dam doctor

twinkles said:
last year my doctor told me i was low on potassium that i could buy it over the counter i asked her what strength she said ask the pharmacist--i ask the pharmacist she said i had to check with the doctor---a few weeks later the dr. office called and said to stop taking the potassium my blood work showed i was good--i hadnt even taken any the quack
Click to expand...

One's can come in on low end of potassium labs, and fatigue and muscle cramps are major issue of low potassium. I often take 99mg daily of potassium gluconate and make sure I eat some good potassium rich foods, V8 low sodium juice is a great potassium lift and so are avocados. Lots of other stuff too.
 

Olivia said:
That's the truth! My dad who's 91 has now been in bed for four months because of back pain and finally found out he didn't need to be. I kept telling him to ask his PCP to send him to a specialist because his back pain wasn't getting any better. The doctor kept putting him off and put him on pain killers instead. So then after three months the doctor said that if he's not better in 3 weeks, he would send him to a specialist. I was livid and I insisted my dad tell him to send him to a specialist now! So, guess what, he did. And now it turns out he doesn't just have an "old man's" body aches but had four fractures in his spine

He finally got an MRI and a bone density test which he never got tested for before, and he has good insurance--three insurances including Medicare. So now it's discovered that his bone density is off the charts, literally! Now finally he'll get treatment after he's already bent over waiting, waiting, waiting. Don't let any doctor tell you that your aches and pains are just because you're OLD! Before this my dad was still very active. I don't know what's going to happen now.
Click to expand...

If father can walk best to do so. Staying in bed doesn't make back stronger. Magnesium is a major deficiency and your father could have an issue there. Even if your father can do some stretching while in bed and even do some PT, he could get a bit stronger. 91 is up there. But one can still be strong at that age if they work daily ...

I have a brother who is 75 and we talked today and as bad as his back is and I talked him out of back surgery a couple yrs ago, he says playing golf as he does just about daily keeps his back moving better. He works in golf courses too, teaching.
 
jaminhealth said:
If father can walk best to do so. Staying in bed doesn't make back stronger. Magnesium is a major deficiency and your father could have an issue there. Even if your father can do some stretching while in bed and even do some PT, he could get a bit stronger. 91 is up there. But one can still be strong at that age if they work daily ...

I have a brother who is 75 and we talked today and as bad as his back is and I talked him out of back surgery a couple yrs ago, he says playing golf as he does just about daily keeps his back moving better. He works in golf courses too, teaching.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought, too, Jam. And I encouraged him to be active and walk around more, etc. In fact, I was getting impatient with him for mostly lying around. He did go out a couple of times, and always came back hurting more. And since his for-real-diagnosis, I now know why. He had four fractures in his spine (which were new by the way--a result of his twisting his back getting out of bed one morning.) That's when it all started. The bone and joint specialist said they were all "new".

But the really serious thing is when he finally got a bone density test and when the doctor finally saw it, he just couldn't understand why it was so severely bad, that he had his blood taken from the lab to find out what was going on. And after thinking about it later I realized that he had been taking a PPI for acid reflux that was so bad that an ambulance was called twice because he thought he was having a heart attack. He was on this medication for 10 years (he said he stopped it for a year already so I don't think it was on the list that he gave to the doctor) which I've researched and found that this type of medication can cause osteoporosis.

So, if he had tripped and fallen down while trying to be active he could have broken a hip and that would have been devastating. Anyway, the doctor said he could walk around (which he does in a walker) for 10 minutes a day. And now we're just waiting for a medication that you inject in your body every day that will build up the bones. It's supposed to start helping the bones get stronger after six weeks. You know, it just makes me so upset thinking about how this condition could have been avoided--at least for as bad as it had gotten.
 

So much can be avoided and so many drugs are so damaging. I know I take a lot more magnesium daily and have been for years and Never take PPI's -- I have worked with supplements for over 25 yrs. So so wish so many more would have all their lives.

America is a pharma world. Hope your dad can get some strength. When I think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and she's headed to 90 and they say she's one little strong woman.
 
jaminhealth said:
So much can be avoided and so many drugs are so damaging. I know I take a lot more magnesium daily and have been for years and Never take PPI's -- I have worked with supplements for over 25 yrs. So so wish so many more would have all their lives.

America is a pharma world. Hope your dad can get some strength. When I think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and she's headed to 90 and they say she's one little strong woman.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm keeping positive.

As far as RBG, what a great role model! I love that woman. She's actually 85 and it's been said that she really needs to stay on the Court for five more years. She is a bit bent over so I hope she's not having bone density problems. Did you watch the CNN special on her life? What a woman and what a great husband, too!
 
I saw a news piece where patients are dealing with the doctors over the internet now instead of going in. I don't know how Medicare handles that. It sure would be nice to do that instead of going in to get a prescription refilled. My doctor always checks my vitals and asks me if I got the latest shot for whatever is flying around. He is pretty firm about me coming in every six months but he is moving north by about 15 miles so I my change.
 
fmdog44 said:
I saw a news piece where patients are dealing with the doctors over the internet now instead of going in. I don't know how Medicare handles that. It sure would be nice to do that instead of going in to get a prescription refilled. My doctor always checks my vitals and asks me if I got the latest shot for whatever is flying around. He is pretty firm about me coming in every six months but he is moving north by about 15 miles so I my change.
Click to expand...

Last December I got shingles. I emailed my doctor and attached a picture of the rash on my arm. She responded that it was shingles and called in 2 prescriptions. I never went in to see her and she did not charge my insurance (or me) anything. She is very responsive to email inquiries which I appreciate very much.
 
My doctor is awesome. She is never late. And she won't take you if you are late. She has us all trained. Also, she has a really good nurse practitioner who I go to for things like prescriptions. I can usually get in to see her faster, she gets the doctor if needed (rarely has that happened), writes my prescription and I am good to go.
 
I see my Integrative MD once a year or twice if I have to go back in to go over labs. She doesn't need to do much with much as I am SO MUCH my own doctor...and all my supplements keep from so many issues like shingles, no vaccines and no shingles at 80. And I had chicken pox at 5.

The ortho surgeon messed me up but bad with hip replacement in 2010 and if I never have a knife cut me again, I'll be one happy camper..and my walker is a good friend, thought I'd never say this but it's come to that....I so fear a knee replacement, so so fear it. Hip was messed up and each time we are cut, more arthritis sets in. That's it on my ortho MD.

Otherwise I keep my eyes and gums very healthy with supplements and don't go to those docs anymore....it's taken a lifetime to find the answers for me...no cataracts either as I use the eye supports I do.

I'm not a fan of running to doctors and their drugs.
 
My orthopedist sent me to a neurologist. He said "Now, Dr. _______ is a little hard to deal with, but I think you should see him because he's one of the best."

My first appointment, he was rude, cold, and completely dismissed the results of the neurological tests that the ortho had ordered. He said, "Exactly what do you want to accomplish by seeing me?" I said, "Well, I'd like you to tell me what's wrong with me!" He ordered some more tests, stalked out of the office and turned me over to the PA.

I had the tests done (by him and he acted like I wasn't even there). When I came back next week, he greeted me warmly, took quite a bit of time explaining the results, we told each other a couple of jokes, laughed, and on the way out of the room he gave me a side hug and walked me part of the way down the hall with his arm around my shoulders. He said it was a pleasure meeting me.

The next appointment, he was rude, dismissive and acted like he'd rather be having four wisdom teeth pulled without gas than to be meeting with me. Luckily, I now just check in with the PA, who is a delightful person.

I wonder if sometimes he doesn't take his "happy pills" or if he is bi-polar.

Or, maybe it's like the old joke goes...….Q: What is the difference between God and a Neurologist? A: God doesn't think he's a Neurologist.
 
When some of these doctors need a doctor themselves, are they treated in the same manner?
If they are, then they'd get a taste of their own medicine, literally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top