Useless Conversation

[schild]

http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux

Guy is fucking hilarious.

[IainC]

That is great.

I found out at age 38 that I'm physically deformed today. I went to the orthopaedist because I've been getting horrible pain in my shoulder for a while and apparently my shoulders rotate by about 80º more than they should do.

[Bunk]

80 degrees more? That sounds almost like a superpower mutation. Can you windmill both your arms at high speed at a crazy angle?

[ghost]

Sounds like a visit to the orthopedist is in your near future. 

[IainC]

Sounds like a visit to the orthopedist is in your near future. 

The signal is coming from inside the room!

[ghost]

Sounds like a visit to the orthopedist is in your near future.  

The signal is coming from inside the room!

My reading skills are great.  

You need to go to an orthopedist, not one of those orthopaedist weirdos.  

[K9]

 

[Ingmar]

Maybe it is an Ia(i)n thing. I had my shoulder scoped towards the beginning of the year for a bone spur, the recovery wasn't bad at all. The only day of work I missed was the day of the surgery.

[ghost]

Shoulder troubles can be a real bitch.  I hope it's nothing you need serious surgery for.

[IainC]

Shoulder troubles can be a real bitch.  I hope it's nothing you need serious surgery for.

it's somethign I've had for a few years and kept putting off due to moving to other countries and so forth. Finally after being almost crippled with pain a couple of weeks ago I went to my doctor, got a referral to an orthopaedist and now have a referral to a physiotherapist. According to the x-rays , my shoulder is fine, it's my neck that's the issue - my neck muscles are way too tight it seems. I was rather glad that the x-ray didn't show any signs of arthritis (which is what I'd assumed it was) or anything that would require surgery.

[ghost]

I guess that sounds better.  I'm not too fond of neck problems either though.  Sometimes having the MD puts me in a perpetual state of knowing too much for my own good.  Hope you feel better man.

[rattran]

Manic Depressive, eh?

After unloading/unpacking way too much stuff, my hands hurt. Sucks getting old.

[ghost]

Might as well be.  I find it interesting that this board has attracted not one, but two people with medical degrees that don't practice medicine.  That probably goes along well with manic depressive.

[Yegolev]

http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux

Guy is fucking hilarious.

Best read all month.

[Minvaren]

Seattle...  Spokane...  as long as the flight gets you to one of those Washington cities with "S" in the name, right?   

[ghost]

So on the way home I passed a Minicooper with Alaska license plates.  Is that really a viable car for Anchorage, or anywhere else in Alaska for that matter?

[Nebu]

So on the way home I passed a Minicooper with Alaska license plates.  Is that really a viable car for Anchorage, or anywhere else in Alaska for that matter?

Wide wheelbase with front-wheel drive.  Why not?

I drove a VW GTI in the Rockies for 6 years.  I never had any problem on snow, ice, and windy mountain passes. 

[ghost]

Huh.  I honestly had no idea.  I always had a 4WD, so it seems odd. 

[Nebu]

Huh.  I honestly had no idea.  I always had a 4WD, so it seems odd.  

4WD is nice under many conditions, but nothing is scarier than having a high center of gravity and going into a 4WD spin on a secluded, windy mountain pass.  I think this is one reason why Subaru's are so popular in Colorado.  4WD and a low profile.  

If I had the money, I totally would have gotten a Tuareg. 

[Sand]

LOL  Yeah, it's taken me a long while to realize that it's not my problem, it's hers.  And while the whole pregnancy scare thing might be amusing, it's not going to work considering I'm having a hysterectomy done on the 17th (I'll spare the male sensibilities around here and not give details after the fact.  I'll leave you all to Sand's tender TMI mercies instead.  )

I'm hoping for a speedy recovery.  It's not a lot of fun the first few days.  Get some good pain meds.

Thanks.  It's supposed to be done using the DiVinci Robotic System* which would be awesome, much quicker recovery.  I've had laparoscopic surgery before and handled it fine, but that was 14 years and "several" pounds ago.  I really don't want them to have to do a conventional abdominal incision.  My mom's coming up to help out the first week I'm home again, but I'm still hoping for a nice prescription of Vicodin or whatever's good.  I've never had good painkillers before. :D


*That is one of the first hits when putting in DaVinci Robot... I find it kind of weird there is a site specifically for hysterectomies done with this device./

Based on my own general surgery in the last couple of weeks I would strongly caution you about two three things.

A) In all likelihood you will experience side affects in the week to two weeks following surgery due to the general anesthesia. I experienced complete lack of appetite, ALL of my tastes changing (even the taste of water) which took a week and a half to return to normal, and huge mood swings (I would go from bawling for no reason to raging).

B) If they give you Percocet, do NOT let them prescribe the 5/500 mixture. The 5 is the amount of oxycodone and the 500 is the amount of tylenol. That much tylenol immediately following surgery had me throwing up and only 5 mg's of oxycodone wasnt enough to cover the pain. They do make the mixture in different strengths with stronger oxycodone and lower tylenol. Im using 7.5/325 presently. If you ask for it dont let your doctor lie to you like my discharging physician tried to do, and claim they dont make anything but 5/500.

C) Insist that a family member is allowed to be in the recovery room with you, as you come out of general anesthesia. You need someone to start pushing that pain med button, so once the general wears off you have something in your system so you dont go from unconscious to screaming in pain. Hard to push the button for yourself when you are unconscious, and the nurses wont do it for you.

Thats all Ive got.  

Edited because I cant count.


And wanted to add. I was at an engagement/birthday party tonight. Met the Director of Communication for Atari. Or thought I did. She left recently. She had some not nice things to say.   

[Ingmar]

The painkiller thing is really variable from person to person. So is the reaction to anaesthesia actually, and there are a lot of different things they might use as well that changes it, depending on your weight, age, etc.

Personally the 'best' painkiller I've had after a surgery is Norco (generic version, 10 mg hydrocodone/325 mg acetaminophen) but I've never had one bad enough where they'll prescribe oxycodone. Vicodin (5 mg hydrocodone/500 mg acetaminophen) was less effective, and tramadol (I think that's what the 3rd one was, I only took it once) gave me a panic attack.

If you have any history of liver problems bring that up before they prescribe you stuff in any case.

[lamaros]

http://twitter.com/#!/petermolydeux

Guy is fucking hilarious.

Fun!

My next game is going to explore the following question 'Would you give birth to a child if they were invisible?'

[RhyssaFireheart]

I actually don't remember any issues dealing with general anesthesia when I had my laprascopy back in 1997.  I vaguely recall being asked to cough over and over as they were removing the breathing tube though, that was kind of weird.  I didn't feel too bad after that surgery though other than an enormous ache in my shoulders from the position they put you in for surgery - you're in a T-stance, on your back, arms out to the sides and head down so the organs shift towards the top of your body.  I ached in general but I honestly can't recall being in horrible enough pain to take anything more than Advil or Tylenol, but that was a long time ago.

I've been getting stressed out over all the pre-op things they're making me do (like blood work, chest x-ray, meet with anesthesia to evaluate my airway (I'm told it's narrow) and getting an EKG) because I didn't recall having to do any of this before, but then it dawned on me that last time, I found out I needed surgery late on a Friday afternoon and was in the operating room Saturday morning.  There was no time, lol.

[ghost]

Based on my own general surgery in the last couple of weeks I would strongly caution you about two three things.

A) In all likelihood you will experience side affects in the week to two weeks following surgery due to the general anesthesia. I experienced complete lack of appetite, ALL of my tastes changing (even the taste of water) which took a week and a half to return to normal, and huge mood swings (I would go from bawling for no reason to raging).

B) If they give you Percocet, do NOT let them prescribe the 5/500 mixture. The 5 is the amount of oxycodone and the 500 is the amount of tylenol. That much tylenol immediately following surgery had me throwing up and only 5 mg's of oxycodone wasnt enough to cover the pain. They do make the mixture in different strengths with stronger oxycodone and lower tylenol. Im using 7.5/325 presently. If you ask for it dont let your doctor lie to you like my discharging physician tried to do, and claim they dont make anything but 5/500.

C) Insist that a family member is allowed to be in the recovery room with you, as you come out of general anesthesia. You need someone to start pushing that pain med button, so once the general wears off you have something in your system so you dont go from unconscious to screaming in pain. Hard to push the button for yourself when you are unconscious, and the nurses wont do it for you.

This is almost 100% bullshit.  I suggest you listen to your doctor, Rhyssa, not this idiocy.  And you should expect some discomfort and side effects after your surgery because it is a major surgery.

And just so you know, Sand (since I've seen you mention this shit about 10 times), a morphine drip with a patient controlled button is designed so tht you don't kill yourself by overdosing on morphine.  Having a relative push the button for you is really fucking stupid.  And if you're too unconscious to push a button you probably don't need the pain control provided by morphine.

My personal advice?  Ask about Toradol.  It won't make you loopy (which most idiots unfortunately associate with pain control) but it will control pain and inflammation very well.  They may not give it to you if it isn't indicated in your case, but it's good stuff.

[Reg]

Toradol is absolutely awesome. I always ask for that rather than the usual tylenol/codeine stuff. And it's nice asking for a painkiller where the doctor doesn't look at you as if he's wondering whether you're just a faker with a codeine habit.

[Tale]

Just read a medical forum post from a woman asking if she had shingles. She wrote "I got sores down my back all the way to the no no special place."

Help... meee...

[Johny Cee]

Just read a medical forum post from a woman asking if she had shingles. She wrote "I got sores down my back all the way to the no no special place."

Help... meee...

Yah, shingles are great fun.  Trust me.

[Tale]

Yah, shingles are great fun.  Trust me.

I've had shingles. I know. It was her euphemism.

[ghost]

She's probably a nice crusty 70 years old plus, in which case the euphemism is probably just fine.   

[Bzalthek]

When I go to the doctors I like using such euphemisms for completely mundane body parts.  It hurts in my no no special place *points to elbow*.

Life sucks, sometimes you have to physically assault it to find the laughs.

[Sky]

Re: Alaskan Mini; I drove a VW Rabbit in upstate NY for a few years, thing was solid. It was my dad's hand-me-down, dad drove it an hour each way to Oswego when he worked at the nuke plant...Oswego gets vicious lake effect snows.

I pulled my first all-nighter in over a decade last night. Seven hours straight. Finally tore myself away at 6am. 

[Lantyssa]

Personally the 'best' painkiller I've had after a surgery is Norco (generic version, 10 mg hydrocodone/325 mg acetaminophen) but I've never had one bad enough where they'll prescribe oxycodone. Vicodin (5 mg hydrocodone/500 mg acetaminophen) was less effective, and tramadol (I think that's what the 3rd one was, I only took it once) gave me a panic attack.

Tramadol sucks.  I have a friend who can take it, but I feel like shit on it, and feel even worse coming off of it.  It doesn't even dull my pain so much as make me not care while I'm on it.  18 hours on... 36+ hours of withdrawl, which I mostly slept through, except the two hours of eating (and subsequent purging).

Lodine makes me puke within ten minutes, which I proceed to continue doing for another 24 hours.  Easy way to make me dehydrated.  Ambien does something similar but less severe (though it was for conscious sedation rather than pain).

Morphine helps me a little, but didn't actually seem to work all that great.

Hydrocodone does friggin' wonders for me.  Though I have to take it well before an hour or more before I eat any substantial meal, else it makes me nauseous.

[rattran]

I hate people, and it annoys me that I'm not supposed to punch them in the face.

[Lantyssa]

Stab them with a sword instead?

[Salamok]

So getting ready to drain my redneck pool and am wondering if 140lbs of salt dissolved into 6000 gallons of water will be bad for my trees and plants if I water them with it, I am mostly worried about oaks, cedars and st. augustine.  Hate to have to drain this into the gutter during a drought but that is a better option than killing all my trees.