This Year is Our Year for Success!
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Helene, I don’t think it’s dehydration because it’s happened several times following a meal where I also consumed at least 1-2 glasses of a beverage. I know before the last one I had 1 glass of wine and a large glass of water with my meal, plus my usual amount of fluids during the day, so I really don’t think I was even a little dehydrated. It’s truly mystifying. My heart is in good shape, my EEG didn’t show any issues, there doesn’t seem to be any heart arrhythmia, my blood glucose levels are stable, etc. My doctor told me awhile back that he wanted me to come in the next day if it happened again, but given the issues we are having with him, I didn’t bother. Plus, it happened Friday night and the earliest I could have seen him would have been the following Monday, which would have been too long for him to find anything meaningful. My earliest recollection of a similar incident occurred when I was 14 and fainted in church. Since then, it’s happened at least 7-8 times.
The 2 new doctors will be new to the practice. Currently he is a solo practitioner, with 2 nurse practitioners and a PA. I think they will be staying on and working with the new doctors. I’ll give them a try and hopefully we will like them enough to stay with them. It would be so much easier than trying to find a new doctor that takes Medicare and is accepting new patients.0 -
Pam - I'm sorry you had such a bad week! A good friend is dealing with feeling sort of faint at times. I hope both of you are able to get some answers!
DH has a similar worst case approach to any health issue. Here's hoping you can get an earlier pulmonologist appointment. Lack of available specialty appointments drives me nuts!
I finally replaced my PCP and really really like the new young doctor I found. Plus she's practically right around the corner from my house. It took awhile and I did have to wait for an appointment. And then the first appointment I had they cancelled their whole day because their systems were down. Did they pick up one extra appointment a day until they caught up? Of course not! They moved everyone back to their first open (later) appointments!
She's also right next door to their lab which is super convenient (as long as you don't eat before you go).0 -
Helene - that's interesting about dizziness as a side effect of BP medication. I'm glad you got it straightened out so quickly.
One thing we're lucky about here in Baltimore is lots of specialists even though many of them are busy. I think the PCPs are the busiest.0 -
I've now had my flu, COVID and RSV shots. No reactions to any of them.
I continue to feed 5 days a week and the rest of the time I hunker down and work.
Last weekend I finalized the CROM holiday newsletter.
This coming weekend I need to start trying to figure out the new Maryland state computer filing system for non profit annual reports. Can't wait (SARCASM!!)0 -
Happy belated birthdays both of you!
I've been AOL I know. Drowning here in work and government filings and everything else. I have "just" two more government computer systems to learn (Maryland state and post office). If I can conquer those maybe I'll finally get a minute to myself.
When I just can't take it any more I take a break and read. I'm on the 12th book of the Marie Force Fatal series. Really enjoying it!0 -
Helene, I don’t think it’s dehydration because it’s happened several times following a meal where I also consumed at least 1-2 glasses of a beverage. I know before the last one I had 1 glass of wine and a large glass of water with my meal, plus my usual amount of fluids during the day, so I really don’t think I was even a little dehydrated. It’s truly mystifying. My heart is in good shape, my EEG didn’t show any issues, there doesn’t seem to be any heart arrhythmia, my blood glucose levels are stable, etc. My doctor told me awhile back that he wanted me to come in the next day if it happened again, but given the issues we are having with him, I didn’t bother. Plus, it happened Friday night and the earliest I could have seen him would have been the following Monday, which would have been too long for him to find anything meaningful. My earliest recollection of a similar incident occurred when I was 14 and fainted in church. Since then, it’s happened at least 7-8 times.
The 2 new doctors will be new to the practice. Currently he is a solo practitioner, with 2 nurse practitioners and a PA. I think they will be staying on and working with the new doctors. I’ll give them a try and hopefully we will like them enough to stay with them. It would be so much easier than trying to find a new doctor that takes Medicare and is accepting new patients.
I saw a nurse practitioner for years. Since I don't rely on the PCP for much of anything at all (too much access to specialists around here) it worked well. UNTIL the hospital decided they had to do all these "old people tests". I tried saying "no" every way I could think of and finally decided to leave.
Most of my specialists did get a belly laugh out of my description of it all. E.g. she turned over a piece of paper and wanted me to draw a clock face. I thought my cardiologist was going to roll on the floor.0 -
Maryanne, the “old people” tests are really a joke, unless one is really having cognitive issues. I forgot to mention that while everything else was going on last week, I also went for a hearing evaluation and during the intake I mentioned that I knew that hearing loss can accelerate cognitive decline. The next thing I knew, they had me doing a computerized cognitive evaluation! Apparently I still have most of my marbles, because I scored in the high normal range. And my hearing is still pretty good, although tinnitus is greatly annoying me. But I’ve had that since the mid-90’s, so I’m used to it.
With 3 large medical schools in this area, we also have a lot of specialists, but it is still difficult to get in to see certain ones, depending on the specialty. Apparently pulmonologists all across the country are in short supply, thanks to Covid. Our PCP said many closed their practices to work in hospitals during the epidemic, then either stayed with the hospital as hospitalists, or retired, and of course, some succumbed to Covid. So that means the ones that are still in practice are completely overwhelmed with patients.0 -
Gee, I’ve never been asked to take any old people’s tests. People tell me I look younger than my actual age. Good Genes from my mom and sun avoidance let me avid a lot of wrinkles and crow’s feet. Other than that reason, don’t know why the topic hasn’t come up in my doctor visits.0
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Gee, I’ve never been asked to take any old people’s tests. People tell me I look younger than my actual age. Good Genes from my mom and sun avoidance let me avid a lot of wrinkles and crow’s feet. Other than that reason, don’t know why the topic hasn’t come up in my doctor visits.
This nurse practitioner was supposedly ordered to do it with every patient over a certain age by the hospital they are affiliated with. Probably to collect the separate Medicare fee for it. Where DH goes it's a separate module done by someone other than his doctor and apparently easy to say "no" to. I'm hoping he gave me an accurate description. LOL!0 -
Michele, from the NS board, her cancer has recurred and she's been given a 25-30% chance of survival.0
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I’m so sorry to hear this about Michele. She was always so helpful to people who had questions or frustration with the process.
I’m back from my visit to DC to see my friend who moved up there 2 years ago. Three of my friends joined me for this trip and our hosts really were so happy to have us. We had a nice dinner Wednesday night at their home and lots of time to chat, then on Thursday we were up early to head into DC for our White House tour. After that we went to the Smithsonian zoo to see the giant pandas before they are returned to China sometime before the end of the year. We were fortunate to get to see all 3 of them. After that we headed ver to a place called Eastern Market, where our hosts said they had found the best crab cakes they’ve ever eaten. We all ordered them for our lunch and they absolutely lived up to the hype! Unfortunately while we were there, one of my friends fell off the barstool she was sitting on and injured her elbow as well as severely bruised her hip and leg. We were terribly worried about her because she has both hips replaced as well as partial replacements of both knees. She was in a lot of pain, but refused to go to urgent care or an ER. The owner of the place was helping us and a homeless man even came up and gave her a bandaid. We hobbled half a block with her where our host met us with the car and headed back to their house where we cleaned up her wound and pampered her as much as she would allow for the rest of the night. She felt terrible, fearing that she had ruined the trip, which of course was untrue. Luckily, our hosts had a cane they didn’t need, so that helped her to get around for the rest of the trip. The next day we got up and had breakfast, then everyone got ready for the day. We had lunch in Reston at a taco place, then headed out to a beautiful winery where we spent the afternoon sampling wine and eating charcuterie and just enjoying the lovely views. That evening we played a board game at the house then went to bed early. Saturday we went to a diner for brunch, then walked around a nice little farmer’s market before heading back to the house to get our bags and head out to the airport. We had an uneventful flight home, and I think we were all glad to be back home.
Today I met my grad school friends for lunch to celebrate my friend’s birthday. We had a very nice lunch, but the parking around this restaurant was horrendous. I’m back home now relaxing and trying to figure out what I have going on next week. The most important item on the agenda is we finally got an appointment for DH with a pulmonologist for Wednesday afternoon.0 -
That’s terrible news about Michelle. I hope she’s one who beats the odds.
Pam, your trip sounded wonderful except for your friend’s mishap. How is she doing since she returned home? Congratulations on getting the doctor’s appointment. We’re still waiting on a specialist appointment for DH. I don’t have high hopes for getting it before we head to FL. His dental cleaning got canceled as well. There are three hygienists in the practice and his is out for surgery and recovery for 8 months. They suggested I call every morning to see if anyone has canceled. The earliest appointment with his hygienist is next June.0 -
DH saw the pulmonologist today and as I expected, more tests were ordered. He didn’t seem to think anything very serious is going on, but wouldn’t say too much until the breathing test and sleep study are done. Hopefully it won’t take very long to get those completed. He offered to do a telehealth follow up visit, which will be much easier than going to his office for the follow up consultation. He seemed to think it might be a recurrence of asthma, which DH had as a child, but needs the tests to confirm this. DH was annoyed with me for mentioning the snoring and falling asleep every time he sits down, but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to get him checked for sleep apnea.
My friend is still having pain when walking, even while using a cane. She and her husband plan to visit a condo they own in the mountains of NM this weekend to close it up for the winter. She will have to climb stairs there as the bedrooms are up 1 level from the main level. She said right now she has a dark bruise the size of a soccer ball on her hip and is still having a lot of pain. I encouraged her to go to a doctor when she gets back home unless the pain is a lot better and she’s able to walk more easily. She said she would, but we’ll see if she does.0 -
DH had a fall two years ago. He had terrible bruises that took 6 weeks to completely fade. He’s on a blood thinner so the bruises were more prominent. I wonder if your friend is on a blood thinner?
Your husband’s appointment sounds encouraging. Good luck with the future appointment and tests.0 -
Yes, she is on a blood thinner because she had a blood clot in her leg, which the doctor found because she was getting ready for knee replacement surgery. Her doctor didn’t want to schedule her for surgery until the clot was gone. She’s been on Eliquis for at least 2 months now. I forgot that it would contribute to her bruising.0
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I’ve been sick for several days with a virus I caught from DH. It felt like a cold with congestion and some coughing. I had a mammogram scheduled today. I decided to err on the side of caution and took a Covid test. To my horror, it was positive. I rescheduled my appointment and I’m resting and watching TV. I’m sure the recent vaccination kept my case mild but it’s still a disappointment that I caught COVID after 3.5 years healthy.0
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I’ve been sick for several days with a virus I caught from DH. It felt like a cold with congestion and some coughing. I had a mammogram scheduled today. I decided to err on the side of caution and took a Covid test. To my horror, it was positive. I rescheduled my appointment and I’m resting and watching TV. I’m sure the recent vaccination kept my case mild but it’s still a disappointment that I caught COVID after 3.5 years healthy.
Oh, no!!! I guess we can't give up our vigilance. Here's hoping your case stays mild and you feel 100% soon!0 -
Yes, she is on a blood thinner because she had a blood clot in her leg, which the doctor found because she was getting ready for knee replacement surgery. Her doctor didn’t want to schedule her for surgery until the clot was gone. She’s been on Eliquis for at least 2 months now. I forgot that it would contribute to her bruising.
Hopefully it's just bruised. I just read a book where the heroine was limping around and when her husband finally forced her to go to the doctor she had a broken hip. No clue if in real life you can actually walk with a broken hip. I probably should google that!0 -
DH saw the pulmonologist today and as I expected, more tests were ordered. He didn’t seem to think anything very serious is going on, but wouldn’t say too much until the breathing test and sleep study are done. Hopefully it won’t take very long to get those completed. He offered to do a telehealth follow up visit, which will be much easier than going to his office for the follow up consultation. He seemed to think it might be a recurrence of asthma, which DH had as a child, but needs the tests to confirm this. DH was annoyed with me for mentioning the snoring and falling asleep every time he sits down, but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to get him checked for sleep apnea.
Here's hoping they can pin down the cause and get him some relief!
Do you actually have to sleep to have a sleep study? That might be hard for a lot of people to do.0 -
I’m feeling much better today. It feels like the remnants of a mild cold now. I should be back to normal by Sunday. I’ll take a new test just to make sure I’m negative by then. In the meantime, I’m keeping my germs to myself by staying at home.0
