We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

[Daehawk]

Great news man! I didn't even know we had that many lymph nodes.

[Blackhawk]

Great news man! I didn't even know we had that many lymph nodes.

They could take out 25 lymph nodes about 25 times before they ran out. We're packed full of 'em.

[Isgrimnur]

[stessier]

[stessier]

I don't know if it's food poisoning, but whatever I've been going through for the last 2 hours sucks.

[Madmarcus]

I don't know if it's food poisoning, but whatever I've been going through for the last 2 hours sucks.

Wouldn't food poisoning be what's going through you?

[stessier]

I don't know if it's food poisoning, but whatever I've been going through for the last 2 hours sucks.

Wouldn't food poisoning be what's going through you?

Make it four hours. And I guess? I need to start googling when fluid loss becomes dangerous.

[Kurth]

I don't know if it's food poisoning, but whatever I've been going through for the last 2 hours sucks.

Wouldn't food poisoning be what's going through you?

Make it four hours. And I guess? I need to start googling when fluid loss becomes dangerous.

Maybe you should pound some water first. Just to be on the safe side.

[stimpy]

"Man dies of dehydration looking up when fluid loss becomes dangerous".

[naednek]

"Man dies of dehydration looking up when fluid loss becomes dangerous".

Hah.

Drink up! Drink like you're Gronk

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

[Default]

4weeks after surgery, I'm walking about a mile a day and started driving again. I figure another month, and I will be back at work, but probably not working overtime on other routes. Everyone tells me how great I am doing and how far ahead of schedule I am, compared to other people.
Still gimpy.

[ImLawBoy]

Had my 6 week post-op appointment this afternoon with the surgeon, and everything looks good. I'm currently off of dietary and activity/lifting restrictions!

[TheMix]

Had my 6 week post-op appointment this afternoon with the surgeon, and everything looks good. I'm currently off of dietary and activity/lifting restrictions!

Yay!

[dbt1949]

Congrats! I am too!

[Daehawk]

Well now theres less sick OOrs. My circle is shrinking.

[Blackhawk]

Awesome!

Well now theres less sick OOrs. My circle is shrinking.

Nah, we're still here. We just find different levels of things grumble-worthy. The arthritis in my spine isn't going anywhere, and it's likely what's making my shoulder hurt. I won't even get into my wrist - it feels like cubital tunnel, but I haven't been abusing my cubitals at all. My cataracts are still small and not getting worse, but they're there, and will be a problem eventually. And my teeth - I popped a filling on one of my three chewing teeth yesterday. Those three teeth are two adjacent on the top (1st and 2nd premolars), one that they meet on the bottom (1st premolar.) They're all that's left that line up with each other, so with a filling gone, I have to chew with the exposed tooth to eat. If they have to pull it, I'm likely on a liquid diet for the rest of my life, as I won't be able to chew solid food anymore.

[Daehawk]

Nah you can eat so much stuff...just not everything. I had half my teeth pulled over the years the rest broke off. I have 3 bottom front teeth left is all now day. I still eat hamburger, chips, lots of what I always ate. But then theres lots I cant like pretzels and peanuts or cereals or anything crunchy really. I cant even eat crunchy chicken sandwiches from fast food places. It was harder when I first lost them all but my gums and broken parts toughened up.

I will say I had a lot of infections I treated myself and some bad ones the doc had to fix. Lucky Ive not had one in a year or more. But I still get gum blisters from chewing and really from spicy foods. Not as many now either. But I have one on my bottom left gum that wont go away. If I leave it stays if I pop it it comes back. Its a tight water blister.Not sure just annoying. Sometimes it fills with clear water and others its blood or a mucus like puss I guess. Press to pop then spit and rinse with salt water or hydrogen peroxide.

I HATE my mouth. I hate talking to anyone or ordering at the register or ANYTHING. I mumble and move on. Its one reason I dont bother with friends family or anything. Just too put off at it all and ashamed. Once it got infected and I said hell with it hope it kills me. my face swelled up until my nose hurt. Looked like Alfalfa on Little Rascals when he had a toothache. In the end I gave up and decided to live and go get it treated. But it got cheaper to just let them break off at the gum line. It didn't hurt and saved money pulling them or fixing them for them to break a year later.

But I admit I thought the same thing about having to eat mush from the food processor and liquids the rest of my life back when I lost my first two or three molars. I was so mad then.

[Jaymann]

*Fewer*

[Kraken]

At my annual physical a couple of weeks ago I told my doc that I have no medical complaints. When pressed, I mentioned that the arthritis in my knees isn't getting any better, and in fact neither are my hemorrhoids, oh and btw please take a hard look at my blood sugar because sometimes I crash after lunch. He gave me a referral for the rhoids. I guess treatments have improved a lot over the past few decades, and I would like to stop bleeding. But I haven't followed up on that yet.

Today I got my blood results -- all systems nominal. Cholesterol is a little high but the ratio is good. Advice is to continue regular exercise and healthy diet, which, duh.

That's about as good as a checkup gets when you're 65.

[dbt1949]

Went to the VA yesterday. They told me I shouldn't have lived this and what was my secret. I said sugar.

[Default]

Surgery was six weeks ago tomorrow. Yesterday, my daily walk was six miles. Sure, I'm paying for it today a bit, but getting better every day. The physical therapists think I'm weeks ahead of where I should be normally. I have a week in Puerto Rico coming up and will go back to work after that.

[Unagi]

Went to the VA yesterday. They told me I shouldn't have lived this and what was my secret. I said sugar.

I mean, you aren't that old...


also, I would have said "I can only assume masturbation."

Just for the reaction, of course.

[LordMortis]

* Unremarkable abdominal ultrasound.

Yay? Only it means they still have no idea why my liver is going haywire... along with everything else in me.

Went to the VA yesterday. They told me I shouldn't have lived this and what was my secret. I said sugar.

I mean, you aren't that old...


also, I would have said "I can only assume masturbation."

Just for the reaction, of course.

Wasn't that Ernst Borgnine's secret?

[Daehawk]

* Unremarkable abdominal ultrasound.

Yay? Only it means they still have no idea why my liver is going haywire... along with everything else in me.

Went to the VA yesterday. They told me I shouldn't have lived this and what was my secret. I said sugar.

I mean, you aren't that old...


also, I would have said "I can only assume masturbation."

Just for the reaction, of course.

Wasn't that Ernst Borgnine's secret?

No I believe that was Abe Vigoda's

[Daehawk]

Had to bum a ride to the local finish you off hospital with an ambulance and 911. Been here hours. They saw me when I got here bout it. Woke up weak and shaking couldn't breath. 2 hours after I got here I stuck my head out and asked if it could be covid. Doc thought that was a good idea and did a test.....hour later no idea. Feel better. Can breath but still weak but they plan to toss me out soon...maybe.....guess I'm walking 4 miles on the he bypass unless I can find somewhere to rest until daylight and call my sister.

[Daehawk]

Well Im home. They said well we dont know what it was but you seem ok now..good luck. I probably should not have bothered from the little they did. But I did get a paper and plastic bracelet with my name on it. Im sure its about $5000.

Anyway. Now that Im home I can type easier than the phone. I woke up out of a normal sleep around 1am. Thought it was all normal so stood up to go to the bathroom and felt something was really off. Moped my way to the bathroom and was then awake enough to know that uh oh something is bad wrong..cant breath. I felt like a weight was keeping me from breathing normal. Had no pain at all. I did have a bad acid reflux as I could feel it in my stomach and burped into my mouth. Had a couple deviled eggs before bed. But didn't have that painful heartburn I usually get.

Was trying to decide what to do still be barely awake. I felt super weak and shaky. Sorta like how being in shock feels. Scary to wake up in the dark like that. Then my entire body started tingling so decided to call 911...first time in my life for me. As I was talking my mouth went bone dry. Like Id had great weed ..but hadn't. My bp was high from me taking it and then the ambulance doing it. They wouldn't give me anything for it they said until the bottom number was over 110. All they did was put a pulse ox finger light on me and take my bp then drove me to the hospital where I thought they'd do more really. Figured better to go and find nothing wrong than stay home and possibly keel over for good.

Waste of time. Soon as they wheeled me in they rehooked the bp and ox monitors and asked a few questions like my name and if I smoked. When I told them my symptoms he asked if I was diabetic..and Im not...least not 4 months ago. Doc left and the next person in took an ekg, then next was a xray of my chest, then blood drawn and finally a piss sample. To do that they unhooked me and I walked down the hall..yep. They never did rehook me up. Damn thing beeped incessantly for 3 or 4 hours. It was about an hour after that all happened that I posted to OO on my phone.


I asked could it be covid and the doc said hey thats a good idea....really...and ordered that. An hour & 1/2 later it was negative. So they really said we dont know what it was but you seem ok now so we're discharging you. Shrug.

I got to breathing better a little after getting there. Im still not right though. My heart beats hard and semi fast like Ive walked a good distance or slightly jogged to the mailbox. Im still weak'ish though is the worst thing. I feel give out. Still not pain. Breathing just a weeeeeee harder than normal. Also feel acid'y in my stomach when I ate the food my sister bought me. So I still have no dang idea what it was or is or if it will kill me.

I waited until daylight in the waiting room and called my sister for a ride home. She bought me breakfast too. I was in my house shoes. If Id had my sneakers on I may have tried to walk the 4 miles home. Glad I didn't,.

EDIT: Oh I never sweated but felt cold'ish. Also had blood in my urine so he asked if I had a history of kidney stones which I seriously do. Oh and they mentioned maybe it could be a panic attack or anxiety attack. But I was sound asleep and remember right as I woke up there was no dreaming..just blackness. Was like a dream vacuum. Have been upset a bit due to wife gone but thats always a part of my day. And I am very stressed recently about tax money. So never know. Worries me there is no answer though. Afraid it will happen again.

But no nausea, no pain, no sweating, no dizziness. Though I will say my mind was a bit off. I still dont remember the docs name ever after asking him a second time. And I was having troubling thinking of words fast..seemed a little slow if the word came to me. That is still a little off....YES! more than normal

[Jaymann]

Sorry you had to go through that. Glad you made it home relatively unscathed.

[Unagi]

Sounds pretty frightening, tbh. And you should honestly not think of this as 'a waste of time'. They may not have done all that much nor found anything (which is lame and frustrating) but you were right to be 'better safe than sorry' IMO.

I wonder if it is food poisoning. I've learned that it can manifest in a million ways.

[Blackhawk]

And they now have a baseline.

FWIW, a panic attack is not out of the question. The symptoms are comparable, and there is not always a triggering cause (event, dream, etc.) Sometimes they just happen.

[dbt1949]

Every anxiety or panic attack I've ever had (and there have been more than a few) a direct cause.

[Blackhawk]

I've been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for ~40+ years. It's the core diagnosis that is behind my being on disability for the last 20. The majority have a triggering event, yes. But not all. Every once in a while, especially when things are particularly stressful, I'll get really strong anxiety for absolutely no reason (or for a reason that is so subtle that it takes a long, long time to figure it out - a commercial, a bill, etc.) And sometimes those no-cause anxiety attacks include panic. It absolutely can - and does - happen.

High stress can be a trigger all by itself. If stress isn't letting you catch your breath, your brain can trigger your fight-or-flight response thinking you're in danger - ie, give you a panic attack.

[Kraken]

Yeah, my panic attacks were much worse before I learned what they were, because their symptoms make you more anxious. Once I knew that there was nothing physically wrong with me, I learned how to calm myself and break the cycle. Now an antidepressant keeps my general anxiety in check most of the time and I haven't had a full-blown panic attack in years (although I still occasionally feel one building).

Dae's symptoms sound like panic to me.

[Blackhawk]

FWIW, my original diagnosis with panic attacks came after going to the ER thinking it was a heart attack. I also remember lying there in the ER listening to machine beep for hours only to be told there was nothing wrong with me, and, "It could have been a panic attack."

[Daehawk]

I wonder if it is food poisoning. I've learned that it can manifest in a million ways.

Man I hope not as I ate deviled eggs before bed and I just had a couple more.

[Daehawk]

Looking back with an ambulance ride and a night in the hospital they didn't give me anything in the end. No shot no medication no prescription, and really no advice other than take it easy for the day. Which i thought I was doing before in my life. Guess its one of those life things. Could live a week or 30 years. Who knows really. Might get run over at the mailbox tomorrow.

Its one reason I try to do some things these days .Anything. I mean why do nothing or have nothing only to die next week. never know. I may die before paying off the house even lol.. Boy that'd really show them..grrr

[The Meal]

Glad you’re doing better Daehawk. When we go through nights like you just had I look a ‘bonus’ trips to the ER or Urgent Care as at least providing peace of mind in case something truly terrible was afoot. If your body was in actual revolt, you were at ground zero for immediate (potentially life-saving) care.

[gbasden]

I've been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for ~40+ years. It's the core diagnosis that is behind my being on disability for the last 20. The majority have a triggering event, yes. But not all. Every once in a while, especially when things are particularly stressful, I'll get really strong anxiety for absolutely no reason (or for a reason that is so subtle that it takes a long, long time to figure it out - a commercial, a bill, etc.) And sometimes those no-cause anxiety attacks include panic. It absolutely can - and does - happen.

High stress can be a trigger all by itself. If stress isn't letting you catch your breath, your brain can trigger your fight-or-flight response thinking you're in danger - ie, give you a panic attack.

Yep. I've had panic attacks come on for no reason at all - I could be washing dishes, or reading a book, or taking a walk, and it just hits.

[Daehawk]

I have an official plastic AARP card. Oh no.

[dbt1949]

I have ambulance insurance. Was really useful when my wife was here. Don't know if I'm going to renew it when it comes due again. It's like $80 a year.
If you think you'll be going to the hospital a lot or even a couple of times it might be worth it. Assuming it's available in your area.

[jztemple2]

I just had to post the following because I found it amusing. I went to the cardiologist about three weeks ago for my surgery clearance (still waiting on that ). Tonight I went to the hospital's systems patient portal to try to find the record of my visit. After some poking around I finally was able to download a PDF of her report on my visit. Aside from the recommendation to get an echocardiogram, there was the usual insurance and boilerplate stuff, and then this long, long write-up:

Patient reports no fever, no fatigue, no night sweats, no significant weight gain, no significant weight loss, and no exercise intolerance. He reports no dry eyes, no vision change, and no irritation. He reports no difficulty hearing and no ear pain. He reports no frequent nosebleeds, no nose problems, and no sinus problems. He reports no sore throat, no bleeding gums, no dry mouth, no mouth ulcers, no oral abnormalities, and no teeth problems. He reports no chest pain, no arm pain on exertion, no shortness of breath when walking, no shortness of breath when lying down, no palpitations, no known heart murmur, no syncope, no peripheral edema, and denies claudication symptoms. He reports no cough, no wheezing, no shortness of breath, and no coughing up blood. He reports no snoring, no sleep apnea, no headaches, no excessive daytime sleepiness, no somnolence while driving, and no nocturnal awakenings. He reports no abdominal pain, no nausea, no vomiting, no constipation, normal appetite, no black or tarry stools, no diarrhea, not vomiting blood, no dyspepsia, and no GERD. He reports no incontinence, no difficulty urinating, no hematuria, and no increased frequency. He reports no muscle aches, no muscle weakness, no arthralgias/joint pain, no back pain, and no swelling in the extremities. He reports no jaundice and no rashes. He reports no numbness, no focal numbness, no focal weakness, no seizures, no dizziness, no migraines, no headaches, and no tremor. He reports no depression, no sleep disturbances, no alcohol abuse, no anxiety, no hallucinations, and no suicidal thoughts. He reports denies cold intolerance and denies heat intolerance. He reports no swollen glands, no bruising, and no excessive bleeding. He reports no runny nose, no sinus pressure, no itching, no hives, and no frequent sneezing

Now, the funny thing is that she didn't ask me about almost any of that, but the way the report reads it sound like she spent an hour going over my entire medical history. Basically I filled out a few forms, she asked me briefly about my general health, then I got an EKG. But I guess she also gets paid for the illnesses I don't have