann mention it the other day, but then she also has access to diamorphine, so you could still be right on one level.

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. This sounds totally wretched and I wish there was something more that I could do beyond wishing you well and sending you virtual hugs.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Send me puppies. :-)

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Little puppies? Soft warm little puppies with big paws? With big paws and wuffly little mouths? With wuffly little mouths and pink tongues? The kind of puppies that will romp around the living room and then fall asleep without warning?

Okay, I'll see what I can do :o)

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

"Ow" doesn't really cover it but... OW!

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I'm currently cheering myself up by watching (for the 5,000th time) Life of Brian and subjecting my knee to yet another ice pack.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Ow, sorry to hear that. On a more selfish note, though, I also missed Dr Who onacounta being with the family on Christmas Day, so if you get a taped copy, please let me know, I'd like to come round and watch it.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

My old man taped it for me so come round any time, I ain't goin' nowhere.

Good to hear ...

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

... sorry to hear about the knee, but glad you've got the DoctorWho.

If not, I was about to offer to copy it to DVD for you (I've got it on hard disk, that and the Children in Need teaser, and the DVD recorder is built into the same machine under the telly).

At least I assume I have, I was at my mum's and watched it "live" so I haven't checked the recorder to see if it worked ...

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

ow

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Not big enough!

[dfordoom.livejournal.com]

I hope that knee starts to improve soon. Add me to the ever-growing list of those with dodgy knees, although luckily I don't really get pain. They just collapse under me from time to time.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I used to have a gf who had that problem, then she was later diagnosed with MS. Not the same thing, I hope.

I was also meant to be in Sydney in early January and was rather looking forward to a bit of sunshine down under.

[dfordoom.livejournal.com]

The old knees have been doing their collapsing trick for many years now, so I don't think it's anything too sinister.

We are actually having lots of sunshine at the moment. In eastern Australia it's always either too hot, or too cold. Or it's too wet, or it doesn't rain at all. At the moment it's too hot!

aaargghhh!

[eleyan.livejournal.com]

ghod that bit about the syringe still has me cringing. Hope it gets better. And a shame about Sydney. My mum told me this morning that it's around 25 most days in Hobart at the moment, down to 16 or so at night.

Re: aaargghhh!

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Things have been better today, thank you. I'm treating it with kid gloves and (wild and crazy guy that I am) dosing up on endless mugs of chamomile tea.

[numbat.livejournal.com]

Bugger! I hope you aren't getting bored. I've always found one of the unpleasant side-effects of illness and injury is boredom. Which is why when the nice people at the hospital had sewn up the leg I ripped open I absolutely insisted on going home. I knew that if I ended up anywhere else I'd soon be bored outof my skull as well as damaged goods. And it turned out to be a wise choice as i couldn't sleep for hours and so was able to spend the time writing an LJ post about my adventure.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I spent the final days of 2003 marooned on a hospital ward, bored out of my tiny. I'd've killed for a laptop and a broadband connection.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

My PowerBook laptop is still sitting up in Regent Street waiting for collection. I could really use it now.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

One thing I've been forced to discover is the pleasure of reading at home (but only because it's either that or plough through the hundreds of DVDs waiting to be viewed). I've always found it impossible to just sit down and read here because there are too many distractions, plus other things I feel I ought to be doing.

[numbat.livejournal.com]

You could always start on your next fanzine too.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

That is a plan, but too much real life to deal with at the moment...