Daft things you have done healthwise

[nogoodnamesleft]

My wife used to work in a hospital doing research & often used to lend an arm for various people needing a bit of blood. She says the very worst are doctors, and the more senior they are the worse your bruising will be. Phlebotomists are the best, obvs. General nursing staff in the middle. She never mentioned retired volunteers.

Some years back had my NHS flu vaccination at a regular pharmacy (chain). Needle in fine but after an age wondered if pharmacist had gone for coffee, needle still in. Took an age. Far from normal.

Few days later having problems moving arm so visit to NHS physio. She gave a couple of possible reasons eg wrong needle, wrong place, too deep. Load of exercises to recover movement.

Now only get vaccinations from GP practice or more specialised place (there are a couple of pharmacies specialising in travel vaccinations in my area, no longer a regular general retail pharmacy).

 

[Shearwater Missile]

My wife used to work in a hospital doing research & often used to lend an arm for various people needing a bit of blood. She says the very worst are doctors, and the more senior they are the worse your bruising will be. Phlebotomists are the best, obvs. General nursing staff in the middle. She never mentioned retired volunteers.

Your wife is right. The younger ones seem quicker and get it right, well experience from innoculations anyway. My dad had to have a series of B12 injections a few years back. After one of the injections he said " I don`t want her again" , "sorry dad you don`t get a choice". Sure enough, his arm became very sore. Indeed that nurse was one of the more mature variety !

 

[robjh]

Not going to the dentist for ten years in my younger days because a dentist was rude to me. I only went back in my late 30s when I got some severe pains, and I had big problems by that time after so much neglect, and that explains where most of my gaps are now decades later.
I go regularly these days, but hey, at that time I felt young and, health-wise, invincible.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Exercising after giving blood.
I assumed that after 16 hours it would be ok. It wasn’t.
I gave blood at 5pm on Friday and ran 5k parkrun at 9am. It’s amazing how your physical performance drops. I felt weak, dizzy with a headache as I stumbled to the finish.

The first time after I gave blood as an 18 year old student. We all went and got pissed cheaply, needing less beer afterwards.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Some years back had my NHS flu vaccination at a regular pharmacy (chain). Needle in fine but after an age wondered if pharmacist had gone for coffee, needle still in. Took an age. Far from normal.

Few days later having problems moving arm so visit to NHS physio. She gave a couple of possible reasons eg wrong needle, wrong place, too deep. Load of exercises to recover movement.

Now only get vaccinations from GP practice or more specialised place (there are a couple of pharmacies specialising in travel vaccinations in my area, no longer a regular general retail pharmacy).

Are you saying the pharmacist left you to yourself mid injection?

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Are you saying the pharmacist left you to yourself mid injection?

No but he was taking ages without actually pushing the syringe plunger thing. So long I was wondering what was going on. He was unusually standing rather behind me, injecting more into the back of arm rather than side (as most injections seem to do these days). Hence I didn't want to twist round to see what was going on.

Never had problems with any other injections before or after that one. They don't bother me and I don't tense up.

 

[Andy in Germany]

With hindsight, learning to be a Cabinet Maker: turns out it's not compatible with Asthma.

In my defence, I didn't realise I had Asthma until I was about halfway through.

 

[simongt]

Despite having had recent operations for aneurysms and a hernia, the diffuculty of slowing my pace of life to an appropriate level.
Those around me who care are frequently telling me to slow down, take wee breaks and have a rest when I'm shagged out, but for me it's still a very difficult thing to accept and do.

 

[Andy in Germany]

With hindsight, learning to be a Cabinet Maker: turns out it's not compatible with Asthma.

In my defence, I didn't realise I had Asthma until I was about halfway through.

Probably should add, this was quite fortunate as I was able to get retraining for a job I enjoy much more. If I'd found a training place as a bike mechanic, I wouldn't have been able to retrain.

 

[G-Zero]

In 2023, out of the blue I noticed a fluttering in my chest, which didn’t settle. GP checked and confirmed an ectopic heartbeat and offered beta-blockers. Heart team at the local hospital were not overly concerned and as I was told the beta blockers only masked the problem, rather than fix it, I decided to hang fire on using them.

Since then, I continued my solo winter mountain stuff, solo sea kayak trips and entered several etapes of 60+, 70+ and 80+ miles, as well as loads of Strava monthly Gran Fondo rides, so there was nothing majorly wrong.

I had arranged to go cycling with a friend on Saturday gone, to show her round a 34 mile local hilly route, but I woke up in the early hours with a pounding and very erratic heartbeat. I thought perhaps I’d had a bad dream and it would settle down and woke my wife to check my pulse. It didn’t settle and I lay awake the rest of the night considering whether or not to cancel the ride. I assumed it was the ectopic beat that I’d experienced in 2023 and decided to go for the ride as planned. We also had a sea swim to cool off once we were back at her beach house.
I was fine, we had a great ride and that evening a few of us got together for a meal, where one of my friends, a retired Doctor checked my erratic pulse for me. He said I was possibly suffering Atrial Fibrillation and insisted I should get an appointment with my GP asap (Monday).

Sunday morning arrived and the erratic beat was still there, so I did the sensible thing and went out sea kayaking and sea swimming again, however by the time I got home I was starting to feel very tired and irritable. I thought probably from lack of sleep the previous night.

Rang my surgery at 9am Monday, got to see my GP at 11am, ECG by 11.15 and confirmed Atrial Fibrillation with a resting pulse of 110-117bpm. By midday Monday I popped my first beta-blocker, which slowed things down a bit, had bloods taken yesterday and I’m now waiting for an ultrasound heart appointment to see if there’s anything else going on.

In my head I’m still that invincible young man, but at 64 my body is definitely letting me know I’m not !!

 

[TC99]

I collected my repaired scooter whilst having a broken femur that was held together with titanium. I could not put my left foot down. I was doing well until I had to put my left foot down. Back to hospital. They threatened to cut my leg off if I rebroke the femur with metal in it. After some argument they took all the metal out with a blithe comment about how it would hurt for ten years. They were right.

 

[richardfm]

Exercising after giving blood.
I assumed that after 16 hours it would be ok. It wasn’t.
I gave blood at 5pm on Friday and ran 5k parkrun at 9am. It’s amazing how your physical performance drops. I felt weak, dizzy with a headache as I stumbled to the finish.

It hit me at 1.5k when I did parkrun after giving blood the afternoon before.
I finished the run rather slowly.