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7005. wabbit - 4/16/2007 2:29:22 PM Speaking of coughs...
7006. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 5:19:01 PM I went for my first colonoscopy. Nothing wrong but just at that age where it is advised.
The only thing that really freaked me out was the fentanyl. It blew my short term memory. I have no memory at all of the recovery room or getting dressed or talking to the doctor about my test results, or the drive home. Hubby tells me I was quite lucid and quite myself, but I have no memory of anything. He also told me I went home, called the other dr office for more test results and got them, but I have no memory of ANY of it. I don't remember anything until after I ate my lunch.
That is just tooo weeeird! 7007. concerned - 4/16/2007 5:27:04 PM Turns out that the BPM I have started taking is only responsible for less than half the drop in BP I mentioned previously. I guess the moral of the story is that I should get more aerobic exercise. 7008. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 6:38:02 PM How can you know that? 7009. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 10:55:49 PM Wonk,
I'm like you wrt the surgery. The thing about the surgery is that if you have allergies it works for a while and then your sinuses will go back as bad as before eventually. A colleague is a perfect candidate because he has obstruction but has been tested for allergies and isn't allergic to anything. Another friend had the surgery but let her allergies get out of control and is now considering doing the surgery again. Bro controls his allergies with an antihistimine and no shots, and has had the surgery once, but he also had a deviated septum, so it worked for him. For me, the only thing that has worked has been allergy shots plus a DAILY antihistimine. You can't skip doses. It's not for symptoms, it's to prevent them. I really really really hope not to have the surgery, but Robert's the one to ask about it here. He had it not terribly long ago.
Hey Robert! How was that? Is it still working for you?
Allergy shots work, BUT along with taking the right measures, which for me means some home and classroom adjustments, some of which are a pain, but all of which have helped tremendously, and a daily antihistimine. If you do get clogged or start with the crud, take something like Mucinex as opposed to a decongestant, ALONG WITH the antihistimine. I'm also on a nasal steroid.
Especially since it depends on correct test results to target the specific allergens. And that would seem to be a problem.
Allergy testing for severe allergies, which is where most people are going to be miserable enough to finally go to an allergist, are very clear. Either you react or you don't. Once they know, the treatment is designed specifically for your allegeries and the degree of severity. You take the shots 3-5 years, not permanently. A daily antihistimine can handle mild stuff, and even major stuff for a while. It also may do well for seasonal allergies, if you take them DAILY during that season.
My brother told me when I felt bad enough I would deal with my allergies, and he was right. You finally get where you can't stand it any more, especially here in such a high-humidity environment, then you go and get the treatment, get impatient, finally start feeling human, and kick yourself repeatedly for the years of misery, weeks of antibiotics at a stretch (I wouldn't ever do that--Bro did four months' worth once, which was ridiculous), OTC meds, etc etc. For me, the breaking point was waking up gushing blood from my nose after it had been bleeding daily for months, and when my GP did an exray and saw how bad it was in my sinuses, that's when he sent me to an allergist. That's the same GP who died last fall who'd been treating me since I was a young teen. Enough was enough.
So the first step is a DAILY antihistimine that works and Mucinex, then go from there. 7010. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 1:00:45 AM Took my first dose of thyroid meds today, and I know it's most likely my imagination, but I seem to feel a little less like crap already.
7011. wonkers2 - 4/18/2007 1:14:11 AM I think I was told I have a slightly deviated septum which could be improved by surgery. I've probably had it forever because I've never broken my nose. I've had it for a long time as well as my yellow teeth which were pointed out to me not long ago by my dentist who offered whitening. I told him I have no plans to audition for a Hollywood movie role. I'm comfortable dying with my yellow teeth and slightly deviated septum. 7012. thoughtful - 4/18/2007 1:17:33 AM interesting that you have both allergies and hypothyroidism. Both relate to the immune system and it is very common for people with thyroid problems to have other immune disorders.
You could feel better from the hormones pretty quickly, so you probably are feeling better.
7013. robertjayb - 4/18/2007 1:27:05 AM The septoplasty to correct my deviated septum was nine years ago. Apart from the bypass operation it was the best medical money I've ever spent. Only one bout of bronchitis since. Before I regularly had sniffles turning into head colds turning into bronchitis and near pneumonia. Some really miserable episodes. 7014. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 4:43:12 AM That's what Bro said about his, and his was the same main problem. He had allergies, but the deviated septum was the culprit of his chronic misery. It kept anything from draining properly and he just got repeated infections. It's definitely worth looking into. 7015. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 4:45:27 AM You're right, Thoughtful, and auto-immune stuff does run in my family, with Mom's lupus, and Bro has vitaliago (sp), as did my granddad. Bro's also had Reiter's Syndrome. 7016. arkymalarky - 4/20/2007 12:45:10 AM More "fuel" for debate 7017. Wombat - 4/20/2007 2:28:08 AM Before my wife's septoplasty, she would get several sinus infections a year, and she snored like the Queen Mary's foghorn. Afterwards, sinus infections are rare, and now she snores like Tommy the Tugboat's foghorn. 7018. arkymalarky - 4/20/2007 4:16:11 AM Awwww. I'm not going to let Bob read that post. He complains about my snoring. 7019. clydefo - 4/20/2007 6:17:31 PM Re: 7016. The Glycemic Load load.
Because of it's high fiber and water content with a moderate calorie count, Pritikin has always said that a baked potato sans skin makes a perfect between-meal snack. 7020. thoughtful - 4/20/2007 7:26:20 PM Key point at end of the article posted: And in their own research, Roberts said she and her colleagues have found that low-glycemic index diets do seem more effective for overweight people who naturally secrete high levels of the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar.
Further, it's not just about losing weight but being healthy. As I said before, you can lose weight eating nothing but chocolate and ice cream cones so long as you limit the total calorie intake, but that doesn't mean you'll be getting adequate nutrition doing it that way.
The point is the damage done by excess insulin is what is to be avoided.
And I'm sorry, clydefo but a baked potato without skin is a very high glycemic load and will definitely cause insulin rush.
See, for example, association between potatoes and type 2 diabetes.
And why without skin since it contains a lot of nutrients? 7021. clydefo - 4/20/2007 7:54:54 PM Insulin rush from a potato. Somewhere there must be a minute by minute graph showing the changes in blood sugar and insulin after eating a potato. On an empty stomach in the lab. I don't know how a "rush" is defined, but it would be interesting to observe.
A snack potato would normally be eaten before the stomach has emptied from the previous snack or meal and it's sugars would simply become part of the steady feed to the furnace. Part of the deal is to eat filling, low calorie foods right along so that one is always at least partially full. Eat to prevent hunger, not to remedy it. Pritikin is being overcautious about the solanine in any greenish skin. 7022. thoughtful - 4/20/2007 8:50:23 PM Clydefo, here's an article about the glycemic index and how they calculate it. They do test people's blood sugar over time after consuming the food vs. a control substance. The result is the starch in white potatoes yields a higher glycemic response than does table sugar.
For the most part, people don't eat a potato on an empty stomach, but as part of a full meal. Despite that, the nurses' study shows that white potatoes in particular are correlated with diabetes. I know my father had it as did his mother and brother and they were all 'meat and potatoes' people. In fact, my dad always said it wasn't a meal without potatoes. 7023. clydefo - 4/20/2007 9:39:27 PM Pritikin Longevity Center:
Nearly 40% of Type 2 diabetics on insulin injections became insulin-free.
70% of diabetics on oral drugs eliminated the need for these drugs. 7024. arkymalarky - 4/21/2007 6:15:05 AM Speaking of that, Bob's latest bloodwork was excellent, and his doctor said she didn't consider him diabetic any more. His program and maintenance have really paid off for him, and he's actually more enthusiastic about it since his readings, as opposed to taking an "as you were" attitude. Mainly, I think, because he feels so much better all the way around. The difference (and this has only been since the blood results a couple of weeks ago) is that he doesn't have apoplexy considering a bite of cobbler and ice cream and we shared a dessert today for the first time in over three years.
My program is going better, and though we ate out today (a monthly payday tradition as Arky school teachers who are paid on the same day of the month), I have had more water and fruit and more vegetables than I was having (still not a lot of veggies, but better than none), and I can exercise more since the thyroid medicine, without being sore or worn out in five minutes. I think they're going to have to adjust the meds upward based on other symptoms, but who knows until she does another blood test in about three weeks. She started out low, of course.
Work stress is continuing, unfortunately, and evidently it will be the second week in May before things settle down for me--after I get through these two grad classes and a school year that has been one of the worst of my 26 year career (nothing to do with my students or classes at all, but very unpleasant and stressful). That's not unique to me, though. We're all having a rough time, and I'm seeing no evidence that misery loves company. Years like this happen, and in some schools it's an every year thing, but we're not used to it.
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