General Medical issues thread

[cqtiger]

I'm getting exasperated.

My blood pressure has been going up. I've got three machines to measure it - and they all consistently say it's up at all times through the day, whenever I check it.
But every time I go to the Doctor, there's a long wait to see him, I nearly nod off, and then he measures it - and it always shows a pretty good result, pretty near the same as every other time he's measured it over the years.

I am the opposite when the Dr keeps me waiting I get quite annoyed and the BP rises. By the time I see him its through the roof. On my home monitor its all good ( I am on BP meds)

 

[Flying mermaid]

I am the opposite when the Dr keeps me waiting I get quite annoyed and the BP rises. By the time I see him its through the roof. On my home monitor its all good ( I am on BP meds)

I have always had the same problem (I am on amlodipine 5mg). My old GP retired and I moved to a new practise where they never keep you waiting more than 10 min. My new GP is also quite sneaky - she somehow manages to get the cuff on and keep me talking and takes my blood pressure without me noticing. It’s been 120/75 the last few times, whereas I think it was 180/98 the last time I was at the old practice. Worth the extra travel

 

[lakeman]

• #5,341

Renato1 said:
I'm getting exasperated

Dont panic !
BP is a long term issue , dont sweat about short term variations.
Of course , there are some patients whose bp is difficult .

I am hoping your doctor has his sphyg calibrated regularly or compares it to the old type of sphyg.

you could take one of yours along to check if they read the same.

Often there is a lot of variation like between when my nurse interviews a patient and I review them later.

 

[Renato1]

I am the opposite when the Dr keeps me waiting I get quite annoyed and the BP rises. By the time I see him its through the roof. On my home monitor its all good ( I am on BP meds)

Thanks. One difference is you go to a Doctor with appointments, whereas I go to a show-up-and-wait-your-turn Doctor. So I always take a book I'm reading and also play card games on my phone while waiting.

Still I'd rather be in your situation where it goes high only when visiting the Doctor.
Regards,
Renato

I have always had the same problem (I am on amlodipine 5mg). My old GP retired and I moved to a new practise where they never keep you waiting more than 10 min. My new GP is also quite sneaky - she somehow manages to get the cuff on and keep me talking and takes my blood pressure without me noticing. It’s been 120/75 the last few times, whereas I think it was 180/98 the last time I was at the old practice. Worth the extra travel

One of my Doctors does something similar while we're talking about travel and hotels.
Cheers,
Renato

• 
  Dont panic !

BP is a long term issue , dont sweat about short term variations.
Of course , there are some patients whose bp is difficult .

Thanks. Neither of my two Doctors seemed as concerned as I was.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Milboo]

Thanks again @JohnM - your post armed me so I was able to have a better conversation tonight. I told him he had no choice - given my profession I work in facts and he needed to give me them.

Surgery was apparently very invasive and was about scrapping it all out vs a removal of prostate. Apparently in a younger patient, it would have been treated instead with radiotherapy for 6 weeks.

He mentioned having been on some injections earlier (as he waited several months for the surgery) - that stacked on 10kg in 4 weeks.

Follow up is in a few weeks - about 2 days before I am over there.

 

[Quickstatus]

Do you need a doctor's referral to see a chiropractor?

You actually dont need a referral to see any doctor. The reason for the referral to specialist is 2 fold. 1)To keep primary health care in the purview of the GP rather than the specialist. 2)Without a referral the patient cannot claim the medicare rebate to see a specialist (related to 1).

However most specialists will say you need a referral. You can still make an appointment without one though.

 

[JohnM]

Thanks again @JohnM - your post armed me so I was able to have a better conversation tonight. I told him he had no choice - given my profession I work in facts and he needed to give me them.

Surgery was apparently very invasive and was about scrapping it all out vs a removal of prostate. Apparently in a younger patient, it would have been treated instead with radiotherapy for 6 weeks.

He mentioned having been on some injections earlier (as he waited several months for the surgery) - that stacked on 10kg in 4 weeks.

Follow up is in a few weeks - about 2 days before I am over there.

Your post is too cryptic for me to make much comment on but on the face of it appears, from my experience and knowledge, to include conflicting elements.

Treatment options (surgery, radiation therapy) can be age or health (eg. obesity)-restricted. The weight gain following the unspecified injections suggests that it was androgen suppression, which has feminising effects and can cause weight gain. Obesity is a significant negative for surgery.

I don’t understand the comment about surgery ‘scrapping’ (I assume you mean scraping) it all out vs removal. The prostate gland is an encapsulated organ that can’t be partly removed - unless the scraping refers to the nano-knife method, about which I know little more than it has a small number of practitioners in Australia and is about double or more the (significant) out of pocket cost of robotic assisted surgery.

I have an acquaintance who had nano-knife surgery last year but he lives interstate and I have not discussed it in detail with him.

 

[zenyattamondatta]

Do you need a doctor's referral to see a chiropractor?

You don’t, but you should really see a physiotherapist instead, or at least first.

 

[cove]

An article I read said we live longer if we walk at a pace of 5 kms an hour or greater. I still hate those women in high heels who can power walk at 8 to 10 kms an hour going up a hill.

 

[RooFlyer]

You don’t, but you should really see a physiotherapist instead, or at least first.

That's not terribly helpful in a thread like this, but there you go.

Edit: I mis read 'physiotherapist' for 'psychologist' sorry ...

 

[andye]

That's not terribly helpful in a thread like this, but there you go.

I'd disagree. There is a big overlap between the conditions treated by physio, chiro and osteopathy. Of the three disciplines, physio is the most scientifcally rational. That's not to say people don't experience good outcomes with each (but please run away if any of them offer to 'crack' your neck)

 

[RooFlyer]

I'd disagree. There is a big overlap between the conditions treated by physio, chiro and osteopathy. Of the three disciplines, physio is the most scientifcally rational. That's not to say people don't experience good outcomes with each (but please run away if any of them offer to 'crack' your neck)

Yep, aware of all that. As it happened, it was my physio at a dedicated spine clinic, who suggested I see a chiropractor. My issue isn't spinal but pelvic, and I definitely would run away if they offered to crack my neck, or anything spinal.

 

[Pushka]

An article I read said we live longer if we walk at a pace of 5 kms an hour or greater. I still hate those women in high heels who can power walk at 8 to 10 kms an hour going up a hill.

I just admire them. However as a ballet student until 18 years of age, the arthritis in my big toe caused by too much work ‘en pointe’ - ie dancing directly on my toes as required, makes me realise that the things we do when we are younger will come back to haunt us.

 

[mrsterryn]

Darn did one of those over 50 bowel cancer tests. Letter was sent to say blood in sample off to see gp.
I wonder how quickly I see a specialist ?
USA is six weeks .

 

[Pushka]

Darn did one of those over 50 bowel cancer tests. Letter was sent to say blood in sample off to see gp.
I wonder how quickly I see a specialist ?
USA is six weeks .

I think most times it’s a false positive but you’ve still got to have it checked. GP. Specialist referral. Get into have appointment. Wait for space. I’d say that might take 4- 6 weeks - I think it did for me. But recovery from procedure is quick.

It’s probably denial but I never get these checks done within a couple of months before a big holiday.

 

[RooFlyer]

Remember, lots of false positives in those tests.

 

[mrsterryn]

I think most times it’s a false positive but you’ve still got to have it checked. GP. Specialist referral. Get into have appointment. Wait for space. I’d say that might take 4- 6 weeks - I think it did for me. But recovery from procedure is quick.

It’s probably denial but I never get these checks done within a couple of months before a big holiday.

Thanks. ..no idea why I did it so close to a trip .... My GP reminded me and said try and have done before our next 3 monthly visit

 

[Quickstatus]

Darn did one of those over 50 bowel cancer tests. Letter was sent to say blood in sample off to see gp.
I wonder how quickly I see a specialist ?
USA is six weeks .

See GP
Don’t need to see specialist
Some places have “open access” colonoscopy day procedure centres.
But need private insurance.

Open access colonoscopy is like getting booked in for Xray. GP gives you a form. Like an XRay, You book in for colonoscopy without first seeing a specialist. Specialist does it and reports back to you and GP. Unlike XRay it’s a Day Surgery Procedure so need private insurance.

If no private insurance then the usual rigmarole re getting a colonoscopy.

 

[Quickstatus]

Remember, lots of false positives in those tests.

Yes like haemorrhoids, cough fissure.
But importantly not much false negatives. So if negative the test really means nothing wrong. If positive can mean a few things. Most are not the big C

Enjoy the “purge”.
Please feedback about the prep. There are different ones.

 

[Flying mermaid]

It’s probably denial but I never get these checks done within a couple of months before a big holiday.

i will remember that in future. I did my MRI two months before our USA trip resulting in a total fiasco.