Well, Crapola!
A few weeks ago, I posted about whatmy pain medication may hide, yesterday I found the truth. Call me slow about some things but I had to do some thinking.I have RA, fibromyalgia, bad back, etc - all sorts of nice things that cause pain. So I get the good drugs. I have this awesome pain patch that masks 99% of it. It wasn ' t until I was an idiot a few weeks ago and forgot to change my pain patch I had no idea how much pain.The thinking process I had to go through was what was all that pain from and why is it important? I know several people that have RA as well, my mother and an old friend. Both of them are on injected bi...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 20, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggressive ailments arthritis treatment medical crap rheumatoid arthritis Source Type: blogs
Good News Again
Stable:
Since April of 2016 my treatment regimen has been Pomalyst (pomalidomide) and Darzalex (daratumumab), with dexamethasone in the early months. That combination brought my IgG and M-Spike down to the lowest levels seen since diagnosis 14 years ago. M-Spike has not been above 0.5 g/dL since August 2016, and it was 0.5 again last Tuesday. IgG was 536 mg/dL, about where it has been for more than a year. This is wonderful.
The Darzalex protocol (with Pomalyst) calls for infusions once per week for 8 doses, then every other week for 8 more, and finally once per month " until disease progression. " ...
Source: Myeloma Hope - September 18, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: acid reflux daratumumab Darzalex GERD PET scan pomalidomide Pomalyst thyroid Source Type: blogs
Combination hormonal therapy boosts survival in men with aggressive prostate cancer
A standard approach for treating aggressive prostate cancer is to give therapies that block testosterone, a tumor-stimulating hormone. Should initial hormonal therapies fail, doctors can switch to other drugs that suppress testosterone in different ways. One of them, a drug called abiraterone, has been shown to significantly extend lifespans in men who have become resistant to other hormonal treatments.
But in June, two major studies reported simultaneously that abiraterone also prolongs life in men with aggressive prostate cancer that’s been newly diagnosed. One of the studies, a phase 3 clinical trial called LATITUDE, ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 18, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Cancer Health Men's Health Prostate Health Source Type: blogs
A Buggy Case
A 35-year-old man with a history of asthma presented with an exposure after spraying his garage with an insecticide he bought at the hardware store. Shortly after spraying the insecticide, he noticed eye itchiness, tingling, pruritus over his arms and legs, and shortness of breath. His blood pressure was 130/85 mm Hg, heart rate 70 bpm, respiratory rate 14 bpm, temperature 98.7°F, and SpO2 96% on room air.He was alert and anxious, his skin was warm with mild erythema, and he had urticaria over his forearms and ankles. His lung exam revealed diffuse wheezing bilaterally. His eyes were watery, and his pupils were 4 mm...
Source: The Tox Cave - July 3, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Google Calendar Notifies Me of Friends' Birthdays. And of Their Deaths.
Some people lie about inconsequential things like who recorded what and who peed on whom. A couple years ago, my friend Parsnip crossed the line: on Facebook, he lied about his birthday.On the day Facebook said was his birthday, Parsnip ’s timeline was flooded with thoughtful posts like “Happy birthday dude!” and “HB.” Hundreds of posts just like that from a spectrum ranging from cousins to Facebook friends he couldn’t recall ever having met.Birthdays are meaningful and I thought deserving of a one-on-one deep conversation instead of public recognition. So I texted him, “Happy birthday Parsnip!” The exclama...
Source: cancerslayerblog - June 11, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: living habits Source Type: blogs
Urgent Care Follies
What is it with antibiotics and steroids for upper respiratory infections at Urgent Care these days?
Over-prescribing of antibiotics has been a problem ever since the recognition that uncomplicated upper respiratory infections were almost always viral and would resolve on their own. I like to call the Z-pak (a pre-packaged 5-day course of azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic) a “Placebo Antibiotic.” It doesn’t help a viral infection, but has relatively few side effects, and the accomplishment of making the patient feel like he’s gotten something for his handsome $15.00 co-pay. Not optimal treatment ...
Source: Musings of a Dinosaur - May 26, 2017 Category: Primary Care Authors: notdeaddinosaur Tags: Medical Source Type: blogs
DIY Healthcare
Through my new book, Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor, I am launching a movement I call “DIY Healthcare”–health you regain on your own using natural and inexpensive efforts. And you do so WITHOUT the doctor, without the hospital, without the predatory, profit-seeking tactics of the healthcare industry.
Doctors will warn you that DIY Healthcare is dangerous. But, as you get acquainted with this concept and the details provided in the Undoctored book, you will come to realize that not only is DIY Healthcare not dangerous, but you can achieve a level...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - May 15, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored doctors drugs health healthcare natural procedures Source Type: blogs
Even short term use of oral steroids (less than 30 days) linked to increased risk of severe infection (sepsis), blood clots and fracture
One in five American adults in a commercially insured plan were given prescriptions for short term use of oral corticosteroids during a three year period, with an associated increased risk of adverse events. Of 1.5 million adults, 21% received at least 1 prescription for oral corticosteroids over 3 period.The most commonindications for use were:- upper respiratory tract infections- spinal conditions- allergies.Within 30 days of drug initiation, there wasan increase in rates of:- sepsis- venous thromboembolism- fractureRisk over the subsequent 31 –90 days.The increased risk persisted at prednisone equivalent doses of less...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - May 8, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Allergy Infectious Diseases Pulmonology Source Type: blogs
If you have low back pain try these steps first
Low back pain, the scourge of mankind: it is the second leading cause of disability here in the United States, and the fourth worldwide. It’s also one of the top five medical problems for which people see doctors. Almost every day that I see patients, I see someone with back pain. It’s one of the top reasons for lost wages due to missed work, as well as for healthcare dollars spent, hence, a very expensive problem.
Looking at two kinds of back pain
Let’s talk about the most common forms of back pain: acute (which lasts less than four weeks) and subacute (which lasts four to 12 weeks). Most of these cases (approximate...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Back Pain Managing your health care Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Hope Lost, I Guess Long Ago
I just don ' t feel well. An overall feeling of not feeling good, fatigue, yet my stomach - is it anxiety? This time it is...is it an ache? I do not know, I am trying to tell the difference between overwhelming anxiety and physical pain. I give up. It just feels the way it feels but I am glad I am not in bad pain and not stuck in bed. I just feel yucky. I am so tired of feeling this way, if indeed all of this time it has been physical pain.Am I the only one that experiences this confusion? Not being able to tell the difference between horrible anxiety and stomach pain? Not sharp...
Source: bipolar.and.me - January 9, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Hope Lost, I Guess Long Ago
I just don ' t feel well. An overall feeling of not feeling good, fatigue, yet my stomach - is it anxiety? This time it is...is it an ache? I do not know, I am trying to tell the difference between overwhelming anxiety and physical pain. I give up. It just feels the way it feels but I am glad I am not in bad pain and not stuck in bed. I just feel yucky. I am so tired of feeling this way, if indeed all of this time it has been physical pain.Am I the only one that experiences this confusion? Not being able to tell the difference between horrible anxiety and stomach pain? Not sharp...
Source: bipolar.and.me - January 9, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Emotional Mess!
I have been on the absolute worst emotional rollercoaster for the past few days, it has been a nightmare! Things would get into my mind and fester, growing worse and worse and giving me more anxiety, angst, sadness, anger, the whole range of intense emotions for the entire day.Chris has been the one who has been tolerating my craziness, and I mean it must seem like absolute abandonment of emotional control. He has been so, so patient and understanding, not suggesting anything like not taking medication, mania, simply replying to my rambling, constant and upset texts all day long when I KNOW he is especially busy....
Source: bipolar.and.me - January 6, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Emotional Mess!
I have been on the absolute worst emotional rollercoaster for the past few days, it has been a nightmare! Things would get into my mind and fester, growing worse and worse and giving me more anxiety, angst, sadness, anger, the whole range of intense emotions for the entire day.Mark has been the one who has been tolerating my craziness, and I mean it must seem like absolute abandonment of emotional control. He has been so, so patient and understanding, not suggesting anything like not taking medication, mania, simply replying to my rambling, constant and upset texts all day long when I KNOW he is especially busy.&...
Source: bipolar.and.me - January 6, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
