General Medical issues thread

[Flyfrequently]

Knocked my leg when I was splitting firewood the other day. Just a small abrasion.

Oh dear @prozac and thought I was a duffer doing the old "shin skin tear" with the dishwasher door
Hope it heals quickly for you and no trips to doc or hospital

 

[prozac]

Oh dear @prozac and thought I was a duffer doing the old "shin skin tear" with the dishwasher door
Hope it heals quickly for you and no trips to doc or hospital

Thanks. Nothing as severe as a skin tear, a block of wood just tipped over onto my shin. I always have antibiotics on hand.

 

[JohnK]

+1

Having had outbreaks of gout in each big toe, thankfully separated by a few years, I'm not going back there again. Fingers crossed, and everything else, changes to my lifestyle will keep it away.

Doesn't gout just become a part of life? I wish my bouts of gout were just isolated outbreaks.

Gout just becomes another type of pain to ignore.

 

[Flyfrequently]

I always have antibiotics on hand.

Ditto @prozac

 

[Quickstatus]

I was splitting firewood the other day. J

But are you breathing better?

Doesn't gout just become a part of life?

Not if there are lifestyle and diet changes

 

[prozac]

But are you breathing better?

Yes, but to a point. e.g. still breathless after a shower. Tumour still wrapped around pulmonary artery, trachea and bronchi so some issues still and occasional voice problems remain.

 

[JohnK]

Not if there are lifestyle and diet changes

Too drastic to try and deal with every single issue.

Need JohnK v2.0! Perhaps next simulation will provide a better model.

 

[cove]

Gout can be controlled with diet and exercise plus a bit of medication. It does seem to run in families but maybe @Quickstatus can comment on that.
My first and last attack was in London and that was more than a decade ago.

 

[drron]

Gout can be controlled with diet and exercise plus a bit of medication. It does seem to run in families but maybe @Quickstatus can comment on that.
My first and last attack was in London and that was more than a decade ago.

It certainly does run in families but sometimes because of other genetic disease. For example I have Haemochromatosis which is an excess of iron stores. Unfortunately it is also associated with pseudogout and osteoarthritis. But it really is not that bad as both gout and pseudogout can be relieved by colchicine which is what I take. Only ever have to take a second dose occasionally.

For me it is the safest treatment. Interestingly it has been found to reduce the resist of cardiovascular disease even if people are taking a statin and blood pressure treatment.

 

[Quickstatus]

The genetics of gout is quite complicated with several genes involved. Slightly more than half of people with gout have a 1st or 2nd degree relative with gout

However whatever the genetic predisposition, the usual treatments still apply.

Gout is the accumulation of Uric acid crystals in joints and Pseudogout is the accumulation of calcium phosphate crystals in joints. Both give the same symptoms.

 

[Pushka]

It certainly does run in families but sometimes because of other genetic disease. For example I have Haemochromatosis which is an excess of iron stores. Unfortunately it is also associated with pseudogout and osteoarthritis. But it really is not that bad as both gout and pseudogout can be relieved by colchicine which is what I take. Only ever have to take a second dose occasionally.

For me it is the safest treatment. Interestingly it has been found to reduce the resist of cardiovascular disease even if people are taking a statin and blood pressure treatment.

Son has haemochromatosis so will let him know.

 

[RooFlyer]

Haemochromatosis ( which I also have) is also associated with real osteoarthritis.

I have knobbly finger joints and arthritic bony spurs on my great toe major joint - which is being operated on tomorrow.

There was debate - in the absence of a blood test for uric acid level - whether my pain was gout ( which I've had once before) or osteoarthritis . X-ray confirmed the state of the toe joint.

Sorry for that possibly unwelcome news Pushka.

 

[Quickstatus]

I think it is still unclear why HC is associated with Arthritis. The postulate is is iron deposits in the joints but treatment with blood drawing to control total body iron does not seem to significantly reduce the severity of arthritis. One of life's mysteries.

 

[prozac]

I think it is still unclear why HC is associated with Arthritis. ...

Maybe it isn't. Perhaps someone who carries one or both genes for HC also typically carries an arthritis gene.

 

[Quickstatus]

Maybe it isn't

it definitely has a strong association possibly in the way you mentioned.

 

[Pushka]

Haemochromatosis ( which I also have) is also associated with real osteoarthritis.

I have knobbly finger joints and arthritic bony spurs on my great toe major joint - which is being operated on tomorrow.

There was debate - in the absence of a blood test for uric acid level - whether my pain was gout ( which I've had once before) or osteoarthritis . X-ray confirmed the state of the toe joint.

Sorry for that possibly unwelcome news Pushka.

Doesn’t everyone get osteoarthritis though? I sure have, in my big toes. Because I did pointe work in ballet until I was 18. (We used to have to bathe our feet in metho each night to toughen them up). Caused damage to joints way back then.

 

[prozac]

Doesn’t everyone get osteoarthritis though? ...

I don't, and I don't know alot about it. However, MrsProzac has a little, but her sisters do and relatively young niece to a much greater degree, so seems to be a family thing.

 

[Pushka]

I don't, and I don't know alot about it. However, MrsProzac has a little, but sisters and relatively young niece to a much greater degree, so seems to be a family thing.

My husband has it. From playing cricket. As do many of his team mates. The wicket keeper can barely walk now but is having back surgery and knee - two replacements this year. Maybe it’s just anyone who’s ‘abused’ their joints will get it.

 

[Quickstatus]

but is having back surgery and knee - two replacements this year

if medicine has a god, its the god of sports. keeps the business coming in....

 

[drron]

There was an Australian study on how HC is diagnosed in the 1990s. it was found 5% of people attending for hip or knee replacement were positive for Haemochromatosis.