This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)

#1 | Back to Top01-28-2010 06:55:33 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

S'right. Having to explain things is like the number one best way to learn. FACT! school-eng101 And with literally half of the senior class ahead of us FAILING THEIR EXIT EXAM, well I need all the help I can get!

So. Anyone got any questions they'd ask a nurse? Generally, these are the same questions you'd ask a doctor, with the exception of 'Hey can I get a bigger dose of that Percocet?' I've taken Psych and I'm in Ob and Peds, though I totally aced the fuck out of Med-Surg, which is like...everything else. Also, I'm probably going to give you a way better answer than a nurse would since nurses are lazy and hate teaching and don't have textbooks and access to Pubmed. emot-dance

Now tell me where it itches. emot-smile


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#2 | Back to Top01-28-2010 07:03:51 PM

satyreyes
no, definitely no cons
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 10328
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Ha ha guys, this is me from last night!  "Gio!!  My poop is purple, I'm bleeding gastrointestinally, I think I'm going to faint!"  "What did you have for dinner last night?"  ".......beets."

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#3 | Back to Top01-28-2010 07:04:31 PM

lazypirates
Anthy Assailer
From: Minneapolis
Registered: 02-24-2008
Posts: 77

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

YOU HAVE SUCH EXCELLENT TIMING. I NEED TO ASK SOMEONE INFORMED AND I DON'T KNOW ANY INFORMED PEOPLE.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed 2 small bruises on my inner left thigh--they were about the size of a penny, pinkish-purple, and they hurt a little when pressed. The color and pain fluctuated from day to day. I hadn't done anything I remembered that would cause them, and it's hard to think of random clumsiness that would lead to that kind of bruising there.

2 weeks ago the lower bruise started expanding until it was about the size of a half-dollar. It also fluctuated between pink and purple, and it had a raised area in the middle. It hurt much more than the smaller ones (I could feel it while walking around, etc.). At the same time, two of the small ones appeared on my inner right thigh--very much the same as the small one that's still on the left.

This week, all four are still there, they are always purple, and they don't really hurt. The big one no longer has any raised area. Since it appears to be going away, I'm not overly concerned, but I am awfully curious.

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#4 | Back to Top01-28-2010 07:45:52 PM

SexingTouga24/7/365
is on a BOAT!
Registered: 12-10-2006
Posts: 2267

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Well I am going on a Cruise, 01-31-2010 and have a bit of a cold...or something? I got the nasal flu mist for H1N1 on last Thursday; and I have had the regular flu shot in 2009. So I am wondering if I have a cold or a immune system reaction to the H1N1 vaccine. emot-confused
Symptoms: coughing, expelling phlem of a clear color, slight rattling in throat.
Attempted treatments: have been taking Thera flu sever cold with mixed results. Also vitamin booming self* 7 ways to Sunday and consuming more peppers/spicy food.
Either way I need to clear this shit up fast any good over the counter remedies you can recommend?

* Stop laughing I could not think of a better way to write this.


"If all the world is a stage and all the people players"...then I demand a less shitty part or the ability to get off of the stage. Slowly my sanity slides, slipping, swirling, spiraling...Save Me I need Sleep...Shattering Soon. school-devil "RukaxTouga equals the Fourth of July" MY patriotic celebration...FUCK ME TOUGA AND RUKA NOW!! etc-wankgirl etc-wankdude

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#5 | Back to Top01-28-2010 08:30:27 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

lazypirates wrote:

small bruises on my inner left thigh

Do you have cats? Do they like to make bread?

They sound like pretty ordinary bruises. That area is very, very easy to bruise, you could do it poking yourself rushing to pull on pants in the morning. The color fluctuations are normal for a healing bruise, especially in a fatty area like that. If there's marked hard swelling or warmth, you need to get concerned. Otherwise, they're just bruises. emot-smile

SexingTouga24/7/365 wrote:

I got the nasal flu mist for H1N1 on last Thursday; and I have had the regular flu shot in 2009. So I am wondering if I have a cold or a immune system reaction to the H1N1 vaccine. emot-confused
Symptoms: coughing, expelling phlem of a clear color, slight rattling in throat.

The nasal vaccine is a live vaccine, so there is a possibility, albeit slim, you got H1N1 from it. The symptoms however are not severe enough to make me think this--H1N1 and the flu in general will give you a fever to die for. However, clear phlegm is characteristic of any general viral cold, so you probably just have any one of the millions of colds that those two vaccinations don't do shit for.

SexingTouga24/7/365 wrote:

Attempted treatments: have been taking Thera flu sever cold with mixed results. Also vitamin booming self* 7 ways to Sunday and consuming more peppers/spicy food.
Either way I need to clear this shit up fast any good over the counter remedies you can recommend?

Theraflu doesn't actually stop the cold, just the symptoms, and research suggests you don't necessarily want to lose all the symptoms--fever in safe amounts is the body's way of fueling up and burning off the cold. Also, there's almost no evidence supporting that vitamin C booming does much of anything--differences are recording in length by quarters of days. Spicy food also doesn't do anything. The bottom line is that the best thing to do for a cold is give your body what it needs to fight it--vitamins of ALL kinds, ideally not in pill form, lots, and lots of water, and sleeping like a bear in winter.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#6 | Back to Top01-28-2010 08:56:52 PM

Aya
Unfulfilled Juror
From: In a cold place
Registered: 12-18-2009
Posts: 228

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

How do I tell the difference between having Pellagra, or just being a vampire?
I need to know if it's more blood or Niacin that I should be looking for.

Last edited by Aya (01-28-2010 08:58:04 PM)


Yes, I did it because I was bored. So?

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#7 | Back to Top01-28-2010 09:39:27 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Aya wrote:

How do I tell the difference between having Pellagra, or just being a vampire?
I need to know if it's more blood or Niacin that I should be looking for.

Pellegra is a deficiency of niacin or tryptophan. Aside from dietary deficiency, it can occur secondary to bowel diseases (inability to absorb intake), or in severe alcoholism (again). Diarrhea and delusions/whacky behavior are the cardinal signs, with scaly skin sores coming after. Unless you live in a very poor area in Mexico where your primary diet is corn, it's incredibly unlikely you have this. If you eat any sort of protein at all at all, you don't have this. It's what I'd call a 'House diagnosis', which is to say it's only something House would think of because it's stupid rare in developed countries. With the exception of severe uber veganveganvegans. emot-rolleyes

You're probably not a vampire either, though. emot-smile


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#8 | Back to Top01-28-2010 10:05:39 PM

SexingTouga24/7/365
is on a BOAT!
Registered: 12-10-2006
Posts: 2267

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Thanks Gio...Good luck with your studies.


"If all the world is a stage and all the people players"...then I demand a less shitty part or the ability to get off of the stage. Slowly my sanity slides, slipping, swirling, spiraling...Save Me I need Sleep...Shattering Soon. school-devil "RukaxTouga equals the Fourth of July" MY patriotic celebration...FUCK ME TOUGA AND RUKA NOW!! etc-wankgirl etc-wankdude

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#9 | Back to Top01-29-2010 12:13:26 AM

Aya
Unfulfilled Juror
From: In a cold place
Registered: 12-18-2009
Posts: 228

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Giovanna wrote:

You're probably not a vampire either, though. emot-smile

Darn. I was hoping my murdering sprees had finally gained meaning.
Well, back to wikipedia to question you about more rare desieses. emot-rofl


Yes, I did it because I was bored. So?

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#10 | Back to Top01-29-2010 12:55:55 AM

sharnii
Pharaoh of Phanstuff
From: Melbourne Australia
Registered: 08-10-2008
Posts: 2416
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Great thread idea. emot-biggrin Here is a rather embarrassing question I must ask:

On Monday morning I had a polyp removed from my cervix (ouch!). Actually it didn't really hurt - it was small and accessible and was done with tweezers/forceps? and no anesthetic. Anyhoo the doctor said I could expect to see some light bleeding right after (which I did), but not after that. And that I could do any "activities" I wanted to do. Without waiting.

On Wednesday night I masturbated (hey it happens school-devil) and this included some penetration with a vibrator. It felt good (really good) and there was no pain or anything. But to my surprise when I finished I noticed I was bleeding. A lot. It was heavy bleeding and it lasted for hmm, maybe 5-10 minutes? It even included some skin-type substance that reminded me of what the polyp looked like when the doctor showed it to me. It was more bleeding than I'd experienced after the polyp removal or during the earlier pap smear. And I don't bleed after sex. (I should include that my results from both pap smear and polyp removal have come back clear).

Fortunately it stopped. So I'm thinking that maybe I should have let myself heal up a bit more, and I should give it a week or two before masturbation and/or sex of a penetrative nature. Does this sound right?

And is it anything to be concerned about? Since the doctor did tell me I was fine to have sex etc and hey, I waited two days...

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#11 | Back to Top01-29-2010 04:32:18 AM

allegoriest
Delicious Duellist
From: Cloudcuckooland
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2507
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

If I already had the piggie flu, I'm pretty sure I don't have the normal flu, I've been taking allergy AND cold medicine well over a month with no relief, and still have a cold, should I just stop buying the damn medicine and wait for spring? I WAS coughing up blood, but now its just like... yellow crap when I wake up and my throat wants to murder me. I'm combating its ouchies with lots of citrus, but only in a HAH, THAT STINGS, DOESN'T IT. I'm running out of tissue money.


Since that isn't really a question, I guess tell me something cool about AIP porphyria. Or you could like, tell me a good book. I've only heard what doctors can tell me in brief visit time, and I don't understand doctory words, so its hard to look up. And since most the world doesn't have that disease, they don't have it chillin on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.
(I think I have AIP anyway. It's the less horrendous skin one. It was that or HCP. I HATE LETTERS. I only get blotchy red, not like, demonic. Fuck you, sun. I think the only difference was the skin thing, and while mine DOES change, its not very notable. But there wasn't a good comparison.)

(While Satyr apparently poops in purple, I can instead pee in it apparently. Though usually just dark, never quite purple.
...Well that was TMI.)



...What uniform do people with your title get? I'm deathly curious.

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#12 | Back to Top01-29-2010 06:42:14 AM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

sharnii wrote:

And is it anything to be concerned about? Since the doctor did tell me I was fine to have sex etc and hey, I waited two days...

When was your last period? Trauma to the cervix could cause a little leaking of menstrual blood before your time actually comes up. It could also just have been crappy luck for you. Keep in mind it's a tender area with very thin mucosa. If the bleeding was self-limiting and there's no pain or residual drizzling, it's probably not much to worry about. To most people saying it's safe to screw presumes that 1. you're fucking something much smaller and softer than a vibrator, and 2. you're not really getting off, which moves the cervix around a lot more.

Funny story. When I was um...nevermind how young, but I tried to make a dildo once...out of tinfoil. Blood everywhere. I was fine two days later and at it again. emot-dance

allegoriest wrote:

If I already had the piggie flu, I'm pretty sure I don't have the normal flu, I've been taking allergy AND cold medicine well over a month with no relief, and still have a cold, should I just stop buying the damn medicine and wait for spring? I WAS coughing up blood, but now its just like... yellow crap when I wake up and my throat wants to murder me. I'm combating its ouchies with lots of citrus, but only in a HAH, THAT STINGS, DOESN'T IT. I'm running out of tissue money.

You certainly could have the regular flu--they're different viruses and one offers no protection from the other. Coughing up blood is never a good sign, and yellow...well how yellow? The rule of thumb is that clear secretions, no matter how much of them you get, are viral. Greenish yellow hues are bacterial and need to be treated. Pale yellow however can just be the color of normal lung shit. Viral infections of the cold variety are also usually self-limiting and don't last a whole month. You might have bacterial bronchitis of one of many sexy sorts with the throat from coughing, or you could have a migrating strep infection. Either way, cold-like symptoms like that sustained over a month aren't normal and you should probably hop over to the doctor and ask what the fuck's up. Did you run a fever at any point?

allegoriest wrote:

Since that isn't really a question, I guess tell me something cool about AIP porphyria. Or you could like, tell me a good book. I've only heard what doctors can tell me in brief visit time, and I don't understand doctory words, so its hard to look up. And since most the world doesn't have that disease, they don't have it chillin on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.
(I think I have AIP anyway. It's the less horrendous skin one. It was that or HCP. I HATE LETTERS. I only get blotchy red, not like, demonic. Fuck you, sun. I think the only difference was the skin thing, and while mine DOES change, its not very notable. But there wasn't a good comparison.)

I honestly had to research those two a little myself. HCP is the one with the purple urine. Both HCP and AIP are genetic disorders, and pretty rare. But there's no known treatment for either except avoiding the attack triggers, which are usually drugs, alcohol, variations in diet, and so forth. Have you actually been diagnosed with one of these? I'm guessing it was by process of elimination. As for where to get information, your best bet's probably going to be medical texts on skin diseases and hereditary autosomal disorders.

allegoriest wrote:

...What uniform do people with your title get? I'm deathly curious.

Scrubs. Just like the fucking nurse's aide, the janitor, and everyone else not a doctor. emot-mad Yes I'm bitter about that. I know scrubs are clean and convenient and all but they're what everyone else is wearing and if you want to encourage an idea that you're in a 'profession', that's not how you do it. emot-mad I bet nurses were more respected when it was the Nurse Ratched outfit.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#13 | Back to Top01-29-2010 02:31:32 PM

allegoriest
Delicious Duellist
From: Cloudcuckooland
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 2507
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

I'm mid diagnosis, but I couldn't afford anymore for now, cause it was expensive as HELL. I got really sick, and they noticed my urine CAN turn purple, and with my other symptoms they suspect one of those. (Also, I generally reject medicine like hell.) However, my skin doesn't get THAT bad, and that's kinda the kicker for them thus far. Of course, I don't stay in the sun that much. My brother's however DOES, and that makes them suspicious.

Clearly, this is a good reason to not give into my sister's WE MUST ALL CRASH DIET.


Nah, I've never had a fever, and I went from rust, to gold, to just... yellowy. I went once, and it was in a down time, and they went 'cold, getting over it, have fun'. ($200! emot-gonk ) Then it came BACK, and now I'm winding down again. Though my throat never stopped being all swollen, but its normal now, so I'm hoping that's good...


I mean the Ohtori nurse. : D I bet Akio would pay for sexy nurse outfits.
...I hear they have those in Mexico with the little hats.
I would feel a million times better at a doctor or hospital if they had to wear sexy nurse outfits. This is fact.

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#14 | Back to Top02-01-2010 07:26:01 AM

Stormcrow
Magical Flying Moron
From: Los Angeles
Registered: 04-24-2007
Posts: 5971
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

When I woke up this morning there was a curious sound coming from my chest. It was sort of a buzzing, humming kind of sound, very quiet, and it only happened when I exhaled deeply. I have had a cold the last couple of days, but I'm feeling much better at the moment. Anything to be worried about?


"The devil want me as is, but god he want more."
-Truck North
Honorary Hat Mafia Member

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#15 | Back to Top02-01-2010 11:31:08 AM

OnlyInThisLight
KING OF ALL DUCKS
Registered: 01-15-2008
Posts: 4412

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

My heart rate is off the hizzy (sic).  Like, I'll be sitting in bed and out of nowhere I feel my heart beating fast -not painfully, but noticeably.  And it will keep it up for over an hour.  Also, it takes over an hour for my heart rate to return to resting after I exercise [around 20 minutes three times a week on a stairmaster, relatively low level].

My mom suggested I could be having panic attacks without realizing it.  I'm afraid my cardiovascular health is in the toilet.

And I'm so careful about my fat, salt and caffeine intake nowadays. emot-gonk

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#16 | Back to Top02-01-2010 12:22:38 PM

Setsuna
Tragedian
Registered: 02-25-2009
Posts: 1370

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

I had to take the last two shots Guardasil vaccine recently, and the people that work at my doctor's office fucked up when I was supposed to take it. It's about a two months late in between when I was supposed to take it. Is it still effective as a vaccine?

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#17 | Back to Top02-01-2010 05:58:02 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Stormcrow wrote:

When I woke up this morning there was a curious sound coming from my chest. It was sort of a buzzing, humming kind of sound, very quiet, and it only happened when I exhaled deeply. I have had a cold the last couple of days, but I'm feeling much better at the moment. Anything to be worried about?

If there was no pain and it went away, nope. Lung secretions tend to accumulate in the night because you're breathing less/coughing less, so some mild morning wheezing when there's a known cause isn't considered problematic. Now see, I wheeze randomly throughout the day and on exertion. emot-mad

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

My heart rate is off the hizzy (sic).  Like, I'll be sitting in bed and out of nowhere I feel my heart beating fast -not painfully, but noticeably.  And it will keep it up for over an hour.  Also, it takes over an hour for my heart rate to return to resting after I exercise [around 20 minutes three times a week on a stairmaster, relatively low level].

My mom suggested I could be having panic attacks without realizing it.  I'm afraid my cardiovascular health is in the toilet.

And I'm so careful about my fat, salt and caffeine intake nowadays. emot-gonk

It's really hard to say what the problem there is without knowing how fast your heart's going and what your normal rate is. Your heart may simply be beating harder--people often mistake this for faster, but it indicates different problems. The first questions I would ask in an otherwise healthy young adult are 1. are you drinking enough fluid, 2. do you take any stimulants, or did you just stop taking them (coffee and soda counts), and 3. do you become short of breath or feel chest pain?

All people have a natural variability in their heart rate--it's an expected sign on fetal heart monitors and scary shit if it's not there. A marked degree of it however can be panic attacks, of a sort, but if it takes so long for your heart rate to slow after exercise, it's probably not that. In most cases, someone your age with symptoms like that is eating or drinking too little or too much of something. Fat and salt won't be it yet--that's hypertension, not accelerated heart rate. Caffeine, yes. Water?

Setsuna wrote:

I had to take the last two shots Guardasil vaccine recently, and the people that work at my doctor's office fucked up when I was supposed to take it. It's about a two months late in between when I was supposed to take it. Is it still effective as a vaccine?

Generally, missed doses are far worse than even severely delayed ones--finishing the three is more important than when they were taken. I scanned the literature and there is a lot of questioning about the effectiveness of delayed doses. There's some doubt...so you might want to ask your doctor about having a titer drawn up a year or so after you finish the third.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#18 | Back to Top02-02-2010 02:30:01 PM

Emiemipoemi
Troublesome Insect
Registered: 12-10-2006
Posts: 649

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

I went to the eye doctor and he said my eye pressure is up to 20. I have to go in every year for him to check and make sure I'm not getting glaucoma. He said I'm fine right now, just to be aware of it. I know I have slightly elevated blood pressure, at least when I last checked in like JUNE. I know it's probably because of my weight.

Since my blood pressure was checked in June, I've begun to lose weight. I've lost about 30 pounds now. Have about 40 to go. I'm stuck in a plateau right now but I'm not giving up. I know I'll lose the weight in a year or two.

My question is will my blood and eye pressure go down as my weight goes down? I'm only focusing on losing weight at the moment, not lowering my blood pressure. Is it okay that I'm focusing just on the weight loss at the moment? Is there anything else I should be doing? Again, I'm not giving up or anything. I just know that I might get overwhelmed if I have to focus on losing weight AND lowering my blood pressure at the same time.

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#19 | Back to Top02-02-2010 03:36:43 PM

Hinotori
The Notable Death Mantis
From: Soviet Ohiostan
Registered: 10-23-2006
Posts: 1335

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

ITT: Gio gives each and every one of us Medical Student Syndrome

Right, so. It's kind of gross. That's a warning to anyone else just reading the thread who's uncomfortable with blood and poop and things.

What all do you know about ulcerative colitis? I've had it for 15+ odd years and it spent much of that time not giving me any problems at all, to the point where I somewhat deluded myself into thinking that it magically just went away. Then the last two weeks happened and now the primary export of my lower GI tract is blood and mucous. actual questions: What are the consequences of just ignoring something like this for many years other than the obvious? My previous doctor told me that as long as I wasn't bleeding there isn't a problem. I'm pretty sure he also though I was a hypochondriac, though. I don't have insurance and wont for another month, so is there anything I can do in the meantime to hold down the fort or is this something I should just suck up as more important than my phone bill and see a doctor about?


Hinotori made this post, and then went back and changed it later. Such is life.

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#20 | Back to Top02-02-2010 04:47:30 PM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Emiemipoemi wrote:

My question is will my blood and eye pressure go down as my weight goes down? I'm only focusing on losing weight at the moment, not lowering my blood pressure. Is it okay that I'm focusing just on the weight loss at the moment? Is there anything else I should be doing? Again, I'm not giving up or anything. I just know that I might get overwhelmed if I have to focus on losing weight AND lowering my blood pressure at the same time.

The absolute best thing you can do for your blood pressure is weight loss. The heavier you are, the less it matters how you drop the pounds. Still, now that you're moving along, you really want to look at smart dietary modifications. Read up on the DASH diet subscribed for people with heart disease--you're not there, no, but the general idea is pretty solid. You want lots of whole grain, healthy oils (olive oil), less salt, etc. Is your cholesterol elevated? Do you have any other conditions that would cause high blood pressure?

Exercise is also vital, but you might want to speak to your doctor about the whys and whatfors of your eye pressure--certain exercises might be a little less smart than others, such a heavy weight lifting. I can feel my eyes wanna fucking pop out when I do that. Lifestyle modifications are the absolute most effective way to lower blood pressure, and that's coming from someone who is overall very quick to take pills. Now in the case of glaucoma, though it tends to be present with high blood pressure, I think it's less responsive to lifestyle changes--that you may eventually need medication for.

In short, keep doing what you're doing. If you can cut some salt out, add some brown rice, use more olive oil...good. Oh, and a very, very good, very cheap way thing that's stupid good for your cardiovascular system: fish oil pills. Make sure you get the enteric coating or you'll burp them all day, but they're cheap as balls and very, very good for you.

Hinotori wrote:

What all do you know about ulcerative colitis?

Last week had a five year old with it. emot-frown

Because most of the medications used for UC are pretty heavy on long-term side effects, if you're in remission or even if you only have minimal symptoms, doctors will not give you meds. It sounds, however, like remission is over. emot-frown As I can recall most of the treatment options run along the lines of corticosteroids and immune modulators. Both will lower your immune defenses. The first will also make you fat and bloated, and becomes biologically required by your body after prolonged use. The latter will make most people sick and makes your immune system even more shoddy. You might have been on something like mesalamine before? In the case of my patient last week, she'd become resistant to that...so that's something to watch for if the doctor prescribes the anti-inflammatories first, and he probably will.

Honestly, there probably aren't any major consequences if you had no symptoms at the time. The disease does remit that way for some people. The danger is in ignoring it once it's active like it is now. So suck it up and go to the doctor. You do not want to know the statistic in my textbook for how many people with UC end up losing huge pieces of their colon and get -ostomies because the inflammation just burned the life out of everything. Take care of yourself.

And you know what? If you can...bring the doctor a sample (no more than a few hours old) of what you're crapping. If he's a skeptic or it's a new doctor, he'll assume GI infections first...and it may be worth ruling out besides.


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#21 | Back to Top02-02-2010 08:54:13 PM

Emiemipoemi
Troublesome Insect
Registered: 12-10-2006
Posts: 649

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Yeah I've been looking into the DASH diet. I try to follow it for the most part but I've been on a bit of a relapse until my food scale comes in. I walk several times a week for my exercise (I walk to and from work) and have been trying to up it more. Baby steps.  Once I get my food scale and I'm back on my full-on calorie counting I will be following the DASH diet much more closely (such as lots of veggies and fruits, whole grains, watching sodium etc etc.) I was following it pretty closely for a while before I ordered my food scale. It's really not that difficult.

Btw, sodium is a sneaky little fucker. There was a three week period right before I started taking my little break where I was watching my sodium like a hawk (using sodium-free salt, looking at sodium content of everything I ate) and STILL every day I would be eating 100% of my daily sodium recommendation. Damn you sodium.

Thank you Gio. That question has been plaguing me for a while now. I'm not really concerned about the glaucoma thing yet. My eye doctor said that as long as you catch it early (which is very easy to do if you just get it checked once a year) it's extremely easy to fix. He also said that it's not guaranteed I get it, just that my risks are higher since I'm overweight and have high pressure. I'm just concerned about getting healthier in general right now.

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#22 | Back to Top02-02-2010 09:34:20 PM

Setsuna
Tragedian
Registered: 02-25-2009
Posts: 1370

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Thanks Gio! emot-keke

I have another one I forgot, I get nosebleeds once or twice on my period. What does this mean?

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#23 | Back to Top02-03-2010 03:11:44 AM

Aya
Unfulfilled Juror
From: In a cold place
Registered: 12-18-2009
Posts: 228

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Ok, so I used to throw up all the time as a reaction to stress, but for some reason, I just stopped. However, I noticed a slow decline in...well, the constincey of my poop. It's almost diahrrea like sometimes, and it has me running to the bathroom some days. My diet isn't really different from when it was before, and I get about the same ammount of exersise. The only real difference is that I moved. Do you think that my body might have changed its reaction to stress, or could it be a real sickness?


Yes, I did it because I was bored. So?

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#24 | Back to Top02-03-2010 03:33:50 AM

Giovanna
Ends of the Fandom
From: Edmonton, AB
Registered: 10-12-2006
Posts: 8797
Website

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Setsuna wrote:

I have another one I forgot, I get nosebleeds once or twice on my period. What does this mean?

Well I can't say I've heard of this, but I would theorize that the hormones going rampant in your body are a deciding factor, as they will cause higher blood pressure, higher blood volume (swelling thar folks), etc., all of which incline you to nosebleeds if you have thin mucosa/bad luck. If you live in dry weather, it's an aggravating factor. Unless you lose more than maybe an ounce of blood (one really absorbent napkin), then it's not going to hurt you. You should mention it to your doctor, just to see if it becomes a piece of evidence in some larger diagnosis, but I think on its own it's pretty innocent. Strange shit happens when we rag.

Aya wrote:

Ok, so I used to throw up all the time as a reaction to stress, but for some reason, I just stopped. However, I noticed a slow decline in...well, the constincey of my poop. It's almost diahrrea like sometimes, and it has me running to the bathroom some days. My diet isn't really different from when it was before, and I get about the same ammount of exersise. The only real difference is that I moved. Do you think that my body might have changed its reaction to stress, or could it be a real sickness?

If you have a history of GI reactions to stress, then the diarrhea is not even remotely strange. (Diarrhea's my pre-period 'blessing'.) Actually diarrhea's one of the more common stress reactions, right up there with panic attacks. Throwing up in stress is more of a childhood manifestation, so it's possible you've found a new and unique way to hate stress. However, if your diarrhea is very thin and watery, like near clear, or there's red or brown ruddy chunks in it, you need to see a doctor. Also if you run a fever. If it's just plain old runs, try bulking up your diet with a slice or two of high fiber bread or some metamucil. Try fiber bulking before you try things like kaopectate.

Another thing to check out if you're drinking it is the local water and any possible new allergens in the area. Every area treats their water in different ways and some people will get the Mexico runs just because they're in Naples. (S'right, satyr. My aunt was used to the industrial waste water in NYC. emot-keke )


Akio, you have nice turns of phrase, but your points aren't clear and you have no textual support. I can't give this a passing grade.
~ Professor Arisa Konno, Eng 1001 (Freshman Literature and Composition)

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#25 | Back to Top02-03-2010 05:46:53 PM

Katieryn
Rose Smilee
From: Not-the-City, NY
Registered: 12-08-2009
Posts: 139

Re: Ask Nurse Spadaro! Avoid public embarrassment!

Okay, so I take a medication daily and have the option of taking a half dose as needed. Trouble is, this medication increases prolactin...soooo whenever I take the as-needed dose, I (oh god) start to lactate for a couple days. It's just a bit, but still, it's so WEIRD. Should I be concerned about it? Are there any long-term effects of increased prolactin in general? And can it have any effect on the hormonal birth control I take?

Last edited by Katieryn (02-03-2010 05:47:33 PM)


"If Utena was a novel, you'd be studying it in college." -- EM site info

We're patient for now, and we're patient for tomorrow, when the past will redeem all the toil extreme and all the sorrow.

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