General Medical issues thread

[prozac]

Gosh. Even on just 15mg I was told to wean down over a year as the body shuts down cortisol and it has to remember to start making it again.

Pantoprazole works very quickly. Well, it does for oesphageal scleroderma.

Oh ok. I seem to be doing ok.

The pantoprazole wasn't working for my level of pred. The additional Nizac helped.

 

[maia200]

I started pentoprazole today after a couple of very rough days of regurgitation, coughing and heartburn. I hope it kicks in quickly.

It should should kick in fairly quickly and you start feeling the results. Here's holding thumbs

 

[Seat0B]

Happy to report a good evening and a good night’s sleep with the pantoprazole. One less thing to worry about.

 

[Pushka]

Happy to report a good evening and a good night’s sleep with the pantoprazole. One less thing to worry about.

I certainly know the same night if I haven't taken it.

 

[tgh]

I have this special attachment to Somac, after about 30 years, I might be one of their best customers.
All sorts of carcinogenic doom and gloom about short stem Barretts way back then, these days it is the
very least of my worries, don't even list it as a pre existing condition...
The Somac was my first and only drug but these days it is lost among the rest of the stuff that is keeping me ticking over.
WCMO atm is blood, I now have this thing about it, it is everywhere, everyday, bulk boxes of bandaids..working away doing something
intricate in the workshop and there it is again.. all over the tools and the project..aaaaaarrrrggghhhhhh…...

 

[Pushka]

I have this special attachment to Somac, after about 30 years, I might be one of their best customers.
All sorts of carcinogenic doom and gloom about short stem Barretts way back then, these days it is the
very least of my worries, don't even list it as a pre existing condition...
The Somac was my first and only drug but these days it is lost among the rest of the stuff that is keeping me ticking over.
WCMO atm is blood, I now have this thing about it, it is everywhere, everyday, bulk boxes of bandaids..working away doing something
intricate in the workshop and there it is again.. all over the tools and the project..aaaaaarrrrggghhhhhh…...

Oh I hear you. You are on blood thinners? I must have knicked my finger the other week whilst sorting out the linen press. On a new quilt and fitted sheets, drops of blood that of course are now set and unlikely to come out. Hubby cuts his finger. It bleeds a little. Bandaid sorts it. I try not to scoff. That ain't blood. And yes, when making up IKEA and the like. One little scratch of a fixture and it's blood.

 

[Quickstatus]

blood

When I was a fledgling, a professor warned me that all bleeding eventually stops.....

 

[JohnK]

When I was a fledgling, a professor warned me that all bleeding eventually stops.....

One way or another.

I've had low platelet count for 30+ years. I saw haematologist a long time ago and he was funny. He said I'll know before he does if there's a problem. Sometimes when I used to cut myself shaving the little knick would not stop bleeding.

Now still with low platelet count and bleeding is not an issue. Now there's other issues that cause more concern.

 

[drron]

Even with a very high dose of Prednisone you can stop it suddenly if your course was less than 2 - 3 weeks. We did it a lot in the early 70s as often there was no alternative.

 

[Pushka]

Even with a very high dose of Prednisone you can stop it suddenly if your course was less than 2 - 3 weeks. We did it a lot in the early 70s as often there was no alternative.

I'd love to get off it right now. It's given me awful bags under my eyes. But I haven't gained weight. I have no appetite. I'm down to 4mg from 15 in January on diagnosis but I know I still have active PMR as it's returned to upper arm, especially the left one. But as long as it doesn't worsen I can live with that. Had a delayed blood test today so hopefully inflammation markers aren't up.

 

[prozac]

Even with a very high dose of Prednisone you can stop it suddenly if your course was less than 2 - 3 weeks. We did it a lot in the early 70s as often there was no alternative.

This is me as not on it full time.

 

[mrsterryn]

MrTerry ended up being diagnosed with dysphagia and achalasia which ended up him losing 20kilos. It was a tad dramatic and so so so much vomiting . He has now had his surgery and is on the mend .
Anyhoo my question as has anyone made up Ensure powder as syrup, say at the beginning of a day so it is easy to use as a syrup during the day ?
Edited for a bit of humor
Apparently husband had now added more specialists to his rota . Due to these issues he is now at a much (?) Higher chance of oesophagal cancer
He is much better just needs to build up his weight. He is pondering what 'bad" foods he can have lol.

 

[love_the_life]

What's with it this season? I have a shocking bark - a seal would be proud. A bit of a blocked nose but apart from feeling a bit off, not really sick except the the cough. It's spring - should not be getting sick!

 

[tgh]

Sigh, we are flying tomorrow and petrified about catching some dreaded lurgy

 

[TheRealTMA]

Sigh, we are flying tomorrow and petrified about catching some dreaded lurgy

Enjoy the fact that you are traveling and don’t be concerned about serendipity.

 

[Seat0B]

I have learnt the lesson that it is much easier to be calm and serene about total lack of control and randomness when your blood numbers are improving than when they are declining and all the gains of 10 days or more are wiped out for some inexplicable reason that you don't know what it is and have no control over even if you did.

This is not like recovering from a knee replacement, where more effort on the physio and more time with ice packs directly related to an improved outcome and a faster recovery.

I've been lazing about in exactly the same way, watching the exact same trashy TV and reading a bit this week (numbers way down) as I did last week (numbers slightly up). It's hard to feel happy.

 

[prozac]

I have learnt the lesson that it is much easier to be calm and serene about total lack of control and randomness when your blood numbers are improving than when they are declining and all the gains of 10 days or more are wiped out for some inexplicable reason that you don't know what it is and have no control over even if you did.

This is not like recovering from a knee replacement, where more effort on the physio and more time with ice packs directly related to an improved outcome and a faster recovery.

I've been lazing about in exactly the same way, watching the exact same trashy TV and reading a bit this week (numbers way down) as I did last week (numbers slightly up). It's hard to feel happy.

Hope it improves. I make a point of sleeping in on average to around 9. Once I am up I am up. Don't know if it makes a difference but everything is on track

 

[LinaLee]

I have learnt the lesson that it is much easier to be calm and serene about total lack of control and randomness when your blood numbers are improving than when they are declining and all the gains of 10 days or more are wiped out for some inexplicable reason that you don't know what it is and have no control over even if you did.

This is not like recovering from a knee replacement, where more effort on the physio and more time with ice packs directly related to an improved outcome and a faster recovery.

I've been lazing about in exactly the same way, watching the exact same trashy TV and reading a bit this week (numbers way down) as I did last week (numbers slightly up). It's hard to feel happy.

Yes, it’s that lack/loss of control that’s the hardest to acceptt over how one’s’ body will behave. Had to let go and trust the docs know what they’re doing …. And there’s always something that can be tweaked. It does wear your body down by degrees. Feeling up and down is also normal.

Ate lots of blueberries n made myself walk and kept a normal routine as much as possible. Getting good sleep n staying hydrated is important.

Hope it does improv.

 

[prozac]

Yes, it’s that lack/loss of control that’s the hardest to acceptt over how one’s’ body will behave. Had to let go and trust the docs know what they’re doing …. And there’s always something that can be tweaked. It does wear your body down by degrees. Feeling up and down is also normal.

Ate lots of blueberries n made myself walk and kept a normal routine as much as possible. Getting good sleep n staying hydrated is important.

Hope it does improv.

I am also taking probiotics and some vitamins (magsup, B Complex, Zinc, C, ). Plain porridge on mornings of chemo week worked wonders keeping BSL consistent, now weather is improving could do oats and milk in a jar in the fridge for eating next day, great source of fermented food which is good for your depleted gut.

 

[Quickstatus]

pondering what 'bad" foods he can have lol.

We have seen patients getting KFC into hospital. It's an indication they are getting better.

Anyhoo my question as has anyone made up Ensure powder as syrup, say at the beginning of a day so it is easy to use as a syrup during the day ?

For easy mixing just put it in Ninja blender with fruit/yoghurt/ice cream/milk and make smoothies.

What's the difference in price between ensure powder and ensure ready made in bottles or poppas. Many people mix ensure with milk instead of water for the extra calories per unit volume.

Note the potential side effect of constipation and flatulence of Ensure if that's the main food intake.