A THIRD of NHS workers, including carers, don’t look after their own health because they are burnt out.
And a fifth miss check-ups as they don’t have the time.
Dr Zoe Williams helps Sun readers with their health concerns[/caption]
That’s according to a nationwide survey of 2,000 people by Optical Express, which is offering some NHS workers free laser eye surgery.
The Thanks A Million campaign will give £1m-worth of free care to NHS and emergency service workers.
It’s not usually possible to get laser eye surgery on the NHS unless you have an eye condition that could lead to blindness or eye problems that can’t be helped with glasses or contact lenses.
The survey found six in ten people believe poor eyesight will force them out of their current jobs. So get that eye test and don’t accept changes as “part of ageing”.
You only have until Friday to put in for the free laser eye surgery, so be quick. Apply at 1.opticalexpress.co.uk/thanks-a-million.
Here’s a selection of what readers have asked this week.
Soothe osteo pain
Q) I HAVE been diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 76 years old.
My main problems are my hands, wrists and knees.
An information sheet I was given detailed treatments such as NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in the form of creams and tablets, weak opioids and steroid injections.
My GP suggested Voltarol, which helped a lot with my wrists but not at all with my knees.
I have trouble getting up and down from sitting and I’m often woken at night with pain in the whole legs.
I don’t know which treatment to start for the best results. What is your advice?
In November I lost my husband so I am trying to get myself together and deal with that.
A) Thank you for writing in. I’m so sorry to hear about your husband.
It’s great to hear you are taking control of your health though.
Voltarol is effective for the smaller joints closer to the skin, so the cream can be absorbed into the joint itself.
It’s absolutely fine to continue using that on your hands and wrists, but you’re right that it does tend to be less effective for your knees.
NSAID tablets such as ibuprofen or naproxen could be effective at managing the pain in your knees, so it might be worth checking with your GP if it’s safe for you to switch to a tablet of NSAID instead.
But the best way to treat osteoarthritis at the knees, is exercise.
Cycling, swimming or low-impact exercises at home can help strengthen the muscles that support the knee joint and alleviate pressure on the knee.
It can also help remodel the structures within the knee, such as the cartilage, and reverse some of the damage done by the osteoarthritis.
People who have very severe osteoarthritis may need to look towards joint replacement surgery eventually.
With the circumstances you describe, I think you will particularly benefit from group exercise.
My advice is to enquire about referral to a local social prescribing worker. They can help link you with charities and other community groups that can offer suitable exercise classes.
Some programmes designed for people with arthritis incorporate socialising and education, which can be hugely beneficial. NHS Escape-pain is one – ask your GP about it.
Tip of the week
UP TO a million people in the UK are living with type 2 diabetes without even knowing, it’s estimated. It can lead to serious health complications.
Watch out for symptoms such as persistent thirst, peeing more than usual and feeling tired.
Q) MY 71-year-old dad had an infection in December 2023 which turned into sepsis.
No aftercare followed and he is continuing to get symptoms of infections to the point ambulances are called, but he is not getting taken seriously.
Dr Zoe helps a reader whose father had sepsis[/caption]
He has fever, shakes and can’t focus, has dry eyes and inflamed eyelids.
He is constantly breaking out in red rashes, including on the arms, hands and head.
I’m worried but feel I am being an inconvenience to the GP.
A) I am sorry to hear that your dad had sepsis. This can be really distressing for the patient and also for the family around them.
Let me start off with the rash, which you kindly sent in a photograph of.
The picture shows a red inflamed area of skin on the inside of the elbow, and it looks to me very much like eczema.
It is possible to develop eczema later in life, and it is also possible that a severe illness such as sepsis with multiple courses of antibiotics could make the skin more prone to things like eczema.
In order to treat the eczema, apply emollients several times a day to all affected areas.
You may also require some steroid creams initially to get the inflammation under control.
Moving on to the other symptoms you describe, some people who have had sepsis have ongoing symptoms after their initial recovery phase.
You mentioned several symptoms here, which could fit with post-sepsis syndrome.
Symptoms can include extreme tiredness and weakness, poor mobility, chest pains and breathlessness, joint and muscle pain accompanied sometimes by swollen limbs, vision changes, hair loss, skin rashes, depression and anxiety, flashbacks, difficulty concentrating, memory loss and mood swings.
If as a family, you feel like you need further support in helping look after your dad following his recent sepsis, I would advise you to get in touch with the UK Sepsis Trust (sepsistrust.org).
It has nurses who can provide really good, individualised support and advice.
Itchy legs are still driving me mad
Q) FOR years I have had a constant itch around the scrotum area and at the bottom of my legs, just before the ankles.
I have tried various creams and antihistamines but to no avail. It’s driving me to distraction. I am 64.
Another reader writes in about a constant itch at the bottom of their legs and around the scrotum area[/caption]
A) As you have already tried creams and I assume other treatments from the pharmacist, it is definitely time to take a trip to the GP.
An itchy rash in the scrotum area could be eczema but it could also be a fungal or yeast infection or a sexually transmitted disease.
Your GP may be able to find some clues when they examine you and guide you as to what best treatment you should try next.
The rash that is on your lower legs just before the ankles might or might not be related.
The most common cause here would be venous eczema, which affects about 20 per cent of people aged over 70.
It’s actually caused by venous insufficiency which means that the veins are no longer transporting blood back up to the heart effectively, and so some fluid leaks out into the skin.
This can stimulate an immune response, causing eczema.
It’s important to use emollients creams every day and you may need occasional steroid creams too if it flares up.
Staying active and elevating your legs at certain periods during the day can help.
Compression stockings may help, but first your GP needs to check that the arterial blood flow to the feet is good.
It’s important to take good care of the skin and treat any minor injuries to it very carefully.
BOYS MISSING OUT ON HPV JAB
EIGHT in ten people are unaware of a life-saving vaccine boys can get at school, a survey has found.
The human papillomavirus jab protects against a virus linked to six types of cancer and has been offered to boys aged 12 to 13 since 2019.
Eight in ten people are unaware of the life-saving HPV jab boys can get at school[/caption]
It has been available to girls since earlier – 2008 – but 60 per cent did not know that either.
The survey of 2,100 people, released today (HPV Awareness Day), revealed that 82 per cent of people do not know that boys are eligible for the jab.
The knowledge gap comes amid falling vaccination rates.
Government data shows that 72.9 per cent of Year Eight girls and 67.7 per cent of Year Eight boys were vaccinated in the 2023–2024 school year, a sharp drop from 88 per cent and 71 per cent before the
pandemic.
Officials say there has been an increase in the number of non-returned and declined consent forms from parents.
Experts warn that this decline could lead to a rise in HPV-related cancers, including cervical cancer, genital and head and neck cancers.
Tamara Kahn, the chief executive of the charity Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, said: “This isn’t just about statistics – it’s about real people whose futures hang in the balance.”
DISEASE IS ‘WORSE IN WOMEN’
ALZHEIMER’S disease may damage women’s brains more aggressively than men’s, according to a study.
The finding from a study at Harvard University, in the US, offers a clue about why women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
This was previously thought to be because they live longer.
Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia and triggers serious mental and physical disabilities by severely damaging the brain over many years.
It develops by causing two toxic proteins – amyloid and tau – to build up in the brain.
An analysis of six major studies including more than 1,300 participants found that women with high levels of amyloid at the start of the studies suffered a faster build-up of tau proteins in their brains, compared to men with similar amyloid levels.
This accelerated tau build-up was particularly noticeable in brain regions associated with memory and thinking.
The findings suggest the biology of Alzheimer’s affects women worse than men.
The study also found that women who carried the APOE4 gene – a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s – showed faster tau build-up compared to men with the same gene.
