I'm not sharing this for sympathy more just to educate people on the fact that they never know what someone is going through. Also, because people never share these types of stories
For ten years (taking me back to my single digit childhood 😭), I have had chronic back pain that's been left undiagnosed for these ten years and increasing day by day.
Physical signs of swelling and constant pain with leg weakness occasionally nowadays.
It started off with local general practitioners (GP's) telling me it was just growing pains because I was so young. Pain kept up until my double-digit years, when I continued to go back to my GP until they told me it was a pulled muscle into my early teens I continued to go to my GP who told me to go to physio privately.
My family was in no place to afford this, but thankfully, we knew some private physios who would do it for free because they were family friends.
The first private physio did some acupuncture, which eventually helped, but then the pain came back and told me it was a pinched nerve. The second private physio told me it was a pulled muscle again.
Back to my GP nearing my adulthood (according to Scottish law) they sent me to a NHS physio who did all the basic information, felt my spine -detected scoliosis-, gave me exercises and referred me to rheumatology by this time I was on a painkiller called "Naproxen"
A year later. Finally got my rheumatology appointment met with the consultant who took my information, felt my spine -detected scoliosis, hyperflexibility in my cervical and thoracic spine-, promised he'd do something about this, sent me for bloods and X-rays.
Had my bloods taken. No sign of inflammation or rheumatoid arthritis.
Nearly 3 months later, I got my x-ray results. There is nothing there time for an MRI.
2 weeks later, I had my MRI. Waited 5 further months on my results. Irregularities in my sacrioloc joint but no inflammation.
At this point, I've been through two different types of painkillers. Diclofenac and co-codamol. In my teen years. 3 different types
It's time for another x-ray. It shows nothing. Found this out the day I got accepted into my dream uni for my dream course ( I didn't get the grades. However, I'm just doing a different course at my dream university)
Went back to my GP after finding this out for the trainee GP to tell a teenage me that I "might need a hip replacement in the future." Left annoyed and upset.
Started using kinesiology tape from a suggestion from Google for back pain. It helps a little, but I still have major flare-ups.
Over the past months now in my adult years (😭😭), I've been experiencing hip pain where I've been unable to lie, sit, or put any weight on my right hip. The hip is on the same side as my back pain.
GP receptionist tells me it's not an emergency even though it is causing me to lose feeling in my right leg and that the first appointment is in a week and a half.
Appointment rolls around, and I've got another trainee who dismisses me as normal. I mentioned I thought it might be linked to my back, and the whole appointment moved from my hip to my back.
At the end of the appointment, she tells me, "Surgeons won't do anything, so I won't refer you there. Rheumatology will refer you back because you were there recently, and more X-rays and MRIs are unnecessary radiation, so we won't do that"
IM STUDYING TO BECOME A RADIOGRAPHER I KNOW THE RISKS. Her patient centred careness was thrown out the window during this appointment.
So she tells me she'll speak to her supervisor about giving my lidocaine patches to help with the pain.
Two hours later I get a phone call from her where she repeats everything she said at the appointment and follows it up with "We're going to give you more diclofenac and lanzoprazole" to which I reply "I already have lots of that. I take it constantly, " but they have continued to give me it.
After I hung up, I explained everything to my mum, and I couldn't hold back the tears. The way the NHS treats young people in constant pain is ridiculous. I'm not being listened to.
All they see and have ever seen is my age. Never the condition. And now studying radiography, and I've requested all of my medical records and images because I need to know.
I've never been in so much pain physically and mentally, but here I am. I'm struggling so much, and no one's listening to me from the medical professions.
Right, so I sent myself prompts from my main account (@samantha-chicago), and I saw that @cheftsunoda (go read their fics they're amazing). I was looking for Lestappen requests, so I thought I'd check to see if I had sent myself any... I have not, unfortunately. However, I did come across this and... can anyone translate my sleep deprived request to myself??
I see your requests and I'll leave my requests open for a while however I won't be writing for a while.
Around two weeks ago, my nanna passed away suddenly. And her funeral is tomorrow. As you can imagine, this has deeply affected my mental health, and I'm taking some time for myself.
My power went off in the middle of my online lecture, and the signal here is so bad my data wouldn't work, but after nine hours, SP Energy has my power on!!!!
