Health and Wellness Chit-Chat: Your Primary Care Topic

[PRgal]

My son's recent bloodwork was a little bit off when we had it checked due to various tummy issues he's complained about.  Turns out it's really no big deal, but we were told to "reverse diary" his dinners if he complains of issues overnight (very frequent).  He's not very good at describing his "tummy aches" but has showed me by pinching my arm.  I'm supposed to talk to his doctor in two weeks.  

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

My son's recent bloodwork was a little bit off when we had it checked due to various tummy issues he's complained about.  Turns out it's really no big deal, but we were told to "reverse diary" his dinners if he complains of issues overnight (very frequent).  He's not very good at describing his "tummy aches" but has showed me by pinching my arm.  I'm supposed to talk to his doctor in two weeks.  

When my youngest daughter was about 5 or 6, after breakfast, before school, she frequently lay on the floor clutching her stomach and said it "hurt." The doctors insisted this mean nausea. I never did get to the bottom of it, but now, 30 years later, we both drink soy milk. Yogurt and cheeses are fine.

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

When my youngest daughter was about 5 or 6, after breakfast, before school, she frequently lay on the floor clutching her stomach and said it "hurt." The doctors insisted this mean nausea. I never did get to the bottom of it, but now, 30 years later, we both drink soy milk. Yogurt and cheeses are fine.

Or it could be chronic heartburn.  Or GERD.  We ordered rice bowls for dinner on Saturday and he wanted pickles (don't ask) in it.  Tummy ache that night and into the next morning.  GERD symptoms can also include a chronic cough (which he has...or at least it worsens in colder months).  

[shapeshifter]

So my crown that fell off of my 3-years-young root canal is apparently spreading infection. My left ear was a little muffled this morning, and since it's the ear with the hearing aid that I rarely need to wear, I popped in the hearing aid, thinking maybe the loss had progressed. But then I noticed a swelling in my jaw. So I'm on amoxicillin now. I have an appointment with dentist #3 tomorrow. 

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Or it could be chronic heartburn.  Or GERD.  We ordered rice bowls for dinner on Saturday and he wanted pickles (don't ask) in it.  Tummy ache that night and into the next morning.  GERD symptoms can also include a chronic cough (which he has...or at least it worsens in colder months).  

Yes. I wondered about that at the time. Heartburn hurts, and she didn't seem nauseated. But we were living in a very rural area in the early-to-mid 1990s, so most everything was more like the 1970s at best.

When I was walking her sister home from the bus stop at the same age, I thought I'd cheer her up by telling her I'd made brownies, but she said she wanted "pickle juice," which meant the brine from the jar of dill pickles. 
My "brownies" were made with carob, so maybe she was being sarcastic in kindergarten language. ☺️

[Browncoat]

And of course there are the kids like I was -- my tummy "hurt" simply because I didn't want to go to school that day.  😉

[StatisticalOutlier]

19 hours ago, Absolom said:

I was trying to be gentle and not a know-it-all. 

Nah, there's so much misinformation and completely understandable and justifiable ignorance about how Medicare works that gentility really has no place.

[Dimity]

29 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

And of course there are the kids like I was -- my tummy "hurt" simply because I didn't want to go to school that day.  😉

Reminds me of my 8 yr old brother insisting he had minstral cramps...

[SoMuchTV]

22 minutes ago, Dimity said:

minstral cramps...

 🎵 

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And of course there are the kids like I was -- my tummy "hurt" simply because I didn't want to go to school that day.  😉

This was my kid and camp last summer.  Because he had bathroom anxiety.  

[BooksRule]

On 1/10/2025 at 7:49 AM, ginger90 said:

There are many drugs that can raise blood pressure. One is Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and decongestants like Sudafed are basic ones.

So many.  One thing I miss by being on a BP medicine is not being able to take a good strong cold medicine when I'm sick and miserable. People laugh when I say I miss gulping down a dose of Nyquil when I had a cold, but that nasty stuff would really help me to get a few hours of good sleep.  That stuff I can take now that won't mess with BP isn't very effective.  The cough medicine that's available isn't great, either. I want that stuff that will get me good and drowsy, darn it!

[Yeah No]

So I got the blood pressure medication (20 mg. of Lisinopril) in the mail a couple of days ago and have taken two half doses so far with no side effects except a very mild dizziness. The bottle said to start taking it at bedtime because it's known for that symptom. By the time I woke up on both mornings the dizziness was gone. Unfortunately there's been no change to my BP yet but I've just started. I plan to get used to this dosage then try to increase from there. I'm kind of amazed that I am not experiencing worse symptoms. When I did a little online research I read that a lot of doctors prescribe Lisinopril because it is probably the best tolerated of the BP meds. out there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[PRgal]

Anti-seizure meds can mess up one’s liver.  I’ve basically stopped drinking any alcohol, save for a few sips at New Year’s Eve and a bit at Seder.  

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Anti-seizure meds can mess up one’s liver.  I’ve basically stopped drinking any alcohol, save for a few sips at New Year’s Eve and a bit at Seder.  

You’d be amazed at the laundry list of medications that can cause liver damage. 
I notice that so many of those medications advertised on tv warn of potential side effects to the liver. 

[PRgal]

13 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

You’d be amazed at the laundry list of medications that can cause liver damage. 
I notice that so many of those medications advertised on tv warn of potential side effects to the liver. 

And I also can’t have grapefruit.  Other citruses are fine, just not grapefruit.  I’ve also added yuzu (Japanese grapefruit) after checking with my neurologist since it’s more closely related.  It kind of sucks since it’s in a lot of sauces in Japanese cuisine.  

[EtheltoTillie]

5 hours ago, PRgal said:

And I also can’t have grapefruit.  Other citruses are fine, just not grapefruit.  I’ve also added yuzu (Japanese grapefruit) after checking with my neurologist since it’s more closely related.  It kind of sucks since it’s in a lot of sauces in Japanese cuisine.  

I'm not supposed to eat grapefruit or blood oranges because of interactions with my cancer pills.  I love both.  Once in a while, I treat myself, as it's not a life threatening things in that amount.  

[PRgal]

Ugh...I have to get a breast ultrasound again.  Darn those dense boobies!  If I didn't have major surgery last year, I'd have a mastectomy and won't have to deal.  My genetic condition means I've been going to both mammograms and MRIs since my late 30s.  And now, in my 40s, I also have to do breast ultrasounds.  

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Ugh...I have to get a breast ultrasound again.  Darn those dense boobies!  If I didn't have major surgery last year, I'd have a mastectomy and won't have to deal.  My genetic condition means I've been going to both mammograms and MRIs since my late 30s.  And now, in my 40s, I also have to do breast ultrasounds.  

My mom and I both had "dense" breasts. I'm not sure about my daughters. I guess I should know. I'm not the best mom. 
I think I'm overdue for my mammogram. 
First I have to get this dental "emergency" resolved. It's been 2 weeks now.

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

First I have to get this dental "emergency" resolved. It's been 2 weeks now.

Same. It’s taken 2 weeks to see the regular dentist (one more week to go) and then it will take at least a month for me to see the endodontist. I have 3 root canals and hopefully no more by the time I get into the specialist’s chair. I sympathize. 

[Browncoat]

I have to get yet another filling replaced this month.  It's not unexpected -- my youngest filling is more than 40 years old at this point -- but I dread it.  I hate going to the dentist for regular cleanings!  And this particular filling is in the top molar that's the farthest back so it will be extra awkward just to reach.  Plus I have TMJ!  I'm planning on taking the whole day off.

[shapeshifter]

17 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Same. It’s taken 2 weeks to see the regular dentist (one more week to go) and then it will take at least a month for me to see the endodontist. I have 3 root canals and hopefully no more by the time I get into the specialist’s chair. I sympathize. 

Today I went for another "opinion." 
I almost left before the appointment because it was at the edge of a funky strip mall, but I'm glad I stayed.
They were super nice and intelligent and had really modern picture-taking stuff. Better than just x-rays.
Apparently the practice was started 40 years ago by the grandpa of the current dentists — before there was a strip mall. 
I don't have an estimate yet. That will come with the consultation. 
If it's not much more than the others, I will likely go with it. 

But, like you, @Mindthinkr, I think it's going to be more than just this tooth. 
Hopefully my 11-year-old Subaru will keep on keeping on since the total cost could be equal to a new car.

I signed up for a second dental plan that should net me $650 after the premiums.
This is in addition to the $1K I get from my Medicare Advantage plan for some of the dental work, but likely the $1K won't all get used because they don't apply it to most modern dental procedures. 🙄
If this had happened a month earlier, I could have applied my $500 flex money to it, but the Medicare Advantage cut that benefit for 2025.

 

[shapeshifter]

28 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I have to get yet another filling replaced this month.  It's not unexpected -- my youngest filling is more than 40 years old at this point -- but I dread it.  I hate going to the dentist for regular cleanings!  And this particular filling is in the top molar that's the farthest back so it will be extra awkward just to reach.  Plus I have TMJ!  I'm planning on taking the whole day off.

@Browncoat, be sure to ask them for a "bite block" before your procedure. 
It is somewhat soft, but holds your jaw open so you and your TMJ muscles do not have to do the holding open.
They might look at you a little weirdly, because a lot of people don't like them, but they are IMO, a miracle for situations where they expect you to hold your mouth open for extended periods of time.
Tell them you'd like to try having it in your mouth before they start to see if you can handle it.

Note to self: Be sure to ask for a bite block too when they do my extraction.

Edited January 14 by shapeshifter

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

Ugh...I have to get a breast ultrasound again.  Darn those dense boobies!  If I didn't have major surgery last year, I'd have a mastectomy and won't have to deal.  My genetic condition means I've been going to both mammograms and MRIs since my late 30s.  And now, in my 40s, I also have to do breast ultrasounds. 

Welcome to the club.  At least you don't have to have regular biopsies.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, PRgal said:

Ugh...I have to get a breast ultrasound again.  Darn those dense boobies!  If I didn't have major surgery last year, I'd have a mastectomy and won't have to deal.  My genetic condition means I've been going to both mammograms and MRIs since my late 30s.  And now, in my 40s, I also have to do breast ultrasounds.  

I have dense breasts too. I've been getting the ultrasounds every year since I was in my 40s. Where I go now they schedule me for both during the same visit. I love not having to come back a second time and they tell you the result right there.

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

First I have to get this dental "emergency" resolved. It's been 2 weeks now.

I hope I don't have to go to the dentist. For about a week now I have sensitivity on the gum way in the back on the bottom left side, under the last tooth. I'm not doing anything yet because I think it might have been caused by a new toothbrush head I got for my Sonicare. And I've been brushing longer too. I have increased sensitivity in a couple of other areas but not as bad as that one. And I use Sensodyne. I just hope it's that and not something worse. I went back to the softer brush head.

Good to hear that you got a second opinion.

Re: the bite block, they always give me that because I have a hard time holding my mouth that far open for extended periods. But even though it's more comfortable all of that usually gives me a headache so my strategy is to take Tylenol right before I walk into the Dental office. I also do that for cleanings now. As I get older I seem to be getting more sensitive to everything. I always was, but it is getting worse with age. I probably qualify as a Highly Sensitive Person now. I've read that many HSPs are sensitive to medications like I am. But I'm also sensitive to a lot of other things as well.

[Absolom]

33 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I have dense breasts too. I've been getting the ultrasounds every year since I was in my 40s. Where I go now they schedule me for both during the same visit. I love not having to come back a second time and they tell you the result right there.

Same here.  It's a bit depressing when the scheduled time rolls around.

[Yeah No]

30 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Same here.  It's a bit depressing when the scheduled time rolls around.

I dread it more every year. 

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, Absolom said:

Same here.  It's a bit depressing when the scheduled time rolls around.

Pun intended?

[Absolom]

Sorry, not funny.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

Sorry, not funny.

Apologies, I didn't mean to be offensive.  (That cartoon or a similar one has been posted in mammo facilities I've been to, that's why it came to mind.)

[Dimity]

36 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Apologies, I didn't mean to be offensive.  (That cartoon or a similar one has been posted in mammo facilities I've been to, that's why it came to mind.)

At my most recent mammogram there was a cartoon of a man about to have the equivalent of a mammogram on (to steal a quote from Everybody Loves Raymond) his "man berries".  I thought it was pretty  funny, perhaps men wouldn't but since they are mighty few and far between at the breast health centre I'm not too worried about them.

[shapeshifter]

This book was in the Free Library in the waiting room of the cancer center where I had my chemo in 2016: amazon.com/dp/0060789735 (“Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics,” by Miriam Engleberg, 2006).

It's a wonderful book. 

Even though the book was written 20 years ago, I trust it would still speak encouragement in a darkly humorous way to anyone having a mammogram, or a biopsy or more.

She wrote it about her experience with breast cancer treatments.
My cancer wasn't breast cancer, but I still related to it, and after my treatments I wound up having one of the extremely uncomfortable breast biopsy procedures she describes so well in this graphic novel/memoir.
Sadly, her cancer returned and metastasized and she did not survive. 

But it was inspirational for me, and a wonderful legacy for her son (and maybe a granddaughter?), and probably is a reason why I didn't give up on finishing illustrating a book a few years later while working with a very difficult author.

I returned the book to the free library after I read it, and got the library where I worked to order a copy. I never bought one for myself, though. As is not unusual with librarians — especially those who don't own a home — I didn't feel the need to own books. Maybe I should get a copy while it's still in print. Or not.

Here's her Wikipedia entry: wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Engelberg

Edited January 15 by shapeshifter

[Soapy Goddess]

15 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Apologies, I didn't mean to be offensive.  (That cartoon or a similar one has been posted in mammo facilities I've been to, that's why it came to mind.)

You don't have to apologize for posting a cartoon. I have also seen similar ones posted on the walls of my radiologist.

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

You don't have to apologize for posting a cartoon. I have also seen similar ones posted on the walls of my radiologist.

I was apologizing for misinterpreting the poster I was replying to in a way that she found "not funny".  I think we're good now.