General Medical issues thread

[love_the_life]

Excellent - sounds as though you are on the mend! Hope all goes well and you have a fabulous holiday!

Ditto Flashback - have a great trip

 

[love_the_life]

Damn - that's what I am missing! Better start drinking red wine. :mrgreen:

For medicinal purposes only of course
I drink Gin and Tonic to guard against malaria in CBR It's rife here of course.

 

[drron]

1.)i assume you regard Mayo clinic as reasonably reputable? They have as a risk factor for side effects for statins as simply being Female. I am a female.

2. Almost no independent research has been done on statins - mainly done by pharmaceutical companies.

3. Trials have mainly centred on males - very little on older women.

4. I am making a judgement call together with my GP on how necessary statins are for me. Given my ratio of good to bad is well under the recommended ratio, I am electing not to use statins. My ratio is 2.9 with the recommended ratio < 4.5.

5. My GP has had at least one case of statins causing congnitive confusion in a female patient which vanished after she was taken off statins. While I agree that doesn't mean every female is going to, I don't choose to take that risk.

1.the vast majority of Cardiologists at the Mayo believe in and prescribe statins.

2.There have been independent trials and the results are the same as "Big Pharma" trials.

3.there are certainly more males studied-hint males have more heart disease-but over 100000 females have been in trials.

4.You are right here.It isn't just total cholesterol that should be taken into account.

5.Extremely rare.But in many it is Total Retrograde Amnesia which despite the opinion of John Glenn is not due to statins.I personally have seen ~ 20 such cases and only 1 was on a statin.It was also reported first more than 400 years ago which is a little before the use of statins.
There are studies that suggest statins may prevent dementia,though other studies don't.Consensus is that probably not useful but not harmful.For further reading here is a list of scientific publications you can read rather than the "pop" science found on the internet-
statins dementia - PubMed - NCBI

6.A new analysis by Oxford University using data from all trials comes out on the side of statins.

7.None of this means I think you should be on a statin as I have no knowledge of your medical history.

 

[Pushka]

1.the vast majority of Cardiologists at the Mayo believe in and prescribe statins. <snip>

Its good to get your perspective here drron.

For medicinal purposes only of course
I drink Gin and Tonic to guard against malaria in CBR It's rife here of course.

Dammit. I have no excuse as the tablets I am taking - plaquenil - is anti-malarial.

 

[drron]

Roger hoping all goes well tomorrow.

 

[Flying mermaid]

1.the vast majority of Cardiologists at the Mayo believe in and prescribe statins.

2.There have been independent trials and the results are the same as "Big Pharma" trials.

3.there are certainly more males studied-hint males have more heart disease-but over 100000 females have been in trials.

4.You are right here.It isn't just total cholesterol that should be taken into account.

5.Extremely rare.But in many it is Total Retrograde Amnesia which despite the opinion of John Glenn is not due to statins.I personally have seen ~ 20 such cases and only 1 was on a statin.It was also reported first more than 400 years ago which is a little before the use of statins.
There are studies that suggest statins may prevent dementia,though other studies don't.Consensus is that probably not useful but not harmful.For further reading here is a list of scientific publications you can read rather than the "pop" science found on the internet-
statins dementia - PubMed - NCBI

6.A new analysis by Oxford University using data from all trials comes out on the side of statins.

7.None of this means I think you should be on a statin as I have no knowledge of your medical history.

Not going to argue, as I don't on social media and I am not a professional....

(although the last time I argued with a very senior doctor in a hospital, I saved Mr FM's life as he had been totally misdiagnosed - he had brain abscesses not brain cancer. It has made me a teensy bit mistrustful...)

 

[Flying mermaid]

1.the vast majority of Cardiologists at the Mayo believe in and prescribe statins.

I never said they didn't - what I said is that they list risk factors for side effects from statins and no 2 was being female. No 4 was 65 and older. OK that's it - no more from me

 

[straitman]

On a slightly lighter note.

I went and had a Shingles jab today. At $208 (minus $100 health fund rebate) I decided the cost was worth it when compared to what catching the disease potentially offers.

The interesting thing that came out of this is that I was advised that starting shortly this jab will become free for 70s and over. As a few here are older than me I thought this may be of interest to you.

 

[cove]

Straitman we had our shingles shots down the back of Ralphs supermarket where there is a pharmac_. The US is way ahead of us in Australia as they are trying to get over 50s the jab. By the way it didn't hurt.

 

[love_the_life]

On a slightly lighter note......

The interesting thing that came out of this is that I was advised that starting shortly this jab will become free for 70s and over. As a few here are older than me I thought this may be of interest to you.

I hope I'm not (well I'm not 70 - a few years yet)

 

[cove]

Thanks drron for your summary on statins that you posted today.
I had no real choice as I had by pass surgery at 44 because my arteries were not in great shape back then.
22 years later I am ok and I see my cardiologist annually.

 

[rogerkambah]

Roger hoping all goes well tomorrow.

Thanks Drron

The onco had previously stated that if there was an increase in size or number of the pulmonary nodules, then chemotherapy would need to be undertaken. The options he oulined are:

1. Sunitinib (available in CBR):
or
2. a clinical trial (Checkmate 214), in which 50% of patients receive Sunitinib and 50% receive a newer drug, Nivolumab, which is approved for use in the USA, but not yet here.

However patients won't know which drug they are getting (unless they have read the factsheet, which says the Sunitinib is administered in tablet form, whereas the Nivolumab is via IV. I would assume that the drugs are provided FOC by the trial operators.

Drawbacks of the trial are that it has been operating for a while and they aren't recruiting ATM, although they may be open to persuasion by the onco. Its also in Sydney at Westmead with travel for me from CBR and there is no guarantee which drug one would have administered.

Methinks I will take the CBR option with the 9 year old drug.

Appreciate any thoughts on this.

 

[Cynicor]

Thanks Drron

The onco had previously stated that if there was an increase in size or number of the pulmonary nodules, then chemotherapy would need to be undertaken. The options he oulined are:

1. Sunitinib (available in CBR):
or
2. a clinical trial (Checkmate 214), in which 50% of patients receive Sunitinib and 50% receive a newer drug, Nivolumab, which is approved for use in the USA, but not yet here.

However patients won't know which drug they are getting (unless they have read the factsheet, which says the Sunitinib is administered in tablet form, whereas the Nivolumab is via IV. I would assume that the drugs are provided FOC by the trial operators.

Drawbacks of the trial are that it has been operating for a while and they aren't recruiting ATM, although they may be open to persuasion by the onco. Its also in Sydney at Westmead with travel for me from CBR and there is no guarantee which drug one would have administered.

Methinks I will take the CBR option with the 9 year old drug.

Appreciate any thoughts on this.

I'd take the trial. PMH have a great cancer success rate because so many of their patients are either on gold standard as a control, or trial enlisted. The drugs by this stage are in phase 3 so while I would never say they are "safe" they have been tested on humans already for levels of safety.

No matter what you choose, wishing the best of luck. And be positive about the chemo side effects. Studies show that the biggest predictor of post chemo nausea is the expectation of post chemo nausea!

 

[whatmeworry]

On a slightly lighter note.

I went and had a Shingles jab today. At $208 (minus $100 health fund rebate) I decided the cost was worth it when compared to what catching the disease potentially offers.

The interesting thing that came out of this is that I was advised that starting shortly this jab will become free for 70s and over. As a few here are older than me I thought this may be of interest to you.

Yeah I plan to take mum into the GP in November for the free Shingles jab. Interestingly my Dad can't get it because he is too old!

Mum suffered a bout of Shingles after having colon tumours removed.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yeah I plan to take mum into the GP in November for the free Shingles jab. Interestingly my Dad can't get it because he is too old!

Mum suffered a bout of Shingles after having colon tumours removed.

what age do they stop giving it?

 

[whatmeworry]

what age do they stop giving it?

After the age of 79.

 

[drron]

I don't think I should read this thread.Flashback you put the mockers on me.Walking out the South Gate of Launceston castle today.Wet shale,right leg shoots forward left leg bends-ankle in,knee out so now a nicely swollen and bruised left ankle and sore left knee.Fortunately it was the right leg that had surgery.

 

[drron]

I never said they didn't - what I said is that they list risk factors for side effects from statins and no 2 was being female. No 4 was 65 and older. OK that's it - no more from me

But the chance of side effects in a woman older than 65 are still a lot less than the chance of benefit.

 

[cove]

Currently Mrscove's parents are 93 and 90. They had their shingles shots in the last 2 years and no issues.
Yes Flashback we will know who to blame if we start all falling over with ankle injuries.
I am glad we are missing the humid heat wave London has at the moment.

 

[Denali]

Shingles shots?

Im trying to convince hubby to do his bowel cancer home kit test thingy but its a battle. Hes steadfast refused for a few years now.