"Telling my story to say thank you to everyone who has cared"

I visited my G. P towards the end of May as my Tennis Elbow (in both elbows) had become very painful making my job of a School Caretaker very difficult. I asked about a referral for an operation but the G. P advised that I will need to try alternative treatments before I would be considered for surgery. She said she would refer me for physio.

T. R. A. Q. S sent me a letter about a week later for me to ring and make an appointment. I was offered 2 places, one of which was my local hospital The Princess Royal, Telford. Initially I was offered an appointment for July 3rd which I thought was quite quick so was happy. A couple of days later T. R. A. Q. S rung me with an appointment that following week as they had a cancellation.

I had my 1st Physio appointment with Fiona who was very knowledgeable, kind, understanding and took time to listen to me. We agreed on exercise for my left elbow (my worst one) which she explained to me how to do correctly. 3 weeks later I went back but told her I had to stop the exercises as it was making the pain worse. She confirmed that stopping was the right thing to do and next offered me acupuncture. I had had acupuncture before a number of years ago for another problem (on the N. H. S) and had a good result so didn't hesitate to accept this treatment again.

Next appointment I had acupuncture which instantly had a positive effect but unfortunately by the time I got home and in the following few hours made the pain much worse. The next day it had settled back down but also for the next 3 days it made me extremely tired and no energy at all. Fiona said at the time I might feel tired for the rest of the day.

Next time I saw Fiona I told her what had happened and she said she hadn't come across anyone having had these reactions after acupuncture before and would consult with a colleague who is taking a Masters Degree in acupuncture. We agreed not to try acupuncture again and Fiona said she would refer me to Gordon for a steroid injection in my left elbow. I viewed my concern that my G. P had said that injecting doesn't have a high level of success but Fiona assured me that people who inject on a regular basis and have a very good knowledge of the physiology of where they are injecting do have an exceedingly high rate of success. Once I got home though I realised that my right elbow, I felt, had been forgotten about because it wasn't as bad so I had to make sure I said to Gordon about it.

A the beginning of august I saw Gordon who remembered my surname from nearly 2 years ago and when I said I saw him about injecting my shoulder he remembered more. He scanned both elbows telling me I have inflammation and also calcium deposits. I said the right elbow had seemed to of been forgotten about so what I didn't want to happen was to be discharged from their care to just end up having to go back to my G. P and start the process again. Once Gordon was aware that I had been referred for both elbows he said he could inject both which I was really pleased about as I am off work for 3 weeks so it's a perfect time to have them done.

The injections weren't painless but I felt comfortable knowing Gordon knew exactly what he was doing and because he was scanning at the same time the steroid was put into the correct place for maximum effect. During the procedure I asked about the calcium deposits and what that meant and he explained it all. He explained how I might feel for a few days after and said to rest for at least 2 days.

I am due to see Fiona again mid September to review how I am after I have been back at work a couple of weeks (my job is the reason I have Tennis Elbow).

Throughout this whole process I feel that ALL the people I have spoke to have been very professional, knowledgeable, understanding, have listened to me, not made me feel rushed and have made my N. H. S experience a very positive one. I thought I would take the time to tell my story and say thank you to everyone who has cared. I hope my elbows settle down and I can get back to enjoying my job of 15 years and not see it as the chore it had become due to pain.