An introduction

A week ago today I had my coccyx removed by Professor Doursounian in Paris. I stayed in the St Antoine hospital for 7 days, coming out on Sunday 15th February. I am now continuing to rest in a nearby apartment, before, all being well, returning home via Eurostar on the 24th February.

Excuse the pun (I am going to try and squeeze them in as often as possible!), but finding a solution to coccydynia really is like chasing your tail. The lack of understanding within the healthcare profession is quite shocking, particularly in the NHS where the standard response can be a shrug of the shoulders and some vague statement of it hopefully disappearing soon - followed by questions hinting at how happy you are with life.

It is a rare condition so perhaps this is to be expected, but it is also an increasingly common condition (as we all increasingly sit down for a living). It needs to be understood better as not being able to sit down is not an easy way to get on with your life! Evidence is out there but people (sufferers and medical professionals) need to be made aware so that they can manage it more effectively.

My pain started in October 2012 and during that time I have had every treatment possible, leading to the ultimate decision to go ahead with the coccygectomy last week. Time will tell as to whether that was the correct decision, although it was my only realistic one left. More on that over the coming weeks I am sure.

The purpose of this ongoing blog is twofold: to keep myself busy over the coming long weeks of recovery and to help spread the word and inform people of their choices should they have the misfortune to suffer similar pain. Ultimately, I want this to help create an increased awareness and understanding of the issues so people do not need to suffer for as long in the future. My pact is to keep moaning to a minimum and try and inject some humour where possible! I hope you find it useful and enjoy it.

In the next entry I will detail the various treatments I have had.

James