So....went to the dentist two weeks ago (£75) and she said I need 3 fillings (£145), two of which I had done on Friday. I've got another dentisit appointment for a week on monday. Just made an appointment with my podiatrist (foot specialist) because I have this horrible pain in the joint of my big toe. It really hurts. So that will cost me a minimum of £35. I know I also need to make an appointment at the opticians next month because my contact lenses contract demands I get tested every year, and will probably lead to a new pair of glasses.

I swear I am falling apart and I am only 22. My supervisor is going to think somethings up soon, because I keep having to tell him that i'm gonna be late in or got to leave late for some appointment. It's crazy.

I just hope my toe gets better- am going on holiday on Thursday evening to the Isle of Wight- it's supposed to be a walking holiday!

We've already had to change our plans, because my boyfriend dislocated his shoulder two weeks ago and now can't drive. So we are getting the train down. My holiday seems to be dooomed!!!

Just thought I would share for everyones amusement!

I'm convinced that stress (or whatever you want to call it) can knacker the body more than a lot of illnesses. In "Love in the Time of Cholera", the lovesick, unhappy protagonist is constantly suffering "the illnesses of old age", even though he's young and healthy.

I've got half a molar at the minute while I wait fo my cap to be fitted (thanks for the advice, Shani
. Top tips from my dentist:

a) If you need a lot of things done (eg fillings and caps), get them all done at one sitting. Then you only pay for the most expensive thing. If you have them done separately, you pay separately for each thing.
b) if you have s small, proto-cavity (like me), using high-strength flouride mouthwash from the pharmacist may heal it, so you don't need another filling.

Thanks for the tips Jouri, am using high-flouride mouthwash after lunch and flouride tootpaste on the recommendation of my dentist. Hopefully it will do the trick and I won't need any more fillings!

Best advice: visit the dental hygienist often (every six months); they are brilliant!

I was going to start a thread on health but I'll add to this one. For the past couple of months I have felt under the weather and every few weeks I get a sore throat and cough and feel yuk. It never develops into a cold or flu or anything. I find I can't get much work done and just want to sleep. I have been very busy with conferences and deadlines lately so I never seem to have a proper break. If I do have a day off I fill it with visits to friends, shopping etc so don't really rest. I feel that I am gradually building up stress and will make myself more ill if I don't do something. I have a holiday booked for September but until then it's flat out work. Does anybody else feel the same way and doean anybody have any advice.

I had this a couple of years ago, when I lost my job and my home in short order - one cold after another.

The only thing that worked was less bloody worry: easier said than done, but it will settle down eventually.

I've had hayfever since I started my PhD 3 years ago, could be coincidence, could be inevitable or could be moving to polluted London (though I always lived in cities before). I have been *enjoying* my newly-found allergy again these last few weeks. I also have at least half a dozen grey hairs at the front of my hair. Now, I'm sure those are definitiely caused by thesis-writing.

I will, however, be using this period of thesis-writing confinement to have some dentistry work done on my front teeth which might take some getting used to and could mean I talk a bit funny to begin with (...like Billie Piper in the last Saturday's episode of Dr who, apparently). I'm having the dental work done as a 30th birthday prsent from my parents - it's a family tradition - my grandmother had all of her teeth removed and replaced with dentures as a 21st birthday present!

I have a horrible condition in my right foot and ankle, not sure if its a form of tendonititis or plantar faciitis...either way, its painful, I hobble first thing in the morning and sometimes through out the day....is it stress related? Ultimately, probably yes, though I blame it more immediately on walking over the picturesque cobblestone lanes of Bleakton...and its horrible when even walking is hard. =( I am going to see about getting some treatment for it, as my home cures and hoping time and common sense would help it along are not doing the job, though, I have also read that this can take up to 18 months or more to heal...

http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Soy-Basted_Trout_with_Crispy_Bacon_and_Fennel.aspx

Whaddayaknow? SOY TROUT! The best of all possible worlds!

and it could be fixed with soya bacon and soya fennel!!

Olivia. Do you wear very flat shoes, such as ballet pumps? I used to get the symptoms you describe with hobbling in the morning and i think walking long distances round London wearing ballet shoes might have been part of the cause. It went away on its own when I started wearing less-flat shoes more often.

bettyspaghetti & olivia- this is otherwise known as being flat-footed. If you have no arches on the insides of your feet, then your feet roll inwards causing lots of pain! It can also lead to bunions and other foot problems. Shoes such as ballet pumps have almost no sole so they don't absorb shock from walking.

I have flat feet and wear orthapaedic insoles to stop my feet from rolling inwards, otherwise I would be in agony all day. I always find its best to get any feet problems checked out at the doctors ASAP as once your feet are runied there is no going back.

Following your advice SillyBilly I performed "an easy and traditional home diagnosis" using the wet footprint test as described here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_feet

I can announce to the forum that I am not flat-footed. However, at the time of my symptoms I did diagnose myself with plantar faciitis as mentioned by Olivia. I think this is more accurate to the symptoms I had, description here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_Faciitis

Dear God!!!! Wikipedia!! I used to have such respect for you people!