Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

[mlooney 3,417]

My stats were all normal and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with my inner ear.  Setting up a non walk-in appointment with my normal primary care person.

[mlooney 3,417]

24 minutes ago, mlooney said:

My stats were all normal and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with my inner ear.  Setting up a non walk-in appointment with my normal primary care person.

And the soonest they can see me is Oct 5th.    Less than gruntled.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

One thing I like about cities is you generally have options. Small towns, not so much.

[mlooney 3,417]

Seems that my wrist blood pressure cuff shows low.  I used my arm cuff and got 125/77.  Wrist cuff got 110/69.  Checking a 2nd time with the arm cuff got 119/71.  Still low blood oxygen and high pulse rate.
 

[Don Edwards 548]

If you take your blood pressure cuffs to a fire station, and the paramedics happen to not be busy at the moment, they'll probably be willing to check your blood pressure using their professional equipment and skill - and then you can use your cuffs on the spot, right afterward, to see how accurate those devices are.

[mlooney 3,417]

14 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

If you take your blood pressure cuffs to a fire station, and the paramedics happen to not be busy at the moment, they'll probably be willing to check your blood pressure using their professional equipment and skill - and then you can use your cuffs on the spot, right afterward, to see how accurate those devices are.

Next time I go to the clinic (either due to dizzy spells or my scheduled appointment) I'm taking my cuff with me for exactly that reason.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I'm headed out to a surgical center on Monday (Sept. 11) to have a procedure done - yet another Rhizotomy. I just had one a little over 6 months ago, and I've lost count of how many I've had, but man, am I in desperate need of another one. I can't stand in one place and do anything (like cooking) without my lumbar spine giving me excruciating pain after just a few minutes. They're going to zap my spinal nerves with radio waves and follow up with steroid injections, if I'm remembering the procedure correctly. I've been told by my physician's assistant at the pain clinic to ask for extra pain medicine on the left-hand side, since that's where the worst lower back pain is happening.

I go in at 10:30 a.m. Monday morning and should be out in a couple of hours. With luck, I should be feeling relief within a week.

[mlooney 3,417]

I have the start of a  migraine.  I've taken analgesics and am in bed where I can put my sleep mask on.  Photos of Explorer as I can get them. 

[mlooney 3,417]

Feeling like crap. Not a migraine, but left over "I'm out of spoons" from yesterday. Planning on getting up in an hour or so

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I just got home from the hospital a few hours ago after spending the night there for observation for a possible stroke. Yep. Lotsa fun. Everything started at around 3:30pm Sunday. I got a headache on the right side of my head, the right side of my face went numb, and I started having some trouble talking out of the right side of my mouth. After about 30 minutes, I brought up the subject to my wife, Brenda. We discussed the matter, and then I finally called 911. They came out and took me to the hospital with lights and sirens going.

They ran some blood tests on me at the hospital and did a CT scan, both of which came back negative for anything scary. Still, the doctor wanted to keep me for observation, so I was admitted for the night. There were the usual snafus with my pain medicines, of course, and the IV they stuck in my right arm back in the ambulance hurt every time I tried to bend it, so things were less than fun.

The worst thing that happened was when they gave me a potassium chloride drip in my IV. IT HURT LIKE HELL. We're talking pain level 9 on the 0-to-10 scale here. Still, I toughed it out as long as I could, since the doctor told me my potassium levels were very low. (I'm wondering if that may have contributed to me feeling so bad on Sunday.)

Anyway, they finally decided I'd had a Transient Ischemic Attack, or TIA for short. Basically a "mini-stroke." They've increased my cholesterol medication and have given me a 21-day course of Plavix blood thinner to take, just in case I've got a baby clot hiding in my brain.

I'm glad the situation is over with for now.  I'm beginning to hate hospitals with a passion.

[mlooney 3,417]

I woke up this morning with a cold. I feel like utter crap.  Going to go back to bed Real Soon Now.

[mlooney 3,417]

26 minutes ago, mlooney said:

I woke up this morning with a cold. I feel like utter crap.  Going to go back to bed Real Soon Now.

I've had a pot of tea. Still feel like crap. Going back to bed.

[mlooney 3,417]

I took a nap this morning, due to feeling like crap. Woke up and barfed. If I still feel bad Monday I'm off to the clinic.

[mlooney 3,417]

Body function TMI:

I would like to have a bowel movement that scored above a 2 on the Bristol Stool Chart

[mlooney 3,417]

I went to the doctor (not the clinic, I have an actual doctor now, not a nurse practitioner).  She says my dizzy spells are "Benign Positional Vertigo" and gave me some exercises to do to clear up my inner ear.  Plus a ton of blood work and my 2nd shingles shot.  I'm out of spoons now.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

5 hours ago, mlooney said:

Body function TMI:
 

  Reveal hidden contents

I would like to have a bowel movement that scored above a 2 on the Bristol Stool Chart

 

I have it on good authority that shit happens, so you should be good in the long run.

More practically, fresh fruit may be helpful. If keeping fruit is an issue, try prunes and dried figs. They both keep well.

 

12 minutes ago, mlooney said:

I went to the doctor (not the clinic, I have an actual doctor now, not a nurse practitioner).  She says my dizzy spells are "Benign Positional Vertigo" and gave me some exercises to do to clear up my inner ear.  Plus a ton of blood work and my 2nd shingles shot.  I'm out of spoons now.

The 2nd shingles shot to complete the sequence is worth it. From what I've heard of shingles, I don't ever want first hand experience.

[mlooney 3,417]

1 hour ago, Darth Fluffy said:

The 2nd shingles shot to complete the sequence is worth it.

I'm just hoping that I don't have the side effects I had when I got the 1st one.  Sore arm for 48 hours and general blah feeling.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

7 hours ago, mlooney said:

I'm just hoping that I don't have the side effects I had when I got the 1st one.  Sore arm for 48 hours and general blah feeling.

I seem to recall that. I think the second wasn't as bad, but still . . .

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Long time no see update:

I had a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack - also known as a mini-stroke) back on 9/17. Wound up spending a night in the hospital for observation as a result.

It hit me as a bad headache on the right side of my skull, with numbness on the right side of my face and difficulty controlling my speech out of the right side of my mouth. The symptoms lasted about 30 minutes and were relatively mild. I had to really sit and figure out if I was having a stroke or not. In the end, we called 911, who took me to the hospital with lights and siren going all the way.

None of the physical tests showed anything, but I flunked some of the therapy tests they give you after such an event, mainly having to do with memory. My primary care doctor has me following up with a neurologist, plus he's got me getting a carotid artery ultrasound scan next week.

I had a scare a few days ago, when my head generated a full-skull headache that was so bad it felt like my head was going to explode. I got sick to my stomach from it. It came in two separate, short waves. My wife called 911 on that, too. Fortunately, a hyper-dose of Advil calmed it down after about 90 minutes, so no hospital trip this time.

I'm on a hair-trigger when it comes to stroke symptoms now. Not fun.

[mlooney 3,417]

5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I'm on a hair-trigger when it comes to stroke symptoms now. Not fun.

Does not sound like fun.  Glad it wasn't worse.

[mlooney 3,417]

CW:poop 

I just had a bowel movement that 

Made my ass bleed

Took almost an hour to pass 

Blocked up the toilet.

I think I need to change my diet to get more fiber

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I'm finally going to have my sesamoid bone removal surgery on my right foot this week, knock on wood. I came down very ill the last time it was scheduled and had to call it off, so I'm hoping the same doesn't happen this time around.

My pre-op appointment is scheduled for this coming Monday afternoon, with the surgery to follow sometime on Thursday. They'll do all of the blood tests on the day of the surgery. When the day comes, they'll remove one of the two sesamoid bones through the left edge of my right foot (I asked about removing both, and was told that it would be a very bad idea, so idea dropped). Recovery should take a couple of months.

I'm hoping that the removal of this pesky sesamoid bone will eliminate all of the inflammations and ulcers that I've been getting from the unnatural compression caused by the bone being out of position. I'm also hoping for no post-op complications, since I seem to be prone to those.

I'll keep you informed. Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me, please.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I'm finally going to have my sesamoid bone removal surgery on my right foot this week, knock on wood. I came down very ill the last time it was scheduled and had to call it off, so I'm hoping the same doesn't happen this time around.

My pre-op appointment is scheduled for this coming Monday afternoon, with the surgery to follow sometime on Thursday. They'll do all of the blood tests on the day of the surgery. When the day comes, they'll remove one of the two sesamoid bones through the left edge of my right foot (I asked about removing both, and was told that it would be a very bad idea, so idea dropped). Recovery should take a couple of months.

I'm hoping that the removal of this pesky sesamoid bone will eliminate all of the inflammations and ulcers that I've been getting from the unnatural compression caused by the bone being out of position. I'm also hoping for no post-op complications, since I seem to be prone to those.

I'll keep you informed. Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me, please.

Good fortune, man. I hope it works.

Knocking on wood would be difficult. Do you think particle board works? I think the doors might have actual wood veneer.

[mlooney 3,417]

3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me, please.

Good luck!  Hope this works out for you.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I'm home from the hospital. As far as I know, everything went without problems. I've got a bit of bleeding on my left big toe where the doctor trimmed a bit of bone off the tip, but it's nothing serious and should stop at any time. As for the right foot, well, I've got some throbbing with it elevated and a good deal of pain when I try to walk on it. It definitely hurts.

They've got me in surgical shoes on both feet. I definitely look weird, and I feel sorry for Mrs. Prof, who's taking care of almost all of my walking duties for the foreseeable future (bathroom duties are still left to me). It's going to be a real pain when she leaves to take care of cat duties.

Thanks for the support and well wishes! I appreciate them all.