I’ve been posting bits randomly about the problem with my left arm and thought to put them in one place to read or ignore as you see fit…
Yesterday I saw the consultant at a private hospital about the results of an MRI he requested to have done on my left elbow and arm. This has shown a tumour on the radial nerve above my elbow, and as well as being an extremely painful spot when pressed it seems to be the cause of the soreness and pain in the wrist and hand (which has been getting worse as the months progress). Surgeon wants to remove tumour but first wants the results of a nerve function test I went to another hospital for last week but ended up not having done due to a communication problem.
This is all complicated by the fact that the NHS sprung into action quicker than they said they would so I have a nerve test with them next week, that may be what is needed, but I’m also dubious as to whether I can get results any quicker than waiting for a random follow up consultation appointment.
As I didn’t think to ask my consultant yesterday any useful questions about the problem, an upset Mrs Mouse did some online research and concluded that these tumours are usually benign, but there’s obviously the chance that it’s something bad or nerves get damaged.
In June I have a ferry booked for 3 weeks in Europe which was going to be my ‘3rd time lucky Alpine tour’. I guess it’s unlikely to be happening on the assumption I get surgery in a month or so and need to recover from that before trying to ride 2000 plus miles.
Hopefully the bugger’s benign, and they’ll get you sorted ASAP… with any luck you’ll recover speedily and your trip is still on. I’ll be rooting for you.
NHS do seem to be able to get tumours/cancers sorted quite quickly but you do have to grab any time slot they offer. Mrs Alfie found a lump in her brest and after an imiediate appointment with her doctor the NHS offered a cancellation within one week. Luckely it was not a cancer so we go on.
The main thing is to get it sorted whichever is the quickest route.
It’s a bugger about the ferry booking, but you’re probably wise to cancel, as June is a bit too soon to be sure that things will be sufficiently resolved in time.
I can’t fault the NHS here in Scotland. I have an ongoing condition which they regularly monitor with scans and tests without needing to be chased. Once you’re on their radar they do look after you.
Today I had a small unrelated medical problem, so I phoned my local medical centre early this afternoon. A doctor phoned me back an hour later, discussed the problem and wrote me a prescription for two items (free here, of course), which I drove into town for. Just a couple of hours from beginning to end.
Also I got an NHS letter this morning giving me an appointment for a free Covid jab next month.
I can’t complain at all. And a well known English politician wants to replace the service with an American style insurance-based scheme, which leads to so many medical bankruptcies in the U.S. An expression ending in ‘off’ springs to mind…
Thanks all for the best wishes. For the Europe ferry there’s no point cancelling because it’s non refundable. May be able to change date to September for an exorbitant fee but no point doing anything until I know what’s going on with arm.
Tumours are not my specialty, but the word literally means a growth of tissue of unusual proportions. It’s tissue cells going a bit haywire in the division side of things. Your good lady (presumably Angelina Ballerina or similar) is correct that proper nasty ones around your arm nerves are rare… they are usually just unpleasant! But you don’t want them there, all dividing and growing and compressing and generally being a nuisance because the longer it’s compressing, the stronger the chance of longer term problems, even after surgery.
If at all possible, you need to be referred to a neurosurgeon (preferably not an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in upper limb surgery) who works in a hospital trust that has a strong ethic of reducing waiting list times (Google will give you an idea of waiting times (Leeds or North Bristol) but some private hospitals, like the Beardsmore or Spire Regency do NHS work too. And get it fettled ASAP!
Best of luck
(Re-reading the original post, you’re already a long way down the road to treatment… best of luck anyhoo!)
Thanks a lot for that reply, you’ve given me more food for though. I’m currently seeing an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in upper limb surgery at Spire Leicester who I went to as a private patient when NHS postponed my initial appointment to end of April. NHS since saw me earlier, but before I’d had the private MRI so they don’t know those results. Which means I’m in a bit of limbo with Coventry NHS doing nerve test next week and me looking to get private nerve test in case I can’t get those results quickly enough to get to the private consultant.
Jon really sorry to read that. The good thing is that it’s been taken seriously by the hospital.
Whatever the ferry, you’ll see on time. And whenever you do your lucky tour in Europe you still have to tick the “arrive at Hubaxe’s place on a bike” box.
Good luck for all the next steps of the arm stuff.
Don’t have travel insurance, was going to get that a while ago, but with a pending medical issue I it would be very difficult and expensive to get, and wouldn’t pay out anyway I would have thought.
When I had my mishap I had to cancel ferries and hotels - all paid for by my travel insurance, which includes cancellation. I buy travel insurance year-round, for which I pay €22 monthly.
I bought annual travel insurance for my first trip. Was expecting it to automatically renew or to get some reminder, but just got an email saying they weren’t renewing because I didn’t do the medical. Which was the first I knew about needing a medical, though they may have just been referring to filling in a medical questionnaire. I assume they want to know about your current medical status before quoting for renewal.
Well, for the 2nd time in a month I drove all the way to Coventry for a nerve test that didn’t happen. This time it was to the NHS hospital, but the tests they were planning on doing weren’t going to be relevant for my tumour. I might have realised before if the Post Office had delivered my appointment letter, but as everyone knows, they’re shit and don’t deliver a lot of letters. Hospital gave me a new appointment for the right tests in a month’s time, but after I got home rang and said they’d had a cancellation and could do me tomorrow morning. Third time lucky?
They also didn’t give me any help on getting knowledge of my tumour onto their records, other than suggesting contacting the NHS doc at the hospital (same trust) that referred me for tests.
The one thing I learnt about the NHS (apart from generally how amazing and caring the front line hospital staff are)….
OK, the second thing I learnt about the NHS is how disjointed the various departments are from each other, seemingly relying on “letters” to each other, sometimes even relying on the patient to act as “postman”. You would have thought they’d keep a central database for each patient that any department could access, or is that too logical in this age of the computer?
