Health Problems

Cynical said:

So out of the blue I've been having recurring spinal pain and weakness in my lower back. Fairly normal since last year, hurt my back bad last year cause me and another worker were shuffling out this 8' I beam out side onto the bobcat/skidsteer forks. Beam slipped and rather than let it go, my dumbass tried to catch it. Ouch.

I typically end up with some type of osteoarthritis is any place I've injured as well, inherited degenerative arthritis problems. Keep in mind only 37 lol.

Anyway see the doc, do a physical, get a scan, and I apparently have 3 small "lumps" along my lower spine, about the size of quarters. Also have a couple more about the same size in same area. I have a larger one embedded in one of my lower back muscles as well.

Well color me shitting bricks. Doc tries reassuring me, have some MRI/CT booked, blood tests, probably a biopsy. Says they probaly cysts, don't stress.

K yeah no fucking worries here at all motherfucker, you got no lumps on yer spine.

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The way you described it, those lumps would be the least of your problems if it was cancer. You say it is along the spine - what you are mostly afraid of in that region is metastasis into bones - which means there's a primary site somewhere else, but with you being 37 that's highly unlikely unless you have a family history. Primary tumor in the spinal region is quite rare.

Far more likely scenario is your back getting hurt and the inflammation encapsulating itself thus creating the cysts, which can grow over time and leading to your present problems, when they start pressing into nerves and other tissue. One other option would be arthritis of the spine which is a bitch to deal with, mostly you would be taking pain meds and eventually surgery and shaving of the protruding bits, but I don't think a doctor would describe those as "lumps"

Tell me this isn't "fucky". My new medicine has to come thru a speciality pharmacy. I've had all kinds of issues with them, the shipping and the general customer service. Sending the package to the wrong state and won't allow you to just buy an extra month and instead waiting till you have 2 days left to ship it, not a fan of that at all since the drug maker makes it clear you can't stop once you start. I can think of lots of instances where that would suck, what if you are out of town? Or something happens like the recent flood etc...

So I ask my doctor if she can send my prescription to another pharmacy because there are a couple of speciality pharmacies that carry it, she says "nope", can only send it to that one pharmacy.

Also, I had totally forgotten I had an MRI about 18 months before all this stuff started as a precaution after a wreck. My doctor keeps saying that the lesions in my brain has gone back for years if not decades. My mom got a copy of the MRI sent to us and the report, it was all clear in the report and actually looking at it. Got to find a new doctor apparently. The stuff now is bad enough it showed up on a cat scan when this started, but didn't show up on a MRI 18 months before but goes back decades? Also my latest MRI shows no activeity and about half of them are going away which is pretty rare as well.

This may be a stupid question, more of a wellness check type of deal.

At the end of september I'll be climbing Mt. Katahdan in Maine. We'll be walking a 3 mile trail and then hooking into one of the easier trails to the summit (peak is approx 1 mile up).

I want to make sure I obviously don't have any serious medical issues during the climb. I'm thinking about skipping my medicine that day - although it has levelled out to a better level than before, it can sometimes make me low and I don't want to risk it. I'll also be bringing gatorades, candy bars, smarties (thanks borzak, these work) as well as normal food (sandwiches, whatever). All in all it's going to be a 10-12 hour hike up and back down. I used to walk the Walk for Hunger in Boston which was 20 miles, but this has elevation so I am sure even though the mileage is less it will be far more strenuous. I'll also be changing my socks and putting vaseline on my feet to try to minimize blisters/sores.

Are there any other precautions i should bring?

ha-ha-ha

It isn't a pussy thing, I want to make sure I don't pass out on a mountain from the betes

Noodleface said:

This may be a stupid question, more of a wellness check type of deal.

At the end of september I'll be climbing Mt. Katahdan in Maine. We'll be walking a 3 mile trail and then hooking into one of the easier trails to the summit (peak is approx 1 mile up).

I want to make sure I obviously don't have any serious medical issues during the climb. I'm thinking about skipping my medicine that day - although it has levelled out to a better level than before, it can sometimes make me low and I don't want to risk it. I'll also be bringing gatorades, candy bars, smarties (thanks borzak, these work) as well as normal food (sandwiches, whatever). All in all it's going to be a 10-12 hour hike up and back down. I used to walk the Walk for Hunger in Boston which was 20 miles, but this has elevation so I am sure even though the mileage is less it will be far more strenuous. I'll also be changing my socks and putting vaseline on my feet to try to minimize blisters/sores.

Are there any other precautions i should bring?

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I normally adjust my insulin based on what I will be doing. You don't have that option so I dunno. I used to backpack quite a lot and juist carry normal food and smarties. It doesn't take a lot of smarties to get you up from really low of say 50ish to 150 prett quickly

If the hike is literally a mile of elevation gain, that is a serious hike, and you should probably not be attempting it without doing less strenuous ones prior to test out your body and gear. And you'll want proper hiking boots, possibly gaiters if it's going to be wet/muddy/snowing, and likely hiking poles.

edit: ah, just looked it up, it's more like 4,000 feet. That's still a really big day. Don't take it lightly.

Noodleface said:

This may be a stupid question, more of a wellness check type of deal.

At the end of september I'll be climbing Mt. Katahdan in Maine. We'll be walking a 3 mile trail and then hooking into one of the easier trails to the summit (peak is approx 1 mile up).

I want to make sure I obviously don't have any serious medical issues during the climb. I'm thinking about skipping my medicine that day - although it has levelled out to a better level than before, it can sometimes make me low and I don't want to risk it. I'll also be bringing gatorades, candy bars, smarties (thanks borzak, these work) as well as normal food (sandwiches, whatever). All in all it's going to be a 10-12 hour hike up and back down. I used to walk the Walk for Hunger in Boston which was 20 miles, but this has elevation so I am sure even though the mileage is less it will be far more strenuous. I'll also be changing my socks and putting vaseline on my feet to try to minimize blisters/sores.

Are there any other precautions i should bring?

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Definitely try to do another hike beforehand to see what kind of problems you run into, either with your health or with your equipment. High sugar won't kill you for a day, low is much more dangerous, so stock up on sweets, even sugar cubes can help, although most soft drinks you can buy have several in them already. The fastest sugar is fructose, I see it sold around here as grape sugar and you don't need insulin for it to work, so a pack might be handy. Definitely have enough meds and sugar for an extra day in case shit hits the fan. I don't know how fit you are or how is your problem treated exactly, but I would only skip any additional insulin doses if that is what you are taking, base dosage should be kept. Might be worth it to ask your doctor.

Well I don't have any of the complications associated with diabetes yet and never had a real issue with it. My sugar is pretty well controlled so I'm not too worried. Mostly want to be careful with not going low and also caring for my feet.

Knees will be big too. Going downhill is hard on bad knees, especially once your muscles are tired from the climb up. I tend to get pain on the outside of my knees after a long day of hiking/biking/ski-touring, supposedly because my IT band tightens or has to work overly hard or some shit when the other muscles in my legs get tired. It's never gotten bad enough to do much about it, typically it'll just be a bit of pain to work through the last hour or two of whatever it is that I'm doing. But I don't have bad knees structurally at all, they're solid.

I did a comparable hike back in August, I'm in reasonably decent shape, do a fair amount of that type of thing, and my legs were sore for 3+ days after (didn't help that the day after I spent 18 hours driving home): Wedgemount Lake hiking and camping near Whistler, BC | Vancouver Trails

Not trying to scare you or anything. But if you're a desk jockey that gets little of this type of exercise, you're not going to have a good time on the hike if you aren't prepared. I would again strongly recommend proper hiking boots, not running shoes, hiking runners or whatever. And a pair of gaiters: Outdoor Research | Men's: Gaiters, Waterproof Gaiters, Hiking Gaiters | Outdoor Research | Designed By Adventure | Outdoor Clothing & Gear

Even if it's not wet/muddy, I almost always wear gaiters when hiking decent distances, especially if I'm going to be walking through sandy/shaley/rocky terrain. They'll keep shit out of your boots and socks, whether you're wearing pants or shorts.

My wife's family get them all the time. I think it's something in the water (literally)

In the middle of my first ever true migraine. Took Dan to suggest that's probably what it was then he got excedrin I took about an hour ago.

Tell me someone has another remedy that helps. I was thinking maybe a shower but idk if that will make it worse.

Lame post but I feel like I'm dying. Laying in a dark room with my eyes closed is too bright. Someone help

consensus said:

So...every once or two years, I get a constipation that completely seizes up my intestines and the rest...

Was laying down to sleep and then I get a slowly rising cramp pain from right lower part (slightly above my leg) of my stomach. Immediately I suspected it was constipation....but I just had a bowel movement 6 house prior...
It didn't make sense....

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Have you been checked out for a hernia? Or was it 100% confirmed to be kidney stones?