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The Shingles Vaccine(s)

929 (54.7%) participated. 59.4% reported that morale had reduced over the past two years, and 48.5% said they had brought forward their plans to leave general practice. Intention to leave/retire in the next 2 years increased from 13% in the 2014 survey to 18% in October/November 2017 (p=0.02), while intention to continue working for at least the next 5 years dropped from 63.9% to 48.5% (p<0.0001). Age, length of service and lower job satisfaction were associated with intention to leave. Work intensity and amount were the most common reasons given for intention to leave sooner than previously planned; 51.0% participants reported working more hours than 2 years previously, predominantly due to increased workload.

GPs suggested increased funding, more GPs, better education of the public and expanding non-clinical and support staff as interventions to improve GP retention.

National initiatives that aligned with these priorities, such as funding to expand practice nursing were viewed positively, but low numbers of GPs had seen evidence of their roll-out. Conversely, national initiatives that did not align, such as video consulting, were viewed negatively.

Conclusion While recent initiatives may be having an impact on targeted areas, most GPs are experiencing little effect. This may be contributing to further lowering of morale and bringing forward intentions to leave. More urgent action appears to be needed to stem the growing workforce crisis.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/2/e026048
 
someone i know in the lower part of UK resigned their whole GP surgery from the NHS after stress for so long . it was a BIG practice !
 
In May 1994, I had a very severe bout of shingles, aged thirty-two. I was off work for four weeks of sick-leave and then two weeks of holiday arranged long before I was ill.

Initially I was mis-diagnosed by two GPs, who both credited my symptoms as indicating a trapped nerve in my left shoulder. I lost the use in the two smallest fingers on my left hand. Very painful, but nothing else to add at that point. I was still registered with a GP in Hereford, but had moved to near Worcester a few months earlier. The Hereford GP mis-diagnosed it, and said that I must join a practice where I was in the catchment. Two days later at the new surgery in Saint Johns [West Worcester], I was again misdiagnosed - same, trapped nerve, without anything beyond a cursory face to face chat. BUT the pain sky-rocketed over the weekend, and I had to go in again on the Monday and saw the senior GP, who guessed before we started what was going on, and he was furious that it had been missed.

"Take your shirt off and sit down please."

He found the tell tale rash on my left should [over the blade] and the back of my left hand, and immediately said that I should take it more seriously than anything I had faced in life so far. Not your average GP speech, I would think. He also told me - in a manner that was blunt to say the least - that if I did not do what he told me that I might well never fully recover. I did what I was told! Four medicines were prescribed, and then as now I was definitely not flush financially. I abstained from the painkillers as they were only to treat symptoms. Two bottles of pills and a topical cream.

I saw this marvellous GP four more times about it firstly at weekly intervals. He was very pleased that I had taken it seriously, so I ended up on his rather select list at the practice.

It was not the most painful medical crisis I have faced. I had kidney stones in 1985, and a fractured tibia [from the knee straight down the middle to an inch above the ankle] in 2012, both of which were excruciating, but shingles wears you down with constant pain and physical exhaustion even from just sitting still ... I went to Norway for the fortnight's holiday and there really did get well again after throwing off the disease, staying with my grandmother. Nothing to do under the circumstances but eat fantastic food and enjoy good conversations. I had gone from 63 to 55 kilos in the preceding four weeks. I was a walking skeleton, but came home much better.

Please, nobody, underestimate this ghastly disease.

Best wishes to all, keep safe, from George
 
Incredible story , wonder how much is being missed like this by all the telephone consultation that replaces a lot of visual detective work
 
@George J
That’s pretty much exactly my experience of shingles. I’ve had kidney stones too which were probably more painful but a lot more short lived. Of the two I’d take kidney stones any day. There’s nothing worse than a whole month of 24/7 agony.

I was lucky to get a quick diagnosis though, I was initially seen by a medical student who was baffled but the GP supervising picked it up immediately.

Did your fingers recover in the end? Mine haven’t.
 
Dear Hifinut,

I am sure your point is correct. There is no substitute, in some cases, for a proper examination with a proficient doctor.

One of the things that is going to result from the Covid pandemic is that people will have got more serious illness due to late or non-diagnosis. The waiting list for routine operations for non-life-threatening conditions is already sky-rocketing as well. A bad knee or hip joint will wait even longer now for treatment.

I am amazed how well the NHS does even so. For all that things can and do go wrong, I believe the NHS represents the greatest organisation in the UK. What I fear is that the current administration from Mr Johnson down don't share my view. The really worrying thing is that most people are apathetic, and don't realise the threat, and once the NHS is chopped up, privatised and profits from treatment mean that many will not able to afford it. But it could happen.

Clearly the current NHS pay rise offer indicates in actions rather than weasel words what the government thinks of the NHS in reality. We should all be worried by this.

Best wishes from George
 
I had shingles around yr 2001. I felt a bit 'off' for a few days but nothing more. Then.. in work, I noticed a bit of 'lumpiness' around the right side of my torso, just above my waist. I asked a colleague to have a look. ( A female.. but we had known each other for years..).. " Something not right there Col.." she said. So.. I surmised Shingles. I was able to get a Doc's appointment and it was confirmed... I was given a prescription for Aciclovir, to be taken as an effervescent drink five times a day for a few days.
I went back into work but my female and very pregnant boss chased me out of the building due to her risk of catching Chicken Pox (Not Shingles) from me.
A few days later it was all over. I had no pain and count myself very lucky. I've since had the vaccine.
 
Funny kidney stone story.

When I had the kidney stone, of course I did not realise to start with. I was picking up the potato pickers from Cinderford [in the Forest of Dean] for an eight o'clock start. This meant picking up the first ones [from their various houses] at seven o'clock and leaving my home no later than half six ...

I missed the alarm and woke up at gone twenty to seven. Yikes. Clothes on and quickly up to Cinderford in a Toyota HiLux pick-up with a metal tilt on the back. Not the raciest vehicle devised. I got there and managed to get the ladies to work bang on eight o'clock as I'd rather have been a few minutes late than drive fast with them on board. Usually I would get them to work ten minutes before their start time ...

I apologised to the boss [who was my cousin], and asked if I could go home and get some breakfast as I was feeling a bit rough. I wacked the bacon and eggs in the pan, and immediately I was sick. Turned the pan off, thank goodness, but was then in so much pain that I had to lay down on the floor. It crossed my mind that I might die if I did nothing, so I crawled to the phone and rang my aunt who took me straight into the Doctor in Ross.

By now I was in so much pain that I lay on the waiting room floor in the foetal position. I think I jumped the queue to see the GP. I was then asked to give a sample into a bottle in the loo at the end of the corridor. Oh dear - the idea of moving that far was too much so I peed straight into the bottle there and then in front of a mightily surprised young doctor! Like a tomatoes juice with Worcester Sauce. Instant diagnosis of course, and immediate injection of morphine. I was prescribed Co-Proximol for a week, but it was my first ever experience of a strong painkiller drug. Too good was my thought, so I tried to go without after the second day. Being high was a very uncomfortable feeling, and I could find a position in bed that was fairly painless. I gave the remaining tablets back to the GP on my next visit.

I have never peed in front of anyone else before or since. But needs must!

Best wishes from George

PS: Another funny thing happened that week. I was at home in bed, and my loyal [one year old] Welsh Collie [not Border Collie, but the older breed that has longer legs and a different somewhat robust herding style] was down stairs. In those days we never locked the door, so anyone could just walk in. I heard the door go, and next thing was Fred the dog clattering up the wooden polishes stairs. Now Fred was not a dog [at least as youngster] to get on my bed, but he barged the bedroom door open and jumped straight up on the feet end.

My aunt [who had taken me to the doctors at the start] came through the door, but then I saw what was on Fred's mind ... He was not a barking type dog, but could muster a terrifying growl.

He doubled in size with his hackles up and I have never seen so many teeth in a dog's mouth, or a more impressive growl interspersed with a terrific sort of guttural snarl as he drew death again. My aunt did not enter the bedroom, and said she would come back another time. Two things come from that. Clearly Fred used to love going to work, and if I was on holiday, he would go to work with my brother rather than stay home. Not a chance of him going out while I was ill though. He stayed put, and with this display of ferocious loyalty showed why. He was looking after his human! Also it shows that though he knew and liked my aunt, when the chips were down his usual sense of fun and wanting to play were backed up by a very deep routed seriousness. I loved that dog.
 
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A friend of mine in his sixties was mis diagnosed for weeks with a wound on his leg. By that time he had taken full blown shingles. That was five years ago and he has has lived with the agonising pain every minute of every day. The upshot is that 5 years previous the NHS were taking out a cancerous kidney but removed the wrong one. They flew him to London from here in Glasgow to save the bad kidney he had left. He only has half of a functioning kidney now and cannot take any painkillers for the Shingles! They reckon he could have the pain for rest of his life.
 
Well... just been diagnosed with Shingles this morning. I am 64 next week, no-one in the family ever had it to my knowledge. Odd it should emerge - I live a stress free life.

Wife guessed about a week ago before the rash appeared - odd pains and skin sensitivity in left trunk of the body front and back and she knew there was a single nerve site that ran all of the areas (ex Physio). Got a Doctor to check it (same day) and with no rash it was 'observation' and come back if a rash develops. Of course on Saturday it was clear there was a rash brewing and by that time I was taking pain killers. So today went back to the surgery who saw me immediately, confirmed what we knew and prescribed Aciclovir high dose, 5x a day! to knock it back a bit. So hoping it remains not too bad....Otherwise I am feeling well and still working from home OK. I am part way through a weight loss programme (5:2 job, going well, 1 stone gone) so I am hoping that I can continue working on that.

Fingers crossed....
 
Isn’t it bad that they aren’t offered in a more timely way via NHS? I mean, there’s no supply problem - I got mine easily enough from Superdrug.
 
Shingles jab has been mentioned in the past. May have been at the Doc surgery. Forget why I declined or dismissed the idea.
Before this thread I had no idea it could be that grim

Daughter in law to be seems to get it quite often, 30s

Will be investigating
 
my mother had a nasty bout about 6 months ago, and is still suffering from the nerve pain. Her GP was prescribing morphine patches - she has now been referred to a pain clinic.

Nasty business, if the vaccine just manages to reduce the symptoms it is (IMO) worth having
 
Vinny said:
I have asthma so get priority with flu vaccinations, but have never had one. I have had symptoms of flu once - around 35 years ago - DREADFUL, utterly dreadful - never felt more ill. But as the flu virus of one of the commoner causes of the common cold, I have to assume that I am lucky in that it essentially never gives me worse than a cold.
Click to expand...

The bit in bold is complete rubbish. The Flu virus is nothing to do with the Common Cold. The flu virus causes Influenza.. which is basically a respiratory disease with associated fever etc. The Common Cold is caused by assorted Coronaviruses..which..mostly cause upper respiratory issues, coughs etc., and by coincidence are similar to but not the same as the NOVEL Coronavirus Covid-19 causing the present pandemic.
 
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Mullardman said:
The bit in bold is complete rubbish. The Flu virus is nothing to do with the Common Cold.
Click to expand...

Take that up with the UK influenza/cold expert who was interviewed at length on R4 literally days before I posted that. You obviously know FAR more than him.
Common cold symptoms are most commonly caused by any one of something like 10 different viruses, the commonest ones of all including the influenza virus. Fact.

It very much stuck in my mind simply because I have only had flu symptoms once in 62 years and was a good explanation as to why. In other words, I am likely to really have had flu numerous times, but it produced only cold symptoms. This is where I suspect that you have got your facts mixed-up/wrong - what virus you have v. what symptoms you have.

I have had a quick search, can't find it, but might even have been Life Scientific, Jim Al-Kalili. (Excellent this wek BTW - migrane expert Peter Goadsby.)
 
Vinny said:
Common cold symptoms are most commonly caused by any one of something like 10 different viruses, the commonest ones of all including the influenza virus. Fact.
Click to expand...

You are the only person I know.. including numerous well informed medical practitioners and organisations such as the NHS etc...who believes that.

https://www.hereforyouhampshire.nhs.uk/ColdOrFlu.html

A cold is a cold and flu is flu. I say again.. they are completely different viruses. It is certainly true that there is some overlap between symptoms, but to say that the Flu virus causes colds is just plain wrong. Fact.

Much of the problem is down to people moaning 'I've got the flu' every time they get a sniffle and that is compounded by the marketing strategies of the over the counter remedy purveyors, using lines such as 'Another cold?..or is it Flu?

It is true that there a viruses which can cause degrees of 'flu like' symptoms.. (fever, aches and pains, shivers etc) but the symptoms are usually milder than full on Flu.
It is I believe also possible to 'experience' Flu in a milder or attenuated form if you have had the vaccine.. but since you say you refuse the vaccine, I doubt that is your experience.

A couple of years ago, I ran a very high fever for a day or so, felt generally rotten etc.. but I had no other symptoms. No sore rthroat, snottyness etc. Just a fever. I consulted a pharmacist who suggested it might well be flu, but 'attenuated' by my annual jab.
 
Vinny said:
Take that up with the UK influenza/cold expert who was interviewed at length on R4 literally days before I posted that. You obviously know FAR more than him.
Common cold symptoms are most commonly caused by any one of something like 10 different viruses, the commonest ones of all including the influenza virus. Fact.

It very much stuck in my mind simply because I have only had flu symptoms once in 62 years and was a good explanation as to why. In other words, I am likely to really have had flu numerous times, but it produced only cold symptoms. This is where I suspect that you have got your facts mixed-up/wrong - what virus you have v. what symptoms you have.

I have had a quick search, can't find it, but might even have been Life Scientific, Jim Al-Kalili. (Excellent this wek BTW - migrane expert Peter Goadsby.)
Click to expand...

This is just fake, or giving you the benefit of the doubt, you misheard.

The cold and flu are different and do not lead to each other.

https://healthclinics.superdrug.com/cold-and-flu-difference/
 
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