We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

[Blackhawk]

Yep, it's forever, but only if you get the two within X months of each other. And since I assume you're on Medicare like me, they should be free. You don't even need an appointment - just wander into Walmart, go to the pharmacy and tell them you want the shingles vaccine. Both times for me was 10-15 minutes.

[Isgrimnur]

For the younger first-world generations , the chicken pox vaccine should make shingles a thing of the past.

[Blackhawk]

For the younger first-world generations , the chicken pox vaccine should make shingles a thing of the past.

Just like measles and polio.

[coopasonic]

Yep, it's forever, but only if you get the two within X months of each other.

Guidance is 2-6 months which annoys me. Give me an actual target not a 4 month window.

[LordMortis]

CVS scheduled my 2nd shot when I got my first. I don't remember how long it was between shots. I think two months but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

[stessier]

CVS scheduled my 2nd shot when I got my first. I don't remember how long it was between shots. I think two months but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

Same. For me it was just over 2 months, but they were happy with anything over 2.

[Blackhawk]

When I got home from the first shot, I just scheduled an email for myself for three months later. That showed up about two weeks ago.

This morning I feel... like I have a cold. I'm breathing fine, it's more aches and tiredness, maybe a mild fever (enough that I was too hot last night when I shouldn't have been.) I simply plan to watch TV/read/game for a day or two, and bought myself a few items of 'comfort' food for it. Shrug.

For those still avoiding the shot to keep from having a few cold symptoms for a day or two, the alternative is...

Don't mess around with shingles. I had a dose of it in 2020. Emotional stress is a factor in triggering shingles, and mine erupted during the week I was visiting my father on his literal deathbed.

I had awful painful blisters on my face so that I resembled Lynch's Baron Harkonnen. I even had one on the tip of my nose, which (due to how blood flow works in the face) can lead to blindness. Fortunately I dodged that horror.

My father in law passed about 1-2 years after we married so i didn't see his reaction but my wife said he was miserable. It's also not a one and done like chicken pox.

I did see other people's reactions multiple times as an EMT...among other fun stuff...
The variations were from mid level pain to excruciating take them to the ER kind of pain..

So go get the damned shot.

[stessier]

Don't forget this one:

... one of the guys who works for me got shingles about a month ago. It presented as a rash inside his mouth - he went to the dentist thinking he needed a root canal. Nope! Took him days before he could eat normal food again - he said it was brutal. So that moved the shot way up on my list.

[gbasden]

I had it as a teen (I know, it's super rare to express that early) and had the worst rash I've ever had on the right side of my body. It was extremely painful just lying down, but if I had to walk the pain was excruciating. Get the damned shot. It was almost two weeks of hell.

[Daehawk]

I dont feel good these days. Its not simply stress I dont think but what I dont know. I cant drag myself out of bed when i wake up and stay in bed all day or at least 6 more hours. Then I can barely get up. When Im up I feel tired and weak. I mean weak. Going to the kitchen makes my heart race to like 120 beats and my whole body feels like Im low lvl vibrating. My muscles are tired. Im the guy who would walk across town or ride the bike. Walk the mall with my wife 6 hours when we went every week. But the last couple years have made me feel really weak and tired and Im worse slowly.

My blood pressure is mostly in check. But my head feels weird in my brain. I dont have a headache and I see clearly no aches but my brains feels like its slowly simmering on fire. No fever. My outside head feels fine. But my brain is like hot . Also my ear or ears will randomly go stopped up and begin ringing..or a high pitched tone. Usually last a few seconds then slowly recedes . This would happen maybe once in a year in the past but now its doing it multiple times a day and night.

I lost my wife at 49 and seemed pretty normal then. not this tired out sick guy. I turned 50 that year. This year Ill be 55 in a few days. May age is part and stress another but I feel theres other stuff going on.

[dbt1949]

You sound like me. Stay away from the VA.

[Blackhawk]

Daehawk, you know the answer - or at least a big part of it - if you want to feel like yourself again. We've all discussed it with you dozens of times.

You have severe depression. You can get it treated if you want to.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Daehawk, you know the answer - or at least a big part of it - if you want to feel like yourself again. We've all discussed it with you dozens of times.

You have severe depression. You can get it treated if you want to.

[Daehawk]

Cant go anywhere not even my normal doc to get a checkup or my xrays I needed last time.

I thought my maturity date on the mortgage was the payoff day. Learned that is not the case. got years to go without a car or washer it seems lol.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Cant go anywhere not even my normal doc to get a checkup or my xrays I needed last time.

Are you on Medicaid/TennCare? Because if you have Medicaid in Tennessee, you can use TennCare's free transportation service to get to your covered medical appointments:

Should have had one 25 years ago. But anything where I can get done then leave is problematic for me as I have no ride. Im not sure they allow you to leave in Uber. And my Uber ride would mean from one city to another.

I wonder if after a op they would allow me to sit in the waiting room and sleep overnight there then drive myself home the next day? Thats if I had a op and if I had a car..if ififififif.

If you're on Medicaid, it looks like TennCare -- the state of Tennessee’s managed Medicaid agency -- provides access to free transportation for covered medical services through their Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) benefit:

[Kraken]

Cant go anywhere not even my normal doc to get a checkup or my xrays I needed last time.

Are you on Medicaid/TennCare? Because if you have Medicaid in Tennessee, you can use TennCare's free transportation service to get to your covered medical appointments:

We all know he would rather complain and suffer than seek help, even free help. That's how depression works.

[Blackhawk]

And treating it means confronting your pain and loss in order to work through it, which is a hard thing to make yourself do. It tends to blind you to the fact that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, so you just sit and wait rather than moving forward.

It's not something to blame people for - it's something to support them through.

[Anonymous Bosch]

And treating it means confronting your pain and loss in order to work through it, which is a hard thing to make yourself do. It tends to blind you to the fact that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, so you just sit and wait rather than moving forward.

It's not something to blame people for - it's something to support them through.

Indeed, this is why I felt it important to clarify and reiterate that transportation for Daehawk to receive the medical help he requires is freely available and readily accessible (assuming he is on Medicaid/TennCare). But if history is any guide, I expect Daehawk will just ignore my question, and act like it never happened. True wisdom means having the humility to accept your limitations and courage to reach out for help that can improve your situation. It may not be easy to confront pain and loss in order to work through it, but nothing worthwhile usually is.

[Jeff V]

I go in 10 days to see if my arm is healing. This happened on Valentines Day, and to date, my insurance has paid approximately nothing so I'm on the hook for about $40K expenses. My last xray last month showed the bone pulling away from the plate -- the surgeon wasn't too alarmed but said a plan B might be needed if it doesn't mend.

[Kraken]

I go in 10 days to see if my arm is healing. This happened on Valentines Day, and to date, my insurance has paid approximately nothing so I'm on the hook for about $40K expenses. My last xray last month showed the bone pulling away from the plate -- the surgeon wasn't too alarmed but said a plan B might be needed if it doesn't mend.

I hope you are paying your insurance company approximately nothing in turn.

[Punisher]

I go in 10 days to see if my arm is healing. This happened on Valentines Day, and to date, my insurance has paid approximately nothing so I'm on the hook for about $40K expenses. My last xray last month showed the bone pulling away from the plate -- the surgeon wasn't too alarmed but said a plan B might be needed if it doesn't mend.

I hope you are paying your insurance company approximately nothing in turn.

I'd bet part of it is their normal autoreject. Usually the doctors office just pushes bavk or puts in the right codes and gets it cleared.

[LordMortis]

Annnd... Friday's surgery postponed until May 30th because I will never get to leave the house.... I'm debating heading out in the interim but the last thing I want to do is get sick and put off the end of this work on my arm for even longer. urgh.

[dbt1949]

Well, that was close but I'm still here.

[Isgrimnur]

Good. Deets?

[Blackhawk]

Another neighbor almost shoot you?

[em2nought]

I thought my maturity date on the mortgage was the payoff day. Learned that is not the case.

Did you get clarification on how you have to pay the additional $7500? Last I remember you seemed to think they were going to demand a lump sum payment?

Another neighbor almost shoot you?

I thought it was an in-law who wanted to shoot him last time?

[YellowKing]

I did something weird to my back Tuesday (literally doing nothing but sitting in a chair playing Frosthaven), and now I can hardly walk. It seemed to be getting better Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I took the day off and felt good enough to mow the grass and get some housework done. Bad idea. By Friday night I was almost immobile.

Last night was a bear. Moving around definitely seems to help, but only for limited times. Laying down is the worst, it just completely stiffens up. I've done this a couple of times in the past and it always got better on its own, but man this one's a doozy.

[dbt1949]

They put me in the nut house for a week and a half. I was so depressed and had some major problems at home. Got everything straightened out and am okay.
While there I became the dominate nut and ran my kingdom with an iron fist. Lots of pretty nurses and i asked every one of them if I could live with them. For some reason I got no takers. Could it be I've lost my charm? Nah.

[Daehawk]

you're too good for them.

[Kraken]

I did something weird to my back Tuesday (literally doing nothing but sitting in a chair playing Frosthaven), and now I can hardly walk. It seemed to be getting better Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I took the day off and felt good enough to mow the grass and get some housework done. Bad idea. By Friday night I was almost immobile.

Last night was a bear. Moving around definitely seems to help, but only for limited times. Laying down is the worst, it just completely stiffens up. I've done this a couple of times in the past and it always got better on its own, but man this one's a doozy.

I tweaked my back walking up the stairs last week. Like your case, this is something that just happens every now and then -- I hit just the wrong combination of twist-and-stretch. It can be crippling, or it can pass in a few hours. Usually, I can walk it off -- muscle pain likes exercise.

This time, it's still with me after a week. It's worst when I wake up, or after sitting for too long, and almost unnoticeable after I take my morning walk. So, probably just the same old muscle madness as usual. Sure is lingering a long time, though.

[em2nought]

Amazingly I didn't tweak any part of my body while helping unload two shipping containers last week Well, maybe my index finger just a little bit.

[Blackhawk]

I did something weird to my back Tuesday (literally doing nothing but sitting in a chair playing Frosthaven), and now I can hardly walk. It seemed to be getting better Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I took the day off and felt good enough to mow the grass and get some housework done. Bad idea. By Friday night I was almost immobile.

Last night was a bear. Moving around definitely seems to help, but only for limited times. Laying down is the worst, it just completely stiffens up. I've done this a couple of times in the past and it always got better on its own, but man this one's a doozy.

FWIW, I've had serious back issues since I flipped at car when I was 22. What works for me may not work for you, but here is what I've learned to do while mine's out:

~Sleep on my back, with my legs elevated. If I sleep on my side, make sure my legs stay bent and have something between my knees. Lying flat on your back with your legs straight actually strains your back, likewise on your side with your knees together.
~Walking is one of the best things you can do for your back. Many of the human body's self-repair mechanisms evolved in a species that walked all day, every day (humans are probably nature's top runners.) Our systems evolved to take advantage of that particular motion.
~At the same time, carrying anything, especially if it's something that pulls us in one direction (a box held in front, a jug of milk carried in one hand) is bad.
~Sitting is fine, but recline slightly and don't let yourself slump forward. And I know it's an annoying one, but keep your feet flat on the floor, and get rid of extra soft cushions on your chair (if your butt wiggles when you're sitting, your body thinks you're unstable and starts activating muscles to hold you steady, putting more strain on them.)
~Do not lean forward. Brushing your teeth? Flex your knees and put your elbows on the sink before you spit so your arms are holding your torso. Dropped something? Bend your legs and pick it up. Having half of your body weight hanging off of your injured muscles at a 90-degree angle is terrible for those muscles.
~Heat. Cold is good when the injury is fresh, but heat is your friend afterward. And yeah, 20 minutes at a time.


~Bonus: to avoid it happening again, I've learned that I need two exercises: figure 4 stretches and planks. Those two alone have done wonders for my back. The figure 4 stretches loosen your hip flexors (which go from your legs to your lower back), and the planks strengthen your core muscles, which help hold your spine where it needs to be the next time you twist the wrong way and it tries to go haywire.
~Added Bonus: Don't do crunches or situps. Neither is good for your back. Imagine a radio aerial, one of the big ones. It has four tension wires holding it in place, pulling it from four directions at once. Now, tighten two adjacent wires to the point that they're stretching and pulling at it, but loosen the other two. The entire thing is going to be off, and a wind could easily cause it to buckle. The antenna is your spine. Strengthening only your abs is tightening only the wires on one side. You have to balance it out by tightening the ones on the other side (strengthening your side and back muscles.) That's why planks are recommended so often - it hits all of those muscles, while the other just target a couple.

[Unagi]

Try this.


Use heat, then cool it with an ice/cool-pack. Repeat for 3 or 5 cycles.

[dbt1949]

When my back went out bad I used ice packs on it. Kept them until almost frostbite. Then I'd take if off for a few minutes and do it again. I couldn't do much but I was pain free.

[Daehawk]

I can remember being young and running like the wind. Yesterday it had rained and I went out to get the mail. I looked down at the front steps and said NOPE and went back in then out through the back door with no steps and got the mail. Chicken...cluck cluck.

[Blackhawk]

FWIW, ice reduces swelling. Heat increases bloodflow (and oxygen, and nutrients.) Cold can also help with pain, but the primary purpose (swelling) is generally moot after the first 24-48 hours, and if the muscles are overly tight or having spasms, the ice can actually make it worse.

Feel free to try alternating the two (ideally at a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio of cold/heat - 10 minutes of ice, 20 minutes of heat, repeat), but pay attention to your body and how each makes you feel.

[Kraken]

To oversimplify somewhat, cold is good for joint pain and inflammation; heat is better for muscle pain. And to echo Blackhawk, "walk it off" is an age-old adage for a reason. I never finish my 3-mile walk and wish I hadn't done that.