General Medical issues thread

[Pushka]

I believe your parents live in Perth. If your father wants to talk about anything, ping me.

It's interesting the different levels that GPs and others take note of. MrP has been monitoring for years. Always under 1. His went to 1.5 and needed further testing. That result was luckily an outlier and it went back under 1 again. He has been taking proseren every day since his thirties. Guess we will only know if that is a placebo if it fails. But many health people seem to recommend saw palmetto.

 

[JohnM]

It's interesting the different levels that GPs and others take note of. MrP has been monitoring for years. Always under 1. His went to 1.5 and needed further testing. That result was luckily an outlier and it went back under 1 again. He has been taking proseren every day since his thirties. Guess we will only know if that is a placebo if it fails. But many health people seem to recommend saw palmetto.

Proseren reputedly relieves symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a swelling of the prostate and which is a completely different thing to prostate cancer.

 

[Pushka]

Proseren reputedly relieves symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a swelling of the prostate and which is a completely different thing to prostate cancer.

saw palmetto might be seen as something which prevents inflammation which may in turn have a preventive effect on developing cancer. Well aware that it isn't a treatment for prostate cancer. More research is needed.

May support prostate health​

<snip>
Research suggests that saw palmetto can support prostate health and help prevent issues such as BPH and prostate cancer. Additional studiesTrusted Source also indicate this supplement may reduce BPH-related urinary symptoms and inflammation.
A 15-year study of 30 participants with BPH concluded that taking 320 mg of saw palmetto extract daily may help prevent the progression of BPH.
Yet some studiesTrusted Source don’t associate saw palmetto with improvements in prostate health or BPH symptoms.
For this reason, further high quality research is needed.

 

[prozac]

saw palmetto might be seen as something which prevents inflammation which may in turn have a preventive effect on developing cancer. Well aware that it isn't a treatment for prostate cancer. More research is needed.

May support prostate health​

<snip>
Research suggests that saw palmetto can support prostate health and help prevent issues such as BPH and prostate cancer. Additional studiesTrusted Source also indicate this supplement may reduce BPH-related urinary symptoms and inflammation.
A 15-year study of 30 participants with BPH concluded that taking 320 mg of saw palmetto extract daily may help prevent the progression of BPH.
Yet some studiesTrusted Source don’t associate saw palmetto with improvements in prostate health or BPH symptoms.
For this reason, further high quality research is needed.

Pretty small study.

 

[andye]

Regular ejaculation is thought to be protective....

 

[andye]

....though my eyesight isnt good enough to critique the evidence

 

[Flashback]

Regular ejaculation is thought to be protective....

I was going to mention similar, but you beat me to it!

 

[drron]

Click on the link Trusted Source. It takes you to a pub Med metanaysis of several small studies. S repens is Saw Palmetto

CONCLUSIONS

S. repens alone results in no clinical benefits for men with LUTS. There is greater uncertainty in the effects of S. repens in combination with other phytotherapy. While others reviews on this subject found small effect sizes for some formulations, their CI indicated no important effects. Our review incorporating GRADE includes a comprehensive interpretation of these effect estimates. Future studies need to fully report their methods (including randomization and allocation concealment together with their prospectively registered protocols) and funding sources.

 

[QF_Flyer]

If they have your Medicare number they will know everything.

You’d think, but my psych and GP don’t seem to talk to each other. The latter has to get me to advise re any medication changes, and pretty much anything else (which surprises me because I’d assume, in fact I’m near certain, they’d be visible in SafeScript - S8 stimulants - which my GP would have check as my prescriber for pain meds).

My pain specialist is very quick to update my GP though. Same GP referred me to both.

My Health Record and MyMedicare are pretty light on info, I don’t really care as long as the safety net tracks correctly and the rebates keep coming.

 

[JohnM]

Pretty very small study.

Fixed that typo for you.

Furthermore, look at the labels when searching 'Prosperen': Blackmore's.

Multi-billionaire flogging low cost-to-produce products at a high price as a quick way to produce expensive urine.

 

[JohnM]

....though my eyesight isnt good enough to critique the evidence

Are you this bloke?:

 

[TheRealTMA]

saw palmetto might be seen as something which prevents inflammation which may in turn have a preventive effect on developing cancer. Well aware that it isn't a treatment for prostate cancer. More research is needed.

May support prostate health​

<snip>
Research suggests that saw palmetto can support prostate health and help prevent issues such as BPH and prostate cancer. Additional studiesTrusted Source also indicate this supplement may reduce BPH-related urinary symptoms and inflammation.
A 15-year study of 30 participants with BPH concluded that taking 320 mg of saw palmetto extract daily may help prevent the progression of BPH.
Yet some studiesTrusted Source don’t associate saw palmetto with improvements in prostate health or BPH symptoms.
For this reason, further high quality research is needed.

“Research suggests”. “May help”. LOL. Very scientific conclusion on 30 participants.

A good way to die early is to believe in folk remedies or unsupported claims made by vitamin manufacturers, and irrespective has nothing to do with prostate cancer, If there is a doubt , see a good urologist rather than remedies recommended by influencers.

 

[JohnM]

Regular ejaculation is thought to be protective....

Aahhh - maybe @TheRealTMA, me and I'm sure a few other blokes of our vintage on this forum paid the ultimate penalty for not trying hard enough...

 

[Flashback]

I believe your parents live in Perth. If your father wants to talk about anything, ping me.

Biopsy scheduled in a few weeks time (pre-Christmas), with results by the end of the first week of Jan. Just thinking out loud here, would a treatment plan possibly mean any upcoming travel may need to be cancelled? Or, is it a case of 'it depends'?

 

[Pushka]

“Research suggests”. “May help”. LOL. Very scientific conclusion on 30 participants.

A good way to die early is to believe in folk remedies or unsupported claims made by vitamin manufacturers, and irrespective has nothing to do with prostate cancer, If there is a doubt , see a good urologist rather than remedies recommended by influencers.

And I did say, in my first post about this, which has been ignored....

Guess we will only know if that is a placebo if it fails.

So before EVERYONE piles on with their comments yada yada maybe also acknowledge that the jury is out for us too hey?

As far as seeing a good urologist, MrP has been seeing one since he was 22 when he developed testicular cancer and required major abdominal surgery to remove its metastic growth in lymph nodes so everyone can just take a bex and lie down as far as the manner in which he has been cared for in the urology area by specialists for essentially 50 years which I'd suggest trumps all of you. (And for the record, he went to his GP four months earlier and who completely dismissed his obvious testicular symptoms.)

 

[JohnM]

Biopsy scheduled in a few weeks time (pre-Christmas), with results by the end of the first week of Jan. Just thinking out loud here, would a treatment plan possibly mean any upcoming travel may need to be cancelled? Or, is it a case of 'it depends'?

Probably unlikely, especially if the travel is of short duration.

 

[Flashback]

Probably unlikely, especially if the travel is of short duration.

One trip for 6 weeks, and another a few months later for 2-4 weeks.

 

[JohnM]

One trip for 6 weeks, and another a few months later for 2-4 weeks.

Of course, a lot will depend on what is found, your father's age and other health factors.

As a general rule, I believe that >age 75-80 there is a reluctance to perform radical prostatectomy. It is an operation that requires 3h or more under anaesthesia.

As I understand it, older men are more likely to be treated with radiotherapy/brachytherapy or androgen deprivation therapy.

Even if he were to have a radical prostatectomy, it is only one night in hospital, then barely a week at home with a catheter. Once the catheter is removed, it might be a few days before the renal sphincter snaps back into action, necessitating thick pads. Within two weeks, life should be pretty much back to normal in terms of non-strenuous activities like walking and driving, and improving bladder control, with only light pads needed. Restoration/adjustment of sexual function is a longer game.

Obesity is not helpful for a radical prostatectomy and it is a good idea to engage in a program of pelvic floor muscle strengthening beforehand. There is a world-class specialist men's physiotherapist in Perth (PhD in prostate surgery recovery).

 

[TheRealTMA]

Aahhh - maybe @TheRealTMA, me and I'm sure a few other blokes of our vintage on this forum paid the ultimate penalty for not trying hard enough...

Speak for yourself and Dave!

Some have accused me of being a 'WP-P" for a long time.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

I went to a dermatologist today for a large circular discolouration I have on my trunk. It was originally a darker skin colour, but has lightened with Eleuphrat steroi_ cream, but hasn't totally gone. Not itchy and not raised. Dermatologist didn't have an answer, and recommended a biopsy to rule out anything scary. Feels overkill, and wasn't particularly impressed with the dermatologist. My GP was fairly convinced it was dermatitis, but did recommend a dermatologist consult given it's been around for ~6 months now.