Health and Wellness Chit-Chat: Your Primary Care Topic

[shapeshifter]

34 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

From a cold, yes, but who knows what else I might catch on a cruise? This one will likely have more kids on it so that's another thing I worry about. And I've heard Covid has risen a little lately too. A good friend and family all just got over it. Thanks to my cold I didn't get together with her or I might have caught THAT again!

Oh. I was thinking you did have Covid. 
Yes. My upstairs neighbors are getting over it. 
My daughter had "a bad cold" recently from the babies' daycare, but she also had trouble smelling or tasting something afterward, so I suspect it could have been Covid. The baby had to go to emerg because he was wheezing and then had to use a nebulizer for a couple of weeks.
His Covid test was negative, but I think it might have been too late by then for it to be accurate?

[annzeepark914]

@Yeah No NasalGuard, Airborne Particle Blocker. I've never used it as I haven't been on a plane (or cruise ship) since January 2020. It says on the package, For Air Travelers. You "apply the gel directly around the nostrils and above the upper lip".  Who knows? But it's better than nothing when you aren't wearing a mask.

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Oh. I was thinking you did have Covid. 
Yes. My upstairs neighbors are getting over it. 
My daughter had "a bad cold" recently from the babies' daycare, but she also had trouble smelling or tasting something afterward, so I suspect it could have been Covid. The baby had to go to emerg because he was wheezing and then had to use a nebulizer for a couple of weeks.
His Covid test was negative, but I think it might have been too late by then for it to be accurate?

I had Covid in Sept. 2023 and had some lingering taste/smell loss for about a month or so. I've read that the newest Covid strains can be even more like a cold than previous strains with runny nose and sore throat being big symptoms whereas earlier Covid wasn't known for being that much like a head cold. It was more centered in the chest than the nose. And that was true when I had Covid.

But who knows anymore? With Covid acting a lot like a cold it's hard to tell. And I don't necessarily trust the results of the home tests either. When I had Covid last year the positive line was always pretty faint. I have heard that those tests aren't that sensitive. At that time I called my dr.'s office to ask if I could get a PCR test done there or somewhere and they said no, they weren't really doing that anymore unless you had more than just a "mild" case. So I didn't even bother to ask this time and did 4 home tests that all came out negative. I never had a fever either while with Covid I had a fever the first full day.

Today I called my dr.'s office and they told me to come in just to check out my throat and nose because of my post nasal drip. I had the last appointment of the day, which was actually great because there was no waiting and after me everyone was going home for the weekend. The P.A. checked me out and said she was pretty sure it was just a cold and that I'm just taking my time getting over the post nasal drip. She prescribed me some Flonase, which I already have and like a lot. I was grateful because my prescription had run out so I needed a new one. She also prescribed a very low dose of prednisone. I have had steroids in other ways like shots for arthritis in my hands but never in pill form so we'll see how that goes. She said a few days of that usually gets rid of the post nasal drip.

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

@Yeah No NasalGuard, Airborne Particle Blocker. I've never used it as I haven't been on a plane (or cruise ship) since January 2020. It says on the package, For Air Travelers. You "apply the gel directly around the nostrils and above the upper lip".  Who knows? But it's better than nothing when you aren't wearing a mask.

Thank you, I will look into that!

[PRgal]

Husband just tested positive.  My son and I are (still) negative, but only time will tell.  Hoping that we won't be positive at all.....it's round two for him.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

Husband just tested positive.  My son and I are (still) negative, but only time will tell.  Hoping that we won't be positive at all.....it's round two for him.

Sorry to hear that. I hope you don't get it. My husband was supposed to work tomorrow but the trip was canceled because his boss just started feeling unwell. So far he tested negative so hopefully it's just this stupid cold that's going around. Actually this cold was bad enough. I still have a tiny bit of congestion left after almost a month. I'm taking that low dose/short course of prednisone so maybe that's working.

Thankfully my husband hasn't been around his boss for over a week so he dodged yet another bullet.

[shapeshifter]

My CPAP mask is driving me nuts.

Obviously it worked for William Shatner because he could just order thousands of dollars worth of masks to try.

Or maybe with his cute button nose it wasn’t necessary.

Or maybe he had one custom made. 

I can easily imagine having a mold made of my irregularly shaped nose, and then a silicone nasal pillow 3D printed like they’ve been doing for decades in dentist offices for crowns.

C’mon innovators. This is not rocket science. Isn’t preventing people from falling asleep at the wheel a legitimate public health issue to generate funding?
Hey. Shatner himself could probably afford a tax write-off to fund such a start-up.

Edited August 1 by shapeshifter

[Dimity]

I am on a new arthritis medication, luckily only for a month, but the side effects are not fun.  Sigh.  August is going to be just peachy.

[Yeah No]

I'm on a short course of prednisone and so far that's been interesting. Now I know why people say it causes weight gain. It makes you hungry and irritable. I've been able to fight off the hunger but the irritability has been a little bit of a challenge. At least I feel like it's working to help me get over my lingering post nasal drip in lieu of antihistamines which make me sick to my stomach. Only a few more days left.

[roseha]

@Yeah No I hope the prednisone works out for you.  I have been taking it for my vasculitis ever since I had terrible side effects back last November from taking cortisone.  My rheumatologist was going to have me go down to 1 mg a day but then the rash started to come back and now we are up to 5 mg 3 days and 4 mg the other days. I am seeing her soon and will see what she says.   I am wondering also about side effects, I am not sure what they all may be although it does appear that my serious balance problems may have somehow been indirectly connected to it.  Fortunately after some really good vestibular therapy sessions I have gone back to almost normal in walking now.

It hasn't caused weight gain for me but apparently the vasculitis causes weight loss and I weigh somewhat less than I did before this all started.   So I guess it can vary.

Good luck with it.

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, roseha said:

@Yeah No I hope the prednisone works out for you.  I have been taking it for my vasculitis ever since I had terrible side effects back last November from taking cortisone.  My rheumatologist was going to have me go down to 1 mg a day but then the rash started to come back and now we are up to 5 mg 3 days and 4 mg the other days. I am seeing her soon and will see what she says.   I am wondering also about side effects, I am not sure what they all may be although it does appear that my serious balance problems may have somehow been indirectly connected to it.  Fortunately after some really good vestibular therapy sessions I have gone back to almost normal in walking now.

It hasn't caused weight gain for me but apparently the vasculitis causes weight loss and I weigh somewhat less than I did before this all started.   So I guess it can vary.

Good luck with it.

Thank you. Unfortunately the prednisone has kicked me on my ass. I was taking a quarter of a 20 mg. pill/dose for 2 days in an abundance of caution because I tend to be very sensitive to drugs in general. The PA had prescribed me what she called a "children's dose" - In other words very low. I have no idea if that is in fact considered low but whatever. I was OK on that except for the hunger and some irritability, but then I decided to take half a pill yesterday and it really knocked me out. I had to get in bed for a few hours. On top of that it seems to have set me back because my post nasal drip cough suddenly came back in force and kept me up last night. I woke up with a terrific headache and more fatigue. This is exactly what the drug was supposed to help, not make worse!

So forget it, I'm done with it. It was supposed to be a short 5 day course and I took it for 3 days even though I took less than prescribed. I don't think the drug is going to solve my problem anyway. The PA assumed it would but I think the problem may not be what she thinks it is. I need to see my ear, nose and throat doctor when I come back from my vacation. I keep hoping that the problem will resolve itself but I can't count on that.

[Dimity]

15 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

So forget it, I'm done with it. It was supposed to be a short 5 day course and I took it for 3 days even though I took less than prescribed.

Because you were on such a low dose this may not matter but please check before you stop taking it completely.  I may be wrong for your situation but I know when I was on prednisone they "weaned" me off it because going off suddenly, apparently, is not a good idea.  In my case though I had been on much higher dose for much longer.

[Yeah No]

34 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Because you were on such a low dose this may not matter but please check before you stop taking it completely.  I may be wrong for your situation but I know when I was on prednisone they "weaned" me off it because going off suddenly, apparently, is not a good idea.  In my case though I had been on much higher dose for much longer.

I read into that before taking it and thankfully weaning off it is not necessary after taking it for only a few days.

[ginger90]

On 8/3/2024 at 9:40 AM, Yeah No said:

I was taking a quarter of a 20 mg. pill/dose for 2 days

Is this how it was prescribed? I’m curious because I’ve never seen a pill scored like that.

[shapeshifter]

58 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Is this how it was prescribed? I’m curious because I’ve never seen a pill scored like that.

pill splitter?

[PRgal]

Perimenopause = weird BO.  And I've never really had BO (typical Asian)!  

[ginger90]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

pill splitter?

The majority of the time a pill that isn’t scored is meant to be taken whole. So, 1/4 is odd to me. 

[Mindthinkr]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

pill splitter?

That’s what I use. The Dr said it would cost me a lot less to give me a “normal” sized dose and then split it to the size needed (a quarter). 

[roseha]

I was taking 2 and 1/2 prednisone tablets for awhile and I could split them in half with a splitter but they are so tiny I can't image splitting them in quarters?

Edited August 5 by roseha
typo

[Yeah No]

15 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Is this how it was prescribed? I’m curious because I’ve never seen a pill scored like that.

I was told by the PA that I could split it and start with a low dose until I knew if I could tolerate it.

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

pill splitter?

Yep.

10 hours ago, ginger90 said:

The majority of the time a pill that isn’t scored is meant to be taken whole. So, 1/4 is odd to me. 

I was on this issue several months ago when I had questions about splitting another pill and found out that if the pill is not coated you can usually split it but if it is it won't work the way it should if you split it because the coating has something to do with the delivery and by tampering with that you can negatively affect the drug's effectiveness.

2 hours ago, roseha said:

I was taking 2 and 1/2 prednisone tablets for awhile and I could split them in half with a splitter but they are so tiny I can't image splitting them in quarters?

Oh, I've split smaller, I'm used to it. Or maybe whatever brand I'm getting is not as small as yours?

BTW I am feeling much better since I stopped taking the prednisone.

[ginger90]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

by tampering with that you can negatively affect the drug's effectiveness.

Right, that’s why I wondered. It depends if the particular prednisone is an immediate or time-release formula. Time-released medications aren't meant for splitting because they are designed to release medication throughout a specific period of time.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Right, that’s why I wondered. It depends if the particular prednisone is an immediate or time-release formula. Time-released medications aren't meant for splitting because they are designed to release medication throughout a specific period of time.

Well one thing I learned is that I can tolerate a 5 mg. dose. I'm not completely turned off to it because the eczema behind my right ear and lower scalp is completely gone now and I read that it has been prescribed for flare-ups. Nice to know. I'll have to check with my dermatologist on that.

[shapeshifter]

28 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Well one thing I learned is that I can tolerate a 5 mg. dose. I'm not completely turned off to it because the eczema behind my right ear and lower scalp is completely gone now and I read that it has been prescribed for flare-ups. Nice to know. I'll have to check with my dermatologist on that.

My sister was on prednisone for decades for life-threatening asthma.
Apparently running cured her asthma?
Anyway, after about 20 years off of prednisone,she's back on it now (age 73) for something called dysautonomia. 
She's very concerned about increased osteoporosis from taking prednisone, since she developed osteoporosis from being on it from about ages 30-50.

[AgathaC]

My frustration with iron-deficiency anemia continues. I got back in with my PCP and he was very helpful and validating. He said he was referring me to a hematologist so I can get started on iron infusion therapy and try to figure out exactly what’s causing the problem. They’re in the same big clinic so he checked before my appointment and made sure there were openings. That was 2.5 weeks ago. They sent the referral a half hour after I left and nothing. The nurse called twice to get them to move along and call me. Crickets.

Meanwhile, Hubby and I have a big trip in two weeks. When I saw my doctor, it didn’t seem like this would be an issue, as I would have started getting infusions. Now it looks like that won’t happen in time. Hubby has googled stuff about anemia and air travel and is worried. (My hemoglobin is low and that can cause problems at high altitudes.) I left yet another message with the nurse to try to figure out what we need to do. Kind of hate bugging her as she’s not the one causing a problem, but oh well.

Here’s hoping I get some helpful response. Getting very tired of fatigue and chills on a daily basis.

[AgathaC]

Well, after frustration with the specialist’s office (there was, according to my PCP, “an administrative cluster f$&@“), I finally saw the hematologist. I’ll have iron infusion therapy in a couple of weeks. He thinks it’s all gyn-related. I see her next month, so we’ll find out then.

In the meantime, my bp was high, so I went back to my PCP, who diagnosed me with hypertension, started me on meds and had me buy a monitor.

Right now, I’m kind of in that “what’s next?!?” place. I thought my body wouldn’t start falling apart until I was at least in my 50s — hopefully 60s! My husband had always had a touch of hypochondria (he was adopted at birth and doesn’t have family history), so now he’s in anxiety mode on my behalf.

Hubby and I are going on vacation in about a week. I never needed it more.

[ABay]

Prologue: I have been convinced I'll go blind since I was 8 and first got glasses.

Today: I'd been having issues with my right eye so I went to the eye guy 2 weeks ago and everything was fine. I went in today for a follow-up and things are not ok. The pressure in my left eye is way up so I'll be taking latan-something. And I'm seeing a retina specialist next week because I might/probably have a central retina vein occlusion in my right eye. The doctor told me I'm not going blind, these are treatable, etc. This does not prevent me freaking the fuck out. Eyes are everything.

Checking medical conditions online just makes things worse (it's always "you're gonna die!").

I needed to get this out. Carry on.

Edited August 29 by ABay

[Anela]

I’ve seen a couple of posts this morning, about people being sedated, in the hospital, because of Covid.  One is a young woman, whose husband said he’s waiting for her to wake up, after they both got Covid, and she went downhill fast, last Wednesday.  The other is a teenage boy, I think. His mother is with him, and the nurses have been talking about scary/OG Covid being back.  
 

[shapeshifter]

32 minutes ago, Anela said:

I’ve seen a couple of posts this morning, about people being sedated, in the hospital, because of Covid.  One is a young woman, whose husband said he’s waiting for her to wake up, after they both got Covid, and she went downhill fast, last Wednesday.  The other is a teenage boy, I think. His mother is with him, and the nurses have been talking about scary/OG Covid being back.  
 

Yeah, I didn't think my elderly neighbor (close to 90) was going to come home from the hospital with Covid a couple of weeks ago, but he did. He looked like he lost 30 lbs. His elderly wife had it too, and was very sick, but didn't need to be hospitalized.
I'm "only" 71, but I got the newly formulated vaccine in April after getting the previous one in October, and will be getting the newest one in a couple of weeks. The elderly couple thought they were doing the right thing by getting it "once a year in October." 
It annoys me that their doctor didn't give them better information like mine did, but I am a news junkie (it was part of my career) and so I probably asked questions that got me answers that my neighbors wouldn't have asked.
The Covid vaccines don't bother me, and I have 2 grandkids I see weekly who attend 2 different daycare centers and regularly hang out with their cousins who go to other schools etc.

On the other hand, the RSV vaccine was horrible for me. I don't know that I'll get another.

[Dimity]

2 hours ago, Anela said:

I’ve seen a couple of posts this morning, about people being sedated, in the hospital, because of Covid.  One is a young woman, whose husband said he’s waiting for her to wake up, after they both got Covid, and she went downhill fast, last Wednesday.  The other is a teenage boy, I think. His mother is with him, and the nurses have been talking about scary/OG Covid being back.  

I hadn't seen anything like that - more the usual BS from anti-vaxxers (sigh).  We lost a neighbour and several of my friends lost parents the first time around.  Enough already!

Speaking of anti-vaxxers, we've got whooping cough making a comeback in our area along with chicken pox and the mumps.  The coming school year is going to be just peachy.

[PRgal]

My Hong Kong relatives are asking me how my recovery is going again.  Some are still telling me to take it slow.  I've recovered well, so I don't really need to "take it slow" anymore.  It's actually getting annoying, especially when it's coming from people my age.  I get older folks (e.g. my uncle asked me if my son was aware that I had surgery...ummmm...yeah?  Because we aren't supposed to keep secrets like this from children - it's not great for their mental well-being), because there's a generational difference, but those my age were educated on this side of the Pacific and are well aware of the cultural differences.  GRRRR

  

[ebk57]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

On the other hand, the RSV vaccine was horrible for me. I don't know that I'll get another.

The RSV vaccine is one and done, so you're off the hook!

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Anela said:

I’ve seen a couple of posts this morning, about people being sedated, in the hospital, because of Covid.  One is a young woman, whose husband said he’s waiting for her to wake up, after they both got Covid, and she went downhill fast, last Wednesday.  The other is a teenage boy, I think. His mother is with him, and the nurses have been talking about scary/OG Covid being back.  

I actually saw a very recent piece on this somewhere (probably the NYT) and what they're saying is that the recent Covid strains are not more deadly, it's that the vast majority of people, even the very elderly and immunocompromised stopped getting the updated vaccines over a year ago so more people are back to getting a severe case of the virus. So that's why more people are in the hospital with it and dying from it again. All the major medical sites say that the new strains are no more deadly in general than the similarly milder strains we were seeing last year.

I have to admit that even I haven't had an updated Covid vaccine since October of 2023, a month after I had my first and to date only case of Covid. After something like 6 or more shots in total since they first came out I became vaccine weary like a lot of people so I lost track if there were any updates between then and the one that just came out. I will get it but I don't love how I feel for a couple of days afterward to be honest and after a bad cold in July that was arguably worse than Covid for me and didn't fully go away for a month I am tired of feeling like crap. Add to that needing to get a flu shot and it's even worse. But I will get both soon.

8 hours ago, Dimity said:

I hadn't seen anything like that - more the usual BS from anti-vaxxers (sigh).  We lost a neighbour and several of my friends lost parents the first time around.  Enough already!

I know, I lost my Dad to Covid in early 2020 so all you have to do is tell me Covid is more deadly again and I'm in a panic. But it isn't, we just have to keep up to date on the vaccine, like we should for a flu shot. It's really no different it's just that now we have to have two shots which is a big PITA.

[athousandclowns]

My son was over Thursday and brought me Panera and was probably here 45 minutes. I get a text i@  9 pm that he tested positive for Covid. This is his third case.  I worry terribly about him because he has Crohn’s with no large intestine . The next day I woke early was very nauseated all day taking  prescription twice.   In addition had an all day headache . This went on for days except the headache was 2 full days. . I have GI issues so had nausea RX handy and other than not being able to eat don’t think it’s Covid.  Hunting up tests kits i threw away at least 6 tests.   I’ll take one test tomorrow.   I had to google the isolation protocols all over since I’ve not gotten it and figured they’ve changed. I was to go to a wonderful  art festival in the redwoods Saturday and my friend asked if I was up to going?  What? 
 I think what  I’ve have going on is probably stress worrying about him ,our communication is text because he’s very hard of hearing and he’ll answer very briefly .  He says he’s tired and  napping but when I ask if he’s taking the medication that  he did last time he just doesn’t respond . I ask about the rest of the family, he doesn’t answer. I know he doesn’t want to worry me.   I’m pretty darn sure the 2 kids and his teacher wife went to school Friday. I had my last vaccine this last June but realize my flu vaccine was is due Sept 1. The new vaccine is in southern Ca but not here yet. On top this off yesterday I noticed water on my counter and was wiping off cabinet and under the sink was all wet. YouTubed how to turn the water off and will wait to call a plumber. 
hope I don’t wake up at 4 again can’t fall back to sleep and  my mind goes crazy. 

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, ebk57 said:

The RSV vaccine is one and done, so you're off the hook!

I had thought RSV was every 2 years, but I guess I misunderstood. That's just the minimum length of time they should last.
So thanks, @ebk57, for motivating me to look it up:

Quote

Currently, CDC recommends only a single dose of RSV vaccine for all adults ages 75 and older and adults ages 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease. Based on clinical trial data, one dose of RSV vaccine can provide protection for at least 2 years. Studies are ongoing to determine whether people ages 60 and older would benefit from receiving additional RSV vaccine doses in the future

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/hcp/older-adults-faqs.html

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:27 PM by shapeshifter
clarity