Health Problems

Sadre Spinegnawer

Sadre Spinegnawer

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Borzak said:
I hope it's depressinon. I have a hard time writing/typing anything. I leave out words. Mispell words. Use the wrong word. Getting worse by the day. It takes me 5 minutes to write 2-3 sentences like this and have to reread it a dozen times. Take a break and come back and read it again.
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Serious depression ("Is there any other kind?" - Colonel Jessup) exists on a continuum that can include nearly catatonic forms. It makes sense. Depression is like this strange shut down process. You can get so shut down you are almost catatonic, apparently.

I would not wish depression on my worst enemy.
 
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sleevedraw

sleevedraw

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Dom said:
Both were instructed by the same doc/office though, otherwise I would have assumed it was a provider thing. The bipeglyte was twice as expensive as the pico which is where the confusion/frustration sets in.
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Don't know how it works in Canada as far as drug prices, but oftentimes a provider prescribes a drug because it's the first thing that pops into their mind despite there being multiple drugs in a class. In the US, savvier patients learn to go look at GoodRX or their insurance company's formulary first before filling a prescription to make what they are prescribed is the cheapest option. A good doctor will always be willing to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes with you to see if you can mutually find something that's both effective and (as far as drugs go) price-effective.

It surprises me that Bipeg is expensive considering PEG and bisacodyl are both older than dirt. You could go to the store, grab a can of Miralax and a couple pills of Dulcolax over the counter. Literally the same thing.
 
Borzak

Borzak

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Sadre Spinegnawer said:
Serious depression ("Is there any other kind?" - Colonel Jessup) exists on a continuum that can include nearly catatonic forms. It makes sense. Depression is like this strange shut down process. You can get so shut down you are almost catatonic, apparently.

I would not wish depression on my worst enemy.
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Thanks. I started on an anti depressent finally.

The last few days I got the lupus deal across my my nose and part of my face. Which would make sense with the shortness of breath and increased heart rate and incredible skin pain. Also had patches on other areas of my skin as well. It looks like a really bad sunburn on my skin is coming off. Haven't really been outside other than a vehicle in a while tho.

But the one medical test for it I always show negative and that's the end of that.
 
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A

a_skeleton_05

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Scopes to check for what was causing that bleeding a few weeks back were all clear. Everything looks good. Good to hear, but still leaves the question of what caused the blood to begin with.
 
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ver_21

ver_21

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Borzak said:
Thanks. I started on an anti depressent finally.

The last few days I got the lupus deal across my my nose and part of my face. Which would make sense with the shortness of breath and increased heart rate and incredible skin pain. Also had patches on other areas of my skin as well. It looks like a really bad sunburn on my skin is coming off. Haven't really been outside other than a vehicle in a while tho.

But the one medical test for it I always show negative and that's the end of that.
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There is drug induced lupus in addition to the more naturally occuring variety.

I think lupus might be a condition that a lot of doctors are biased against diagnosing in men. The literature/stats/heuristics they're all beholden to basically tell them it's against all odds that men can get it.
 
A

a_skeleton_05

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sleevedraw said:
Don't know how it works in Canada as far as drug prices, but oftentimes a provider prescribes a drug because it's the first thing that pops into their mind despite there being multiple drugs in a class. In the US, savvier patients learn to go look at GoodRX or their insurance company's formulary first before filling a prescription to make what they are prescribed is the cheapest option. A good doctor will always be willing to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes with you to see if you can mutually find something that's both effective and (as far as drugs go) price-effective.

It surprises me that Bipeg is expensive considering PEG and bisacodyl are both older than dirt. You could go to the store, grab a can of Miralax and a couple pills of Dulcolax over the counter. Literally the same thing.
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Asked my doc why the change and he said its because bipeglyte is tolerated better by most. I mentioner the price difference and he was surprised and made a note of it
 
iannis

iannis

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Dom said:
Scopes to check for what was causing that bleeding a few weeks back were all clear. Everything looks good. Good to hear, but still leaves the question of what caused the blood to begin with.
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Whatever burst healed up. And it healed up fairly well if they didn't see signs of scarring or raw tissue.

Bad news is it will probably happen again at some point and freak you the fuck out again. And that freakout is not irrational.
 
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Borzak

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ver_21 said:
There is drug induced lupus in addition to the more naturally occuring variety.

I think lupus might be a condition that a lot of doctors are biased against diagnosing in men. The literature/stats/heuristics they're all beholden to basically tell them it's against all odds that men can get it.
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I looked up the drug induced Lupus. It would actually make sense of the stuff I've had happen. But nowhere did it specifically mention corticosteroids. From my original instance of MS which was typical looking of MS I got over that pretty quickly and got back to 95% of normal or more. I ran everyday. Still climbed towers. Still rode my bike and such. 6 months later I went thru the mass corticosteroids of 1,000 mg a day infusion for a week of methyl prednisone and since then it's been a pretty straight line downhill and none of the issues I have/complain about are really related to MS. Skin on fire across my entire body. I clean my glasses multiple times a day from the inside, from dry eye like tears/crying. High heart rate. Shortness of breath.

My MS specialist may have been right. She didn't know but said "I would say something happened to your immune system afterwards".
 
meStevo

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So in 11 days im down 14 lbs and have had an average blood sugar of 115 (106-126). But I have no energy to handle this Monday slate staring at me. I'm motivated though, even if I'm all glassy eyed and complete sentances seem occasionally challenging as my body gets used to less blood sugar / carbs and adjusts to my 5th day on diabetic/cholesterol/blood pressure meds.
 
meStevo

meStevo

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meStevo said:
So in 11 days im down 14 lbs and have had an average blood sugar of 115 (106-126). But I have no energy to handle this Monday slate staring at me. I'm motivated though, even if I'm all glassy eyed and complete sentances seem occasionally challenging as my body gets used to less blood sugar / carbs and adjusts to my 5th day on diabetic/cholesterol/blood pressure meds.
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Down 20 lbs now in 2 weeks, and im just miserable. Cut BP meds in half to help with the light headedness. Went from walking 3+ miles a day w/ coworkers before starting meds to needing a break walking in from my car. Doc says I'll get over this 'in a couple weeks'. Vitals are largely excellent. Went from 260 blood sugar to an average of 112 since I started tracking last week, blood pressure went from 160/90 to 118/78. I haven't been 265 in several or more years. I was 305 in December.
 
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iannis

iannis

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That's a very large shift in bodyweight. It's no great wonder you feel like crap.

You will adjust, but yeah.
 
Kuriin

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It takes your body to get used to such a dramatic shift in change. Not only did you lose weight, your blood sugar is actually normal when you're used to it being high. Your blood pressure is normal when it used to be high. It's no wonder you get lightheaded.

Keep it up, man.
 
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C

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meStevo said:
Down 20 lbs now in 2 weeks, and im just miserable.
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If that's real mass reduction and not food bulk and water, that's a super-fast weight loss rate. I know bigger people can lose more weight faster, but eventually you'll want to approach something more like 1-2 lbs/week on managed caloric intake. Slowing down a bit can help a lot with making your change an actual lifestyle improvement as opposed to "a diet".
 
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Borzak

Borzak

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ver_21 said:
There is drug induced lupus in addition to the more naturally occuring variety.

I think lupus might be a condition that a lot of doctors are biased against diagnosing in men. The literature/stats/heuristics they're all beholden to basically tell them it's against all odds that men can get it.
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The more I read up on this the more it seems like a pretty good fit. I've always said I got over the first attack/relapse whatever they call it of MS pretty quickly and went back to work. But after the hand issue that they ordered 5 days of 1,000 mg of methyl prednisone and started on neurontin it's been pretty downhll in a straight line. Apparently anti seizure medicine is a large cause. Neurontin is an anti seizure medication but I've been off of it a couple time for at least 6 months. I've taken the antibody test for lupus several times. Nothing.
 
ver_21

ver_21

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Borzak said:
The more I read up on this the more it seems like a pretty good fit. I've always said I got over the first attack/relapse whatever they call it of MS pretty quickly and went back to work. But after the hand issue that they ordered 5 days of 1,000 mg of methyl prednisone and started on neurontin it's been pretty downhll in a straight line. Apparently anti seizure medicine is a large cause. Neurontin is an anti seizure medication but I've been off of it a couple time for at least 6 months. I've taken the antibody test for lupus several times. Nothing.
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I wish I knew more about it. Maybe there are other immune system conditions that can be drug-induced but not show up on the lupus titer. It would seem noteworthy to me that you've experienced the lupus "mask".

These drugs nowadays have all sort of crap impurities, too. NDMA in Zantac?! It's more likely than you think.
 
Foler

The_Black_Log Foler

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Kuriin said:
I use the Konsyl version of psyllium. I like it because it has no additional additives like Metamucil does. Plus, with Konsyl, you can do 1 tablespoon to get 3x the amount of fiber than that of Metamucil. Huge plus given that it solidifies pretty quickly. The thing I tell patients about psyllium — or fiber for that matter — is that it WILL constipate you if you do not drink enough water.

In terms of skin, Foler Foler , my face is pretty clear as I use Cleocin (Clindamycin) gel at night and Clinique Dry Skin moisturizer (I have oily skin). It gives me clear skin with added moisture to prevent wrinkles in the future. No acne here.

For back acne, you could take 50mg of Doxycycline every day or twice daily (morning and night). Plus to this? You get the added bonus of prophylaxis protection to gonorrhea (studies have shown that doxycycline can prevent gonorrhea). Downside with Doxycycline is that it causes some wicked nausea and esophagitis if taken on an empty stomach and before bed.

For best suggestion for skin: Get the Cleocin roller — this has alcohol and Cleocin in it, and you can roll on your back and face before putting moisturizer on. ;) Say bye bye to acne.

— I’ll have to check out that Acacia fiber.
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Didn't see your reply until now . Cleocin is more so for acne though right? I'm talking skin damage. Saw the derm, she gave me retin-a for my face and another prescription cream (can't remember name atm) for so surgical scarring. Scar cream works amazing, it's a newer cream as of 2016. Retin A has also been tits. My skin looks fucking amazing, of course moisturizing as well.

I only occasionally get bacne so I'm not sure doxycycline would be worth the benefit. Doctor prescribed it for a cyst I had but it went away and took the pharmacy for fucking ever to mail it to me so never bothered starting it.
 
Foler

The_Black_Log Foler

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Borzak said:
Wife having a miscarriage sounds rough. Sorry, nothing to add since I'm not married.

Monday was a major downer. Dr. mentioned something I really do without. Since I've had trouble breathing and had to fitted with a brace I use (not all the time) to help hold my head up (mostly when sitting down for long periods in a chair with no headrest) the Dr. mentioned ALS. Said lesions originally may have been from something else. Apparently there's really no test for it, much like MS. I'm not really sold on that but I think he threw that out because he has no other idea. The one thing I do know is a large portion of symptoms come and go (not all at the same time) which is not normal for MS and probably not ALS either.
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Huh. MS symptoms can come and go depending on a variety of things even like weather, stress and sleep.

MS is tricky as fuck. Some of the drugs they have for it are super helpful for delaying it's progression. Also the type of MS you have can make all the difference in your prognosis.
 
pharmakos

pharmakos

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Borzak said:
The more I read up on this the more it seems like a pretty good fit. I've always said I got over the first attack/relapse whatever they call it of MS pretty quickly and went back to work. But after the hand issue that they ordered 5 days of 1,000 mg of methyl prednisone and started on neurontin it's been pretty downhll in a straight line. Apparently anti seizure medicine is a large cause. Neurontin is an anti seizure medication but I've been off of it a couple time for at least 6 months. I've taken the antibody test for lupus several times. Nothing.
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man do you still take Neurontin then? that stuff was HORRIBLE for my memory issues. i noticed a dramatic improvement in both my short-term and long-term memory when i switched to Lyrica. it was a big enough difference that my girlfriend asked me to please never go back to Neurontin, it got really frustrating for her how often i was having memory problems.
 
jayrebb

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pharmakos said:
man do you still take Neurontin then? that stuff was HORRIBLE for my memory issues. i noticed a dramatic improvement in both my short-term and long-term memory when i switched to Lyrica. it was a big enough difference that my girlfriend asked me to please never go back to Neurontin, it got really frustrating for her how often i was having memory problems.
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Can attest to Gabapentin being a real brain-freezer. But that drug is a godsend really, it has such a wide variety of applications and tapering off the drug usually goes pretty well titrating up and down.

Borzak said:
The more I read up on this the more it seems like a pretty good fit. I've always said I got over the first attack/relapse whatever they call it of MS pretty quickly and went back to work. But after the hand issue that they ordered 5 days of 1,000 mg of methyl prednisone and started on neurontin it's been pretty downhll in a straight line. Apparently anti seizure medicine is a large cause. Neurontin is an anti seizure medication but I've been off of it a couple time for at least 6 months. I've taken the antibody test for lupus several times. Nothing.
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Also lets pump the brakes on Gabapentin being involved in drug induced Lupus. AFAIK, yes there are types of anti-seizure meds that can cause and have been linked to drug induced lupus, but last I checked gabapentin is absolutely not one of those drugs. Just because its prescribed for anti-seizure purposes doesn't mean gabapentin shares the risks of the anti-seizure meds that are known to cause lupus. The other drugs in question that cause drug induced lupus aren't similar at all to gabapentin. Gabapentin also has the lower incidence of allergy or drug reaction compared to lyrica, but thats irrelevant to Borzak's concern.

I'm 90% positive gabapentin has and can have nothing to do with drug induced lupus, or at least that there has never been a linked case of it happening, but my research on this was done a few years ago. But you are right that several major anti-seizure meds can cause DIL.
 
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