General Medical issues thread

[Hvr]

I was very fortunate that both of my parents voluntarily relinquished their drivers licenses before I felt the need to intervene.

It's great they stopped driving when appropriate, however you need to be careful you don't surrender a vital piece of picture identification. Especially if they no longer have a passport.

Such identification can be vital as a person moves through the system.

 

[OZDUCK]

It's great they stopped driving when appropriate, however you need to be careful you don't surrender a vital piece of picture identification. Especially if they no longer have a passport.

Such identification can be vital as a person moves through the system.

Agreed - my MIL was born in Singapore, naturalised in Australia in the mid 1960's and on the age pension for over 25 years, She had no valid passport or drivers license when we were trying to get a Nursing Home for her. A lot of hassle to get her 'officially identified,

 

[tgh]

One might hope that a current MyGov ID would be sufficient ?

 

[Pushka]

It's great they stopped driving when appropriate, however you need to be careful you don't surrender a vital piece of picture identification. Especially if they no longer have a passport.

Such identification can be vital as a person moves through the system.

There is proof of ID card available to those who need it and don't have DL or passport. My mum had one. She never had a drivers licence.

 

[prozac]

There is proof of ID card available to those who need it and don't have DL or passport. My mum had one. She never had a drivers licence.

We swapped MrsPs DL for an ID card earlier this year. It was simply going to be too costly b/c of recommendation to use OT. Really CMO - POffed really. @andye had a chap that could assess inexpensively but the minute OTs got involved ... grrrrrrrr

Edit: That was last year, March. Don't judge me.

 

[Quickstatus]

A lot of hassle to get her 'officially identified,

Mum had used her maiden and married name seemingly randomly in her multiple bank accounts, some overseas and her 2 super accounts were also different.

Such a hassle

 

[prozac]

Agreed - my MIL was born in Singapore, naturalised in Australia in the mid 1960's and on the age pension for over 25 years, She had no valid passport or drivers license when we were trying to get a Nursing Home for her. A lot of hassle to get her 'officially identified,

I am on a genealogy group. In 2020 a member asked for help determining his MIL nationality as her parents were migrating from Bulgaria to US and she was told she was born on the ship mid Atlantic. I took the most common EU cities of departure and eventually turned up source documents to show the ship upon which they were passengers and that it was in Rotterdam when she was born in 1921, and this made her of Dutch nationality b/c the ship was still in port. I contacted the Rotterdam registry and basically bullied them into contacting the elderly Yank SIL (83yrs young) who was not able to complete the relevant documents online because he had no knowledge of Dutch. To my surprise they did contact him and helped him apply for a birth certificate for his MIL. She received her first birth certificate shortly before her 100th birthday. She passed away not long after but I was told she was thrilled to finally know this detail about herself.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Interesting study.

Statins can safely cut risk of heart attacks or strokes in healthy people aged over 70, world-first clinical trial shows

Australian-led trial finds low risk of side effects from common cholesterol-lowering medication for otherwise healthy older people

www.theguardian.com

 

[OZDUCK]

This is encouraging news for me - "Taking the shingles vaccine Shingrix could reduce the risk of cardiovascular events including heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, a study has suggested."

https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100711.full

 

[prozac]

This is encouraging news for me - "Taking the shingles vaccine Shingrix could reduce the risk of cardiovascular events including heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, a study has suggested."

https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100711.full

Paywalled.

 

[OZDUCK]

Paywalled.

Sorry, only read the precis and didn't try to go much deeper as I had previously read more details of it elsewhere.

Here is a more detailed article.

• A study of more than 70,000 people by researchers at the University of Oxford, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford Health (NIHR BRC: Oxford Health), found a 9% reduction in cardiovascular disease burden in the seven years after recombinant shingles vaccination, with a 10% reduction for coronary heart disease and a 12% reduction for heart failure.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-08-27-new-shingles-vaccine-linked-to-lower-risk-of-coronary-heart-disease-stroke-and

 

[VPS]

Interesting study.

Statins can safely cut risk of heart attacks or strokes in healthy people aged over 70, world-first clinical trial shows

Australian-led trial finds low risk of side effects from common cholesterol-lowering medication for otherwise healthy older people

www.theguardian.com

I have a friend in late 50s who has shocking muscle pain with statins

 

[Pushka]

I have a friend in late 50s who has shocking muscle pain with statins

Yes. And when I had an emergency visit to the RAH casualty two years ago the guy in the next cubicle had a heart attack a month prior. In his forties. He was prescribed statins. He came in by ambulance because he collapsed and couldn't walk. The cardiologist who had treated him came to visit and said it was likely a reaction to those meds. He was also hacking his lungs out and gave me RSV.

But I do know people who are on them successfully. Just bad luck I guess.

 

[kookaburra75]

I have a friend in late 50s who has shocking muscle pain with statins

I know when I was prescribed statins 30 years ago, the doctor mentioned that joint pain was a potential side effect. Strangely when i started on the generic pravachol I had problems with my finger joints, but on the brand name Lipitor it was ok. Having been dealt a bad hand genetically speaking with heart disease, 32 years later I'm still here. The recent echocardiogram shows normal wear and tear for me, but nothing that needs further intervention.

 

[tgh]

hmm . I had a really great echo and few years later a stent..
Calcium score at my behest told the tale and is (imo) a very important and under utilised test of heart health.
I was prescribed Lipitor many years earlier but quit as they disagreed with me, fast forward and I now take
Crosuva10 ( as a cardiac protectant.) with no side effects.. my cholesterol levels are already great without the statin

 

[kookaburra75]

hmm . I had a really great echo and few years later a stent..
Calcium score at my behest told the tale and is (imo) a very important and under utilised test of heart health.
I was prescribed Lipitor many years earlier but quit as they disagreed with me, fast forward and I now take
Crosuva10 ( as a cardiac protectant.) with no side effects.. my cholesterol levels are already great without the statin

I had the calcium score done prior to the echocardiogram. As I've just retired I'm getting the full battery of tests done, and other odds and ends seen to. Dodgy ankle, shoulder etc. The calcium score was also in the normal wear and tear range. If I drop off the statins for four weeks my cholesterol jumps to 6.5, and then settles back to 3.5 after I'm back on 20mg doses. It does the job for me, but everyone is different and you need to check what works for you.

 

[prozac]

I had the calcium score done prior to the echocardiogram. As I've just retired I'm getting the full battery of tests done, and other odds and ends seen to. Dodgy ankle, shoulder etc. The calcium score was also in the normal wear and tear range. If I drop off the statins for four weeks my cholesterol jumps to 6.5, and then settles back to 3.5 after I'm back on 20mg doses. It does the job for me, but everyone is different and you need to check what works for you.

Never had calcium score done. Considering all my cardiac issues I am surprised it hasn't been requested.
My ankles, worse after IVIG when they become painful with soft tissue pressure. Left leg has compromised lymphatic system so always cough.

 

[Quickstatus]

You are blessed with bunion free feet @prozac

 

[prozac]

You are blessed with bunion free feet @prozac

Thank you @Quickstatus, I guess I should be grateful for something. Maybe from preference for bare feet. I wish the ankle swelling gone. I'd be barefoot all the time if I didn't have to wash them before entering the house. Much easier to kick off thongs at the back door.