General Medical issues thread

[Pushka]

I wonder why it is that newborns have a clotting factor deficiency in lack of VitK. There must be some kind of natural selection for this to have happened light years ago that serves a purpose?

 

[love_the_life]

From what I can see Vitamin K injections are done in Thailand at time of birth and doctors may not even seek consent.


I can't read article now but I have been having influenza vaccine since 1999, pneumonia vaccibe recently and should probably need shingles as well at some point.

I think I need to consider measles, mumps vaccines as my daughter is growing up.

Also need to consider my Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis booster as it is now 13 years since last booster.

I know there may well be some risks getting vaccinations but my preference is to get vaccinated to reduce the risk of being infected.

Certainly the view is that anyone who will come into contact with babies and small children should make sure that their pertussis vaccination in particular is up to date. Though your daughter is now older and has been vaccinated, there were several cases highlighted in the media where very young babies had contracted the disease. Pregnant women are vaccinated now as well I think. I know that my friends whose daughters/in law have been pregnant have all had pertussis boosters.

 

[Quickstatus]

Vitamins by definition are substances that are essential to the organism but which is not produced by that organism in sufficient quantities. I dont know the evolutionary reason. I suppose its to ensure that no organism has an absolute upperhand in survival?

I think all living organisms have a vitamin dependant existence.

 

[love_the_life]

After 5 months I am now on a one week (drug) holiday. And not a moment too soon either as it was all getting a bit debilitating. Even my sister had remarked that I was looking a bit frail. Weight loss is a bit of a problem, although I'm about the same weight as I was at uni 50 years ago. I was skinny then. Oncologist is suggesting a scan in 5 weeks time and then surgical removal of metastases in lungs - although I they have continued to shrink at the same rate as demonstrated in the previous scan, well I doubt a surgeon would be able to find them. Here's hoping.

Must be only a week or two till the scan RK. I'll be away so here's my crossed fingers for you.

 

[Flashback]

Dreaded Man-Cold has hit the Denali household and Mr Denali is at End of the World Level = 4.

Similar here, too! Bit frustrating given the "supposed importance" of today ( ) as well as being on holiday, but hey ho - off we go

 

[drron]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Its a slippery slope. As soon as you get into government making a choice on what medication one must use and have no choice - you take away peoples informed consent.

Argument about Adam and Eve (or Steve) is the same - why didn't God just put a big fence around the tree? Or have the tree in the first place?

More damage is done when a single power (aka government) dictates what everyone does - that guiding them with options to make an informed choice.


Personally - more damage is caused to kids these days with the names some are being called - than choice to vaccinate or not. Not vaccinating is putting them at risk - names given to them is causing un deniable damage. My point - if government dictates kids must be vaccinated and out of parents hands - parents choices of names etc are up for grabs also.

When it comes to government, nothing is a simple black and white choice. Everything has ramifications.

One big problem with your case.It is not the Government making the decisions on vaccination or Vit K.It is the medical profession.
As to the risk I hope you never have to tell the parents of a 16 year old that she has SSPE.Look it up.Absoluting devastating.It really affected me when I had to do that.

 

[Quickstatus]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Public health do "trample" on the freedoms of the individual for the greater good of the community. Public sanitation standards is the most obvious. Many individual freedoms were curtailed.

As a historical note, the greatest advances in public health came not from the medical profession but from engineers.

The medical profession don't execute policy regarding public health. That's the purview of government on partly the advice of the medical profession. Other professions play an important part - engineers, lawyers, statisticians, epidemiologists, anthropologists, sociologists, biochemists, zoologists etc etc

 

[rogerkambah]

Must be only a week or two till the scan RK. I'll be away so here's my crossed fingers for you.

All booked - a week tomorrow!

Have a great cruise and don't lead Pushka astray - actually I'm not sure who leads who, but I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

[Pushka]

All booked - a week tomorrow!

Have a great cruise and don't lead Pushka astray - actually I'm not sure who leads who, but I'm sure you'll have a great time.

I know we will both be thinking of you RK.
(PS - we are really BAD for each other. Which is a lot of fun).

 

[Denali]

Measles outbreak in Sydney reported.

Sydney measles outbreak: six people infected, spent time in Children's Hospital at Westmead

 

[wandering_fred]

Given the relatively long time since I have had "shots", my GP had serum levels for measles and rubella immunity checked in conjunction with some other blood tests.

I don't need boosters !!!

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[rogerkambah]

Another scan yesterday resulted in a report which basically says that the lung nodules seem to have slightly reduced in size. No new pulmonary nodules are identified. The largest is now 11mm x 5.4 mm whereas previously it was 12.4mm x 7mm. Suppose that is a positive, but a bit disappointing compared to the last report where extermination seemed to be going ahead rapidly.
Also mentioned is that the largest intrathoracic lymph node is a precarinal lymph node measuring 7.7mm in its short axis, However it has not changed in size.

Will see the onco on Tuesday for a better interpretation.

Am getting rather annoyed by the imperfect healing of the abdominal muscle wall and the soreness of the scar when trying to sleep. Having a lot of difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. Usually only sleep for an hour at first and then awake on and off for the next 3-4 hours and then fall asleep for 3-4 hours. Anyway, such is life!!

 

[Pushka]

That sounds promising RK? The onco will interpret it all obviously. Best wishes.

 

[Cossie]

I previouswly mentioned a person I knew that had an aneurysm, here is an article about him and another researcher at the same University that died just a couple of months before him.

Life, death and a sleepy lizard: One researcher's remarkable work on a monogamous blue-tongue - RN - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[love_the_life]

Hope all goes well today RK. Will be thinking of you. Just waiting to disembark in Dubai.

 

[QF WP]

Another scan yesterday resulted in a report which basically says that the lung nodules seem to have slightly reduced in size. No new pulmonary nodules are identified. The largest is now 11mm x 5.4 mm whereas previously it was 12.4mm x 7mm. Suppose that is a positive, but a bit disappointing compared to the last report where extermination seemed to be going ahead rapidly.
Also mentioned is that the largest intrathoracic lymph node is a precarinal lymph node measuring 7.7mm in its short axis, However it has not changed in size.

Will see the onco on Tuesday for a better interpretation.

Am getting rather annoyed by the imperfect healing of the abdominal muscle wall and the soreness of the scar when trying to sleep. Having a lot of difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. Usually only sleep for an hour at first and then awake on and off for the next 3-4 hours and then fall asleep for 3-4 hours. Anyway, such is life!!

I've heard anecdotally that on some drug regimens, the best results are found in the first series whilst the cancer hasn't had the chance to change (a bit like weight loss).

I'm sure the oncologist will have much more to impart than the report gives you rogerkambah. Best wishes for todays outcome and hope the news was good.

 

[rogerkambah]

My heartfelt and grateful thanks to all of you that are travelling with me on this - I really appreciate your support.

I asked my oncologist today ( yesterday really) as to how many nodules were left in my lungs. His reply was that there was just the one, at just over 1cm long.

We discussed the next course of action, the options being surgery (which didn't really thrill me at this time) or to continue on the tabs. I decided to continue the tabs until the next scan in 3 months time.

He also remarked that if the side effects became too onerous, I could reduce the tabs to 5 days a week and have a respite for 2 days.

So seem to be on the mend. Then all I will have to is have the botched abdominal wall closure fixed, which has left me with 2 hernias - not very happy about that. How is it that the surgeon could remove the kidney and its encompassing tumour successfully, but not manage to put the abdominal wall together properly.

 

[love_the_life]

Reports sound quite promising then RK. Take care and we'll hopefully catch up for coffee again soon.

 

[Cossie]

Fracture clinic appointment at 13:10, in at 13:15, cast off, sent for x-rays, back, waited maybe 15 minutes outside and another 15 minutes in a cubicle, and now sporting a thumb spica aircast, need an MRI though as something is not quite right.

All in all, quite impressed, especially considering how long I waited last time, I was well prepared this time with newspaper, magazines and lap top. Still wouldn't want to work in a hospital.

 

[cove]

I was getting pretty annoyed with AlphaPharm for running out of my heart medication for 6 weeks until I read that another company had short supplied a cancer medication for several months.
These companies seem to be pretty relaxed about doing this.