We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

[Isgrimnur]

I've had 3 Colonoscopies in the past year and a half.

Might I recommend a different hobby?

[Default]

Four and he gets a free dinner at Golden Corral.

[Scraper]

I've had 3 Colonoscopies in the past year and a half.

Might I recommend a different hobby?

Believe me it wasn't by choice. But on the bright side none of the 8 polyps that they removed were cancerous.

[Lassr]

at least my last one he said no polyps and I can wait 5 years instead of 3 before my next one...

[Scraper]

On a side not I can't believe I misspelled polyp as bad as I did on my last post prior to editing it. If you didn't see it too bad, it's erased forever.

[Isgrimnur]

I've had 3 Colonoscopies in the past year and a half.

Might I recommend a different hobby?

Believe me it wasn't by choice. But on the bright side none of the 8 polyps that they removed were cancerous.

Excellent news. Might I recommend a different hobby for your colon?

[Daehawk]

I was sitting here at the PC when my head felt light headed and cold. Nerve cold more than touch cold. And the same cold was all down my back. I went to take my blood pressure and kinda stumbled in there. It read 64/42...really low for some reason. Ive had blood pressure spike but a low pressure spike is new. I ate some salt and made me a sandwich and salted it . I fed my little dog. He has been having trouble with his right hip lately poor little guy. He turns 17 in March.

Anyways walked back through the house and took bp again and its up to 92/65 so better. I was planning to stay up all night but now Im thinking to see if I can get to sleep and just sleep the night away. Maybe feel better tomorrow. Feel tired and my neck and back are kinda stiff.

[LordMortis]

I am still getting first time invoices for non payment by AAA for my accident from March of 2023. The idea that anyone can deal with this without an attorney is just crazy. The stress they put you through just to do what you pay them enormous amounts of money for, Oi.

On the bright side, my health insurance did cover a 6 month COVID booster because of my situation, so I'm dealing with this with a massive COVID booster hangover this morning. By far the least massive hangover of all of the shots I've had (8 now? 9? 10? They stopped doing cards, so I have no idea anymore.)

[hepcat]

Prostatitis. What a bitch.

I'm in some limbo where my PSA is High (~4.8), but not cancerous...which is good. It went up a bit this year, so they ordered a test that helps avoid biopsies. I had one previously, and they're not much fun. Anyway, the cut-off score for cancer-risk being low is 15.6...I'm at 16.3...right over the line. This doesn't mean I have cancer...just the risk for me is higher. The scale goes up to 100, so my doctor was happy with it and didn't do the biopsy.

The problem is like everything seems to irritate it. They normally give you antibiotics, but the only ones that really get into the prostate are fluoroquinolones...which also suck in their own way.

Anyone on here ever have this to be a regular occurrence? If so, what did they do to you?

Nope, never did the intermediate steps. By the time some doctor thought I ought to get a PSA, it was over six .

Did you get the biopsy where they took a bunch of samples from all over the prostate? Wasn't that fun?

My PSA jumped to 5.36 in my labs for my annual check up. The doctor wants me to retest in 4 to 6 weeks as I do have a history of an enlarged prostate (normally, my PSA hovers around 2 to 3). If it’s still high then, he wants me to see a urologist. But man, I’m kind of freakin’ out now, obsessing over prostate cancer.

[Kraken]

I unknowingly moved from one of the best healthcare areas in America (greater Boston) to a healthcare desert.

My eyesight is failing and I need new glasses at the very least, and probably cataract surgery, so I filled out the Request for Consultation form on the local ophthalmology (I am never going to learn to spell that word) practice's website. They rang me up today, 10 days later, and said they're currently booking consults for next February. I told them it's an emergency because I'm going blind here faster than I'd like, and they said that if my records confirm that they will squeeze me in this year. I already shouldn't drive at night (thank you, DST, for keeping me mobile).

Berkshire County has 125,000 people and only ~80 PCPs, half of whom are over 55 and intend to retire in the next 10 years. Successors are not waiting in the wings. Our insurance doesn't require me to see a PCP before a specialist, but specialists are in even shorter supply. Turns out there's a lot more money to be made in Greater Boston.

Being old, I kinda need to get checked out every year or so and I'm due for my annual in May. LOL. If I can even find a PCP who's taking new patients, the expected wait time for routine care is 12 months. Having private insurance ought to help; Medicare patients go to the back of the line.

The closest vet is an hour away and has a similar wait list. I haven't even started that process yet. If a cat gets sick he's shit out of luck.

I knew that medical services here would not be what I'm used to, but I wasn't expecting this.

[LordMortis]

Being old, I kinda need to get checked out every year

Being on the verge of old, my PCP(s) have wanted to see me twice a year for decade or more and want to refer me to 3 or 4 specialists every year of which I see about 1.5 and need to switch the 1 to a different 1 because we're butting heads and I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking I'm more of a cash infusion to their practice than I am a patient. Such a pain.

[jztemple2]

But man, I’m kind of freakin’ out now, obsessing over prostate cancer.

I obsessed over it too, but then I'm the type that obsesses over everything

My BIL got radiation inserts put into his prostate and he says it worked for him. I went the robotic radical prostatectomy route myself and now more than two years on I'm cancer free and happy with the results. I guess the biggest thing to keep in mind is that prostate cancer is very slow to develop so you have some time to get results and make decisions.

If you do decide to get the radical, I can recommend the clinic I went to here in Florida, the Global Robotics Institute at Advent Health Celebration, Dr Vipul Patel.

[Kraken]

Being old, I kinda need to get checked out every year

Being on the verge of old, my PCP(s) have wanted to see me twice a year for decade or more and want to refer me to 3 or 4 specialists every year of which I see about 1.5 and need to switch the 1 to a different 1 because we're butting heads and I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking I'm more of a cash infusion to their practice than I am a patient. Such a pain.

You have a lot of medical history. My overall health has always been nominal, and my yearly physicals are mostly about tweaking metrics. Those metrics are frozen in 2024. I wish my body were frozen there, too, because 2024 was another nominal year, but the metrics change as the calendar calends.

I care more about quality than quantity, and my quality of life right now is as good as it's ever been. If living the life of Riley in a place I love shaves a year or three off my life, that's a fair trade. The endgame is going to suck anyway.

[dbt1949]

You know, bed sores don't seem as funny now as they used to be. And showing nurses your nether regions is not fun either.

[hepcat]

Do we have to come out there and get you out of bed for a day of making fun of young whippersnappers? Because us old folks are always up for that.

[hepcat]

But man, I’m kind of freakin’ out now, obsessing over prostate cancer.

I obsessed over it too, but then I'm the type that obsesses over everything

My BIL got radiation inserts put into his prostate and he says it worked for him. I went the robotic radical prostatectomy route myself and now more than two years on I'm cancer free and happy with the results. I guess the biggest thing to keep in mind is that prostate cancer is very slow to develop so you have some time to get results and make decisions.

If you do decide to get the radical, I can recommend the clinic I went to here in Florida, the Global Robotics Institute at Advent Health Celebration, Dr Vipul Patel.

Thanks for the reply. I'm feeling a bit less fatalistic today after messaging my doctor. His take is that there are numerous other reasons for that bump and that I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. He'll do another round of tests in a month and include some others that may help to determine why it went up. If he doesn't have an answer, I'll head to a urologist and they'll pick it up from there. I have a friend from back in Ohio that I gre up with that I didn't realize had had Prostate Cancer. He ended up having his prostate removed as well and said that beyond a few small changes to his life, it's pretty inconsequential in his view. So even IF things don't go the way I hope they do, it sounds like there's a lot of hope for a good outcome.

[Jeff V]

My eyesight is failing and I need new glasses at the very least, and probably cataract surgery, so I filled out the Request for Consultation form on the local ophthalmology (I am never going to learn to spell that word) practice's website. They rang me up today, 10 days later, and said they're currently booking consults for next February. I told them it's an emergency because I'm going blind here faster than I'd like, and they said that if my records confirm that they will squeeze me in this year. I already shouldn't drive at night (thank you, DST, for keeping me mobile).

A year out? I'd look into some medical tourism -- find a place you'd like to visit and seek an appointment there.

My doctor has been bugging me to get an eye exam. About 2 years ago, my left eye become...cloudy. Very apparent if I close my right eye (which was diagnosed with corneal aneurisms), an eye exam at the place my son gets his glasses from showed no problems, although there clearly is. Now if I close my right eye, what I see is completely clouded. You know how you feel waking up early after a long night drinking and your eyes are kind of fuzzy and you just want to go back to sleep? That's me, all of the time.

I talked to my son's eye doc yesterday and she gave me a referral to some local specialists. When I was seeing the retina specialist, he mentioned laser surgery as an option for the corneal aneurisms, but added it could cause more harm than good, including adding blind spots.

[hepcat]

Made an appointment with a urologist and of course it's going to be a full month before he can see me. I also joined a facebook group for prostate cancer/prostate issues. Other than the one guy who keeps posting links to holistic medicine that he's obviously financially involved with, the folks have been helpful in talking me down off a limb. Be patient and don't jump to conclusions. A slightly elevated PSA just means there's a chance of prostate cancer. The majority of people who get similar readings (70 to 75 percent) don't actually have it. And false positives from infections, medications, etc. happen all the time.

I also found out that a friend of mine that I grew up with had stage 3 prostate cancer. He ended up having his prostate surgically removed as well. He seems to be fine now. He said the entire ordeal was about 6 months from being diagnosed with stage 3 PC to the surgery. Now, almost a year later, he seems to be in a much better place.

But man, I hate the not knowing limbo I'm in.

[ImLawBoy]

When I had my colectomy to remove my colon cancer, the surgeon who performed the surgery, when I questioned him on why it was so far out from my diagnosis, said that colon cancer is often a mental emergency, but rarely a medical emergency. In other words, it's so slow moving - particularly in early stages - that waiting a few months for treatment is unlikely to be a problem. From what I've heard, the same is likely true with the pace of prostate cancer. That bit of advice doesn't help the doom and gloom that can cloud your mind as you wait, but it at least provided me with some level of logical comfort that we weren't fiddling while my colon burned.

Anyway, I'm around if you want to commiserate with someone who's been through a similar ordeal - both with myself and my wife. Sounds like you found some decent online resources, but just be careful - Dr. Google has been known to spew out worst case scenarios and cause unnecessary additional stress.

[jztemple2]

I also found out that a friend of mine that I grew up with had stage 3 prostate cancer. He ended up having his prostate surgically removed as well. He seems to be fine now. He said the entire ordeal was about 6 months from being diagnosed with stage 3 PC to the surgery. Now, almost a year later, he seems to be in a much better place.

My ordeal was about nine months, but also with a happy outcome.

Well, almost happy. As the doc explained it, in men three of the four sphincters that control urine flow are in the prostate. Remove that and the only sphincter left is at the tip of the penis. That's why it takes 10-12 weeks before you stop accidentally wetting yourself. After that it's fine except that when you start feeling the need to pee, the feeling is now more intense. You have to train yourself to manage the distraction.

[hepcat]

Thanks to both you guys! I definitely feel better talking about it, even if it's here. Unfortunately, I decided early on that I never wanted to get married and start a family. The upside is the freedom to do whatever I want, the downside is I'm getting old alone. So I don't have much in the way of a support system. I mean, I have lifelong friends from back home that I talk to/commiserate with. But I face situations like this on my own, for the most part. When I was younger and my health was fine, it wasn't a big deal. But now I'm starting to face my own mortality and it has me realizing the biggest design flaw in my choices. Still, I'm hardly the only person growing old alone in this country. I've been checking into stories of others like myself, and how they've dealt with getting older.

[Blackhawk]

Thanks to both you guys! I definitely feel better talking about it, even if it's here. Unfortunately, I decided early on that I never wanted to get married and start a family. The upside is the freedom to do whatever I want, the downside is I'm getting old alone. So I don't have much in the way of a support system. I mean, I have lifelong friends from back home that I talk to/commiserate with. But I face situations like this on my own, for the most part. When I was younger and my health was fine, it wasn't a big deal. But now I'm starting to face my own mortality and it has me realizing the biggest design flaw in my choices. Still, I'm hardly the only person growing old alone in this country. I've been checking into stories of others like myself, and how they've dealt with getting older.

Since asking Michelle to leave almost three years ago, the above has been heavily on my mind. I've got the advantage of kids, but there's no saying how that will work out should I reach a point where I need regular help. Beyond them, I essentially have no family or friends. The idea of my waning years being spent without someone to lean on has been haunting me lately.

[dbt1949]

Until my cancer kicked in I was alone and probably would still be if the kids hadn't insisted I come live with them. Some times I still wish I was. These last three years have been.......interesting.

[LordMortis]

Thanks to both you guys! I definitely feel better talking about it, even if it's here. Unfortunately, I decided early on that I never wanted to get married and start a family. The upside is the freedom to do whatever I want, the downside is I'm getting old alone. So I don't have much in the way of a support system. I mean, I have lifelong friends from back home that I talk to/commiserate with. But I face situations like this on my own, for the most part. When I was younger and my health was fine, it wasn't a big deal. But now I'm starting to face my own mortality and it has me realizing the biggest design flaw in my choices. Still, I'm hardly the only person growing old alone in this country. I've been checking into stories of others like myself, and how they've dealt with getting older.

I figure I check in to a retirement home when that time comes. It's the in between that's already becoming an issue. Every procedure you get done because getting older requires a ride and someone in the waiting room. I don't have a circle of people to lean on for that, nor would I want to if I did. Eventually I will be telling the medical field, "I guess I'm SOL. No colonoscopy, as example, for me.

[ImLawBoy]

Let me get this straight. Hepcat is concerned with aging alone. Blackhawk is concerned with aging alone. It's been at least 10 years since the last Odd Couple reboot. Reality TV is still a thing.

The path forward seems pretty obvious here.

[hepcat]

[stessier]

I figure I check in to a retirement home when that time comes. It's the in between that's already becoming an issue. Every procedure you get done because getting older requires a ride and someone in the waiting room. I don't have a circle of people to lean on for that, nor would I want to if I did. Eventually I will be telling the medical field, "I guess I'm SOL. No colonoscopy, as example, for me.

There are ride services specifically designed to cover this eventuality.

[LordMortis]

There are ride services specifically designed to cover this eventuality.

We'll see when that time comes but I've seen ride services for getting to appointments, not for requisite being present for procedure and recovery before discharge. They may exist but I've yet to see them.

[disarm]

There are ride services specifically designed to cover this eventuality.

We'll see when that time comes but I've seen ride services for getting to appointments, not for requisite being present for procedure and recovery before discharge. They may exist but I've yet to see them.

You can use any ride service to get to your appointment. The trick is having a responsible individual to accompany you home after the procedure. The hospital where I work now has access to what is essentially a "medical Uber" service for exactly the situation you describe. When your procedure is done and it's almost time for you to go home, they book a ride that includes 'door to door' service, meaning that the driver makes sure you get safely inside your home. As long as you're in generally good health, staying home alone after a colonoscopy is safe.

[telcta]

There are ride services specifically designed to cover this eventuality.

We'll see when that time comes but I've seen ride services for getting to appointments, not for requisite being present for procedure and recovery before discharge. They may exist but I've yet to see them.

You can use any ride service to get to your appointment. The trick is having a responsible individual to accompany you home after the procedure. The hospital where I work now has access to what is essentially a "medical Uber" service for exactly the situation you describe. When your procedure is done and it's almost time for you to go home, they book a ride that includes 'door to door' service, meaning that the driver makes sure you get safely inside your home. As long as you're in generally good health, staying home alone after a colonoscopy is safe.

I’m also in Connecticut and I wasn’t aware of this, I think that’s really cool. I’ve been wondering what I’ll do in the future as I see possible changes in my lifestyle. I basically will be leaning on my wife for care and I’m the only one left in my immediate family taking care of my mom. I have no siblings and we have no kids so if something happens to my wife and mother before me, I feel I’ll be alone.

My biggest fear is losing my mental faculties and screwing up everything we saved for by doing something unknowingly stupid.

If I get to a point where I check into a retirement home like LordMortis, I really hope I’m not someone who thinks people are stealing from me and become so paranoid that I cease to function.

I hope things go well hepcat and you don’t worry too much. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety about money and health that it interferes with what I should be enjoying at this part of my life. I have a hard time sleeping if I start thinking about things I can’t control.

[disarm]

You can use any ride service to get to your appointment. The trick is having a responsible individual to accompany you home after the procedure. The hospital where I work now has access to what is essentially a "medical Uber" service for exactly the situation you describe. When your procedure is done and it's almost time for you to go home, they book a ride that includes 'door to door' service, meaning that the driver makes sure you get safely inside your home. As long as you're in generally good health, staying home alone after a colonoscopy is safe.

I’m also in Connecticut and I wasn’t aware of this, I think that’s really cool.

I don't know the name of the third-party service, but it's something that Hartford Hospital has been offering since they changed their policy last year to allow patients to be home alone the night after a procedure. Prior to the policy change, patients had to state that arrangements were in place for a responsible adult to take them home AND stay with them overnight. They still require someone to go home with you (medi-cab/Uber driver counts but regular can/Uber driver does not).

I'm sure some outpatient GI centers have access to a similar service if you ask. I sometimes work at an outpatient surgery center that does exclusively cataract surgery and they contract with a ride service that can get that elderly population to/from their cataract surgery for a fee (maybe $50?).

[hepcat]

I hope things go well hepcat and you don’t worry too much. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety about money and health that it interferes with what I should be enjoying at this part of my life. I have a hard time sleeping if I start thinking about things I can’t control.

Thanks. I admit I'm terrified right now. But I just need to tell myself that I don't know if my 5.3 PSA is actually indicative of something wrong, or if it's a false positive/caused by something other than cancer. And even if it is, this is a very treatable form of cancer.

I hope you also can get past the worrying you mention and feel better soon.

[Zarathud]

::

We want everyone around long enough to found an OO home with boardgame days alternating with LAN parties.

[TheMix]

::

We want everyone around long enough to found an OO home with boardgame days alternating with LAN parties.

In!

[A nonny mouse]

Let me get this straight. Hepcat is concerned with aging alone. Blackhawk is concerned with aging alone. It's been at least 10 years since the last Odd Couple reboot. Reality TV is still a thing.

The path forward seems pretty obvious here.

No, no. Hepcat, blackhawk, lordmortis and hepcat’s dad. Golden octos. Win-win with fetishes and everything.

[Madmarcus]

Until my cancer kicked in I was alone and probably would still be if the kids hadn't insisted I come live with them. Some times I still wish I was. These last three years have been.......interesting.

After my mom died my dad moved in with my sister. Both of them would have agreed with your interesting comment I think. After a little over a year of togetherness he voluntarily moved to an assisted living nearby because he felt he was cramping her life too much.

[Madmarcus]

::

We want everyone around long enough to found an OO home with boardgame days alternating with LAN parties.

I'll drag my brother in too. We've already wondered if we should get a big house and move both couples into it after his wife stops working. Right now it seems like a silly plan but the older we get the better it sounds.

[LordMortis]

::

We want everyone around long enough to found an OO home with boardgame days alternating with LAN parties.

I'll drag my brother in too. We've already wondered if we should get a big house and move both couples into it after his wife stops working. Right now it seems like a silly plan but the older we get the better it sounds.

I wish I was that easy with which to get along. By the time I get to my 70s I could greatly benefit from communal living. Others benefiting from my fickle moods and willingness to participate? Not so much. That probably correlates pretty well with my social circles shrinking over the decades, to the point where I don't even know with whom I'd plan such things.

[Madmarcus]

I wish I was that easy with which to get along. By the time I get to my 70s I could greatly benefit from communal living. Others benefiting from my fickle moods and willingness to participate? Not so much. That probably correlates pretty well with my social circles shrinking over the decades, to the point where I don't even know with whom I'd plan such things.

My brother and I get along really well. The two wives could be a problem but all four of us were in college together and they actually knew each other before either one of them met me or my brother. We would need a big house though!

[TheMix]

Or buy a duplex. Separate, but together! Win win.