Tuesday 15th November 2022

Health update

This afternoon I have an appointment at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for physiotherapy on my injured left shoulder to deal with a cycling injury.

Here’s the health story so far:

Saturday 1st January 2022

I started the year with a cycle ride, just a short ride from home to Dewsbury on the Greenway. The Greenway is incomplete, the section between Hopton, Mirfield and where Church Lane meets the A644 on the other side of Mirfield has not been built so I ride alongside the river Calder along Steanard Lane. The ride out was remarkable for the number of swans on the river, quite a flock. I decided to take photos on the way back. At that point on the way back, on Steanard Lane between the bridge over the river and The Ship pub I had an accident: My bike’s front wheel skidded on something greasy into the pothole in the road that I was avoiding and I fell to the ground very hard and very painfully. I kind man with a Land Rover and a bike rack kindly got the bike home and me to A&E at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

At the infirmary, I was x-rayed, given codeine and told to take paracetamol and come back in 6 weeks if nothing had improved. I never got my picture of the swans, but there were over 100 of them.

Wednesday 16th February

6 weeks had passed on the previous Saturday, but knowing what queues are like in A&E on a weekend I waited until Wednesday to go in. (Monday has a lot of patients from the weekend and Tuesdays I visit my Father).

Me: I have been told to come back here if it hasn’t healed in 6 weeks, so here I am.
Receptionist: Have you seen your family doctor?
Me: No, because I was told to come back here.

Later…

Me: I have been told to come back here if it hasn’t healed in 6 weeks, so here I am.
Triage Nurse: Have you seen your family doctor?
Me: No, because I was told to come back here.

I wait for a doctor from the orthopedic ward to come down to A&E…

Me: I have been told to come back here if it hasn’t healed in 6 weeks, so here I am.
Doctor: Have you seen your family doctor?
Me: No, because I was told to come back here.

The doctor is also a cyclist, he recognises the injury as a torn shoulder muscle, he has had the same himself, twice, recommends me for urgent treatment and tells me to get my GP to get me a CT scan. I contact my GP surgery the same day.

Thursday 24th February or Friday 4th March

I do not know which date is which, but I had two conversations with different doctors, both over the phone. The other one was about my diabetes.

The Doctor tries to get me to go Private for the CT scan, but I ask to remain on NHS treatment on cost grounds despite him saying it will take a long time.

Tuesday 10th May

I get a phone call from a doctor at the MSK (Musculoskeletal) clinic at Princess Royal Clinic, Huddersfield. Telling me that treatment is postponed. I mention I am supposed to be urgent and am given an appointment in 2 days’ time.

Thursday 12th May

I go into the clinic at Princess Royal. The MSK doctor tells me that she didn’t know I was urgent and that I was about to be put back onto another appointment which would have been a further 6 weeks waiting, minimum. She has seen that I had an urgent status which had been removed and has put my urgent status back. I am to go for both x-rays and an MRI scan (Not CT).

Monday 6th June

Afternoon x-ray appointment at Huddersfield General Infirmary. Whilst waiting I get a call saying that there is a cancellation for MRI tomorrow.

Tuesday 7th June

MRI appointment at Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax. I am told that it will be 4 to 6 weeks for the results.

July

I have not logged the dates of these two telephone calls from the MSK doctor, but she called to tell me that the x-ray found nothing and that the MRI result still isn’t in.

On the second call, I was told that the MRI had not found a torn muscle but a partially torn muscle (I know, Schrödinger’s muscle, it is not torn but it is torn). I was told that it will heal on its own in a year. When the call ended I realised I had not asked if it was a year from the date of the accident, the MRI scan or the phone call.

Thursday 3rd November

It is 3 months since I heard anything. I get home to find a letter from the NHS saying that I can book an appointment for physiotherapy in the next 21 days or the appointment will be closed. It is dated 27th October, so this is already day 8, I am outside the time slot for ringing and 4 of the remaining days are on the weekend.

Monday 7th November

On Friday I tried to make a physiotherapy appointment at several times during the 8am to 4:30pm time slot on the letter. The line was busy on every occasion. Why is there no facility to book online? Saturday and Sunday are not days that you can call so it is day 12 of the 21-day window that I manage to get onto the call queue in mid-morning after 10:30. I had called without success on two occasions already. I am booked in for Tuesday 15th November. Which brings me up to date.