"Was told to take ibuprofen for carpal tunnel..."

I started to experience numbness, pain and swelling in my arm and hand in early May 2017, to the point that I couldn't even twist a key in a lock with that hand, or flush a toilet. I was in tears most evenings. The doctor I saw diagnosed me with carpal tunnel and told me to buy a splint and take ibuprofen or naproxen for 6 weeks, and if it was still a problem to come back. She asked me if I had asthma, and I said yes, but it was mild. I hadn't had to use a preventative inhaler since 2010. I was happy with this appointment.

6 weeks later, it was clear the carpal tunnel syndrome was still a problem. I went back to the doctors, but couldn't get an appointment with the same one. I was instructed to "Just keep taking ibuprofen and wearing the splint". Over the next year, I had quite a few appointments regarding various things, but at EVERY single one of them, I mentioned the carpal tunnel pain. It was getting worse and worse, to the point I'd not even been able to work some days. One doctor, who I won't name, even said, "Have you tried taking ibuprofen?" and when I said, "Yes, it's not been working, I've been taking it since May." She rolled her eyes and said, "Just take ibuprofen." As if she hadn't heard me. The second to last appointment that I mentioned the pain, I was told to, "Just lose weight and it'll go away on its own." Well, I have. I've lost 10KG and the carpal tunnel syndrome is clearly here to stay. Weight was not a factor mentioned in previous appointments.

It took until April 2018 for somebody to listen to me. But rather than there be pain relief, there was more a question of whether it was even the right diagnosis. Not a single doctor in between May 2017 and April 2018 had even taken time to look at my arm, so I didn't even know there could be reason to doubt diagnosis. I really do appreciate the doctor that finally did listen to me.

In June, I went to the asthma clinic because my asthma has been so bad. I was using the blue inhaler three times a day, which was partially due to high pollen count, but my quality of breathing for the past 6 months or so hadn't been amazing. I told them I'd been taking ibuprofen. The asthma nurse said I should never have been instructed to take it for so long. I'm now having to use a preventative inhaler for the first time in 8 years. The asthma nurse said I wasn't even down as having asthma. Considering I've been coming to this surgery for 6 years, and I have definitely gone to the surgery for the ventolin inhalers over that time, it should have been on my record. Not to mention the countless times I was asked if I had asthma. I didn't know that ibuprofen could worsen asthma. I had no idea, and now it has. And, 15 months since the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome I still have no diagnosis, and no adequate form of pain relief - I tried co-codamol but had an allergic reaction.

It was only June 2018 that I was given a physio for the CTS. I should have been referred by the second appointment.