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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 2:22 pm
by Daehawk
dbt1949 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 2:10 pm
Many moons ago when I used to race bicycles I twisted one of my testicles. Hurt like hell for awhile but the pain has subsided since then but that testicle is very sensitive to the touch and positioning in my pants.
No cure but to remove it.
I wonder if ya then get phantom testicle pain?
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:17 pm
by Sudy
I've noticed I've gotten some light liver spots around my right eye. I'm 38. I read it's unusual to develop them this early. I don't get much sun outside. However this side of my face has been toward the window at my desk at home for the past several years. I read that windows only block one type of UV rays... at least presumably these old ones do. I remember that story about the truck driver who was massively more aged on the left side of his face from driving all those years. Should I be wearing sunscreen indoors?
The window has a southern exposure and doesn't receive direct rays for most of the day. Usually it's during the morning, but I'm not often at my desk during that part of the day. For about the last two years I've had translucent curtains that probably block half of the light.
I know liver spots are a natural part of aging, and I don't mind their appearance. But I guess I'm just a bit freaked out that I'm seeing signs of aging so soon.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:42 pm
by dbt1949
They're not turning into sores are they? In my case they were.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:39 pm
by Sudy
No, I don't think so. Very light in colour and not really raised. Looks like what's on my Dad's face only fewer lol.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:25 pm
by dbt1949
Glad to hear it. You are probably right.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 9:10 pm
by Jeff V
Sudy wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:17 pm
I know liver spots are a natural part of aging, and I don't mind their appearance. But I guess I'm just a bit freaked out that I'm seeing signs of aging so soon.
I'm not quite twice your age and I still have none of those...
And I get lots of sun.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 12:13 pm
by ImLawBoy
My wife had her inaugural colonoscopy last week, and . . . now she has cancer.
CT on Tuesday and meet with surgery on Wednesday. I'm cautiously optimistic that this will be no worse than mine - they had to biopsy her "large polyp" to make a determination, whereas everyone knew that my "mass" was cancerous before the biopsy was done. Doc said it seemed pretty contained, but that's part of what the CT is for. She does not handle this stuff (particularly the unknown nature of things) as well as I do. I compartmentalize, but she can't do that and has a tendency to expect the worst. At least it's not just empty words when I tell her I have some understanding of what she's going through.
At this point the kids are going to need to have colonoscopies for their 18th birthdays.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 12:19 pm
by Isgrimnur
Damn, that sucks. I guess you can hand-me-down the butt doughnuts. I hope everything comes out all right.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:02 pm
by Kraken
Well, that is why we endure colonoscopies. Don't put yours off, kids.
Hope your wife will be fine.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:05 pm
by Jaymann
Ouch, what a pain in the...
Hope all turns out well.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:21 pm
by dbt1949
I'm so sorry to hear that. May she get the best possible outcome.
![Pray :pray:](./images/smilies/eusa/pray.gif)
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 3:03 pm
by Zarathud
Very sorry for the bad news. Hopefully your experience will help her outlook, but everyone deals with the stress differently. Best wishes for the best outcome after a routine treatment.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 4:24 pm
by Skinypupy
Damn, sorry to hear that ILB.
I just got a call this morning that my next step in the mystery groin pain conundrum will be a coloscopy. Certainly hoping for a different result.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon/sad.gif)
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 4:39 pm
by Daehawk
Best to your wife Law. I was supposed to have one at 30 but Im 53 and still haven't. Colon cancer ran on my moms side. Mom had it and had a few operations. It wasn't what got her..cigs did that.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 8:11 pm
by LordMortis
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon/sad.gif)
May they have caught it early and everything go smoothly.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 10:36 am
by jztemple2
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 06, 2023 12:13 pm
My wife had her inaugural colonoscopy last week, and . . . now she has cancer.
Very sorry to hear that, I hope things turn out OK for her.
The news did have one good effect, it motivated me to use the Cologuard test I've had sitting on my shelf for a while. I'm sending in the results today. I've been a bit dubious about it since it has about a one in eight chance of a false positive, but your post reminded me that it's better to try then to not try.
And I did have my second PSA test since my prostate cancer and again it is at the bottom of the scale, so no re-occurrence. I have to do it twice more this year but fingers crossed my cancer will be gone.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 6:36 pm
by TheMix
Oof. I'll add my wishes for best outcome.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:35 pm
by ImLawBoy
Good news is that the CT scan showed no spread. She's doing some genetic testing because she's under 50 (she's 49 - I was 50 when I was diagnosed, so I apparently skipped that step because it's "normal" for someone at my advanced age), but the key is that she's going to have surgery on 3/6. This is all trending in the direction that the end results will be the same as mine, which is good (he says ominously before his follow-up with his oncologist on Monday).
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 5:59 pm
by Daehawk
My head has felt under pressure lately. Feels like my bp is high or my brain is too big lol. Sometimes its almost a headache but not. Doesn't matter if my bp is high like 155/95 or low like 106/65. My head still feels pressure. Its not sinus either. I think its coming from my neck as its been tense and popping a lot and strangely lately. But I take what I can as over the counter stuff like ibuprofen and Tylenol and more. The ibu is actually prescription str 800mg .
Bit concerning but otherwise meh. Can come and go and can last weeks.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 7:19 pm
by Isgrimnur
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:35 pm
he says ominously before his follow-up with his oncologist on Monday
How was it?
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:36 am
by ImLawBoy
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 7:19 pm
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:35 pm
he says ominously before his follow-up with his oncologist on Monday
How was it?
All good. Confirmed that the scans were still clear and bloodwork looked good. Suggested I go from 1000 IUs of Vitamin D3 per day to 2000. I'll do a colonoscopy in May at some point (they're supposed to call me to schedule).
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:36 pm
by Daehawk
My BP was 155/85 when I got up. I took my meds last night at bedtime and my bp was almost perfect when I took them at 122/82. I spoke with the doc office the other day and they've called me in my old Lisinopril to add back into my medicine rotation. But I wont be able to pick it up until March 3rd when my check arrives. Then Ill see how my BP goes. Maybe it will settle down. I really am tired of trying meds like a lab rat. Modern medicine is so unmodern.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 3:02 pm
by Isgrimnur
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 3:17 pm
by Smoove_B
Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:36 pm
I took my meds last night at bedtime
When is it suggested you take your meds (on the bottle or by your doctor)? First thing in the morning after eating? After dinner? Are you taking them at the same time every day or does your bedtime (and wake time) change frequently?
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:35 pm
by Daehawk
Doc and bottle. But it says 2 times a day on some. I just take them at bedtime because its close to a ful l12 hours from when I took them in the morning. I get up anywhere from 11am - 1pm. So I take the 2nd does around 9 - 10pm. I go to bed around midnight.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:58 pm
by Blackhawk
Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:36 pm
I spoke with the doc office the other day and they've called me in my old Lisinopril to add back into my medicine rotation.
Great choice. Keep it up!
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 5:03 pm
by Blackhawk
So, I've been having fun lately.
I've been having issues with mental fatigue for a few years. That's the state wherein you spend a great deal of time under a heavy cognitive load until you've used up all of your brain's reserves and it starts to shut down. The brain is like any other part of your body - overwork your biceps and they reach a point where it's a strain to lift your arm. Think of studying for a math test, or working on a complex bit of code for hours on end until you reach a point at which you just can't think clearly anymore. You can't remember what you're doing, you get your terminology mixed up, and suddenly even simple tasks (like ordering dinner) require a lot of mental effort.
I first noticed it with tabletop RPGs. I would routinely GM (run) them for 8-12 hours at a time. Then, about four or five years ago, I noticed that I started to shut down after four or five hours. I'd say the wrong things, I'd forget rules, I'd make mistakes. After another year it was down to just two or three hours (where it seems to have stayed.) I also found that I was having a lot of trouble sticking with things. I brought it up here
at the time. It was a big motivator in getting me exercising (I dropped 50 pounds and was hitting several times the minimum activity levels every week), eating right, and led to me getting on a medication for ADHD (which I'm now questioning. It may still be the right medicine, but I'm not sure it's the right diagnosis, as the symptoms may be related to this instead.) It all barely helped. Lately I still run out after the same number of hours, but when it sets in, it sets in
hard. A few weeks ago, after several matches of a particularly fiddly board game (Sentinels), I hit a point at which I could barely even speak. Every sentence would have the wrong words, or I'd forget what a word was (
"Go into the bedroom and grab the box" became
"Go into the car and grab the... uh... you know.") And I've been a lot more absent minded than usual lately (I've always had the autistic absent mindedness that comes more from focused thought.)
So I finally realized that it wasn't just me being out of shape or getting older, and went to see my doctor about it. Disclaimer: No, it's not cancer.
But it's cancer related. Probably.
As some of you may recall, I had a fun bout with cancer in 2014. After months of chemo (cisplatin) and radiation, I decided to do the surviving thing, and have since been told that I have a better chance of developing a new cancer than of the old one coming back. I did get a few nice side effects, though - reduced salivary flow, a big chunk removed from the back of my tongue, permanent partial paralysis of my left shoulder (my trapezius is kaput), my teeth falling apart due to the radiation, etc.
It seems that this may be another side effect, this time of the chemo drug. Some people get 'chemo brain' during treatment, only to have it fade afterwards. Others don't get it for years. If it doesn't fade, it's generally permanent and untreatable. It's actually pretty common - there are tons of studies on the neurotoxicity of cisplatin, showing that it can cause attention problems, interfere with neurogenesis, and all sorts of other fun things. It may or may not be progressive (the public-oriented discussions are too basic and PR-heavy, while the scholarly articles go further into neurology than I can follow), but the impression that I get is "Sometimes."
None of that has been confirmed yet, but it's the working hypothesis, and it seems likely. I'm having the usual battery of tests to make sure that it isn't something else that requires intervention, or something else that's more treatable (fingers crossed on the long shot!)
Still, I have no regrets. Being a little more absent minded as I'm hitting 50 is a lot better than being dead at 41.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:39 am
by Daehawk
Ear hair. Where'd that come from? When you get old you suddenly sprout it. Is there some dirt or bug that only likes old person ears so you form a defense at a certain age?
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 1:46 am
by ImLawBoy
Wife had surgery on Monday. Things seem to have been successful, and she's supposed to be released tomorrow morning. We'll know more when they get the results of the lymph node analysis in a couple of weeks.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 12:44 pm
by dbt1949
Good Luck! May your results come soon.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:34 am
by Kraken
Oh FFS, I just reached for my eye drops and grabbed the nasal spray. The good news is that nasal spray does not dissolve one's eyeballs; a quick cold-water rinse and some real eye drops made it all better. The better news is that I can now breathe through my eyes. Needing both nasal spray and eye drops within reaching distance strikes me as an old man thing.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:49 am
by Jeff V
Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:34 am
Oh FFS, I just reached for my eye drops and grabbed the nasal spray. The good news is that nasal spray does not dissolve one's eyeballs; a quick cold-water rinse and some real eye drops made it all better. The better news is that I can now breathe through my eyes. Needing both nasal spray and eye drops within reaching distance strikes me as an old man thing.
Ah, that brings back memories. I was in college, working for a chemical company. I was in the midst of turning a 55 gallon drum of 100% acetic acid into 12 oz portions when the hose slipped out of my hand (acid is slippery) and the resulting spray hit me in the face and drenched my jeans. I was wearing goggles and a lab coat which did not go below the waist. We had an eye wash station for just such an incident, and I availed myself of that while my boss was pulling off my acid-soaked lab coat.
The acid to the face didn't make me any prettier, but not much damage there. My thighs, however, developed massive blisters. Was that ever fun...my nympho girlfriend at the time took no pity on me. Acetic acid is essentially vinegar, but the stuff you buy at the store is less than 10% concentration. It's considered a weak acid. I got sulphuric acid on my jeans once and it turned them into strings. We had a nitric acid spill once, and had to treat it as a haz-mat situation since combustion was a possibility.
It was a fun place to work!
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 3:10 am
by Kraken
Jeff V wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:49 am
Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:34 am
Oh FFS, I just reached for my eye drops and grabbed the nasal spray. The good news is that nasal spray does not dissolve one's eyeballs; a quick cold-water rinse and some real eye drops made it all better. The better news is that I can now breathe through my eyes. Needing both nasal spray and eye drops within reaching distance strikes me as an old man thing.
Ah, that brings back memories. I was in college, working for a chemical company. I was in the midst of turning a 55 gallon drum of 100% acetic acid into 12 oz portions when the hose slipped out of my hand (acid is slippery) and the resulting spray hit me in the face and drenched my jeans. I was wearing goggles and a lab coat which did not go below the waist. We had an eye wash station for just such an incident, and I availed myself of that while my boss was pulling off my acid-soaked lab coat.
The acid to the face didn't make me any prettier, but not much damage there. My thighs, however, developed massive blisters. Was that ever fun...my nympho girlfriend at the time took no pity on me. Acetic acid is essentially vinegar, but the stuff you buy at the store is less than 10% concentration. It's considered a weak acid. I got sulphuric acid on my jeans once and it turned them into strings. We had a nitric acid spill once, and had to treat it as a haz-mat situation since combustion was a possibility.
It was a fun place to work!
Heh, when I was a janitor at a peanut factory mopping oily floors was my mission on Saturday mornings. The drain where the oil got dumped backed up, so we poured about a pound of caustic soda down that sucker. After much bubbling and fuming the clog was still there, so I reamed it with the wire brush...which snapped off in the drain. Being 16 years old and sure that this was all my fault (because smoking marijuana was how we started Saturday mornings), I plunged my arm into the drain to retrieve the brush head and boiled a fair amount of flesh from my forearm. I was sure I'd lose my job when we had to call in a plumber. Mercifully, my boss just called me a dumbass and let it slide.
Nowadays one would sue them for a new arm.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 10:00 am
by Unagi
Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 3:10 am
Nowadays one would sue them for a new arm.
and a leg.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 10:55 pm
by Jeff V
Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 3:10 am
(because smoking marijuana was how we started Saturday mornings),
My friend and I would go to $2 margarita night at ChiChi's on Friday. Saturday morning, the owner of the company would take everyone out for breakfast. We'd typically show up late, after food has been ordered. Sometimes we went there straight from partying all night, and embolden by liquid courage, actually order something besides the $1.99 special everyone was expected to order, getting nasty glares from the owner.
Then we'd get to the shop, where we cheerfully read labels on the drums we were pouring off. A favorite was carbon tetrachloride, "Warning, fumes could cause dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, or death." In the summer, it was about 110 degrees in the shop. I figured what didn't kill us made us invincible, but then I remember our friend Don (who'd attended Octocon in the past) died of cancer 5 years ago...he worked there before I did.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 11:37 pm
by Daehawk
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:14 pm
by ImLawBoy
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 1:46 am
Wife had surgery on Monday. Things seem to have been successful, and she's supposed to be released tomorrow morning. We'll know more when they get the results of the lymph node analysis in a couple of weeks.
Didn't take a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, 3 of the 28 nodes they removed showed cancer so they're pegging her at Stage 3. She'll start with additional treatments (unclear as of now whether that's chemo, radiation, or both) 4-6 weeks post surgery to give the body time to heal from the surgery. She's been set up with oncology, so we'll hopefully know more details when that's done.
She's not taking this well. I tend to have a "everything will work out fine" attitude while she's more likely to go to the worst case scenario. That often equals a nice balance when we're dealing with family issues, but it's harder here. I'm still hopeful what with survival rates for this type of cancer even at Stage 3, but she's confronting her own mortality hard right now.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:25 pm
by LordMortis
I wouldn't take it well either. My best to her and your family. Get through it well and strong.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:40 pm
by Blackhawk
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:14 pm
I'm still hopeful what with survival rates for this type of cancer even at Stage 3, but she's confronting her own mortality hard right now.
Even more hopeful is that the survival rates are always wrong. They are, by their very nature, outdated, as cancer treatments evolve
quickly. Five year survival rates (the most used statistic) are five years out of date the day they're released. And the rates you see today were probably released several years ago. That means that the rates today might be for people who had cancer 7-10 years ago, and were undergoing the treatments available 7-10 years ago. The current rates are pretty much always higher, sometimes significantly so. And many reported cancer survival rates are calculated based on death from all causes, which is another boost to the numbers.
Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:43 pm
by LawBeefaroni
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:14 pm
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 1:46 am
Wife had surgery on Monday. Things seem to have been successful, and she's supposed to be released tomorrow morning. We'll know more when they get the results of the lymph node analysis in a couple of weeks.
Didn't take a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, 3 of the 28 nodes they removed showed cancer so they're pegging her at Stage 3. She'll start with additional treatments (unclear as of now whether that's chemo, radiation, or both) 4-6 weeks post surgery to give the body time to heal from the surgery. She's been set up with oncology, so we'll hopefully know more details when that's done.
She's not taking this well. I tend to have a "everything will work out fine" attitude while she's more likely to go to the worst case scenario. That often equals a nice balance when we're dealing with family issues, but it's harder here. I'm still hopeful what with survival rates for this type of cancer even at Stage 3, but she's confronting her own mortality hard right now.
Oof, sorry to hear it.
I think your attitude is perfectly complimentary and probably the support she needs. Stay strong, stay positive.