General Medical issues thread

[prozac]

GP suspects Master TC may have a dairy intolerance. He's had two bouts of sudden onset watery stools in the last two weeks which clears up within hours. No impact on appetite etc, no fever etc. The kids are really keeping me on my toes at the moment!

Not medical advice but a s a parent I would try him on A2 for a couple of weeks and then switch back to normal milk and note any changes. You then have something to relate to doctors when you get say a sensitivity test. Of-course he might just have been eating dirt or caterpillars in the garden.

 

[mrsterryn]

New news regarding Alzheimers research released at 0830 this morning. News was embargoed until then. New study has confirmed a link between herpes simplex virus and Alzheimers disease. This could be a game changer and will change the direction of research, hopefully in time to potentially help recently diagnosed MrsP.

EXPERT REACTION: Cold sores may be implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease

EXPERT REACTION: Cold sores may be implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) - the virus responsible for cold sores - may have a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, and treatment with antiviral therapy might be linked to a lower risk of th

www.scimex.org

Having read the article it mentions the shingles thingy (sorry zero medical knowledge) and that vaccine has been brought up before as a possible slight barrier for Alzheimer's as well.
Hoping some of the medical people will comment
Hope it will be helpful for Mrs P.
I wonder if herpes was more prevalent decades ago eg my mother's era and grandmother's, both of whom had dementia

 

[Pushka]

GP suspects Master TC may have a dairy intolerance. He's had two bouts of sudden onset watery stools in the last two weeks which clears up within hours. No impact on appetite etc, no fever etc. The kids are really keeping me on my toes at the moment!

From experience. It never lets up.

 

[blackcat20]

Not medical advice but a s a parent I would try him on A2 for a couple of weeks and then switch back to normal milk and note any changes. You then have something to relate to doctors when you get say a sensitivity test. Of-course he might just have been eating dirt or caterpillars in the garden.

Fortunately he's not the dirt eating sort

 

[drron]

Having read the article it mentions the shingles thingy (sorry zero medical knowledge) and that vaccine has been brought up before as a possible slight barrier for Alzheimer's as well.
Hoping some of the medical people will comment
Hope it will be helpful for Mrs P.
I wonder if herpes was more prevalent decades ago eg my mother's era and grandmother's, both of whom had dementia

First rule of statistics - Correlation doesn't mean causation..
Second reading the article there are lots of uses of might and maybe.
Third Alzheimers patients had a history of HSV 1 in 0.44% whilst controls it was 0.25%. Not world shattering.
To me this article says we will get more junior reseachers on to this which will keep us in jobs for a few more years.

Takeaway HSV1 (and HSV 2 and varicella ) viruses might be a minor reason for the developement of dementia but certainly not the cause.

 

[prozac]

Fortunately he's not the dirt eating sort

Evidently drinking A2 will not be a good thing if it is a milk allergy, different if lactose intolerant.
FWIW someone tried to tell us MasterP was allergic to dairy when he was around 8yrs. It was BS.

Cow`s milk (dairy) allergy - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)

Cow's milk is a common cause of food allergy in infants. In Australia and New Zealand around 2 per cent (1 in 50) infants are allergic to cow's milk and other d

www.allergy.org.au

 

[Quickstatus]

New study has confirmed a link between herpes simplex virus and Alzheimers disease.

That is actually not the conclusion.
It's an observational study and by definition lacks causality. No link between Alzheimers and HSV is confirmed because it is not possible with this type of study.

All it shows is that slightly more people identified in an administrative database with Alzheimers had HSV than not. It could also be said that Alzheimers increases the risk of HSV.

 

[Quickstatus]

The A2 milk benefits are based on very weak studies - mostly observational studies. Proper A2 vs NonA2 Clinical trials are non existent last time I looked (I have not looked for a few years though).

MstrQS1 and MstrQS2 actually had a milk allergy - they were IgE tested. So they were dairy free for a few years as A2 didn't help. They have grown out of it.

Jersey cows are apparently A2

 

[blackcat20]

You can get A2 lactose free milk so we can give that a go.

 

[Pushka]

You can get A2 lactose free milk so we can give that a go.

So many more options than when younger son was born. Then it was only an awful soy only option.

 

[prozac]

Jersey cows are apparently A2

Only if the herd has been selectively bred for this. Wife's family had a jersey herd. 15 or so years ago when he saw a need for A2 milk nephew went through the process of changing his then 4.500 Holstien to be only A2 carriers. They are in partnership with A2 Milk, a company they jointly established with another dairying family. They were first in Australia to establish an A2 based herd. They now milk around 7000.

 

[Quickstatus]

You can get A2 lactose free milk so we can give that a go.

No need to limit to only lactose free milk
You can use any lactose notfree milk and add lactase drops fromyour favourite pharmacist
I dont know about the effectiveness of the amazon ones

Then it was only an awful soy only option.

We used Rice Milk then almond milk.

 

[Flashback]

No need to limit to only lactose free milk
You can use any lactose notfree milk and add lactase drops fromyour favourite pharmacist
I dont know about the effectiveness of the amazon ones


We used Rice Milk then almond milk.

When I was at Framlingham Castle the other day, it mentioned that part of the diet back in medieval times was almond milk

 

[tgh]

With occasional but repeating upsets from full cream cows milk, I now rotate between soy and Almond on my morning cereal...

 

[Quickstatus]

part of the diet back in medieval times was almond milk

Stews used to be called "pottage". It sounds like anything can go into a pot

 

[JohnK]

Does anyone have any experience with Government subsidised aged care?

Dad has recovered from various operations but he will more than likely need 24 hour a day care. My mum and brother cannot do.

He does have a Home care package where someone can come around each morning and afternoon to assist but he'll need help the rest of the time as well.

We can apply for Government subsidised Aged care but I think there's a long wait list.

At this stage we are not considering any type of private Aged care. Firstly cannot afford it, secondly cannot afford it and thirdly not giving up family home for the privilege for someone to abuse dad.

 

[andye]

Does anyone have any experience with Government subsidised aged care?

Dad has recovered from various operations but he will more than likely need 24 hour a day care. My mum and brother cannot do.

He does have a Home care package where someone can come around each morning and afternoon to assist but he'll need help the rest of the time as well.

We can apply for Government subsidised Aged care but I think there's a long wait list.

At this stage we are not considering any type of private Aged care. Firstly cannot afford it, secondly cannot afford it and thirdly not giving up family home for the privilege for someone to abuse dad.

I'm in NSW but I am not aware of any government programme that provides 24 hour care. The highest Commonwealth Aged Care Package is a level 4 which might provide up to a couple of hours daily.

If you think your father might need that, you are correct about the long queue so best to apply early via myagedcare.gov.au

Aged Care is underfunded in my opinion but that is a matter for the Australian electorate; they seem to be far more interested in franking credits and superannuation subsidies for the affluent

 

[love_the_life]

Does anyone have any experience with Government subsidised aged care?

Dad has recovered from various operations but he will more than likely need 24 hour a day care. My mum and brother cannot do.

He does have a Home care package where someone can come around each morning and afternoon to assist but he'll need help the rest of the time as well.

We can apply for Government subsidised Aged care but I think there's a long wait list.

At this stage we are not considering any type of private Aged care. Firstly cannot afford it, secondly cannot afford it and thirdly not giving up family home for the privilege for someone to abuse dad.

I am assuming that your father is on an actual Home Care Package (not receiving services under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme which is the entry-level support program). People sometimes get confused and call the CHSP a Home Care Package. Your father will need a Support Plan Review to increase his HCP (unless he is already on a Level 4 which is the current top (note under the new Support at Home system which is part of the aged care reforms there will be more levels). Stress to My Aged Care that this is urgent as his support needs have far exceeded what his wife and family can provide and there is a risk of carer burnout - Wait time to increase package will depend on your father's assessed priority. Also if he is still in hospital, you should contact My Aged Care or the hospital social workers to request an urgent assessment for the Transition Programme (info here but he must still be an inpatient). You should also speak with your father's HCP provider to see what changes they can make to his package to better support him at this time.

 

[love_the_life]

Not great news

Healthscope collapses into receivership

Australia's second-largest private hospital operator, which runs 37 hospitals across the country and employs about 19,000 people, has appointed receivers.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Quickstatus]

@JohnK

Aged care is subsidised on a mean tested basis by the Australian Govt


The costs of Aged Care

Basic daily fee: covering meals, cleaning, facility management and laundry. This amount is capped at 85% of the single old aged pension. Everyone pays this.

Means tested fee: this is the fee fof personal and nursing care. This is mean tested - so only some people pay it and the amount depends on the Means Assessment. It could be $0 up to max $406.39/day. Regardless of the amount payable, there is an annual cap of $34,311 per year and a lifetime cap of $82,347

Accomodation costs: Everyone entering aged care has to agree to the price of the accomodation. However, the actual amount payable depends on the Means Assessment. The amount payable might be 100%, part % or 0%.

Additional services fees: This is the discretionary /luxury side of aged care. Some providers promote additional services as part of their package and some are mandatory. This is not subsidised by the Government

There are 3 ways to pay the accomodation cost:
(a) a refundable accomodation deposit (RAD) which the aged care facility takes and invests and uses the proceeds to pay for (b). Any balance remaining upon leaving the facility is refunded. The RAD can be a % up to 100% of the Accomodation costs. Effectively a RAD is an interest free loan to the aged care provider.
(b) non refundable daily payments (DAP). If the RAD is not 100% of the accomodation costs then a non refundable daily payment is payable which is based on the annual interest income of a RAD. DAP = (Accomodation cost - RAD paid) x MPIR /365.
The current maximum permissible interest rate MPIR is 8.17%
Current RAD in Sydney are approaching $0.8-1M depending on location, facilty, private ensuite etc
(c) Government subsidy - pay directly to accomodation provider. Depending on Means Assessment there may still be a daily accomodation contribution (DAC)

Government subsidy of the Accomodation costs:
it all depends on the means Assessment
In summary

(a) Income less than 33849 AND assets below $61500 the Aus Govt pays 100% of the accomodation costs
(b) Income above $84656 OR assts above $206663 the Australian Govt pays 0% of the accomodation costs
The above are indexed


Means assessments
The assessment includes income and assets and includes part of the family home
Up to $206663 of the value of a family home is included in the Means Assessment
However this amount is not included if a protected person still lives in the family home - eg spouse or other dependant or close relative receiving Australian income support payment

So while your mother continues to live in the family home, the family home is NOT included in the Means assessment

Here is a Residential Aged care cost of Care calculation sheet from Services Australia that goes through the whole means assessment process. The process is very detailed.