It sucks growing old

[bill_g]

I had my first check up on Medicare yesterday at Kaiser. They are just as efficient as I remember them from a couple decades ago including knowing all the shots that I am behind on: Tetanus, Flu, and Shingles. "Sure, let's have them all" I said. Ugh. Kinda regretting that now. Two sore shoulders and feeling about 60%. A little nausea. Slept terrible with an emergency bowel evacuation in the middle of the night. That's way off my normal cycle. I'm sticking to liquids today to flush it all out.

[AndyinPA]

[RTH10260]

sure the cuttlery is not sticking to you

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[p0rtia]

All I can say is that it was a lot more fun being 20 in the 70's than it is being 70 in the 20's.

You and me both. Though technically I won't be 70 for another nine months. But I've already starting telling people I'm 70. I'm not sure why; I think I'm trying to accept the idea.

Is everyone else enjoying their zero gravity chair?

[Foggy]

I got a zero gravity chair, but it just sits there. Isn't it supposed to float around the room or sumpin'?

I think some gravity is holding it to the floor.

I never heard of a ZGC before. No, I don't have one.

[mojosapien]

Happy 70th to Sharon Osbourne

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

I had a seizure this evening while helping friends move. Luckily, I recognized it as it was happening and managed to put myself into a controlled fall onto my back, so I only have scrapes on my hand and a couple broken teeth (both injuries from convulsing, rather than the fall). Was released a bit after midnight. One of my friends did Search and Rescue in Georgia, and she's trained her husband in first aid. Between the two they got me stabilized by the time the EMTs arrived, and the EMTs told me they were very impressed (she was the one to call it in, and gave them all the vital info in the right lingo).

So now I'm not allowed to drive until I see a neurologist. Luckily, I can do most of my work from home and today was a remote day so all my equipment is with me. And another friend just found out today that she was hired and will be working with me in the same department, so rides are possible! (I alerted her to the opening and coached her a bit on prepping for the interview and assessment).

I am feeling fine, if a bit weak.

[Uninformed]

Impressed by how well you appear to be handling a nasty incident and wish you well.

[Foggy]

OMG, W. Kevin WhoeverYouAre, that's terrible! I am certain you scared the heck out of Dr. Vicklund too, and I am sending a thousand hugs and much love to you and your whole family. And your EMT friend and her husband.




That's not a thousand, but you get the idea.

I'm gonna be hopeful. Medicine makes big advances all the time now, so I am gonna expect that you'll get the best possible care and come out on the other side of this thing.

[MsDaisy]

I had a seizure this evening while helping friends move.

Poor baby, my sister was handicapped and at the age of 28 she started having seizures, many of them extremely long winded and violent. She was on a handful of seizure medications 3 times a day and still she seized, and she was so drugged out from all the meds she'd just sit in her wheelchair with her head hanging down. Finally after about 11 years of that I threw a bit of a fit after she seized for a bit over 3 hours that the fucking meds they had her on DO NOT WORK and just dope her up and demanded that they get her off all that stuff. It took 6 months to wean her off all the meds and surprise surprise, no more seizures. That’s when they told me one of the side affects of the meds they had her on was seizures. I was furious! Whatever they put you on to control your seizures please read up on all the side affects. Just a heads up….

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[jemcanada2]

[AndyinPA]

[Foggy]

I am gonna vouch for what MsDaisy said. It's easy to forget that she was an EMT for years, and MrDaisy is a doctor from that island across the pond. I've been to their (genuine pre-Civil War) home a few times, and she is not just smart as a whip, she has all kinds of crazy experiences that have given her great wisdom.

Okay, she can be a little reckless. I remember when she flipped a four-wheel drive vehicle on her property and got thrown out in a most uncivilized manner, and another time she got attacked by giant wasps that could carry away small children, and another time ... well, let's just say her life is full of adventure, is the best way to put it.

But on seizures? I'd listen to her before my stupid primary care provider, who I told you about.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

I had a seizure this evening while helping friends move.

Poor baby, my sister was handicapped and at the age of 28 she started having seizures, many of them extremely long winded and violent. She was on a handful of seizure medications 3 times a day and still she seized, and she was so drugged out from all the meds she'd just sit in her wheelchair with her head hanging down. Finally after about 11 years of that I threw a bit of a fit after she seized for a bit over 3 hours that the fucking meds they had her on DO NOT WORK and just dope her up and demanded that they get her off all that stuff. It took 6 months to wean her off all the meds and surprise surprise, no more seizures. That’s when they told me one of the side affects of the meds they had her on was seizures. I was furious! Whatever they put you on to control your seizures please read up on all the side affects. Just a heads up….

I was indeed aware of that, and the story of your sister sounds so familiar I wonder that's part of why I am aware. It may be a bit before I can see the neurologist. Here's hoping that now the Great IT Avatar has tried turning it off and on again, everything is back running at spec.

Thanks everyone!

[Kriselda Gray]

[keith]

I had a seizure this evening while helping friends move.

Poor baby, my sister was handicapped and at the age of 28 she started having seizures, many of them extremely long winded and violent. She was on a handful of seizure medications 3 times a day and still she seized, and she was so drugged out from all the meds she'd just sit in her wheelchair with her head hanging down. Finally after about 11 years of that I threw a bit of a fit after she seized for a bit over 3 hours that the fucking meds they had her on DO NOT WORK and just dope her up and demanded that they get her off all that stuff. It took 6 months to wean her off all the meds and surprise surprise, no more seizures. That’s when they told me one of the side affects of the meds they had her on was seizures. I was furious! Whatever they put you on to control your seizures please read up on all the side affects. Just a heads up….

My sister-in-law had much the same experience - it wasn't seizures though, I'm not sure what they thought they were treating her for. She was going downhill on the meds, and they just kept upping the dose. I'm not in the really good books with her daughter that is in town, so what I said didn't count for much. But fortunately, her other daughter halfway across the world was really worried what she was seeing over Skype calls and stuff and 'did her own research' on what the meds were doing and ripped her sister a new one for not paying attention. It took 6 months to wean her off whatever it was, and she improved just about day by day. The damage it did didn't completely go away though, so she's still a bit 'ditzy' and uncoordinated, but the prodigal daughter has returned and is taking good care of her. Now if we could only wean her off the cigarettes - she smokes like a chimney - but apparently her lungs are still 'good'.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

I found out a bit more from my friend who found me and administered first aid. I went cyanotic before he could roll me on my side, at which point I started breathing on my own.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[Lani]

I now have joined the fogbowers shingles club! I feel so special.

Had a small rash on my neck that was kinda hot and itchy. I thought it was an allergic reaction and used benedryl lotion & pills. Did not help. This morning was the 3rd day, and I woke up with it down the right side of my back & chest and bothering me A LOT. Very ugly, creepy inch+ long lesions. (sorry)

I looked at my Kaiser website in case I need to get care and discovered that I could have a free phone consultation. 10 minutes later, a doctor called me - after screwing up by calling my son instead. (Both of us use Kaiser.) Anyway... he was pretty sure that I had shingles, and I made it to the clinic pharmacy minutes before it closed. Anyone use valacyclovir? I'm on it now.

So far it's just very irritating and very creepy looking. I hope it doesn't get worse.

[Kriselda Gray]

Oh man! It's like you can't catch a break on the health front! I don't have any experience with the medication you're asking about, though - sorry. I hope it works well for you and gets you cleared up fast!

[MN-Skeptic]

I've had issues with cold sores for which my doctor prescribed Valacyclovir. With cold sores, the doctor can either prescribe a larger dose which you take when a cold sore appears - it's been a while so I forget the dosage, but if I remember right you only take one dose now and one dose in 12 hours, and that's it. Or the doctor can prescribe a lesser dosage which you take on a daily basis and you don't get cold sores. That's what I'm taking now - 500mg every morning.

I guess the shingles virus must be related enough to the cold sore virus such that Valacyclovir works on both.

By the way, I've had both the first version of the shingles vaccines, and the newer version of the shingles vaccine. Did your doctor talk to you about that? Is it effective once you have a shingles outbreak?

[mojosapien]

I have the $20. wheresgeorge.com?

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[Lani]

I've gone through times when nothing goes right, and I say mercury is in retrograde. It's a joke, which I am invoking again. Eventually things move on. A lot is going on now, but eventually it will pass.

The move was so screwed up that I only use my small bedroom as the dining room, bedroom,and work desk. The Bali dining table and my very loved old Queen Anne secretary were very damaged, so I await on the insurance. Also broken Spode china.

I collected cloisonne & jade years ago, apparently now valuable, but I just love the beauty. I don't have any functional furniture to showcase them now. This move is going to take some time.

And I need a dog and someone to install a dishwasher! Eventually, it'll be ok.

Meanwhile, I'm packing up my former wardrobe. I gave a lot of it away before I moved. Covid sent me from weighing 120 to under 100. I'm working on getting to at least to 100. I'm taking a lot of my clothing, some with tags, to resale stores. That gets me out of the house and to meet more people in my new neighborhood.