Screwed to me means broken ie, incapable of doing what it’s supposed to do, which in the case of A&E means not delivering the service it exists to provide. Obviously some people have a different definition.

However it said it had not been forced to cancel any operations.

By declaring a major incident, hospital bosses are able to bring in extra staff – allowing them to open extra beds to cope with the demand.

Declaring a major incident in order to cancel holidays, cancelling days off to force staff to come I’d say means they were screwed. It was only that which meant the operations weren’t cancelled.

Screwed to me means broken ie, incapable of doing what it’s supposed to do, which in the case of A&E means not delivering the service it exists to provide. Obviously some people have a different definition.

I’m lost me.

Screwed to me means…incapable of doing what it’s supposed to do

You are correct; a hospital isn’t meant to abuse it’s major incident plan simply to be able to fulfil its normal, day to day stock in trade. That’s bad drills.

Ignore requests to mtfu.

Just go and see a sports physio. I ‘sprained’ my foot badly in 1997. Went to GP when it was still hurting 3 days later. He said ‘use a stick’. Used a stick for a few weeks, it got worse. Paid to jump a queue to Orthopaedics via NHS – they were confused and put it (ankle) in a cast to ‘let it settle’, and gave me crutches. Then shortly after my other foot started swelling (wtaf???).

After months of increasing agony in both feet and ankles, not being able to bear weight on either I paid to see a private sports physio. He straightaway diagnosed the initial sprain as a subluxated ankle joint. He sprayed some cold stuff on the ankle and relocated the joint sharpish.

Some relief but by this time I’m being treated for some chronic inflammatory arthritis in both feet and ankles. After 6 months of not being able to stand let alone walk my employer let me go. I was now in a wheelchair and in so much pain it was only relieved by assisted hydrotherapy.

The initial sprain occurred at work, owing to some unseen spilled liquid. I had a witness. My employer actually requested that I sue them for compensation. The no win no fee people ‘can’t adequately prove causation’. ie walking on a subluxated ankle for months didn’t necessarily cause/activate the arthritis. Just a weird coincedence then eh? Ho hum…

I’m still suffering daily pain and discomfort 19 years later. Although the disease is in remission and I’m no longer in a wheelchair, the damage to joints is permanent, I cannot run, and can only walk short distances. For someone who used to walk 35-40 miles and cycle upwards of 140 every weekend – quality of life, employability and overall fitness levels have changed

Needless to say, everyones mileage will probably vary, but if I could go back in time I would go straight to a reputable sports physio. My situation is hopefully very far from typical bit I would advise anyone NOTt to MTFU if that means the you walk on an injured joint. Do not do so until you have an expert opinion as to when, and how.

As for MTFU – nearly every day I wish I’d been a big ponce back then and I maybe wouldn’t have had to spend the rest of my life proving how much of a ‘man’ I am dealing with daily/nightly pain and disability along with all the compromise you have to endlessly chew on

Sorry about the (badly-penned) earl-morning rant above, but the endless MTFU trend grinds my gears. Sl here’s another. Mrs MR (chipping in here) – used to be a triathlete, training with a ‘guru’ runner who achieved some celebrity in the running world in his time. Her lower legs finally began to really hurt after running up to 100 blocks a day for a couple of years. He constantly exhorted her to run through the pain. He’d bark in uber-manly fashion – ‘no pain no gain!!!’. So she ran through pain for about seven months until shin-splints finally put pay to any running. So she earned the pain, but where was the gain?

She also had a (and now two) subluxated shoulder joint and has been waiting for diagnosis/restorative physio from NHS for over a year, even as they worsen daily. No amount of bullying from me would get her to go and see a private consultant, as she will, unfortunately ‘MTFU’ through any kind of pain. Waiting on the NHS has once again brought chronic disability to the family. She’s (according to latest consultant) now facing possible shoulder-joint fusion ‘down the line’, which is unthinkable. I care for her full-time, and we wait, and we wait. It’s soul-destroying to see someone you love (anyone, even) in so much pain, so vulnerable, so dependent, and suffering so much uncertainty. It all started from a broken collar bone and subsequent surgery (NHS). She also ‘MTFU’d’ back then, coping with an untreated 5-piece clavicle fracture and torn rotator-cuff. It took second and third opinions to agree to fix via surgery (the bone was almost through the skin, yet it took constant aggro from me to acquire repeat X-rays from different angles to identify the extent and severity).

MTFU be damned. Unless of course you are being eaten alive by a bear, with an arrow in your neck, and a sprained ankle. But seriously. Sort Shit Out Right Now is much more important than any notion of testosterone being a cure-all.

@MalvernRider – spot on. I’m in constant pain from an ankle injury 25 years ago caused by hitting the ground (the falling bit was ok) whilst climbing at Stanage. I did get it X-rayed at Casulaty (no minor injury units at that time, entry point to the system appeared to be that or GP). Radiologist and houseman thought it was broken, registrar said it wasn’t, told to take pain killers and keep mobile.

I did but after 3 months of getting worse to the point I couldn’t cross the road in the time the lights stayed green a physio friend insisted I see a physio. First sessions were incredibly painful – tapping the bottom of my foot with 2 fingers had me suppressing a cry. After 6 months my legs were back to the same size rather than being able to circle the top of my right leg with finger and thumb of one hand.

I eventually got a referral to orthopaedics who diagnosed an old break and offered to fuse the ankle. After discussing the pros and cons we agreed it was best left alone,

I’m not bitter about the mistaken diagnosis – people make mistakes, X-rays can be hard to diagnose but my mistake was taking a dose of MTFU and not going back to the GP to get a referral when it didn’t get better.

I’d now go to whatever part of the NHS is correct (not A&E) if it happens again and ask for more help early.

Apart from a couple of posts this thread seems a bit ‘willy waving” to me. OP has come here asking for some specific advice – trying to do the right thing. Why not have less of the patronising and bit insulting posts and stick to giving them some solid advice. Maybe even stop some of the bickering?

I know it’s STW but even so…

You’re right jamj1974 I was a tad blunt, sorry about that Flaperon. I get like that after nights especially after ones where some incidents weren’t pleasent. Sorry again.

All rested up now so shouldn’t be as grumpy but I’ll probably still take the piss.

I’m not bitter about the mistaken diagnosis

I am. Though it doesn’t make me hate the NHS , it makes me further hate what our leaders are making of it. We have a ‘filtering’ system in the SW, a consortium with whom your initial diagnosis somewhat hinges on which initial ‘level’ of specialist you are granted after initial GP consultation. In my wifes case she went ‘backwards’ from seeing a shoulder consultant to being-re-referred 8-9 months later to a physiotherapist (‘because we relocated’, huh?), who after saying ‘we can treat this with physiotherapy’, then ‘forgot’ to report back to the GP, who then somehow overruled her treatment plan and ‘expedited’ an appt with another shoulder consultant who as yet does not wish her to begin physio. WTF? 12+ months of ping-pong and reverse leap-frog = treatment stasis + ever-worsening injury and possible permament loss of function. I am enormously embittered and at a loss, tbh.

^^ that is totally understandable!

Given Flaperon’s profession (airline pilot) I think it would be a good idea to get it looked at by a medical professional instead of asking for advice on here

I broke my foot and badly sprained my ankle.

A&E just XRay’d me and gave me care advice.

1 year later and I can’t run without pain, have to buy orthotics and paying for £4 grand operation to fix my foot so I can run because the NHS doesn’t want to do anything unless I die.

I would rather pay for private cover.

The NHS is absolutely 5hite from lack of funds from the government – guess that’s the plan.

An update for Drac ’cause I know you cares……..detached acromioclavicular joint.

Richard Branson’s ‘Virgin Care’ based at Croydon University Hospital was chaotic, they are obviously virgins when it comes to healthcare. The doctors were completely ignorant of the correct procedures to organise x-rays and appointments with the fracture clinic. And despite having an appointment for 11pm I didn’t leave until 3.30am – they kept me waiting for 2 hours after my x-ray just to tell me to go home and wait for an appointment from the fracture clinic.

In contrast the NHS, ie Croydon University Hospital, sorted me out and did my x-rays in about 15 minutes. And at 10am this morning, while I was still asleep in bed, Croydon University Hospital phoned me to tell me that I had an appointment with the fracture at 9.45 on Monday morning – could they have been any quicker?

So it’s big thumbs up for the NHS/Croydon University Hospital from me, and a big thumbs down for private provider/Richard Branson’s ‘Virgin Care’.

As I said on here 3 weeks :

“What the medical professions are facing today is an onslaught from a government more right-wing than any government in the 1980’s, and which is committed to dismantling existing healthcare provisions in England and replacing them with a market oriented system much closer to the US model. That’s what the Health and Social Care Act 2012 was all about”.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/doctors-on-strike/page/31#post-7593984

Claiming that the NHS is ‘screwed’ plays straight into this government’s hand and its neoliberal agenda.

BTW despite my detached acromioclavicular joint I was in Central London today at the march and rally in support of Health, Homes, Jobs & Education?, I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know.

A neighbour of ours recently fell down a flight of stairs (ironically trying to prevent her 2-year old doing the same thing), and hurt her ankle badly. Her husband called 999, as she was in a lot of pain. A paramedic turned up (in a car, not an ambulance), and after examining her for about 5 minutes, told her it was just a sprain and to just rest and take paracetamol etc. Despite her protestations and requests for an ambulance, he told her it didn’t need hospital treatment. 2 days later, with her ankle turning black and in excruciating pain, she got a taxi to hospital where an x-ray revealed a fracture. And had doctors asking why the hell she hadn’t come in straight away.

Moral of the story is, if in doubt, get it checked out properly.

Good to hear you’re sorted Ernie, I’m not surprised by the private healthcare.

Yup Clodhoppers even medical professionals are human.

True, Drac. And overworked, underpaid, under-resourced, tired, stressed and possibly downright fed up and demotivated. They have my every sympathy; there’s no way I could do their jobs. But they have a duty of care, and that includes making sure a patient gets the best medical attention and treatment possible. I think in this case, the paramedic royally **** up. Not good. But fortunately, that sort of thing is very rare.

I agree, can’t comment on the **** up but though, you’re right people deserve the best of care.