General Medical issues thread

[mrs.dr.ron]

I second the heat pad !! I haven't had back surgery but I did have a crush fracture of a vertebrae, so I do get back pain.

 

[docjames]

I had major back surgery back in late April after one of my discs collapsed and disappeared back in early March (which is why I've been absent from here for many months). A week and a half after coming home, just as I was getting better, my wife got an impinged nerve in her spine. After three weeks of agony, despite the pain-killers, she had her back surgery in mid June.

And we were booked to fly out on a three month European vacation on 16 August.

Unfortunately, our recoveries haven't been as rapid as initially suggested. It looks like we'll have to cancel the trip, as my wife is in a lot of pain after a slight bit of walking.
We shall see how our claim on CBA credit card insurance pans out.
Regards,
Renato

Good luck with your recoveries and also good luck with the insurance.

Let us know how you get on (both physically and with the CC insurance claim).

 

[JohnK]

The 40k baht should be pretty good top of the line. You can start with the dental hospitals, the major ones are all good. But easy to google and get reviews. The smaller ones as you say, really need a good recommendation. I have one for bangkok in Sathorn if you need it one day, feel free to PM me.

Re crowns, gold is supposedly better. And, cheaper. go figure.

Thanks for the offer. I'd prefer porcelain to gold crowns. I'll wait it out for now but the gums where tooth has been extracted are tender and sore when I chew difficult food such as meats/apples etc. The third tooth had root canal many years ago and has now broken about 3 times. Not much left so will need to come out when I get the courage.

 

[drron]

Well I've got new ears.they aren't cheap either.
But went to our favourite noisy restaurant last night and could hear what everyone was saying.

 

[love_the_life]

Well I've got new ears.they aren't cheap either.
But went to our favourite noisy restaurant last night and could hear what everyone was saying.

It's amazing the difference they make. My iPhone now recognises mine as a pair so I can bluetooth to the phone which is easy for volume control etc.

 

[love_the_life]

So went to dentist. I swear all the posts about crowns and implants have put the moz on me! Options for the tooth I went to see about are probably going to either root canal (quote ~2K) or implant (~8000K). But...there is a tooth on the other side with a crack which may need more urgent attention. The dentist was very thorough and now I have a set of photos of my teeth (not pretty as full of old fillings). I go back for full x-rays in a few weeks and then a decision will be made on the treatment plan (as he so quaintly puts it). I can see this being an expensive exercise.

 

[Hvr]

Still not well and after another visit to the GP won't be back at work for at least another week.

Won't return until I'm 100%. This is why I save my sick leave, for genuine illness. Not throwing a sicky because I can't be bothered to work.

 

[Pushka]

So went to dentist. I swear all the posts about crowns and implants have put the moz on me! Options for the tooth I went to see about are probably going to either root canal (quote ~2K) or implant (~8000K). But...there is a tooth on the other side with a crack which may need more urgent attention. The dentist was very thorough and now I have a set of photos of my teeth (not pretty as full of old fillings). I go back for full x-rays in a few weeks and then a decision will be made on the treatment plan (as he so quaintly puts it). I can see this being an expensive exercise.

Ouch. Is it a back tooth or more frontal?

 

[Flying mermaid]

I had major back surgery back in late April after one of my discs collapsed and disappeared back in early March (which is why I've been absent from here for many months). A week and a half after coming home, just as I was getting better, my wife got an impinged nerve in her spine. After three weeks of agony, despite the pain-killers, she had her back surgery in mid June.

And we were booked to fly out on a three month European vacation on 16 August.

Unfortunately, our recoveries haven't been as rapid as initially suggested. It looks like we'll have to cancel the trip, as my wife is in a lot of pain after a slight bit of walking.
We shall see how our claim on CBA credit card insurance pans out.
Regards,
Renato

best wishes for a full recovery!

 

[Flying mermaid]

So went to dentist. I swear all the posts about crowns and implants have put the moz on me! Options for the tooth I went to see about are probably going to either root canal (quote ~2K) or implant (~8000K). But...there is a tooth on the other side with a crack which may need more urgent attention. The dentist was very thorough and now I have a set of photos of my teeth (not pretty as full of old fillings). I go back for full x-rays in a few weeks and then a decision will be made on the treatment plan (as he so quaintly puts it). I can see this being an expensive exercise.

i feel your pain - the year I had 3 crowns, Ms FM had an implant for a tooth than never grew and she needed a bone implant before they could do it. Bills were horrendous.

I had a root canal about 2 years ago, which left me with a constant background ache. I am now contemplating pulling it out and doing an implant, except a) I am a coward and b) what if it doesn't cure the ache.

I think if I had my time over, I would probably have done the implant first and not bothered with the root canal, or though if it works the root canal is better.

 

[sinophile888]

or implant (~8000K).

Sounds a bit over priced!!!!!

 

[love_the_life]

Ouch. Is it a back tooth or more frontal?

Just beside the front one - otherwise it would just be removed!

 

[love_the_life]

Still not well and after another visit to the GP won't be back at work for at least another week.

Won't return until I'm 100%. This is why I save my sick leave, for genuine illness. Not throwing a sicky because I can't be bothered to work.

Sounds like you have come down with quite a dose. No point in trying to fight it and going back too early. Just take it easy and hopefully nature will take care of the rest. Best wishes.

 

[JohnK]

That's good value. After getting money back from Extras cover, I was out of pocket around $6500 per implant.
Regards,
Renato

That's a lot more than I'm prepared to spend per tooth. Hoping I can do all 3 for less than that price.

 

[QF WP]

I had major back surgery back in late April after one of my discs collapsed and disappeared back in early March (which is why I've been absent from here for many months). A week and a half after coming home, just as I was getting better, my wife got an impinged nerve in her spine. After three weeks of agony, despite the pain-killers, she had her back surgery in mid June.

And we were booked to fly out on a three month European vacation on 16 August.

Unfortunately, our recoveries haven't been as rapid as initially suggested. It looks like we'll have to cancel the trip, as my wife is in a lot of pain after a slight bit of walking.
We shall see how our claim on CBA credit card insurance pans out.
Regards,
Renato

Good luck with your recoveries and also good luck with the insurance.

Let us know how you get on (both physically and with the CC insurance claim).

+1. You and your wife haven't had a good year. Hopefully your recovery will allow you to plan that holiday again in the future.

 

[Quickstatus]

teeth lasts longer than cars but people are prepared to spend lots more on cars.

 

[QF WP]

I recently had a client advise me he had terminal metastatic cancer (third time after initial lung cancer and then prostate). Saw him in hospital on 30th June and by the time I got back to him a week later, he had declined to the point of me needing to have his EPoA sign documents for him (but we told him what was happening). Affairs in order.

He only lasted until 19 July (after being transferred to a hospital closer to the EPoA), but thankfully I sat with him on his last afternoon for an hour after I was told he was going downhill fast. I was able to tell him that everything was in order (financially) and I would look after his beneficiaries and his flatmate (also a client). His family saw him that night and cracked an expensive bottle of French champagne and toasted his life - he even managed a couple of sips. He died the next morning at 6.20am

Glad that I made the effort to see him. In some small way, makes up for not being able to do the same for my uncle last year (sit with him). Life is short, live it to the fullest.

 

[Renato1]

Best of luck Renato. Did you suffer nerve damage? I had same surgery 30 years ago but nerve impingement (basically a crush injury to spinal nerves) means I still have a numb right foot on little toe and next toe and calf. I still get back spasm if I do chores that need me to bend over - gardening and vacuuming are the worst.
Anyone who tells you that recovery is quick has not had this surgery. But I have learnt to manage and now travel heaps but cannot get coverage for related spine injury even 30 years later. Also a heat pad will become your best friend.

Thanks very much for that. Before the disc went I had a weak left leg and strong right one. After the surgery I now have the reverse. Before the surgery, I was doomed to live the rest of my life on my bean bag day and night (which I did for two months) since I couldn't sit, stand or brush my teeth without pain. After the surgery I can now split wood and carry all sorts of things, and walk for half an hour before I start getting sore. So that's a tremendous improvement.

I just need more improvement in the distance walking department before travel becomes something worth doing again. My wife is much worse than me, suffering much more from less walking.

Regards,
Renato

I second the heat pad !! I haven't had back surgery but I did have a crush fracture of a vertebrae, so I do get back pain.

Thanks. The heat pad doesn't do much for me, though the nurses said it would. Nor the cold pad which other nurses suggested.
They've been marginally useful to my wife initially.
Regards,
Renato

Good luck with your recoveries and also good luck with the insurance.

Let us know how you get on (both physically and with the CC insurance claim).

Thanks very much. I'll report back how we went with the insurance.
Regards,
Renato

best wishes for a full recovery!

Thanks. Much appreciated.
Regards,
Renato

+1. You and your wife haven't had a good year. Hopefully your recovery will allow you to plan that holiday again in the future.

Thanks. Actually my wife has had a much worse year, having had two other unrelated operations just prior to her back operation.
Which meant that we hit the Medicare safety net, making things a tad less expensive.

Planning the next holiday should be easy, just replicate what we were going to do this year.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

That's a lot more than I'm prepared to spend per tooth. Hoping I can do all 3 for less than that price.

The problem is who do you choose to do it?

As a prosthodontist (who cost a small fortune) told me, they work to 30 thou (thousandths of an inch) tolerance, whereas normal dentists work to 120 thou tolerance. Which results in prosthodontist crowns having an average life span of 15 years (longer if kept clean with flossing or interdental cleaning) versus seven years from normal dentists.

Not one bonded amalgam filling the prosthodontist put in my mouth has ever come out or needed replacement (though it took him two hours to do it, versus 20 or 30 minutes for a regular dentist - who's fillings didn't last anywhere near as long).
Regards,
Renato

 

[Flying mermaid]

Sounds a bit over priced!!!!!

Pretty standard for an implant in Canberra - we pay max rates for dentistry here.....Dr FM had 4 wisdom teeth out in Sydney for a lot less than Ms FM paid to have 2 extracted in Canberra.