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O.T. ~ Get medical checkups.

JoeE.

Titanium
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Location
Kansas
Just a word here to maybe nudge some people off center about getting medical checkups.

A little rundown of my health history.

Never smoked, drank some beer (not for 20 years now) and eat whatever I want, nutritious or otherwise.

Had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma about 7 years ago, discovered relatively early and defeated with Chemo.

During a checkup examination a few years later, blood sample indicated rise in PSA levels, digital exam found nothing, but a needle exam found cancer cells... had that removed to prevent metastasizing. No problems since then with PSA.

Have had 2 (maybe 3, can't remember) colonoscopies. Was on 5 year spacing since mother died of colon cancer.

First time- 2 benign polyps removed. Latest one- 5 polyps removed, Doctor says "you need to come in every three years, now.
Well, yesterday he calls.... "well, cancer (Adenocarcinoma)cells in one of them, and just to be safe, gonna send you to big city hospital for a closer examination to be sure we got all of the polyp tissue.

So, there's that.

Get off your ass and make an appointment. Cancer is a silent killer.

I don't know of any of my nearly same age friends who have has prostate exams or colonoscopies... You can lead a horse to water, but....

P.S.~ during the Lymphona battle, they did a few P.E.T. scans on me. I said "this is a wonderful idea, why don't they do these routinely to scan bodies for cancer.

Answer: $$$ to the 10th power.
 
Glad you got sorted, folk avoid getting checked, they feel embarrassed, many people have fallen to embarrassment which is so sad, the mrs told me to man up, she rightly stated I didn’t worry when she had to go to the gynaecologist when expecting, so she expected me to behave the same, very true, I didn’t give her treatment a second thought, though I wasn’t sure why the taxi driver was at the examination, honest, turns out he was a trainee nurse or so he said!
Must admit she didn’t like the audience, I understand that as nurses and doctors have to train but they will reduce the numbers to front row only if you ask.
It was pointed out us men are all babies, “suck it up” said the attending nurse, I said if I could I would but I’m having trouble keeping my teeth in at the moment, seems the nether regions a have direct line to your facial muscles
I think the doctor appreciated my dark humour or it was a nervous laugh because he had lost his 1/2” drive torque wrench
Jokes aside, don’t die of embarrassment, it’s normal to these guys, you could tell as the welder was sitting with a coffee and a packet of chocolate fingers
Mark
 
Prostate exam is no big deal. Close your eyes and fantasize about staring in a supporting role in a prison movie....
Try to empty your bladder first, it helps. Ask me how I know.
Hey doc, where should I put my pants? Right on this chair next to mine.
Next advise. Always shake your docs hand before choosing him as your primary. Maybe pass if they have huge fingers. Maybe not:rolleyes5:

And then there is the colonoscopy. Polyps first time so 3 year plan, clean second time so on 5 year plan. They used to inflate you with compressed air and the recovery room was full of patients passing fog horns of gas. They now use CO2 and it gets absorbed by your body. Colonoscopy is no big deal, but the prep is unpleasant, but seems to get a tiny bit better each time.
colon.jpg
 
Yeah, it's the prep that sucks. I aim for an early AM procedure. That way I wreck the previous night's sleep, get the procedure overwith, go home and take a long nap, and be functional for the afternoon. Two years ago I was put on the one-year plan, which turned into two because of my procrastination and COVID. The most recent exam resulted in being put on the three-year plan.
 
In the reception area they asked me if it was alright if they brought students in to watch the procedure.
With all the stuff I've had done there's been enough people seen my naked body I don't give a damn anymore. I told him to bring everybody they want.

After a procedure I had done a few years ago, when I woke up in the recovery room, I looked around at everybody laying in there... there was a nurse standing up at the front, like a teacher would, and I said "I'm baaaack" in a comical manner... I like to bring a little levity to the situation

. This time when they was getting ready to put me under, they didn't bother to have me count down or anything... They snuck one in on me...I didn't even know they were going to do it, all I remember was rolling over on my side and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room, lol.
 
Had a colonoscopy at 45. Got a pass until 55. They had me do the Cologard. Everything ok. I've made use of the paid physicals since my later 40's. I was a little overweight then and the blood numbers were a little off. Went a little extreme with everything. Went from 211 to 170. I started running and avoiding everything food wise. Since the knees hated it, I took up cycling. Hope to continue it for a long, long time.
 
In the reception area they asked me if it was alright if they brought students in to watch the procedure.
With all the stuff I've had done there's been enough people seen my naked body I don't give a damn anymore. I told him to bring everybody they want.

After a procedure I had done a few years ago, when I woke up in the recovery room, I looked around at everybody laying in there... there was a nurse standing up at the front, like a teacher would, and I said "I'm baaaack" in a comical manner... I like to bring a little levity to the situation

. This time when they was getting ready to put me under, they didn't bother to have me count down or anything... They snuck one in on me...I didn't even know they were going to do it, all I remember was rolling over on my side and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room, lol.


When I was in the hospital for a coral snake bite, I had several different doctors bring in students just to show them the medication, because nobody had ever seen a coral snake bite. There are approximately 100 coral snake bites in the US per year, approximately 70% of them in Florida (I am the .03%...), and there have been zero fatalities due to coral snake bites since approximately the 1960s when the antivenin was developed.

[quote="rklopp']Yeah, it's the prep that sucks. I aim for an early AM procedure. That way I wreck the previous night's sleep, get the procedure overwith, go home and take a long nap, and be functional for the afternoon. Two years ago I was put on the one-year plan, which turned into two because of my procrastination and COVID. The most recent exam resulted in being put on the three-year plan.[/quote]

Work is kind enough to give us 1 extra day of PTO to use for a colonoscopy each time they're necessary.
 
Just a word here to maybe nudge some people off center about getting medical checkups.

A little rundown of my health history.

Never smoked, drank some beer (not for 20 years now) and eat whatever I want, nutritious or otherwise.

Had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma about 7 years ago, discovered relatively early and defeated with Chemo.

During a checkup examination a few years later, blood sample indicated rise in PSA levels, digital exam found nothing, but a needle exam found cancer cells... had that removed to prevent metastasizing. No problems since then with PSA.

Have had 2 (maybe 3, can't remember) colonoscopies. Was on 5 year spacing since mother died of colon cancer.

First time- 2 benign polyps removed. Latest one- 5 polyps removed, Doctor says "you need to come in every three years, now.
Well, yesterday he calls.... "well, cancer (Adenocarcinoma)cells in one of them, and just to be safe, gonna send you to big city hospital for a closer examination to be sure we got all of the polyp tissue.

So, there's that.

Get off your ass and make an appointment. Cancer is a silent killer.

I don't know of any of my nearly same age friends who have has prostate exams or colonoscopies... You can lead a horse to water, but....

P.S.~ during the Lymphona battle, they did a few P.E.T. scans on me. I said "this is a wonderful idea, why don't they do these routinely to scan bodies for cancer.

Answer: $$$ to the 10th power.

Glad to hear that you caught things in time. My aunt had blood in her stool but was to embarrassed to get it checked out. She died of colon cancer about 25 years ago and I saw there the night before she passed. That was enough to scare me into getting any and all medical checkups including a full annual physical.

When I went to schedule my last physical the receptionist asked me if I would mind seeing a female PA instead of my own doctor. I told her that I'd rather see my regular doctor who is a male about 5'5" and 220#. After I got off the phone and thought about it for a while I told my wife that maybe I should have gone with the female PA. She asked why and I told her that the PA likely had smaller fingers.

As it turned out my doctor told me that they don't need to do the rubber glove thing anymore which was fine with me.
 
Two words to the wise:

1) you can show a false positive on the PSA blood test if you have had either a) extensive exercise or b) any type of sexual activity, two or three days prior to the test.

2) after the colonoscopy the follow-on instructions frequenty say "resume your normal activities the next day" but for many of us, that does not apply. Question the
dr. closely about what is, and what is not allowed that *you* consider "normal" activities. Apparently motorcycling to work and then dragging equipment from one
end of the building to the other was out of line.
 
Many urologists no longer bother with prostate exams. They always seemed very limited to me...then last year I had a urologist say the same. It only allows the doctor to feel a portion of the prostate, and it's a subjective test anyway. It's better than nothing, but blood tests and other tests are far better.

I remember when Warren Zevon made his final appearance on the Letterman show....he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer after he'd begun coughing and having other issues. It was very advanced by the time it was discovered, and he admitted had gone through life with a general dislike of doctor visits. He summed it up pretty well by saying something like, "I guess that's what you get for going 25 years without seeing a doctor..."

Eddie Vedder Keep Me In Your Heart (Warren Zevon) - YouTube
 
"When I was in the hospital for a coral snake bite"

How did you get a coral snake bite? I've always heard they are among the most difficult snake bites to get.
 
"When I was in the hospital for a coral snake bite"

How did you get a coral snake bite? I've always heard they are among the most difficult snake bites to get.

You have to be a real idiot to get a coral snake bite. Like the kind of idiot who tries to grab one.

Buddy wanted me to kill it, because it was on his back porch, and his wife runs a pet sitting business out of the house. I was convinced that since he already had it pinned down, I could just grab it, instead of chopping its head off. I was wrong. Guess who ended up getting their head chopped off anyway? And guess who got a $95K hospital bill?
 
Get the RIGHT medical exam! I'm 58 and had a physical in October, Dr. said "good to go, see you next year". Last Thursday I was comming into work and started feeling like I had a muscle cramp on top of my sternum. Tried to stretch it out, then realized my backbone felt like it was trying to come out of my body. 911, ambulance ride, defibbed, stint, all before 7:30am. Nurses in IC were calling me "Mr.Lucky". Full closure of the left ventrical. Cardiologist said it had been building up for years, so that means the last 30 years of physicals were for shit. Go get the die test! It's the only real way to check!
better now
have fun
i_r_machinist
 
$95K for a snake bite !!!

So I got bitten Weds night about 8pm. I drove myself to the ER and told them what happened, around 9PM. They put an IV in me, called an ambulance, and sent me to the real hospital, because they don't administer antivenin in the ER. If they'd told me that before I got the IV, I'd have just driven myself to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was administered the antivenin (the antivenin was out of production from 2006 to 2018), I stayed overnight with a heart monitor and hourly checks on my vitals/neurological function (fun fact: The coral snake is the most venomous snake in North America, drop for drop; It's got a potent neurotoxin that can shut your lungs down). I was served Breakfast and Lunch, and was released at approximately 3PM on Thursday. So approximately 18hrs in the system. The bill (not including the ambulance) was initially $94,513.xx. The ambulance is a separate $2K or so.

Insurance negotiated their payment down to $58xx.xx, and I owed a $100 copay. I owed the ambulance approximately $100 for a copay as well.
 
Work is kind enough to give us 1 extra day of PTO to use for a colonoscopy each time they're necessary.

I may have share my idea for surreptitiously lowering the average age of the workforce.

A company I worked for has a reputation for taking employee safety and health very seriously. They also had an fairly old average age (engineering average was over 50 IIRC). This is a bit of a problem if you are counting on radical innovation within the company. So one day when they posted a reminder: "After age 50, you should get a colonoscopy every five years or at the frequency your doctor recommends" it prompted me to think about a way to lower the average age. I call it my "Up, periscope!" plan. require, on the grounds of concern for employee health, a colonoscopy every three years after 50. But after 53, every year. After 54, every 6 months. And so forth. By age 60, you're getting a garden hose shoved up your nether regions every 4 days. I suspect that by age 56 or 57, many employees might look elsewhere for work!
 
So I got bitten Weds night about 8pm. I drove myself to the ER and told them what happened, around 9PM. They put an IV in me, called an ambulance, and sent me to the real hospital, because they don't administer antivenin in the ER. If they'd told me that before I got the IV, I'd have just driven myself to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was administered the antivenin (the antivenin was out of production from 2006 to 2018), I stayed overnight with a heart monitor and hourly checks on my vitals/neurological function (fun fact: The coral snake is the most venomous snake in North America, drop for drop; It's got a potent neurotoxin that can shut your lungs down). I was served Breakfast and Lunch, and was released at approximately 3PM on Thursday. So approximately 18hrs in the system. The bill (not including the ambulance) was initially $94,513.xx. The ambulance is a separate $2K or so.

Insurance negotiated their payment down to $58xx.xx, and I owed a $100 copay. I owed the ambulance approximately $100 for a copay as well.

Did you experience any neurological effects, aka get high? Friend was bit by a cobra once, he was alone and knew the small town hospital would not have antivenom, so resigned himself to the affects. Said he got really high that night, and was surprised when he woke up the next morning, he apparently did not get a full dose. I got bit by one of his cobras one night, it was freshly devenomed, but I was the lab rat to test whether or not it worked, supposedly the venom glands can grow back.
 
Get the RIGHT medical exam! I'm 58 and had a physical in October, Dr. said "good to go, see you next year". Last Thursday I was comming into work and started feeling like I had a muscle cramp on top of my sternum. Tried to stretch it out, then realized my backbone felt like it was trying to come out of my body. 911, ambulance ride, defibbed, stint, all before 7:30am. Nurses in IC were calling me "Mr.Lucky". Full closure of the left ventrical. Cardiologist said it had been building up for years, so that means the last 30 years of physicals were for shit. Go get the die test! It's the only real way to check!
better now
have fun
i_r_machinist

I guess no way to do some kind of sonogram or dopler? Some type of less invasive (and its medical, so %500 more $) imaging?
 
I may have share my idea for surreptitiously lowering the average age of the workforce.

A company I worked for has a reputation for taking employee safety and health very seriously. They also had an fairly old average age (engineering average was over 50 IIRC). This is a bit of a problem if you are counting on radical innovation within the company. So one day when they posted a reminder: "After age 50, you should get a colonoscopy every five years or at the frequency your doctor recommends" it prompted me to think about a way to lower the average age. I call it my "Up, periscope!" plan. require, on the grounds of concern for employee health, a colonoscopy every three years after 50. But after 53, every year. After 54, every 6 months. And so forth. By age 60, you're getting a garden hose shoved up your nether regions every 4 days. I suspect that by age 56 or 57, many employees might look elsewhere for work!

Gee....and no one over 50 can innovate ?

Get with the times grandpa.

What's with your Hitler complex eh ?

Force them out by age ? There are federal laws against it.
 








 
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