We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:09 pm

My catheter comes out next Monday

Thats no fun.

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:26 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:57 pm Should anyone ever need more information on prostate surgery I'll be happy to post or PM.

I'm ok infowise but glad to hear you are doing well.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 4:13 pm

So today I got my catheter out...

I'm feeling really well, except I have to wear "adult absorbent underwear" for a few weeks

. My surgeon may be world renown, but as my wife's ortho guy noted, it's like a factory there. Today was no exception. We came early and sat in the waiting room where I was given, to fill out, the same forms I filled out when I first went there back in April. Then we go back and we see the PA. She was nice and apologized that we should have been given a set of instructions to read through for the after catheter removal care, rather than those forms

. So she explains the results of the biopsy on my removed prostate (what, no pictures?). The results look good that the cancer should be gone but we won't know for sure till I get my first post-surgery PSA in early November.

Then another wait and a nurse comes in to remove the catheter, which is an experience which while not painful is certainly something I'd truly like to avoid in the future. And then she starts going through all the do's and don'ts that are in those instructions which I still haven't had time to read. And here's where I start running across the usual issue when you are faced with a corporate operation, that what she tells me verbally doesn't always match up with what I was told verbally before, or with what are in the written guides. For instance, the nurse and I went round on the issue of what she repeatedly called "weight bearing". At first she said fifteen pounds, then corrected herself and said five pounds, then when I pressed her she finally decided on no more than five pounds "weight bearing" for the first four weeks, then fifteen pounds for the next two weeks, then no limit. When I finally got home and got a chance to read the written instructions, I see printed out, in bold, a limit of fifteen pound for four weeks after the surgery

.

But at least I'm home and and feeling good and tomorrow we go to our favorite place for lunch

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 4:37 pm

For kidney surgery I wasn't allowed to lift a jug of milk's weight for a week. Found it silly until I moved some milk in the fridge and it actually hurt. Doh.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 6:57 pm

I've been doing pretty good on my post surgery recovery, but for the past three days I've been dealing with the horror that is hemorrhoids

. Remember the worse experience you've ever had with them? Double that and add 15%

.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:10 pm

Ouch. I'm having hemorrhoid "surgery" in conjunction with a colonoscopy next month. Mine don't hurt or itch very much, but they bleed daily.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:49 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:10 pm Ouch. I'm having hemorrhoid "surgery" in conjunction with a colonoscopy next month. Mine don't hurt or itch very much, but they bleed daily.

Ouch for you as well. Mine aren't bleeding, just very swollen and painful. When I called the surgery center last night the PA on duty said that hemorrhoids after my type of surgery aren't unusual and should clear in three to five days. Which means just in time for the possible hurricane

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 8:06 pm

I mean, you're not going to be out and about, away from your home location.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 8:22 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 8:06 pm I mean, you're not going to be out and about, away from your home location.

Back on Tuesday we actually drove an hour to Orlando for lunch and did grocery shopping, I was feeling pretty good. I thought I would be able to do some more trips this week, but my butt had other ideas

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:43 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:10 pm Ouch. I'm having hemorrhoid "surgery" in conjunction with a colonoscopy next month. Mine don't hurt or itch very much, but they bleed daily.

My wife is having a hemorhoid surgery as well. Fun times. She already had the colonscopy.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:45 pm

naednek wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:43 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:10 pm Ouch. I'm having hemorrhoid "surgery" in conjunction with a colonoscopy next month. Mine don't hurt or itch very much, but they bleed daily.
My wife is having a hemorhoid surgery as well. Fun times. She already had the colonscopy.

My doc thinks he can take care of the rhoids during the scope. Since he'll be in the vicinity anyway. They probably just need to be cauterized.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:12 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:45 pm My doc thinks he can take care of the rhoids during the scope. Since he'll be in the vicinity anyway. They probably just need to be cauterized.

Just so he knows which tool to put where

I've had hemorrhoids before, but pretty minor compared to this, so I wasn't really prepared. After spending the first night and next morning in agony, I ordered one of those doughnut cushions. I was surprised how much of a difference it has made today. I can use it in a regular chair, but also a recliner. I've been sleeping in a recliner since the surgery and even with the normal padding it's still not ideal. But adding the doughnut really makes it feel much better to sit or recline in.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:17 am

My dad had his hemorrhoids taken care of. Said that was the worst experience of his life. And they grew back. This was back in the 60s tho.
Have a nice day.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:27 am

I remember my dad suffering from the sharts after his hemorrhoid surgery, but as you say that was 60 years ago, when there were still mastodons.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:33 am

I mean, I can just drink some milk if I want to do that.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 6:33 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:10 pm Ouch. I'm having hemorrhoid "surgery" in conjunction with a colonoscopy next month. Mine don't hurt or itch very much, but they bleed daily.

Every time I walk and often badly. It's cut back my walking big time due to that specific issue. I think my 5 year is due next year. Maybe they'll work magic then. They've put me on cholesterol medicine that is supposed dry out digestive system, hoping it will help. So far, not so much.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 7:12 am

My hemorrhoids are about 90% better this morning compared with yesterday. Some of this I attribute to the doughnut cushion, some to meds and some just to what I assume would be the cycle of expansion and retreat. This morning I actually went into our pool for some additional relief. The doc had said that a pool was verboten because of the stitches, so I just sat my butt on the top step which kept the stitches high and dry. It felt nice

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 8:29 am

I figure as long as they're bleeding they're relieving the pressure and hurting less.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 9:20 am

That is not my experience. To say more is to really delve in to the "We're getting old" level of descriptiveness.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 10:50 am

Most of my underwear looks like it has skid marks. Saying "No, really, it's just bloodstains" isn't a big step up.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:58 am

When I get an infected tooth and it swells up it hurts quite a bit. When I take a needle and puncture the area and it drains out most of the pain goes away immediately. So I figure it must work the same down below. Not that I've punctured down below.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 5:53 pm

Hemorrhoids are most painful when they become thrombosed, meaning the blood inside them becomes clotted and they become firm. Once that happens, getting them to soften again and stop hurting can be a challenge.

As for hemorrhoid surgery, internal hemorrhoids can be banded easily (putting a rubber band around them so they shrivel up and fall off) and it's a pretty much painless, in-office procedure because they originate from a point inside the rectum where you don't have sensory nerves. External hemorrhoids are the painful ones that swell on the outside and are a much bigger deal to surgically fix. One of the colorectal surgeons I work with has told me that he usually recommends against having surgery because the recovery is much more painful than just having hemorrhoids...likens it to shitting razor blades for a week or two while things heal. Ouch...

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 6:15 pm

disarm wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 5:53 pm Hemorrhoids are most painful where they becomes thrombosed, meaning the blood inside them becomes clotted and they become firm. Once that happens, getting them to soften again and stop hurting can be a challenge.

I had this happen about fourteen years ago. I had an external hemorrhoid which clotted. My doc sent me to an external surgeon (didn't even know there was such a thing). He slit open the hemorrhoid and expressed out the clotted blood, then put in some dissolve-able stitches; at least I think I remember he used stitches. Anyway, it didn't cause me any pain that I remember during recovery and I do remember that when I went back for a follow up two weeks later he couldn't even find where he had cut.

But the big takeaway was to not let it get that serious first. A few years later I had the starting of an issue I went to my doc who prescribed suppositories and a diet and that cleared it up.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Sep 24, 2022 10:35 pm

I had them extremely bad about twenty years ago when I broke my leg. Thankfully they went away as soon as I started walking again.

Default · Post by **Default** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 11:15 am

Glad to hear the surgery went well, even though the aftermath isn't pleasant.
After four months, the knees are fine for walking and standing. Getting up and down from a couch is still a chore though.
On the ex-,wife front, it seems pretty clear that Linda has developed an autoimmune disease. One marker that is supposed to be .01-0.9 is >8. Also, her B-1 level was below normal range. She goes to a rhuematologist at the end on October some they can determine which one.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 12:42 pm

Did anyone really have anything wrong with them when we first joined OO? I know all I had was my disabilities from childhood. Other than that I was on no medicine or anything. I may have had kidney stones by then Im pretty sure. So I guess I can blame OO for all my troubles nearly

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:15 pm

Hmm, October 2004...I was the fattest I've ever been and completely sedentary. I got laid off from an unhappy job that November and started walking and losing weight right after that, so I'm generally healthier now than I was then, or at least more fit. I eat better now, too. None of my current complaints are crippling or life-threatening. I do have more complaints than I used to, but I think that's at least partly because I'm a 65-year-old male with good insurance. Doctors like seeing me more than I like seeing them.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:24 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:15 pm I do have more complaints than I used to, but I think that's at least partly because I'm a 65-year-old male with good insurance. Doctors like seeing me more than I like seeing them.

Isn't that the truth? When in the past few months we're had to call to schedule a visit with a new doctor or institute, the first question is about insurance, then a little pause and then a much sweeter "How can we help you?". Of course, now that you're 65 and on Medicare, a lot of places will have to see you, but it's your supplement that will make it easier to deal with.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:43 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:24 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:15 pm I do have more complaints than I used to, but I think that's at least partly because I'm a 65-year-old male with good insurance. Doctors like seeing me more than I like seeing them.
Isn't that the truth? When in the past few months we're had to call to schedule a visit with a new doctor or institute, the first question is about insurance, then a little pause and then a much sweeter "How can we help you?". Of course, now that you're 65 and on Medicare, a lot of places will have to see you, but it's your supplement that will make it easier to deal with.

I'm not even close to 65 and they do that to me. I don't blame medicine for not making me better but the amount of people who want to see me and not help is just amazing. I'm going to have some annoyed doctors here in a couple of weeks. I got a liver enzyme test that was concerning, so they ran it again. It concerned them more, so they did an ultrasound. Everything came back negative, so no cancer as far as they know. I'm $800 lighter in pocket book with no diagnosis, so they want to the re run the blood test and ultrasound. I declined. That was a first for me. I hate to do it but I've lost 3 days and $800 and I get reset with the same concerns. I don't blame the way medicine is practiced but it's not reasonable to bleed me dry of cash and time for nothing. There are always more tests and recommendations with no cures, no alleviations, no treatments, just more procedures and more visits. I'm an enigma that costs myself and insurance a ton of money.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:49 pm

What you're describing about being bled by cash payments is why we stepped up our BC/BS supplement to be at a level where is covers everything that Medicare doesn't. Since between my wife and I we're averaging about one major medical procedure every other year it has become worth it.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 4:02 pm

This has not been a good year for me

. I just got a call from my dermatologist, a skin sample they took a three weeks ago is showing that I have some skin cancer

. So in two weeks I go to their clinic to have them start removing the skin around the area and sampling each segment until they are sure they have gotten all of it.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:26 pm

I have another one of those. Not sure how long I want to wait to get it fixed.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:44 pm

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:26 pm I have another one of those. Not sure how long I want to wait to get it fixed.

My brother in law and my father both had them, but my B-I-L waited and got a big scar as a result. Better to get rid of it quickly

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:47 pm

I watched a video where these guys rebuilt a very old car for someone who bought it new. I remember thinking I wish they could fix me as easily with parts and make me all shiny and new again.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 6:34 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:49 pm What you're describing about being bled by cash payments is why we stepped up our BC/BS supplement to be at a level where is covers everything that Medicare doesn't. Since between my wife and I we're averaging about one major medical procedure every other year it has become worth it.

We aren't on Medicare yet. Still using Wife's gold-plated, employer-subsidized BCBS plan, and will do so until she retires. We did sign up for (free) Medicare Part A but that's only for hospitalization.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Sep 26, 2022 8:12 pm

Altho I use the VA they are subsidized by Medicare.In my case at least.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 2:59 pm

No cataract surgery for me! The doc says mine aren't bad enough to be actionable yet. I concur, but was surprised because surgeons like to surg. She suggested that computer glasses might help with my vision complaints.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 3:14 pm

Computer glasses. How do they define those? I bought some of those yellow lenses glasses years ago but Ive lost them. Think they were for computer use. Now that bothers me..where the hell did I put them..dangit. 1 house many planes of storage...like an infinity bag or something. Stuff gets put away never to be seen by mortal eyes again in this reality at least. You guys have a house like this?

EDIT: Think in the day they were called Gunnars.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 3:17 pm

Their focus is optimized for medium distance.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 3:21 pm

Well I have no idea where mine have gotten to. They weren't that old either.