Maybe it's like autism. We've gotten so much better at identifying disorders, it only looks like the numbers have increased.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018
- Thread starter NewYork1303
- Start Date
- Status
Median life expectancy for someone born in 1930 in the US (making them prime child-bearing age in 1959) was 60. So, idk, I guess 50% of people died younger than that from something.
But most autoimmune disease aren't directly fatal. I suppose those with crippling arthritis just stayed in bed, in pain, and those with psoriasis kept themselves covered or did jobs with no human contact. Some drugs aren't cures; they just increase quality of life. Which is pretty important, IMO.
Or that, yeah.
*small rant*
I am so sick and tired of all these antibiotics and liquid diet..again. The stupid abscess didn't heal the first time, and crystals in my bladder from the first dose of pills, so yet another dose of massive horrible pills for another two weeks. And all I have to look forward to dinner is a cup of broth and maybe some pudding. Although I can't have milk products for two hours after the gut pill, and I have to take 3 of those a day.
On the up side, the meds make me nauseous 24/7 so that I don't want anything in my stomach. So the broth only diet doesn't bother me too much. And since I lost 22 lbs last time, who knows how much I'll lose this time.
Problem is, I'm so weak and dizzy from the meds and not having actual food that I can barely stand and walk. And I'm having to drive to town soon. That ought to be fun.
And to top it off, now I'm having 'female issues' which I haven't had for 2 years. (actually 10 but 8 yrs was a wonderful shot I got) then menopause took over.
Sorry for the rant, but sometimes it just feels better to get it out.
I am so sick and tired of all these antibiotics and liquid diet..again. The stupid abscess didn't heal the first time, and crystals in my bladder from the first dose of pills, so yet another dose of massive horrible pills for another two weeks. And all I have to look forward to dinner is a cup of broth and maybe some pudding. Although I can't have milk products for two hours after the gut pill, and I have to take 3 of those a day.
On the up side, the meds make me nauseous 24/7 so that I don't want anything in my stomach. So the broth only diet doesn't bother me too much. And since I lost 22 lbs last time, who knows how much I'll lose this time.
Problem is, I'm so weak and dizzy from the meds and not having actual food that I can barely stand and walk. And I'm having to drive to town soon. That ought to be fun.
And to top it off, now I'm having 'female issues' which I haven't had for 2 years. (actually 10 but 8 yrs was a wonderful shot I got) then menopause took over.
Sorry for the rant, but sometimes it just feels better to get it out.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,117
- Purraise
- 2,892
I remember you said you have an abscess. Why has surgery been ruled out? Why aren't they putting a drain in?
My husband had an abscess, and the doctor sent him to a surgeon, who prescribed 3 months of antibiotics. And the abscess was still there and my husband was dealing with the side effects of 3 months of antibiotics. The surgeon wanted to do 3 more months of antibiotics, I told my husband to get a second opinion, and the new surgeon scheduled surgery right away. Not because it was a danger, but because nothing else would work, the infection was long gone, the abscess was simply a runaway train, the body thought the infection was still there so it was doing all the things it should to fight the infection which was making the abscess bigger.
Your side effects are ten times worse than anything my husband faced. If you are weak and dizzy from lack of food and can barely stand then the whole treatment regimen needs to be re-thought from scratch. All of medicine is benefits vs. risk, when the risk outweighs the benefits then there needs to be a change to something where the benefits outweigh the risks.
Yeah, ask your doctor why has surgery to put a drain in been ruled out, and why can nothing else be done that doesn't have such horrible side effects. If he brushes the question off, get a second opinion. There is zero point in sticking with antibiotics that are so nasty to your system that severe weight loss and severe physical symptoms from lack of food are happening. There has to be other options.
My husband had an abscess, and the doctor sent him to a surgeon, who prescribed 3 months of antibiotics. And the abscess was still there and my husband was dealing with the side effects of 3 months of antibiotics. The surgeon wanted to do 3 more months of antibiotics, I told my husband to get a second opinion, and the new surgeon scheduled surgery right away. Not because it was a danger, but because nothing else would work, the infection was long gone, the abscess was simply a runaway train, the body thought the infection was still there so it was doing all the things it should to fight the infection which was making the abscess bigger.
Your side effects are ten times worse than anything my husband faced. If you are weak and dizzy from lack of food and can barely stand then the whole treatment regimen needs to be re-thought from scratch. All of medicine is benefits vs. risk, when the risk outweighs the benefits then there needs to be a change to something where the benefits outweigh the risks.
Yeah, ask your doctor why has surgery to put a drain in been ruled out, and why can nothing else be done that doesn't have such horrible side effects. If he brushes the question off, get a second opinion. There is zero point in sticking with antibiotics that are so nasty to your system that severe weight loss and severe physical symptoms from lack of food are happening. There has to be other options.
No surgery is me, not my doctor (PCP). The surgeon - whom I call Dr. Dick Hatchet- wants to cut away the part with the abscess and leave me with a bag. Not happening, especially with Samai around. He's the only surgeon up here, the next closest would be over 300 miles away.
I am calling my doctor today to see if I can't take something else though.
On the up side, the bladder is better and the female cramping is gone.
I am calling my doctor today to see if I can't take something else though.
On the up side, the bladder is better and the female cramping is gone.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,117
- Purraise
- 2,892
That seems a lot extreme.
My husband got an abscess because a lymph node did its job, drew in the infection, and then things got haywire. By the time my husband had surgery the lymph node had already been destroyed and there was a grapefruit size abscess in its place. The second surgeon said that antibiotics were completely useless, that the first surgeon putting and keeping my husband on antibiotics should not have been done as the pus was actually sterile and the infection was like the lymph node, long gone.
The surgeon said the body can have a feedback cycle - the immune system senses white blood cells in the area, assumes they are there because there's an infection, and sends more white blood cells to fight the "infection", thinks because they are there that an infection still must be present and sends even more, etc.
What the surgeon did was open up the abscess, clean it out, and then stick a drain in. General anesthesia. The drain was in for 6 weeks, to give the body time to realize all the white blood cells were gone and it didn't need to send more (which created the fluid). The drain coming out was done in the doctor's office, he said it tickled. My husband saw the drain coming out and said it was several feet of hose, all bunched up, keeping the space open inside.
He had a "dent" where the abscess had been for a long time, basically the surface of the skin was concave in that area. He still has a shallow dent, 20 years later. The scar is about an inch and a half.
My husband got an abscess because a lymph node did its job, drew in the infection, and then things got haywire. By the time my husband had surgery the lymph node had already been destroyed and there was a grapefruit size abscess in its place. The second surgeon said that antibiotics were completely useless, that the first surgeon putting and keeping my husband on antibiotics should not have been done as the pus was actually sterile and the infection was like the lymph node, long gone.
The surgeon said the body can have a feedback cycle - the immune system senses white blood cells in the area, assumes they are there because there's an infection, and sends more white blood cells to fight the "infection", thinks because they are there that an infection still must be present and sends even more, etc.
What the surgeon did was open up the abscess, clean it out, and then stick a drain in. General anesthesia. The drain was in for 6 weeks, to give the body time to realize all the white blood cells were gone and it didn't need to send more (which created the fluid). The drain coming out was done in the doctor's office, he said it tickled. My husband saw the drain coming out and said it was several feet of hose, all bunched up, keeping the space open inside.
He had a "dent" where the abscess had been for a long time, basically the surface of the skin was concave in that area. He still has a shallow dent, 20 years later. The scar is about an inch and a half.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
- Messages
- 2,171
- Purraise
- 1,213
Can or would an IV or feeding tube be an option for you?
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,117
- Purraise
- 2,892
Duh at me. What about Ensure (generic is just as good) or the protein shakes that body builder wannabes use?
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
- Messages
- 2,171
- Purraise
- 1,213
Its just not reasonable to have to go without food like this, she should have some other option.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,117
- Purraise
- 2,892
Yes, she should. I totally agree. That's why I talked about risk vs. benefit and how she has hit the point where risk is more than benefit, that's why I asked about surgery. But in the immediate term calories are needed NOW while she takes the steps to find a better for her treatment/cure. She may even need the calories now in order to be able to think straight in order to start the ball rolling.
kashmir64
my apologies in responding directly to the statement and talking about you in the third person.I finally said "forget this" and had a little rice tonight. I also went of the meds. I left a message for my doctor earlier so that he can find me an alternative drug. This is nuts. He hasn't got back with me though.
On a totally different note, does anyone play Pokemon? Specifically Sun/Moon or Ultra Sun/moon. My sons' girlfriend was in the Valley recently and grabbed some event cards for July. They were only at Target and we don't have one here. Anyway, she grabbed to many. I now have 4 extra if anyone needs one. The Pokemon for July is Thundurus for Sun or Tornadus for moon.
If you want one, just PM me and I'll PM you the code.
On a totally different note, does anyone play Pokemon? Specifically Sun/Moon or Ultra Sun/moon. My sons' girlfriend was in the Valley recently and grabbed some event cards for July. They were only at Target and we don't have one here. Anyway, she grabbed to many. I now have 4 extra if anyone needs one. The Pokemon for July is Thundurus for Sun or Tornadus for moon.
If you want one, just PM me and I'll PM you the code.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 8,089
- Purraise
- 13,358
Summer is officially here. Been hot humid yucky but flowers love it
The Bee balm is open and attracting a TON of bumblebees and butterflies
I have to check out that AdAH for girls because I've been a messy tessy for as long as I've been alive. I get distracted easily and petrified of strangers when I was a kid. They placed me in special needs because I wouldn't play with the other kids. It wasn't that I didn't want to play it was they were jerks and i prefered my own company. We lived in an upper class area and my family was not upper class so the girls were incredibly cruel. Let's just say I never want to go back to that era!!!
The Bee balm is open and attracting a TON of bumblebees and butterflies
I have to check out that AdAH for girls because I've been a messy tessy for as long as I've been alive. I get distracted easily and petrified of strangers when I was a kid. They placed me in special needs because I wouldn't play with the other kids. It wasn't that I didn't want to play it was they were jerks and i prefered my own company. We lived in an upper class area and my family was not upper class so the girls were incredibly cruel. Let's just say I never want to go back to that era!!!
No worries. That's probably the reason why I had the 20+ lbs to lose in the first place.
lol
This week I'm volunteering at a local children's summer festival and I'm helping children with special needs and learning difficulties. Yesterday was my first day (today I took a day off as we can choose our own schedule, so I have another day off on Thursday as I have a hospital appointment) volunteering and it was a wonderful experience - the best part was seeing how happy the parents looked when they came to pick up their children as we had to report on what the children had done. Some of the children need special one to one sessions, so me and a few other volunteers were teamed up with one of the one to one children. I had a five year old little boy who was non-verbal, and he also had sensorimotor problems. He was shy at first, but he was eventually lovely to work with and it was really rewarding seeing him progress in confidence throughout the day (and the look on his mother's face when I reported back about what he'd been doing was just priceless, she seemed really proud of him!).
I just bought a Baltic Amber teething bracelet for Aedan. I feel more comfortable about a bracelet than a necklace. I'm afraid the necklace could be a strangulation hazard. It sounds like complete hooey, but so many people swear by them, I decided to have an open mind and give it a try. This poor baby is just having such a hard time!
Folks, we have a new member with a cat in distress. Seven years old, kidney problems, mouth ulcer, vet gave the cat a shot of Convenia for the mouth ulcer and made negative comments about treating the kidney problems, and the member is frantic with worry. I've stuck in my two cents' worth, but if anyone has any insights on any of this, please check out the thread. It's at Cat Is Pretty Sick And I'm Feeling Lost And Alone.
Margret
Margret
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 8,089
- Purraise
- 13,358
I will see what I can help with....poor kitty! Poor owner! Jerk of a vet!
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,117
- Purraise
- 2,892
I hate to sound horrible, but I won't be getting on that thread. I have zero experience with either and all I can say is my usual "Get a second opinion."
foxxycat
Could you relay the second opinion for me, if no one else recommends it?
foxxycat
Could you relay the second opinion for me, if no one else recommends it?
Done. And
arouetta
, "get another opinion" is about all that can be said. Her vet is a horse's back-end.- Status
