I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Thanks :-}

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Colin Wilson wrote:
I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Thanks :-}

Colin,

I would suggest that you take the advice that was given by NHS Direct

Cash

Harry Bloomfield pretended :
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the injections
normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

I had golfers elbow a couple of years ago, which is pain at the
opposite side of the elbow to tennis elbow. There was no tingling and
no pain unless I tried to actually use it. The bone of the joint just
felt rather tender if I squeezed it at certain points. I was offered
injections, but the injections sounded worse than the problem, so I
declined - rested it and it repaired itself.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

In article ,
Colin Wilson o.uk writes:

I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

BUPA facts sheet also says numbness with tennis elbow requires
urgent attention...
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/h...nis_elbow.html
(Funny how it mentions using screwdriver, drill, and painting
are common causes - that's most DIY.)

I'm not a medic, but discolouration (which isn't simply red due
to increased blood flow to an injury site) doesn't seem to me to
fit the description of tennis elbow. Sounds more like bleeding/
bruising. I would be inclinded to take a trip to A&E and get
someone to take a look (although I probably wouldn't do a 999
call, more likely a taxi if there wasn't someone else to take me).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Colin Wilson wrote:
I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Thanks :-}

If it is tennis elbow, well it can take weeks or months to get over it.

For me, the iburpofen and other gels/rubs did little. Normal physio
(e.g. exercises) did nothing. Tablets (paracetamol and codeine) helped a
bit. Warmth helped for a while. Tramadol, prescribed to me for something
else, was the best.

They mentioned an injection but did not want to give me one until I had
tried other things.

What did seem to work in the end, after several months, was therapeutic
ultrasound. While the physio was doing it, I suddenly felt something
loosen up or give way. The physio said that it has a low success rate -
but I'd suggest it depends on whether they manage to hit the spot. In
all, three or four sessions helped enormously. Since then it has just
slowly improved.

But be very wary of the diagnosis - I never had discolouration or
significant swelling. Pretty much stiffness, pain, tension, etc.
Affected strength severely. Made me very irritable. Messed up sleep.

Partner had steroid injection (sacroiliac) for her back problem which
had an almost instant effect. But longer term, was likely a mistake for
her. And her shoulder/arm issues seem to have been almost 100% due to
undiagnosed hypothyroidism - as are many cases.

To get back on topic, I am pretty sure mine was brought on by lots of
use of mastic guns and other DIY.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

I would suggest that you take the advice that was given by NHS Direct

Ooer, that's 2 votes for the hospital... i'll see if it improves
overnight and may have to consider a trip tomorrow...

If I croak in the meantime, nice knowing you all (i'm not covered for
disability on my mortgage, only death, so if there's no easy cure the
missus is better off getting part of the house paid for...)

The pain did originally start on bending or straightening after
lifting stuff (i.e. a box of A4 paper), and about a month ago it felt
like it was starting to "lock" if I straightened it out - around the
same time I started to get a bad burning sensation in the elbow, but
it felt like a really nasty chemical burn, not the normal sort of pull
/ twist.

I've just had to kinda dangle it for the last few days, I can't move
it by itself, i'm having to flop it around with my good arm :-}

The worrying bit is the "good" arm has started to give that burning
sensation too...

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means highly
trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls. Call NHS
Direct instead.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Colin Wilson wrote:
I would suggest that you take the advice that was given by NHS Direct

Ooer, that's 2 votes for the hospital... i'll see if it improves
overnight and may have to consider a trip tomorrow...

If I croak in the meantime, nice knowing you all (i'm not covered for
disability on my mortgage, only death, so if there's no easy cure the
missus is better off getting part of the house paid for...)

The pain did originally start on bending or straightening after
lifting stuff (i.e. a box of A4 paper), and about a month ago it felt
like it was starting to "lock" if I straightened it out - around the
same time I started to get a bad burning sensation in the elbow, but
it felt like a really nasty chemical burn, not the normal sort of pull
/ twist.

I've just had to kinda dangle it for the last few days, I can't move
it by itself, i'm having to flop it around with my good arm :-}

The worrying bit is the "good" arm has started to give that burning
sensation too...

Colin,

I occasionally take DHC (dihydrocodeine) with a dosage of 60mg x 2 pills -
for severe joint pains and these usually get rid of the pain quite quickly,
and for a least 10 hours [1], so it's quite possible that you may be
developing something a little more serious that should be looked at quite
quickly -- and I would still suggest a trip to the A&E (tonight).

[1] But I also tingle and itch like hell all night after taking them, so
I only take them when things get a little more sore than usual.

Cash

"Colin Wilson" o.uk wrote
in message ...

I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

A cortisone injection (which I am guessing it was) does, as the doctor says,
often take a few days to have effect.

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

If I had discolouration and swelling, I would certainly at least go down to
A&E and ask someone to look at it.

Colin Bignell

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in his
chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital - neither
hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have to wait a
while for a game of squash...

--
Frank Erskine

Colin Wilson coughed up some electrons that declared:

I would suggest that you take the advice that was given by NHS Direct

Ooer, that's 2 votes for the hospital... i'll see if it improves
overnight and may have to consider a trip tomorrow...

If I croak in the meantime, nice knowing you all (i'm not covered for
disability on my mortgage, only death, so if there's no easy cure the
missus is better off getting part of the house paid for...)

The pain did originally start on bending or straightening after
lifting stuff (i.e. a box of A4 paper), and about a month ago it felt
like it was starting to "lock" if I straightened it out - around the
same time I started to get a bad burning sensation in the elbow, but
it felt like a really nasty chemical burn, not the normal sort of pull
/ twist.

I've just had to kinda dangle it for the last few days, I can't move
it by itself, i'm having to flop it around with my good arm :-}

The worrying bit is the "good" arm has started to give that burning
sensation too...

I'd concur. Funny colours and numbness would have me straight down the
out-of-hours surgery or A&E. I'd be nagging for an MRI or at least an
X-ray.

However, take heart: I've had a hint of RSI and a dodgey kneecap in the last
few years and a few sessions at physio fixed both of them. Don't know what
your problem is, just saying that physio can do a lot these days in lieu of
surgery for certain joint problems if you get it early.

My "RSI" was simply a nerve getting caught (lots of tingling and some
pain) - the exercises I had were to encourage the nerve to stretch so it
could run easier over the joints. The knee was a kneecap slightly out of
place - again, excercises to stretch some ligaments to encourage it to
settle in a better place.

Good luck

Tim

I occasionally take DHC (dihydrocodeine) with a dosage of 60mg x 2 pills -
for severe joint pains and these usually get rid of the pain quite quickly,
and for a least 10 hours

I wish they had as good an affect on me when my back goes - i've had a
Butrans 10ug patch on before now, taken about 6 DHC and it wasnt
touching the pain in the slightest - it was that bad I couldnt have
even taken a taxi to A&E because there was no way I could get into
it...

Drinking a couple of pints of bacardi & coke on top of it got some way
towards easing it off though, but it's not ideal...

so it's quite possible that you may be developing something a little more
serious that should be looked at quite quickly -- and I would still
suggest a trip to the A&E (tonight).

OK, you're all getting me worried now, might take a trip...

The Medway Handyman coughed up some electrons that declared:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means highly
trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls. Call NHS
Direct instead.



I agree with the ambulance sentiment - but I've found NHS Direct to be
pretty much utterly useless (kids issues). Luckily, we have an excellent
Out of Hours doctors surgery based at Tonbridge and they are excellent.

Otherwise, for Colin's problem, I'd taxi to A&E if it didn;t look like it
could wait until morning.

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in his
chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital - neither
hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have to wait a
while for a game of squash...

Any mention of chest pain or indeed difficulty in breathing automatically
kicks in as a CatA call and the ambulance service have to respond in 8
minutes.

You are much more likely to get an FRU turning up to meet the target and
they can't transport you to A&E, so a regular ambulance will have to attend
as well - more cost to the NHS, longer time to get you to A&E & less staff
available to react to emergency calls - but never mind, it meets the Guvmint
targets.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means highly
trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls. Call NHS
Direct instead.

Ermm - NHS Direct suggested that the OP uses 999.

--
Frank Erskine

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:55:08 +0100, Colin Wilson
o.uk had this to
say:

Drinking a couple of pints of bacardi & coke on top of it got some way
towards easing it off though, but it's not ideal...

It sounds the perfect way to get Bacardi (and Coke) prescribed for
your affliction ;-)

(although I personally prefer Pepsi Max).

Good luck, anyway.

--
Frank Erskine

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means
highly trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls.
Call NHS Direct instead.

Ermm - NHS Direct suggested that the OP uses 999.

Then they should know better. I have every sympathy for the OP's suffering,
but if NHS Direct can't help they should have suggested a visit to A&E -
which is where the ambulance staff would take you anyway - and you don't get
to jump the queue just because an ambulance brought you in.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:35:20 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means
highly trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls.
Call NHS Direct instead.

Ermm - NHS Direct suggested that the OP uses 999.

Then they should know better.

Then why is it best to call NHS Direct instead, Dave?

I'd have thought that 'NHS Direct' should have the best advice that
the Country can give, regardless of politics, or economics which is
what you seem to be concerned about.

--
Frank Erskine

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in his
chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital - neither
hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have to wait a
while for a game of squash...

Any mention of chest pain or indeed difficulty in breathing automatically
kicks in as a CatA call and the ambulance service have to respond in 8
minutes.

It takes me longer than that to drive past the Ambulance station and I can
do some of that at 70mph, which I've never seen an Ambulance achieve.

You are much more likely to get an FRU turning up to meet the target and
they can't transport you to A&E, so a regular ambulance will have to
attend as well - more cost to the NHS, longer time to get you to A&E &
less staff available to react to emergency calls - but never mind, it
meets the Guvmint targets.

What is an FRU? When I had a suspected heart attack (I'm still waiting for
someone to make a positive statement as to what it actually was) and when
one of my employees reported chest pains a few years ago, what turned up on
each occasion was called a Cardiac Ambulance. In the case of my employee (he
actually had a collapsed lung), they attached an ECG machine that was radio
linked to the hospital and spoke to the doctor who was looking at the
results. It took about half an hour before they took him away. With me, they
simply took my pulse - 240bpm - and put me straight into the Ambulance.

Colin Bignell

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:43:33 +0100
"nightjar" cpb@insert my surname here.me.uk wrote:


A cortisone injection (which I am guessing it was) does, as the doctor says,
often take a few days to have effect.


I was given the tip by a nurse to have a very hot long bath after having
a cortisone for Tennis Elbow (I call it Carpenter's Elbow). First time
I did it - three hours later no pain. Second time I forgot - two weeks
before the pain went. Not a statistically valid sample, I know.

The other thing I have found good as a preventative for Inflamed
Tendons is Tai Chi. Very good for strengthening the tendons without
inflaming them.

But these symptoms are very severe, and worrying. I'd be at A&E fairly
pronto.

R.

Colin Wilson wrote:
I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Thanks :-}

Once dealt with a claim from someone whose employer during a quiet time
had him paint a large roughcast wall. Cortisone? injections in his elbow
each made it worse for about 3 days and then gave relief for quite a
while. Recovery was very slow.

On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:06:40 +0100, Frank Erskine wrote:

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means highly
trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening calls. Call NHS
Direct instead.

Ermm - NHS Direct suggested that the OP uses 999.

I thought their standard advice at the moment was to take Tamiflu.

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a
999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in
his chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital -
neither hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have
to wait a while for a game of squash...

Any mention of chest pain or indeed difficulty in breathing
automatically kicks in as a CatA call and the ambulance service have
to respond in 8 minutes.

It takes me longer than that to drive past the Ambulance station and
I can do some of that at 70mph, which I've never seen an Ambulance
achieve.

Ambulances & FRU's aren't necessarily based at ambulance stations, they are
positioned at strategic RVP's around their area; you will often see them in
supermarket car parks, on bridges etc.

You are much more likely to get an FRU turning up to meet the target
and they can't transport you to A&E, so a regular ambulance will
have to attend as well - more cost to the NHS, longer time to get
you to A&E & less staff available to react to emergency calls - but
never mind, it meets the Guvmint targets.

What is an FRU? When I had a suspected heart attack (I'm still
waiting for someone to make a positive statement as to what it
actually was) and when one of my employees reported chest pains a few
years ago, what turned up on each occasion was called a Cardiac
Ambulance. In the case of my employee (he actually had a collapsed
lung), they attached an ECG machine that was radio linked to the
hospital and spoke to the doctor who was looking at the results. It
took about half an hour before they took him away. With me, they
simply took my pulse - 240bpm - and put me straight into the
Ambulance.

FRU = Fast Response Unit. Vauxhall Zafira crewed by a single EMT (emergency
medical technician) or Paramedic. Not as well equipped as an ambulance &
mainly unable to transport patients. Purely used to meet Guvmint targets.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:35:20 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a
999!

No no no no no! An ambulance call costs the NHS £100+ and means
highly trained staff are unable to deal with life threatening
calls. Call NHS Direct instead.

Ermm - NHS Direct suggested that the OP uses 999.

Then they should know better.

Then why is it best to call NHS Direct instead, Dave?

I'd have thought that 'NHS Direct' should have the best advice that
the Country can give, regardless of politics, or economics which is
what you seem to be concerned about.

From the London Ambulance website;

We urge the public to 'use us wisely' in order to ensure that seriously ill
and injured patients continue to get as fast a response as possible. We also
ask people whose call is not an emergency to consider other healthcare
options rather than dialling 999. These include:
a.. self-care at home
b.. talking to your local pharmacist
c.. calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647
d.. attending a local NHS walk-in centre
e.. visiting your GP
f.. making your own way to your local A&E department-arriving in an
ambulance does not mean you will be seen more quickly

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :


Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a
999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in
his chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital -
neither hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have
to wait a while for a game of squash...

Any mention of chest pain or indeed difficulty in breathing
automatically kicks in as a CatA call and the ambulance service have
to respond in 8 minutes.

It takes me longer than that to drive past the Ambulance station and
I can do some of that at 70mph, which I've never seen an Ambulance
achieve.

Ambulances & FRU's aren't necessarily based at ambulance stations, they
are positioned at strategic RVP's around their area; you will often see
them in supermarket car parks, on bridges etc.

I recall seeing one in the past. It was in high tourist season, when the
roads get busy, and the Ambulance was near an accident blackspot, but the
road was improved and I've not seen it for several years now.

You are much more likely to get an FRU turning up to meet the target
and they can't transport you to A&E, so a regular ambulance will
have to attend as well - more cost to the NHS, longer time to get
you to A&E & less staff available to react to emergency calls - but
never mind, it meets the Guvmint targets.

What is an FRU? When I had a suspected heart attack (I'm still
waiting for someone to make a positive statement as to what it
actually was) and when one of my employees reported chest pains a few
years ago, what turned up on each occasion was called a Cardiac
Ambulance. In the case of my employee (he actually had a collapsed
lung), they attached an ECG machine that was radio linked to the
hospital and spoke to the doctor who was looking at the results. It
took about half an hour before they took him away. With me, they
simply took my pulse - 240bpm - and put me straight into the
Ambulance.

FRU = Fast Response Unit. Vauxhall Zafira crewed by a single EMT
(emergency medical technician) or Paramedic. Not as well equipped as an
ambulance & mainly unable to transport patients. Purely used to meet
Guvmint targets.

There is one, marked Paramedic, in our area, but I've never seen it doing
anything other than pottering around. However, I would have thought it a
good idea to be able to get trained help to people more quickly than if they
had to wait for what is effectively a converted van to arrive.

Colin Bignell

In article ,
"The Medway Handyman" writes:

FRU = Fast Response Unit. Vauxhall Zafira crewed by a single EMT (emergency
medical technician) or Paramedic. Not as well equipped as an ambulance &
mainly unable to transport patients. Purely used to meet Guvmint targets.

That's what arrived when I dialled 999 (or 112 actually)
for a kid who'd been kicked in the head and was unconscious
outside my house. Ambulance arrived ~15 minutes later, by
which time the kid was starting to come round, and they
carted him off.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"Colin Wilson" o.uk wrote
in message ...
I occasionally take DHC (dihydrocodeine) with a dosage of 60mg x 2
pills -
for severe joint pains and these usually get rid of the pain quite
quickly,
and for a least 10 hours

I wish they had as good an affect on me when my back goes - i've had a
Butrans 10ug patch on before now, taken about 6 DHC and it wasnt
touching the pain in the slightest - it was that bad I couldnt have
even taken a taxi to A&E because there was no way I could get into
it...

Drinking a couple of pints of bacardi & coke on top of it got some way
towards easing it off though, but it's not ideal...

so it's quite possible that you may be developing something a little more
serious that should be looked at quite quickly -- and I would still
suggest a trip to the A&E (tonight).

OK, you're all getting me worried now, might take a trip...

Yep, get yourself down to A&E. Much better than later thinking 'if only'.

On Aug 14, 1:46*am, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname here.me.uk
wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in media.com...



Frank Erskine wrote:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:43:32 +0100, Harry Bloomfield
had this to say:

Colin Wilson used his keyboard to write :

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Not an expert, but that does not sound like tennis elbow - do a 999!

Rather than 999, or a long wait in A&E, do you have a local NHS
walk-in centre? *These are nurse-led, and triage is usually MUCH
quicker than at A&E. '999' does seem a bit extreme, but IANAM.

A pal of mine called at one the other day with a bit of a pain in his
chest and within minutes was carted off to CCU by the 'resident'
ambulance at the WIC.
(AFAIK he's still extant, although he's in another hospital - neither
hospital can find any signs of VT). Looks like I may have to wait a
while for a game of squash...

Any mention of chest pain or indeed difficulty in breathing automatically
kicks in as a CatA call and the ambulance service have to respond in 8
minutes.

It takes me longer than that to drive past the Ambulance station and I can
do some of that at 70mph, which I've never seen an Ambulance achieve.

You are much more likely to get an FRU turning up to meet the target and
they can't transport you to A&E, so a regular ambulance will have to
attend as well - more cost to the NHS, longer time to get you to A&E &
less staff available to react to emergency calls - but never mind, it
meets the Guvmint targets.

What is an FRU?

Field Replaceable Unit. They send you the spare organ in the post for
DIY surgery ;-)

MBQ

On Aug 13, 10:44*pm, "Cash"
wrote:
Colin Wilson wrote:
I've had something building up for about 4 months and it finally hit
crisis point on tuesday - couldnt bend or straighten my lefy arm at
all (i'm left handed), couldn't pick a phone up or hold a pen, severe
pain trying to move fingers at all - even a couple of mm, and
discolouration (darkening) of the arm and hand - it's also swollen.

Went to docs weds am and got an injection in the elbow... he said it'd
take a couple of days to kick in.

I know it's only thursday night, but there's no relief at all, in fact
at times it seems to be intensifying with pain hitting even when
keeping it still, but this comes in waves - often shortly AFTER taking
painkillers (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine 30mg). I think i'm getting
numbness and tingling a bit more often now as well...

Has anyone else had this, who can give me a clue how quick the
injections normally start to work ?

The NHS Direct site simply suggests calling 999 !NOW!

Thanks :-}

Colin,

I would suggest that you take the advice that was given by NHS Direct

Cash

I would take the advice of the GP, who has actually seen the patient,
rather than NHS direct.

MBQ

Very much hope Colin is still with us...

...but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

--
F

FRU = Fast Response Unit. Vauxhall Zafira crewed by a single EMT
(emergency medical technician) or Paramedic. Not as well equipped
as an ambulance & mainly unable to transport patients. Purely used
to meet Guvmint targets.

There is one, marked Paramedic, in our area, but I've never seen it
doing anything other than pottering around. However, I would have
thought it a good idea to be able to get trained help to people more
quickly than if they had to wait for what is effectively a converted
van to arrive.

True enough - to a point. The Guvmint issued targets of 8 mins response
time for a Cat A call, timed from when the details had been obtained from
the caller. Callers are sometimes panicky and stressed so it could take a
few minutes to get the full details. It's now changed to the time the call
is answered so there is even more pressure.

Nobody is quite sure where the Guvmint got this 8 minutes idea from, but
strangely there is no clinical outcome target. So if the ambulance arrives
in 7 minutes & the patient dies, thats a success.

The crews of course are more concerned with clinical outcome.

LAS now has over 100 FRU's purely to try & meet targets. Getting a trained
techie or medic there ASAP is important, but they can't transport patients.
So now instead of two crew + one vehicle attending its three crew & two
vehicles.

They would rather have more ambulances to give greater coverage & therefore
less waiting time.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

F wrote:
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

WD40 prolly works...



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
F wrote:
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

WD40 prolly works...



And then binding it with duct tape.

On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:20:15 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

F wrote:
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

WD40 prolly works...

No, the makers would claim that it works. Then, after clearing up from the
resulting disaster, something more suitable could be used. :-)

OK, you're all getting me worried now, might take a trip...
Yep, get yourself down to A&E. Much better than later thinking 'if only'.

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 !

F formulated the question :
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief hasn't
been suggested, yet.

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

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Jules wrote:
On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:20:15 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

F wrote:
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

WD40 prolly works...

No, the makers would claim that it works. Then, after clearing up
from the resulting disaster, something more suitable could be used.
:-)

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


--
Dave - WD40 Liberation Front.

On 14/08/2009 17:06 Harry Bloomfield wrote:

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

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

Perhaps not...

--
F

On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:25:43 UTC, S Viemeister
wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
F wrote:
Very much hope Colin is still with us...

..but I'm a little concerned that an angle grinder for pain relief
hasn't been suggested, yet.

WD40 prolly works...



And then binding it with duct tape.

With a cast made from car body filler..
--
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