Ailments, Aches & Pains. (Let's hear them here)


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It's annual blood test time plus thyroid med review.  I rang the surgery this morning. They offered me a blood test tomorrow. Couldn't do that, as I'm otherwise engaged. Thursday, then?  I got the distinct impression that they weren't very busy.  It's a small practice but it seems they have a blood taker in situ every morning, whereas several friends who are with massive health centres (one of these has six GP s in training before you even start on the fully qualifieds) are being told to go to a hospital for blood tests because there is no one available in the health centre to do them! 

 

 I also received the three yearly invitation for a mammogram today. Normally, they send an appointment. Not this time. I have to ring for one. They urge a prompt response in order to secure an appointment locally (the mobile screening unit is currently in the health centre carpark). I've tried to ring them 25 times today. There's no reply. It just rings and rings and rings....... I think I'll skip it this time!

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Forth booster today. Moderna.. a bit of arm ache but apart from that no problems.

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We were the same Brew, (me &'er indoors,). Had our Spring shots last Wednesday. Both had sore arms and a bit of stiffness for a couple of days. Neither of us could sleep on our left sides at night either. Ours was Moderna, (after 3 Pfizer previously).

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Just like the majority here,  a couple of weeks ago my husband had his booster (Moderna, after 3 Astra Zeneca jabs previously) and he had a sore arm for a few days and was extremely tired for a day or so.  This is making me think I won’t bother with the 4th jab when I’m old enough!! 

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No tiredness and I think my sore arm is due to an inexperienced pharmacist giving the injection, a bit more painful than the three previous. Other than that, no side effects at all.

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Today I'm mostly playing with my new hearing aids, lordy lord they are sensitive. I can ear my own voice in them, my hair brushing on my collar (must get it cut), keys on the keyboard and mouse making loud clicks etc. And the program that is supposed to alleviate tinnitus actually makes it worse. Not sure of the wisdom having them, now I can't 'sling a deaf un' when asked to do something...   :P

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My father suffered from tinnitus. He had been suffering from hearing loss for years until I dragged him off for a hearing test.  He was fitted with hearing aids but couldn't get on with them. They spent most of their time in the box!  The tinnitus stemmed from his time in the Navy during WW2 due to the firing of heavy guns. They did have ear defenders but couldn't hear their firing orders if these were worn. A lifetime in heavy engineering just made the tinnitus worse.

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@Brew just persevere with the hearing aids..  so many people just give up when they first have them!  They can always be adjusted later if you aren’t happy with their performance.

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One of my best friends at Manning lived in Bennett Road in Mapperley. Her father, Harold, was a lovely chap but very deaf. Harold's wife could be rather overbearing and certainly wore the trousers in their household. Harold was dragged off to the GP for a hearing test and fitted up with a hearing aid.  His greatest joy, so he told me, was to disappear into his greenhouse at the bottom of their very long garden, remove the deaf aid, light up a cigarette and sit there secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't hear a single syllable his wife uttered!  Can't say I blamed him.

 

There is, apparently, a connection between smoking and deafness.  My father had smoked for decades. My older sister smokes and is quite hard of hearing. I have never smoked and my hearing is still razor sharp. Long may it remain so. I'd rather lose my sight than my hearing.

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Modern digital hearing aids are now much more efficient  than even 10 years ago.  I worked with hearing-impaired teenagers for 30 years and have seen first hand the results of their improved hearing over the years.  Of course, some of the students had chosen to have a cochlear implant which was even better than an external hearing aid.  I think perseverance and regular monitoring is the key.

In our baby and toddler group at church, we have a two year old with hearing aids, and also a 7 month old baby with a cochlear implant.  They are from different families.  The parents use ‘total communication’ with their children - using both speech and signing.   The baby even signs ‘hello’ when you go and talk to him.  He is such a happy smiley baby.

There is also 4 year old boy who has autism and doesn’t speak yet.  His grandmother helps him to communicate using basic signing (as well as her using speech)  I’m so pleased my 30 years working with hearing impaired students is still coming in useful!  

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I will eventually get used to them I've no doubt.

I originally saw a GP for a persistent itch deep in my ear. I;ve no idea how difficult it is but he couldn't see any sign of eardrums and decided they were absent, so I needed to see a consultant for possible surgery to rebuild me tabs.

 

False alarm, eardrum deep but present so off to audiologist. From missing eardrums to possible surgery and now to hearing aids. And I still have a persistent itch and tinnitus

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26 minutes ago, Brew said:

I;ve no idea how difficult it is but he couldn't see any sign of eardrums and decided they were absent, so I needed to see a consultant for possible surgery to rebuild me tabs.

The time to worry is when they look through the auriscope and can see straight through the opposite ear!

 

Seriously, my ears have the same problem. A GP once almost twisted my head off trying to see the eardrum. If I fly, I'm in agony...not good for a sparrow! I go deaf just driving over the North Yorkshire Moors.

 

Before I went to teacher training college, I had to undergo a medical examination which included a pretty comprehensive hearing test. The doctor told me I was able to hear sounds outside the normal range of human detection.  He said I should have been a dog!  Looked most surprised when I bit him!

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2 hours ago, MargieH said:

One drop of olive oil in your itchy ears every day might help?

 

I have olive oil spray and ear calm, which is little more than vinegar (acetic acid) spray. sometimes I smell delightful!   :(

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Goodness, I have had ear problems all my life, can remember mum warming a teaspoon of olive oil over the gas jet and then when cool enough putting the oil in my ear. Also putting her warm hand over my ear at night and going to sleep with a knitted bonnet on. In my 50’s I actually had a grommet inserted which when removed left a small hole in my eardrum (very unusual apparently) great when flying as no difference in pressure. 
My daughter inherited the same problem and has had numerous ear infections just like her mom and still suffers when she has a cold. 

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I’ve had mild, variable tinnitus for several years. Not enough to be annoying but enough to be aware of it sometimes.

 

Out of curiosity over the last few months  I went for a hearing check to three different places…Boots, Specsavers, and NHS.

 

All three said my hearing is pretty good, but none of them could offer much help or advice in  dealing with tinnitus at a low level. They all basically said “come back if it gets worse and then we can discuss ways of dealing with it”.

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CT that sounds sensible because, as you say, you are only aware of the tinnitus sometimes and it’s not loud enough to be really annoying.   Hope it won’t become more of a problem for you.

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As many of you know, I am completely deaf. I get by with a cochlear implant that was fitted 26 years ago when I was 57. The device has been upgraded a few times but I still rely on lip reading to a certain extent in most situations. Tinnitus is always present but I get attacks of severe tinnitus ( imagine a helicopter landing on your head) that last for an hour or so. This is on the implant side and cannot be explained. I have helped, as a subject, with studies carried out by Nottm Uni. It is surprising how little is understood about tinnitus.

 

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Tinnitus causes terrible problems for some people, resulting in severe depression and even, tragically, suicide.  Some people take to drinking too much alcohol as they say that makes it less noticeable. A friend of mine sleeps with the radio on as he says that counteracts his not too severe tinnitus. How anyone could sleep with a radio on defeats me. I can't even have a clock ticking within earshot...but each to their own.  I used to find that if I spent just a few minutes in a shop where loud background music was playing, I was plagued by high pitched ringing in my ears when I came out. It stopped after a while but it worried me and I avoided any shop where it was likely to be the case.

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I doubt mine is as bad as that, more like a constant 'white noise' in both ears that varies in volume throughout the day, but seems worse when I'm tired.

The hearing aids can generate sounds designed to counter tinnitus, a seascape, a gentle breeze, rustling etc. none work, and anyway I lost patience with the phone app and deleted it.

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10 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

 How anyone could sleep with a radio on defeats me. I can't even have a clock ticking within earshot...but each to their own.  

 

Just to demonstrate how different people react in different ways......I've found that having a radio on with 'Snooze'  mode is an effective way to get to sleep. The radio switches itself off after 20-40-60 minutes, but I will be asleep before that happens.

 

On many occasions I've fallen asleep quickly with the radio still on in the background, and then woken up again when the radio went OFF. It was the silence which woke me up.

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As I said earlier, my father had tinnitus for many years. It took the form, he said, of a constant pitched note in each ear. However, the note was a different pitch in each ear. Obviously, I couldn't hear what he was being forced to listen to but depending on the interval between the notes (in musical terms) it could have been pleasant if harmonious or unpleasant if dissonant. It tried his patience very much and there was very little anyone could do to help.

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Apart from the attacks of tinnitus, which, fortunately are not too often, the brain brushes the usual noise away unless I think about it. A researcher was quite intrigued when I said that I often listen to the tinnitus just like listening to music. A range of notes, intensity and timing. It's like celestial music and I often get lost in it. Can be quite pleasant sometimes. Pity that I am not a composer or I could write something quite original. 

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1 hour ago, PeverilPeril said:

Pity that I am not a composer or I could write something quite original. 

 

Ear on a G string...     thumbsup

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