Health Thread

[Mailman]

For something like ten years, my mother suffered from severe debilitating migraines. Numerous doctor visits and attempts to deal with the problem went nowhere.
Then in a totally unrelated move, the doctor changed her blood pressure medication.
Boom...just like that , her migraines went away!

Myself, a few years ago, I had some minuscule ( only visible to a lab ) amount of blood in my urine. You would not believe the battery of tests that led to, Ultrasound, x-rays, Cat Scan, the doctor ran a scope up into my bladder,( that was pleasant ) trying to rule out cancer.
In the end, it was a little bitty kidney stone. My doctor pushed hard for me to undergo ultrasonic treatment to try and break it up.
But I knew enough, that the treatment can damage surrounding tissue and I resisted.
A couple weeks later, I passed it on my own with nobody’s help.
I wasn’t ever aware I had one until it showed up on a routine yearly exam.
Modern science is wonderful and all, but sometimes.....

 

[Goldenboy]

Very true! There is a program on Cable called "Mystery Diagnosis" I've taken to watching it quite a bit these days. Some of the patients on there make my problems seem minor.

People who go for years or even decades dealing with a condition with doctors almost telling them they are faking it or making a bigger deal about it than they should. Only to find they do have maybe a rare problem that while not curable it can be treated to relieve 90% of the problems they are dealing with from the condition.

Kind of like when someone is working on a problem with their motorcycle and they spend all kinds of time and money trying to cure a carb problem only to find out it was an ignition problem all along.

I recently did some reading on some problems you discussed. Headaches, for one can come from a number of reasons. Winter dries your mucus membranes and the heat irritates them. When mucus membranes dry out germs can attack. That's why I recently mentioned a humidifyer, if you don't have one. If you have sinus, throat problems, they can meet at the nasopharynx and cause inflamation and the back of the throat may swell and clog your breathing passages, especially if you are overweight, but you don't have to be. Restless sleep caused by snoring or blocked breathing passages can cause sleep deprivation which is another reason for headaches. When you sit up, the breathing passages open, so that might be a clue. Another reason for headaches is dehydration. If you take medication each day, the medication concentrates and taking more exacerbates the problem. Then the Excedrin combines with the other meds and drug interactions and aspirin toxicity occurs. To complicate matters, you may have a sinus/ head cold, be dehydrated, the air in your home is too dry and the meds you take are concentrating in your system. To simplify these problems, try drinking lots of water and purchase a humidistadt for $5 to check the humidity in your home. Also, the ENT can see if the fat pads in the back of the throat have swelled to a degree, that when you lay down, they restrict your breathing.

 

[Goldenboy]

For something like ten years, my mother suffered from severe debilitating migraines. Numerous doctor visits and attempts to deal with the problem went nowhere.
Then in a totally unrelated move, the doctor changed her blood pressure medication.
Boom...just like that , her migraines went away!

Myself, a few years ago, I had some minuscule ( only visible to a lab ) amount of blood in my urine. You would not believe the battery of tests that led to, Ultrasound, x-rays, Cat Scan, the doctor ran a scope up into my bladder,( that was pleasant ) trying to rule out cancer.
In the end, it was a little bitty kidney stone. My doctor pushed hard for me to undergo ultrasonic treatment to try and break it up.
But I knew enough, that the treatment can damage surrounding tissue and I resisted.
A couple weeks later, I passed it on my own with nobody’s help.
I wasn’t ever aware I had one until it showed up on a routine yearly exam.
Modern science is wonderful and all, but sometimes.....

Cystoscopy can sometimes cause a small stone to pass.

 

[kshansen]

One thing I have often tried to explain to a few doctors is that if I am out say snow blowing the driveway at low temps like say under 20ºF I actually feel great. Breathing is nice and easy. But put me in the car with the heater on to keep the windshield defrosted and it is pure torture!

One thing I can point to that seemed to make a big difference was the change of wives. OK we don't need the details on that, but first wife liked to sleep with window open at least a crack year round. New/current wife, and don't tell her I worded it that way!, does not like window open unless night time temp stays above say 65ºF. Another possible problem is wife seems to think if we used a humidifier that we would have mold growing up the walls

Nasopharynx? Had to Google that one. I would say that is the area that seems to be a major part of the problem, seems at time like there is a bulge in that area.

Just crossing my fingers that the doctor I'm seeing this Wednesday will actually listen and not just want to go with more of the same that is not working.

 

[Goldenboy]

One thing I have often tried to explain to a few doctors is that if I am out say snow blowing the driveway at low temps like say under 20ºF I actually feel great. Breathing is nice and easy. But put me in the car with the heater on to keep the windshield defrosted and it is pure torture!

One thing I can point to that seemed to make a big difference was the change of wives. OK we don't need the details on that, but first wife liked to sleep with window open at least a crack year round. New/current wife, and don't tell her I worded it that way!, does not like window open unless night time temp stays above say 65ºF. Another possible problem is wife seems to think if we used a humidifier that we would have mold growing up the walls

Nasopharynx? Had to Google that one. I would say that is the area that seems to be a major part of the problem, seems at time like there is a bulge in that area.

Just crossing my fingers that the doctor I'm seeing this Wednesday will actually listen and not just want to go with more of the same that is not working.

Yeah, just take a look at the throat anatomy and put in things like sore throat, sinisitis, adenitis, pharyngitis. All are inflamation issues. Also, as we get older, our bodies lose their ability to metabolize (break down medications) and they concentrate in the liver and kidneys. Our bodies tend to shed more water, too, so drinking more liquids is very important, and when it's cold, instead of water I drink lots of weak tea, leaving a decaff tea bag in the cup for two minutes and using it twice. Coffee is a diuretic, which causes you to shed even more water and keeps you awake at night. Stopping coffee cold turkey causes headaches, also. I drink only one cup first thing in the morning and two 12 oz waters with my meds and a large cup of weak tea. Dehydration creeps up on you and hydration can take a couple of days, look up the symptoms of dehydration, too. These fixes cost nothing and will do no harm. If your sinuses are dry, get a bottle of saline spray. Don't put petrolium jelly in your nose as it tends to migrate into your sinus passages and cause more problems. Continued use of headache remedies can cause GI bleeding, also. If your humidifyer is putting out too much moisture, you can tell right away if the windows get condensation on them, Centrally locate a humidifyer in the house and check humidity levels with a humidistadt, Ideal range is between 40 and 60%, I believe. Honeywell makes a warm moist air humidifyer which I think is best in a 1.3 gal size, easy cleaning and no filterrs to replace. I just bought one online from The Honeywell Store, they're not available in stores. With shipping, it was $60. I bought a humidistadt or relative humidity guage from Lowes, but are available in other stores. You can get a dial guage type or digital, My dial guage is cheaper and came with a thermometer. Remember when you were sick and Mom used to put a Vicks vaporizer in your room? It helped. You can tell when a dog is sick when his nose is dry. One of my buddies would always say, "Stay away from dry pussy. It's like a dog's nose."

 

[madmax-im]

For something like ten years, my mother suffered from severe debilitating migraines. Numerous doctor visits and attempts to deal with the problem went nowhere.
Then in a totally unrelated move, the doctor changed her blood pressure medication.
Boom...just like that , her migraines went away!

Myself, a few years ago, I had some minuscule ( only visible to a lab ) amount of blood in my urine. You would not believe the battery of tests that led to, Ultrasound, x-rays, Cat Scan, the doctor ran a scope up into my bladder,( that was pleasant ) trying to rule out cancer.
In the end, it was a little bitty kidney stone. My doctor pushed hard for me to undergo ultrasonic treatment to try and break it up.
But I knew enough, that the treatment can damage surrounding tissue and I resisted.
A couple weeks later, I passed it on my own with nobody’s help.
I wasn’t ever aware I had one until it showed up on a routine yearly exam.
Modern science is wonderful and all, but sometimes.....

But sometimes...ignorance is bliss...

 

[Goldenboy]

But sometimes...ignorance is bliss...

The body tends to heal itself, but if you ignore symptoms you could die of shame.

 

[Mailman]

The body tends to heal itself, but if you ignore symptoms you could die of shame.

Honestly, I didn’t mean to imply that the medical community inflicts unnecessary suffering on us. Another seemingly routine blood test revealed an elevated PSA level. Again I had no indication of anything being wrong, a biopsy revealed I had an aggressive cancer that was wide spread in my prostate. At the time I was 48 years old ( 15 yrs ago ) I am quite certain that early detection saved my life.

 

[madmax-im]

The body tends to heal itself, but if you ignore symptoms you could die of shame.

Honestly..half of what kills most men is lack of communication and lack of going to a Dr....I know in my case this was true to a certain extent...
Back in 2015 when Obamacare came into being..i signed up and went to see new Dr. We disscusssed my BP meds and making a change.. then i was describing "other health issues"..And I nearly did not mention some difficulties i was having standing and getting blood flow to my legs after sitting a while...Well my Dr. hada hunch and had me do an Ultrasound..then i was told to go immediately to the hosp ER and have a catscan..Turns out i have the AAA .3 aneurysms..The big one on the Aorta was ready to burst..2 other lesser aneurysms..one in each femoral artery in my legs...2 days later and i had 3 stents inserted into the bulging arteries and now everything is under control..but i go for annual catscans to make sure i havent sprung a leak..especially after 2 bike accidents that had me thinking twice about my continued riding....Had I not casually mentioned this to my Dr..I would have already died a horrible death from a burst Aorta...and no Dr would ever be able to operate in time to save me...
My point is Go to the Dr..Communicate with them everything you are experiencing..because ignorance can and and will kill you just as assuredly as anything else...

 

[Goldenboy]

Honestly, I didn’t mean to imply that the medical community inflicts unnecessary suffering on us. Another seemingly routine blood test revealed an elevated PSA level. Again I had no indication of anything being wrong, a biopsy revealed I had an aggressive cancer that was wide spread in my prostate. At the time I was 48 years old ( 15 yrs ago ) I am quite certain that early detection saved my life.

That is a wonderful outcome! We are all glad you are still here. I was lucky that the CT tech at work tested me to check my calcium score to maintain her proficiency in the test as she hadn't done any in a while, and found an 88% blockage in my left descending coronary artery. Then I was unlucky to choose a cardiologist, who I had worked with, to do my stress test and he skipped the nuclear medicine part. The nuclear tech was not happy with the doctor for cutting corners. Although the stress test showed no problems with my heart, the nuclear part of the test might have shown a slight loss of blood flow to the heart muscle, necessitating an intervention to remove the plaque that eventually burst and clogged the artery, causing some damage to the heart muscle. At the time, I trusted the doctor's judgement and 3 months later, I suffered an acute MI on my bicycle. Then, I had the good fortune of surviving the heart attack, while on the bike path in the woods, without a cell phone. And, unfortunately, robinc was not as lucky. For me, the medicine worked both ways, and depended on the diligence of the caregiver.

 

[Goldenboy]

Honestly..half of what kills most men is lack of communication and lack of going to a Dr....I know in my case this was true to a certain extent...
Back in 2015 when Obamacare came into being..i signed up and went to see new Dr. We disscusssed my BP meds and making a change.. then i was describing "other health issues"..And I nearly did not mention some difficulties i was having standing and getting blood flow to my legs after sitting a while...Well my Dr. hada hunch and had me do an Ultrasound..then i was told to go immediately to the hosp ER and have a catscan..Turns out i have the AAA .3 aneurysms..The big one on the Aorta was ready to burst..2 other lesser aneurysms..one in each femoral artery in my legs...2 days later and i had 3 stents inserted into the bulging arteries and now everything is under control..but i go for annual catscans to make sure i havent sprung a leak..especially after 2 bike accidents that had me thinking twice about my continued riding....Had I not casually mentioned this to my Dr..I would have already died a horrible death from a burst Aorta...and no Dr would ever be able to operate in time to save me...
My point is Go to the Dr..Communicate with them everything you are experiencing..because ignorance can and and will kill you just as assuredly as anything else...

After going off the road on black ice on my Sportster and wacking my leg on a utility pole, I suffered a "hydrolic effect injury" to my left leg. A bolus of blood shot down my leg at high pressure, and blew the veins, causing a vericose appearance to my lower leg. It was not clear to me if your aneurisms were discovered before or after the accidents you had. My dentist's assistant went down a snow hill on her niece's flying saucer and wrapped herself around a tree causing a rupture to her abdominal aorta that leaked internally, but did not burst, requiring emergency surgery. These injuries can cause vessels to weaken, or capitalize on a slight weak link in the chain.

 

[madmax-im]

My aneurysms were stented and well known at the time of the 2 accidents I had 1.5 yrs apart...The first thing that was done when i went to ER was to have a Catscan...Even though the aneurysms aare stented..they are still there..so to me it is my weakest link.
I thought i was going to downsize to one small bike and be happy...but I'm not happy at all with this plan...so we're changing it up...

 

[Mailman]

I thought i was going to downsize to one small bike and be happy...but I'm not happy at all with this plan...so we're changing it up...

You’re selling your Yamaha?

 

[madmax-im]

You’re selling your Yamaha?

No..just that downsizing isn't cutting it...At some.point the Yamaha might be forsale..but not.yet...

 

[fredintoon]

No..just that downsizing isn't cutting it...At some.point the Yamaha might be forsale..but not.yet...

Hi Max,
hang a chair on it? Adding a 3rd wheel has kept me "in the wind" for the past decade.

XS650/Velorex 562 makes a nice affordable rig and a sidecar can carry all manner of stuff.
And FYI a sidecar is a great chick magnet.

 

[Goldenboy]

My aneurysms were stented and well known at the time of the 2 accidents I had 1.5 yrs apart...The first thing that was done when i went to ER was to have a Catscan...Even though the aneurysms aare stented..they are still there..so to me it is my weakest link.
I thought i was going to downsize to one small bike and be happy...but I'm not happy at all with this plan...so we're changing it up...

Well, MM, if your accidents happened after the stents were inserted, and you had any abdominal compression injury, which also isn't clear, then your stents have shored up the aorta, like an internal steel belted radial. Before I put my bike to bed almost thirty years ago, I noticed a decrease in depth perception at night and more glare in my vision and a slight reduction in reaction time. That was a little disturbing. But getting back on the bike, again this year was nice and I keep those things in mind.

 

[Goldenboy]

Sounds like you may be looking at a surgical solution...

I have great news! My wife's car battery died. I bought another and dropped it in backwards. With my left hand, I held the positive terminal, attached to the hold down clamp away from the top of the battery and with my right arm, palm up, I lifted the DieHard with the highest cold cranking amps available out again, raised it to shoulder height and twisted it 180 degrees and slowly lowered it back into the box. This is significant. Two years ago in the same spot on my driveway and in the blistering heat, I tore my bicept tendon by attempting to raise my 650 Yamaha onto the center stand on a block of wood to prevent it from sinking into the hot asphalt. As you explained to me, 2M, through physics and diagrams, I eliminated the mechanical advantage of the stand and essentially attempted doing a curl with 412 lbs (dry wt)... Several of you have done the same thing. I'll call it a freak accident, a Venus Fly Trap incorporated into this bike. Normally when you attempt to lift an object, you subconsciously and instinctively test it's weight to see if it's possible to lift without doing any damage. Well, if you've lifted an object a thousand times before, you would bypass this step and, not being aware of the pitfall, the weakest link gives. So, what happens next? You are in pain and commence to favor the injured arm, not using it as much. So, what does that do? It weakens the muscles and it becomes even harder and more painful to use the injured arm. After being in this rut, and having a bad episode trying to lift weights and go canoeing (experiencing pains for a week) I saw a hand specialist who is also the orthopedic doctor specializing in the forearm and elbow. She did an ultrasound exam of the arm and showed me the bicept tendon was mostly torn away from the elbow, After so long, the tendon will shrink or shorten and to surgically repair it involves sewing a section of cadaver tendon into the bicept tendon in through an incision in the forearm and, then inserting a barb into the elbow to reattach the tendon to the elbow. What could go wrong? Many things along with a six month rehab. So, that would be a last resort in the event the arm became unusable. But, instead she said we'll try to rehabilitate the arm with occupational/physical therapy. There is a little used muscle right below the bicept muscle, called the brachial muscle. According to the doctor, this muscle is not used very much and is actually larger than the bicept. It's a redundant system incorporated into a sophisticated mechanical device. Therapy involved one hour sessions, three days a week for six weeks which incorporated exercises using twisting, stretching, cranking, manipulation and weight training. There was some pain for me the first two weeks as I started using an unused muscle in an arm which had been favored. But then I started feeling stronger every session and the bicept tendon no longer stood out on my arm under load. I was really amazed by the result. Tomorrow will be my last session of therapy to go over my normal exercise routine and the therapist will recommend modifications to maintain strength and avoid injury. Not everyone is the same. There are differences in severity of injury, in physical shape and normal activity levels we are used to and capable of. But since the forum members are also similar, I believe this can help some of you regain quality of life.

 

[Mailman]

Good for you GB! That’s terrific news, keep it up!

 

[gggGary]

Wow glad that worked out for you!
Shredded the short head biceps tendon at the elbow many years ago, about a month later I went to see the doc. (no arm strength) They attached what was left to the long head tendon. Was back rock climbing within two months. Really don't notice the difference now. They got the skin stuck on the muscle so it's a bit ugly but I'm no prize anyways.

 

[Goldenboy]

Wow glad that worked out for you!
Shredded the short head biceps tendon at the elbow many years ago, about a month later I went to see the doc. (no arm strength) They attached what was left to the long head tendon. Was back rock climbing within two months. Really don't notice the difference now. They got the skin stuck on the muscle so it's a bit ugly but I'm no prize anyways.
View attachment 173415

My neighbor had that done and was months in rehab. He tried to stop a falling A/C unit. Each injury is unique, but as the saying goes; " Use it or lose it". I'm glad we all had a good turn out! My neighbor is back to his HVAC job and land scaping on the side.