Fed Up With This Help.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

I wonder if there is anybody medically qualified on this site.  (Or knows someone.) I'm worried, frustrated and in bloody pain.

For about 4 years I have had a problem with my left foot & ankle. It occasionally becomes painful but more disturbing is that with or even without exercise the ankle & sometimes the foot swells to a third bigger than normal. I have been to the GP and it was X  rayed. So no broken bones. But also... no given cause.

Somehow this Tuesday evening I have managed to give myself a leg strain. At least that is what the Nurse practitioner claims it is. I have no idea how I have done this. I have done nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, as I have been staying with a friend these last few weeks I have actually done less walking than normal. (Yes the pain & stiffness was so bad I was taken by my friend to the Minor injuries Unit)  And it is causing me to hobble. Now I know that whatever is going on Isn't Serious... It isn't some undiagnosed thrombosis .. But I can't understand how the hell I can get a leg strain just by what little walking I have been doing. I'm just concerned that there may be something more serious that no one seems bothered to diagnose... I don't think I can get my GP to take this condition seriously either. I am NOT a hypochondriac. But I don't want this problem to keep continuing if there is something else that needs to be treated...

[Dandontdare]

1. Be extremely careful seeking or taking medical advice off the internet, no matter how plausible it sounds or how much they know about British comics.

2. I work for a medical insurance company and if I've learned one thing it's that all kinds of sprains and strains happen for the most innocuous reasons. We sometimes have to question people to make sure they've not been doing an "extreme or dangerous sport" (which would be ineligible) and it's always "flossing my teeth" or "emptying the bin". I have come to regard jogging as an extreme and dangerous sport though, due to the number of ankles/knees/hips/backs it seems to wreck.

3. Are you still swinging medieval swords about?

4. If you get recurrent or persistent symptoms, be more assertive with your GP. say 'if you've done all you can, I'd like to be referred to a consultant and/or physiotherapist'. You may have to wait for a while on the NHS though. If they're irredeemably uncooperative, change your doctor

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I also have persistent trouble with my ankle/foot. Mainly because my ankle is being held together by titanium screws and all the sinews and tendons are twisted up and generally fucked. The advice my physio gave me, was to try low impact leg exercises like cycling and swimming. You could try that.

[Nap Normal]

Go and get some blood tests. It could be so many different things from a liver problem to something as silly as too much salt in your diet. Are you on any other medication?
Good luck Thumper.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Right the only medication I take daily is Paracetamol with codine for pain (I suffer with a perminant headache... there is no known cause or bloody cure) Although I suspect that its due to my orthodontic treatment. cause that is when it started. I think the nerves around my jaw * head have been... moved.

At the moment, my Medieval activities are on hold... and have been for over a year. We simply didn't have enough members to keep going. (Grr)  I can do lectures for schools/ collages/ societies etc  if anybody is interested

[Syne]

First of all, I'd like to repeat Dandontdare's advice:

1. Be extremely careful seeking or taking medical advice off the internet, no matter how plausible it sounds or how much they know about British comics.

With that caveat, your mention of a permanent headache possible associated with orthodontic treatment reminds me of my mothers experience with TMJ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder . She suffered from severe headaches and dizziness for over a year, went to her GP multiple times to have him shrug and suggest she should see a psychiatrist, and eventually ended up in Emergency after an especially bad session. At long last she was diagnosed correctly, had a splint made and was given a jaw-exercise regime that had her cured in a few months.

It seems to be a condition that very few doctors are knowledgeable about. She had to be referred to a specialist who flies in (to New Zealand) once a month from Australia. Anyway, I hope this info might help, and wish you the best.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Wow thanks for that!

[The Legendary Shark]

Toxic Dentistry

[Emperor]

1. Be extremely careful seeking or taking medical advice off the internet, no matter how plausible it sounds or how much they know about British comics.

Nonsense!! Having successfully diagnosed the onset of a heart attack online I feel perfectly qualified to say that this... womb stuff, probably. Go and see a fanny doctor, they'll know what this is.

However, if you want me to give you a second opinion then this is possibly the best advice:

4. If you get recurrent or persistent symptoms, be more assertive with your GP. say 'if you've done all you can, I'd like to be referred to a consultant and/or physiotherapist'. You may have to wait for a while on the NHS though. If they're irredeemably uncooperative, change your doctor

Being more assertive with your doctor (although try not to segue from assertive into rude or mad) can have results. Especially, in this age of cuts, they might be hoping most non-specific ailments just get better of their own accord and need a bit of a nudge.

Right the only medication I take daily is Paracetamol with codine for pain (I suffer with a perminant headache... there is no known cause or bloody cure) Although I suspect that its due to my orthodontic treatment. cause that is when it started. I think the nerves around my jaw * head have been... moved.

Is it located in a specific area? A couple of years back I was diagnosed with atypical trigeminal neuralgia but that took 18 months to 2 years because it is usually always misdiagnosed first (I am just lucky they didn't initially think it was a brain tumour, as that would have added a lot of worry on top - if it had been the lower nerve they often pull your teeth out first). There are cluster headaches and other similar forms of head pain that can be tricky to pin down. If it started with orthodontic treatment then it could be some form of TMD.

Anyway have a read around online and see what fits, as I'd be surprised if both these problems are unexplainable. Granted doctors may roll their eyes when patients whip out reams of printouts and you have to be careful about Internet-induced hypochondria, but it is also important to be informed as it can help move your treatment forward.

Oh and don't forget:

1. Be extremely careful seeking or taking medical advice off the internet, no matter how plausible it sounds or how much they know about British comics.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

I am lucky in one respect. I have no fillings...

[SmallBlueThing]

Persisent and strong headaches are also the major listed symptom of codeine addiction. If you've been taking codeine for any length of time, please dont discount this.

SBT

[The Doctor Alt 8]

That would be a possablity except I have had the headaches LONG BEFORE I TOOK THE CODINE.

Since I was 15 in fact. Right after I started a 6 + year course of orthodontic treatment that was only supposed to be for 6 months. Dentists they are evil

[Proudhuff]

To much port? change to cider but in larger doses and up your cheese intake.

That will be £500, if you want some diluted water that will be another fifty.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Don't listen to these quacks. The only surefire cure for persistent head aches is decapitation.

I call dibs on her liver and kidneys

[Proudhuff]

To tell the truth I'm not really a doctor, I only looked at this thread because I thought it was somewhere to complain about the servants. you just can't get good help these days.