I'm waiting for my followup with my sleep doctor to talk about ways forward because I was honestly sleeping way better after the septum surgery and I'm starting to wonder if a large part of my apnea wasn't due to that
So it turned out that I had an infection, so I got antibiotics and codeine.
Now the codeine has given me suspected pancreatitis! Waiting to see the out of hours doc and making the most of the break in the pain.
At this point I think keeping my teeth would have been the easier option.
Edit: pain has worn off by the time I was seen, so doc assumed I was looking for more pain meds. Took me off my stronger ones and now I'm back on stuff that wouldn't cure a headache.
I apologize for how rambling and unfocused this is but it has been a rough few months and all this medical stuff keeps piling up. My father went for his routine checkup and prostate exam back before Thanksgiving and they found something. No big deal is basically, when pressed, how the oncologist feels about the severity. Which is fine and great and wonderful and a great reminder that routine checks are a life saver. Except that they ended up waiting almost four months to start treatment since he was also having knee surgery done and they wanted him healed and rehabbed first. And now, four weeks into a five week course of daily radiation, he finds out that he will be having another 4 weeks of treatment. So that worries me a fair fucking bit. Especially considering who is he and just how he will push his own 'I don't need medicine or care I'm a stoic bastard' act. This is the guy that hobbled into work two days after a partial knee replacement and did his normal eleven hour shift running a kitchen. I already know its started to effect him more than he has told anyone else, which of course means I have no idea if he has told me how bad it might actually be.
Oh, and at a nice family get-together with my Grandmother last night she announces she is going in for more testing and a possible biopsy on a mass they found in her brain. Never mind that the long history of dementia going to town on the female side of my mother's family is already hard at work and she is firmly into the denial and hiding phases of her memory lapses. Great thing to bring up while the whole family is having a celebration for my cousin's high school play. I can't imagine her last two shows were the best of times.
Or my Mom who has some sort of nerve problem and has been getting incapacitating pain through her back and legs. Still busting her ass at work and going in extra days to cover new medical costs. She's trying to manage with a TENS unit and heat therapy but some days its not nearly enough.
And finally my dog has systemic hormonal problems due to a brain tumor, is blind, and is losing so much muscle mass she physically can't manage stairs. So we also are putting her down in the next few days.
At least I have a new doctor and can start looking into getting my chronic migraines and sleep problems looked at now that my post-job (actually decent) insurance is finally figured. If nothing else the last few months have just made it even more obvious to me that taking care of your health is pretty much your most important job.
I'm trying to do everything I can to help them and keep everyone positive and looking to the future but it is starting to wear me down and I feel like I can't vent or let off steam within my family at all since there is just so much stuff happening and I certainly don't have it the worst out of them.
Obviously I don't know the specifics of your dads case but I don't think you need to be massively worried about your dad's treatment being extended. Generally a longer fractionation isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can be that the doctor thinks your dad is well enough for longer treatment, or his current treatment plan can get better coverage of his prostate with a higher dose, or a slightly higher dose with a slightly lower dose delivered per treatment.
Obviously without a look at his current plan I can't tell you much but the radiation therapists treating him should be able to give a pretty good idea of why it was extended.
See, that is the sort of thing that was likely explained to him in depth; but since it his body/his health he just flat-out won't talk about things like that with detail. I know it isn't necessarily a bad thing, and thank you for explaining why, but it's that kind of I don't know 'tertiary' stress that is driving me nuts. I have no idea if this is kosher but would his oncologist/'s office be willing or able to talk to me about the technical stuff? I imagine they probably wouldn't talk details of his treatment unless he gave them permission but I crave that level of understanding since it helps me make sense of things.
I know, I think I spend more time explaining treatments to families than patients because it's so hard to be looking in on this and not knowing! As for them answering questions, I'm really not sure. If they know you're involved with his care or have attended consultations with him they might. If you have any general questions feel free to PM me and I'll answer as well as I can.
Hmm....just had a visit with my doctor. Turns out this last round of surgery to remove scar tissue and the subsequent months of bandaging have aggravated the other side and caused it to flare up. That's just hilarious.
Anyways he's thinking we can do better than the Humira has been and is now going to go do battle with my insurance company to get me on Remicade. So I'm sure that'll be fun.
Now I'm trying to figure out how my insurance will treat it if it decides to cover it since it requires I go to an "infusion center" to have it administered.
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Ok, so they did the cleaning of the area. That went fine.
There was a golf-ball sized cavity near my bladder and kidney so uh, fuck you ER doctor who didn't take me seriously. Oh and there's a small hernia of my small intestines where one of my ostomies used to be so another big ol' fuck you to doctor jones, the asshole who thinks I fake shit for attention. They didn't address the hernia for fear of causing more problems, too minor to risk cutting it free and causing a worse problem. If I still have issues they will readdress.
So now they are packing the wound that was leaking with a big spong and using a medivac to drain all the blood out so it can heal, effectively making me a cyborg. And yes, this was one of the worst case scenarios. Because every two days someone comes over and causes what is tied for the most pain in my life for an extended period of time as they pull out the sponge (I have not made it through a full pulling, I have always had to stop -though moments before they were done yay- so I could recover and get to the point where I felt less pain. THEN they shove a Q-tip down to measure my progress then they use the q-tip to shove a new sponge in, vacuum seal everything and set up the wound-vac. Good news is: I healed a centimeter in a week!
I mean, I though this hole was half the size of a pen but turns out it stretches to about an inch in circumference. Apparently, it would sneakily stretch out in the night and skin bits, hair, cloth leavings, dust/dirt, bacteria, etc. would get sucked in and created a crud zone that kept it from healing. The surgeon went in and scraped all that out and now I have to endue 3-4 of some of the worst pain possible to get this better.
Oh, and I can't shower or take a bath except for right before a dressing change and the goddam box of pain.
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
Some of the things people in this thread go through leaves me in awe of what kinds of injuries and maladies the human body can endure. Goddamn vacuum-sealed cyborgs in here being human champions.
It seems like the veins in my left arm are getting harder and harder to draw blood from (and my right arm is unsuitable for normal blood draws because of the dialysis fistula), and it is kind of depressing me, similar kind of hopeless fuck-all-this feelings that I got the first time I had a catheter bag for a few days in the ward, it's weird how some specific things just hit me like that.
Today we had a complete failure to draw blood at the elbow (with dramatic hissing noise as air entered the needle or whatever), then a failure to keep the flow on the back of my hand, and finally a two nurse combo to successfully get some blood from a vein that is basically right on one knuckle.
It seems like the veins in my left arm are getting harder and harder to draw blood from (and my right arm is unsuitable for normal blood draws because of the dialysis fistula), and it is kind of depressing me, similar kind of hopeless fuck-all-this feelings that I got the first time I had a catheter bag for a few days in the ward, it's weird how some specific things just hit me like that.
Today we had a complete failure to draw blood at the elbow (with dramatic hissing noise as air entered the needle or whatever), then a failure to keep the flow on the back of my hand, and finally a two nurse combo to successfully get some blood from a vein that is basically right on one knuckle.
That sucks dude...I have a similar problem, but the relevant arms are reversed. Lucky for me most of my blood draws can be done when they're hooking me up to the dialysis machine.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I just got my referral to a urologist but am afraid to make an appointment.
I've never had my junk examined by a doctor before...
No matter what you might think about your junk, I guarantee that a urologist has seen one that is bigger/smaller/smellier/more mis-shapen/an even weirder colour/hairier/is more bendy...
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
If I were a urologist I would be strongly tempted to greet every new patient with
"(Gasp)...Dear Lord, what in the world is that?"
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
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Captain Marcusnow arrives the hour of actionRegistered Userregular
I'm not sure if you addressed this earlier in the thread, but why aren't they giving you anesthetic for this?
Captain Marcus on
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Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
So hopefully I will have my new surgery next week!
Yay! Unless the scheduling department fucks me up! Then super BOOOOURNS I don't have the meds to last that long PLUS I kinda NEED to have my cavity sewed shut. That was that entire point of us flying up there.
which is something I have never used despite being on it forever. They will take me kicking and screaming into the hands free digital book free paperless always online media revolution I tells ya! Then they will have to slap me so hard it knocks out a bluetooth, and I will realize that I had been them since day one
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
So I went in for a debridement followup and the doctor (not my normal doctor) put the wrong charge code
So now I am having to fight the practice because they believe the number she wrote down and not me telling them that I know that's not the operation she performed
If I don't win in out 500 bucks since this particular operation isn't covered
Just taking undergrad classes, I've seen a dick completely flattened because the cadaver spent a year face down in its tank, and horrifying images of a host of diseased wangs.
I'm sure med school has many times even more horrible stuff, so don't worry about the urologist. Penises have lost all meaning to them.
Apparently since I do have Sleep Apnea and require a CPAP, if there's ever a disaster apparently I qualify for a spot in the "emergency services" shelters as a result. I have to contact the state/county beforehand and get put on a list, but the fact that I can even do that is kind of... odd to me.
And yeah, not using the CPAP even once kind of resets my "tolerance" of it, so no accidentally falling asleep in the living room!
Apparently since I do have Sleep Apnea and require a CPAP, if there's ever a disaster apparently I qualify for a spot in the "emergency services" shelters as a result. I have to contact the state/county beforehand and get put on a list, but the fact that I can even do that is kind of... odd to me.
And yeah, not using the CPAP even once kind of resets my "tolerance" of it, so no accidentally falling asleep in the living room!
experience has informed me that once you've been on it long enough, that kinda reverses. at least for me, if I even don't use mine, I'll need it even more the next night.
no wait I see what you're saying I think. you stop being used to using it, kind of thing?
@Munkus Beaver I performed the same dressing changes for my mother when she developed a fistula after one of her bowel resections for Crohn's. I can't imagine what the pain feels like, but I can tell you that it's the most effective way of regrowing that tissue. It's going to be worth it.
Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks, brother.
I am in the business of saving lives.
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MetalbourneInside a cluster b personalityRegistered Userregular
Oh yeah, go ahead, the people with agonizing long term illnesses with the only chance of escape being death will make room for your boo boo.
Not sure if you're screwing with me.
Anyway. Was rushing downstairs to get to class last week. Fell and landed on caught myself on my arm. Picture taken about a week and a half after the fact
Posts
I'm waiting for my followup with my sleep doctor to talk about ways forward because I was honestly sleeping way better after the septum surgery and I'm starting to wonder if a large part of my apnea wasn't due to that
I think I need to see a urologist.
Now the codeine has given me suspected pancreatitis! Waiting to see the out of hours doc and making the most of the break in the pain.
At this point I think keeping my teeth would have been the easier option.
Edit: pain has worn off by the time I was seen, so doc assumed I was looking for more pain meds. Took me off my stronger ones and now I'm back on stuff that wouldn't cure a headache.
Oh, and at a nice family get-together with my Grandmother last night she announces she is going in for more testing and a possible biopsy on a mass they found in her brain. Never mind that the long history of dementia going to town on the female side of my mother's family is already hard at work and she is firmly into the denial and hiding phases of her memory lapses. Great thing to bring up while the whole family is having a celebration for my cousin's high school play. I can't imagine her last two shows were the best of times.
Or my Mom who has some sort of nerve problem and has been getting incapacitating pain through her back and legs. Still busting her ass at work and going in extra days to cover new medical costs. She's trying to manage with a TENS unit and heat therapy but some days its not nearly enough.
And finally my dog has systemic hormonal problems due to a brain tumor, is blind, and is losing so much muscle mass she physically can't manage stairs. So we also are putting her down in the next few days.
At least I have a new doctor and can start looking into getting my chronic migraines and sleep problems looked at now that my post-job (actually decent) insurance is finally figured. If nothing else the last few months have just made it even more obvious to me that taking care of your health is pretty much your most important job.
I'm trying to do everything I can to help them and keep everyone positive and looking to the future but it is starting to wear me down and I feel like I can't vent or let off steam within my family at all since there is just so much stuff happening and I certainly don't have it the worst out of them.
Obviously without a look at his current plan I can't tell you much but the radiation therapists treating him should be able to give a pretty good idea of why it was extended.
Anyways he's thinking we can do better than the Humira has been and is now going to go do battle with my insurance company to get me on Remicade. So I'm sure that'll be fun.
Now I'm trying to figure out how my insurance will treat it if it decides to cover it since it requires I go to an "infusion center" to have it administered.
There was a golf-ball sized cavity near my bladder and kidney so uh, fuck you ER doctor who didn't take me seriously. Oh and there's a small hernia of my small intestines where one of my ostomies used to be so another big ol' fuck you to doctor jones, the asshole who thinks I fake shit for attention. They didn't address the hernia for fear of causing more problems, too minor to risk cutting it free and causing a worse problem. If I still have issues they will readdress.
So now they are packing the wound that was leaking with a big spong and using a medivac to drain all the blood out so it can heal, effectively making me a cyborg. And yes, this was one of the worst case scenarios. Because every two days someone comes over and causes what is tied for the most pain in my life for an extended period of time as they pull out the sponge (I have not made it through a full pulling, I have always had to stop -though moments before they were done yay- so I could recover and get to the point where I felt less pain. THEN they shove a Q-tip down to measure my progress then they use the q-tip to shove a new sponge in, vacuum seal everything and set up the wound-vac. Good news is: I healed a centimeter in a week!
I mean, I though this hole was half the size of a pen but turns out it stretches to about an inch in circumference. Apparently, it would sneakily stretch out in the night and skin bits, hair, cloth leavings, dust/dirt, bacteria, etc. would get sucked in and created a crud zone that kept it from healing. The surgeon went in and scraped all that out and now I have to endue 3-4 of some of the worst pain possible to get this better.
Oh, and I can't shower or take a bath except for right before a dressing change and the goddam box of pain.
But it's also really awesome to hear that you're healing and this will hopefully be over soon
I will never take my good health for granted.
Today we had a complete failure to draw blood at the elbow (with dramatic hissing noise as air entered the needle or whatever), then a failure to keep the flow on the back of my hand, and finally a two nurse combo to successfully get some blood from a vein that is basically right on one knuckle.
I just spoke with the doctors office this morning about an infusion center and they seemed unconcerned by this.
So amazing Doctor office that makes insurance bend to your will, it seems you have a challenge before you.
That sucks dude...I have a similar problem, but the relevant arms are reversed. Lucky for me most of my blood draws can be done when they're hooking me up to the dialysis machine.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I've never had my junk examined by a doctor before...
No matter what you might think about your junk, I guarantee that a urologist has seen one that is bigger/smaller/smellier/more mis-shapen/an even weirder colour/hairier/is more bendy...
"(Gasp)...Dear Lord, what in the world is that?"
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I'm not sure if you addressed this earlier in the thread, but why aren't they giving you anesthetic for this?
Yay! Unless the scheduling department fucks me up! Then super BOOOOURNS I don't have the meds to last that long PLUS I kinda NEED to have my cavity sewed shut. That was that entire point of us flying up there.
Also I will be updating my status on my new surgery on my twitter page: https://twitter.com/MunkusBeaver
which is something I have never used despite being on it forever. They will take me kicking and screaming into the hands free digital book free paperless always online media revolution I tells ya! Then they will have to slap me so hard it knocks out a bluetooth, and I will realize that I had been them since day one
So now I am having to fight the practice because they believe the number she wrote down and not me telling them that I know that's not the operation she performed
If I don't win in out 500 bucks since this particular operation isn't covered
I'm sure med school has many times even more horrible stuff, so don't worry about the urologist. Penises have lost all meaning to them.
And yeah, not using the CPAP even once kind of resets my "tolerance" of it, so no accidentally falling asleep in the living room!
Oh yeah, go ahead, the people with agonizing long term illnesses with the only chance of escape being death will make room for your boo boo.
experience has informed me that once you've been on it long enough, that kinda reverses. at least for me, if I even don't use mine, I'll need it even more the next night.
no wait I see what you're saying I think. you stop being used to using it, kind of thing?
Yes.
Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks, brother.
Only if it's sexy
hmph
...continue
Anyway. Was rushing downstairs to get to class last week. Fell and caught myself on my arm. Picture taken about a week and a half after the fact
Reminds me of the mental image of a doctor twirling someone's balls like David Bowie in Labyrinth.
tease
(Yeah a little)
Nah.