Apologies for my absence

I've not been compos mentis  for 2 weeks.

I woke up on Monday 6th July with bad backache, which happens occasionally, so took some ibuprofen for a couple of days.

Unfortunately by Wednesday evening it had spread to my hip and involved a call to my local GP who prescribed Naproxen (a strong anti-inflammatory) over the phone and suggested I had a slipped disc.  A few hours later the pain was still getting worse so made a call to 111 and that Doc prescribed Diazapam and suggested a sprained back.

Unfortunately none of this was touching the pain and I was literally climbing the walls and trying to suppress my screams of agony (trying not to scare my 14 year old son).

Hubby called 111, spoke to another Doc who sent an ambulance so they could give me something stronger - unfortunately they could only give me morphine but I would have to go to A&E and they didn't want me in A&E plus it would have been excruciating pain to get me down the stairs as by this point I couldn't even stand up.  They persuaded a Doc to double my dose of Diazapam for the night and then I could get Tramadol from my GP on the morning, they suggested I had a problem with my SacroIliac Joint (a joint in the pelvis that feels like a slipped disc if it moves out of position).

Managed to get a few hours sleep and spoke to my GP in the morning who gave me Tramadol (I'm allergic to Codeine - my face swells up).

Every Doc we spoke to throughout this process has said if you get any tingling or numbness in your legs call 111 or go to A&E.

So what happens?  The top of my left leg goes numb and on Tuesday the GP sent me to A&E.

At this point the only professionals I have seen are the paramadics as all GP contact has been by telephone which makes it quicker to get medicine but doesn't really help with a diagnosis.

A&E were excellent.  Only waited maybe an hour before I was seen by a Doc who did lots of tests and came to the conclusion that it was nothing serious but probably sciatica or the SI joint but would refer me to physio via MSK.  If you have been to see an NHS physiotherapist in the last couple of years you will know that they now have a hands off approach so they are only treating the symptoms that you can describe to them.

I explained this hands off approach to the Doc as I didn't feel this would be the right approach for this problem.  Her solution - in A&E they have a physiotherapist training to be a Physio consultant and she was able to track him down and get him to examine me - result :)

After much pushing, pulling and prodding he was able to determine that although I had suffered with lots of pain in my back there was nothing wrong with my back, which you would not know unless you touched it.  He came to the conclusion that I have Trochanteric Bursitis - my first response 'can you write that down please'.

Apparently the Bursa is a fluid filled sac that provides a cushion between bones and soft tissues to prevent bones rubbing against tendons and muscles and the one in my left him is inflamed.

So for over a week I have been on a concoction of 3 strong medicines which means my head is often fuzzy and I am quite sleepy, plus I am having to ice my hip regularly to reduce inflammation. 

Today is the first day I have looked at my blog and realised it has been 2 weeks since I posted.

Now one of the side effects I suffer from Tramadol is verbal diarrhoea so apologies for the very long post.  I am taking less every day so hoping my head will be back to normal very soon, as I am sure Vicky is too!