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6985. wabbit - 4/15/2007 9:17:29 PM I'm doing much better now, thanks, I just have to go to the hospital every time I spike a fever (this time I hit 104). It's all about the drugs I take. But I'm coughing and clearing my lungs and feeling ok. I'll have more x-rays in another 3 weeks, just to be sure. This was the first time I've ever had pneumonia (and yes, I had my pneumonia vaccine). The upside is I was very impressed with our local hospital. Until now, I've always gone into Boston. It's good to know the nearest hospital is actually very good.
The rest of the family is actually feeling fine in spite of the lingering cough. No fevers, no aches and pains (so no flu), no evident infections, just a long-lasting cold.
We have had that stomach bug, too. I had it about 10 weeks ago, when it was still a 24-hour thing, but now people are sick with it for 3-4 days.
I hope everyone is staying healthy. Thoughtful, I've been thinking a lot about your mom, I hope she's doing as well as possible. 6986. wonkers2 - 4/15/2007 9:31:51 PM Wabbit, I get a bad cough nearly every winter which usually subsides in the spring. This year I'm still coughing up a storm despite one course of Zithromax. I've been to ear/nose and throat doctors a few times to no avail. I suspect it's a combination of sinus infections and allergies, possibly to our long-haired cat, Sparky or to something else trapped in the air in our house in the winter. Fortunately mine problem has never developed into pneumonia although I've felt pretty bad on occasion. And I make myself obnoxious coughing and spitting. Claritin sometimes seems to help. But I don't like to take medicines unless I'm really sick. I wish I had some good suggestions. You have my sympathy and wishes for a quick recovery. 6987. arkymalarky - 4/15/2007 10:49:27 PM If you develop allergies, Wonk, the only thing you can do is treat the symptoms and go on daily medication to keep from reacting to whatever's bugging you. Assuming you're being exposed to it every day. 6988. arkymalarky - 4/15/2007 10:51:38 PM I used to have that drainage/coughing mess a lot more, to the point that (years ago) one of my kids--I was still teaching junior high, back then, those little dears--said if I "harked" one more time he was leaving. We had an ongoing friendly back-and-forth for two or three years at the time, and he said it in jest, but it was true. I was awful. 6989. arkymalarky - 4/15/2007 10:59:47 PM Oh, and go to an allergist. 6990. betty - 4/16/2007 12:08:33 AM
you don't always have to throw away the veggie pulps. some smug vegans I know use the carrot pulp to make "carrot tuna" with their pricey vegan mayonaise. You can also add veggie remnants to things like whole wheat cous cous or put in your vegetable stock when making soup.
As someone who has been vegan and vegetarian for most of her life I have recently chosen to go with leather products because I think it is more environmentally sound than "vegan" shoes. Even though the process of leather production can be just as toxic as plastic production the life span of leather tends to be much longer (though I'm not sure this continues to be true in the case of cheaply produced low-grade Brazilian and Chinese lether). So I pay more, buy "classic" shoes and handbags hoping to minimize the environmental impact of my fashion forward living.
However, I promise that I have never, ever said something so corny as "I don't eat anything with a face." As John Lovitz said, "I'm a vegetarian because I really, really hate plants."
6991. wonkers2 - 4/16/2007 1:03:54 AM I've heard a lot of skepticism about allergists--the length and cost and results. So, I've never gone to one. Maybe I should. I was always akeptical of chiropractors. But I went to one several times last year for back pain and got great results. 6992. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:11:37 AM wabbit, thanks for the kind thoughts. Mom is getting herself back to normal, though it's taking her quite awhile to get her old stamina back.
So sorry to hear how ill you've been. It's not like you don't have enough to deal with as it is, let alone adding pneumonia and high fever to the mix. Hope you're feeling much better now.
There have been a number of people at work who have been sick, but knock wood, we've been fine.
6993. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:12:54 AM wonks,there's a big difference between chiropractors who can actually do something for you and allergists who don't even promise they will.
I always thought that, if you're going to be a doctor, be an allergist. You're patients keep coming back as they don't expect to get well, and most of the time, you collect the fee but don't even see the patient...just send them to the nurse for shots. What a racket! 6994. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:14:38 AM jex, there are so many cats i've heard now have hypert including my last cat. I don't know what's causing it but it's really something. I wonder if it isn't something to do with these vaccines cats get these days. Hypert is an autoimmune disorder and these vaccines can wreak havoc on the immune system...
Just like so many cats dying of kidney failure. Is it just that in the old days, they never made it that far for their kidneys to fail?
Beats me. 6995. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:04 AM I 6996. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:14 AM just 6997. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:24 AM wanted 6998. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:31 AM the 6999. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:41 AM millennial 7000. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:52 AM yeah! 7001. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 2:53:49 AM Wrongwrongwrong on allergists. They work, but you have to be patient. It takes around a year of shots to get full effects, and I was reading on MSNBC or Yahoo one just the other day that shots are 85-90% effective. They certainly were with me, and I have paid a dear price for stopping them because I was so busy. I also suffered needlessly for literally decades after moving from west Texas to AR and suffering allergies until my infections were chronic. My brother got pneumonia over his and that's when he finally did something, including the nasal surgery, which is and ENT thing. Mine haven't gotten that far, but I may get the surgery one of these days. I think if I will get back on my shot regimen and stay I won't need it. The shots go about 3-4 years. They aren't a lifetime treatment.
Congrats on the millennial, Thoughtful! 7002. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 2:56:42 AM The problem with most people and allergists is as with most people and other doctors and specialists. They don't do what they're told and then bitch about their treatment. 7003. wonkers2 - 4/16/2007 4:30:22 AM An ENT doctor told me surgery might help, but I didn't go for it. Sometimes those guys are like asking the people at a transmission shop whether your car needs a new transmission. 7004. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:30:53 PM This article reviews a number of meta analyses on allergy shots. Overall there does seem to be some improvement for some and it would seem to be cost effective for those who experience improvement.
From the summary of international studies:
The mean reduction in disease severity was 40%. Patients with allergies to grass pollen or cats were most likely to respond to specific immunotherapy.
But the article also says:
As these results suggest, successful outcome with specific immunotherapy requires careful patient selection.
So it is not a slam dunk. Especially since it depends on correct test results to target the specific allergens. And that would seem to be a problem. So many people I know find they're allergic to *everything*. And you don't know if the shots will help until you are well into treatment.
But hey, if it feels good, do it. My point was that, from the doc's point of view, it is a very lucrative business that keeps patients coming back again and again, with no permanent cure, and no chance of late night emergency calls that other docs experience.
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