General Medical issues thread

[RooFlyer]

So:
Use NSAIDS at the lowest dose and for the shortest period of time. Consider a COX2 like Celecoxib and Meloxicam if you are worried about bleeding.
But if you have coronary disease, no.

Sounds fair enough for me. I only use celecoxib for 5 days or less and not more than once a month (less these days). Very small amount of coronary artery blockage, forget the calcium score, but low and in a 'third ranking' artery. I'm on blood thinners mainly because of 3 close-spaced episodes of afib (6 years ago now) and subsequent periods of intense ectopic beats, which could put me into afib. On other stuff for the ectopics.

GP never mentioned brain bleeding risk - only possible stomach ulceration, hence taking Celecoxib with food.
_____________

And separately a big . I've been having ultrasound-guided steroi_ injections in my R great toe metatarsophalangeal joint, also for arthritis. Earlier cheilectomy ineffective. First steroi_ injection into the MTP didn't do much. Podiatrist thought problem might mainly be sesamoids. So second injection, after 3 months targeted those as well as MTP. Good effect although not long lasting. I had another another just before I went away and little effect.

I just found the radiologist report on My Health Record and it looks like they didn't inject the sesamoids (no mention), just the MTP. I'm certain the referral mentioned/requested the sesamoids; I certainly did when I was there and referred to the last injection, at the same radiology practice. I'll check before complaining to the radiology practice.

 

[prozac]

But if you have coronary disease, no.

…..Oh…

Oh, I never stopped using ibubrofen and such, but I am not on thinners.

 

[drron]

May I ask how you can tell the difference between a brain bleed and a stroke for someone who is on warfarin and with correct INR and not having taken any ibuprofen etc? As in my mum who succumbed and at her age no autopsy. Which may of course be complicated by the fact that she may well have had undiagnosed APS as well?

A brain bleed shows up on a CT scan very quickly but a thrombotic stroke can have no changes for 24 hours and occasionally remains negative. Plus the images look different.
Of course to confuse matters you may have a haemorrhagic transformation of a ischaemic stroke.

 

[tgh]

you may have a haemorrhagic transformation of a ischaemic stroke.

I might , pushka might, anybody might …. but we all sincerely hope not

 

[Brissy1]

I still felt rs today so changed from paracetamol to ibuprofen, but after reading above about ibuprofen (very informative thanks) I'm going back to paracetamol. I'm not on warfarin/aspirin etc but father died relatively young from multiple TIAs.

Thanks for the previous post hugs

 

[Pushka]

A brain bleed shows up on a CT scan very quickly but a thrombotic stroke can have no changes for 24 hours and occasionally remains negative. Plus the images look different.
Of course to confuse matters you may have a haemorrhagic transformation of a ischaemic stroke.

No tests were done as the end of life process was enacted and sadly because of older brother being interstate, that was me.

 

[andye]

Differentiating between strokes due to blood clots and those due to bleeds without imaging is notoriously difficult.
Ischaemic strokes are more common approximately 80:20
However, it is more likely to be due to a bleed if there is death or reduced conscious level within 24h, severe headache, early abnormal posturing and/or early limb stiffness

 

[prozac]

Just had a call with MsProzac calling to wish me HFD from Philadelphia. She mentioned her thick long hair is thinning which she pulled back to show a widow's peak, but she says is thinning all over. Why? She thinks it is because she has had covid 3 times.
Has anyone else lost hair post covid or can comment if this is a thing?

She says she is going to buy a cream to help restore it. When I asked if she had a script or if she was buying it from Mexico she said it is the same as script stuff which contains 7mg but this is over-the-counter cream and it contains 5mg and so doesn't need a script. I'd feel happier if she had seen a doc.

 

[Seat0B]

And miraculously on Day 5 my eyes are all but normal. The eye drops worked!

 

[Pushka]

Just had a call with MsProzac calling to wish me HFD from Philadelphia. She mentioned her thick long hair is thinning which she pulled back to show a widow's peak, but she says is thinning all over. Why? She thinks it is because she has had covid 3 times.
Has anyone else lost hair post covid or can comment if this is a thing?

She says she is going to buy a cream to help restore it. When I asked if she had a script or if she was buying it from Mexico she said it is the same as script stuff which contains 7mg but this is over-the-counter cream and it contains 5mg and so doesn't need a script. I'd feel happier if she had seen a doc.

There can be many reasons why MsP is losing her hair. Many auto immune illnesses can cause it and treatments OTC won't fix that.

 

[prozac]

There can be many reasons why MsP is losing her hair. Many auto immune illnesses can cause it and treatments OTC won't fix that.

I did point out that when she stops using the cream the hair will likely continue to thin. She says she will just include it in her daily regime.
She does have an auto immune illness, idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) but that has not been a trigger before.

EDIT:
Sent her this table of possible causes. Told her it might be just syphilis.
Hopefully she will see a doctor.

 

[Seat0B]

Told her it might be just syphilis.

And how did she respond to that suggestion?

 

[prozac]

And how did she respond to that suggestion?

It was a LOL or a laugh emoji. Most of the time she takes so little notice of me I have to hit her between the eyes to get her to follow-up on things.

 

[Seat0B]

It was a LOL or a laugh emoji. Most of the time she takes so little notice of me I have to hit her between the eyes to get her to follow-up on things.

Well at least you didn't suggest "psychiatric disorder" then

 

[StayGoldPonyboy]

Just had a call with MsProzac calling to wish me HFD from Philadelphia. She mentioned her thick long hair is thinning which she pulled back to show a widow's peak, but she says is thinning all over. Why? She thinks it is because she has had covid 3 times.
Has anyone else lost hair post covid or can comment if this is a thing?

Yes (though was likely due to a confluence of a couple of things not just that) so I mentioned to my GP, blood tests done (iron/ferritin, zinc, thyroid, other things I can't remember) and no abnormalities found, so referral to Dermatologist (derms do hair and nails not just skin). Now on low dose oral Minoxidil (compounded capsules) and Spironolactone (for its anti-androgenic effects). Have more hair now than I ever did, took a year though.

Need to stay on them otherwise will slowly revert back to where I would have been without them. Considering the $$$ I spend on my hair it's a drop in the ocean .

I don't like taking biotin as it interferes with some path tests, and now I don't need to anyway

 

[Pushka]

It was a LOL or a laugh emoji. Most of the time she takes so little notice of me I have to hit her between the eyes to get her to follow-up on things.

Hair loss like this is classic for Lupus. SLE. Rheumatologist asks me about it every visit. And thyroid. I've lost most of my eyebrows.

 

[Himeno]

Had the SPC changed yesterday at the local community medical center (every 6 weeks )
The first nurse couldn't get the old one out. Didn't want to yank on it too hard, so called in someone else. 2nd nurse also couldn't get it out. Hasn't happened before, they've had problems getting confirmed flow out of the new one on previous changes, but never any issues getting the old one out and the new one in.
They were heading towards sending me to the hospital to get it changed by the Urologist when they went up stairs to the offices and found a nurse who had done some of the prior changes. She came, yanked it out and had the new one inserted in about 2 minutes.
More blood then normal.

The sooner they sort out these tests in Sydney and are able to get rid of the tube, the better.

 

[QF WP]

Tuesday was a fortnight from my last review. The surgeon’s nice nurse Alyssa wasn’t there and he was flying solo again. Could really see that she’s a main cog in the process - he just ripped off the bandage without cleaning around it with wipes. A surgeons bedside manner

That being said, he was extremely happy with the healing progress, so much so that he advised a 3 month recall was the next step and it didn’t need a bandage.

Time to introduce my leg with a bite out of it, to my wife and kids do they get used to it when I have shorts on in the future.

Now this looks like it’s to a point that I can mentally put it to bed and go back for repeat blood tests for LDL, WBC and b-cells. Hopefully the levels have all come down to under max range, so they might decrease my concerns, particularly about CLL.

 

[RooFlyer]

Flew up to Sydney Tuesday morning for some very specialised eye tests at Sydney eye hospital, after having spent a while on Monday trying to get them to confirm if they had received the results of my prior tests from Melbourne and Hobart, in case they were the same as one or more of the three tests scheduled in Sydney. They never did.

Landed in Sydney to message to call them. Oh, sorry, their machine is bung and may not be available unless they can get help from USA overnight. . Fortunately I had a meeting to go to at Sydney Uni as well, so trip not entirely a wash-out.

Fronted up at the Eye Hospital Wednesday morning, after 3/4 hr wait, told, yes, sorry, machine still bung, but they can do one of the three tests scheduled. Have they looked at the other test results? What test results? Has a look. Oh, there they are.

Yes, you've already done the test we are going to do this morning.

They convince me to re-do the test (sort of looks at neurological responses to light stimuli); slightly different and will mesh better with the later tests, plus they will bulk bill me and since I have a few hours to kill ....

Investigating the reason for slow dark adaptation in my R eye - I think I've gone through that before.

So, I'll have to go up to Sydney again to complete the tests, including the actual test for 'slow dark adaptation. They say they'll bulk bill the remaining tests too, so at least that's $600 'saved'.

 

[PLANT]

So the latest PPI medication headline/media release....
Any comments..
Anyone else ringing gastroenterologist and going WTF?