General Medical issues thread

[Quickstatus]

tea bag

Apparently the tannins in the tea bag promotes clotting. I've looked at the proposed mechanism - makes sense- at least superficially

 

[MelMel]

Apparently the tannins in the tea bag promotes clotting. I've looked at the proposed mechanism - makes sense- at least superficially

My mum was told to bite on a cold tea bag after having a molar extracted, it didn’t bleed at all

 

[OATEK]

Gym. Getting much more into it over the past 6 months ( Mr Oz, here I come ….).

Oops, no, bilateral direct hernia. . Surgery last night ( only 4 days after first saw surgeon). I’m lying pretty still!

I guess that means my 270 day streak of closing all my rings on Apple Watch (since purchase) is at an end.

But I think I will just hang out here in hospital for a while. Rain since 9 am yesterday - I’m in the orange red zone

View attachment 276019

So did you finish up with three neat bullet holes!

 

[RooFlyer]

So did you finish up with three neat bullet holes!

As in laparoscopic surgery? No - the surgeon said he gave up doing that 15 years ago. Two horizontal inscisions. He does seem to have done a bit of rummaging around, though

 

[JohnK]

Sounds like you need a new body @JohnK

Now you tell me? At least rheumatologist called me unique. LOL.

 

[prozac]

Now you tell me? At least rheumatologist called me unique. LOL.

Heart specialists tell me same.

 

[JohnK]

Sorry to hear @prozac. Wish things could be different.

I can handle most pain. The worst one is standing up and feeling like a steel rod has been put down the back of my leg through the achilles heel into the ground.

 

[prozac]

Sorry to hear @prozac. Wish things could be different.

I can handle most pain. The worst one is standing up and feeling like a steel rod has been put down the back of my leg through the achilles heel into the ground.

Mostly all good. They say I am a challenge. Had chest pain all week, but I reckon it's due to a pinched nerve in my thoracic region. Mobilising the relevant vertebra and ibubrofen helps. I know ibubrofen is not recommended but do you sit in a chair and hope things improve? I know when it passes I will be good again.

 

[JohnK]

Mostly all good. They say I am a challenge. Had chest pain all week, but I reckon it's due to a pinched nerve in my thoracic region. Mobilising the relevant vertebra and ibubrofen helps. I know ibubrofen is not recommended but do you sit in a chair and hope things improve? I know when it passes I will be good again.

One thing that people do not understand and cannot understand is that I'm not comfortable in any position for more than a few minutes. I have to keep moving trying to find comfortable position. People think I'm strange that I cannot sit still.

Just grimace, bite tongue and try to ignore pain as much as possible. This is life. It does not get any better.

 

[prozac]

One thing that people do not understand and cannot understand is that I'm not comfortable in any position for more than a few minutes. I have to keep moving trying to find comfortable position. People think I'm strange that I cannot sit still.

Just grimace, bite tongue and try to ignore pain as much as possible. This is life. It does not get any better.

Oooh, that sounds nasty. At least mine is only occasionally and settles after a few days medication and assistance from Mrs prozac.
And when you are stoic people don't get it.

 

[Quickstatus]

have to keep moving trying to find comfortable position

This is life

mine is only occasionally

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…

 

[RooFlyer]

As in laparoscopic surgery? No - the surgeon said he gave up doing that 15 years ago. Two horizontal inscisions. He does seem to have done a bit of rummaging around, though

Correction for anyone who thought 'horizontal' odd. Dressings were oriented horizontally. Their removal showed the incisions to be diagonal, which is how I thought they would be. Saw the surgeon yesterday (after a week) and he's happy - I'm less so. On one side, the 'stitch' that anchors the mesh (that now stops things slipping out again) to the pubic bone (I think) is getting 'caught', giving intense shooting pain from time to time. He says it will 'fizzle out', and it bloody better! I think its occurrence is decreasing, but then again, I am being careful.

 

[Quickstatus]

incisions to be diagonal

As in parallel to the groin crease.
…
Likely a little nerve got caught up in the surgery. In most cases will fizzle out.

No not anchored to pubic bone. Mesh is just a reinforcement to the abdominal wall

 

[coriander]

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?

 

[andye]

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?

A contemporary of mine was one of the first to illustrate and publish the internal anatomy of the inguinal canal (as seen with the lapascope) when he was just a med student. He became a professor in his 30s

Mesh not nearly such an issue in hernias rather than gynaecological surgery but less used than a few years ago

 

[Quickstatus]

surgery for July

Welcome to the post lockdown queue

Mesh sounds worrisome

Not really. Put in all the time for hernias
Humans are upright and there is a lot more weight on the abdominal wall.

Is this the same stuff

Similar material but it was the way it was put in
Laparoscopy not abandoned years ago. Still done.
Interestingly the laparoscopic hernia surgery does not go inside the abdominal cavity…

 

[RooFlyer]

As in parallel to the groin crease.
…
Likely a little nerve got caught up in the surgery. In most cases will fizzle out.

No not anchored to pubic bone. Mesh is just a reinforcement to the abdominal wall

I thought it was a nerve - certainly felt like that but he insisted it wasn’t a nerve. Rather, the “stitch” as he described it catching ( he said 5-10% of cases) and I’m petty sure he said it anchored the mesh to the pubic bone but I stand to be corrected.

 

[Quickstatus]

anchored

You would be pleased to know that fixation of mesh is still a debated subject. Basically what that means is that recipients of hernia meshes are still part of an unofficial observational study to see what works best (AKA you are the experiment).

There are many methods:
Suturing to fascia/muscle
Suturing to bone
Self fixing meshes
Glue

Bone fixation if any will still include suturing to fascia/muscle.

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to the post lockdown queue

Tas/Hobart is bad for a lot of medical things but my experience has been excellent ( Private insurance). Under a week to first see the surgeon and survey under a week after that. He’s one if the most experienced in town.

Lacks a few people skills, efficient in the consulting rooms to the point of terseness , but on my post-op consult I wrote down everything I wanted addressed and I wasn’t want budging until I had the responses!

 

[Quickstatus]

Lacks a few people skills

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