[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Everything else!

Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k

Post Reply
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13682
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Max Peck »

If push comes to shove, isn't a hospital ER visit an option, at least to diagnose the problem?
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43493
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Blackhawk »

If your optometrist doesn't schedule an emergency appointment after you tell them you think you have a detached retina, call a different optometrist (and never go back to the one that didn't.) This is an emergency thing, not a 'see you next month' thing.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
LawBeefaroni
Forum Moderator
Posts: 55316
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:08 pm
Location: Urbs in Horto, outrageous taxes on everything

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by LawBeefaroni »

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:29 am If your optometrist doesn't schedule an emergency appointment after you tell them you think you have a detached retina, call a different optometrist (and never go back to the one that didn't.) This is an emergency thing, not a 'see you next month' thing.
Also call your PCPs office and ask for help getting a referral. Often they'll know someone at the specialist's office and can get you an appointment quickly. Let them know the severity and that you've tried schedule and urgent/emergent appointment yourself with no luck.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton

MYT
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.
My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.
User avatar
Sudy
Posts: 8275
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:11 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Sudy »

IANAO, but I agree with the others, please consider treating this like an emergency Kraken. You may have injured it months ago, but it's worsened and the pain is new, isn't it? If you had full retinal detachment you might know, but this still has the potential to be serious. Vision isn't something you want to take a risk with.

Both my dad any I have been warned we're at potential risk for retinal detachments due to our physiology. He actually had very similar symptoms to what you're describing recently. Thankfully it wound up being an injury that should heal on its own, but he dragged his feet getting it checked out because he assumed it was related to his own developing cataracts.
Last edited by Sudy on Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
User avatar
wonderpug
Posts: 10342
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 4:38 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by wonderpug »

Take it from someone whose wife has had several detached retinas. Take this seriously. When she sees flashes we get help immediately.
User avatar
Ralph-Wiggum
Posts: 17449
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 am
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.
My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.
But certainly there is more than one practice in your town, right? As others have said, the symptoms you described could be not-wait-a-month type of thing. One thing I've learned: don't take chances with your eyes!
Black Lives Matter
Freyland
Posts: 3041
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:03 pm

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Freyland »

As stated above, skip the optometrist of they are not helping immediately; they are only good for a referral if your retina is detaching. You need an ophthalmologist.
Do a video visit with your pcp, or go to the ER. Either one can get your ball rolling asap. And while the injury may have been 3 months ago, the retinal symptoms are emergent.
Sims 3 and signature unclear.
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43493
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Blackhawk »

This is more like having a compound fracture, calling your doctor, and them making you an appointment for a month later. Either they don't know what's going on (explain it to them), or they're not doing their job. This isn't exaggeration. Untreated, you could end up blind.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
wonderpug
Posts: 10342
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 4:38 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by wonderpug »

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 am
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.
My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.
See if your insurance will let you go to MERSI. They have a location in Boston and one in Waltham. If only Waltham has an opening, it's worth the drive. They have some of the best eye doctors on the planet.
User avatar
Jaymon
Posts: 3006
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:51 pm

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Jaymon »

one of my workmates came down with Shingles

jeebers this year just keeps giving
Bunnies like beer because its made from hops.
User avatar
Zarathud
Posts: 16434
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 10:29 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Zarathud »

For me it was a 5-day hospital stint with cellulitis that went septic because it took 48 hours to diagnose it was leg that was messed up, not Covid-19.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

Got my flu shot today. Gorgeous weather for the outdoor clinic at town hall, so I didn't even mind 20 minutes in line. As you'd expect from people getting vaccinated, mask compliance and distancing were 100%.
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by hitbyambulance »

i woke up early AM a couple nights ago thinking the bed was supremely uncomfortable with this hard pressure spot on my arm. nope, it was the aftereffects of the flu vaccination the night after i got it (it's all better now)
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

My arm is already sore. It will get sorer overnight.
User avatar
RunningMn9
Posts: 24461
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:55 pm
Location: The Sword Coast
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by RunningMn9 »

Kraken wrote:My arm is already sore. It will get sorer overnight.
Was sore for two days I think.
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63525
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Daehawk »

Me and my wife always took turns with which arm got the shot. But for the life of me I cant remember which I got it in last year. So Im planning on a left arm this time. Its mostly because I sleep more on my right side and dont want to lay on it. But it really barely gets sore. Sometimes I cant tell i got a shot. If it does it goes away in a day or so.

Nothing like that damn Pneumonia or shingles shot I got..think it was the pneumonia one. Sucker got red hot and was like a golf ball. It stayed like that and hurt like hell for 2 weeks or more. Never got another one for sure. That was a few years ago.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

That Shingrix vaccine kicked my ass like none other. Didn't help that the pharmacist seemed unskilled in jabbing people. I almost didn't get the second dose except for the sunk cost fallacy. A flu shot is nothing in comparison.
Jeff V
Posts: 36414
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 7:17 pm
Location: Nowhere you want to be.

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Jeff V »

Signed up for wife's health insurance last month but still waiting for cards. I've ever had a problem with the flu vaccine though. Last year, I got mine at CVS but the kids had to go to their healthcare provider because stores don't do kids. They were excellent though no drama at all.

When I worked for a hospital, we were down the hall from the employee health office and the nurse practitioner in charge would give us shots right at our desks. One year my boss was apparently whining, eliciting this response from the 60+ year old nurse: "Duane, stop being a pussy!"
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Paingod »

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 amI injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.
Anything that's getting worse is an emergency.

I was bitten by a cat once. It wasn't an emergency. Halfway through the next day when my arm swelled up to twice it size and felt like it was one fire, it became an emergency.

I'm going to toss your symptoms past one of the Optometrists I work for and see what his "off the cuff" feeling on it is.

*Edit: His reply:
This could be an emergency. A scratched cornea heals within a few day, so I think he needs to have his retina evaluated ASAP.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Isgrimnur »

"My retina would like to speak to the manager."
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Paingod »

Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 amI wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That usually makes all the difference. I think that if you called one of our clinics and mentioned what you had going on there, they'd get you in within a couple hours at least.

I'm sure you'd rather be wearing an eye patch because your retina is healing after a surgery instead of wearing an eye patch because it's collapsed and irreparable. I hope it comes out okay.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63525
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Daehawk »

I hope it comes out okay.
Well I for one hope it stays in there and attached :P
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
wonderpug
Posts: 10342
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 4:38 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by wonderpug »

Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.
User avatar
Jaymon
Posts: 3006
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:51 pm

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Jaymon »

wonderpug wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:48 pm
Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.
its such a relief when you finally get to meet with experts. I have a blood disorder, and nearly every doctor I ever met would need to ask for the spelling, or start googling when i mentioned it. But I finally got to talk to an expert, and he was so excited like, I want to run this test, and that test, and see if its type one or type 2, and do you have any other family members I can test. And then he started talking symptoms, and im like, yes, yes, yes, yes ,yes, straight down the list, and I'm like FInally! somebody gets it. He not only knew what it as and how to treat it, but also the first name of the doctor that discovered it, and how it reacted with other medications, and other treatments, etc etc.
So that day was one of my better days visiting doctors.
Bunnies like beer because its made from hops.
User avatar
dbt1949
Posts: 25688
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:34 am
Location: Hogeye Arkansas

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by dbt1949 »

If you lose your eye you have to become a pirate.
Too soon?
Ye Olde Farte
Double Ought Forty
aka dbt1949
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

wonderpug wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:48 pm
Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.
I've been going to Eye Health Services for decades; it's Big Eyeball on the South Shore with 17 ophthalmologists at 9 locations. The one I go to in Weymouth is bigger than many general hospitals. I've always received excellent care there. They also have a great optometry department -- it's pricey, but it takes our insurance and gives an AARP discount. The drawback to its size is impersonality.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Isgrimnur »

One would think that impersonality when facing down a Big Eyeball would be preferable.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:48 pm One would think that impersonality when facing down a Big Eyeball would be preferable.
Yeah, that's never bothered me. I don't need to have a personal connection with the eye doctor that I see once every 2-3 years.
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10904
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by TheMix »

Sauron reference?

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Isgrimnur »

:horse: :shifty:
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10904
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by TheMix »

Kraken wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:48 pm Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.
Wow. That's awesome!

Being in Colorado I struggle with the dryness. Especially since I started working at home. I tend to drink a lot less when it's not an excuse to get up from the computer. :) I usually notice it when my eyes start to get scratchy. Thankfully I've never had it get as bad as what you experienced. Though maybe I need to work even harder on drinking more.

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43688
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Kraken »

My body just doesn't generate enough tears. I wake up every morning with dry, itchy eyes -- no relief even after hours of sleep.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Paingod »

Kraken wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:48 pm Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.
That's great news! Sort of.

Dry eye treatment is a big push they're doing in our clinics. One main source seems to be the glands that produce lipids to keep moisture on your eyes drying up/atrophying. We sell Bruder masks to help stop that (basically a hot/dry eye compress that keeps the oils flowing freely each night) but it only prevents it. Apparently when these glands die off, they're just gone for good.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Ralph-Wiggum
Posts: 17449
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

My eyes are also seemingly constantly dry. I use a gel (basically mineral oil, I think) at night, which seems to help. At one point my eye doc suggested some procedure that I think plugs up your tear duct (?) that is supposed to help, but I didn't go for that. Generally the dry eyes are manageable, although they can make contacts a pain to wear sometimes.
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Isgrimnur »

Punctal plugs
The plugs are inserted into the tear duct opening (punctal) in the corner of your eye. This is the area where tears usually drain through the back of your nose and throat.

The plugs form a blockade so the tears can’t flow out, keeping your eyes lubricated.
...
Temporary punctal plugs are made of collagen, and they’ll dissolve after a few months. Plugs made of silicone are meant to last for years.

The plugs come in different sizes, so your doctor will need to measure the opening of your tear duct.
...
This noninvasive procedure requires nothing more than a few anesthetic eye drops.

Your doctor will use a special instrument to insert the plugs. You might have some minor discomfort, but it’s generally not painful. From beginning to end, the procedure should only take a few minutes. Once the plugs are in, you probably won’t be able to feel them.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Smoove_B
Posts: 54567
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
Location: Kaer Morhen

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Smoove_B »

My wife had them inserted 5+ years ago and we'd joke she had implants. I think they helped for a really short time, but then stopped working.

I can't cure your dry eyes, but I can recommend OTC Retaine eye drops. It feels like you're putting lotion on your eyeballs - it's amazing. Definitely get some.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: [Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Post by Isgrimnur »

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:25 pm It feels like you're putting lotion on your eyeballs
That is not a soothing mental image to some of us.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
Post Reply