General Medical issues thread

[Flyfrequently]

I hated the sun as a child. I now know it was lupus. Maybe saved me from a lot of later issues. Had a skin check last year and other than dry patch on my nose, gone through the cream, there was nothing to see.

Guess this is the only "upside" to your lupus diagnosis @Pushka ( sending hugs)

Growing up, we lived within a km of the beach and even in term time, we would head there after school on our bikes.

On Qld holiday trips, I remember as a youngster the billboards with Coppertone ads for suntan oil - no SPF


Paying for it now

 

[Pushka]

Guess this is the only "upside" to your lupus diagnosis @Pushka ( sending hugs)

Growing up, we lived within a km of the beach and even in term time, we would head there after school on our bikes.

On Qld holiday trips, I remember as a youngster the billboards with Coppertone ads for suntan oil - no SPF
View attachment 493859

Paying for it now

It's actually improving the older I get after an initial peak when I turned 60. Still get the odd surprise like PMR. But even that has settled after. 3 years of steroi_. Still have no thyroid but managed by drugs (that was the first that presented in my twenties), clotting issue managed by Xarelto, oesophageal scleroderma by drugs and diet, think that's it! . I also dropped the Plaquenil - hydroxychloroquine- because that with the steroi_s was making me more susceptible to infections I never used to get.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Could post Moh's surgery wound pics but not for the squeamish @Cossie et al!

Here is the dressing after surgery in 2018


I am fortunate to have colleagues who can facilitate prompt care.
Family history of Melanoma and encourage Flyfrequently offspring (and everyone) to get checked.

 

[drron]

I used to annoy a lot of people when I was young. Would get sunburnt but the next morning wake up with a deep tan. Of course it was the excess iron but only proven when I reached 45 when I moved to QLD. Needed to have another medical for my insurance. In QLD their multi result blood test included iron unlike other States. Iron very high and HH diagnosed which meant back then no more life insurance.

 

[love_the_life]

How is the eye today Cossie? Hopefully you managed some sleep last night.

 

[Cossie]

How is the eye today Cossie? Hopefully you managed some sleep last night.

On the mend, bit itchy, surgeon was happy, I see him again in 4 weeks. It's just so hot here that it is a good escuse to do nothing....

 

[prozac]

On the mend, bit itchy, surgeon was happy, I see him again in 4 weeks. It's just so hot here that it is a good escuse to do nothing....

You need an excuse?

 

[Cossie]

My issues are nothing compared to a couple of friends.

One had cancer when young, lost all her hair, never grew back. She had a motorbike fall on her leg last week, both lower bones in one leg broken.
Then she fell over in hospital, broke a wrist and chipped the tip of her hip bone.

Another friend, cancer of the throat, never smoked, never used anything illegal, treatment meant he lost his saliva glands, so has to carry water with him everywhere.
Then, sore back, the cancer is back, his T8 is knackered, so intensive radiation for 3 days at the end of the week. Fingers crossed for them both.

My life is easy in comparison.....

 

[prozac]

GREAT, Just FG! I've mentioned at my last pacemaker check 1 November 25 they said I had 3.7months battery life. They make an appointment for me for 2nd February 2026. Ohhhkayyyy, they know what they are doing. Last week the rooms call and request we put appointment back to 13 Feb. "You know my battery is running out? Please run it by the doctor"
6pm today: I get a call from the people monitoring the pacemaker. They just had an alert the pacemaker has gone into ERI (?). I need to call my surgeon's rooms in the morning.

 

[prozac]

Looked up the manufacturer website. Looks like I have 2-12 days from my uneducated reckoning. My dependency is 99.99%.

 

[Quickstatus]

So after my mum moved into nursing home, my dad decided he would too.
Now both in same nursing home with their own separate rooms (long story).

One reason for his decision was that he discovered on one his visits to mum that one of the residents there is able to drive his car. So he thought why live in a 2 storey house by self when he can be in a NH and still drive his car. Apparently the food is not bad and he goes Maccas in his car for coffee.

In his mind he says he is getting very slow though he can still get upstairs. In a way it's good he has insight into issues surrounding ageing and preempting those issues made it easier for family later on. He didn't really need NH so one issue with this is that it does block someone who might have needed it more urgently, but it is what it is.

The other incentive was that the Residential accomodation deposit now does not return 100% upon exit - only 90%. And he sold CBA just before the share price correction in Dec to pay for the RAD so that worked out well

So he moved out Dec and we just finished getting rid of all the stuff in the house

The stuff:
Some went to family incl grandkids
Some large furniture were picked up by Salvos
1x 6cubic metre skip
1x free Council bulky goods pickup
2 paid Council bulky goods pickup (2x$71 so value for money)
Some went to Facebook market place. Didn't sell anything - just gave away for free.

The oldest item we gave away was a 1990s Vulcan chest freezer which is still working

The oldest expired kitchen item was condensed milk from 1988

Now getting the cleaners in so the place can be rented out. I think the "end of lease" cleaners are suitable.

 

[Quickstatus]

Oh. And 8 unused Vegemite jars

 

[prozac]

The oldest expired kitchen item was condensed milk from 1988

Collectors item. I have several.

 

[cove]

My SIL always goes thru our pantries to chuck out stuff that is out of use by date. I do doubt that salty tasting vegemite would ever need a use by date.

 

[Quickstatus]

I do doubt that salty tasting vegemite would ever need a use by date.

Similarly the sugary condensed milk

 

[mrsterryn]

@Quickstatus just for interest that 10% is actually over five years.

Mum was in care the last time retention was part of the bond thingy . So when she passed I think was about 5% was gone

 

[Quickstatus]

10% is actually over five years.

Yes the provider can retain 2% per year up to 5 years

Came in on 1/11/25

But Dad signed the contract prior to that, they had a bit of leeway with start date without affecting the RAD

 

[Pushka]

My SIL always goes thru our pantries to chuck out stuff that is out of use by date. I do doubt that salty tasting vegemite would ever need a use by date.

It does surprisingly. I ate some that had expired much earlier and it goes kind of grainy and difficult to spread.

 

[cove]

Many of our neighbours are getting lifts installed in their homes as they get older and less mobile. We had a group visit us and most of them have placed lift orders now for their two and three level homes. It means that they can live longer at their homes.