tennis elbow...

[Colin Wilson]

OK, I wandered down to A&E just after midnight - despite the waiting room being empty for a while, I was there until about 3am then admitted as an in-patient after x-rays. There was some talk about a fracture shown on them, but nothing in the notes.

After the results of the blood tests came back negative for septicemia (the discolouration had them nervous I guess) I was released just before 2pm, having been on two wards by then.

Top marks to the guy in A&E for using medical tape like duct tape to lash a sheet to a drip-stand to make a sling I could actually get my arm into (there was no way in hell either of the normal configurations would work due to restricted movement)

I'd just like to say how nice a couple of guys on the same ward were - one wrote childrens books and paid to get them published himself to help them get around the idea of death - which he gave away to hospitals and doctors he met, the other was a surgeon from another local kids hospital. Here's a virtual drink to Tony and Peter :-)

- and thanks to everyone else for their contributions in this thread !

[Harry Bloomfield]

F formulated the question :

I would have suggested it, but for the H&S problem of him only having one arm with which to operate the grinder.

[The Medway Handyman]

Thats your name on the list matey. Come the revolution...

[F]

He could have held it between his knees to keep the one hand free.

Perhaps not...

[Bob Eager]

With a cast made from car body filler..

[newshound]

Apart from the location, this all sounds somewhat like the symptoms of a frozen shoulder. While I am highly reluctant to promote a magnetic bracelet, they do actually work on *my* symptoms (I still get some intermittent pain, but the mobility came back as predicted over a period of a year or so). Being a rational scientist who knows that they can't possibly work, I came up with three theories.

1: the bracelet acts as a counter irritant (i.e. distracts the processing software) 2: magnetic field means there are fluctuating lateral forces on the nerves in the wrist, and the mechanical stimulation affects the software 3: magnetic field acting on blood flow (electrical conductor) induces electrical charge which affects something?

or maybe the placebo effect works even on unbelivers?

[Jules]

It's a less and less exclusive club every day... :-)

[Appelation Controlee]

-------------------8><

According to Ben Goldacre this is the case.

[Stuart Noble]

Ah, I remember it well. You don't know how you did it, but it takes a year to go away.

They say animals are super sensitive to that kind of thing. At certain times our cat will only sleep on the spaghetti junction of cables behind the tele, which has to be the most uncomfortable spot in the house. Then he won't go near it for months. I assume he derives some benefit from the vibes

[Owain]

4: After a year it got better anyway.

Owain

[JTM]

Several years of studying outcomes from responses to heart attack reports in an experiment in Ohio. (and another couple of places) Best outcomes were responsible for the action plan of:

1 get help, even if it means leaving a non-breathing casualty. (early access) 2 give CPR (if alone - start after returning from getting help) (early CPR) 3 Use defibrillator (should arrive soon 'cos you went for help) (early defib) 4 Advanced care (drips drugs etc)

Best results were found to be in some type of HA patients sustained with CPR, when defib could be given within (about) 8 1/2 mins

Not successful in ALL heart attack cases but in a small number of types of attack

ALSO: First Response Unit. Volunteer civilians trained to a local standard (skill level varies throughout the country) A retired dep head teacher friend of mine has twice attended calls to the local hospital as the non-emergency doctors had no first aid training. John

[Andrew Gabriel]

When I was at University in early 1980's, several of the London teaching hospitals newly instigated a program where the first thing new medics do is an emergency first-aid course, and it was open to anyone else who wanted to come along too (which I did).

The reason for this was when someone is injured, often I cry went out for a medic (and there were lots of undergrad medics around). However, medics were not trained in emergency first aid at any point during their courses, and were mostly not very useful at an accident scene. The course was an attempt to overcome this, at least whilst the medics were going through university.

[Rod]

Adhesive capsulitis *can* be related to hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, if it is, the prompt treatment which is required with that cause is rarely received.

And, just for good measure, carpal tunnel syndrome is also associated with hypothyroidism.

[Appelation Controlee]

-------------------8><

Ohio? I imagine quite a few would want to avoid being helped because of the cost. Not everyone has health cover there, and some of those who do have exclusions based on pre-existing conditions.

[Jack]

Injections may not be what you need: tennis elbow:

forearms: