Pain
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:34 am
I have been in a right old mess this week.I had a bit of a twinge in my back,which is not unusual for me! However,on Tuesday morning that twinge went hostile and completely floored me.I locked up and was in the worst pain I can remember.Long story short,couldn't get a GP appointment - surprise,surprise, so Mrs J ran me through to A+E.It took two nurses to get me out of the car and into a wheelchair.I was literally in tears,and told the nurse, " I want to die,or get better. "
Saw a doctor,and he ruled out serious problems,thank heavens.He prescribed an Uber painkiller cocktail and I am now mobile again.I have done some gentle exercise,as prescribed by my own GP a couple of years ago,and even though I am due more medication,I am virtually pain free at the moment.My problem is far from unique,as many suffer these problems.
My point is this: Given that a doctor's appointment is damned near impossible to get- especially when you have to work,and cannot find time to queue on the phone for 45 minutes - do you have the means for basic pain control?
I dont work,I dont earn.Simple as that.At this point I am three days pay down.I am also down by about another £60 because of my prescriptions and hospital car parking.I am fortunate enough to be able to absorb all that,but for some it would really be SHTF.
Speaking of SHTF; if society went South and we were relying on physical hard work,like gardening,hauling water and cutting wood - a painful health issue like the above could well be a matter of life or death.Its also one reason that the 'lonewolf ' approach in a survival situation would not work.Its reckoned that the American Mountain Men only lived to an average of 35 years,simply because of the punishment their bodies took ,living a solitary and hard life.I imagine a back problem for one of them would have been catastrophic.I know that I could not have managed without my wife,and I live a very comfortable life!
Anyhow,I have learned a lot this week about basic pain management,and I will make sure that we have the means for pain control of basic problems like backs and joints,as it always presents itself at the weekend,or a bank holiday,or you cannot get a GP appointment.
Saw a doctor,and he ruled out serious problems,thank heavens.He prescribed an Uber painkiller cocktail and I am now mobile again.I have done some gentle exercise,as prescribed by my own GP a couple of years ago,and even though I am due more medication,I am virtually pain free at the moment.My problem is far from unique,as many suffer these problems.
My point is this: Given that a doctor's appointment is damned near impossible to get- especially when you have to work,and cannot find time to queue on the phone for 45 minutes - do you have the means for basic pain control?
I dont work,I dont earn.Simple as that.At this point I am three days pay down.I am also down by about another £60 because of my prescriptions and hospital car parking.I am fortunate enough to be able to absorb all that,but for some it would really be SHTF.
Speaking of SHTF; if society went South and we were relying on physical hard work,like gardening,hauling water and cutting wood - a painful health issue like the above could well be a matter of life or death.Its also one reason that the 'lonewolf ' approach in a survival situation would not work.Its reckoned that the American Mountain Men only lived to an average of 35 years,simply because of the punishment their bodies took ,living a solitary and hard life.I imagine a back problem for one of them would have been catastrophic.I know that I could not have managed without my wife,and I live a very comfortable life!
Anyhow,I have learned a lot this week about basic pain management,and I will make sure that we have the means for pain control of basic problems like backs and joints,as it always presents itself at the weekend,or a bank holiday,or you cannot get a GP appointment.