General Medical issues thread

[Milboo]

Many people have herniated discs, they are often not pain generators outside of the actue phase. Valium/benzos were used previously but shown not to have any effect and so should not be used now as a "muscle relaxant".
Long term painkillers should not be used but the absolute best advice is physio. Physio should be active with the main component consisting of doing your own exercises- no physio good should need to see you long term for this. Strengthening of the paraspinal muscles is the most important way to prevent further pain and deterioration.

Interesting.

The Valium was actually key to getting me moving - I had some significant spasming going on and we had to stop that and nothing else had worked.

 

[cove]

Had a ride this morning in an ambulance to Fiona Stanley hospital with my MIL. It was a really smooth quiet ride and it was a first ever for me. The ambulance was well equipped so they were monitoring Mrscove's mum on the drive. Looks like she will get a pacemaker on Monday to address her half faints. For a ninety year old she is really good at answering the questions that older patients get asked. Could have tricked me on a couple....

 

[Princess Fiona]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

We have to update ourselves by attending conferences in exotic locations around the world

I was going to like this but it might attract unwanted attention to it

 

[Pushka]

When mum had a stroke 2 years ago they do a mental assessment. 10 days after intensive care she was been taken from RAH to a rehab place nearby by ambulance. Was transferred to her room on the stretcher.

One of the questions they asked was what floor she was on. She said that as she could see the tree tops then she wasn't on the ground floor. But that apparently wasn't good enough. They needed to know the exact floor. My brother and I who had been told to stay quiet and not 'help' looked at each other and we both said 'what floor are we on again?' Stupid rote question.

 

[rogerkambah]

Didn't touch the Tim Tams as I have developed a little bit of self control. I didn't want to make it into a double the medication day.

I'm the opposite, never really had much interest in TTs cake etc, but now eat lots of TTs, cake, buns, chocolate (love the Lindt Mint Intense dark chocolate) anything sweet in an effort to keep my weight at 70kg.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I'm the opposite, never really had much interest in TTs cake etc, but now eat lots of TTs, cake, buns, chocolate (love the Lindt Mint Intense dark chocolate) anything sweet in an effort to keep my weight at 70kg.

If you love the Lindt Mint Intense try Arnotts Mint Slice Biscuits ( these are the only choccy biscuits I eat - have never really been into TTs.) I can eat a whole packet of those Mint Slice in a day :shock:

 

[Pushka]

Damn mint slice. Favs for me. I don't buy them so not tempted.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Damn mint slice. Favs for me. I don't buy them so not tempted.

I have NO chocolate in the house !! I am off the wine, I am home alone, Ron is away working and I have 4 weeks to lose the weight I put on over the Xmas holiday so I can go on holiday in 4 weeks time on put the weight back on ! I know it is a hard life but someone has to do it and its me

 

[cove]

Going back to 6 stone?

 

[Pushka]

I have NO chocolate in the house !! I am off the wine, I am home alone, Ron is away working and I have 4 weeks to lose the weight I put on over the Xmas holiday so I can go on holiday in 4 weeks time on put the weight back on ! I know it is a hard life but someone has to do it and its me

Oh. Not much fun there. I am likewise home alone for the next 2 weeks but a weekend break with company. No cooking for me - yay. Boiled egg on toast will suffice. (I didn't put on weight this Christmas even on a cruise. Yay for me. )

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Going back to 6 stone?

I think they would have to wire my jaw shut to achieve that goal !!!!

 

[Pushka]

I think they would have to wire my jaw shut to achieve that goal !!!!

I can't believe how skinny I was in my twenties and to think I longed for bigger ahem coughs. Sigh. Life is cruel. Never got the bigger coughs but gravity took its toll on hips.

 

[rogerkambah]

If you love the Lindt Mint Intense try Arnotts Mint Slice Biscuits ( these are the only choccy biscuits I eat - have never really been into TTs.) I can eat a whole packet of those Mint Slice in a day :shock:

Love them and have a pack in the fridge, along with TT Dark and TT Chewy Caramel.

 

[coriander]

Must be awful when the conference you want to attend is in your home city

Seriously, it is.

1. A local or national conference means that there are no locums available because they're either going to the conference or have been taken up by practitioners who want to go to the conference. I find it easier to get a locum for my OS conferenceattendances 'cos there's only 10-15 AU guys that go OS.

2. An AU conference will have perhaps one or two relevant streams to my practice interest compared to fifteen plus separate streams at the big OS conferences (think difference between fixed price menu and all-you-can-eat buffet).

3. Plus I get to listen to and speak with the authors of the reference texts I use and get latest info before it's published in journals. I struggle with time to read the journals that come across my desk every month; a good lecturer can give me the latest info I need in 50 minutes (ie 1 CE unit). Trade areas showcase new drugs, instruments and other toys that make my fun seem less and less like work (see what I did there, Pushka?).

I've been in my profession for over 40 years and find it more exciting and challenging the longer I'm in it. My legal CPD requirement is 45 structured CE units per triennium: I usually do 35-40 per year.

I agree wholeheartedly with the GP ad running on TV at the moment " the good practitioner never stops learning".

C.

 

[Pushka]

But - surely the overseas professionals like to junket umm lecture in Australia so the quality is still there? I understand the difficulty in getting a locum but maybe that's because you only want them for a couple of days during the conference and not the time you'd normally spend on junketing umm travel to get there.

The lupus conference in March is in Melbourne the week after the GP. (That's Grand Prix not your acronym). Some excellent overseas people coming. Guess it's one way of getting the attendance numbers up for the race.

As far as ongoing professional development, MrP whose profession is also in the medical area governed by APHRA buys more relevant books now than before. I blame Amazon and the kindle for that. Search click buy download and read. His account is attached to mine and it goes on my credit card. Trouble is, my 'suggested reads' are books I never want to read. But then, he does get all my lupusy- autoimmune books suggested on his feed.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Locum-ing is big business ! Just ask drron who has been doing it for 10 years now. He can work when ever he wants to, and usually has a choice of where as well.

 

[Pushka]

And it was a locum who picked up MrP's testicular cancer when his regular GP told him 3 months before his symptoms were nothing to worry about. Shoulda reported the GP for his failure but after diagnosis we were far too involved in sorting the outcome.

 

[Cynicor]

But - surely the overseas professionals like to junket umm lecture in Australia so the quality is still there? I understand the difficulty in getting a locum but maybe that's because you only want them for a couple of days during the conference and not the time you'd normally spend on junketing umm travel to get there.

The lupus conference in March is in Melbourne the week after the GP. (That's Grand Prix not your acronym). Some excellent overseas people coming. Guess it's one way of getting the attendance numbers up for the race.

As far as ongoing professional development, MrP whose profession is also in the medical area governed by APHRA buys more relevant books now than before. I blame Amazon and the kindle for that. Search click buy download and read. His account is attached to mine and it goes on my credit card. Trouble is, my 'suggested reads' are books I never want to read. But then, he does get all my lupusy- autoimmune books suggested on his feed.

To an extent, but because there are European and American societies for everything, as well as world congresses, far more conferences take place overseas. AU is just too far to have decent, large, regular conferences. I.e. Every year the Americans and the euros will have a large pathology conference, but maybe every 10th year the world version will be in AUS.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

To an extent, but because there are European and American societies for everything, as well as world congresses, far more conferences take place overseas. AU is just too far to have decent, large, regular conferences. I.e. Every year the Americans and the euros will have a large pathology conference, but maybe every 10th year the world version will be in AUS.

I loved it when Ron went to the American Heart conference, it is so large only 5 cities in the USA can hold it. The shopping was great !

 

[Pushka]

To an extent, but because there are European and American societies for everything, as well as world congresses, far more conferences take place overseas. AU is just too far to have decent, large, regular conferences. I.e. Every year the Americans and the euros will have a large pathology conference, but maybe every 10th year the world version will be in AUS.

It's curious this Northern Hemisphere thinking. Like Nadal's girlfriend never travelled to the Australian Open until this year as it was too far to travel. Given she'd travel in F it's hard to take.