PDA

View Full Version : Feeling sore today



KtheC
04-26-2009, 06:15 AM
Lower back is feeling achy/sore today. Keeping an eye on it. Already called the doc and he said keep and eye on the urine color (for blood). So far color is just as it should be. Hope this passes. Taking the week off from the gym just in case. Might have over did it.

Jack
04-26-2009, 06:43 AM
Might be worth checking your blood pressure. My kidneys (when I had them) used to ache when my pressure went up.

andrew
04-26-2009, 01:53 PM
yeah mine do too although depending on where it is you may havejust strained something when you went to the gym. I also get a sore back when I've slept or sat in a weird position for any length of time. Oh man...sometimes I feel like I'm 80 :D

KtheC
04-26-2009, 09:53 PM
I check my blood pressure twice a day, morning and evening. It is just a few points off from what it has been. Doctor said that was just from the soreness.

KtheC
04-27-2009, 09:08 AM
Going to see the doctor tomorrow about this. Blood pressure is still higher then normal. Talked to him today and he said definitely come in.

KtheC
04-28-2009, 01:11 AM
Doctor wants a CT scan done and blood work. Unfortunately my insurance demands that an authorization number be produced for the scan to proceed. Doctor has to call this in and get the number. Hurry up and wait.
The blood work I will have done tomorrow.

Doug
04-28-2009, 01:59 AM
Insurance companies....! :mad::mad::mad::mad:

KtheC
04-28-2009, 07:32 PM
Fortunately for me, I am starting to feel better. Wife thinks I over did it at the gym, she's probably right- she usually is, damn women - always being right! hehehe. Blood tests this morning.

KtheC
05-02-2009, 08:09 AM
Had my CT-scan today. They said it would be read and then sent to my doctor today as well. Waiting to hear from him. The blood test that was done prior to the tested showed that my liver, kidneys and blood count were all good. That's a positive, but I still have some sort of digestive problem. I explained it to the doc and he said that if nothing shows up on the CT then a colonoscopy would be next. Oh boy, tastey colonoscopy juice! The aching is still in my side though it has subsided some what.

Doug
05-02-2009, 10:15 AM
There is a pill you can take instead of the liquid. The effect is the same, with a lot less effort. I wish I remembered the name because the colonoscopy turned out to be a reasonably pleasant experience, once I finished emptying my bowels. Ha! :) On the other hand, it's great you were cleared on so many other fronts. That simplfies the doctors' task of determining what they need to do for you.

I looked it up. Visicol is the one I took. What follows is discouraging news to me, since I'm over 55, etc. See below (since there are no Mr. Yucky smileys, OX < < that will have to serve as a skull and crossbones, rotated 90 degrees!):

By Rita Rubin (http://www.usatoday.com/community/tags/reporter.aspx?id=538), USA TODAY
Anyone who's ever had a colonoscopy knows the worst part is preparing for it, not the procedure itself. You have to make sure your colon is as clean as a whistle so your doctor can get an unobstructed interior view.
In the old days — the late 20th century, that is — you had to drink a gallon of a special salty liquid to cleanse your bowels in basically one sitting. So patients cheered when tasteless tablets that would accomplish the same thing became available in 2000.

ON THE WEB:FDA alert, consumer info (http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/OSP_solution/default.htm)

But last week, the Food and Drug Administration tempered that joy by adding a "black box" warning — the sternest warning possible — to the two prescription bowel cleansers that come in tablet form. The new warning stems from reports of kidney damage in patients who took the pills, which contain sodium phosphate, in preparation for a colonoscopy.
Also, the FDA, which can require warnings only on prescription drugs, said no over-the-counter sodium phosphate products should be used for bowel-cleansing. That led C.B. Fleet Co. to announce a voluntary recall of Phospho-soda, a non-prescription laxative that in larger doses has been used for bowel-cleansing.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Food and Drug Administration (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Government+Bodies/Food+and+Drug+Administration) | Columbia University (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Schools/Columbia+University) | N.C.-based (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/N.C.-based) | Morrisville (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Morrisville) | Salix Pharmaceuticals (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Salix+Pharmaceuticals)
The FDA says prescription Visicol, approved in 2000, and its successor, OsmoPrep, approved in 2006, should be used with caution by people over 55; those who are dehydrated; those who suffer from kidney disease, acute colitis or delayed bowel emptying; and people on medicines that affect kidney function. Medicines include diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers and, maybe, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Indiana University gastroenterologist Douglas Rex says he's been switching older patients to fluid bowel-cleansers that don't contain sodium phosphate since the first reports of kidney problems came out in 2005. Rex serves as a scientific adviser to Salix Pharmaceuticals, maker of Visicol, OsmoPrep and MoviPrep, one of the fluid products.
No one knows how many people may have suffered damage from the sodium phosphate bowel-cleansers, because even those who've lost 75% of their kidney function feel fine, says Columbia University pathologist Glen Markowitz. Markowitz, a Salix consultant, was lead author of a 2005 report on kidney damage in 21 patients who had taken sodium phosphate bowel-cleansers. Even when detected, he says, a connection to the products could be missed.
Dallas gastroenterologist Lawrence Schiller says a patient who had an easy time with the pills wasn't thrilled to learn of the kidney issue. Schiller left future choice of prep up to her, noting: "There's a one-in-a-million chance you could end up on dialysis with (the pills)."to do for you next.

KtheC
05-02-2009, 10:35 AM
This is my first real problem, so yeah, I'm pretty scared. I do feel ok, it's just the side that is uncomfortable.

Doug
05-02-2009, 01:15 PM
You say side. Does it feel more toward the back, as in the kidney area? Or does it feel more like a strained muscle or cramping? Again, I hope the doctors can answer your questions as soon as possible after the tests. That waiting can be stressful.

KtheC
05-07-2009, 05:34 AM
Turns out I have gall stones and diverticulosis. Now I have to see another doctor about the stones.
First doc dosen't think the dt is an issue since everything seems to be working fine in that area, but will keep an eye on it.

jola57
05-09-2009, 12:51 PM
ahh, gall stones, just wondering where your pain was. I seem to have a pain on the left side sort of just above the waist line in the back. It feels like a muscle but it comes and goes every so often and now I wonder if it s the gall stones attack. please explain where exactly was the pain thanx

KtheC
05-09-2009, 09:47 PM
The CT scan revealed everything. My GP thinks it is a side effect from the prednisone. I had 2 pains. The first and strongest was in the front just below my right pectoral muscle. I applied heat to this for several days and eventually it went away. I still have some aching on my back just a little lower. This amounts to discomfort. I went to the gym last night for the first time in 2 weeks and felt nothing, good sign. I also have an appointment on Monday to get evaluated about it. Now I am also altering my diet as to not aggrivate it. Things like heavy greasey foods and things that are spicey will do this. I love spicey food:mad:
But if it's what I have to do, then so be it.
I was able to back track and figure out what caused the problem. After a work out one night I said to my wife, how about some KFC. We haven't had this in years and I had a craving for it. It was yummy, but I am pretty sure this is the culprit. Never again.
Hope this helps

Sangye
05-10-2009, 12:03 AM
Gallstones take years to form, so one night of KFC wouldn't do it. A big hit of grease like that would cause the gallbladder to try and dump its content, though, and an existing stone might have gotten temporarily lodged.

If you can take beet juice (in any form) on a regular basis, it'll keep the bile from getting sludgy and forming stones. You don't need a lot-- too much will cause blood sugar problems. It won't affect the ones that already formed, and your doc will have to decide if it's too late to save your GB.

I always had a predisposition for gallstones but beet juice kept them away for many years. Until pred, a lousy diet and no beet juice for the past 3 years-- one stone is now visible on an abdominal CT. So far there's no need to do anything about it-- my GB is not thickened or infected, and hopefully I can keep the stone from getting bigger.

I hope yours is easily controlled, too.

KtheC
05-10-2009, 05:42 AM
I'm not blaming the KFC for the stones, just in aggravating them. I believe I had a CT scan when I went the hospital and it didn't show any, so I am believing that the prednisone my have done it.

jola57
05-13-2009, 09:28 AM
Thanx all when I get back I think I will have my gall bladder checked

KtheC
05-13-2009, 07:22 PM
Turns out that this was diagnosed when I had my stay at the hospital. No one said anything. I guess they were to busy saving my life instead. This is why you go to a doctor that works out of the same hospital you stayed. He was able to immedately pull up all my records and saw that I had 2 CT scans done, both showed gall stones.
I now am waiting on approval (insurance) for a hida scan. It is very possible that they will want to pull it out, which from what everyone is telling me is a very quick easy surgery.

I hope your eval goes well. The stuff they make you drink is pretty harmless. No at all like the stuff you have to drink for a colonoscopy.

Jack
05-13-2009, 07:56 PM
I had a few episodes that turned out to be gallstones, but it only affected me occasionally so I elected to do nothing about it. They went away after a few years of their own accord.

KtheC
05-13-2009, 08:46 PM
How do they just "go away"? Of course I would rather not have anything done. With us weggies being immune suppressed any type of surgery is risky. I know my GP said that this would be the last thing he would want me to do and I agree.

Sangye
05-13-2009, 11:04 PM
Finding gallstones on a CT (an "incidental finding") doesn't mean you need to have anything done. The HIDA shows how well the GB is functioning. Sometimes it's surprising to find how poorly it's functioning, and sometimes it's chugging along just fine. Unless it's looking really bad-- infection, abscess-- in your situation they probably wouldn't recommend surgery.

How big are they? (the CT report will say) That tells a lot about non-surgical options.

KtheC
05-13-2009, 11:14 PM
Cool, thanks for the response. I will find out my information in the next couple days.:)

Jack
05-14-2009, 12:33 AM
How do they "go away"? Who knows?

I've had so many things go wrong with me over the years, some quite serious, but most have gone away with time. Of course, I have sought medical help and received treatment for many of them, but largely I think it is just the ever changing nature of Wegener's and drug side effects.

Due to all the drugs, my general condition and the state of my lungs in particular, no one wants to operate on me anyway.

Doug
05-14-2009, 12:49 AM
My medical state is much better than Jack's, and I've had virtually no on-going issues with WG during my remission beyond some peripheral neuralgia and regular irritations by insurance companies that never seem to get anything right despite huge staffs processing claims. Haw! In my case, there are no compelling reasons not to operate if necessary. I am up front with new doctors, telling them I have WG but am in remission. Also, my pulmonologist, the doctor primarily involved in my care, is very good about sharing information with new doctors, as are the rheumatologists at the Univsity Hospital-Denver (my pulmonologist consults with them as needed) so there are no medical surprises to deal with (ones involving WG) if surgery is carried out. Yet, with few exceptions, the surgeries some doctors are willing to do are different than those they'd do for someone with medical histories not involving WG. These situations, simply, are part of the legacy of WG, something we weggies deal with the rest of our lives. Won't operate. Will operate, but not the one that gets closer to the issue at hand but involves more risk of failure (for the doctor as well, I sometimes think is the problem).:):(:confused:

Jack
05-14-2009, 12:57 AM
:):(:confused:


What kind of emotion is that Doug? You may need help. ;)

Sangye
05-14-2009, 03:35 AM
Maybe the last smiley 'splained it.... :)

Doug
05-14-2009, 06:04 AM
I'll go with Sangye's explanation! Danged if I know what was going through my mind. Actually, this has been a "deal with XXXXXXX insurance companies" day. (Note it was multiple- four to be exact.) I've been all over the map, mostly :(:mad: & :confused:. I was trying to :) it, but that was one exercise in futility where (smiley) joins the other three when they have a stiff shot of single malt Scotch, and nae a wee one either! I think mad face wants two shots and a bucket of Guiness: he wasn't happy all morning. Of course, he never is. You wouldn't be either, if six hours after you started, you were essentially at the same point. But, then, an average of 1.5 hours per insurance company isn't anything, eh, so what's the problem, as confused, perplexed, and bewildered would think it (see light bluey above, with ?'s)?

Jack
05-14-2009, 06:30 AM
I'm so grateful for the UK's National Health Service. :) Some people here don't realise how lucky we are.

Sangye
05-14-2009, 07:47 AM
Doug, you and I must be in the same weird bubble today. I've spent all day yesterday and today trying to get in to see my rheumy (or at least talk for 2 min.). I've gotten the run-around from his receptionist and, well, more than I care to get into. It'll just make me turn :mad: all over. I got nowhere, and I'm not doing well.

My health insurance is so completely messed up right now, too. I don't even know where to begin.

Jack, you're wise to be grateful. If you knew what this was like, you might lobby your government to establish annual "We (heart) NHS" days.

Doug
05-14-2009, 09:40 AM
In the spirit of not bringing up politics, I won't state how I stand on the issue of nationalizing insurance companies in the USA ( whether just the health care part or the whole industry- and I don't mean to imply I do or don't support in some way such a plan.....:cool::rolleyes:;)), or how I did or didn't vote in the last election, other than to suggest I felt a change was necessary and that I voted for candidates of both parties who (I felt) were, ideologically, most likely to work toward that change. :D Yeah.

Sangye
05-14-2009, 10:18 AM
So Doug-- did you or did you not get your wish? Nah-- just kidding.

Luce
05-15-2009, 02:43 AM
I have whinged in the past about the NHS and I do stick by my mini rants, but realise I am in a much better situation than those across the pond.
However, there is no ideal and the NHS is still massively under funded and not executed in anything like an efficient manner.
I am lucky that I am bright and alert enough to steer my treatment in the right direction, but it is so easy for an elderly person to drop off the radar with the NHS.
The other thing that annoys me is the "postcode lottery" that we have here in the UK. Depending on where you live depends what treatment and medication you are entitled to receive from the NHS.
Also, if you live in Wales all your prescriptions are completely free of charge - in Scotland they have reduced the prescription charge with a view to scrapping the charge completely.
In England however I have to pay £7.20 for each prescription I require, and yet wherever you live you pay the same amount of national insurance contributions.

Not a fair system at all, but superior to begging an insurance company to pick up a bill for you.

Doug
05-15-2009, 03:39 AM
Apparently not: I still live in the USA, and I didn't win the Powerball Lottery when it was up around US$350,000,000! Ha! (oo) But I still have my health. Ooops! No I don't! :( But I'm better off today than I was five years ago. Five years ago I was nearly dead, so no contest! :o And, if I chose the right belief system, I will have eternal life! :) But, if I didn't, I'll have hell to pay- for eternity! :mad: Good question, Sangye!

Sangye
05-15-2009, 04:25 AM
Luce, most insurance policies in the US don't have complete prescription coverage, if at all. Prescription plans often don't pay for pricier drugs (like the ones I happen to be on), even if your doc says there's no alternative.

My insurance has 100% coverage after a $3,000 annual deductible. So after I cough up (pun intended) $3K, they cover my pricey drugs like Cellcept ($900/mo). My insurance premium is $640/mo on top of the annual deductible. So my minimum annual medical expenses are nearly $11,000. Doesn't count mileage, holistic docs, and tons of other things that aren't covered.

I was on injectible heparin for 2.5 yrs, which ran $4,000-$7,000 a month, depending on the dosage I was on. When I was first put on the shots they wouldn't let me leave the hospital, because they had to contact the insurance company to make sure they'd pay for them. It was a weekend, so I sat in there for an extra 2 days for nothing! They said they've sometimes had to keep patients in for weeks, since their insurance would only cover that drug in a hospital, but not at home.

We often say our system is "broken." But since it was never whole, I prefer to think that it's more like Walmart furniture : "Assembly Required."

Doug
05-15-2009, 04:36 AM
Ah, yes! The Hypocritic Oath. Uh huh! Uh huh! Actually, the people of the billing departments of hospitals are the bastards and bastardesses. Each and every time I have insurance issues, I make a point of telling the person dropping the bomb on me that the situation described is why this country is going to go socialist and have national health care if they don't watch out. Haw! That goes over well in the Great Red Center of the USA. Of course it doesn't change a thing. p.s. postal code care, I believe it was called by one of our English friends (I can't recall who....) works in this country, too, though it is defined by the level of insurance care you can afford. My out of pocket costs will be similar to Sangye's next year, perhaps higher. I'm a little bit afraid to even calculate it out!

Luce
05-15-2009, 04:43 AM
Thank you Sangye, it does put my concerns for the NHS into perspective and it feels so inherently wrong that you have to go through all that while also battling with the disease itself. I have seen Sicko, the Michael Moore documentary and it really hit home the struggles you have to face while trying to get the care you need.
I just wish the NHS treated everyone fairly!

If your system is Walmart furniture then ours is the teenage Saturday sales assistant selling it to you.

Sangye
05-15-2009, 04:51 AM
If your system is Walmart furntiure then ours is the teenage Saturday sales assistant selling it to you.

That just made me laugh 'til my sides hurt. What a quick wit you have, Luce! :D

Luce
05-15-2009, 04:58 AM
That was a rare moment of wit, treasure it :)

Jack
05-15-2009, 06:05 AM
Luce - get yourself a PrePay Card. It costs £100 and gives you all your prescriptions "free" for a year. Also, the "post code lottery" only applies to some very little used drugs where their effectiveness is in question. In my own case, I have been prescribed non approved drugs in the past by being classed as a research subject.

Doug
05-15-2009, 06:11 AM
Her:) bunny made her say it.

Luce
05-15-2009, 06:27 AM
I do use the prepay system Jack, and in fact you've just reminded me I need to renew my card ASAP! I've been getting the 3 month ones as I was only diagnosed 7 months ago.
I like the prepay system as it saves me an awful lot of money, however if I moved over the border to Wales then I wouldn't have a need for such a card because my N.I contributions would buy me so much more.

The bunny often influences my witty moments - I can see her staring at me from across the room shooting "mind bullets" in my direction :D

pberggren1
05-15-2009, 12:13 PM
Sangye, how do you afford to live?

I feel so fortunate to have government health care. If I wasn't covered by the Provincial drug plan I would pay $1,000.00 per month for Cellcept, but fortunately I only have to pay 4%.

jola57
05-19-2009, 09:07 AM
Phil, is Saskatchewan Health Care paying for Cellcept?, when I talked to my rheumy about bio meds and other options he said I would be responsible to pay for them. How did you approach the huge discount.

pberggren1
05-20-2009, 11:33 AM
Yes, Sask Health Drug Plan is paying for the Cellcept. I first had to apply for what they call Special Support Program. When I was approved this enabled me to get 95% off of most of my meds. Then my Rheumy had to apply for Special Status for the Cellcept. Both of these programs have to be reviewed each year. I was able to get the huge discount because of my low income. In the last 6 years I have averaged about $12,000.00 annually.

What are bio meds?