We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

[Isgrimnur]

May it never fail when you absolutely need it. Use the handrails.

[Kraken]

End result the doctor said that I had probably slightly torn something on examination but by the end of the visit was calling it arthritis. I don't think of arthritis as something that comes on suddenly like that but it does seem to be the correct description of inflammation of a joint.

He offered to drain the knee and give a cortisone shot but also said it would be fine to ignore it if it wasn't limiting me. In the end I'm going with ignore it for now

Arthritis afflicted my hands seemingly overnight. Really, I think it was about a week from perfectly fine to almost crippled. The speed surprised me, too, because I've had arthritis slowly creeping into my knees and hips for years. I didn't know it could hit with a BAM.

A cortisone shot fixed me up good for a couple of months. When it started to limit my mobility again, I got a second shot, and this time it brought very little relief. The orthopedist said they can only apply cortisone to the same area three times before it starts have deleterious side effects, so I only get to do that one more time.

[Jeff V]

A few years ago I developed a painful trigger finger. My brother developed the same. We both got cortisone shots, mine seeming lasted only as long as I used the finger brace. My brother had similar luck, opting for the surgery. About 6 months of dealing with the renewed pain...it just went away.

My arthritis is generally controllable using Tylenol arthritis formula (basically 1300 mg acetaminophen twice a day). I haven't tried bowling in years though (last time was during the trigger finger period and it was excruciating). A few years ago, I was somewhat surprised to learn I could still manage to swing golf clubs, but haven't been on the course since BM (Before Marriage). I've been to Top Golf a bunch of times though.

To compliment my still-broken shoulder, the past few days my elbow has gotten in on the act. Likely tendonitis, but has quite painful moments, especially when teams up with the shoulder pain. Yesterday I gave a ride to a lady who had a broken ankle -- we shared stories, we just went to Walmart where they brought her groceries and loaded the car, when we got back to her house, I helped bring them to the door - she protested, but I said "I still have one good arm." I've found when you can commiserate with injured or medically challenged people, they tend to leave nice tips.

[Madmarcus]

I ended up walking 3 miles to the bus stop, around Center City, and home from the bus. No issues except that I find that I'm thinking about the knee. It seemed like a decent test after a long weekend of resting.

Next test is some walking on trails to see if uneven surfaces bother me.

[dbt1949]

Well, i got thrown in the hospital......again. This time from dehydration. Kidneys went wild etc. I survived and am feeling pretty good now. Why I don't drink enough I have no idea. By the time I left all the nurses were looking for a coral snake to give me.

[Daehawk]

Hospital near me has a new cardiac scanner to see plaque and stuff in the heart veins with 82% less radiation than other scanners.

New CT scanner at CHI Memorial considered a game changer

[LordMortis]

They let dad out until he is well enough for surgery maybe in two weeks. According to him, He's both on rest and needs exercise enough to be well enough for surgery. He says the bleed is now small but his brain is split so they need to cauterize the bleed and glue his brain back together. They wanted to take his skull cap off to do it and he refused so they're going to work through catheter. No more driving for him for now, thank goodness. He's not happy about that at all but he's acquiescing. Though I imagine if they have evidence that he is driving all hell would break loose. Their also sending people to his house for a safety check and may now become a thing. Getting old is a bitch.

He went back in and out and in again and then stayed until surgery. He's been let out. They got his bp under control, put is brain back together, stopped the bleed. He's at home convalescing for next 20 days, that is if he listens to the doctors at all. He sounds better and more with it than he has in months, so I'm taking that as a good sign.

[Daehawk]

Thats some scary shit there. The brain and that stuff that makes you ..you. I dont know how well Id handle that. But like everything, you make do with what you have and get on with it because you have to. Doesn't make it easier but its reassuring that others have been through this stuff and we have the tech to do it all.

Im glad your pops is on the mend . Heres to better days ahead.

[LordMortis]

TY

It's very hard trying to come to grips with time being cruel. I'm not sure if I can.

[Jeff V]

Apparently my CT scan is approved. My wife saw the letter, but can't actually find it.

Got mail from the insurance company today...they finally paid the ER doctors from the Valentines Day visit. It appears my total out-of-pocket is somewhere close to $1500, much better than the $22,500 the hospital billed me last month. They helpfully offered a payment plan that exceeded the amount of my Social Security check.

[Kraken]

Got a voicemail telling me that my 9/13 appointment with Dr. Jian has been rescheduled for 9/27. I can't remember who Dr. Jian is.

[Isgrimnur]

Ophthalmologist?

[Kraken]

Probably ophthalmologist. The eye hospital has at least a dozen doctors on staff practicing factory medicine, so there's no doctor-patient relationship, at least not for routine annual visits.

[dbt1949]

They took a catscan of my head.....said there was nothing there. What does that mean?

[Punisher]

They took a catscan of my head.....said there was nothing there. What does that mean?

It means you have a ton of room to store stuff there...you know, like a junk drawer.

[Daehawk]

No cat in yer head is a good thing I reckon.

As for ct scans I had ct and mri done. I really didn't think there was a difference until I got a real MRI done. No mistaking that scan for a cat scan. MRIs are loud and tight fitted. If you're claustrophobic they aint for you. I never understood why my wife, who was slightly claustrophobic, hated an MRI. Said it felt like being in a coffin. I was mistaking it for a CT scan. But the MRI didn't bother me...still wish they'd had a fan bowling into and through it...the air in there seems to get stale.

[Jeff V]

Ophthalmologist?

Proctologist.

[Jeff V]

No cat in yer head is a good thing I reckon.

As for ct scans I had ct and mri done. I really didn't think there was a difference until I got a real MRI done. No mistaking that scan for a cat scan. MRIs are loud and tight fitted. If you're claustrophobic they aint for you. I never understood why my wife, who was slightly claustrophobic, hated an MRI. Said it felt like being in a coffin. I was mistaking it for a CT scan. But the MRI didn't bother me...still wish they'd had a fan bowling into and through it...the air in there seems to get stale.

I've had a couple of MRIs in the past. It doesn't bother me. I'm not concerned about the CT scan because I would really like my shoulder to stop being so painful.

[Punisher]

Ophthalmologist?

Proctologist.

My doctor gets those mixed up all the time...or maybe he just likes what he sees.

[Isgrimnur]

Tunnel vision?

[$iljanus]

They took a catscan of my head.....said there was nothing there. What does that mean?

Congratulations! You are free of cats!

(Oh Daehawk said it first. Congratulations are still in order!)

[The Meal]

My optometrist IDed me as having "microcataracts" last May, and today I met with the surgeon. They spent about 90 minutes putting me through vision testing and eye measurements, and then we talked about options for the replacement lenses. My vision is extremely myopic (-10 and -11 diopters, IYKYK) so I'm on the verge of not having multi-plane focus replacement lens options (because they simply don't make them at that strength). Still we haven't completely ruled that out. Were I forced to go with single-plane focus lenses, then it'd be similar to my current situation, just the soft contacts I generally wear during the day would be functionally embedded in my eyes, and I'd still have to wear cheaters to do up close work.

It's a remarkable health condition for someone to have developed at age 51. I'm a bit of an anomaly. I heard three separate technicians and doctors remark on how "long" my eyes are (all I could think of was the video I watched about jumping spiders, IYKYKpt2). My corneas are too thinned for wave shaping options (LASIK, PRK, etc.), so I've been at the mercy of external lenses (and I've recently degenerated past 20/20 options with soft contact lenses, again, because they don't make them for the rare case of folks with that much deterioration). Getting embedded lenses was my only alternative and at $10,000+ per eye, not really one I'd seriously consider. That is, until I shifted into the category of medically necessary. Still going to have a decent out of pocket cost, but it's not in the $25,000 range.

Thank you cataracts. Surgeries to be separated by two weeks, with the first as soon as the end of October.

[Isgrimnur]

Congratudolences.

[TheMix]

Congratudolences.

Very much this. Hopefully things will be much better, visually, afterwards, but that does not sound like much fun.

[LordMortis]

Congratudolences.

This. I'm debating a long overdue follow up to the opthamologist but I hate to open another can of worms. I have too many worms already.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I'm debating a long overdue follow up to the opthamologist but I hate to open another can of worms. I have too many worms already.

[disarm]

I spend a fair amount of my time providing anesthesia for opthalmologic surgery (mostly cataracts). In the right hands, it only takes about 15 minutes, you have an itchy eye for a couple days, eye drops for a couple weeks, and see better almost immediately. I can assure you it's a very quick, easy surgery and one of the simplest procedures you can undergo that will be a huge improvement in your life.

[The Meal]

Thanks, disarm. I know this surgery is considered “the best” in terms of medical outcomes and quality of life in terms of the spectrum of surgeries folks have.

I happen to have a physical job, so I’ll have a period of convalescence as the sheaths that hold the new lenses in place form their bonds (taking up to a week). Fortunately I get a generous time-off-for-medical-leave allowance at work, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

[disarm]

They do have some interesting activity restrictions for the first week or so...no heavy lifting, straining, or bending over with your head below your waist are big ones because they can increase the pressure in your eye while it's healing. Thankfully, eyes heal very quickly, so you're not limited for long.

[dbt1949]

I was scared to death of getting cataract surgery. Finally the VA talked me into it. Since I still will have to wear glasses I got to choose my vision level. I was in the operating room less than half and hour and was never in pain or uncomfortable. You have to be awake.
They do one eye at a time.Wait a week and do the other.
Every thing went perfectly.

[Daehawk]

Since I still will have to wear glasses I got to choose my vision level

Did you opt for the telescopic lens so you can zoom in on your nekkid neighbors like the 6 million dollar man? or did you go for the built in night vision? Driving without headlights seems interesting.

[Punisher]

Since I still will have to wear glasses I got to choose my vision level

Did you opt for the telescopic lens so you can zoom in on your nekkid neighbors like the 6 million dollar man? or did you go for the built in night vision? Driving without headlights seems interesting.

You can always go for a Sharigan...

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFJ3Jvmx/

[LordMortis]

Why stop there? Go all the way for Rinnegan.

[Kraken]

I was a little disappointed when my eye doc said I’m not a candidate for cataract surgery yet. We know I’ll get there eventually…so why not now?

[LordMortis]

I'm actually thinking of paying $28 a year to join the local municipality senior friendship center so I can get access to their fitness room and work on strength training with something more than my bands barbells. Especially so I can work on leg strength. If I do it, it will be a big jump for me. COVID not only sent my in to isolation, but made me running from places where people are indoor together for a long time, and heaven forbid, breathing heavily. This was only reinforced by my getting latent TB while still largely in isolation, making the only likely place I contracted it being at Physical Therapy, wherein I was the only masked participant. I want to the health benefits but none of the risks.

[gbasden]

I spend a fair amount of my time providing anesthesia for opthalmologic surgery (mostly cataracts). In the right hands, it only takes about 15 minutes, you have an itchy eye for a couple days, eye drops for a couple weeks, and see better almost immediately. I can assure you it's a very quick, easy surgery and one of the simplest procedures you can undergo that will be a huge improvement in your life.

Please tell me that you put people under for surgery like that? Someone cutting into my eye is one of my absolute nightmares and I don't know if I could do it wide awake.

[Unagi]

It's entirely painless and you can't actually see what the Dr. is doing.

(I've not had it done, but my father was an opthalmologist)

[WYBaugh]

I spend a fair amount of my time providing anesthesia for opthalmologic surgery (mostly cataracts). In the right hands, it only takes about 15 minutes, you have an itchy eye for a couple days, eye drops for a couple weeks, and see better almost immediately. I can assure you it's a very quick, easy surgery and one of the simplest procedures you can undergo that will be a huge improvement in your life.

Please tell me that you put people under for surgery like that? Someone cutting into my eye is one of my absolute nightmares and I don't know if I could do it wide awake.

I've had both eyes done and you are awake but they give you versed or similar to totally relax you. They do an extremely small incision and you don't feel anything. You'll see a bright light with a bunch of colors swirling around but as Unagi said, it's about 15 minutes and really is nothing.

Main concern is an infection after the surgery so make sure you stay on the drops.

[Holman]

Back in 2022 and earlier I was posting about the limp and pain I had developed from a stressed IT band in my right leg. Those problems have persisted for a long time, including during and after physical therapy. My right leg became weaker than the left because I was unconsciously letting the left do all the work, and I got to the point where co-workers would see me limping along and ask if I had been injured.

But, man, this Spring and Summer I finally found the solution. I started bicycling to and from work as many days as I could, weather permitting, and it has made *all* the difference.

My ride is a 13-mile round trip, and almost all of it is on a dedicated paved bike trail along the Schuylkill River (meaning that I don't have to worry about cars, just joggers). If I bike four days a week, that's a little over 50 good miles, and my legs have become much stronger.

Strengthening the muscles above and below the knee now means that sometimes I don't limp at all. It now takes a very humid day or a few hours of sitting for the limp to be apparent.

[jztemple2]

I was a little disappointed when my eye doc said I’m not a candidate for cataract surgery yet. We know I’ll get there eventually…so why not now?

About ten years ago my eye doc during my examination noted that I had Stage III cataracts. I was rather shocked as I never heard any mention of Stages I or II even though I have regular checkups. I asked about when I might need surgery, he told me it was when I reached Stage IV and when I asked when that would be, he said I would know

I also asked about what I could do to keep my eyes from getting worse. Oh, good UV sunglasses he says. Well, dammit, no one had mentioned that to me before, I'd been rather causal about sunglasses. So armed with a UV flashlight and a twenty dollar bill we went to the local Marshals and picked out a half dozen pair. I had one pair now in the garage when I go out that way, one at the back door, ditto, and two in each van, one primary and one backup. I became fanatical about wearing sunglasses whenever I went outdoors, even to check the mail.

So it's now ten years later and my new eye doc (old one retired) says I'm still at Stage III. I'm just wondering how long I can stay there