In the end you just have to give in and go and see your doc. I saw mine yesterday and told him about my terrible foot pain. He said it was gout - cheeky bugger!
Well, 'very probably gout'. He prescribed a pill, took a blood and sent me off with a note to the village radiographer. I picked up the pills and saw the radio on the way home. He gave me a scan and sent me off with a report in a mixture of Dutch and Latin. When I asked for the bottom line he told me not enough blood was getting through to my feet.
That afternoon my . . . I'll call him my GP (I suspect I may be mentioning a few docs in the near future) . . . so, my GP confirmed I had "very high uric acid" and told me to take one of the pills he'd prescribed. Within minutes my foot pain was easier. Magic eh?
Time to translate the radio's report: "Already proximal in the femoral artery one perceives, both sides, only an 'anterograde' flow . . . also weak flow in the popliteal artery and the small blood vessels of the feet . . . The research suggests a bilateral stenosis of at least 70% . . ."
I know. Greek eh? Nothing for it but to get back to my GP, so I rang this morning and he asked me to come up and see him.
He told me that 70% of the blood vessels in both legs were blocked and I should go and get vascular surgery at his favourite hospital. I asked him what kind of a window I had to get it done, and he asked me if I wanted to keep my legs. He then asked me if I'd like him to arrange things (well, yes) then he rang the guy who I think of as my circulation man (he sorted out my 'massive'pulmonary embolism). During the call, he went on about my diabetes, but whether as a complication or a cause I don't know - I'd stopped listening. I came back on line though, when he stressed that the problem was in the family - my uncle having had both legs amputated. There you are you see, you think the buggers aren't listening and then they come out with stuff that you mentioned six months ago. Anyway, I'm currently at home waiting for a call.
Meanwhile, my feet don't hurt nearly so much, but in the absence of the pain, I realise that my bloody toes are freezing, and probably always have been. Don't know whether I should be swimming as much or as little as possible. You can't bloody win!
Ah! The call came through. I'll be hospitalised at 1 o'clock next Tuesday afternoon - acceuil generale, then 4th floor, route 43. Please get there early. Take the radiographer's report. They'll already be doing tests that afternoon. Stop taking the Sintrom on Sunday. Bugger! Forgot to ask if I should eat lunch!
Wonder how long I'll be in for? Wonder what they'll do? Hope it's nothing remotely painful.
Pip pip!
Well, 'very probably gout'. He prescribed a pill, took a blood and sent me off with a note to the village radiographer. I picked up the pills and saw the radio on the way home. He gave me a scan and sent me off with a report in a mixture of Dutch and Latin. When I asked for the bottom line he told me not enough blood was getting through to my feet.
That afternoon my . . . I'll call him my GP (I suspect I may be mentioning a few docs in the near future) . . . so, my GP confirmed I had "very high uric acid" and told me to take one of the pills he'd prescribed. Within minutes my foot pain was easier. Magic eh?
Time to translate the radio's report: "Already proximal in the femoral artery one perceives, both sides, only an 'anterograde' flow . . . also weak flow in the popliteal artery and the small blood vessels of the feet . . . The research suggests a bilateral stenosis of at least 70% . . ."
I know. Greek eh? Nothing for it but to get back to my GP, so I rang this morning and he asked me to come up and see him.
He told me that 70% of the blood vessels in both legs were blocked and I should go and get vascular surgery at his favourite hospital. I asked him what kind of a window I had to get it done, and he asked me if I wanted to keep my legs. He then asked me if I'd like him to arrange things (well, yes) then he rang the guy who I think of as my circulation man (he sorted out my 'massive'pulmonary embolism). During the call, he went on about my diabetes, but whether as a complication or a cause I don't know - I'd stopped listening. I came back on line though, when he stressed that the problem was in the family - my uncle having had both legs amputated. There you are you see, you think the buggers aren't listening and then they come out with stuff that you mentioned six months ago. Anyway, I'm currently at home waiting for a call.
Meanwhile, my feet don't hurt nearly so much, but in the absence of the pain, I realise that my bloody toes are freezing, and probably always have been. Don't know whether I should be swimming as much or as little as possible. You can't bloody win!
Ah! The call came through. I'll be hospitalised at 1 o'clock next Tuesday afternoon - acceuil generale, then 4th floor, route 43. Please get there early. Take the radiographer's report. They'll already be doing tests that afternoon. Stop taking the Sintrom on Sunday. Bugger! Forgot to ask if I should eat lunch!
Wonder how long I'll be in for? Wonder what they'll do? Hope it's nothing remotely painful.
Pip pip!