Is your medication really useful?

[woolybanana]

We noticed![;-)]

[Théière]

Should have put all those potatoes back [:P]

[YCCMB]

I'm still far too far away from retirement age to be a proper "oldie" but am gradually developing aches and pains. I just get on with it. Whilst in France I developed a pain in my jaw which appeared to be unrelated to any dental problems, but which hurt enough to make eating on that side of my mouth extremely uncomfortable. As I was alone, I opted to grin and bear it, and eat softer foods. No problem. It's more or less gone now. A couple of weeks ago, a friend arrived and she was suffering from exactly the same problem, coincidentally. She had a house full of her family, so things were a bit more difficult for her. She finally decided she needed to see a doctor, and I offered to take her.

As she got a bit stuck with her French - which isn't too bad - she called me into the consultation to help out.

The Doc prescribed her antibiotics, anti inflammatories (which he warned could upset her stomach) and wanted to send her for a series of x-rays. She was two days away from returning to the UK so declined the x-rays.

Two days later (OK, not long, but...) she was feeling no better.

Maybe it's just that I have a high pain threshold.

I've said before, though (and I think it's incredibly easy to slip into) when it comes to medication and treatment I think there is a confusion between quality and quantity...

A friend in France recently had minor cardiac surgery. His condition was exacerbated by a tooth infection and he ended up spending quite some weeks in hospital. This included 3 weeks post-operative recuperation in a facility some distance from his home. The offending tooth was extracted in Bordeaux, he was then moved closer to home (1.5 hours distant from Bordeaux), and then, three days later, returned by ambulance to Bordeaux to have the stitches removed..

My OH had minor cardiac surgery yesterday in the UK.  Privately. In at 10.30 a.m., 4 hour operation yesterday, and we've just got home.

[KathyF]

Where the food is better and you know the bed is comfortable, Betty. [:)] Hope your OH makes a rapid recovery.

[Rabbie]

I find my little aches and pains a useful indicator that I am still alive[:D]

[NormanH]

My OH had minor cardiac surgery yesterday in the UK.  Privately. In at

10.30 a.m., 4 hour operation yesterday, and we've just got home.

I hadn't realised that things had got that bad in the UK. No after care at all?

[YCCMB]

Snarf! Norman, the surgery was a catheter ablation under a local anaesthetic, he watched it on screen. He was back in the land of the living at 6 pm and kept in till 10.30 this morning, when he walked out under his own steam pronouncing himself absolutely fine. This was in a private Central London hospital, and quite honestly if they'd wanted or needed to milk his insurance for a bit more money I'm sure they would have found a way to do so. I'm not sure what aftercare you imagine he might need, but obviously had this been France, he would have been given plenty: whether it was necessary or not! As it is, he's got the surgeon on speed dial with full permission to contact him day or night including over the coming weekend should the need arise, and likewise the option to contact or return to the hospital at the drop of a hat if anything happens. I can't envisage it. He should be back at work in another week. And that's only because they insisted he take a full week to recover. Left to his own devices he'd be going in on Monday. And as if that wasn't good enough, he'll be able to stop taking 3 different types of medication: one has been discontinued already, and the other two should be stopped within the next 3 months.

Thanks, Kathy! As you can read, he's not hanging about on the recovery front.