Does anyone know..?......Just ask a question.

littleme

250,000th poster!
Wrong school, girls quite happily studied physics & chemistry at my school in the 1950s and early 60s
I went to secondary school in Coventry, that probably explains a lot.

Biology was the only science we were allowed to study, bulls eyeballs and frogs for us to dicect, unless we were 'delicate' then we were excused! So mostly the life cycle of plants is all I know!
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
The US helium-filled airships were not immune to incidents.

f3vqta3adlk11.jpg


Most "peacetime" airship crashes weren't really related to the hydrogen/helium issue.

The Hindenburg had the misfortune to do it very publicly - most of the other crashes were rather more private affairs.

Even with the Hindenburg, there were 35 fatalities and 62 survivors.

I bet the cooks in the galley were a bit pissed off by that ..... :P
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
I went to secondary school in Coventry, that probably explains a lot.

Biology was the only science we were allowed to study, bulls eyeballs and frogs for us to dicect, unless we were 'delicate' then we were excused! So mostly the life cycle of plants is all I know!

Probably the most important biological discovery of the 20th Century was DNA. I can't help but think Watson and Crick might not have succeeded without the work of Rosalind Franklin, who was given no credit back then.
 
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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I bet the cooks in the galley were a bit pissed off by that ..... :P
Of the five large helium-filled US Navy airships, four of them were destroyed in structural failure incidents - the only one that survived to be scrapped was the sole Zeppelin that they had, the indigenous ones all came apart in the air.

Apart from the Hindenburg and wartime events when people were firing incendiary bullets at them, the German airships seem to have been generally fairly 'safe'.

Although, it took a special kind of nutter to get in the Sub-Cloud Car and hang on a thousand feet of wire, to observe the ground below and relay the information by telephone to the main ship, hidden above the clouds.

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Chillybean

Well-Known Forumite
Physics: Increase the spin of the earth and let centrifugal force overcome the powers of gravity and push the gasses further out of the atmosphere into the stratosphere, might need more than a few hamsters running around the north pole though.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
No, I don't! I went to school in the 80's, and girls weren't allowed to study either chemistry of physics at that time.... Hence my weird questions.
I was at Kingston, all boys school, so wouldn't know about that. Certainly in my final years working in a school girls got the same science as boys. But that was only 10 years or so ago. Science institutions have a lot to answer for with regard to female scientists over the decades in terms of discrimination. I believe Cambridge wouldn't offer females degrees up until 1948. Yet when you think of some of the outstanding lady scientists of history, it was a stupid attitude.
We had to do chemistry and physics in Walton High School in the 60's / early 70's. I hated it, especially physics where we had the most boring teacher ever. Droned on so much that one of the lads went to sleep in one lesson. Teacher didn't even notice as he spent all lesson with his back to us just writing on the blackboard as he babbled on.
Chemistry memories are sitting on the benches with people turning the gas taps on trying to kill everyone nearby for fun (It was the gas that gassed you those days)

I've learnt much more from the telly which has made it all more interesting , and this forum since.
 
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Noah

Well-Known Forumite
Hydrogen seems to be the next cleanest 'fuel', but is it?

Hydrogen is seen as one possible answer to a problem. Wind & solar generators don't necessarily produce maximum power at times of peak demand. One line is to store electricity so people are trying to develop better batteries or new types of battery. They are forgettig that you don't need to store electricity you need to store power. So people are looking at using electrolysis to produce hydrogen then when electricity is needed use the hydrogen to fuel generators. People are also looking at pumped storage, hydraulic power ...
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
People are also looking at pumped storage,
The pumped storage at Dinorwig has been running since the early 80s - I still have a couple of shear-pins for the switch disconnectors, if they run out.

There was talk of another on Exmoor, and there seems to be a more likely scheme in another Welsh slate quarry on the horizon.


Turlough Hill, in Co Wicklow has been running since 1974.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Does anyone suffer from lower back pain? Does anyone know if this type of thing works at all?

Screenshot_20210518_161559.jpg

I injured my Lower back 18 months ago, the Dr's physio said it wasn't sciatica and referred me to Greyfriars physiotherapy, unfortunately my first grey friars appointment was just as we went into lock down, so I've never had anyone there examine me.... I've had lots of telephone physio with them and had managed to get the pain under control using exercise and some painkillers... But a week and a half ago my back went back into spasm (of all the things to be doing I was putting a lid on a paint pot on the floor) , I've spoken to the physio, and seen the Dr twice, I was given diazipam 3 x 5ml per day plus normal ibuprofen & paracetamol (I can't take higher dose cosine phosphate or cocodamol as they make me vomit) but they've had no effect, so today they've changed the medication to 3 x 600ml ibuprofen & 4 x 400ml paracetamol plus diazipam at night, plus heat patches, I've been signed off work for at least another week, as I literally can't do anything! I had meant to ask the Dr about these supports but completely forgot, so I'm wondering if anyone has tried them.

Amy help or advice will be gratefully received. :?:
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
I’ve had lower back pain fairly continually for over 25 years following an injury. It’s resulted in worn vertebrae & the only treatment is to fuse them together & kill some nerves (I’ll leave that for now thanks). I’ve tried various things over the years & nothing really works effectively. Keeping mobile, very gentle stretching (but NOT touching your toes) & being careful with posture & movement works best for me when it gets particularly painful (I’m told by gp that I have a “high pain threshold”). I take 2x30/500 cocodamol at night & occasionally during the day if it gets really bad. I’m not keen on Painkillers, they don’t cure anything but just mask the pain encouraging you to do things you shouldn’t. The pain is there for a reason.
Heat pads & creams etc don’t work at all for me, ice packs are far better. I use orthopaedic insoles in shoes & I think they help if standing/walking a lot. Lying on my front & arcing my back upwards works for loosening it as does lying on my back, bringing my legs up to my chest then straightening them as I lower them to the floor
Years ago my mum used a TENS machine for back/leg pain & she swore by it but I tried it for a while & it did nothing for me.
Hope you get over it but once it’s there it’s likely you’ll be in the same position as me & have to live with it. Keep positive.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I’ve had lower back pain fairly continually for over 25 years following an injury. It’s resulted in worn vertebrae & the only treatment is to fuse them together & kill some nerves (I’ll leave that for now thanks). I’ve tried various things over the years & nothing really works effectively. Keeping mobile, very gentle stretching (but NOT touching your toes) & being careful with posture & movement works best for me when it gets particularly painful (I’m told by gp that I have a “high pain threshold”). I take 2x30/500 cocodamol at night & occasionally during the day if it gets really bad. I’m not keen on Painkillers, they don’t cure anything but just mask the pain encouraging you to do things you shouldn’t. The pain is there for a reason.
Heat pads & creams etc don’t work at all for me, ice packs are far better. I use orthopaedic insoles in shoes & I think they help if standing/walking a lot. Lying on my front & arcing my back upwards works for loosening it as does lying on my back, bringing my legs up to my chest then straightening them as I lower them to the floor
Years ago my mum used a TENS machine for back/leg pain & she swore by it but I tried it for a while & it did nothing for me.
Hope you get over it but once it’s there it’s likely you’ll be in the same position as me & have to live with it. Keep positive.

I have arthritis between two of my discs and just use deep freeze when it plays up.

Seems to ease my pain and is cheap.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
I’ve had lower back pain fairly continually for over 25 years following an injury. It’s resulted in worn vertebrae & the only treatment is to fuse them together & kill some nerves (I’ll leave that for now thanks). I’ve tried various things over the years & nothing really works effectively. Keeping mobile, very gentle stretching (but NOT touching your toes) & being careful with posture & movement works best for me when it gets particularly painful (I’m told by gp that I have a “high pain threshold”). I take 2x30/500 cocodamol at night & occasionally during the day if it gets really bad. I’m not keen on Painkillers, they don’t cure anything but just mask the pain encouraging you to do things you shouldn’t. The pain is there for a reason.
Heat pads & creams etc don’t work at all for me, ice packs are far better. I use orthopaedic insoles in shoes & I think they help if standing/walking a lot. Lying on my front & arcing my back upwards works for loosening it as does lying on my back, bringing my legs up to my chest then straightening them as I lower them to the floor
Years ago my mum used a TENS machine for back/leg pain & she swore by it but I tried it for a while & it did nothing for me.
Hope you get over it but once it’s there it’s likely you’ll be in the same position as me & have to live with it. Keep positive.
Ahhh yes, the physio did say it would probably be a lifelong thing, and I've 'managed' the pain sucessfully over the last year with my exercises and fairly constant movement... Hard to believe that bending down to put a lid on a pot of paint has caused me to be signed off work for 2 weeks! Over the counter cocodamol is OK for me, doesn't really do much, but the higher prescribed dose just makes me vomit....

Thanks for the advice @EasMid & @Thehooperman
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
90% of @EasMid's post applies to me. Mine is probably more a poor assembly/design issue than a damage-related affair, though.

I've suffered since my early teens. Everybody's situation will be different, but you should, with care, be able to experiment and find procedures that (at least) help. Or just find the things that you shouldn't do.

Standing still is a real problem for me, just a few minutes is too much, but I can potter about all day. I also am not a fan of masking the issue and generally avoid that path - I also don't keep embrocation tubes in the bathroom, having accidentally attempted to clean my teeth with Deep Heat once,

If your situation is usually one-sided, that can give clues. Car seats can be a bit slouchy and driving one handed produces a long-term asymmetry in muscle usage - as does the use of shoulder bags, often always carried on the same shoulder. Etc.

I'm either getting better at containing it or it's getting better on its own - who knows...

I did also try a TENS machine, with no discernible benefit, but others do report good results.

I do find that a hot bath is beneficial.

It is always possible that an osteopath or chiropractor might be able to help - I sorted out my grumbling knee after two decades by smashing it off the road near Seighford, having fallen off a motorbike - it has been virtually no trouble in the two decades since.

You may just need to experiment and see what seems to work in your favour and what seems not to...
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Does anyone suffer from lower back pain? Does anyone know if this type of thing works at all?

View attachment 10615

I injured my Lower back 18 months ago, the Dr's physio said it wasn't sciatica and referred me to Greyfriars physiotherapy, unfortunately my first grey friars appointment was just as we went into lock down, so I've never had anyone there examine me.... I've had lots of telephone physio with them and had managed to get the pain under control using exercise and some painkillers... But a week and a half ago my back went back into spasm (of all the things to be doing I was putting a lid on a paint pot on the floor) , I've spoken to the physio, and seen the Dr twice, I was given diazipam 3 x 5ml per day plus normal ibuprofen & paracetamol (I can't take higher dose cosine phosphate or cocodamol as they make me vomit) but they've had no effect, so today they've changed the medication to 3 x 600ml ibuprofen & 4 x 400ml paracetamol plus diazipam at night, plus heat patches, I've been signed off work for at least another week, as I literally can't do anything! I had meant to ask the Dr about these supports but completely forgot, so I'm wondering if anyone has tried them.

Amy help or advice will be gratefully received. :?:
Years ago I couldn't walk hardly once with damage to my back , and doctor diagnosing sciatica.
I saw Barry Whittaker , who used to be the Stafford Rangers physio, for my sports injuries.
He diagnosed a trapped nerve or fluid or something ( can't remember what) in my spine , got me on the couch and did a manoeuvre that resulted in a loud cracking noise. I thought he'd broken my back! Told me that in 3 days I'd be OK and I was. Only cost me £3 to get it sorted with him.
He said that would have been caused by something as simple as lifting son into his carseat in the back of the 2 door car, so twisting whilst lifting.
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
@littleme
The simplest, most ridiculously minor movement is what seems to cause the biggest problems Trying to mow the lawn is impossible for me.
@Gramaisc
Yes, standing still or worse, shuffling around I. Shops etc is one of the worst scenarios for me. On a positive note it’s a great “reason” not to go around the shops with the wife.
@Noah.
I spoke to someone many years ago & he had loads of trouble after having it done & when they tell you the risks it’s enough to put me off having it done. I can still walk & be fairly active most of the time so that’s almost good enough for me. It’s just a shame that I can’t run now.
@ staffordjas
Barry Whitaker was the first person I saw many years ago ( in friars terrace). He was brilliant & really helped st the beginning. Far better than the doctor who said I’d have to spend a month in bed (absolutely the worst thing I should have done at the time) & change my career. I couldn’t get out of the caf unaided at my first treatment from him but managed to walk out of his rooms & get in the car (still couldn’t drive though). It’s a shame he’s not still practicing.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
@littleme

@ staffordjas
Barry Whitaker was the first person I saw many years ago ( in friars terrace). He was brilliant & really helped st the beginning. Far better than the doctor who said I’d have to spend a month in bed (absolutely the worst thing I should have done at the time) & change my career. I couldn’t get out of the caf unaided at my first treatment from him but managed to walk out of his rooms & get in the car (still couldn’t drive though). It’s a shame he’s not still practicing.

He was brilliant. Sorted me out with many a running injury at just 2 or 3 quid , when others were seeing these fancy Chiropractors at more than 10 times the cost.

I had great faith in him to sort me out. He certainly knew his stuff!

He was on a road just up the Wolverhampton road , where the driving tests( 1973 when I took mine) used to start + finish in the days when I saw him . Alexander Rd has come into my head (??)
Old terraced house, the front room was the waiting room, and the back room his treatment room.
 
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EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
You’re right it was Alexander Road opposite St Austin’s. I don’t know what made me put Friars Terrace. He certainly did know his stuff & he called the dr an idiot when I told what he’d told me.
 
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