Pain

Went to see the doctor this morning with regards to my tennis elbow. I don't even play tennis! Anyway, my doctor said that a stereoid injection might help, but chances are lower than in many other type of sporting injuries, but as I'm going on this climbing road trip, he said that if it was him he'd probably take the chance. He estimated that perhaps one in three notice an improvement, and also outlined the potential side effects and complications. Tiny chance of infection. Small chance of actually weakening the tendon, although this is more of a problem after several injections. Thinning of the skin around the injection point which may give me a patch of miscolouring or dimples. He looked at me and said with a wry smile that he didn't think that I was the type of person who'd be bothered by some temporary miscolouring of the elbow skin. He got the gear together, and told me that this will hurt, lots, but that the shot also contains a local to ease the pain. It didn't hurt much, as he moved the needle around to make sure that the drug was distributed across the sore areas. "A crude intervention, this, but I hope it works for you" he said. He gave me a cotton bud to press against the puncture.

And then I fainted.

When I came to, I had an oxygen mask strapped to my face, lying on the floor. Nurses and doctors were swarming around me. Very embarressed, I mention that twice before I've fainted when having drip feeder tubes inserted in my arm. The first time, many years ago, I was very ill indeed with an advanced Compylobacter infection, and the second time I'd just been helicoptered out after breaking my leg rather badly. At the time I put it down to the trauma, but I guess the actual fact is that needles and I just don't get on.

They wheel me out and lay me down on a bed, and give me a mug of coffee. My doctor, in that very understated way that only the English can pull off, suggests that in the future, it might be worth mentioning to a medical practitioner about to inject me that this may happen, seeing that I'm a "big strong lad that it's quite hard to manouver into recovery position on your own". Best also mention in passing that when I faint, I appear to go through convultions, shaking like jack hammer. "We don't want anyone to think that you're epileptic, now do we?" he says with a smile. "For a while I thought you were going to throw up all over me". He's still smiling, totally calm.

The guy's a star, and whatever people say, the NHS is a quality outfit.