the unknown

My dad rang this morning, wanting to share his delight in the promptness of his GP and at last getting a diagnosis for the pain he has been suffering. He phoned the surgery at 9.30 and his doctor was round to his house in 5 minutes!

Like so many people he finds it difficult to ask for help, particularly from health professionals. This is the first time I can remember him asking for a home appointment, whether this is out of the 'fear' of doctors, or not wanting to bother them- prehaps a combination of both, I'm not sure...

He's been suffering with lots of persistent pain, and was today diagnosed with 'Sciatica' as he described it 'its what old people get!' He appeared to get huge pleasure and relief from having this 'pain' named, (and with the promise of a referral to a physiotherapist.)

Over the years meeting with older people in health care settings, one of the biggest issues to wellbeing is not knowing- not being able to put a name to a condition. Often it seems a case of trial and error, to find out what the problem isnt, rather than what it is. Then there is the emotional pain of waiting, waiting for test results, waiting for doctors rounds or appointments with specialists. Recently I experinenced a form of this first hand. When pregnant I had the Amniocentesis test for chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections. The time between my blood tests results, recieving the news that I was in the high risk catagory and the amniocentesis, the time of not knowing, not being able to plan, feeling like I couldnt even bond with the baby growing inside of me- felt never ending and was horrible. Thankfully for me the tests were clear.

It seems that having a name to put to something, you can start to tackle it both mentally and physically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciatica