Latest news with #backpain
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
‘Thanks to two years on the NHS waiting list, I'm now an inch shorter'
In March 2022, Jason Foster tripped over his dog, fell down the stairs, and broke his back. The pain was harrowing. Even worse, he says, it was matched by the agony he faced during his 20-month wait for surgery on his T12 wedge fracture, owing to the inefficiency of the NHS. 'For almost two years, I survived on stoicism and morphine,' says Foster. Following the accident, which occurred while he was renovating his late mother's house near Taunton, copy-editor Foster, 55, was referred back to a hospital in south London, near his Surrey home. 'I had an X-ray, and was told I'd need to have an operation,' he says. 'They then sent me on my way with pain relief, a walking stick, and a spinal brace to stop me going 'full Jenga'. No-one told me how long I would have to wait.' Over the next few months, the hospital made three appointments for him, which it then cancelled before the allotted times. 'I turned up on another morning, and it was the doctor's day off,' says Foster. 'When I asked one receptionist some hard questions, she called her senior colleague who said I had 'hurt her feelings'.' In August 2022, to his great relief, Foster was finally called in for surgery, but the consultant on the rota that day didn't agree that an operation was the best course of action, so Foster was sent home again. 'Meanwhile, I had a hole in my back and was getting shorter by the day, because my vertebrae were crushing into one another,' he says. The question of 'urgency' Cancelled appointments, lost paperwork, a black hole of communication – anyone who uses the NHS will be used to this catalogue of failures. Perhaps the most concerning thing is that these delays don't just affect routine appointments, but those also deemed ' urgent '. According to a King's Fund report released in May last year, the NHS declares that 92 per cent of people waiting for elective (non-urgent) treatment, such as cataract surgery or a knee replacement, should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to their first treatment. 'This standard was last met in September 2015,' the King's Fund said at the time. 'Since then, performance has declined steadily, until the Covid-19 pandemic, when it deteriorated rapidly.'
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
MAFS star reveals secret health battle as she begs fans for help, admitting ‘I'm in agony'
Married At First Sight's Lacey Martin has opened up about a secret health battle, begging fans for help. Lacey, 28, told her Instagram followers she's "in agony" with scoliosis – a condition which causes the spine to curve – since her teenage years. 4 Taking to her Stories, she wrote: "I'm in agony with my back, I have scoliosis 2 curves. "Been on going since a teenager and wore a back brace. "Need some advice on the best back supports to help with my posture and work etc.. thank you. "Any advice I would appreciate it." Lacey recently sparked romance rumours with Terence Edwards as they rang in her birthday at a trendy bar. Terence, 40, and Lacey cuddled up close for plenty of photos and videos posted to their respective Instagram stories. The pair appeared on the E4 reality relationship series one year apart, but seems they have become fast friends since moving on from their TV spouses. They partied with Lacey's twin sister Paige and Love Island's Marcel Sommerville at celebrity hotspot, Sheesh, in Chigwell. The pair even took a video of themselves doing shots on the night out. Terrence also posted a video sitting next to Lacey and filmed her receiving her birthday cake as she cheered while everyone sang her Happy Birthday. The social worker turned DJ and host found fame in the 2023 series of MAFS, while Lacey appeared on the E4 show a year later. Terrence was paired with Porscha Pernnelle on MAFS UK, but their marriage did not last when he walked out of the show after hearing rumours she had kissed other grooms. Since then, he has been spotted hanging out with another MAFS UK star, Tasha Joy, 27. As for Lacey, she seemed to have a happier marriage on the series when she was put with Nathan Campbell, but they split after the show aired. Their breakup turned sour when Nathan accused Lacey of wanting to fake their romance in order to get more publicity and media opportunities. He made the revelations during February's reunion episode. Nathan told some of the other grooms: "She messaged me and said after a year you get magazine deals and things like that, showmance." He went on to say: "She sent me a text message saying the relationship she wanted would be a pretend one so she could get more opportunity from it and make more money but I didn't want to do it." What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine, which can cause uneven shoulders. Treatment is not always necessary for the condition but some people who develop scoliosis can be required to wear a back brace to stop the curve worsening as they get older. In cases where surgery is required, patients may undergo a spinal fusion operation; a procedure that can last for several hours. Lacey's family defended her on social media and she opened up about experiencing dark episodes since the breakup. "We all have our battles, but overall, I am a positive girl. And I didn't get out my pyjamas for four days. I was crying, and it was just me, my mum and my twin sister Paige in the house," she told Bobby Norris on his Access All Areas podcast. "And I was like, Mum, there's no way out. And for me, I feel like Nathan should have put a statement out." She continued: "I suffer with depression. I'm pretty open about that, but I've never had dark thoughts like that where I'm drowning. "I just want it to be all over. I just want to be asleep. And, it was a hard place. And there was no one to run to, and even if you put out a statement, people weren't really reading it." 4 4
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I was days away from being paralysed after blaming back pain on being pregnant – a killer disease was eating my spine
SHEEMA Patel was just weeks into motherhood when agonising back pain left her screaming in the street. Doctors told the now 42-year-old from Harlow, Essex it was sciatica, but the truth was far worse: an incurable disease was eating holes in her spine. 4 4 By the time the disease was diagnosed as cancer, Sheema, who had just given birth to son Mason two months before, was told she was only three to four days away from being paralysed. She tells Sun Health: 'I thought, I'm just too young. I've not had enough time with my son. 'The message that was delivered made me feel I only had weeks to live.' Sheema, who works in HR, had first felt something was wrong when her back cracked while she was making her bed in April 2023, aged 40. It immediately started to hurt, but she put the pain down to her pregnancy. As the pain worsened, she went to the hospital, where she was given a low dose of morphine. She says: 'My whole body went into a kind of spasm. 'But they couldn't do much because I was pregnant, so I decided to leave the hospital.' After giving birth on July 30, her symptoms worsened. Three weeks later, she started experiencing severe leg pain. At this point, her pain was dismissed as sciatica - an irritated nerve - and the discomfort of post-partum recovery. Her GP prescribed codeine, and she tried acupuncture, but nothing helped. Then one day in late September, she was forced to cut short a walk near her house. 'I was three houses down and screaming in pain,' she recalls. 'My husband had to carry me, push the baby and walk the dog home. It was really bad.' A few days later, in late September, Sheema saw a new GP at her practice. The doctor suspected deep vein thrombosis, when a blood clot gets stuck in a vein, and sent her to A&E for more tests. After a series of scans and some back and forth, Sheema was told in October that she had lesions - holes in her spine, ribs and sternum - caused by myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that occurs in the bone marrow. The disease affects around 33,000 people in the UK. 'Don't ignore pain' She says: 'I was an odd case because I wasn't over 60, or a man, and I didn't fit the criteria for myeloma. 'But nobody should go through so much pain. It took months to be diagnosed, as it was just put down to sciatic pain.' She adds: 'My advice would be, don't ignore pain and keep pushing. Nothing was showing up in my bloods. "Back pain shouldn't go on for months, even if you're pregnant or have a new baby. "Ask for some X-rays or an MRI. You don't think you're going to get cancer at 40, but cancer doesn't discriminate.' Dr Sophie Castell, chief executive at Myeloma UK, the blood cancer charity, says: 'Myeloma has one of the longest times to diagnosis of any cancer. "One of the biggest barriers remains identifying and piecing together the symptoms quickly and before too much damage is done. "Myeloma symptoms, back pain, fatigue, infections, are often vague and can be mistaken for ageing or minor conditions." This is partly because, unlike many cancers, myeloma doesn't form lumps or tumours. Instead, it attacks the bone marrow, the spongy material inside bones such as the spine, pelvis, ribs, and long bones, causing lesions that weaken bones and can lead to fractures. 'I thought was going to die there and then' Over a third of patients see their GP at least three times before diagnosis, and a quarter wait more than 10 months. Sheema recalls her diagnosis: 'I was upset. It was like I was going to die there and then. 'They didn't explain anything. You just don't want to believe it. It didn't make sense. 'The only thing I kept thinking about was that I wanted to take my son to Disneyland.' She sought a second opinion privately, where she was told the damage was so severe that any pressure could leave her paralysed. 'He confirmed that I needed to remain bedbound as any pressure to my spine was going to result in me being paralysed,' she says. 'It took a few days to process," she adds. "My mum had to move in with us because I wasn't able to do anything for my baby. 'I couldn't even carry him. It was awful.' In March 2024, following her fourth round of chemotherapy, one of Sheema's spinal discs collapsed. Living with incurable cancer She required urgent surgery to stabilise her back, and in May, she underwent a stem cell transplant. She says: 'It was difficult. 'I feel like I missed out on the experience of being a new mum. "My son became very close to my mum because I wasn't able to carry him or care for him as I wanted to. 'But we've become much closer now, and we share a strong bond. I do everything I can for him now, taking him to soft play, to the zoo, and more.' Sheema is now in remission, though she knows the cancer is incurable. She adds: 'I know myeloma isn't curable and that it will likely return, but I'm a positive person. 'I'm focused on moving forward, going on holidays, taking my son to Disneyland when he's three or four, and building lasting memories. I'm incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive family. 'Mason and my husband are what keep me going.' If you're worried you might have myeloma, it can be hard to explain vague symptoms in a way that gets taken seriously. To help with this, Myeloma UK has created a simple Symptom Translator, a downloadable guide that puts common symptoms into medical language your GP will understand.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Alex Bowman battles severe back pain to race in Mexico City after Michigan crash
MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman wasn't sure he was going to make the trip to Mexico City because of lower back pain suffered in 'the hardest hit of my career' at Michigan last week. As late as Wednesday — the day before he was scheduled to leave for NASCAR's first points-paying Cup Series race of the modern era outside the United States — the Hendrick Motorsports driver was so sore he didn't know if he'd be able to get in the car. He was still sore after two days of practice at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, but it was after he got out of his No. 48 Chevrolet and not while he was driving. Bowman said his hit registered 50 G-force. 'I don't know if on paper that's the biggest (hit) I've ever taken, but it's the most painful one I've ever taken, for sure,' Bowman said Saturday. 'Even compared to when I broke my back, it's way more pain than that was.' Bowman last Sunday slammed hard into the wall at Michigan in a head-on impact at approximately 150 mph. The hit was so fierce that it lifted the rear wheels in the air. Although nothing was broken, he has severe lower back pain on his right side that shoots into his leg. The 32-year-old kidded he's been a bit of a 'crash dummy' of late: Bowman missed five races in 2022 with a concussion suffered at Texas, and he broke his back in a 2023 sprint car crash that led Rick Hendrick to ban him from further extracurricular racing. Although he's ranked 13th in the Cup Series standings, he didn't want to miss a race considering the recent slump Bowman is going through. He has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races and has five finishes of 35th or worse. Even though Bowman made it to Mexico City and says he feels fit enough inside the car, Anthony Alfredo is on standby in case Bowman can't complete Sunday's race on the 15-turn, 2.42-mile layout. Alfredo, a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series, does simulator work for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 42 starts in the Cup Series, including one start earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway. Bowman, who qualified 29th, hopes to be able to complete the race. 'The goal is to get all the laps in and go from there,' Bowman said. 'It hasn't been a fun week at all. Wednesday was probably the worst day, but we're here and ready to go. It's all in the right side of my lower back and then through my lower right leg. Everything is really tight. It's all muscular. Definitely a lot of pain.' Shane Van Gisbergen won the pole for Sunday's race in Mexico City in a rain-shortened qualifying session. The New Zealander got in three qualifying laps and took the top spot with a lap of 93.904 mph to put his No. 88 Chevrolet from Trackhouse Racing out front. Van Gisbergen proved to be a master of racing on a wet road course in his NASCAR debut when he won on the rain-drenched street course in Chicago in 2023. That victory led to a career change for Van Gisbergen, who was an Australian V8 Supercars champion but made the move to NASCAR after shocking the Cup Series with his Chicago win. With rain expected Sunday in Mexico City, many believe Van Gisbergen is the favorite to pick up his second career Cup victory. He didn't want to claim that title, even though BetMGM Sportsbook has him listed as the +225 favorite. 'I don't know, that's your guys' jobs, but I do know that we will be competitive if we get everything right,' he said. 'It's so hard to know what the car's going to be like — it's a different track, how it's going to be affected by the altitude and the surface. We should be up front. These are the types of tracks I'm good at, so we'll see.' But, he added he actually despises racing in the rain despite his superior skills at maneuvering slick surfaces. 'I absolutely hate racing in the rain, but I'm good at it,' he said. 'I'd rather it didn't rain, but if it happens, we put the wets on and go. I just don't enjoy it. It's just never fun. You're always sliding around, and it just turns stuff into chaos. It's fun to watch, but I don't really enjoy driving.' Ryan Preece in a Ford for RFK Racing qualified second and was followed by Ross Chastain, Van Gisbergen's teammate at Trackhouse. Ty Gibbs in fourth was the highest qualifying Toyota driver. Daniel Suarez has been feted as a hero since arriving home in Mexico for this weekend's race, but the joy was spoiled when he demolished his car during qualifying for the Xfinity Series race. The Saturday crash caused JR Motorsports to unload a backup for Suarez to race later in the day. The native of Monterrey is doing double duty this weekend, racing in both the Xfinity Series race and the Cup Series race for Trackhouse. He qualified 10th for the Cup race. But because of his crash, he had to start at the back of the Xfinity field. Suarez said his Chevrolet had some brake issues in practice that led to a debate over skipping qualifying. He ultimately went out on the track but his brakes failed in Turn 11 and the car did not stop or turn. Instead, it slid across the track and slammed nose-first into the barrier. The crash buried the No. 9 into the firewall, and Suarez climbed out of his mangled car unscathed. ___ AP auto racing:
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Not meant to do that' – Emma Raducanu breaks tennis rule as boos rain down during delay at Queen's
EMMA RADUCANU broke a tennis rule as she was dumped out of Queen's. The Brit was beaten in straight sets by top seed Qinwen Zheng, who was booed on multiple occasions. 3 3 3 The first came in the opening set after Zheng took a break to change her footwear. Raducanu decided to maintain her sharpness during the pause in play by practising a serve. In doing so she broke a rule, with players only allowed to practise serves before a match. BBC commentator Annabel Croft said: "I don't know if Raducanu is meant to hit a ball like that. "She's just practised a serve and normally you're not meant to do that!" However it was her opponent who was booed as some sections of the crowd became disgruntled over how long Zheng was taking to switch her trainers. The Chinese star raised her hand to apologise to the spectators, though she once again halted play in the second set due to an issue with her racket. Zheng recovered to take the second set, winning 6-2 6-4. Raducanu also took a timeout after suffering with a back problem. She underwent treatment in the changing rooms after losing the first set. It all relates to back spasms she suffered before the French Open and prior to arriving in Paris, the 22-year-old had to overcome her fear of needles to undergo acupuncture to help cure the pain.
