General Medical issues thread

[drron]

I’ve always thought about the extent to which it is important to people.

Technical ability has nothing to do with people skills. Most surgeons have at least a working ability of at least one skill. Which is more important?.

There is a downside to having great people skills. A colleague has great people skills. It quickly goes around by word of mouth. So she always gets the “fruit loops” as she puts it. Her other observation is that FLs appear to have other FLs as friends. I suggested to her to lose some of the empathy she projects so she doesn’t get so many FLs

I always had more than my fair share of FLs. But that was part of the challenge. Finding what they really had and fixing it so they were no longer FLs.
Back in the CFS epidemic my results were 15% actually had an illness causing their symptoms.

 

[tgh]

"People skill" covers a bit of ground.
Some medical practitioners should be selling used cars… miracles on tap.. sign here...
Some medical practitioners treat their clients like dummies.. or worse.
Our ophthalmologist of more than 30 years sold his practice ; the new owner was reputedly an excellent surgeon but treated everyone like sheep.
We have moved on...

 

[Pushka]

Must be a bit of it going around.. I'vejust developed bilateral hernias in past week, popping them back in a few times a day. Can't even get an appointment with surgeon till mid June then will book surgery for July sometime. His receptionist likewise said laparoscopy abandoned years ago - too many failures.

Mesh sounds worrisome. (I can close inguinal hernias in dogs with simple interrupted 0 Dexon sutures). Is this the same stuff that's caused all the massive problems in women a while back?

My son developed this when he was around five. Even then it was an incision. It was alarming seeing what happens when it 'gives way'. Fortunately he was operated on urgently. Must be very uncomfortable for you to manage though.

 

[RooFlyer]

I’ve always thought about the extent to which it is important to people.

Technical ability has nothing to do with people skills. Most surgeons have at least a working ability of at least one skill. Which is more important?.

I’m definitely not complaining about my bloke. One of the best around, I’m told.

But as far as people skills - its a bit like a pilot and whether they communicate with pax in the course of an emergency or something very unusual. The argument goes “no, why bother - it won't affect the outcome".

But for me, a bit of communication, recognising that the pax/patient hasn't been through it before, even if the pilot/surgeon has ( or at least trained for) it a zillion times, goes a long way to a satisfactory outcome - beyond the obvious surgical wound(s). Stress I'm told inhibits recovery.

All I got got when I noted some intense post-op pain here and here was to the effect " it was a straightforward hernia operation" , which I'm sure it was, together with "normal avoidable post op stress".

There were some other post op side effects, which you would know about that I had no warning of. I had to Google to see that it was normal and allow my stress to dissipate a bit more. He could have mentioned that ...

But like I said, I'm on the mend and driving etc again.

 

[mrsterryn]

Husband had an unexpected ambulance and hospital visit last week.
Having a regular visit to our special needs dog's hospital where said dog slipped his harness. Husband took off forgetting he cannot run at all. His leg failed and he went over at 90% . Dog went off towards main highway on the right , husband prone facedown with rivers of blood. Wife aka me screaming like a banshee
Ambulance ride, hospital visit, five stiches across his eyebrow /face , MRI, 12 hours later finally on our way home.
Dog was caught by one of the animal nurses. He is fine
Husband was recovering for a few days.
Was not at all how I expected that day to go .
I took photos of the suturing, husband thought I should have videoed it lol

 

[Flashback]

Ah yes .... the good old inguinal hernia repair, after months of discomfort an ultrasound finally made the diagnosis for me. Key hole surgery for mine and a fairly short recovery time. I was told though it was borderline due to the size and slicing me up was narrowly avoided. Phew. I hunted high and low when I was last in Aus for the photos etc. that were taken but unable to find them. I was about 17 at the time I think, I wonder what caused it?

 

[JohnK]

Yes…

Pain especially the chronic type is best treated by getting on with life. There are some treatments that may help but they need to start from a position where the person is making living life the centre of focus, not pain.

Which is what seems to be happening here
Can be a real PITA though…

Yes doc. Most doctors want to give me some sort of medication. Life in pain is difficult but I think much better than life on drugs that may cause other complications.

 

[mrsterryn]

Slightly different perspective on pain relief. Over a very lengthy period of time we have realised that husband's brain tumour does give pain. However for some reason his brain doesn't recognise it as pain , though his body becomes tired and uncomfortable. With pain relief husband feels much better . Yes husband is odd lol. Still trying to fine tune which pain relief is best for his pain without making him tireder
When he was originally diagnosed back in 2015 his specialist and others were stunned that he didn't have major headaches. However in hindsight it appears to be due to the location /effect of the tumour .

 

[JohnK]

I always had more than my fair share of FLs. But that was part of the challenge. Finding what they really had and fixing it so they were no longer FLs.
Back in the CFS epidemic my results were 15% actually had an illness causing their symptoms.

Some fruit loops have genuine concerns. And a doctor isn't always right either.

Doc: Do you need any updated scripts?
Me: Yes please I'm running low on prednisolone
Doc: You realise that long term use of steroi_s are not good for you
Me: What should I do doc? Continue to suffer?
Doc: (looks at me as if understanding my suffering) and without another word types out script of 30 x 25mg tablets and prints it

I know steroi_s are not good but at 58 I'm not too concerned of the long term effects. The lower back pain was so severe this morning I literally could not walk without hunching over. I took a 12.5mg prednisolone tablet. It gave me some movement but by midday I was hunching over again.

Enough medication today.

 

[tgh]

I dose a horse with steroi_s, sometimes it is all that keeps him alive.
Problem is that over time his immune system becomes progressively lazier and leaves the life keeping to the steroi_s who then want higher and higher dosage for the same job.. leads to nowhere good.
I am finding some other way to keep him alive.
Please find some other way to cope

 

[prozac]

I dose a horse with steroi_s, sometimes it is all that keeps him alive.
Problem is that over time his immune system becomes progressively lazier and leaves the life keeping to the steroi_s who then want higher and higher dosage for the same job.. leads to nowhere good.
I am finding some other way to keep him alive.
Please find some other way to cope

Opinions pls, does medical cannabis really work for pain relief?
Not asking for a friend, simply interested.

 

[JohnK]

Opinions pls, does medical cannabis really work for pain relief?
Not asking for a friend, simply interested.

My neighbour started on CBD oil a month or so ago. He was a mess taking Targen regularly and struggled to move. He has progressively got better and now moves freely.

One problem though in the past week the batch he was taking had high amount of THC and he has been constantly high.

That'd be too much of an inconvenience if one was working and driving a car.

 

[Quickstatus]

The argument goes “no, why bother - it won't affect the outcome".

Thats the thing about "Outcomes".Outcome for a Dr is often quite different for a patient.

Some fruit loops have genuine concerns

Yes, and therein lies the problem - sorting out who you can help and who you can't.

does medical cannabis really work for pain relief

Jury is out. Though some Pain specialists are prescribing it for Chronic refractory pain and Chronic refractory anxiety

Since Nov 2021 Medical cannabis will be categorised by cannabinoid content.
There are 5 categories or "strength"
None are approved by the TGA but are available through the TGA special access scheme.

All Medical cannabis remains a Schedule 8 prescription except for Medical Cannabis with minimal THC content (Category 1) which is S4
Cat 4,5 are only allowed if application endorsed by a specialist medical college - such as pain or rheumatology or a Medical ethics committee.

 

[JohnK]

Yes, and therein lies the problem - sorting out who you can help and who you can't.

Don't get me wrong I'm under no illusions. I have genuine concerns and I know there is no quick fix.

Rheumatologist has recommended Guselkumab sold as Tremfya. I'm starting end July. I've been on these biologics since 1999. My body deteriorates faster than they can develop them.

Only 2 regrets in life. Golf has gone downhill fast and I cannot give my little angel the time she deserves.

 

[tgh]

Outcome for a Dr is often quite different for a patient

respectfully…why ?

 

[Quickstatus]

why

Drs outcome: Condition cured.
Pts outcome: I have a big scar.

Drs outcome: Pt survived the anaesthetic
Pts outcome: I have a big bruise where the drip went in.

We had one case which became a complaint in our hospital:
A pt's heart stopped on the operating table. In the process of doing chest compressions, the patient got 6 broken ribs.
Pt complained.
Dr's outcome of CPR: Pt is alive
Pt's outcome: i have painful broken ribs which were not broken prior to admission to hospital

Not saying one is more right or wrong.

One of the biggest challenges for Drs is a patient's unrealistic expectations.
.......

Guselkumab

People think Cancer is bad, but I actually think arthritis is worse
Sorry to hear @JohnK.

 

[JohnK]

People think Cancer is bad, but I actually think arthritis is worse
Sorry to hear @JohnK

Arthritis is bad but there are other things out there worse.

I can still play golf in a buggy and live life through my little angel.

Priorities in life change. We need to try and make our lives the best we can with the cards we are dealt. Sulking changes nothing.

 

[tgh]

big like @Johnk….

 

[RooFlyer]

For many years I've been a light sleeper, with frequent wake-ups during the night; no problem getting to sleep and mostly can get back to sleep, but occasionally awake at 4am and no going back. Have been taking Temazepam or Phenergan or Melatonin for the past year - very sparingly, just when I really need to 'catch up'. But I'd rather not, so I decided to seek out some help.

Sleep specialist. Sent me for a "sleep study"; two months wait but that was OK I thought.

So I got the video and kit on Friday. This is approximately how I ended up after an hour, plus an additional electrode on forehead, plus couple of electrodes down one leg. Note canula in nose and pulse-ox meter on finger and big thing on wrist. Oh, they gave me a number to call in case I had problems setting up (tangle of wires., skin prep, 13 electrodes etc etc.) But said I would probably have to leave a message and they'd call me back. Seriously? I'm standing there with wires hanging off all over the place and someone will call me back, sometime?




Yeah, right, as a light sleeper you are really going to get a good nights sleep in that ludicrous lot, eh, especially with canula up nostrils blocking good air flow (and it does partially block, in spite of them saying it wouldn't). They say they need a minimum of 4 hrs, better 6 hrs sleep to be able to get good results ("able to be scored" whatever that means). I was pretty pissed off - in no way was I going to be able to sleep properly in that lot. Sure, if you sleep heavily and snore (risk of sleep apnoea) I expect it wouldn't be an issue, but a light sleeper?

So we'll see if it got enough data; I reckon I slept for 2-3 hrs at best and I've been pretty shattered all day. If it doesn't, I can have it redone, but I'm not sure that I would. I think I was just sent off for the "standard response" and while I'm sure if it would will generate interesting data, I the good Dr specialist just didn't listen to the patient in front of them. The specialist asked and I gave answers indicating (it turns out) that I didn't seem to have sleep apnoea.

I think I'll phone record and video myself one night coming up and I reckon that'll yield some useful data, too.

Not happy, Jan.

 

[Quickstatus]

wires hanging off all over the place

And the Qantas “study” on that experimental ultralong flight from JFK-SYD was legit??