WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2017

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  • spikeyhair
    spikeyhair Posts: 2,078 Member
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    Kate UK <3
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,125 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    lhscapil wrote: »

    I may have to go back on Nexium for a couple weeks. I've been tested for H Pylori several times and it's always negative.

    Have a great week ladies!

    Lanette
    SW WA State

    Do some research on Nexium before you do. Turns out ... it is a poison.

    I was put on that stuff a number of years ago ... on it for about a year ... horrible stuff ... then it took me about 4 months to wean off. But so thankful I did in light of recent studies.

    The recent information about Nexium.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/r-heartburn-drugs-tied-to-greater-mortality-2017-7?IR=T


    My Dr put me on it for heartburn, and although it didn't really seem to help, I stayed on it. Then I had a gastroscopy and that surgeon said I did test positive for H Pylori and mild GERD, and told me to just stay on Nexium forever.

    Of course, H Pylori should have been treated with antibiotics, so he was wrong on that count, but Nexium was probably one of the worst things I could have been on.

    It's bad on it's own ... but mixed with my genetic mutation MTHFR was disaster. Nexium inhibits the absorption of a number of vitamins that are key to keeping MTHFR under control and I went from being a happy, positive, energetic person ... to dragging myself through the day, and then curling up on the sofa every night after work and crying. I had a lot of weird muscle spasms, weakness, chest pain, and shortness of breath. I went from walking and cycling reasonable distances ... to hardly being able to walk around the block.

    And it is not easy to get off. My husband helped me by cutting the pills down, so that I could take 3/4 of a pill for 3 weeks, then 1/2 a pill for a few weeks, etc. but the process was so painful ... just agonising.


    Anyway, yes, do have a good talk to your Dr before you consider that drug ... it's a nasty one.

    M in Oz

  • klanders30
    klanders30 Posts: 2,569 Member
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    <3B)
  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 9,786 Member
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    Lisa~ Egg is so cute.. sounds like your busy buys, but look at the outcome... you will be near your daughter
    as you said about your mom, I am very content living on my own, no one to answer to but me.. will see how things go really will need to have a dog.. I cant live without a furbaby.. and depending on how things go, will see how Tom works it out with the boys.. well going to get ready for work, go to lawyers sign papers and then go to work, be home after 5
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,084 Member
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    :heart:
  • janetr7476
    janetr7476 Posts: 4,001 Member
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    Lisa, I wish I were closer too to buy the ribbon/trim from you. How large is a "bin"? How feasible would it be to box it up and mail to me? I'd be more than happy to pay a fair price, plus shipping. IM me if you think it's plausible.

    Janeyr OKC
  • Peach1948
    Peach1948 Posts: 2,473 Member
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    LOVE the kitties! <3
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,125 Member
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    10.8 km of walking today. Not all at once, but it added up! And a lot of that was with a heavy backpack.

    Today was Day 1 of the step challenge I signed up for. :)

    Also ...

    Today was my last class for my current course.

    Tomorrow is the first class for my next course.

    Machka in Oz
  • okiewoman510
    okiewoman510 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    Happy Monday Ladies! I had a great weekend. Our team won the game in a squeaker so that always makes the party more fun :smile: . I got in some good dog time with the hosts two dogs. Sunday I went for a walk and got to spend a bit of time with another neighbor's horses and donkey. The horses are cool, but that little rescued donkey melts my heart. He wandered into the neighborhood one day and picked the right house. They took him in and love him. They were all a little annoyed I didn't have snacks with me for them. I'll try to catch them up front today and take some carrots or peppermints with me (the snacks their humans have approved I give them).

    I thoroughly enjoyed all the party food on Saturday. I did get in a two hour walk before the party to offset any oversnacking I might do. I ate mostly veggies, a bit of meat, some grapes and one small pork tamale with chili and onions. I didn't weigh it of course, but I didn't overindulge so the walk was a bonus. They teased me that I switched to drinking the hard stuff after the game....the hard stuff was regular old unsweet iced tea instead of water. I was down a little over a lb this morning so my efforts paid off. I am giving it my best effort to get my BMI to the normal range by the time I go for my annual exam in two weeks. It may be tough, I tend to lose only a few ounces each weigh in for two/three weeks and then drop a couple of pounds all at once. It's still moving down most weigh in's, so that's positive.
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 16,675 Member
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    #####
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,405 Member
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    It's Monday!!

    Becca
    - glad your DH is in good spirits and it does make sense to wait until he's all finished up before you take the drive. Also, wanted to mention the Hallowe'en photos you posted a couple days ago were just super.

    <3 Love the kitty photos! <3
    Joyce - Mozart is a gorgeous big boy!

    Lisa - Egg looks like a wise and caring kitty. Even tho he's ticked that he's not getting ALL of your attention. B) I am SO excited for you and your homesteading plans! We loved being on a well when we were on the farm and having a hand pump is a great idea. We are now on a 4 house "community well" and there's no supply tank so if the power goes out, no water. YUK. DH and I aren't exactly preppers, but we always have plenty of food and supplies here if needed, and that includes plenty of water for drinking and flushing.

    Rye - your kitty helpers are gorgeous as well. Congrats on the size 12!!

    Machka and Katla - thank you for the info on Nexium. If you read the bottles now for these types of acid blockers, they all say don't take for more than 2 weeks and only a few times a year at that, and if your symptoms persist after 2 weeks, see your doctor. That's what I do. My doc had me on omeprazole last year which didn't work so I got some Nexium, did the 2 week regimen and it did the trick. Otherwise, I avoid all that stuff it at all possible. My BFF was on Nexium for years and ended up having several stomach surgeries as her esophagus became deformed somehow thanks to the acid blockers.

    I don't think Nexium and omeprazole were meant to be taken for months and/or years, altho some doctors were OK with prescribing it for long periods of time. My DH has been on omeprazole for years, prescribed by his rheumatologist, and it's scaring me because it creates B12 deficiency which can be a precursor to dementia.

    I don't generally like licorice but DGL tablets (deglycyrrhizinated licorice root) work well for acid reflux, and I need to order a new bottle- it comes in different flavors so is palatable. It's supposed to be very safe.

    Lanette
    SW WA State
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Widely Used Heartburn Drugs Linked to Dementia Risk in Study
    HealthDay Feb. 15, 2016, at 12:00 p.m. + More

    By Dennis Thompson
    HealthDay Reporter

    heartburn2152.jpg?resize=180:135
    MONDAY, Feb. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A popular class of heartburn medications might raise a senior's risk of dementia, a new study suggests.

    Called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), this group of drugs includes Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid. They work by lowering the amount of acid produced by the stomach.

    But German researchers found that people 75 or older who regularly take the medications had a 44 percent increased risk of dementia, compared with seniors not using the drugs. The study only found an association, however, and not a cause-and-effect link.

    "To evaluate cause-and-effect relationships between long-term PPI use and possible effects on cognition in the elderly, randomized, prospective clinical trials are needed," said corresponding author Britta Haenisch, from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn.

    In the meantime, "Clinicians should follow guidelines for PPI prescription, to avoid overprescribing PPIs and inappropriate use," Haenisch said.

    The report was published Feb. 15 in the journal JAMA Neurology.

    The results are surprising enough that at least one leading expert on aging, Dr. Malaz Boustani, plans to share the findings with older patients who are using PPIs.

    Boustani said earlier studies have linked another type of antacid, H2 blockers, with an increased risk of dementia. Up to now, he's recommended that patients use PPIs to treat acid reflux and steer clear of H2 blockers like Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac.

    "I'm going to disclose the finding to my patients and then let them decide whether they will take the risk or not," said Boustani, a professor of medicine with the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and a spokesman for the American Federation for Aging Research. "On Monday I have clinic, and if I have patients taking a PPI or an H2 blocker I will tell them exactly what I'm telling you, and then they can decide."

    More than 15 million Americans used prescription PPIs in 2013, at a total cost of more than $10 billion, according to a report by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Several popular PPIs -- Prilosec, Prevacid and Zegerid -- also are available over-the counter, further boosting their use.

    Concern has been increasing that Americans might be overusing PPIs to treat minor cases of heartburn or acid reflux.

    As many as 70 percent of PPI prescriptions in the United States have been inappropriately handed out by doctors, and 25 percent of long-term users could stop taking the medication without suffering increased heartburn or acid reflux, according to a study published in January in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

    Overuse of PPIs could have drastic effects on health, that study found. For example, the medications have been linked to a 20 percent to 50 percent higher risk of chronic kidney disease.

    And now the German researchers report there also is some evidence that PPI use might affect a person's ability to reason.

    PPIs appear to effect levels of amyloid beta and tau, which are proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease, the German authors said. PPI use can also lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, which has been associated with cognitive decline.

    To test the possible association between PPIs and dementia, the German researchers collected data from a large German health insurance firm on almost 74,000 seniors aged 75 or older. The data ran from 2004 to 2011, and included diagnoses and drug prescriptions.

    About 2,950 patients regularly used PPIs, which for this study was defined as at least one PPI prescription in each quarter of an 18-month interval.

    Regular users of PPIs had a 44 percent increased risk of dementia compared with those not receiving PPI medications.

    However, the study doesn't make clear whether PPIs are also available over the counter in Germany, as they are in the United States, said Dr. Arun Swaminath, director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

    12>

    TAGS: Alzheimer's disease digestive disorders indigestion prescription drugs
  • teklawa1
    teklawa1 Posts: 675 Member
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    Checking in. I keep up my reading but must find time to post soon. Good Monday to everyone.

    Betsy from NW Washington .... in Alaska until end of November
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Lanette: I copied and posted the article I read when the news broke. Short term may not be as scary. Stay cautious and safe. :heart: