OT: Hospitals

Just got out of one. Actually signed myself out of the therapy/nursing plac e. Too much of an institution for me I was getting diminishing returns out of it, out of spite I guess they won't write me the prescription for Lasix.

What happened is that I fell and damaged some internal organs, the live amo ng them. They are up and down about alcohol; being the cause but I beg to d iffer. After forty years all of the sudden this comes on out of nowhere rig ht after physical trauma. I don't buy it.

That does not change the fact that now I have to go in periodically for a p eri something to get the fluid drained from my abdomen. This is the part ar ound the stomach. It is like pleurasy (sp).If it i s due to the trauma I su spect it will recover if I don't drink too much.

But I do got some hints for hospitals. For one, there is eggs in French toa st. I have had better food in jail. And don't even offer me mashed yams, I can't stand the smell or look of them. Jaros, from Poland told me that ther e they feed them to the hogs. Sounds about right to me.

Anyway, they got these stairs built for you to practice walking. Well thy a re not standard. I got up those easily but when I got home to standard stai rs it was actual work getting up them. I was asked to try to do things by t he thereapist and dfidf every o ne, in fact the first day I walked 200 feet , albeit with a walker.

Then I refused to wear me oxygen and guess what. My blood oxygen levels sta rted to rise on their own. Tell me I ain't ready to get out of here. But t hen empty beds gather no money, and that is more than half the game. I hope to never spend overnight in one of those places again. The damn TV would n ot even hold a channel, and by that I mean you go to say 29, on time it is one channel another time it is something different. Like I am watching Kirk and Spock, change it to see if there is anything else on and I come back t o 29 and it is some TV preacher. In fact more than half of what is on in th e middle of the night is TV preachers.

So anyway,, I am going to deal with the hospital to get drained, and maybe get my Lasix. For now, no drinking, but in no way shape or form do I intend to become a teatotaller.

Rant over.

Reply to
jurb6006
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On 9/3/2017 10:09 AM, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

out of spite I guess they won't write me the prescription for Lasix. What happened is that I fell and damaged some internal organs, the liver among them. They are up and down about alcohol; being the cause but I beg to differ. After forty years all of the sudden this comes on out of nowhere right after physical trauma. I don't buy it. That does not change the fact that now I have to go in periodically for a peri something to get the fluid drained from my abdomen. This is the part around the stomach. It is like pleurasy (sp).If it i s due to the trauma I suspect it will recover if I don't drink too much. But I do got some hints for hospitals. For one, there is eggs in French toast. I have had better food in jail. And don't even offer me mashed yams, I can't stand the smell or look of them. Jaros, from Poland told me that there they feed them to the hogs. Sounds about right to me. Anyway, they got these stairs built for you to practice walking. Well thy are not standard. I got up those easily but when I got home to standard stairs it was actual work getting up them. I was asked to try to do things by the thereapist and dfidf every one, in fact the first day I walked 200 feet, albeit with a walker. Then I refused to wear me oxygen and guess what. My blood oxygen levels started to rise on their own. Tell me I ain't ready to get out of here. But then empty beds gather no money, and that is more than half the game. I hope to never spend overnight in one of those places again. The damn TV would not even hold a channel, and by that I mean you go to say 29, on time it is one channel another time it is something different. Like I am watching Kirk and Spock, change it to see if there is anything else on and I come back to 29 and it is some TV preacher. In fact more than half of what is on in the middle of the night is TV preachers. So anyway, I am going to deal with the hospital to get drained, and maybe get my Lasix. For now, no drinking, but in no way shape or form do I intend to become a teatotaller.

Rant over.

Sounds like more alcohol will be good for what ails you, drink up! /s Do you have a record of liver function tests to say that it was working at top efficiency? I suggest if you are that adamant about drinking and justifying drinking after such a health scare you have problem with alcohol. As for as going home, you had a hard time with a few stairs? Sounds like your doing great! NOT! I wish you luck, but some of that luck is taking "proper" care of your health. Mikek

Mikek PS, I assume live was supposed to be liver and maybe dfidf is different?

Reply to
amdx

I need a rant and you need a lecture.

Not spite. You're in the hospital because something screwed up that your body couldn't handle. The first thing they do is testing and diagnostics so that they don't give you something that makes your screwup worse. Do you have any edema in the extremities? Of not, you don't need a diuretic. When the testing is done, then maybe they'll dispense something to make you feel better.

Among my living relatives, I have one drunk, one recovering alcoholic, several deceased drunks, and one compulsive gambler. Every time one of them does something stupid and ends up in the what we call "the most expensive hotel in town", the routine is similar to your rant. They complain about everything possible to hide their personal involvement in creating the problem that landed them in the hospital. In other words, if you cleaned up your act, you wouldn't be complaining.

I don't either. What really happened is that you ignored or misinterpreted symptoms and effects until they became so bad that you couldn't ignore them. I did the same thing with my heart and plumbing problems. I thought that I was "out of shape" or that my insanely high blood pressure readings were caused by a defective BP instrument. You're doing the same thing by ignoring the obvious. Your body can't handle the booze and is not responding to trauma in a useful manner.

That's an abdominal tap. It's used to drain the accumulated fluid in the abdomen usually caused by cirrhosis of the liver that is common in heavy drinkers. That bad news is that you're screwed because liver damage is permanent. Lay off the booze or it will just get worse.

Pleurisy. That's where the membrane that surrounds your lungs get infected with some bug and become inflamed. The body tries to wash away the problem by dumping fluids into the area. If you actually had a case of pleurisy, you would have quite a bit of chest pain.

It's Janos, pronounced "Yaaa-nooosh". That was part of the name I was born with, until the family changed all their names to make them easier to pronounce. (My parents were Polish).

I love yams, but not mashed. They're basically sweet potatoes and I use them in place of potatoes whenever convenient. I don't know anything about hog farming, but this article suggests that raw potatoes are a bad idea for hogs:

Rehab stairs have a longer tread and shorter rise to make your recovery easier. The theory is that once you've mastered the rehab stairs, you'll continue the exercises on the more difficult standard stairs.

If you could have done that, they might have been tempted to declare you cured and throw you out of the hospital.

You ain't ready. They need time to run tests and see what else they can find that's wrong or broken. Right now, they're just testing your limits. The problem with modern medicine is that the doctors are not allowed to make any mistakes. Missing some obscure problem and they have to justify their actions in a court of law after the patient sues. Due diligence and over testing is the order of the day. Get used to it.

Are my tax dollars paying for your self-destructive habits? BTW, its "teetotaler", which a good description of me. With all the drunks in the family, I'm probably genetically disposed towards being an alcoholic. Having watched one family member literally drink himself to death when I was very young, I vowed not to follow in his wobbly footsteps. No booze for me, except during the Jewish high holidaze.

Naw... you'll be back with more after your next "incident". Anyway, end of lecture.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Jeff Liebermann

I had two cousins die from liver disease. One was hepatitis and the other a combination of drinking and hepatitis. Neither was pretty. The first was before they commonly did liver transplants. The second didn't get a transplant because when asked about his support network he told them he was good and didn't need a support network.

Judging by the irrational nature of the OP I expect he won't be getting a liver any time soon. It's not a good way to go, very slow and progressive. I recall the cousin that was living with me as he died got mad because I was trimming the forsythia too much cutting off the buds that would be blooming in the spring. Six months out he knew it would be his last spring to see them.

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Rick C 

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Reply to
rickman

Good idea. I use DirectLabs for running my own tests: Not available in MD, NJ, NY and RI.

For hepatic function (liver), my guess(tm) is a "Liver Profile" would be a cheap ($36) and effective start: I do run this blood test regularly because I'm taking statins, which can potentially cause liver damage.

Lots of other liver related tests that can be done if the liver profile shows something odd: I'm not an expert on liver damage, so please do some research first.

"Biomarkers for Alcohol Use and Abuse"

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

ace. Too much of an institution for me I was getting diminishing returns ou t of it, out of spite I guess they won't write me the prescription for Lasi x.

mong them. They are up and down about alcohol; being the cause but I beg to differ. After forty years all of the sudden this comes on out of nowhere r ight after physical trauma. I don't buy it.

peri something to get the fluid drained from my abdomen. This is the part around the stomach. It is like pleurasy (sp).If it i s due to the trauma I suspect it will recover if I don't drink too much.

oast. I have had better food in jail. And don't even offer me mashed yams, I can't stand the smell or look of them. Jaros, from Poland told me that th ere they feed them to the hogs. Sounds about right to me.

are not standard. I got up those easily but when I got home to standard st airs it was actual work getting up them. I was asked to try to do things by the thereapist and dfidf every o ne, in fact the first day I walked 200 fe et, albeit with a walker.

tarted to rise on their own. Tell me I ain't ready to get out of here. But then empty beds gather no money, and that is more than half the game. I ho pe to never spend overnight in one of those places again. The damn TV would not even hold a channel, and by that I mean you go to say 29, on time it i s one channel another time it is something different. Like I am watching Ki rk and Spock, change it to see if there is anything else on and I come back to 29 and it is some TV preacher. In fact more than half of what is on in the middle of the night is TV preachers.

e get my Lasix. For now, no drinking, but in no way shape or form do I inte nd to become a teatotaller.

You have ascites, primary cause cirrhosis. Get with the program, or suffer the inevitable, and you won't have to wait long.

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Reply to
bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

The party's over, friend, it's time to face the reality of the situation and accept it. I personally know it can be done and waking up every day refreshed and healthy is a beautiful thing.

Reply to
bitrex

[snip]

Sonora-Quest here in AZ does "patient-initiated" tests for nominal fees. Many locations, walk-in or by appointment. ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

Please explain this comment about support network. Thanks.

Reply to
Taxed and Spent

When you have significant medical conditions you often need people around you who will help you with your illness. In addition he was an alcoholic so they wanted to know he had support for dealing with that illness. Saying he didn't need help was a clear indication that at some point he would reject assistance and relapse into drinking and likely not deal with the issues of having a transplant and taking the anti-rejection drugs.

He was a serial alcohol abuser and I think they made the right decision. He would fall off the wagon and sometimes end up living on the street for months. Then he'd get off the liquor and go home to his wife for a year, two or three. He had family that loved him, but there was something he couldn't deal with. Once he was living in a building that was being renovated in exchange for his work. He was still drinking but keeping it together enough to work. He talked about having enough money to buy food and a fifth and had a gal coming over and they were going to f**k all weekend. I asked him why he drank and he said because he liked it. It was that simple. He may not have chosen to be an alcoholic, but he chose to be a drunk.

I feel very fortunate to not have received the gene that makes you an alcoholic. I don't think I would do well with it.

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Rick C 

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Reply to
rickman

This discussion is bringing back a lot of memories. Once my cousin had edema that required Lasix and removing fluid from the abdominal cavity by needle he only had some months or a year to live. Removing the fluid with a needle was hard on the body and there were times they wouldn't remove it all.

I've had older family who died from systemic organ failure which is not terribly different, but they seem to be able to manage it better. I guess having 25% of all your organs is not as bad as having less than 25% of any one of them.

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Rick C 

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Reply to
rickman

When I was in the trauma ward after my head crash, I complained about the food to the MD leading rounds. He said that was a neurological test: If I could eat the food, my brain must be damaged.

Probably a traditional hospital joke.

Hogs have pretty good taste in food. They (and bears) are a lot like humans in their chemistry.

Alcohol is longterm bad for your liver and pancreas. Theory is that something roughly like 12 oz of alcohol a week is OK.

Get better. With a little cautions scepticism, and a bit of crosschecking on google, it's generally good to do what doctors suggest.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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Reply to
John Larkin

My MD put me on statins. I took myself off. I was getting weak, fuzzy, and had nasty leg cramps.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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Reply to
John Larkin

If I had two options one of which lead to certain death and one which was very hard but gave a fighting chance to live I know which one I'd pick. Just have to find something worth living for. I'm fortunate enough to have had enough people care about me to figure I owed them the latter choice. Even if not, I figure studying electronics would be reason enough on its own. :-)

Reply to
bitrex

Why would you do that? Star Trek not good enough??

I should hope not. I have very little respect for people who don't drink.

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Reply to
Cursitor Doom

Same here, but more than 40 years ago. Didn't have weakness, but certainly had muscle cramps. I have exceptionally high HDL so I tell any medical types advising me towards statins to go suck a *big* lemon ;-) ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

There's no way to "do well with it" really, at some point you either stop or you die. And it's kinda miserable and it sucks and you sometimes get cravings just walking past a bar, or like the other evening when I was walking around on a weekend night with my SO in an area full of nightclubs and bars and everyone seems to be living it up on the drink and having a good time and you're shut out from all that. And you get a bit depressed and you feel the weight of life and time bearing down on you, and it feels really unfair.

Ideally after a while that feeling passes by because you think of what you do have compared to the alternative, the person next to you and the other people counting on you, and it feels like a worthy compensation.

Reply to
bitrex

Statins are evil crap. You did the right thing.

I'm currently on the smallest possible dose of Lipitor (atorvastatin).

20mg twice per week. It drops my cholesterol levels to be just inside the acceptable limit. I don't like it, but the cardiologist insists that I take at least some statins.

However, I was taking Lovastatin regularly for about 9 years. There were plenty of side effects including major back muscle pains. There was also some memory loss, fuzzy thinking, and coordination problems when playing piano. Amazingly, I didn't recognize the symptoms until I started to experiment with the various prescribed drugs. When it became obvious that the Lovastatin was causing the back aches, the cardiologist suggest I try a different statin, which only made things worse. I took myself off statins. However, after taking them for 9 years, the damage done did not magically disappear overnight. It took about 1.5 years and regular massages for the back aches to become tolerable and an additional 1.5 years for them to finally disappear. The other symptoms mostly (but not completely) went away over about the same time period. I consider myself lucky because I've read that sometimes, the muscle damage and pains are permanent.

That worked for a few years and a change of cardiologist, until I had yet another cardiac incident that required installing two stents. The cardiologist used the opportunity to demand that I take statins again. Modern defensive medicine requires that doctors prescribe standard treatments and drugs to avoid litigation. Failing to prescribe statins is sometimes treated as medical heresy by the courts. So, we agreed to try the minimum dose that might bring my numbers in line with what is considered acceptable. One 20mg pill per week didn't do enough, but two did. I initially did have some backaches, but they disappeared quickly and never came back.

One of my friends did it differently. He recently retired and found himself with unacceptable lipid numbers. His cardiologist gave him the choice of rigid diet, statins, or heavy exercise. He chose heavy exercise. He bought a really nice road bike and now rides as much as possible. As a result, he has dropped some weight and improved his numbers sufficiently that he's not required to take statins.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

.......................

I can so relate to this, including much of what I've snipped above and below to limit the post to a reasonable length. Two of my nephews died in recent years as a direct result of alcohol abuse - hepatitis, cirrhosis and the resultant ascites and jaundice. One was a gifted musician, the other a really nice guy liked by everyone.

A third nephew and my two male siblings died of cancer, but they might not have had cancer if they hadn't had a long history of alcoholism plus poor eating habits and a generally unhealthy lifestyle caused by the alcoholism.

...................

I'm a teetotaler myself, not from any tragic incident in my youth but from seeing how drunks behave. My race seems to have a genetic weakness for liquor.

My state government, under pressure from religious leaders and misguided concerned citizens, imposed a total prohibition for 20 years. It stopped few people from drinking but it gave rise to a boom in the production of illicit liquor that steadily degenerated to real rotgut. Hundreds of people died from drinking those but the religious leaders ignored reality and pretended that the prohibition was a success.

The prohibition was lifted a few years ago but people are still adjusting.

Reply to
Pimpom

Thanks. The prices appear to be about 1/3 of those from DirectLabs: For example, the DirectLabs $39 hepatic panel is $13 from Sonora-Quest. The prices appear to be the discounted cash rate, not full list price:

Both DirectLabs and Sonora-Quest use Quest Labs to perform the blood draw and analysis. My guess(tm) is that DirectLabs may have an additional middleman, such as a doctor to order the test, as required by California law, or that DirectLabs is adding a substantial profit for themselves.

"(Arizona) Do-it-yourself lab testing without doc's orders begins"

"Study: $1,600 price swing for same blood test in Arizona"

"Should You Be Allowed to Order Your Own Blood Tests?"

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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