Health and Wellness Chit-Chat: Your Primary Care Topic

[Mountainair]

I work as a Kindergarten assistant at my kids school and the amount of illness this winter has been insane. I missed two days with a fever a few weeks ago. My 12 year old has missed 5 days with a fever of 103 everyday. Sunday will be day seven with a fever and I’m tempted to bring him in to the doctor but I know it’s either flu or covid and they are just going to tell me to alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen which I’m already doing. But seven days is a long time with a fever. This morning my 8 year old woke up with a 105 fever!! School expects doctors notes but I really don’t want to take them in just to get a doctors note. I’ve heard tamiflu is worse than the flu. My oldest (15) is allergic to Z pack and my 12 year old has a heart condition (which is the main reason I will bring him in on Monday of the fever persists) but I’ve been monitoring all of his vitals at home. 
I’m just ready for this season of illness to be over. It’s like you are always just waiting to get sick and afraid to make plans. 

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, Mountainair said:

I work as a Kindergarten assistant at my kids school and the amount of illness this winter has been insane. I missed two days with a fever a few weeks ago. My 12 year old has missed 5 days with a fever of 103 everyday. Sunday will be day seven with a fever and I’m tempted to bring him in to the doctor but I know it’s either flu or covid and they are just going to tell me to alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen which I’m already doing. But seven days is a long time with a fever. This morning my 8 year old woke up with a 105 fever!! School expects doctors notes but I really don’t want to take them in just to get a doctors note. I’ve heard tamiflu is worse than the flu. My oldest (15) is allergic to Z pack and my 12 year old has a heart condition (which is the main reason I will bring him in on Monday of the fever persists) but I’ve been monitoring all of his vitals at home. 
I’m just ready for this season of illness to be over. It’s like you are always just waiting to get sick and afraid to make plans. 

I'd take both kids to the doctor.  I was really, really sick when I was an undergrad and my mom had to drive 2 1/2 hours to pick me up (so 5 hours round trip).  I went to the doctor the next day and was prescribed some sort of antibiotic.  I stayed home for at least five days before going back to school.  I think that was the first time I ever had an inhaler.  

[Dimity]

5 hours ago, Mountainair said:

This morning my 8 year old woke up with a 105 fever!!

Not to scare you and this is probably out of left field but when I was 6 I got rheumatic fever and while I can't recall any other symptoms now I remember my mother talking about my fever going up past 105.  If that fever stays up there I would definitely be seeing a doctor about it just to be on the safe side.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Mountainair said:

I work as a Kindergarten assistant at my kids school and the amount of illness this winter has been insane. I missed two days with a fever a few weeks ago. My 12 year old has missed 5 days with a fever of 103 everyday. Sunday will be day seven with a fever and I’m tempted to bring him in to the doctor but I know it’s either flu or covid and they are just going to tell me to alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen which I’m already doing. But seven days is a long time with a fever. This morning my 8 year old woke up with a 105 fever!! School expects doctors notes but I really don’t want to take them in just to get a doctors note. I’ve heard tamiflu is worse than the flu. My oldest (15) is allergic to Z pack and my 12 year old has a heart condition (which is the main reason I will bring him in on Monday of the fever persists) but I’ve been monitoring all of his vitals at home. 
I’m just ready for this season of illness to be over. It’s like you are always just waiting to get sick and afraid to make plans. 

Call your doctor and ask if they should be seen. They will ask what the temperature is and how long it's been that high.

Generally, if it's over 101, especially for 3 days, they should be seen. 

My little grandsons are in daycare, so they get sick a lot. Recently the 1-year-old was given Tamiflu, and he got better the next day. 

[Absolom]

My doctor said day 3 of a fever take child in to see him at the latest and soon if there were concerning symptoms and 105 is an emergency head straight to Children's Hospital ER.  In fact they treated 104 as very bad and had me take the child to the doctor's office immediately.  They told me to give the medicine as soon as I got it from the pharmacist as in do it in the car in the parking lot.  Other doctors may have different opinions.  I do know that somewhere between 105 and 106 organs can start failing. 

[Mountainair]

My 12 year old seems better today and temp is down to 99.8 but I already made him an appointment at Urgent Care. My 8 year old woke up with a fever of 107 (!!!!) so I’m bringing her with me to his appointment. She is miserable and that temp is way too high! I will update when we are done at the Dr. 

 

ETA: Flu A and just alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Did not recommend TamiFlu.

Edited February 23 by Mountainair

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, Mountainair said:

ETA: Flu A and just alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Did not recommend TamiFlu.

Do you live in the States or Canada? 
Just wondering if they don't have much access to Tamiflu, or if Flu A is not the Tamiflu-effected flu strain? 

My 73-year-old sister did not have access to Paxlovid for Covid in Canada last year. But maybe it was because they live in a rural area?
She claimed they don't have Paxlovid anywhere in Canada, but I always take everything she says with a huge grain of salt.

[Bastet]

Tamiflu is only minimally effective; most studies show it reduces the amount of time you'll experience symptoms by one day at most, and that's only if you start taking it in the first two days of your illness.  Therefore, many doctors don't recommend it based on it not being worth it for how little relief you'll get from it.  Plus, like anything else, it can cause side effects, with one of the most common being vomiting -- the last thing someone with the flu needs is to get dehydrated from puking up the little they feel like eating and drinking.  

Edited February 23 by Bastet

[Mountainair]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Do you live in the States or Canada? 
Just wondering if they don't have much access to Tamiflu, or if Flu A is not the Tamiflu-effected flu strain? 

My 73-year-old sister did not have access to Paxlovid for Covid in Canada last year. But maybe it was because they live in a rural area?
She claimed they don't have Paxlovid anywhere in Canada, but I always take everything she says with a huge grain of salt.

I’m in the states but what Bastet said above is pretty much what my dr said. I know my daughter obviously and she would not tolerate a med like that anyway. We both suffer from weak stomachs and she’s better off fighting the flu than taking the meds and dealing with side effects. My husband is now sick too so I’m going to take off work to be home with her. Neither of us get paid if we miss work. Me because I’m a part time employee and my husband while he is full time hasn’t accrued anytime off yet. He lost his job due to Hurricane Helene and had to start over in November with a new job. 
 

ETA: my son’s Blood Pressure was good and his heart sounded great. Because he’s on the tail end of dealing with the flu they gave him the go ahead to go back tomorrow. 

Edited February 23 by Mountainair

[Dimity]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

She claimed they don't have Paxlovid anywhere in Canada, but I always take everything she says with a huge grain of salt.

Take it with a large tablespoon of salt.  We definitely have paxlovid available.  My father had Covid in the fall of 2022 (I can date it because it was right after the Queen died) and he was prescribed paxlovid then.

[Absolom]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Tamiflu is only minimally effective; most studies show it reduces the amount of time you'll experience symptoms by one day at most, and that's only if you start taking it in the first two days of your illness.  Therefore, many doctors don't recommend it based on it not being worth it for how little relief you'll get from it.  Plus, like anything else, it can cause side effects, with one of the most common being vomiting -- the last thing someone with the flu needs is to get dehydrated from puking up the little they feel like eating and drinking.  

My fever was gone by the day after starting Tamiflu and all symptoms gone in a couple of days.  My doctor said it usually cuts sick time in half and it really worked well for me.  I had either no side effects or a mild nagging headache.  Headaches are tough to differentiate with flu.  

[PRgal]

I caught my husband's cold.  He was miserable for two days, but I think I have a less severe version of what he had.  I'm not as tired and I'm able to do most things, including prepping for tonight's sheet pan sweet potato pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. 

[Mindthinkr]

Going back to our dentistry chat: 

Last week I had 3 root canals done in one sitting. They were knocking me out for this. When I walked into the office I saw the endodontist sitting there and when he saw me he stated “The teeth are here”. Then they collected my payment and his assistant took me back. Immediately they began hooking me up to an IV, BP machine etc. The next thing I knew I was in la la land. Is it wrong of me to think that that the least the Dr could have done is come into the room while I was conscious and say good morning or ask how I was doing? 
   The following day I had a lot of facial swelling, pain and a very red stripe from my chin to my eye which was painful. Unfortunately I was unable to get in touch with the endodontist. I left two messages (during office hours) that were never answered. I was able to get through to my regular dentist who suggested ice packs (that I was already using), Tylenol and to get in touch with the other dentist and if it got any worse to go to Urgent Care or the ER. Then after hours when a fever developed I discovered that there is no emergency phone number for the endodontist. The next morning I finally spoke to his secretary who prescribed an antibiotic. Today it’s been a week. I still have what I consider to be an abnormal amount of pain, still some swelling and am unable to touch an area of my face. Their answer: “Let the antibiotic run its course.” Frankly I feel as though once they collected their big check they no longer gave a cracker about me or my care. I frankly feel I should change provider. Is this the new normal for care? 

[graybrown bird]

Mindthinkr I am so sorry!  I hope the antibiotic provides some relief for you very soon.  That endodontist's care borders on negligence, in my opinion.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Going back to our dentistry chat: 

Last week I had 3 root canals done in one sitting. They were knocking me out for this. When I walked into the office I saw the endodontist sitting there and when he saw me he stated “The teeth are here”. Then they collected my payment and his assistant took me back. Immediately they began hooking me up to an IV, BP machine etc. The next thing I knew I was in la la land. Is it wrong of me to think that that the least the Dr could have done is come into the room while I was conscious and say good morning or ask how I was doing? 
   The following day I had a lot of facial swelling, pain and a very red stripe from my chin to my eye which was painful. Unfortunately I was unable to get in touch with the endodontist. I left two messages (during office hours) that were never answered. I was able to get through to my regular dentist who suggested ice packs (that I was already using), Tylenol and to get in touch with the other dentist and if it got any worse to go to Urgent Care or the ER. Then after hours when a fever developed I discovered that there is no emergency phone number for the endodontist. The next morning I finally spoke to his secretary who prescribed an antibiotic. Today it’s been a week. I still have what I consider to be an abnormal amount of pain, still some swelling and am unable to touch an area of my face. Their answer: “Let the antibiotic run its course.” Frankly I feel as though once they collected their big check they no longer gave a cracker about me or my care. I frankly feel I should change provider. Is this the new normal for care? 

That's terrible.
The "red line" is an emergency.

I had a similar experience with just 1 root canal. 
After I finally got through and was prescribed the antibiotic and the excruciating pain went away, the dentist said "now you have my number."
Similar with the current implant dentist regarding the number, although I managed to get the antibiotic ahead of time this time, but only by insisting. 

I read an article recently about new studies proving women feel pain more intensely than men. 

I don't recall having such an experience with the female endodontist I had back in Illinois before I moved here to Rochester NY. Pretty sure she prescribed the antibiotic ahead of time?

One of my daughters has had major dental issues and said an antibiotic should be prescribed before the root canal, but the male dentists seemed to be opposed to this. 

I don't know. 

I hope you're feeling better now.

[Mindthinkr]

13 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

 

I hope you're feeling better now.

Not really. I still have some pain and swelling, but the red streak is gone. I’m just tired of it bothering me. 

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Not really. I still have some pain and swelling, but the red streak is gone. I’m just tired of it bothering me. 

Is it at least a little better today than yesterday? 
How long has it been?
This last time it was 2 weeks before I could definitely say the pain was a little better each day. 

When I went in at 2 weeks, he removed the stitches. He said usually the body dissolves the stitches, but for some people it doesn't, and that the plaque on the stitches could be causing the residual pain???

I still have a very hard lumpy stitch at my waist from my cancer surgery 9 years ago. I guess it was supposed to dissolve? At a follow-up appointment around 8 years ago the doctor had said the stitch could be removed in the office, but I didn't say anything else about it.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Is it at least a little better today than yesterday? 
How long has it been?
This last time it was 2 weeks before I could definitely say the pain was a little better each day. 

No better 

Its been a week 

I go in next Wednesday for a different 4 1/2 procedure. 
This is a process. There will be many more appointments until the total job is completed. I have always had a very bad mouth. The rationale is because the lady who gave me up for adoption had a cleft palate and something else (hair/cleft lip). I was ok enough despite numerous dental problems, but now have osteoporosis in my jaw and my body has rejected 8 bone grafts. I’m a mess. At least I look ok and you’d never know I have any issues unless I told you. 

[PRgal]

Speaking of dental issues, my son hasn’t had a visit from the tooth fairy in months.  I think he’s lost a total of three teeth?  And all three were pulled out. I think I only had to have one tooth pulled out because it was a “shark tooth.” Well, that and my wisdom teeth!  

[Yeah No]

On 3/4/2025 at 2:20 PM, PRgal said:

I caught my husband's cold.  He was miserable for two days, but I think I have a less severe version of what he had.  I'm not as tired and I'm able to do most things, including prepping for tonight's sheet pan sweet potato pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. 

Same here. I'm pissed at my husband because we went on a week long cruise to the Caribbean on Feb. 22nd and I wore a mask everywhere on the ship, especially in crowded areas and he didn't. So of course the day after we got home a week later he started showing symptoms and then the next day I did. He seems to think he's immune to everything because he rarely gets sick. Like I got Covid in 2023 and he didn't!

I didn't argue with him about wearing the mask on the ship but I told him if he got sick to forget going on any more cruises with me unless he wears a mask when I do. I think he's learned his lesson because he has a more severe version of this than I do. And today's his birthday and he's still coughing and feeling under the weather while I never had congestion at all and I'm almost over it. I didn't have it as bad as he did, thankfully but I'm still pissed. It could have been a lot worse. My mind boggles at people these days. Hardly anyone was wearing a mask on the ship and they are known for spreading germs. I have been on 3 cruises now and got sick after two of them. I'm done unless he wears a mask.

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I have been on 3 cruises now and got sick after two of them.

This is why you will never see me on a cruise ship.  With my situation it just isn't a good idea.  

[PRgal]

24 minutes ago, Absolom said:

This is why you will never see me on a cruise ship.  With my situation it just isn't a good idea.  

I know a few parents at my son’s school who have like cruises because they and the kids are confined to a spaces. But my family wouldn’t be caught dead in one.  

[Yeah No]

Actually we had a fantastic time and I don't regret going at all. I got to go to Mexico and beautiful Caribbean islands I never thought I'd ever have the chance to see. No matter how you travel there's always some measure of risk, even by plane, and we did have to fly to Florida first on this trip. It takes a little extra effort to be careful, wear a mask and know how to avoid getting too close to anyone, but I think it's a small price to pay and worth it.

[annzeepark914]

Has anyone ever hit the bottom of the door frame with a bare foot & broken a toe? I did this last Thursday (& it was my left, post bone spur surgery foot 🤬). I've got it wrapped with the adjoining toe and am wearing an ortho "sandal". As Kramer said,"The pinky toe is a valuable appendage". 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Has anyone ever hit the bottom of the door frame with a bare foot & broken a toe? I did this last Thursday (& it was my left, post bone spur surgery foot 🤬). I've got it wrapped with the adjoining toe and am wearing an ortho "sandal". As Kramer said,"The pinky toe is a valuable appendage". 

I don't know how many times I've broken a pinky toe. Now I wear socks around the house, which seems to prevent it?

ETA:
Maybe the sock just prevents the toe from getting "snagged" by the piece of furniture, which causes it to break when the momentum of my stride follows through?

Edited March 12 by shapeshifter

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Has anyone ever hit the bottom of the door frame with a bare foot & broken a toe?

No, but I did somehow manage to break a toe by walking into the corner base of my coffee table.  Hit it so hard that toenail split in the middle.  You'd think I kicked it with all my might, but, no, I was walking. 

[ebk57]

I walked into a vacuum cleaner sitting outside the bedroom door.  Broke the toe next to the little toe.  

And that's why I stopped vacuuming...  or so I tell myself... 

[PRgal]

It sounds like I'll have to stay overnight at the hospital at my next surgery.  I was told earlier that it was a day procedure.  I guess that's better for wound observation.  It's related to the genetic condition I have, but not near the same area I had my previous procedure back in June.  

[PRgal]

Nope, no overnight stay for my procedure.  I'm home now.  Feeling a little off, but mostly okay.  Resting for the rest of the weekend.

[shapeshifter]

I’ve been “under the weather” all week.
I tested negative for COVID, but I don’t have any of those dual-purpose home Covid/flu tests.
It seems like a mild case of the flu, mitigated by my flu shot last fall.

[Yeah No]

I had a rough week. I'm undergoing lymphedema therapy and it's very intensive, often painful and exhausting. The end goal should be worth it, though. For 5 days a week for a month a therapist wraps my legs from the tops of my thighs to my toes with 4.5 lbs. of Ace-type bandages, foam pads, gauze, knitted sleeves and puts my feet in huge "moon sandals". By the time she's done I'm wrapped so tightly with so many bandages that my legs look as fat as hams and I have to wear wide leg stretchy pants. Walking to the car is not easy nor is getting in it. I have to strain to bend at the knee, but curiously I got used to driving pretty fast. Most days if the ground is dry I've elected not to wear the sandals and opt for those hospital socks that have the grippy treads on the soles. Sleeping hasn't been easy either. The bandages are grippy and it's hard for me to even put the covers over them. 

Every morning I have to painstakingly unwrap myself, which all by itself takes something like 45 minutes. Then each bandage, and there are many long bandages, have to be rolled up and put in a huge shopping bag that was given to me. That also takes the better part of an hour if I rush. Fortunately my husband has been able to help me for a few days, but even with both of us working the whole process takes an hour. Then I have to shower, get ready, eat and go to the therapist's office. At least I get weekends off. No bandages and no appointment.

For someone that hasn't worked on any kind of rigid schedule in almost a decade this has been a LOT on me. Fortunately the PT office is only a few minutes from me, but the parking lot is very busy because it's right next to a Whole Foods and a restaurant. So finding a good space can be a challenge.

The therapist says my legs are coming along well and she's going to fit me for custom lymphedema stockings for after I'm all done. I will have to wear them regularly or eventually my legs will swell back up again. I have already been wearing the OTC ones but without the therapy they can only do so much. Supposedly this therapy is the only way to really effectively treat lymphedema. It's forcing my body to recirculate the fluid in my legs and get rid of it instead of making my legs swell. Believe it or not in one week I've already lost 3 lbs.!

She also told me that it's not all in my head that I swell more with exercise. She also told me that exercise can actually make me gain weight because of the fluid retention. After I'm done with the therapy and on a maintenance plan involving wearing custom fitted hose that won't be an issue. But it explains for me why I have such difficulty losing weight and why I have suspected for some time that I lose more weight without exercise if you can believe that. It also explains why I went on 2 cruises and gained 4 lbs. on each cruise despite watching what I ate and walking like 16,000 steps a day!

If anyone reading this has ever had this therapy I would love to hear from you. I'm told it's hard to get. I had to wait months to get an opening. There aren't that many therapists in my state that are qualified to perform it. I'm grateful that I was able to get it. It's a lot on me but I'm told it will be worth it. Just seeing my legs look normal again is very motivating. I feel lighter on my feet already.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I had a rough week. I'm undergoing lymphedema therapy and it's very intensive, often painful and exhausting…If anyone reading this has ever had this therapy I would love to hear from you…

Wow! That’s a lot! 
You are sure being a trooper about it!👏
Back in 2016 after 6+ hours of cancer surgery I was required to have some sort of squeezing wraps on my legs for limited periods of time, but fortunately (🙃) I was in the hospital the whole time. I absolutely hated it! If my daughter hadn’t made me do it, I probably wouldn’t be here now. Doesn’t it prevent heart attack etc.?

[ginger90]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Wow! That’s a lot! 
You are sure being a trooper about it!👏
Back in 2016 after 6+ hours of cancer surgery I was required to have some sort of squeezing wraps on my legs for limited periods of time, but fortunately (🙃) I was in the hospital the whole time. I absolutely hated it! If my daughter hadn’t made me do it, I probably wouldn’t be here now. Doesn’t it prevent heart attack etc.?

It’s mostly used after surgery due to limited activity. It’s to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can lead to “throwing a clot”, or to a pulmonary embolism (PE). Although a clot can go elsewhere, normally it’s to a lung.

[Yeah No]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Wow! That’s a lot! 
You are sure being a trooper about it!👏
Back in 2016 after 6+ hours of cancer surgery I was required to have some sort of squeezing wraps on my legs for limited periods of time, but fortunately (🙃) I was in the hospital the whole time. I absolutely hated it! If my daughter hadn’t made me do it, I probably wouldn’t be here now. Doesn’t it prevent heart attack etc.?

Thank you. I've read that lymphedema can cause a greater chance of blood clots forming in the legs due to damaged blood vessels, but this therapy is to address the lymphedema itself. The last time I stayed in the hospital they put these weird electric "balloon" leg wraps on me that periodically inflated to grip my lower legs tightly, supposedly to address the potential blood clot issue. They were weird and a little intrusive but I was only there for a short time. I recently took a flight and was sure to wear compression knee highs and we deliberately booked a row with a lot of leg room so I could elevate my legs on my backpack.

I was so bushed I fell asleep at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and just woke up at 11:30 p.m. I hate it when my sleep cycle gets wrecked up like this. Maybe I should have rested more. I was trying to continue a semi-normal life and we had great weather this week so I went to the supermarket myself a few times even though it was a struggle, then made dinner. Then Saturday my husband and I had a local event to attend which I didn't want to miss and then we went out to dinner (thankfully only with compression hose and not the bandages). Sunday I have to wash all the bandages and that involves putting them in garment bags. Then I can put them in the dryer and re-roll them. Then on Monday I start all over again. I'm told that the bandages will inevitably get tangled so it's more of a job than it looks like. So I have my work cut out for me. 

This whole thing has been more of a job than I ever thought it would be, but what choice do I have? I'm already seeing the results so hopefully it will be worth it.

[Absolom]

@Yeah No previously asked about possibly needing an updated measles vaccination.  Here's a good article talking about the various vaccines through the years and who could need a current one.  It's behind a paywall so I hope this works.

https://archive.ph/F0X91

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/21/2025 at 8:50 PM, Yeah No said:

For 5 days a week for a month a therapist wraps my legs from the tops of my thighs to my toes with 4.5 lbs. of Ace-type bandages, foam pads, gauze, knitted sleeves and puts my feet in huge "moon sandals".

...

At least I get weekends off. No bandages and no appointment.

Admittedly I'm a big skeptic of "do this once a year" type recommendations--is it because once a year is actually ideal, or is it just easier to remember, and studies show 17 months is actually the ideal interval but one year is easier and if it's easier people are more likely to do it?

So I'll just throw out there that it seems awfully coincidental that the prescribed schedule happens to be five workdays in a row, followed by two weekend days.  Is that really what's "best" or is it what's pretty good but more convenient for the therapist?  I'd want to know what the science says, but I bet they wouldn't tell me (if even they knew more than what is generally prescribed). 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:50 PM, Yeah No said:

It also explains why I went on 2 cruises and gained 4 lbs. on each cruise despite watching what I ate and walking like 16,000 steps a day!

In line with what I wrote above, we have the holy grail of 10,000 steps a day, which came from completely bogus roots.  And...walking.  Is walking really such a great exercise, or is it an exercise that's better than nothing but is something people might actually do, so that's what's promoted.  And it ends up getting a reputation as the "best" exercise when it's actually only the most likely exercise that can be recommended that people will do?

I think I mentioned before that I read an article that I simply can't find again, about following standard recommendations.  A lady was trying to lower her blood sugar or cholesterol or something like that, and changed her diet to include a lot more fruits and vegetables but the numbers didn't budge.  One of the foods she started eating a lot more of was tomatoes, because they're healthy.  She was super frustrated,but it turned out there's something about her body that processes tomatoes differently, and once she cut out tomatoes, the numbers got better.

(ETA: This is an issue with vaccines--the general advice was to get flu and covid vaccines at the same time, but they are actually a less effective when done that way.  Still good, but not as good as they could be.  But that was the recommendation because the goal is to get as many people vaccinated as possible, and more people vaccinated a little less effectively is better than fewer people getting vaccines that will work a little more effectively, and people are more likely to get both vaccines if they can be administered at the same time.  

Sometime I kind of hate being the type of person who looks under the hood.  😀  )

Edited Wednesday at 01:45 AM by StatisticalOutlier

[Absolom]

I'll join you under the hood and carrying the statistical tables.

From what I've found it isn't walking per se, but movement that is needed.  The easiest thing for most people and the researchers to measure is number of walking steps.  Thus we have the magical 4000 steps being the minimum we need to do to increase longevity.  The equivalent of swimming, aerobics, dance, etc., would likely do the same, but coming up with equal stats would be more difficult. 

Edited Wednesday at 01:53 AM by Absolom

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Absolom said:

@Yeah No previously asked about possibly needing an updated measles vaccination.  Here's a good article talking about the various vaccines through the years and who could need a current one.  It's behind a paywall so I hope this works.

https://archive.ph/F0X91

Thanks. I'm still in a gray area but my best friend of 50 years seems to think we had all our shots back in the day and that I most likely had the measles anyway. I'm pretty sure I did because I always remembered that the one childhood disease I didn't get as a child was the chicken pox. I had that when I was 22!

I would discuss this with my primary doctor but she has become next to impossible to reach these days and I can't even get anywhere with any assistants or nurses. I don't know what the problem is but my physical therapist thinks they're probably overwhelmed like "most of the medical community these days" (her words). I have been trying to get a temporary handicapped card for my car because of my lymphedema therapy with no success at reaching anyone. And I have called twice and sent messages 3 times!! When I call I get a nice assistant that tells me she will prioritize my request as it is time sensitive and have someone call me back, but no one ever does. And this is going on for over a week now. A week and a half to be exact.

[StatisticalOutlier]

43 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I'll join you under the hood and carrying the statistical tables.

Yay!  It's lonely under the hood.

[Yeah No]

55 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Admittedly I'm a big skeptic of "do this once a year" type recommendations--is it because once a year is actually ideal, or is it just easier to remember, and studies show 17 months is actually the ideal interval but one year is easier and if it's easier people are more likely to do it?

So I'll just throw out there that it seems awfully coincidental that the prescribed schedule happens to be five workdays in a row, followed by two weekend days.  Is that really what's "best" or is it what's pretty good but more convenient for the therapist?  I'd want to know what the science says, but I bet they wouldn't tell me (if even they knew more than what is generally prescribed). 

Oh I get weekends off only because the therapist only works 5 days a week. And the way they're working her she really needs it. This is a very physically intensive and time consuming therapy. And she's booked back to back all day with one hour appointments. That's because there are so few therapists doing this kind of therapy. They are in very short supply, probably because it's such hard work and doesn't pay enough. She says not enough is done to encourage people to go into this therapy despite the demand for it. She is fully aware that the two days off are not ideal but we don't have much choice as she's already exhausted by the end of the week as it is. She has me wearing tight compression hose on the weekends which actually helped on a maintenance basis so it didn't set me back any. It will just mean the therapy will take a little longer.

52 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I'll join you under the hood and carrying the statistical tables.

From what I've found it isn't walking per se, but movement that is needed.  The easiest thing for most people and the researchers to measure is number of walking steps.  Thus we have the magical 4000 steps being the minimum we need to do to increase longevity.  The equivalent of swimming, aerobics, dance, etc., would likely do the same, but coming up with equal stats would be more difficult. 

I read an interesting article a while back on walking (I don't remember how to find it now unfortunately) that said that there's a difference between "steps in a day" and the quality of those steps. Real aerobic walking for more than 30 minutes at a time is the kind of movement that can help with weight loss, but just walking on a lesser basis not as helpful. I do know that the walking I did on the cruises was real aerobic walking for more than 30 minutes at a time - a lot more. But in my case that kind of exercise only makes me retain more fluid and actually makes me gain weight. It fully explains for me why this has been happening to me. I don't have an eating problem. My body has a problem with processing and eliminating fluid. I have addressed my dietary issues and even on the cruises I was very careful about what and how much I ate. It's ironic and frustrating that the thing that's supposed to help me with weight loss (exercise) is actually working against me. And without the positive effects of that exercise at my age, forget about losing weight. My mother was stuck in the same "Catch 22" as she used to call it. I am still not going to give up, though. I keep looking for solutions. Maybe they'll come out with a weight loss drug that won't make me sick. I can only hope. I usually get between 5,000 and 7,000 steps a day. I won't stop walking because it's good for my heart and body in many ways even if I don't lose weight with it.

BTW, here's a shot of me the therapist took after wrapping me for the day. My legs are like 2-3 times their normal size with all the foam padding, gauze and ACE bandages. It's as uncomfortable and painful as it looks. And it's hard to get around, which is why I was trying to get a temporary handicapped card for my car (with no success at getting through to anyone after a week of trying). It's a busy parking lot and hard to get a decent space. Of course I wear wide leg black pajama pants over these legs and that only makes me feel hotter!

[StatisticalOutlier]

28 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It's as uncomfortable and painful as it looks.

Actually, it looks kind of cozy to me. 

My brother broke his lower leg many years ago and they gave him some sort of boot that was connected to a tank that held ice and water, and he would fill the boot with that 32-degree water and as it tightened around his ankle, the look on his face was pure bliss.

So...probably just a family trait.  😀

[Absolom]

That's quite the sight.

The walking for longevity isn't the same as walking for weight loss.  Most of the weight loss people that have put a cadence on it say 120 steps per minute and up is needed for good weight loss.  One of the surprises for the longevity researches was that the steps counted - any steps even strolling.  It was literally just move.  

[ebk57]

11 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Actually, it looks kind of cozy to me. 

My brother broke his lower leg many years ago and they gave him some sort of boot that was connected to a tank that held ice and water, and he would fill the boot with that 32-degree water and as it tightened around his ankle, the look on his face was pure bliss.

So...probably just a family trait.  😀

I sprained my ankle last year and after physical therapy sessions, they put that boot on my foot with the cold water squeeze and it was fabulous!

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Actually, it looks kind of cozy to me. 

My brother broke his lower leg many years ago and they gave him some sort of boot that was connected to a tank that held ice and water, and he would fill the boot with that 32-degree water and as it tightened around his ankle, the look on his face was pure bliss.

So...probably just a family trait.  😀

It's not at all cozy and not like breaking a limb. I had a rather bad arm break about 9 years ago and had to wear a cast. This is not like that. The point of this leg therapy is wrapping you very tightly to force your body not to let fluid pool in your lower legs. It's not comfortable at all, in fact it can be painful and itchy. It's hard to bend your legs. You have foam pads keeping you rigid which make you feel very hot. When you are unwrapped your legs feel tender and sensitive. My therapist warned me about it. It takes a toll on you. I'm pretty active and have good balance so I don't need to walk with a cane but my therapist told me a lot of people do.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It's as uncomfortable and painful as it looks. And it's hard to get around, which is why I was trying to get a temporary handicapped card for my car (with no success at getting through to anyone after a week of trying).

When I had cancer the DMV people transformed into saintly, angelic servants, walking me to the front of the line and getting me a temporary handicapped placard within 10 minutes.
I lost about 50% of my memories from that year after the 6 hours of surgical anesthesia, so I'm just guessing the doctor gave me a "note" of some sort to take to the DMV? Or maybe it was because I was emaciated, bald and eyebrow-less?
Anyway, I bet if you walked/hobbled into the DMV wearing loose shorts above your wraps and asked where to get a handicapped parking permit, you too would get your placard pronto.
You obviously need a handicapped parking placard!!!

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

My legs are like 2-3 times their normal size with all the foam padding, gauze and ACE bandages. It's as uncomfortable and painful as it looks.

Edited Wednesday at 12:13 PM by shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

56 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

When I had cancer the DMV people transformed into saintly, angelic servants, walking me to the front of the line and getting me a temporary handicapped placard within 10 minutes.
I lost about 50% of my memories from that year after the 6 hours of surgical anesthesia, so I'm just guessing the doctor gave me a "note" of some sort to take to the DMV? Or maybe it was because I was emaciated, bald and eyebrow-less?
Anyway, I bet if you walked/hobbled into the DMV wearing loose shorts above your wraps and asked where to get a handicapped parking permit, you too would get your placard pronto.
You obviously need a handicapped parking placard!!!

Thank you. I wish I could walk into a DMV but here in CT we can't do that. We have to make an appointment online first and it can take a while to get one. I was just reading their website and it says that we still need to provide medical certification to get handicapped parking even if we apply online. So it looks like until I can get that certification I'm out of luck and my therapist is not a doctor so she can't do it. I suppose I can call the office again but I've already done that twice! I will do it though.

Speaking of my therapist, she called out of office today and of course I was already half way through unwrapping myself when I found out so I am now completely unwrapped and putting on compression hose. I am wondering if she's just as burned out as she seems to be or whether she like me has a touch of diarrhea. We both have been wearing masks in our sessions so I'm just speculating. I will make sure that an extra session is added at the end of my month. BTW I think my issue is probably from eating some leftovers that might have been in the fridge a day or so too long. As you can imagine I haven't been up to cooking like I normally do and have been ordering in, making sandwiches and frozen dinners and making some compromises. My husband could have eaten what I ate with no trouble so maybe it's just me or a virus but I don't feel so bad so I have no idea. It is very rare for me to have any stomach issues like that.

Anyway my stellar luck continues. I just hope my therapist is OK. I've grown to like her a lot. Any advice right now is very much appreciated.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I wish I could walk into a DMV but here in CT we can't do that. We have to make an appointment online first and it can take a while to get one. I was just reading their website and it says that we still need to provide medical certification to get handicapped parking even if we apply online.…

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Any advice right now is very much appreciated.

If the DMV isn't hard to get to, you might try this anyway:

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

walked/hobbled into the DMV wearing loose shorts above your wraps and asked where to get a handicapped parking permit

Websites are often not up-to-date, and they cannot cover every situation.

But probably first:
Fill out part A of this form and then attach it to a message to your Dr. via EPIC's MyChart: 
https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/-/media/dmv/20/29/b225ppdf.pdf?rev=617c08d8a28b472b822ed78f188533b2&hash=216A4916D35704BC8B048DEFFA7ACEC6
There are several ways to do this with just a camera phone if you don't have Adobe Acrobat etc.
I can probably "talk" you through it here.

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:17 PM by shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If the DMV isn't hard to get to, you might try this anyway:

Websites are often not up-to-date, and they cannot cover every situation.

But probably first:
Fill out part A of this form and then attach it to a message to your Dr. via EPIC's MyChart: 
https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/-/media/dmv/20/29/b225ppdf.pdf?rev=617c08d8a28b472b822ed78f188533b2&hash=216A4916D35704BC8B048DEFFA7ACEC6
There are several ways to do this with just a camera phone if you don't have Adobe Acrobat etc.
I can probably "talk" you through it here.

 

Well I hate to say it but the website is up to date as I called and their message says the same thing. I spoke to two people this morning at the doctor's office at the hospital and supposedly it is now being escalating this to management.

The problem is no matter what I send them in MyChart it's not going to get them to DO it. The assistants just write back that the doctor will have to see it and has 3 days to get back to me. Then no one gets back to me. They have the forms, it's just a matter of the doctor filling them out and she isn't doing it. Even after I spoke with the first person this morning I got a response in MyChart that the doctor will have to fill out the form and they will let me know when I can pick it up. BUT she made sure to tell me that "per their policy" they have 2 weeks to fill out the form!!!  That's when I blew my stack and called back. The nice person on the end of the phone promised to have this escalated and will have "management" call me back. I thanked them profusely. I don't know what else I can do at this point.

By the way, the form to apply for a handicapped permit also states that it must be returned with doctor's approval in person BY APPOINTMENT. Then when I call the number on the form it says that either they're assisting other customers or I'm calling outside of business hours and then it tells me to "visit them online" or call back and hangs up. Unbelievable.

Editing again:

According to the DMV website the best way to apply is to submit a scanned copy of the filled out form online and pay the 5 dollar fee. But then it takes a week for them to process it! Otherwise if you go in to the office they will accept your application but I don't know if that means they'll give you the placard on the spot. It might but you still have to make an appointment and that can be days in the future anyway.

Edited Wednesday at 05:26 PM by Yeah No

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

BTW I think my issue is probably from eating some leftovers that might have been in the fridge a day or so too long.

Neither of us cooks, so we eat out or bring food home pretty much every day.  And since we usually eat only one real meal a day, leftovers in the refrigerator tend to languish.  We try to eat leftovers within a week, but often push it to ten days or even two weeks, and haven't suffered any ill effects so far.  I'm talking Mexican food, pizza, fried chicken, breakfast burritos (which we stock up on if there's a place that has good ones). 

A couple of weeks ago I used the last of some eggs that had a best-by date in late November.  One of them floated in a glass of water, so I threw it out, but the others merely stood on end, so I used one in some cookie dough that we're slowly working our way through (baking cookies, and eating raw dough (my preference)), and I hard boiled the other (actually baked it in the oven).  They've been fine.

As noted upthread, I'm a big fan of placebos, and I have a similar mindset with "food poisoning"--if it smells okay, I eat it with confidence it's fine.

And, true dat on appointments at the DMV.  It's situations like that that make me hate the internet.  Same deal in Texas--appointment only.  And my type of license can be renewed only in person or by mail, and doing it by mail requires making an appointment and paying to see an optometrist for an eye test. 

I happened to be in Austin and figured I'd get it done there, but found out about the appointment thing (there's a huge banner outside the office in central Austin saying "APPOINTMENT ONLY") and couldn't get an appointment for weeks.  We were heading north, and I actually mapped the driver's license offices on all the possible routes, matching when we might be there to when they had appointments--some small towns have offices open only a couple of days each week.  We ended up routing through and spending the night in Lubbock just so I could get my license renewed.  What a pain in the ass.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Unbelievable

Tragically, all too believable.  Across so many sectors. 

How much money do you have?  If you're willing to pay, there are "concierge" doctors who will actually tend to your needs.  It used to be only megabuck people who could afford it, but prices have come down as more doctors are doing it.  Probably in the range of a couple thousand bucks a month. 

That's not an insignificant amount, but you already have relatively cheap insurance with Medicare and a supplement--before I got on Medicare, my health insurance was $1,000 a month, and Mr. Outlier, at 57 years old, is right at $1,000 a month already, with 8 years to go before Medicare.

Unfortunately, I can't think of any concierge DMV service providers.  But give it time.  Eventually almost everything can be solved by creating a separate experience for rich people.