General Medical issues thread

[RooFlyer]

Possibly a question for the AFF cruisers. I have read that you can buy a treatment patch which is placed behind one ear.

I've just linked the Q to here from my Antarctic cruising thread

 

[Pushka]

I've just linked the Q to here from my Antarctic cruising thread

Often the ships sell Bonine (metclazine) which is a US product highly recommended by some.

Have heard the patches work for some.

Then there's the non medical like Ginger tablets and the pressure bands and green apples. Sometimes the medications can put you to sleep so whatever you do try it out on land before you go in case that sensation also isn't pleasant. Sorry but I don't get seasick even when others around me are. I stay in the fresh air and that seems to do it. Roughest time was a trip out to the GBR which had all but a few seasick, and then a ferry ride in Thailand which was unpleasant as we had to stay inside.

 

[k_sheep]

I tend to use Hyoscine (kwells, I think travacalm might be the same active ingredient). Works well but is super drying! You'll need to drink a lot of water. We actually use them in palliative care for patients who have lots of secretions (ie drool a lot). The patches mentioned are scopalamine patches, which work in a similar way. The are available over the counter in NZ, but not in Australia. I haven't been game to try them since I find the tablets offputting with the mouth dryness - plus I wear contact lenses, and apparently if you touch the patch, then your eyes, you'll have real vision issues.

Meclazine I used in the Galapagos and found they work really well. Available over the counter in USA (trade name bonine).

Diphenhydramine (duromine in the USA) I used to swear by, but these knock me out cold for 4 hours. Reasonably for night time but no good during the day.

 

[RooFlyer]

How do those various medicines (? Right word) act? On the inner ear … etc. Clinically why might one be better than the other?

Any issues with importing any of them through the post?

 

[tgh]

IMnsHO..there is no free lunch with motion sickness drugs.. they all have limited efficacy and irritating side effects.
During another life I had chronic sensitivity to motion and poor results from drugs.
Conceptually there should (could?) be drugs that work..but everyone is different and results vary.
To some extent it is a mind game.. if you think you will be sick..you will...
Out in the fresh air.. focus on the horizon and eat.. but ymwv and to that end I really can't help...

 

[RooFlyer]

Personally, I have no issue with tiredness/sleepiness as one side effect. If its day, I assume we'll be in the middle of the ocean somewhere & not much to see, so don't mind being zonked. At night, then

 

[SuePa]

Phenergan works for me. It also zonks me out, so I take it at night for the first 2 or 3 nights and then I don't need it after that.
Not a medical opinion, just personal experience.

 

[JohnK]

Wife suffers from motion sickness.

Airplanes, boats, buses, long car trips etc. We found that Travacalm works well for her and doesn't knock her out.

 

[JohnM]

I took a punt when I went to Antarctica and took nothing for seasickness. It worked a treat! And we had a more than thorough workout the first night into the Drake.

Everybody that took stuff, had patches, you name it, failed to front breakfast. OMG, I still vividly remember staring into gorgeous Amanda's grey eyes every morning as she made the best smoothies to start the day - without any fear of being usurped by other dudes...

I know, if you get sick then it can be difficult to regain normality as treatments are meant to be preventative. But my attitude is that I wanted to test myself to know whether I really needed anything - and I don't.

Now I plop myself onto the oceans with impunity. It's a very good feeling.

I can't help but think that peeps who worry about getting seasick if they don't know that they are susceptible are willing themselves into it. (Quickly ducks for cover...)

 

[cove]

I have a whole family of chunderers so even whale watching is a NO. Haven’t taken any of my family to Rottnest Island for years and have not bought an apartment on The World ship. This has proven to be a big saving as boating and ships are off.

 

[RooFlyer]

Now I plop myself onto the oceans with impunity. It's a very good feeling.

Lucky you. Some people known not to get seasick (VPS and others here). Many of us do. I do. One of the crew members on the Eco Abrolhos did. Its a coughpy feeling and not made any better than people around us gleefully saying how good they feel and how about a beer?

Having been assured that the stuff I took on the Abrolhos trip was the absolute ducks guts, I didn't expect to get sea sick. But I did. It is not a matter of sort of willing yourself into it.

 

[Pushka]

I took a punt when I went to Antarctica and took nothing for seasickness. It worked a treat! And we had a more than thorough workout the first night into the Drake.

Everybody that took stuff, had patches, you name it, failed to front breakfast. OMG, I still vividly remember staring into gorgeous Amanda's grey eyes every morning as she made the best smoothies to start the day - without any fear of being usurped by other dudes...

I know, if you get sick then it can be difficult to regain normality as treatments are meant to be preventative. But my attitude is that I wanted to test myself to know whether I really needed anything - and I don't.

Now I plop myself onto the oceans with impunity. It's a very good feeling.

I can't help but think that peeps who worry about getting seasick if they don't know that they are susceptible are willing themselves into it. (Quickly ducks for cover...)

There are some who are susceptible and some that aren't. Those susceptible will try anything to prevent it. I've Heard it described as wanting to die. I don't think anyone starts off thinking they may be seasick. They know they are.

 

[JohnK]

If it's not meant to be it's not meant be no matter how hard you try.

Go to rheumatology for the annual check up of the joints and I show them my badly swollen left foot/ankle.

It's red again. Tingling feeling under the skin. Gout? Cellulitis? The cellulitus infection has more than likely returned but how do you treat it considering we've tried 3 different antibiotics + the antibiotic drip in hospital.

They want me to do MRI and possible stay in hospital for treatment. I'm off to Thailand in 2 days. They asked me to cancel trip.

Yes I do realise this is serious but at some point I need a holiday for my sanity. Looks like another Thailand trip going to be wasted being sick.

 

[andye]

If it's not meant to be it's not meant be no matter how hard you try.

Go to rheumatology for the annual check up of the joints and I show them my badly swollen left foot/ankle.

It's red again. Tingling feeling under the skin. Gout? Cellulitis? The cellulitus infection has more than likely returned but how do you treat it considering we've tried 3 different antibiotics + the antibiotic drip in hospital.

They want me to do MRI and possible stay in hospital for treatment. I'm off to Thailand in 2 days. They asked me to cancel trip.

Yes I do realise this is serious but at some point I need a holiday for my sanity. Looks like another Thailand trip going to be wasted being sick.

Sorry to hear that John
I expect they want the MRI to rule out bone infection (osteomyelitis) or possibly signs of a crystal deposition problem in the joint (gout or psudogout) without sticking a needle into the joint space.
Another non-infective consideration for a painful red foot is a Charcot joint but this only usually occurs in people with bad peripheral neuropathy with diabetes

 

[prozac]

If it's not meant to be it's not meant be no matter how hard you try.

Go to rheumatology for the annual check up of the joints and I show them my badly swollen left foot/ankle.

It's red again. Tingling feeling under the skin. Gout? Cellulitis? The cellulitus infection has more than likely returned but how do you treat it considering we've tried 3 different antibiotics + the antibiotic drip in hospital.

They want me to do MRI and possible stay in hospital for treatment. I'm off to Thailand in 2 days. They asked me to cancel trip.

Yes I do realise this is serious but at some point I need a holiday for my sanity. Looks like another Thailand trip going to be wasted being sick.

My non-medical view but with plenty of first hand knowledge is it is likely cellulitis. My experience at times has been to remain on one particular antibiotic for months to get on top of stubborn cellulitis. Swelling, cellulitis, ... is a doppler ultrasound a consideration?

 

[andye]

My non-medical view but with plenty of first hand knowledge is it is likely cellulitis. My experience at times has been to remain on one particular antibiotic for months to get on top of stubborn cellulitis. Swelling, cellulitis, ... is a doppler ultrasound a consideration?

Agrees it's the most likely cause. My experience is that at least 10% of lower limb cellulitis cases relapse after first course

 

[JohnK]

My non-medical view but with plenty of first hand knowledge is it is likely cellulitis. My experience at times has been to remain on one particular antibiotic for months to get on top of stubborn cellulitis. Swelling, cellulitis, ... is a doppler ultrasound a consideration?

We've done the Doppler ultrasound early on.

Many parts of my body swell at different times. This may last a few days, a week at worst. It can reoccur but never continuous.

I noticed swelling/pain in left foot/ankle 22 August. The day before I was hallucinating awake or asleep. Same repetitive nightmare that something was wrong. That afternoon my leg was burning and I was getting chills and shaking.

That day started Keflex but a day later changed to dicloxacillin then in Thailand a few days later antibiotic drip for 6 days and doctor there suggested Augmentin and used that for 3 weeks.

I actually took Keflex earlier this month for different infection followed by liquid Augmentin for 6 days and this cellulitis infection continues to persist.

Foot has been hurting non stop since. Some days worse than others and still limping. Raising leg does nothing for swelling or discomfort.

I suspect I had cellulitis well before I noticed it on 22 August. I have so many aches and pains everywhere than I don't over analyse any of them otherwise it can get depressing.

I have a feeling this is a possible side effect of the 2nd Moderna booster early July. But it could also be due to starting Tremfya late July. Cellulitis is not listed as a side effect but you can never be sure.

 

[Quickstatus]

What's a recommended sea-sickness tablet?

There is none that is the best. There are 2 words in "Motion Sickness".
So 2 ways to treat motion sickness:
- prevent the motion
- treat the sickness

There is of course the unconsciousness option but that is often not practical
Additionally eventually the brain adapts to motion and the nausea will eventually pass after some time

Basically these meds all work in the brain and no they don't work in the inner ear
You can put the patch on your buttock and it will have the same effect.
I reckon putting the recommendation of putting the patch behind the year activates the placebo effect. So hey if it works there great!.
Same reason that voltaren gel rubbed on a painful elbow arthritis does not necessarily work by direct absorption to the joint despite the TV ads - can rub it on your knee to treat elbow pain. Had one chap who swore that rubbing voltaren emulgel on his good knee helped the pain in the other (bad) knee.

Ones that work for motion sickness
1) Antimuscarinics
●Scopolamine (AKA Hyoscine, Kwells, Travacalm original)
●Dimenhydrinate (AKA Dramamine)

2)Antihistamines
●Dimenhydrinate (AKA Dramamine) - yes a dual action
●Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) - for kids
●Metclazine (AKA Bonine - USA)

3) Antidopamine
●Metoclopramide (AKA maxolon)
●Prochlorperazine (AKA stemetil)

4)Combination mechanism of all of above -but does not mean its better - sort of like jack of all trades master of none...
●Cinnarizine (AKA Stugeron)

4) Unknown action
●Cyclizine
●Ginger
●Mint

5) Acupuncture
●Wrist - I wonder if cutting ones wrist will do the same thing)


Antinausea meds that don't work for motion sickness
●Ondansetron (AKA Zofran)

 

[Quickstatus]

11ug/L

Not a lot of Ferritin left
Might as well get another Ferrinject IV

 

[Katie]

Not a lot of Ferritin left
Might as well get another Ferrinject IV

Booked in next week when I’m back from the US.