What is happening to health in this wonderful country of ours?

[Railwaygun]

I have coeliac disease which means I have a gluten intolerance. If I consume gluten it will damage my intestines and I will quickly become very ill. A gluten free diet controls the condition. (Not cheap by the way £3 for a loaf of bread.)
I was apparently born with the condition but was not diagnosed until I was 55!
When my GP suggested I had coeliac disease I had never heard of it. When he printed off all the possible symptoms it was obvious all my previous GP's hadn't either!
I had had all of the symptoms at one time or another while growing up.
Medicine is developing all the time as my case proves.
Chris

your GP can provide a lot of GF foods on free prescription.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/prescriptions/

anyway, down here in the Big Smoke ( or La LA land) everything is GF !!

[Dorsetmike]

At my GP appointments are booked for 3 weeks ahead, alternative is practice nurse 2 days or sit in the waiting room and wait and wait while car is parked on road outside at £1.80 an hour; if you can persuade them it's urgent you might be lucky to get a house visit - from a locum or or the most junior person on the payroll. They will only accept telephone requests for prescriptions if you are housebound, yret strangely enough on line monthly repeats are OK. It took over 3 months of losing my voice before they thought a hospital appointment for a trans nasal endoscopy might be an idea, cancer on a vocal chord was the eventual diagnosis.

After the radio therapy I was on serious pain killers for about 6 weeks & I was unable to drive and often hardly knew what day it was, Shock horror I missed an appointment for an annual check up, now they have withdrawn me from such check ups; I'm changing my GP.

[kesdrive]

In answer to Railwaygun:
I used to have bread on prescription and some pasta products but our local authority, along with many more nationwide have cut budgets and also prescribing for coeliacs.
C'est La vie unfortunately.

Chris

[NeMo]

I used to have bread on prescription and some pasta products but our local authority, along with many more nationwide have cut budgets and also prescribing for coeliacs.
C'est La vie unfortunately.

Well, that and the fact gluten-free products are now extremely widely available. Is there any reason the NHS -- which is cash-starved already -- should subsidise people's sandwiches when they can buy gluten-free loaves themselves?

Ten years ago this absolutely wasn't the case, so gluten-free products on prescription made sense.

Cheers, NeMo

[kesdrive]

Well, that and the fact gluten-free products are now extremely widely available. Is there any reason the NHS -- which is cash-starved already -- should subsidise people's sandwiches when they can buy gluten-free loaves themselves?

Ten years ago this absolutely wasn't the case, so gluten-free products on prescription made sense.

Cheers, NeMo
[/quote]

I'm not complaining it is true that GF products are now widely available.
Eating out is another issue although improving.
I am going to Warley on Saturday and taking my own food as I know, from previous experience,  that there will be no gluten free offerings available.

Chris

[dannyboy]

I dont know any statistics on elapsed time between CP and Shingles onset, but in my case (statistical sample of one) it was about 35y,,


Only one attack that I wish not to be repeated, so I have accepted our wonderful NHS offer of an anti-S jab 

Flippin' 45 years in my case!! And no, I don't want to repeat it neither  :'( (And no anti-S jab here!).

[Train Waiting]

A very interesting thread. 

Thank you @NeMo for your posts which are, I think, excellent.

John

[MalcolmInN]

(And no anti-S jab here!).

Do you mean not at all, or not via your state system ?

There are now two vaccines. Historically: Zostavax now thought to be only about 50% effective and not long lasting, so you need not lose too much sleep !
and a new one, Shingrix, has not (yet?) been offered to me. In fact I dont know if it is yet approved here.

[dannyboy]

@MalcolmInN  As far as I am aware, the vaccine is not available via the state system - most healthcare over here has to be paid for, depending on earnigs, but having said that, I went to the Opticians today and got a free eye test and contribution to new glasses, (can be handy being an OAP here  ).  But I digress, again. Boots the chemist offer the vaccine, don't know which one, for €199 - about £176. 

[MalcolmInN]

So, back to NPN's topic "What is happening to health... "
I offer :

Health in this country is considerably better than wot it was on account of our improved standard of living and our improved personal wealth* (other opinions are available )   

As an example I can update my previous shingles postings with :-
In the UK Zostavax is available privately to anyone over 50  for £160 - and NHS free between 70-80

In the UK Shingrix is privately available over 50y for £460 (course of two at £230 each). Not available NHS.

I would call those good value considering the effect of shingles, and * quite affordable.

[dannyboy]

Going on Ireland having the name 'rip off Ireland', (well it does in Ireland  ), my £176 compares well with your £160!  The 'rip off' label is well justified in some areas though, hence the fact that I go to Asda in the North once a fortnight - but I am going off topic - again.
  Sorry. 
@MalcolmInN

[MalcolmInN]

my £176 compares well with your £160!

I thought that too   

Oh yes, how we could go   on  off  about north/south trips and things ! but best not methinks.
PS have you noticed some negotiations are going on about , , ,
, , medical standards in the EU

oooofff that was a close shave     


I think that is enuf from me for now.

[Newportnobby]

I dont know any statistics on elapsed time between CP and Shingles onset, but in my case (statistical sample of one) it was about 35y

That looks to have been very accurate for me too, Malcolm. My shingles was treated in hospital by ultrasonics and, I have to say, it cleared up quite quickly.

[Bealman]

I've mentioned this on the forum before, but in the context of "new" medical conditions, I feel it's relevant.

Back near the end of 2010, I started feeling so ill I though the end was nigh. It even got to the point of not being able to face a beer - and believe me, for Bealman, that may as well have been the end!

Anyway, it turns out I had an hereditary condition known as hemochromatosis, which I was told was only recognised as recently as 1990. If that's true, there must have been a lot of sick people around before then!

It is basically iron overload. In terms of unit figures, the high end of ferratin levels in the blood is around 300-400 - at the time of my diagnosis, mine was 2300! Talk about Iron Man... Robert Downey Jnr had nothing on me! But I sure was sick.

The treatment involves me dumping a bag of blood every couple of months so my  body makes new blood which reduces the iron level. This I could really do without, but it works. (The blood is thrown straight into the waste, by the way.)

I'm feeling fine these days, and have travelled widely since the initial diagnosis (calling in on NewportNobby twice, and Railsquid in Tokyo this year).

There must have been a lot of people walking around sick in the past and not knowing why.

[Snowwolflair]

I dont know any statistics on elapsed time between CP and Shingles onset, but in my case (statistical sample of one) it was about 35y,,


Only one attack that I wish not to be repeated, so I have accepted our wonderful NHS offer of an anti-S jab 

Flippin' 45 years in my case!! And no, I don't want to repeat it neither  :'( (And no anti-S jab here!).

if you had CP as a child the antibodies are still produced for about 30 years in your body and may still have an effect for some years after that to prevent CP or shingles recurring. 

The problem is that about the time you have grand children you acquired immunity is all, but gone.  In the old days when your body encountered CP throughout your life as there was more of it in the population you immune system, still recognising it, would re-boot and start the clock again.

The moral of the story is it can be more dangerous to part eradicate a disease, it really has to be all or nothing.

Look at the mess the kids whose parents stopped them getting the MRI jab are now getting into.