Chemo generally messes with your taste buds due to the assault on fast growing cells. My experience was likely far easier than pharm's, but even then I couldn't even bring myself to want to drink water due to how bad it tasted. It was like drinking some swill that had been sitting around for months with a battery soaking in it. Nothing tasted good, and I had to focus on food texture just to find any enthusiasm about eating at all.
Health Problems
- Thread starter Kuriin
- Start date
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Mrs. Gravy
Quite Saucy
- 1,696
- 2,174
I thankfully didn't have to deal with vomiting (I have an iron stomach) but I found that ice cream was the easiest of foods to tolerate on both a taste and queasiness factor. It caused other problems though.
Mrs. Gravy
Quite Saucy
- 1,696
- 2,174
K, fellas...I am a little anxious. Have dodged so far the breast cancer bullet...but had a bad PAP never have in all my years.
Going for cytoscopy this morning.
Going for cytoscopy this morning.
- 2
pharmakos
soʞɐɯɹɐɥd
- 16,305
- -2,234
I used to get that effect when I first started chemo a few years ago, but now I think I'm mostly used to it and don't notice it if it is happening.
Synj
Dystopian Dreamer
- 8,121
- 35,851
So here's a fun story.
tl;dr - prostate too big, piss like a sprinklerhead, outpatient procedure, tube up my dick, fuck my life, happy ending
tl;dr - prostate too big, piss like a sprinklerhead, outpatient procedure, tube up my dick, fuck my life, happy ending
For the last several years I've noticed that my stream was getting weaker and weaker and I was basically just pissing all over the place like a showerhead and never feeling like I was finished peeing. Stop and start was very common and it got to the point where my wife would frequently beat me out of the restroom and ask me what took me so long. Add to that, that I never ever felt quite empty and started having to go all the time. I used to hold my bladder like a champ but now I was pissing as frequently or more often than my wife. Weird times.
So I'm 44 and in very good health, good weight, labs are great, no family history. I'm obviously concerned about prostate cancer but other than the obstructive symptoms I'm not having anything like back pain or blood in my urine or anything else so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia). So I go see the urologist do a flow test (pee in a funnel that measures your start and stops), post-urination bladder ultrasound (to see how much urine I'm retaining) and then have the cystoscopy (camera up the urethra). That last part...not fun.
Doctor says I'm retaining about 25% of my urine after voiding but my bladder looks great, no abnormalities, he's showing me on camera and then as he backs out he shows me the opening through my prostate and tells me it's just "overgrown". This is typical BPH and common in men but mine is particularly obstructed and I'm a little young to be having symptoms this bad. Now you might ask, what's the big deal? It's just more trips to the bathroom. Part of it is just quality of life shit, like I don't like taking 2-4 minutes to pee sometimes and looking for bathrooms all the time. The other part is that this can get progressively worse and lead to UTIs and sometimes problems with your kidneys. So that's no bueno either.
So he recommends a procedure called a urolift where they take some suture wire and anchor the prostate to hold it open and relieve what is essentially a mechanical obstruction. I do some research and agree that this seems reasonable and I scheduled the procedure two days ago.
Procedure was simple enough as I was put under conscious sedation and I don't remember a thing. No catheter, just go home, take some antibiotics, ibuprofen and azo (for burning pain). That night I'm peeing but very little and mostly blood which is normal. But as the night goes on I'm peeing less and less despite drinking fluids and I can tell I'm getting fuller and fuller but no pee. So I talk to my urologist buddy and she says keep an eye on it, but if no pee more than 8 hours, get seen at the office or at the ER. I did not sleep at all. It felt like a long car trip where you're on the verge of pissing yourself but waiting to get to the bathroom but then when you finally get there, you can't go...for 6 hours. Miserable.
I went to my doc's office the next morning and they checked my bladder, it was 800mL of urine. A normal adult bladder is 400-600mL and you feel the need to pee around 200mL. My shit was distended and I was in a good amount of pain but managing. But I needed a catheter and that was probably the worst discomfort I've ever had in my life. Between the horribly full bladder and the swollen urethra, pushing that cath through the bladder neck was excruciating. But there was a good amount of relief once all that fluid came out. But now I had a catheter and had to wait 24-48 for the swelling to subside to have it removed.
If you've never had a catheter, it's something I have gained an entirely new respect for. The fact that there are people that live with them is insane. It feels like you are constantly pissing yourself. You're not. But it feels like it. Secondly, if you move the wrong way, you can feel the tube in your bladder. I swear it felt like one end was brushing against the back of my bladder. And that tube...shit is bigger than you think.
Anyway, went back this morning, catheter was removed, uncomfortable but much faster than the insertion and only minor bleeding (fun I know). Prior to the removal, the MA had filled my bladder with water through the catheter to ensure I could pee after the removal. She used cold water, which I think helps with the voiding but is a very, very weird sensation. She told me to try and pee which of course I had some trepidation about, and while it burned, it was also quite a relief and I was happy to be able to leave the office this morning without that fucking catheter.
So I've peed multiple times today, a few clots have come out along the way, which creates some pretty uncomfortable urethral spasms but better out than in I guess. I probably wont have complete relief of my symptoms for 2-4 weeks but I'm optimistic as I feel like now that the cath is out, my flow is already better than it was pre-op. Minus the searing, burning pain lol!
So if you notice you're having similar symptoms, probably a good idea to get the shit checked out. Most of these cases are BPH just like mine and are generally benign. But there are those cases of bladder/prostate cancer that could also be the cause and that's something you don't want to miss.
Sorry if I made anyone cringe. It hasn't been a fun experience.
So I'm 44 and in very good health, good weight, labs are great, no family history. I'm obviously concerned about prostate cancer but other than the obstructive symptoms I'm not having anything like back pain or blood in my urine or anything else so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia). So I go see the urologist do a flow test (pee in a funnel that measures your start and stops), post-urination bladder ultrasound (to see how much urine I'm retaining) and then have the cystoscopy (camera up the urethra). That last part...not fun.
Doctor says I'm retaining about 25% of my urine after voiding but my bladder looks great, no abnormalities, he's showing me on camera and then as he backs out he shows me the opening through my prostate and tells me it's just "overgrown". This is typical BPH and common in men but mine is particularly obstructed and I'm a little young to be having symptoms this bad. Now you might ask, what's the big deal? It's just more trips to the bathroom. Part of it is just quality of life shit, like I don't like taking 2-4 minutes to pee sometimes and looking for bathrooms all the time. The other part is that this can get progressively worse and lead to UTIs and sometimes problems with your kidneys. So that's no bueno either.
So he recommends a procedure called a urolift where they take some suture wire and anchor the prostate to hold it open and relieve what is essentially a mechanical obstruction. I do some research and agree that this seems reasonable and I scheduled the procedure two days ago.
Procedure was simple enough as I was put under conscious sedation and I don't remember a thing. No catheter, just go home, take some antibiotics, ibuprofen and azo (for burning pain). That night I'm peeing but very little and mostly blood which is normal. But as the night goes on I'm peeing less and less despite drinking fluids and I can tell I'm getting fuller and fuller but no pee. So I talk to my urologist buddy and she says keep an eye on it, but if no pee more than 8 hours, get seen at the office or at the ER. I did not sleep at all. It felt like a long car trip where you're on the verge of pissing yourself but waiting to get to the bathroom but then when you finally get there, you can't go...for 6 hours. Miserable.
I went to my doc's office the next morning and they checked my bladder, it was 800mL of urine. A normal adult bladder is 400-600mL and you feel the need to pee around 200mL. My shit was distended and I was in a good amount of pain but managing. But I needed a catheter and that was probably the worst discomfort I've ever had in my life. Between the horribly full bladder and the swollen urethra, pushing that cath through the bladder neck was excruciating. But there was a good amount of relief once all that fluid came out. But now I had a catheter and had to wait 24-48 for the swelling to subside to have it removed.
If you've never had a catheter, it's something I have gained an entirely new respect for. The fact that there are people that live with them is insane. It feels like you are constantly pissing yourself. You're not. But it feels like it. Secondly, if you move the wrong way, you can feel the tube in your bladder. I swear it felt like one end was brushing against the back of my bladder. And that tube...shit is bigger than you think.
Anyway, went back this morning, catheter was removed, uncomfortable but much faster than the insertion and only minor bleeding (fun I know). Prior to the removal, the MA had filled my bladder with water through the catheter to ensure I could pee after the removal. She used cold water, which I think helps with the voiding but is a very, very weird sensation. She told me to try and pee which of course I had some trepidation about, and while it burned, it was also quite a relief and I was happy to be able to leave the office this morning without that fucking catheter.
So I've peed multiple times today, a few clots have come out along the way, which creates some pretty uncomfortable urethral spasms but better out than in I guess. I probably wont have complete relief of my symptoms for 2-4 weeks but I'm optimistic as I feel like now that the cath is out, my flow is already better than it was pre-op. Minus the searing, burning pain lol!
So if you notice you're having similar symptoms, probably a good idea to get the shit checked out. Most of these cases are BPH just like mine and are generally benign. But there are those cases of bladder/prostate cancer that could also be the cause and that's something you don't want to miss.
Sorry if I made anyone cringe. It hasn't been a fun experience.
- 1
moonarchia
The Scientific Shitlord
- 23,534
- 42,813
Well you're definitely sick. You keep coming back here after all. But definitely fingers crossed on the big C. Keep us in the loop no matter how it goes down. You know we'll have an almost compassionate and human response if you need to vent or whatever.
On my own health front the numbness continues to suck, but I am still able to ambulate and type, so that's a plus. I also went from 'fuck it, it fills the mouth hole' to strict calorie monitoring (1200-2000 daily) and 30 minutes in the pool every day. My blood sugars are on point for the first time in 15 years and I am down 20 pounds (still a fat bastard, just less so). I don't regret my earlier choices, as this has left my meals joyless, but this is my new normal. Once I get down under 200, which will be a first since high school, I will start eating more to stabilize and focus on getting some toning done instead of just burning as much as I can in 30 minutes.
The change in blood sugars was literally overnight. After I went to the ER I started using finger pricks again and just went straight to new diet. Lots of salads. Lots of nuts. Smaller amounts, but still plenty of meat. I used to be 200+ all the time, was under 150 the first day, and now I am averaging around 100-120, and have had a couple moments where I was getting close to hypoglycemia. Given the relationship between insulin and body fat I will have to keep active on monitoring until then as well, maybe permanently. Going to try to get a watch CGM, so I can automate that and not have to do as much needlework.
Edit: So, just got my blood work back from yesterday. Good shit. My a1c was 10.5 (yeah, that's awful) back in August. At 6.4 now. My butt pellets have really helped a lot. My testosterone before them was around 100. Sitting at 489 now. Need some work on my cholesterols, but still looking good all around. Which is pretty much a 180 from my normal. So, yay lifestyle changes and the near life destroying incidents that prompt them.
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Synj
Dystopian Dreamer
- 8,121
- 35,851
From my understanding, the majority of abnormal paps stem from HPV and the majority of sexually active women will develop HPV at some time in their life. Those cells can have a higher incident of becoming cancerous but still very rare.
Think of it like a funny mole, could become skin cancer but isn’t always skin cancer. Usually just a “keep an eye on it” situation.
Good luck and I hope it’s nothing!
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- 1
Borzak
Bronze Baron of the Realm
- 25,479
- 33,247
I know I bitch a lot, but I'm starting to rapidly lose faith that they will find anything. Let alone in time to fix anything. I know it sounds really bad to say I almost wish they would find something really bad at least I would now what it is.
I have connections to a family that was recognized for giving a large amount of USC medical and they had someone review my stuff. Nothing. They sent me some info that they are working with a new AI type deal that use now to review known cases and compare to what the doctor came up with. I Know nothing of this type stuff, assume they do that to "teach" it and have it learn. Nothing came from it.
No test I have done point out "yeah that's it". Even my MRI's now are normal with no lesions. My lumbar puncture had 3 bands. 5 is needed to diagnose MS from it. Also apparently being a type 1 diabetic for an extended time increases that. Well 42 years.
Other than my recent increase in choloesterol I'm a very healthy person. My A1C is well below normal for a type 1. My last A1C was 6.6 and I'm not exactly getting any excercise.
Just venting I guess. Gone thru all local doctors which I admit are probably not the best, sent to USC medical and nothing they could come up with, sent the records to Mayo Clinic and they looked, nothing.
Things just keep getting worse.
I have connections to a family that was recognized for giving a large amount of USC medical and they had someone review my stuff. Nothing. They sent me some info that they are working with a new AI type deal that use now to review known cases and compare to what the doctor came up with. I Know nothing of this type stuff, assume they do that to "teach" it and have it learn. Nothing came from it.
No test I have done point out "yeah that's it". Even my MRI's now are normal with no lesions. My lumbar puncture had 3 bands. 5 is needed to diagnose MS from it. Also apparently being a type 1 diabetic for an extended time increases that. Well 42 years.
Other than my recent increase in choloesterol I'm a very healthy person. My A1C is well below normal for a type 1. My last A1C was 6.6 and I'm not exactly getting any excercise.
Just venting I guess. Gone thru all local doctors which I admit are probably not the best, sent to USC medical and nothing they could come up with, sent the records to Mayo Clinic and they looked, nothing.
Things just keep getting worse.
- 2
- 1
Synj
Dystopian Dreamer
- 8,121
- 35,851
Loss of blood flow in the penis is an early marker for heart disease, diabetes, circulatory disease. Unchecked diabetes wrecks the neurovascular system and that’s not great for the penis
Nothing at all to be embarrassed about, it’s a result of a mechanical loss of the ability to fill the penis with blood. The hormonal changes from diabetes don’t help either.
Look into medications, check out testosterone pelleting (which can also help with blood sugar regulation and weight loss) and make sure to keep your diabetes in check.
Don’t Ignore Erectile Dysfuntion: It’s Treatable!
- 1
Noodleface
A Mod Real Quick
- 38,278
- 15,112
Stupid question. I got my eyes.checked a couple weeks back. She gave me the same prescription as last time but I'm pretty sure it's wrong because I definitely get some blurry reading stuff far away with both glasses and contacts. Do doctors usually do a retest if you go back in or do I just gotta eat the cost of an appt somewhere else?
iannis
Musty Nester
- 31,351
- 17,656
Doctors just aren't good at diagnosing weird shit. Even the good ones. It's not their training. You unfortunately obviously have some super wierd shit. My uncle is the same way.
This is dark but -- if you find a doctor that does manage to figure it out the odds of you getting a complex or syndrome named after you are non zero. It's kinda how medicine progresses.
jayrebb
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
- 14,582
- 14,427
i dont see a script lasting any longer than 1 year if you are buying from the lens store with a doctor. if u know ur script u could order some shit online but prolly time 4 a new script
i asked for the same script they said naw see a doctor or no sale. dont like my eyes touched so went w/out. shoulda taken better care of them frames in hindsight
Noodleface
A Mod Real Quick
- 38,278
- 15,112
Yeah I mean the new script they just gave me they said was exactly the same and my eyes definitely are not agreeing
Mrs. Gravy
Quite Saucy
- 1,696
- 2,174
1. Biopsy = No big "C" for little Mrs. G.
2. Noodleface - there are ophthalmologists who specialize in care of people who have diabetes.
2. Noodleface - there are ophthalmologists who specialize in care of people who have diabetes.
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moonarchia
The Scientific Shitlord
- 23,534
- 42,813
Probably not needed if there are no signs of retinopathy. That's the major eye issue from diabetes. Almost any eye doc has those neato cameras that take ultra high res pics of the inside of the eye these days.
Edit: Grats on the good news!
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Kuriin
Just a Nurse
- 4,046
- 1,020
Most I've seen come from a bladder after I placed a catheter in someone was around 1.3L. Yes, 1300mL of urine. Over a liter. It sounds like they irrigated your bladder a little cause you had clots in it. We do continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) in the hospital and it is a pain. The normal foley catheter (for a non-chronic user) is 16Fr. Someone with clots gets a 22-24Fr catheter. Painful but it's required.
Your urologist is dead wrong, by the way. Waiting to see if you will void after 8 hours is not a good thing. You should be voiding at least every 2-3 hours for normal kidney function.
Synj
Dystopian Dreamer
- 8,121
- 35,851
I know what you're saying about normal voiding, but she meant don't wait any longer than 8 hours, you're not going to go to the ER because you haven't pee'd for 2-3 hours and even at 8 hours, you're unlikely to rupture your bladder or kill your kidneys but definitely need to get seen.
Borzak
Bronze Baron of the Realm
- 25,479
- 33,247
Did your eye Dr. check your blood sugar before they checked you and gave you a prescription? When I go they have an assistant that will check your blood sugar. I normally just check my own. If it's high they skip it and will do it when the blood sugar is more normal. It really makes a difference in your eyes pretty quickly. Doesn't have to be a long term deal, but within the same day depending on how your blood sugar is that day/time.