Health- Diet- Exercise ~~ 2022

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "Health issues are weird because we take our bodies for granted until they act up. Our bodies are so complex it is amazing that they work most of the time as well as they do. I wish health and good ..."

Thank you, Rachel. I wish you good health and good reading, too. I wish that for all of us.

[Alias Reader]

She can do elevators. I'm not even going to mention that to her ! :)

[Bella (Kiki)]

Alias Reader wrote: "She can do elevators. I'm not even going to mention that to her ! :)"

The paralyzing drugs? I didn't think you would! ;-) They don't give them to you until you're unconscious, and they withdraw them before you wake, so it's probably best she never knows.

[madrano]

Alias Reader wrote: "With what, heavens only knows. She started to try and shimmy under it. Impossible of course. Lucky for her, the seatbelt unbuckled. Sorry to say, we still laugh at this today...."

I know i would be laughing. Heck, i am right now. Tell her i'm sorry. But laughing, simultaneously.

[madrano]

Rachel wrote: "Health issues are weird because we take our bodies for granted until they act up. Our bodies are so complex it is amazing that they work most of the time as well as they do. I wish health and good ..."

As i age i realize this more & more. All these things we thought we'd always be able to do! Right?

[Alias Reader]

Kiki wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "She can do elevators. I'm not even going to mention that to her ! :)"

The paralyzing drugs? I didn't think you would! ;-) They don't give them to you until you're unconscious,..."

No, I meant asking her if she was ok to go into an elevator. :)

[Rachel]

What is this whole elevator thing? I must have missed that part of the conversation.

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "What is this whole elevator thing? I must have missed that part of the conversation."

We were talking about being claustrophobic, Rachel.

[Bella (Kiki)]

Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "She can do elevators. I'm not even going to mention that to her ! :)"

The paralyzing drugs? I didn't think you would! ;-) They don't give them to you until you're..."

I got over a lot of mine by just pretending I wasn't claustrophobic at all. But I still don't like MRIs. They last too long!

[madrano]

I've not had an MRI or scan but sometimes wonder how i would handle that "confinement". Probably the way Kiki did, pretend. It's not that i am claustrophobic, only that i don't think i could stay still. Even at the dentist for x-rays i seem unable to "stay".

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "I've not had an MRI or scan but sometimes wonder how i would handle that "confinement". Probably the way Kiki did, pretend. It's not that i am claustrophobic, only that i don't think i could stay s..."

Well, there's no room to move around in an MRI. Your arms are almost against the sides and the top is only inches from your face, so there's not much to do but lie still and hope time passes by quickly. I was so relieved when the technician told me she only had three scans left to do. I would wear headphones and listen to music for an hour, but you can't have headphones on in the MRI. So that was out.

I hope you never have to have one, but not because they are so confining, because I hope you stay healthy!

[madrano]

Ah, thank you, Kiki.

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "Ah, thank you, Kiki."

You're welcome, Madrano. I hope I never need another, but I believe I will. :-(

[Rachel]

In a situation like that, we try to reason with ourselves to do what is beneficial. Fears are not always rational but they are scary all the same. Well wishes.

[madrano]

:-)

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "In a situation like that, we try to reason with ourselves to do what is beneficial. Fears are not always rational but they are scary all the same. Well wishes."

Thank you, Rachel. I'm not afraid of most medical tests, but I admit to not liking the MRI because of the close quarters. As long as I know I can get out anytime, I'm okay, though, and the technicians do give you that panic bulb to squeeze if you feel you just have to come out. I don't use that, though, because then we'd have to start all over again, and I feel it's just best to get things like that over as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, an MRI isn't a quick test.

[madrano]

Your attitude goes a long way, Kiki. Well done!

[Rachel]

Totally. It is most effective to be really still and cooperative because anything else makes it longer. Which is the one where it sounds like a construction zone? Is that a CAT scan?

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "Totally. It is most effective to be really still and cooperative because anything else makes it longer. Which is the one where it sounds like a construction zone? Is that a CAT scan?"

Thank you, Madrano. The best way to get it done as fast as possible is just to remain still. Unless a person is terribly ill, the MRI can be kind of funny when it "talks" to you, telling you when to hold your breath, when to let it out, etc. I think it's the technician in the room behind you, but the voice I heard wasn't hers.

It's the MRI that sounds like a construction zone, Rachel. Maybe two or three construction zones, even with earplugs in. I heard loud sounds that didn't resemble anything I've ever heard before.

The CT scan is quiet and quick and not so claustrophobic. It's the one that looks like a huge doughnut.

The CT scan is mostly for hard tissue like bone, while the MRI is more for soft tissue. I had both and an ultrasound. Then they wanted to do an endoscopy. I thought, "Good grief! Why not just do the endoscopy first and be done with everything?" Maybe they don't trust themselves or their machines. LOL

[madrano]

Your last paragraph is a mouthful, Kiki. There are times when so many tests are performed, only to end up with the very thing the MDs wanted to avoid, such as the endoscopy. The cynic in me wonders if it isn't just to pad the bills, particularly if the Feds are paying for it, as for Medicare patients. I don't know enough to question it, however.

[Rachel]

That is the problem. We as patients do not know enough to question tests and doctors have us in and out so quickly it is hard to have a good conversation about the what and the why of all this technology. I am all for it, if it is called for as a diagnostic but who knows?

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "Your last paragraph is a mouthful, Kiki. There are times when so many tests are performed, only to end up with the very thing the MDs wanted to avoid, such as the endoscopy. The cynic in me wonders..."

I wondered if it was just to run up the bill, too, since I had good insurance that would pay for all those tests.

I think they did the ultrasound and CT scan to make sure it wasn't something else before they gave me Fentanyl for the pain, and the pain was absolutely excruciating. Then I was transferred to another hospital, where they did an MRI to see if any stones were lodged in my bile duct, and sure enough, two huge ones were. The GI doctor removed them during the endoscopy. They can't perform surgery on a patient who has stones lodged in the bile duct. If they did, the patient would end up in ICU with toxins flooding his or her body, but I think they could just do the endoscopy first thing. I don't know for sure, though.

[madrano]

I don't know much at all about medicine, so don't even guess about what doctors recommend. I ask questions & if it makes sense, follow directions. Since darn near anything sounds sensible to me, i go along with most. :-)

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "I don't know much at all about medicine, so don't even guess about what doctors recommend. I ask questions & if it makes sense, follow directions. Since darn near anything sounds sensible to me, i ..."

I know more about medicine than I really want to know. While in college and for a time afterward, I worked for a surgeon as a transcriptionist and medical scribe. I took college courses in anatomy and physiology I and II, including pathophysiology. Now the medical profession has these charts, so all the doctors treating us can log in and see our diagnoses and medications and surgeries, etc. Patients can log in, too. It saves a lot of time, and doctors don't have to depend on the patient to be telling them everything, but I think some of the notes are misunderstood by the patients and alarm them unnecessarily.

[Rachel]

Who among us has not googled something medical and felt we had some dread disease, only to find out we misdiagnosed ourselves.

[madrano]

Kiki, you have more than a passing acquaintanceship with medicine, it seems. For me, i'm one of those who feels the less she knows, the better. When i was diagnosed with uterine cancer, i didn't look it up on Google, unlike every member of my family. I just trusted the pros & was done with it. I am one lucky duck, as it was all removed in one swift operation and i've been cleared for over a year now.

I know most folks do, in fact, dig through google, et al, in seeking medical info but i just didn't want to scare or encourage myself. This isn't to say that when my foot aches, i don't look for a home remedy on Google, just that the less i know, the better...for me, that is.

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "Kiki, you have more than a passing acquaintanceship with medicine, it seems. For me, i'm one of those who feels the less she knows, the better. When i was diagnosed with uterine cancer, i didn't lo..."

It's easy to misdiagnose and scare yourself, Rachel, but I think most people have looked medical things up on the Internet.

Madrano, I'm sorry you had to go through cancer but happy it was confined to one place that could be removed in one surgery. No metastases usually mean a complete recovery is possible. Cancer is a scary thing because it can creep up on us and we can so easily put the early symptoms down to something else. I've been around doctors and doctors working in hospitals so much that I'm a pretty good diagnostician myself, though I always go to a doctor if something is wrong. When I began having symptoms of either gallbladder disease or liver disease, I went to my PCP immediately for blood tests, and one of them was shocking. Alkaline phosphatase shouldn't be over 94 and mine came back almost 600. (In the hospital, it went to over 1,000.) I awakened at home with horrible abdominal pain and had to call 911 even before my doctor could admit me to the hospital because the pain was simply out of control. (Thank you, Fentanyl; for taking all that away.)

I think it's good to know the basics, but not to look things up on Google. If people do use Google, they need to confine their reading to trusted medical sites like the Mayo Clinic, etc., or they might scare themselves too much and get totally wrong information. When my oldest sister found out I had AFib, she looked it up and found a site that said people had to be hospitalized until they found a drug that controlled the rhythm and rate because of the side effects. That's totally untrue. I've never known anyone who had to be hospitalized after being on medication for AFib. Sometimes the medication has to be changed, but I don't know any cardiologist who'd going to let someone languish in the hospital, watching TV or reading until they find the right medication and the right dosage. So, those who do read, need to read reliable sites only. Sometimes patients do have treatment choices, and they need to educate themselves about the pros and cons of those choices. So I guess I see both sides of looking things up.

[madrano]

I appreciate what you shared, Kiki. You've certainly had a rough haul. Your knowledge must be a benefit to you. I'm sure that & your strength will get you through your 2023 health battles. As always, we wish you the best of luck, expertise and health!

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "I appreciate what you shared, Kiki. You've certainly had a rough haul. Your knowledge must be a benefit to you. I'm sure that & your strength will get you through your 2023 health battles. As alway..."

Thank you, Madrano. After the pain was under control, it really wasn't bad at all. And everyone I encountered in the hospital from doctors to nurses to technicians was just wonderful! My surgeon is the most compassionate person I've ever met. The worst thing was that with all the tests, endoscopies, and surgery I had, I couldn't eat, and this hospital has gourmet food! The second night I was there, they had my favorite meal for dinner! :-(

[Rachel]

All is well that ends well, thankfully. Hospital/gourmet food? That is a new one for me.

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "All is well that ends well, thankfully. Hospital/gourmet food? That is a new one for me."

I was surprised, too. I did get one lunch on the day I was released, and it was delicious. The phone even has a button on it to talk to the kitchen staff to customize your meal if you want. All the rooms are private with flat panel widescreen TVs, and a sofa bed in case someone wants to stay overnight with you, and the bed was the best one I've ever slept in. I almost hated to leave, but I did miss my family and my big Maine Coon. Was so happy to see them again.

[madrano]

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Rachel wrote: "All is well that ends well, thankfully. Hospital/gourmet food? That is a new one for me."

I was surprised, too. I did get one lunch on the day I was released, and it was delicious. ..."

Wow, that's a great hospital experience, Kiki. May your future stay be as good, if not better!

[Bella (Kiki)]

madrano wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Rachel wrote: "All is well that ends well, thankfully. Hospital/gourmet food? That is a new one for me."

I was surprised, too. I did get one lunch o..."

Thank you, Madrano. I'm hoping so, too. I want a chance to sample those gourmet meals.