[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:34 am

If push comes to shove, isn't a hospital ER visit an option, at least to diagnose the problem?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:29 am

If your optometrist doesn't schedule an emergency appointment after you tell them you think you have a detached retina, call a different optometrist (and never go back to the one that didn't.) This is an emergency thing, not a 'see you next month' thing.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:33 am

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:29 am If your optometrist doesn't schedule an emergency appointment after you tell them you think you have a detached retina, call a different optometrist (and never go back to the one that didn't.) This is an emergency thing, not a 'see you next month' thing.

Also call your PCPs office and ask for help getting a referral. Often they'll know someone at the specialist's office and can get you an appointment quickly. Let them know the severity and that you've tried schedule and urgent/emergent appointment yourself with no luck.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.

My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:24 am

IANAO, but I agree with the others, please consider treating this like an emergency Kraken. You may have injured it months ago, but it's worsened and the pain is new, isn't it? If you had full retinal detachment you might know, but this still has the potential to be serious. Vision isn't something you want to take a risk with.

Both my dad any I have been warned we're at potential risk for retinal detachments due to our physiology. He actually had very similar symptoms to what you're describing recently. Thankfully it wound up being an injury that should heal on its own, but he dragged his feet getting it checked out because he assumed it was related to his own developing cataracts.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:32 am

Take it from someone whose wife has had several detached retinas. Take this seriously. When she sees flashes we get help immediately.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:13 am

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 am
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.
My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.

But certainly there is more than one practice in your town, right? As others have said, the symptoms you described could be not-wait-a-month type of thing. One thing I've learned: don't take chances with your eyes!

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:35 am

As stated above, skip the optometrist of they are not helping immediately; they are only good for a referral if your retina is detaching. You need an ophthalmologist.
Do a video visit with your pcp, or go to the ER. Either one can get your ball rolling asap. And while the injury may have been 3 months ago, the retinal symptoms are emergent.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 1:30 pm

This is more like having a compound fracture, calling your doctor, and them making you an appointment for a month later. Either they don't know what's going on (explain it to them), or they're not doing their job. This isn't exaggeration. Untreated, you could end up blind.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Sat Oct 03, 2020 4:37 pm

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 am
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:27 am Can’t you call another eye doc? Don’t wait for a month just so you can see your regular doctor.
My regular doc is booked thru December. This was the earliest appointment available with any doctor in the practice. They're still catching up after being closed from March through June.

I injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.

See if your insurance will let you go to MERSI. They have a location in Boston and one in Waltham. If only Waltham has an opening, it's worth the drive. They have some of the best eye doctors on the planet.

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:10 pm

one of my workmates came down with Shingles

jeebers this year just keeps giving

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:32 pm

For me it was a 5-day hospital stint with cellulitis that went septic because it took 48 hours to diagnose it was leg that was messed up, not Covid-19.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:58 pm

Got my flu shot today. Gorgeous weather for the outdoor clinic at town hall, so I didn't even mind 20 minutes in line. As you'd expect from people getting vaccinated, mask compliance and distancing were 100%.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 3:45 pm

i woke up early AM a couple nights ago thinking the bed was supremely uncomfortable with this hard pressure spot on my arm. nope, it was the aftereffects of the flu vaccination the night after i got it (it's all better now)

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:44 pm

My arm is already sore. It will get sorer overnight.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:49 pm

Kraken wrote:My arm is already sore. It will get sorer overnight.

Was sore for two days I think.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:37 pm

Me and my wife always took turns with which arm got the shot. But for the life of me I cant remember which I got it in last year. So Im planning on a left arm this time. Its mostly because I sleep more on my right side and dont want to lay on it. But it really barely gets sore. Sometimes I cant tell i got a shot. If it does it goes away in a day or so.

Nothing like that damn Pneumonia or shingles shot I got..think it was the pneumonia one. Sucker got red hot and was like a golf ball. It stayed like that and hurt like hell for 2 weeks or more. Never got another one for sure. That was a few years ago.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:45 pm

That Shingrix vaccine kicked my ass like none other. Didn't help that the pharmacist seemed unskilled in jabbing people. I almost didn't get the second dose except for the sunk cost fallacy. A flu shot is nothing in comparison.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:09 pm

Signed up for wife's health insurance last month but still waiting for cards. I've ever had a problem with the flu vaccine though. Last year, I got mine at CVS but the kids had to go to their healthcare provider because stores don't do kids. They were excellent though no drama at all.

When I worked for a hospital, we were down the hall from the employee health office and the nurse practitioner in charge would give us shots right at our desks. One year my boss was apparently whining, eliciting this response from the 60+ year old nurse: "Duane, stop being a pussy!"

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:53 am

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:05 amI injured myself 3 months ago, so it's a stretch to call it an emergency.

Anything that's getting worse is an emergency.

I was bitten by a cat once. It wasn't an emergency. Halfway through the next day when my arm swelled up to twice it size and felt like it was one fire, it became an emergency.

I'm going to toss your symptoms past one of the Optometrists I work for and see what his "off the cuff" feeling on it is.

*Edit: His reply:

This could be an emergency. A scratched cornea heals within a few day, so I think he needs to have his retina evaluated ASAP.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am

Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:08 am

"My retina would like to speak to the manager."

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:09 am

Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 amI wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.

That usually makes all the difference. I think that if you called one of our clinics and mentioned what you had going on there, they'd get you in within a couple hours at least.

I'm sure you'd rather be wearing an eye patch because your retina is healing after a surgery instead of wearing an eye patch because it's collapsed and irreparable. I hope it comes out okay.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:12 am

I hope it comes out okay.

Well I for one hope it stays in there and attached

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:48 pm

Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.

That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:12 pm

wonderpug wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:48 pm
Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.

its such a relief when you finally get to meet with experts. I have a blood disorder, and nearly every doctor I ever met would need to ask for the spelling, or start googling when i mentioned it. But I finally got to talk to an expert, and he was so excited like, I want to run this test, and that test, and see if its type one or type 2, and do you have any other family members I can test. And then he started talking symptoms, and im like, yes, yes, yes, yes ,yes, straight down the list, and I'm like FInally! somebody gets it. He not only knew what it as and how to treat it, but also the first name of the doctor that discovered it, and how it reacted with other medications, and other treatments, etc etc.
So that day was one of my better days visiting doctors.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:29 pm

If you lose your eye you have to become a pirate.
Too soon?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:42 pm

wonderpug wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:48 pm
Kraken wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:05 am Thanks to urging from multiple sources, I have an emergency eye appointment tomorrow morning with a retina specialist. The first appointment they had given me a month out was for a routine eye exam; apparently I wasn't clear enough on my original call. I pushed harder this time.
That's great to hear. If you're at all displeased with your experience where you're going, I have to say again how incredible MERSI is for eye care. We literally would have flown my wife anywhere in the world to get the best eye care possible at certain points in her treatment, but the best eye doctors in the world happened to be right there in Boston.

I've been going to Eye Health Services for decades; it's Big Eyeball on the South Shore with 17 ophthalmologists at 9 locations. The one I go to in Weymouth is bigger than many general hospitals. I've always received excellent care there. They also have a great optometry department -- it's pricey, but it takes our insurance and gives an AARP discount. The drawback to its size is impersonality.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:48 pm

One would think that impersonality when facing down a Big Eyeball would be preferable.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:10 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 6:48 pm One would think that impersonality when facing down a Big Eyeball would be preferable.

Yeah, that's never bothered me. I don't need to have a personal connection with the eye doctor that I see once every 2-3 years.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:01 pm

Sauron reference?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:48 pm

Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:51 pm

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:03 pm

Kraken wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:48 pm Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.

Wow. That's awesome!

Being in Colorado I struggle with the dryness. Especially since I started working at home. I tend to drink a lot less when it's not an excuse to get up from the computer.

I usually notice it when my eyes start to get scratchy. Thankfully I've never had it get as bad as what you experienced. Though maybe I need to work even harder on drinking more.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:07 pm

My body just doesn't generate enough tears. I wake up every morning with dry, itchy eyes -- no relief even after hours of sleep.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:10 pm

Kraken wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 12:48 pm Turns out my eyeballs are healthy and undamaged. The pain and grittiness are due to extreme dryness. The flashes of light are my vitreous humor tugging at my retina when I turn my head too fast (a residual effect of that months-ago poke in the eye). I have a couple of followups in January for a re-check, and to possibly plug my tear ducts. Meanwhile, I just need to use even more eyedrops than I already use. There's still no remedy for floaters.

So...no emergency, just peace of mind.

That's great news! Sort of.

Dry eye treatment is a big push they're doing in our clinics. One main source seems to be the glands that produce lipids to keep moisture on your eyes drying up/atrophying. We sell Bruder masks to help stop that (basically a hot/dry eye compress that keeps the oils flowing freely each night) but it only prevents it. Apparently when these glands die off, they're just gone for good.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:15 pm

My eyes are also seemingly constantly dry. I use a gel (basically mineral oil, I think) at night, which seems to help. At one point my eye doc suggested some procedure that I think plugs up your tear duct (?) that is supposed to help, but I didn't go for that. Generally the dry eyes are manageable, although they can make contacts a pain to wear sometimes.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:22 pm

Punctal plugs

The plugs are inserted into the tear duct opening (punctal) in the corner of your eye. This is the area where tears usually drain through the back of your nose and throat.

The plugs form a blockade so the tears can’t flow out, keeping your eyes lubricated.
...
Temporary punctal plugs are made of collagen, and they’ll dissolve after a few months. Plugs made of silicone are meant to last for years.

The plugs come in different sizes, so your doctor will need to measure the opening of your tear duct.
...
This noninvasive procedure requires nothing more than a few anesthetic eye drops.

Your doctor will use a special instrument to insert the plugs. You might have some minor discomfort, but it’s generally not painful. From beginning to end, the procedure should only take a few minutes. Once the plugs are in, you probably won’t be able to feel them.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:25 pm

My wife had them inserted 5+ years ago and we'd joke she had implants. I think they helped for a really short time, but then stopped working.

I can't cure your dry eyes, but I can recommend OTC Retaine eye drops. It feels like you're putting lotion on your eyeballs - it's amazing. Definitely get some.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:27 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:25 pm It feels like you're putting lotion on your eyeballs

That is not a soothing mental image to some of us.