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Picture of rtquig
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My concern was that I wasn't put under until 9:00pm and was brought back to my room at midnight. When I saw the doctor the following afternoon, he told me he had a rough day having had kidney stones removed that morning. I don't know what the procedure is to remove kidney stones, but it just sounds strange that he had that done in the morning and operated on me later that night.


Living the Dream
 
Posts: 4011 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: December 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too old to run,
too mean to quit!
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quote:
Originally posted by Dresden:
Once your insurance is squared away, seriously consider having it removed. I had an attack four years ago and had mine taken out. It was a simple procedure and I've never regretted it.


I had several gall bladder attacks while on advisory duty in Iran, back in 1962. Got medevac'd to Landstuhl where they finally determined it was gall stones.

Surgery followed. Have not regretted it or missed it since then.

And the surgery now is much easier than back then.


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville

FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25640 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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They called me today. Ultrasound was normal.

We're still waiting on the insurance company to unfuck our policy before I can move forward with the scan.

If the doc says it's the culprit, then it's gone.

I didn't plan on having this happen, nor did I plan on using it this way, but it's convenient that my employment status changed last year from "hourly" to salary. Given my 8 years of employment there, that gave me an extra 5 days of vacation time (from 10 to 15).


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
 
Posts: 3349 | Location: Memphis, TN | Registered: August 23, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by vulrath:
They called me today. Ultrasound was normal.

We're still waiting on the insurance company to unfuck our policy before I can move forward with the scan.

If the doc says it's the culprit, then it's gone.

I didn't plan on having this happen, nor did I plan on using it this way, but it's convenient that my employment status changed last year from "hourly" to salary. Given my 8 years of employment there, that gave me an extra 5 days of vacation time (from 10 to 15).


The first week I went to the ER they did an ultrasound and a nuclear test didn't find anything. The doctor told me if it acts up again, he has one other test he would do. Well a week later I was back in the hospital, they did the "other" test and guess what? It was bad and had to come out that night.


Living the Dream
 
Posts: 4011 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: December 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Knows too little
about too much
Picture of rduckwor
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quote:
Originally posted by rtquig:
My concern was that I wasn't put under until 9:00pm and was brought back to my room at midnight. When I saw the doctor the following afternoon, he told me he had a rough day having had kidney stones removed that morning. I don't know what the procedure is to remove kidney stones, but it just sounds strange that he had that done in the morning and operated on me later that night.


Probably lithotripsy. Stones fractured by shock waves.

Still, he must be an iron man or maybe an idiot.

RMD




TL Davis: “The Second Amendment is special, not because it protects guns, but because its violation signals a government with the intention to oppress its people…”
Remember: After the first one, the rest are free.
 
Posts: 20302 | Location: L.A. - Lower Alabama | Registered: April 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Caught in a loop
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Well, I'm still miserable. No scan yet. I have Blue Cross to thank for that.

Blue cross has informed the company that it will likely take another "two to two and a half weeks" before we have a functional policy. Dafuq? Never mind how they've had our first month's payment interest-free for over a month now...

I'm pretty furious right now. Still, at least it's nice to have a somewhat tangible date. Better than "soon."


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
 
Posts: 3349 | Location: Memphis, TN | Registered: August 23, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Only the strong survive
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Stress can cause your gallbladder to secrete too much acid which harms the lining of your stomach. I had that problem in the mid 80's but do not want to lose my gallbladder because when you get older, you have less to digest your food.

So I took DGL [deglycyrrhizinated] licorice tablets to heal the lining of my stomach. Give it a try. You can find them at most health stores like Vitamin Shoppe, and even CVS.

https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/...able-tablets/vs-2510

http://www.cvs.com/shop/vitami...-373632#/Ingredients

41


41
 
Posts: 11828 | Location: Herndon, VA | Registered: June 11, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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My dad had his out years ago, the hard way, missed 6 weeks of work and wasn't 100% for a lot longer. My daughter had hers out and hardly missed at all. That laparoscopic stuff is an absolute blessing.

Good luck!



If it ain't woke... don't fix it.
 
Posts: 4117 | Location: Middle Tennessee | Registered: February 07, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Only the strong survive
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Baking Soda Basics?

Lately, I have read recipes recommending adding baking soda to tomato sauces. I thought that was debunked ages ago. Has it made a comeback? Is it really a good antacid?

– November 5, 2010

You’re absolutely right. The notion of using baking soda to cut the acidity of tomatoes is an old idea that may have made a comeback, but that doesn’t change the fact that it isn’t a particularly good idea. If you want to balance the acidity of tomatoes, a better way is to simply add a pinch of sugar.

Sodium bicarbonate is widely used as an antacid and can quickly relieve heartburn or indigestion by neutralizing stomach acid. The more often you need antacids for this purpose, however, the more serious your problem with heartburn or indigestion (and the more sodium you’re ingesting). The most efficient and natural treatment I recommend for heartburn and indigestion is first to adjust your diet. For recurrent symptoms, a safe remedy to consider is deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). Whole licorice can increase blood pressure; no such effect occurs with DGL. You can buy DGL in powder or tablet form. The easiest way to take it is to chew two tablets slowly 15 minutes before every meal and at bedtime, or take one-half teaspoon of the powder before meals.

Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, dietary supplements and women’s health, and an authority on botanical medicine, also recommends orange peel extract (containing d-limonene) for treatment of heartburn and has found it very effective. Dr. Low Dog said that d-limonene stimulates esophageal peristalsis, helping move acid and liquids back into the stomach. She recommends buying it as orange peel extract in 1,000 mg doses (standardized to d-limonene 97-99 percent) and taking it once a day every other day for a total of 10 doses over 20 days. After that, take it as needed. Note that some orange peel extracts are standardized to synephrine, a stimulant drug that is generally taken for weight loss. Synephrine-containing products can cause unwanted side effects and are not what you want for heartburn treatment. Dr. Low Dog said that she doesn’t know of any disadvantages to using the orange peel extract for heartburn, but because safety in pregnancy isn’t known, she doesn’t recommend it for women who are expecting.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

http://www.drweil.com/diet-nut.../baking-soda-basics/

41


41
 
Posts: 11828 | Location: Herndon, VA | Registered: June 11, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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too mean to quit!
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quote:
Originally posted by nighthawk:
Gaviscon really helped with acid reflux,had mine taken out 6 months ago, can't really have onions any more,pizza, spaghetti with marinara sauce.


Many years ago when I was in my late teens, early 20s, I could not eat onions. Gave me hellacious stomach pains.

Had my gall bladder taken out in early 1962, due to a handful of birdshot sized stones. They kept getting lodged in the tube.

Never regretted having it out. I can eat anything I want, and have since the surgery.

Given those mind numbing painful attacks and restricted diets, I would do it again in a heart beat.

And the surgery is light years ahead of where it was back when they did mine. My scar is about 8 inches long, plus another inch+ for the drainage tube.

MIL had hers out when she was in her 70's, her scar is about an inch long. Of course many years after mine was taken out. Not to mention that army facilities took mine out, and hers was done by German doctors.


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville

FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25640 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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My sister's father in law went into the hospital for gall bladder surgery about two weeks before they were married. At the wedding, he said he didn't feel very well, and by the time the reception was nearly over, he was hurting really badly and was shiny with sweat. He died 3 days later, they had left a sponge in him. The hospital and doctors settled with his wife very quickly and for a lot of money. Sadly, this happens every so often. When I had knee surgery in 2007, I was relieved that I didn't have to be knocked out and they couldn't leave anything inside. I still thought about them messing something up..

quote:
Originally posted by 12131:
I don't want to scare you, but there was a local surgeon, a few years ago, who was supposed to take out the GB in a simple laparoscopic procedure. What ended up was the patient losing a kidney. Eek
 
Posts: 214 | Location: Ohio | Registered: January 01, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Caught in a loop
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Stop the ride, I've had enough and want to get off.

I finally got the insurance situation sorted, and got the scan. It was negative, so my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist.

He recommended an endoscopy to look for obvious issues like ulcers. well as changed the antacid to another drug, which did exactly as the others before it did, and simply reduced my Tums consumption to almost nil, with zero regard to the pain in my gut. They also tested me for gluten intolerance (negative) and Celiac (also negative). He also gave me a prescription for hyosciamine, which I was supposed to take before meals to try and calm my stomach (didn't do anything).

The endoscopy was clean, save for a couple of red spots (which they biopsied and came back as clean), so he tried me on Carafate, which if you've never heard of is an absolutely disgusting tasting liquid suspension I was supposed to drink before meals and before bed to help coat and protect the stomach (though I have to hand it to them - that bubble gum flavor is dead accurate). That did more harm than good - instead of having no effect, it felt like pouring salt on a wound. The pain was much more pronounced after taking it, and after a couple of days I found myself skipping doses. He also ordered a CT scan (that also came out normal; the dye stuff tastes DISGUSTING, by the way, and the injectable contrast isn't terribly fun either).

I saw the GI doc again on Monday, and now they're doing an MRI tomorrow, and have referred me to a surgeon. That appointment's Tuesday.


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
 
Posts: 3349 | Location: Memphis, TN | Registered: August 23, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Go ahead punk, make my day
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Gallbladder surgery is SOOO worth it. Had mine out last month after a year of stomach pain, nausea, and other issues with I chalked up mostly to constipation and twice (bad bouts) to food poisoning.

Nope, it was stones in the duct and a bunch more in the organ. Ended up in the ER on a Saturday (joy), got pain meds until they scoped it (first) to clear on the duct then took the gallbladder the next day. I'm at about a month now and feel about 90%, they had to open up the belly button incision larger to get the GB out, so it's still a little tight, keeps me from lifting a whole lot.

But stomach / GI wise, I feel great. They say fatty foods can give you issues, but I've tried some moderate things with no ill effects.
 
Posts: 45798 | Registered: July 12, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Perception
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by 41:
Baking Soda Basics?

Lately, I have read recipes recommending adding baking soda to tomato sauces. I thought that was debunked ages ago. Has it made a comeback? Is it really a good antacid?

– November 5, 2010

You’re absolutely right. The notion of using baking soda to cut the acidity of tomatoes is an old idea that may have made a comeback, but that doesn’t change the fact that it isn’t a particularly good idea. If you want to balance the acidity of tomatoes, a better way is to simply add a pinch of sugar.

Sodium bicarbonate is widely used as an antacid and can quickly relieve heartburn or indigestion by neutralizing stomach acid. The more often you need antacids for this purpose, however, the more serious your problem with heartburn or indigestion (and the more sodium you’re ingesting). The most efficient and natural treatment I recommend for heartburn and indigestion is first to adjust your diet. For recurrent symptoms, a safe remedy to consider is deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). Whole licorice can increase blood pressure; no such effect occurs with DGL. You can buy DGL in powder or tablet form. The easiest way to take it is to chew two tablets slowly 15 minutes before every meal and at bedtime, or take one-half teaspoon of the powder before meals.

Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, dietary supplements and women’s health, and an authority on botanical medicine, also recommends orange peel extract (containing d-limonene) for treatment of heartburn and has found it very effective. Dr. Low Dog said that d-limonene stimulates esophageal peristalsis, helping move acid and liquids back into the stomach. She recommends buying it as orange peel extract in 1,000 mg doses (standardized to d-limonene 97-99 percent) and taking it once a day every other day for a total of 10 doses over 20 days. After that, take it as needed. Note that some orange peel extracts are standardized to synephrine, a stimulant drug that is generally taken for weight loss. Synephrine-containing products can cause unwanted side effects and are not what you want for heartburn treatment. Dr. Low Dog said that she doesn’t know of any disadvantages to using the orange peel extract for heartburn, but because safety in pregnancy isn’t known, she doesn’t recommend it for women who are expecting.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

http://www.drweil.com/diet-nut.../baking-soda-basics/

41


I add baking soda to tomato sauce to change the flavor, not for any health benefits.




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"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
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Posts: 3509 | Location: Two blocks from the Center of the Universe | Registered: December 30, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
A Grateful American
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quote:
Originally posted by 12131:
I don't want to scare you, but there was a local surgeon, a few years ago, who was supposed to take out the GB in a simple laparoscopic procedure. What ended up was the patient losing a kidney. Eek


Doc didn't know piss from vinegar? Confused




"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
 
Posts: 43810 | Location: ...... I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van DOWN BY THE RIVER!!! (in Arkansas) | Registered: December 20, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted April 20, 2017 12:55 AM Hide Post
Stop the ride, I've had enough and want to get off.

I finally got the insurance situation sorted, and got the scan. It was negative, so my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist.

He recommended an endoscopy to look for obvious issues like ulcers. well as changed the antacid to another drug, which did exactly as the others before it did, and simply reduced my Tums consumption to almost nil, with zero regard to the pain in my gut. They also tested me for gluten intolerance (negative) and Celiac (also negative). He also gave me a prescription for hyosciamine, which I was supposed to take before meals to try and calm my stomach (didn't do anything).



The endoscopy was clean, save for a couple of red spots (which they biopsied and came back as clean), so he tried me on Carafate, which if you've never heard of is an absolutely disgusting tasting liquid suspension I was supposed to drink before meals and before bed to help coat and protect the stomach (though I have to hand it to them - that bubble gum flavor is dead accurate). That did more harm than good - instead of having no effect, it felt like pouring salt on a wound. The pain was much more pronounced after taking it, and after a couple of days I found myself skipping doses. He also ordered a CT scan (that also came out normal; the dye stuff tastes DISGUSTING, by the way, and the injectable contrast isn't terribly fun either).

I saw the GI doc again on Monday, and now they're doing an MRI tomorrow, and have referred me to a surgeon. That appointment's Tuesday.


Been through all of that and more. The MRI should be a piece of cake. They do have better tasting dyes but that is behind you. I feel for you. The state of medicine sometimes is not quite what we might expect. Keep us posted.
 
Posts: 17175 | Location: Stuck at home | Registered: January 02, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Caught in a loop
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quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Gallbladder surgery is SOOO worth it. Had mine out last month after a year of stomach pain, nausea, and other issues with I chalked up mostly to constipation and twice (bad bouts) to food poisoning.

Nope, it was stones in the duct and a bunch more in the organ. Ended up in the ER on a Saturday (joy), got pain meds until they scoped it (first) to clear on the duct then took the gallbladder the next day. I'm at about a month now and feel about 90%, they had to open up the belly button incision larger to get the GB out, so it's still a little tight, keeps me from lifting a whole lot.

But stomach / GI wise, I feel great. They say fatty foods can give you issues, but I've tried some moderate things with no ill effects.


That's what I've heard. All of my siblings are nurses, and they all tell me that not only is it a pretty routine procedure, the recovery is pretty straightforward. I've heard it both ways on the fatty foods thing, and that some doctors even want you to restrict your diet for as much as 6 months post op to give your gut time to heal up.

Personally, it's killing me because I'm afraid to eat pork ribs (and a bunch of my other favorite foods), which is just a travesty. I've made them twice since this whole thing started, and afterward each time was the closest I ever came to checking myself into the ER. I've been afraid to try it a third time.

The weirdest thing is the timing. If it is the gallbladder, I'd be the third person in the office year to get theirs removed this year. One lady had to "outdo" everyone else and ended up in the ICU. Pancreatitis and gallstones made for what she described as a "6 day blur" in the ICU, then 2 more weeks in a regular bed in the hospital (she's doing a lot better now). I wonder if there's something in the air...

Anyway, the MRI was uneventful. Hopefully it'll provide an answer where all the other attempted tests and fixes did nothing. I think we're past the point of "it's getting old."


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
 
Posts: 3349 | Location: Memphis, TN | Registered: August 23, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of rtquig
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Gallbladder surgery is SOOO worth it. Had mine out last month after a year of stomach pain, nausea, and other issues with I chalked up mostly to constipation and twice (bad bouts) to food poisoning.

Nope, it was stones in the duct and a bunch more in the organ. Ended up in the ER on a Saturday (joy), got pain meds until they scoped it (first) to clear on the duct then took the gallbladder the next day. I'm at about a month now and feel about 90%, they had to open up the belly button incision larger to get the GB out, so it's still a little tight, keeps me from lifting a whole lot.

But stomach / GI wise, I feel great. They say fatty foods can give you issues, but I've tried some moderate things with no ill effects.



Sometimes pulled Pork or Pork sausage give me a hard time after having my gallbladder out. It's the greasy food you have to watch out for.


Living the Dream
 
Posts: 4011 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: December 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
We Are...MARSHALL
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I suspect you will be very happy shortly after the gallbladder comes out. Good luck. If you're passing through WV tomorrow I'm on call! Good luck and hope you feel better!


Build a man a fire and keep him warm for a night, set a man on fire and keep him warm the rest of his life.
 
Posts: 1893 | Location: WV | Registered: December 15, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Caught in a loop
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I have a sneaking suspicion that you're right. We'll see.

Unfortunately, not going to be in your area any time soon. I certainly do hope it's under better circumstances when I do, though.


"In order to understand recursion, you must first learn the principle of recursion."
 
Posts: 3349 | Location: Memphis, TN | Registered: August 23, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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