snowychap Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, Chindie said: I'm still ashamed of that. You absolutely shouldn't be. In any way, shape or form. Edited January 5, 2019 by snowychap 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Some gut wrenching posts there must have been hard to write , it’s was hard enough just reading them as an outsider 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villakram Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 My Mum was diagnosed with motor neuron disease last year. The 2yr survival rate if it starts in the trunk is single digits, so we're lucky that it kicked off in her hand, but she didn't get it diagnosed until the second hand started acting up so we're probably closer to starting year 3 than year 2 right now. Five year survival rates are towards single digits. Her mom went out that way too when we were kids and I remember how terrible she got towards the end. Being over in the states, I'm missing the day to day of it; however, I am getting to see it progress quite clearly and discretely when we chat over video every once in a while. I'm going to have it so easy being over here though. Not sure what to make of it really. Circle of life and all that. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 6 hours ago, mjmooney said: Partly triggered by the flu jab debate in General Chat, I felt like the health issue deserved a dedicated thread. Complain about your man flu, debate the economics of the NHS, discuss the latest in medical science, get diagnosed with VT AIDS, whatever. Starting off with... cancer. It's a grim topic, we've lost more than one VTer to it and it's taken several of my friends and relatives, but treatments and survival rates are incomparably better now than when I was a kid, and it was pretty much a death sentence. But that got me thinking about the whole public v. private healthcare debate. Are there any stats on cancer survival rates in the USA as compared to countries with publically funded healthcare? Because although it's now more treatable, those treatments are expensive. If you have cancer and money in the US, you're probably well placed to get the best care. But if you haven't got money? Breaking Bad was food for thought, but what's the reality like? Are cancer death rates in America significantly worse than (say) Europe? Not so much private v public as you intended but I’d add embracing of new treatments into the mix ... I.e the child whose parents went on the run in effect and went to The Czech Republic to give their son Protron therapy? He’s now tumour free but the NHS still insist his parents endangered him and increased his risk of dying by 30 % Even my knee ops with stem cell (taken from my hip ) , it’s a simple op (day surgery) , low risk , inexpensive and yet your fighting indoctrinated knee surgeons who prefer arthroscopy (dark ages stuff ) and replacement knee over a procedure that evidence suggests is a better alternative ... Yet I doubt anyone going to a doc with knee issues would get offered the treatment I had , frankly I’m at a loss as to why 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) Cancer scares the shit out of me. I first encountered it when I was 13, and our family lived with it for years. Watching the rock and the backbone of the family being slowly eaten away was horrendous. The family has never recovered from that, and it’s just not the same anymore. It’s never far from the mind. My gran beat bowel cancer, although life was never the same for her. Leukaemia completely destroyed her, and that was just horrendous to see. I only found out off my wife about three year ago, that everyone apart from me knew she was dying and there was no hope. My gran didn’t want me knowing the truth, although looking back now, it was clear as day she was dying. At the time you just try and hang on to any hope. Yep, the world would be a much better place without it. Edited January 5, 2019 by Rugeley Villa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Regarding the private healthcare situation in the states, I just don’t get how it works tbf. Surely the poor are not expected to pay for their own healthcare? I know people who have been over there, and said the service you receive is exceptional. Just don’t seem fair, that the less fortunate of people miss out on what should be a god given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villakram Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 12 hours ago, Rugeley Villa said: Regarding the private healthcare situation in the states, I just don’t get how it works tbf. Surely the poor are not expected to pay for their own healthcare? I know people who have been over there, and said the service you receive is exceptional. Just don’t seem fair, that the less fortunate of people miss out on what should be a god given. If you know how to fight you will get treated, but you'll be financially destroyed on the way. Healthcare is a right in most of the world. In the US, it is a privilege. Though Obama did assert it was a right, his reforms only served to entrench the financial services in healthcare and explicitly excluded ~30m citizens from healthcare coverage, though he did add a previously ignored 10-30m to the insurance pools. The leading cause of death in the US now is the opioid epidemic, i.e., the less well off self medicating and it getting out of hand. All fully and wholly backed by the US legal & governance system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 20 hours ago, tonyh29 said: Even my knee ops with stem cell (taken from my hip ) , it’s a simple op (day surgery) , low risk , inexpensive and yet your fighting indoctrinated knee surgeons who prefer arthroscopy (dark ages stuff ) and replacement knee over a procedure that evidence suggests is a better alternative ... Yet I doubt anyone going to a doc with knee issues would get offered the treatment I had , frankly I’m at a loss as to why Perhaps the issue is not about medical practice or the medical profession, but rather about the tendency for us (humans, groups of people, including professions) to revert to habit, groupthink, learned responses, instead of taking the probably riskier, timeconsuming path, possibly incurring group disapproval, of challenging what has become accepted as tried and trusted. It happens in all sorts of settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A'Villan Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 My Grandpa might reach 100 and has not been diagnosed with anything, but these past few years have been torrid for him. My Grandma, in her 80's, has dementia, is generally always in a good mood. She can be a bit off-colour some days but she is always giggling and reciting poems in Greek. She is unaware to the legal battle that has divided our family. Interestingly enough she resists visits from some family members, as though her intuition is still intact, and probably a part of her memory in regards to them. But if you were to tell her that people are trying to take her house from her one day, she would not remember the next. My Grandpa has been torn by the conflict between his children. His health deteriorated exponentially as soon as it became apparent that amends would not be made. He just wanted so badly for everyone to get along. I try not to dive fully into the politics and specifics of the situation because this is thread is for 'In Sickness and In Health' posts, not the 'family drama' one. But the situation is akin to that part of the story in the LOTR when Theoden is possessed by Grima Wormtongue. Unfortunately there will be no resurrection of spirit from my Grandpa. He is too old and the legalities now involved mean it would take a wizard of some sort to bring him back. I remember one meeting at the hospital with one of my relatives sitting as his side, telling my brother and I what we could and couldn't say when our Grandpa asked us a question. Telling us that he didn't know what he was saying. Like we were unable to discern for ourselves. The questions my Grandpa was asking were all directed at finding the truth behind what was happening with the house, in an attempt to equip himself to make a judgement for himself. He has given up on bringing the family together again since then. He simply doesn't have it in him anymore. He refuses to see his wife and one of his children and I will leave it there. Some people will do anything for money. Even tear their own family apart through deception and taking advantage of fragility. In health we should cherish those who have come before us and paved the way for us to live, as best they could. So that when they are sick despite their ailments they are loved and cared for, just as they did for us. I see no reason for shame in wanting to be there when a loved one passes, or guilt in being afraid to have one of your loved ones go. I've got a few more stories that require less reading but I won't hog the thread, for now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 11, 2019 Author VT Supporter Share Posted January 11, 2019 Got my flu jab done today. Plus the box-ticking NHS health check. Blood samples sent off for cholesterol and blood sugar checks. Everything else, clean bill of health, complete with my favourite bit - blood pressure and heart rate check. Every single time, the raised eyebrows and "Crikey, are you an athlete or something?" (My resting pulse is typically 45 bpm). On the other hand, my eyesight has been deteriorating for a while due to catracts, so I'm booked in for surgery next month. The strange thing about that is that while my distance vision has got worse, my close vision has actually been improving, to the point where I no longer need reading glasses. Had an interesting chat about that last week with my consultant - all to do with focal length, refractive index, and other bits of GCSE physics! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 11, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted January 11, 2019 22 minutes ago, mjmooney said: Got my flu jab done today. You idiot, you'll be dying of flu in no time 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted January 14, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted January 14, 2019 Colonoscopy. Sounds like fun, right? I’ve one on Wednesday. Anyone got any experience that will allay my fears or terrify me? They've suggested sedation is not mandatory. Guess I’ll take a book to take my mind off it what they’re up to down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted January 14, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted January 14, 2019 Just now, choffer said: Colonoscopy. Sounds like fun, right? I’ve one on Wednesday. Anyone got any experience that will allay my fears or terrify me? They've suggested sedation is not mandatory. Guess I’ll take a book to take my mind off it what they’re up to down there. I've had about 3 colonoscopies. It's nothing to be particularly worried about. The worst bit is the 'prep' you do for it the day before. You will shit things from your childhood. Eventually you'll just have cloudy water pouring out of your arse that just will not stop. You'll start off thinking it's really not bad, and then 5 hours later you'll realise you've been on the loo for 2 hours and you can't feel your legs. And there's another litre of chalk water to drink still. The actual colonoscopy itself is at most uncomfortable, mostly because you'll get the feeling your intestines are straining as they move the cable. I've had that quite badly and it's been quite painful. But another time it wasn't an issue at all. It won't take very long and chances are you'll be lay on your side and able to see the monitor, so you'll be able to see the inside of the guts looking cleaner than they ever have. Which is interesting I guess. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Paddywhack Posted January 14, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 14, 2019 This sounds like a rubbish joke, but I know someone who promises it's true. A few years ago she had to have a camera up her bum and as she was watching the screen, upon entering, she noticed a lump. The doc didn't say anything so she forgot about it, but she saw it again on the way out. She said to the doctor, "I'm really sorry, but I have to ask. Is that lump anything to worry about?" The doctor said "No, it's fine. It's sweetcorn". 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veloman Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 On 11/01/2019 at 15:50, mjmooney said: Every single time, the raised eyebrows and "Crikey, are you an athlete or something?" (My resting pulse is typically 45 bpm). That's damn good isn't it. Do you know what your max is by any chance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted January 14, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted January 14, 2019 Thanks @Chindie Who needs the internet when there’s always an expert on VT? Needless to say, I will report back on my experiences and will be selling copies of the DVD for a tenner, should anyone want one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 14, 2019 Author VT Supporter Share Posted January 14, 2019 27 minutes ago, veloman said: That's damn good isn't it. Do you know what your max is by any chance ? I'll check next time I go for a run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, choffer said: Colonoscopy. Sounds like fun, right? I’ve one on Wednesday. Anyone got any experience that will allay my fears or terrify me? They've suggested sedation is not mandatory. Guess I’ll take a book to take my mind off it what they’re up to down there. Had one done privately (Little Aston). I went for the sedation and I can barely remember it! As @Chindie says the worst bit is shitting out your internal organs the day before after taking the prep liquid. I had a specific set of instructions on when to cut out certain foods 3 days before and so on. I guess going private they are more thorough in terms of prep. Not sure you get the same on the NHS? As long as you aren't embarrassed at having a few people greasing your bum hole up and stuffing things up there then you'll be fine! Edited January 14, 2019 by Xela 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 2 hours ago, choffer said: Colonoscopy. Sounds like fun, right? I’ve one on Wednesday. Anyone got any experience that will allay my fears or terrify me? They've suggested sedation is not mandatory. Guess I’ll take a book to take my mind off it what they’re up to down there. Been there. Done that. Not as bad as you think. As @Chindie says the stuff they give you to empty you out is very effective. As for sedation. I had sedation for a different proceedure. They started with a light sedation and it was still an unpleasant experience. So they increased the dose. I don't recall anything for about 30 minutes. I came around feeling like I'd just woken from a normal sleep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted January 14, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted January 14, 2019 40 minutes ago, Xela said: As long as you aren't embarrassed at having a few people greasing your bum hole up and stuffing things up there then you'll be fine! Wouldn't be the first time. I feel I should also mention that the doc in question is also Her Majesty's go-to guy so the finger that was exploring my back passage this morning may well have been up the Queen's bum too at some point. Maybe that one should be for the rubbish claims to fame thread? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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