Been diagnosed with this - had a long chat with the doctor who was understanding enough to give me a note to excuse me hoovering duties (:-0). It's been ongoing for three months or no and only dragged my sorry backside to the docs a few weeks ago.
Been prescribed some gel to rub on it, and Ibuprofen pills. Which have bought zero relief (in fact it hurts a bit more than before) - considering now going for some physio - my Medicash insurance covers the treatment.
Anyone had the same problem ?
I've read all the online stuff.
It's not hideously painful just like a persistent tooth ache, I've lost no mobility and my strength seems OK. I'm not the type to get aches and pains so it may feel worse than it is.
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It's your own fault, sorry coat is on!
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I think AC has spoken of his experience of this condition in the past.
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Hi Rob
I had this last year, i had physio to nil effect, three steroid injections to nill effect then a day case tendon release which cured it immediately. Occasionaly get a very slight twinge if i do too much in the day but never lasts more than an hour or so. Sorry but thats probably not the out come you wanted to hear!
Matt
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I've had it, seemed to be caused by use of a computer mouse! Once I retired it cleared completely.
Physio at the time helped tremendously, as did changing my posture at the keyboard.
Diclofenac sodium tablets hit the spot if you want to go down the chemical route (although doctors seem to be moving away from prescribing it - Lygonos?).
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Usually caused by repetitive activity such as lifting/pulling with the hand facing palm-downwards.
If something you do aggravates it then there is a good chance that caused it in the first place.
If you want to make sure your GP is right with the diagnosis, then try lifting something like a briefcase while seated - if you can manage it palm-upwards no problem, and can barely move it due to pain in the forearm near the elbow palm-downwards the diagnosis is very likely.
Usually tablets and rubs are disappointing, physio is rarely useful. Steroid injections can help but evidence suggests a slightly higher rate of recurrence with injections.
Best advice initially is whenever you do something that causes the pain: stop, and try to readjust your grip so that you are pulling with the palm facing the direction you are pulling, rather than the back of your hand.
/awaits BBD....
** EDIT ** - diclofenac is an "anti-inflammtatory" painkiller similar in effect to ibuprofen although a bit more effective. It's also a bit more dangerous with respect to stomach ulcers.(over 60s should also take meds to prevent this while using more than very infrequently, and younger people using regularly such as rheumatoids I would tend to give 'stomach protecting' meds along with it). Longterm use (> 1 year), especially high doses such as 150mg daily, are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Fri 15 Jun 12 at 19:46
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I have a slight pain in my (dominant) left elbow as well but not alf as bad as the right. It also causes a pain across my shoulders which I suspect is because I am slightly in tension at particular times. I sleep on the bloomin thing as well which doesn't help. I'd self diagnosed before going to see the GP and taken steps to eliminate possible causes including work (I was effectively off work for 6 weeks due to contractual changes), stopped riding for weeks and when I did go to Ireland on the bike it was now worse.....as I say an irritation more than a disability.
Thanks Lygonos going to do the brief case experiment shortly. It hurt now when I was washing a saucepan - half full of water I turned it sideways from upright in my right hand to empty it and that hurt !
Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 15 Jun 12 at 20:14
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>/awaits BBD....
I'll give him more ammunition ;-)
I'm still recovering from a case of De Quervain's tendinitis that appeared about three weeks ago. No idea what caused it, my wrist just swelled up one evening and became extremely painful to move.
I've kept it strapped up to stop any irritation caused by moving it and taken Ibuprofen to reduce the swelling. It's still a little swollen but the pain is mostly gone.
A colleague at work asked me if I was OK driving with my wrist strapped up.
"Sure" I said.
"It's got an automatic gearbox, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights and an electronic handbrake. The only problem is operating the indicators so I've stuck a BMW badge on the back."
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Oddly enough the last TE I saw was a biker who'd been making good use of the good weather - probably got it hauling his bike in and out of the garage.
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Or from too much looking at pictures of Suzi Perry.
:-)
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".....Which have bought zero relief ........" . We could do with some of that at times :)
I had an injection which hit the spot.
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>Oddly enough the last TE I saw was a biker who'd been making good use of the good weather..
1976?!
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I notice you say you are taking Ibuprofen, I have been recently diagnosed with P.R.F and my consultant went "Ape" when I told him I was taking 400mg regularly. He said he is sick of writing to his patients GP`s telling them not to prescribe Ibuprofen under any circumstances because it is an absolute Kidney killer! That may be his opinion, but would be interesting if Lygonos or somebod would forward their opinion as well! Meanwhile, I would enquire about changing to Co-Codamol 30/500 which he seems to recommend, and you may find they work better for you too.
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H?mm that seems to back up his opinion quite well! ;-(
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Thanks for the input - after this gonna ditch the tabs, use the gel up, book some physio mainly for my shoulders and keep using the bike ! After all its National Road Rally in a couple of weeks, ten hour ride...for charity.
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(Pre-) Renal Failure ?
Problem with many consultants is that they see you as a giant version of their favoured organ, eg. renal specialist sees you as a kidney, cardiologist as a heart.
This means they can come over as a bit of a smart-ar5e when dealing within their field without looking at the bigger picture.
Co-codamol 30/500 is a decent painkiller. Loads of codeine to constipate and/or become habituated to however.
Ibuprofen/Diclofenac/Naproxen and other anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) should be avoided completely by those with dodgy kidneys, and for some can cause kidney problems themselves. NSAIDs are the biggest cause of drug-related kidney failure.
When I started as a GP we used to chuck loads of NSAIDs at those with chronic pain to avoid giving large doses of opiate - as time has passed we now tend to use NSAIDs either short-term or with great caution due to their kidney/cardiovascular risks.
Personally I'm not a fan of anything stronger than paracetamol for anything other than short-term pain but pain isn't pleasant for most patients and they'll often prefer the risk of side effects to their pain.
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**** me, I only had a pain in my elbow now me kidneys are packing up !
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Progressive Renal Failure Doc
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The term "Chronic Kidney Disease" or CKD tends to be used these days.
It's less scary to patients than "Chronic Renal Failure" as it used to be referred to.
In many patients it's basically old age of the kidneys, as they slowly deteriorate throughout your life.
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progressive renal failure! allegedly caused by my coronary bypass in 2004!!
Last edited by: devonite on Fri 15 Jun 12 at 22:18
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Certainly possible if your kidneys took a tanking during the CABG or the recovery period after - once kidneys are damaged they don't repair.
Just as likely to be caused by the same disease that led to the bypass graft (atherosclerosis) - causes a condition called renal artery stenosis where blockages reduce the blood supply through the kidneys - in this case you usually see a worsening of kidney function when you are given an ACE inhibitor drug such as ramipril/perindopril (or drugs which end in -sartan).
Or by the ibuprofen - surprised you were referred to a kidney specialist and the GP didn't check for potentially kidney-damaging drugs (so called 'nephrotoxic') unless you were buying the ibuprofen over-the-counter.
Or by very high blood pressure if you suffered from that in the past.
etc
I'm too much of a wimp/realist to tell patients what 'caused' their conditions unless I'm 99% sure (eg. asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, smoking and emphysema, cake addiction and morbid obesity).
As more people live through their 70s into their 80s, 90s and beyond the number of patients with 'failing' kidneys is going to rocket.
Heart attack at 70, cancer at 80, kidney failure at 90 - which do you want?
( being facetious obviously - some poor souls get all that and more)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Fri 15 Jun 12 at 22:40
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>> Heart attack at 70, cancer at 80, kidney failure at 90 - which do you want?
Lygonos, very informative posts tonight - thanks.
I know if quality of life is reduced I'd prefer to go quickly so to speak. None of this hanging on and suffering and impacting loved ones.
I have a few relatives with numerous ailments at the moment - and I'd prefer to avoid all of those problems thanks.
One has a hole in the heart (only recently diagnosed) which has led to enlarged heart, heightened blood pressure. And this may be linked I guess to failing kidneys and an aortic aneurism. And they have other health problems too! Including AMD for which they have had dozens of injections.
Off to live in Greece and be happy is my plan.
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"Off to live in Greece and be happy is my plan."
A lot of Greeks are having trouble making that plan work!
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I think we can cut to the chase here.
What is the most likely reason for someone with 3 BMWs to have a sore arm?
:-)))
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I have twice had tennis elbow. Only cure I found was to rest it - ie do NOTHING that aggravates it. Learn to use your other hand for even simple things like writing, shaving and lifting things. Unfortunately it takes months to cure. I guess the physio can advise on exercises that keep your muscles in trim but don't aggravate the tendon. Best of luck.
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>> in this case you usually see a worsening of kidney function when you are given an ACE inhibitor drug such as ramipril/perindopril (or drugs which end in -sartan)<<
Funny you should state that effendi, my skin n' blister has CKD + HBP + Myeloma (other than that she is OK)
I warned her over 4 years ago that the Irbesartan she was taking wasn't doing her steak & kidneys any good.
With all due respect to you Sir, I keep well away from Doctors due to my experiences (of many, many others) in my 60 years on this planet.
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Just complicate things - if you have kidney failure (CKD) due to high blood pressure then an -pril or -sartan drug is likely to actually protect your kidneys.
It's a minefield out there, I tells ya.
(ps. don't ever take medical advice off the internet!)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sat 16 Jun 12 at 10:24
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>>It's a minefield out there, I tells ya<<
Yes, I can well believe that - it was bad enough trying to cure sick cars!
:)
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Now I really wish I'd hadn't mentioned this !
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>> Now I really wish I'd hadn't mentioned this !
Don't pick up a medical encyclopedia RP, you'll be looking for the strychnine pills.
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Doubt whether I could pick one up though ! :-)
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>> Doubt whether I could pick one up though ! :-)
Ha ha - the family version is heavy enough. God know's what the doctors is like. You would probably need physio afterwards.
Last edited by: corax on Sat 16 Jun 12 at 17:26
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>>you'll be looking for the strychnine pills.
one of the Farm cats found one of these once - made all its joints go stiff!
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>> >>you'll be looking for the strychnine pills.
>>
>> one of the Farm cats found one of these once - made all its joints
>> go stiff!
Now that's a shame. The only useful cats are farm cats in my opinion :)
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>>especially high doses such as 150mg daily, are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease.
That explains my dicky ticker.
Got to die of something.
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If it's most likely cause is overuse of the right arm, perhaps with a computer mouse, why not just swap to the other hand? It only takes a bit of practice.
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Tried all that !
Found a Physio now - my policy covers me for 270 quids worth of treatment - my wife reckons it'll cost me 40 quid a session, so nothing ventured !
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>> my wife reckons it'll cost me 40 quid a session
There's your problem see. My wife doesn't charge. At forty quid a time I reckon I'd have tennis elbow too...
:-))
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Really???
Tell her I want my money back then!
;-)
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Wondered where she'd had the money for those new curtains !
:-))
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Booked some physio for next week.
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>> Booked some physio for next week.
>>
I have found the NHS can be very good for that. Cheap too!
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It's the wait though Duncan, my wife went for physio after her bike accident and they were practising "hands free" physio - no manipulation only exercise instructions and some freebie balloon type material for the exercises. Lots of waiting for nothing really. Best avoided.
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>> It's the wait though Duncan,
Well, I have found that I get very prompt and efficient service, down here in deepest Surrey.
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Physios can rarely fix anything - they can help you fix yourself.
Often manipulation is completely pointless.
Of course if someone is paying 35 or 40 quid a 'session' it's hard not to offer something that won't help... repeatedly.
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Give a spin though, won't cost me anything..! Mind you it's a lot better, it was bad on Sunday evening - suddenly a lot better yesterday, not quite as good today but degrees better. I need some work on my shoulders as previously mentioned though.
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>> Physios can rarely fix anything - they can help you fix yourself.
Very true. Thanks to my physio I can keep my back under control by doing some fundamental exercises.
>> Often manipulation is completely pointless.
If my back is particularly bad I've had manipulation to speed up the healing process. But my healthcare pays for it, and usually it's no more than about three sessions once a year.
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More improvement today - still painful when I turn my wrist in certain angles (picking up my very light Schuberth helmet is an example) - but definitely better, it sort of peaked on Sunday evening and for the first time I took some mild pain relief. Managed to clean my seagull crap encrusted bike today with not much discomfort....
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Well, had my last session last week - it seems to have done the business - for the first time in months I didn't think about it today until mid-morning, still a slight ache, but definitely better - slept better the last few nights as well. Hope this it tailing off now. One of the techniques used was to put pressure on the tendon at the elbow joint, this hurt caused my hands to go numb but recovered quickly to a lot less pain....
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Tennis Elbow. - nice but dim
