General Medical issues thread

[prozac]

I think (thought) theoretical max was 220- (80x0.7) which is 164 +/- 20 and that the advisory or optimal 70% was just a feel good number for aspirants.
The gp knows me pretty well well and said no limits, push as hard as you like…..
Post op I was only achieving 130 on woosy little hills but as the fitness has ramped up so has the achievable heart rate.
The light headedness yesterday I took as a sign of my functional limit atm.
I guess the cardiologist may have an opinion , I will arrive armed with my blood pressure graphs an a screen shot of one of my walks that shows the heart rate increases with stress and quickly recovers.

Cynics view : why bother, you will likely die soon from something else….

The optimal figure is one at which you attain good exercise benefit, not one that you should not exceed (i.e. you can). I can't remember if my cardio said it should be 70%, or 80% or indeed 60%...so I picked the middle figure. You are very dedicated regardless. I wish I was a bit more. First spot of rain and I go, 'I'll get wet, better stay home.' haha.
I have to work on my glutes which burn now whenever I exercise because I've lost muscle mass from sitting around too much.

 

[Pushka]

MrP has gone on to BP medication. He's extremely fit, his recent stress test showed his heart function was that of a 40 year old. BP not that high but wanted to see if it could be improved. Trouble is that at the gym he can't get his heart rate up to the level he was able to reach prior to starting treatment 3 weeks ago. I reckon he will ditch it.

 

[drron]

Didn't give it more than 1 week.

I think you're doing great. There's no way I'm doing 13,000 steps per day. I walk 100 metres and I need to stop. Yes I can push myself to do that everyday but that'd be torture.

Also I was feeling sorry for myself having to move out of apartment but God had other plans.

I now struggle badly to walk up 29 steps to our current apartment. Can be just as bad walking down too. We were rejected on at least 15 rental applications in May and June and the one that was successful has only 7 steps. I keep thinking back to meeting the young Lass at the inspection and something didnt feel right. We were successful in less than 24 hours. Now I understand. Almost as if an angel was involved.

We get the keys in 2 days and move in after 7 days. We're now in flat part of Toowong. I'm going to try and walk around the block once each day and see how I go.

Great that you have a new apartment.
I am afraid though you will just have to live in a world of pain. There is no magic either in pill form or a program that is magically going to get you where you want to be within a week.
In January /February this year I was walking 2000 steps a day. however that was between 0900 and 2300 each day. At the beginning my usual number of steps I took before having to sit 5-10 minutes because of the pains was 30-50. But I persevered because I wanted to be better. Yes it was hard but by March I was walking up to 6000 steps per day. At worst I could walk 250 steps before having to stop. At best 600 steps. but again thos steps ere over the same 14 hours as before.
Then I tried the walking stick. Again no magic bullet but I began to recover more quickly and slowly the number of steps increased. So now after 4.5 months I can get to 90000 steps per week and the best daily totals ~16500 steps. But again over 14 hours. The best I have done in 1 session is 5000 steps - a bit over 2KM. But often only after a minute sitting I am able to get going again. Yes at times it was torture but the results are worth it.
I did surprise myself last week when I actually jogged a 100 metres. A very slow jog though.

You get out of life what you put into it.

 

[Katie]

FIL update.
We arrived home from Europe last Weds. Told the ILs in the group chat we were home. On Thurs, Mr Katie gets a message from one sister "call me as soon as you can". He calls her back in the afternoon, discovers that FIL was admitted to hospital on the day we left (24/7), spent a week or more there, discharged, and was readmitted early last week. My SIL seems unimpressed that Mr Katie isn't shocked by the revelation that FIL was in hospital.

Mr Katie and the Teen visit FIL on Friday afternoon; MIL was also there.

Apparently FIL's kidneys aren't doing great and his legs are/were swollen. He's also had a skin cancer cut out of his leg (after adamantly refusing any more cancer removals after the last one a few months ago??!!) and will need stitches out. Some issues between the skin clinic and hospital staff about who is now responsible for removing said stitches.

There was also some confusion at the hospital last week when he was admitted, as his medications hadn't been collected by the staff and he took some of his own accord when they were due. Apparently, he reduced a poor nurse to tears when she tried to tell him off for taking his meds on time without their knowledge.

Mr Katie went back to visit yesterday (Monday) and managed to meet FIL's cardiologist. Mr Katie, sceptic, cynic and negative nancy since forever, has decided the cardiologist is the most negative medical professional he's ever met. Mr Katie's take is that the cardiologist is only interested in operations and FIL's issues won't be helped by an operation, so he's ready to sign him over to palliative care.
Mr Katie is taking the notion of palliative care with a grain of salt as the same cardiologist said FIL wouldn't survive to see Christmas 2024.

MIL is apparently starting to notify family and close friends of the situation. This probably explains why my SIL was so upset about FIL being in hospital - I guess either Mr Katie didn't hear her or she didn't say FIL was terminal/close to terminal.

I asked Mr Katie how he was doing last night; he said there's no point being sad in advance.
The Teen took it upon herself to visit her Grandad today.

 

[JohnK]

That’s limited mobility but in this case I don’t understand how you can continue to play golf?

Haven't played golf since April. I will try again end of next month wgen we are in Thailand.

Also note that in Thailand I only use buggies and in most courses the caddie drives the buggy pretty close to my ball, tees and greens as they give you a mobility flag with free reign to go anywhere within reason. I may only need to walk 10-15 metres at a time but not sure the knees can take the pressure of a rotating golf swing.

I shall try my best and if I cannot play golf then so be it.

 

[JohnK]

Great that you have a new apartment.
I am afraid though you will just have to live in a world of pain. There is no magic either in pill form or a program that is magically going to get you where you want to be within a week.

I don't think I ever stated there's a magic cure.

I accepted my fate a long time ago. I mainly go through each day without painkillers but I know what's best for me. I know what works for me. It'd be nice to find a GP that was supportive rather than a lap dog of the government.

I need Xanax. I don't want to find alternative treatments to panic/anxiety attacks. I've been forced onto black market.

I need Panadeine Forte or something similar. GP didn't want to prescribe anymore and the suggestion was the pain medication pyramid starting off with Panadol Osteo, Mobic and Tramadol. It actually helps on the occasion that I do medicate. New GP thinks it's too much medication. No it's not too much if it means I'm not suffering too much.

I need Prednisolone or something similar for severe inflammation. GP does not want to prescribe so again I source on black market.

I don't ask for a lot. All I'm looking for is some quality of life without feeling like an invalid.

And contrary to a lot of advice the latest advice from Urology outpatients is for wife to self medicate to treat UTI. It would appear that 14 days of Trimethoprim has cleared up wife's UTI. Urine sample free of bacteria for first time in a long time. He advised we ask GP for prescription of Trimethoprim to take with us to Thailand in case UTI re-occurs. It doesn't mean we will abuse it but we will be prepared.

And yes I do realise that for life you get what you put into it. Unfortunately it's not that simple. I try my best to play the cards I have been dealt.

 

[tgh]

I don't ask for a lot. All I'm looking for is some quality of life without feeling like an invalid.

Based on the self medication summary above, I opine that your remaining life will be quite short…... treasure every minute , there is no replay

 

[cove]

I take colchicine daily to help minimize heart attacks and strokes. I was one of the 5500 participants in the Locodo trial.

 

[Pushka]

And contrary to a lot of advice the latest advice from Urology outpatients is for wife to self medicate to treat UTI. It would appear that 14 days of Trimethoprim has cleared up wife's UTI. Urine sample free of bacteria for first time in a long time. He advised we ask GP for prescription of Trimethoprim to take with us to Thailand in case UTI re-occurs. It doesn't mean we will abuse it but we will be prepared.

And yes I do realise that for life you get what you put into it. Unfortunately it's not that simple. I try my best to play the cards I have been dealt.

I suffer recurrent UTIs and yes I've been given advance scripts. I've had all the tests, the cystoscope? And no abnormality. But every test I do the comments are about RBC. (And other stuff but that comes and goes). Basically kidneys leak 'blood' and being on blood thinners doesn't help. There's nothing wrong with me. It's just me.
But maybe try Uromet once the infection is clear. Twice a day. OTC from chemists. Keeps the urine more acidic which is an anti bacterial environment. I've been on it three weeks. And I think it may work. Unfortunately will be taking it for the foreseeable future but if it stops the UTIs safely then it's totally worth it. UTIs are absolutely miserable.

 

[JohnK]

I don't ask for a lot. All I'm looking for is some quality of life without feeling like an invalid.

Based on the self medication summary above, I opine that your remaining life will be quite short…... treasure every minute , there is no replay

How can you judge when you know nothing other than what you read? Which part of "I have medication under control " don't you understand?

The last time I had Xanax was Tuesday/Wednesday last month when I went Sydney to visit mum in hospital after emergency surgery. The next time will be on OOL-SYD flight 20 September, followed by SYD-SIN flight on 21 September and SIN-BKK flight on 22 September. Unless I have a panic/anxiety attack before then. This type of consumption is not going to kill me prematurely.

I had 35mg Prednisolone over 2 days last week because I was as stiff as a board and could not move.

I have not taken Tramadol in over a week.

Please give me some credit instead of putting me down. It's all under control.

 

[tgh]

Please give me some credit instead of putting me down. It's all under control.

We all make our choices , yours is clearly the path of weakness ; self indulgence over self discipline .
You have received voluminous advice here from caring medical professionals and you ignore it all.

You come here scrabbling for what ? Empathy ? sympathy ? ..all used up in my book.

We are currently living with a friend's fight for survival, her fortitude, discipline and determination is inspiring.
She will not win but she will go down fighting every inch of the way

 

[mrsterryn]

I need Xanax. I don't want to find alternative treatments to panic/anxiety attacks. I've been forced onto black market.

I need Panadeine Forte or something similar. GP didn't want to prescribe anymore and the suggestion was the pain medication pyramid starting off with Panadol Osteo, Mobic and Tramadol. It actually helps on the occasion that I do medicate. New GP thinks it's too much medication. No it's not too much if it means I'm not suffering too much.

I need Prednisolone or something similar for severe inflammation. GP does not want to prescribe so again I source on black market.

I don't ask for a lot. All I'm looking for is some quality of life without feeling like an invalid.

How the heck do you get so many pain relief medications ? PBS indicates that certain criteria must be met
My husband has weird hidden pain which in the last few months has been wonderfully helped by panadeine forte for which I am truly grateful he is prescribed (for his brain tumours , yep another lesion has been located )
However wouldn't there eventually be some kind of medical coughtail crossover where they are clashing with each other ? PBS does restrict both scripts and amount of scripts for certain medications

 

[Pushka]

How the heck do you get so many pain relief medications ? PBS indicates that certain criteria must be met
My husband has weird hidden pain which in the last few months has been wonderfully helped by panadeine forte for which I am truly grateful he is prescribed (for his brain tumours , yep another lesion has been located )
However wouldn't there eventually be some kind of medical coughtail crossover where they are clashing with each other ? PBS does restrict both scripts and amount of scripts for certain medications

The more medicines you take the more complicated the management of those medicine side effects gets. Finding that right now. Awareness is the key.
And there's the Black market. However I have not exactly done the black market but I have needed to get antibiotics overseas for those UTIs and Asia pharmacies are very helpful. And before when husband had chronic sinusitis and needed the real psuedoephidrene to manage it, (because that fake thing they try to pass off in Australia has been proven to be as effective as a placebo, and they treat people asking for it as criminals, ) we have visited pharmacies overseas where it's available OTC, including Dubai of all places. Having had the surgery he no longer needs anything.

Best wishes to your husband, and to you.

 

[drcam]

Currently Vyvanse (for ADHD) has done wonders for me in terms of quality of life and work efficiency, but I am unable to get my blood pressure under control. Now on 8mg of Candesartan instead of 4 and my BP is still consistently 150/100 or worse.

 

[JohnK]

How the heck do you get so many pain relief medications ? PBS indicates that certain criteria must be met

Panadol Osteo is over the counter medication. Contrary to what @tgh thinks the GP advised that I take 6 x Panadol Osteo per day or 8 x Paracetamol per day for the rest of my life. I overruled the GP.

Mobic is low dose anti-inflammatory medication the GP prescribed and advised I need to take every day for the rest of my life. I overruled the GP.

Panadeine Forte is prescription medication and the GP does not want to prescribe anymore. GP then substituted Tramadol 100mg for use when necessary.

In April I played 6 games of golf and I was in a lot of pain. Very uncomfortable. For the last 2 games I had 2 Panadol Osteo + Mobic + Tramadol 100mg and I had no pain or discomfort. I think thats a tremendous outcome. So since then I've used this combination sparingly.

Yes there is no magic cure and when you get to my stage exercise is not possible either. So what's the answer? Suffer in pain? No thanks. I have the answer for now. Hopefully that does the trick.

And no I am not looking for sympathy. I love reading people's experiences.

Note when I was fully fit during covid we were doing 6,000 steps to 10,000 steps a day with wife and daughter. Most days were 6,000 steps to 7,000 steps a day. I am now much worse than 5 years ago. There is no way I can do 13,000 steps a day like @drron. When I walk it feels like dragging both legs not walking. It's hard to explain.

 

[mrsterryn]

Best wishes to your husband, and to you.

Thank you
I think for me I am fearful of meds from overseas cause his various issues . Though having said that I am really pleased he could be prescribed pandeine forte , as I realise it can be difficult to obtain. Husband has a few weird and wonderful conditions that for my peace of mind , one GP managing all said specialists and one pharmac_ that we go to helps
I do miss for me some of the OTC products they have in the USA though

 

[Pushka]

Thank you
I think for me I am fearful of meds from overseas cause his various issues . Though having said that I am really pleased he could be prescribed pandeine forte , as I realise it can be difficult to obtain. Husband has a few weird and wonderful conditions that for my peace of mind , one GP managing all said specialists and one pharmac_ that we go to helps
I do miss for me some of the OTC products they have in the USA though

We are off to Hawaii in September. Curious to know what they have OTC? I think maybe they can get products for sleeping which I've tried and once was enough. Also proper melatonin from memory.

 

[mrsterryn]

We are off to Hawaii in September. Curious to know what they have OTC? I think maybe they can get products for sleeping which I've tried and once was enough. Also proper melatonin from memory.

We used to get an amazing night cough syrup there. Here husband has to get the codeiene linctus during winter. Their syrup was over the counter and helped so much . We did load up the cupboard so to speak but ran out a year or so ago

 

[JohnK]

I suffer recurrent UTIs and yes I've been given advance scripts. I've had all the tests, the cystoscope? And no abnormality. But every test I do the comments are about RBC. (And other stuff but that comes and goes). Basically kidneys leak 'blood' and being on blood thinners doesn't help. There's nothing wrong with me. It's just me.
But maybe try Uromet once the infection is clear. Twice a day. OTC from chemists. Keeps the urine more acidic which is an anti bacterial environment. I've been on it three weeks. And I think it may work. Unfortunately will be taking it for the foreseeable future but if it stops the UTIs safely then it's totally worth it. UTIs are absolutely miserable.

Thanks @Pushka.

Cystoscope for wife is next month.

Wife is now trying Hiprex on the advice of Urology which appears to be similar to Uramet.

And yes UTIs are miserable.

 

[Pushka]

Thanks @Pushka.

Cystoscope for wife is next month.

Wife is now trying Hiprex on the advice of Urology which appears to be similar to Uramet.

And yes UTIs are miserable.

Yes. The same thing. Gets excellent reviews about effectiveness.