Random health related "confessions"

[moore2me]

Thank you for taking your time to anwser but as of right now I have not been diagnosed with anything. I am waiting on my results. I don't have high blood pressure either. That is why his question seemed out of place to me. It would have been different if I had something then I could understand why.

I did tell him that I knew that WLS could really be beneficial but that I also know that there are bad things that can go wrong.

Lablueeyes,

I am not making excuses for your doc, but I have walked that path and so have most of the others in my family. When we are young (like you) our body is protected by mother nature (reproduction is the prime directive). As we age, mother nature lets things slide. My doc doesn't single out fatties for the blood pressure lecture - every adult gets it. (There are also high school kids now with high blood pressure.)

Blood pressure (BP) is a good example of our modern diet doing its worst. Most all of our prepared, canned, & processed foods have too much salt. Salt is one of the main causes for high BP (also caused by genetics, stress, other blood flow problems). Even carbonated drinks (diet cokes) can affect sodium level - from carbonation.

I have been going to the same internal medicine doc for 20 years - and have mucho data on my blood chemistries. BP was okay until I hit the mid 40's and then BP started sneaking up, and up, and up. He has changed my BP meds 4 or 5 times to keep it within normal limits. I did not understand how important this is until I watched my brother-in-law have 3 strokes. (Last one was this week.) He is in rough shape and is close to an invalid & needs someone else to help him do anything. He is only 5 years older than me and he never was fat.

And don't take my zealousness personally Lablueeyes. I can't help but use every little chance I get to spread the story to keep an eye on BP. I owe it to my brother-in-law. I can't even understand his words now.

 

[lablueeyes]

Lablueeyes,

I am not making excuses for your doc, but I have walked that path and so have most of the others in my family. When we are young (like you) our body is protected by mother nature (reproduction is the prime directive). As we age, mother nature lets things slide. My doc doesn't single out fatties for the blood pressure lecture - every adult gets it. (There are also high school kids now with high blood pressure.)

Blood pressure (BP) is a good example of our modern diet doing its worst. Most all of our prepared, canned, & processed foods have too much salt. Salt is one of the main causes for high BP (also caused by genetics, stress, other blood flow problems). Even carbonated drinks (diet cokes) can affect sodium level - from carbonation.

I have been going to the same internal medicine doc for 20 years - and have mucho data on my blood chemistries. BP was okay until I hit the mid 40's and then BP started sneaking up, and up, and up. He has changed my BP meds 4 or 5 times to keep it within normal limits. I did not understand how important this is until I watched my brother-in-law have 3 strokes. (Last one was this week.) He is in rough shape and is close to an invalid & needs someone else to help him do anything. He is only 5 years older than me and he never was fat.

And don't take my zealousness personally Lablueeyes. I can't help but use every little chance I get to spread the story to keep an eye on BP. I owe it to my brother-in-law. I can't even understand his words now.

I know too well the horrible cost of strokes. You and your family have a rough road ahead. Please try to keep your stress levels under control as taking care of him will be very hard. I will keep you in my prayers.

As for your zealousness - no worries here. I just thought maybe I was not clear in my previous post. And you are right about mother nature. She can throw us some curve balls.

I have not given up on the doctor yet. I am just starting out with him and I hope that we can become a team but only time will tell.

 

[largenlovely]

It was slightly painful in the first week....Hospital was amazing..I have been there several times, as they have 1 wing specifically for knee/hip/back replacements/surgery with OT/PT on the same floor. I got a single room!!! I was only there for 2 nites..and 2 full days of PT....it was wonderful...

It is a week since my surgery and I went back to work for a 1/2 day..and
am starting OUT patient PT tomorrow get my 1 hour analysis!!!

I am way above the curve, barely using a cane in only a week....leaving it places constantly...I FEAR the PUBLIC and driving the most right now...but it is going AMAZING!!!

I tapered off of pain meds in the week, I realized they aren't helping so much, and I would rather embrace the pain then DULL MY SENSES; but that's just me

I'm glad to hear it went well my hip replacement was rough the first month or month and a half just because of the muscles they cut into and all the physical restrictions they put on me. Though I heard a knee replacement was more tough than a hip replacement.

One day I will have to get my knee replaced I think. I fell off a porch years ago and ripped almost everything from my shin up to my mid thigh. It took me a long time to recover cuz I didn't have insurance. So I had to try to rebuild everything in there by myself. I've gotten it back relatively strong again now but ooooooone day, it's gonna come back to haunt me. So hearing how well you're doing relieves my mind

I'm sure it's awesome to be pain free too I still have some mild pain with my hip but it's not even close to what it was so I'm not gonna complain lol...I was glad to finally get off the percocets too. I hated to feel like I needed pain meds to get through a day. I'm with you, pain is something to alert you if something's going wrong and I wanna know what's happening lol

But yay for a new knee it's an awesome feeling once ya get your mobility back after something like that

 

[spiritangel]

IC I hate getting mega sick out of the blue and really hate throwing up (which is extremely rare for me to begin with)

 

[HDANGEL15]

I'm glad to hear it went well my hip replacement was rough the first month or month and a half just because of the muscles they cut into and all the physical restrictions they put on me. Though I heard a knee replacement was more tough than a hip replacement.

One day I will have to get my knee replaced I think. I fell off a porch years ago and ripped almost everything from my shin up to my mid thigh. It took me a long time to recover cuz I didn't have insurance. So I had to try to rebuild everything in there by myself. I've gotten it back relatively strong again now but ooooooone day, it's gonna come back to haunt me. So hearing how well you're doing relieves my mind

I'm sure it's awesome to be pain free too I still have some mild pain with my hip but it's not even close to what it was so I'm not gonna complain lol...I was glad to finally get off the percocets too. I hated to feel like I needed pain meds to get through a day. I'm with you, pain is something to alert you if something's going wrong and I wanna know what's happening lol

But yay for a new knee it's an awesome feeling once ya get your mobility back after something like that

LnL if you ever go through this and need help with exercises it is very basic stuff, although I did get on a bicycle and it initially seemed the most difficult thing in the world ...in 2 minutes I was cycling like Lance Armstrong The Knee has NO LIMITATIONS,after surgery..so it is a lot easier in some ways...its now week 3!! 14 days have passed and everyday is SO MUCH BETTER I can't beleve it....progress is fast now....pain from surgery is not gone yet...but just take aspirin now....i can't wait to feel the strength and the NO PAIN !!!!

 

[largenlovely]

LnL if you ever go through this and need help with exercises it is very basic stuff, although I did get on a bicycle and it initially seemed the most difficult thing in the world ...in 2 minutes I was cycling like Lance Armstrong The Knee has NO LIMITATIONS,after surgery..so it is a lot easier in some ways...its now week 3!! 14 days have passed and everyday is SO MUCH BETTER I can't beleve it....progress is fast now....pain from surgery is not gone yet...but just take aspirin now....i can't wait to feel the strength and the NO PAIN !!!!

That is awesome!!! I was dealing with muscle issues for a little while after the hip. I injured one muscle so bad, I thought I could have possibly dislocated my hip or something. I never knew a muscle could hurt like that lol

It will probably (hopefully) be a good long while before I need to deal with it but it's sure reassuring to know that some of y'all have come out on the other side and it was worth it.

 

[largenlovely]

IC that I will probably never be able to even remember all of the people that I managed to piss off when I wasn't on my anti-depressants. Some I do...but a lot I don't.

My best friend has had to remind me about some of the altercations I've had with people. Again, some I remember and some I don't. I was so self absorbed that a random argument with someone that wasn't directly in my realm of influence didn't make it on my list of things to give a shit about and so I would just shrug it off and forget about it...permanently in some cases.

I can't even count the instances it happened online.

I will probably always be forced to pay for those sins. Whatta ya do. It still frustrates me a lot though because I now feel like I'm being forced to suffer for something a different me created...but at the same time, I realize they were forced to suffer too.

It sucks but there's nothing I can really do to change it if a person won't give me the opportunity.

 

[Surlysomething]

I feel very unsupported with my MS by family members.

 

[Surlysomething]

I feel very unsupported with my MS by family members.



I'm pretty sure they think i'm making most of it up. Nice, eh?

 

[cinnamitch]

I feel very unsupported with my MS by family members.



I'm pretty sure they think i'm making most of it up. Nice, eh?

That's always the worst isn't it? You have to be wheelchair bound before they even admit you might not be doing so well. They need to read up on MS and learn about the flare ups and such.

 

[EMH1701]

I contemplated WW for a little while, but I feel like the free foods would be total sabotage for me..especially all the fruit. I can tolerate mostly berries with the 'beetus, but not much else and I think it would tempt me too much.

The problem I have found with WW is that unhealthy foods sometimes cost more points than healthy foods, or just as many.

Case in point: Salmon, the good kind, is at least 7 points for a filet. A small hamburger is 5 points. A handful of almonds is about the same. A cookie (at least, many) are 3 points.

So...what is my incentive to have the hamburger vs. the salmon or almonds or a cookie? Not much. They focus too much on total fat content as opposed to healthy vs. unhealthy fats, as well as other nutrients.

Not to mention, completely denying yourself good food just because it has carbs or fat in it isn't a good thing and leads to deprivation mentality.

 

[Surlysomething]

It makes me so sad and disappointed.
I'm not sure how long I can do the stubborn thing before I give up caring.

That's always the worst isn't it? You have to be wheelchair bound before they even admit you might not be doing so well. They need to read up on MS and learn about the flare ups and such.

 

[largenlovely]

IC that I'm cancelling my gym membership for a little while. I'm just tired of all the working out. Maybe I've burned myself out on it.

 

[Dromond]

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been having bouts of low grade fever. The highest temp I've had is 100.3, which isn't serious. It just makes me feel awful with chills and sweating. It'll go away for a few days, then come back. Now I'm having, er, irregularity with the bouts of low grade fever.

I have a badly compromised immune system due to many other health problems, so I could have something innocuous that's hanging on so stubbornly because my body's defenses are crap. I don't know if I need to go see my doctor about this or not.

 

[Webmaster]

There are situations where you know you have to go see a doctor.

But there are many others where you're just not sure. Like borderline aches or pains, things that don't seem to heal just right, pesky symptoms that may or may not mean anything, and so on. There have been times when I went in for something like that, just to be told it was nothing. And the way things are in healthcare these days, each time it was a major production and hassle to make appointments, go see all the specialists, pay all the co-pays, etc., etc. But then you hear of all those instances where people disregard symptoms and it turns out to be something major that could have been fixed had it been diagnosed sooner.

I often wish I had one of those universal medical detection thingies like "Bones" (DeForest Kelley) had in Star Trek. ll he had to do was wave it over someone and he instantly knew what it was and how to fix it.

 

[largenlovely]

IC that I'm dreading going to the doctor today. My old GP is phasing out for retirement and I meet the new guy today. Plus, I've probably gained about 20 pounds since my last visit and I'm concerned this could cause contention right from the get go.

My old GP is awesome..I hate to lose him he found my hip problem, he got me on the right depression meds on his first try and he's been helping me try to figure out the thyroid issues. I dread this...gotta be there in 25 mins *sigh*

 

[Tad]

I hope you were pleasantly surprised, LnL. If not....I hope you have options.

 

[largenlovely]

I hope you were pleasantly surprised, LnL. If not....I hope you have options.

I was thank goodness. Talk about a sigh of relief. We talked football

I gained 15 pounds back (not 20) but he still didn't say anything.

My regular GP will sit and shoot the shit with me too and has no problem cussing in front of me lol, there must have been a note on my file cuz this doc was the same exact way lol. I prefer that though. I would rather someone let the language fly and be real than feel like I'm in a formal atmosphere. Whew..glad that went well

 

[Lamia]

Ulcerative Colitis is ruining my life. I am in a constant state of awareness about where the bathroom is and hoping I can make it in time. Also hemorrhoids are hell. I feel like a crap factory.

 

[moore2me]

Ulcerative Colitis is ruining my life. I am in a constant state of awareness about where the bathroom is and hoping I can make it in time. Also hemorrhoids are hell. I feel like a crap factory.

Lamia, I am sorry to hear your intestinal woes are so vexing. By some sheer stroke of unlucky pairing Mr M2M and myself both have some finicky gut problems that seem to get more finicky as we get older. (Gives you something to look forward to huh?) Anyway, we finally figured out how to stop what you described as looking for where the bathrooms are whenever we went out. It works for us, but it is a Spartan solution - but do able.

If you have to leave the house early in the morning, the rule is no breakfast. Water is okay. Hot coffee should be very limited. The object is nothing goes into your mouth & stomach unless it is necessary medication. If you need some crackers or water to take drugs okay. Anything more (hot fluids or a meal will likely induce a bowel movement sometime after you eat). No eat - no bowel movement. If you need extra insurance to prevent a loose bowel - I take one or two immodium pills (over the counter version). This is necessary due to my gastric bypass surgery. MrM2M usually does not need this.

Neither one of us will eat a a meal until we are home or are close to home (within 10 miles or so). We will continue to drink water (or maybe a diet drink) but not much else. This will usually stop the need to run to a toilet - except maybe to pee.

When we get home we eat then - and make sure to include fiber in some forms like cereal, popcorn, granola, bread, etc.

Now if your hemorrhoids are still bothering you, I recommend you try using the little wax-like suppositories at night before bed. That way they will melt before you wake up in the morning and will help relieve some of your symptoms the next day. (You can use name brand or store brand ones and keep using them for several weeks. During hot weather tho they may need to be refrigerated.) You can also buy cream ointment and little medicated wipes that you can use during the day to help relieve any pain that crops up.
Also, sometimes sitting on an inflatable donut helps - I put mine inside a little pillow case tho when taking it to work.

You may have to stop using dry toilet paper and switch over to wet wipes which are softer and gentler on your tushie. They make some now that are flushable. They also make some that are in little packs you can carry in your purse for travel.

Good luck young lady - Mr M2M and I also get regular colonoscopies to make sure the old pipes aren't getting polyps.