Health Problems

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Foler

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Captain Suave said:
That chart is entirely consistent with the standard medical narrative on sun exposure.

Skin cancers, like many other types, take multiple decades to manifest. In 2024 the average melanoma patient is 66. Their primary exposures would have come in the 80's and earlier. People who were born post ~1980 haven't lived long enough yet to get their cancers. The increasing rate per 100k population is a demographic effect of aging populations. Proportionally speaking there are 50% more people over the age of 65 now than in 1980. They also live longer, thus not dying before cancers emerge, and we have a great deal more early screening and diagnosis. Fortunately, despite that the incidence rates are higher mortality has been about flat.

There are some questions to be answered about why sunscreen use hasn't reduced skin cancer rates as we had all hoped for, but their curious inefficacy doesn't mean that the sun isn't something to be concerned about. (The main theories have to do with the fact that until recently chemical sunscreens have not blocked the UVA light band well, that sunscreens have given a false sense of security and people have increased their exposure, or that chemical sunscreens have some counterbalancing toxicities.) What's not particularly debatable is that UV light is ionizing radiation and causes DNA damage linearly with exposure. That's just physics. [Source: Mutiple family members with melanoma and a physicist wife who spent a decade working in radiation oncology.]

Foler Foler , IMO, wear mineral sunscreens when out for prolonged periods and supplement Vit D as necessary.
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Funny we’re talking about this as I just saw dermatologist on Friday for annual one over. They told me to use mineral sunscreen. Elta MD was what they recommended. Based on info Gurgeh Gurgeh posted here a few weeks ago I had been trying to get an hour in the sun after work by doing some river fishing.

It’s interesting. I noticed the sun towards the end of the day doesn’t feel like it’s burning my skin or like Gurgeh Gurgeh and a few others have said, it doesn’t really burn you. So I skip sunscreen here.

I have to wear sunscreen though if I’m doing work outside multiple hours of day and need to cover up or I’ll burn. At most I’ll skip the wide brim hat for a few hours to get a little sun (with sunscreen) but the mid day sun here is brutal.
 
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Gurgeh

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Foler said:
Funny we’re talking about this as I just saw dermatologist on Friday for annual one over. They told me to use mineral sunscreen. Elta MD was what they recommended. Based on info Gurgeh Gurgeh posted here a few weeks ago I had been trying to get an hour in the sun after work by doing some river fishing.

It’s interesting. I noticed the sun towards the end of the day doesn’t feel like it’s burning my skin or like Gurgeh Gurgeh and a few others have said, it doesn’t really burn you. So I skip sunscreen here.

I have to wear sunscreen though if I’m doing work outside multiple hours of day and need to cover up or I’ll burn. At most I’ll skip the wide brim hat for a few hours to get a little sun (with sunscreen) but the mid day sun here is brutal.
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What will get you cancer is living in Florida, not going out much, but when you do it's in the middle of the day in summer. That's not how it's supposed to work. I think Seheult explains it in that video, or another one, but if you are to expose your skin you have to do it the proper way.

The proper way is exposing your skin in the morning, that will trigger a bunch of stuff that will protect your skin from harmful effect of the UV in the middle of the day. Then, even though your skin is "ready" some damage will occur, exposure to late day sun will help repairing said damages. Then you're supposed to get exposed to the sun all day long, not just during holidays in summer. If you're exposing yourself properly all through the spring, your skin will be much more resistant in summer.

Basicaly, if you're out a lot in your residence area, there is a massive benefit to sun exposure. If you're living in New York, go to the Bahamas in february every year, and sun bath a 11am, that will get you cancer.

But, for most people, if you remember your childhood, you'd be out all day, all year long, and never get a sunburn ever. Unless, again, your skin is way too pale for the area you're living in.

I think it's in that video, but maybe it's another one, when you look at cancer risk, you don't just need to get a little sunburn to have increased risk of cancer, but actual second degree sunburn, and even just getting one second degree sunburn in your life is major increase risk of cancer, probably not so much because of the sunburn itself, but because the sun where you live is just too much for your skin, then it's a vicious circle, can't go out so more risk of cancer, if you go out, cancer, you're fucked either way.

If you *can* get second degree sunburn, chances are that you're not living in a good area for you, but most people *cannot* get a second degree sunburn where they live, no matter what they do.
 
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Foler

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Gurgeh Gurgeh you seem to be pretty up to date on medical stuff. What do you know about PRP and stem cell therapy for repairing tissue damage such as for shoulder pain?

I had a SLAP tear operation about 7 years ago and PRP was pretty new back then irc. Surgery was a success but shoulder is bothering me again. Gonna see an ortho but there’s one here that does PRP and stem cell and her reviews are great. I really really really don’t want surgery again and the pain ISN’T that bad to where I’d opt for it.

I think I’d prefer to try PT first but just curious as to how far these two alternative treatments have come.
 
Guurn

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Captain Suave said:
What's not particularly debatable is that UV light is ionizing radiation and causes DNA damage linearly with exposure. That's just physics. [Source: Mutiple family members with melanoma and a physicist wife who spent a decade working in radiation oncology.
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Mostly I agree with your post but the linear no threshold model is just the one we use out of convenience. There is some evidence for radiation hormesis. Also, Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the band of non-ionizing radiation that lies next to ionizing radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Funny story, a radiation physicist friend of mine went sailing the day before he took his orals. He's Irish/ Scottish and got a bad burn. During boards he got to the non ionizing questions and he looked at the panel and said, I think we can all agree I failed the non ionizing part already. No one laughed. That's physicists for you.
 
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C

Captain Suave

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Guurn said:
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the band of non-ionizing radiation
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Derp, you're right. I meant to say that it had enough energy break bonds in DNA. If UV were truly ionizing the world would be a veeery different place.

Guurn said:
and said, I think we can all agree I failed the non ionizing part already. No one laughed.
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If it makes him feel any better, my wife laughed.
 
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Gurgeh

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Foler said:
Gurgeh Gurgeh you seem to be pretty up to date on medical stuff. What do you know about PRP and stem cell therapy for repairing tissue damage such as for shoulder pain?

I had a SLAP tear operation about 7 years ago and PRP was pretty new back then irc. Surgery was a success but shoulder is bothering me again. Gonna see an ortho but there’s one here that does PRP and stem cell and her reviews are great. I really really really don’t want surgery again and the pain ISN’T that bad to where I’d opt for it.

I think I’d prefer to try PT first but just curious as to how far these two alternative treatments have come.
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No idea, that's more a question for sleevedraw sleevedraw . I'm just an autistic EQ player who had health issues and proceeded to minmax that shit.

I have an IBD, and all doctors could offer was cutting random stuff and hope for the best. I'm glad I didn't take that route and watched youtube videos instead... Surgery can be awesome and is definitely saving loads of life, but it should be a last resort. I don't know why you would even consider surgery before trying PT.
 
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sleevedraw

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Foler said:
Gurgeh Gurgeh you seem to be pretty up to date on medical stuff. What do you know about PRP and stem cell therapy for repairing tissue damage such as for shoulder pain?

I had a SLAP tear operation about 7 years ago and PRP was pretty new back then irc. Surgery was a success but shoulder is bothering me again. Gonna see an ortho but there’s one here that does PRP and stem cell and her reviews are great. I really really really don’t want surgery again and the pain ISN’T that bad to where I’d opt for it.

I think I’d prefer to try PT first but just curious as to how far these two alternative treatments have come.
Click to expand...

The evidence for PRP is mixed. Some studies show a benefit, others do not. Cochrane Collaboration, which is my preferred site for meta-analyses (they're not perfect, but they earned my respect for saying that wearing diapers for COVID does nothing), says that the evidence is insufficient, however their analysis is 10 years old, which is considered to be an eternity in the medical field.

More recent evidence (within the past 5 years) suggests that they may be useful for at least some types of musculoskeletal pain, and shoulders are on the list of things that it may help. Leading with the big caveat that SLAP tears aren't rotator cuff tears, there are studies that suggest PRP may be useful for short-term relief of partial rotator cuff tears, and PRP may, in fact, work better than steroid injections. However, the benefits appear to level off after about one year.

Some caveats and problems with PRP:
  • There is no standard method for producing PRP, so the "mix" that you get from one doctor to the next will vary. Therefore, you want to heavily scrutinize the individual doctor, although it sounds like you've already started doing this.
  • It is a blood component, and therefore there is at least the theoretical risk of bloodborne infection transmission. There have been a few recent case reports of women who got PRP for "vampire facials" contracting HIV from a dodgy clinic in New Mexico.
  • Most insurance still considers it EIU (experimental/investigational/unproven), so it is very likely that you'll be paying for it 100% out of pocket.
 
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Foler

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sleevedraw said:
The evidence for PRP is mixed. Some studies show a benefit, others do not. Cochrane Collaboration, which is my preferred site for meta-analyses (they're not perfect, but they earned my respect for saying that wearing diapers for COVID does nothing), says that the evidence is insufficient, however their analysis is 10 years old, which is considered to be an eternity in the medical field.

More recent evidence (within the past 5 years) suggests that they may be useful for at least some types of musculoskeletal pain, and shoulders are on the list of things that it may help. Leading with the big caveat that SLAP tears aren't rotator cuff tears, there are studies that suggest PRP may be useful for short-term relief of partial rotator cuff tears, and PRP may, in fact, work better than steroid injections. However, the benefits appear to level off after about one year.

Some caveats and problems with PRP:
  • There is no standard method for producing PRP, so the "mix" that you get from one doctor to the next will vary. Therefore, you want to heavily scrutinize the individual doctor, although it sounds like you've already started doing this.
  • It is a blood component, and therefore there is at least the theoretical risk of bloodborne infection transmission. There have been a few recent case reports of women who got PRP for "vampire facials" contracting HIV from a dodgy clinic in New Mexico.
  • Most insurance still considers it EIU (experimental/investigational/unproven), so it is very likely that you'll be paying for it 100% out of pocket.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the investigation and response. Sounds like stopping lifting at the gym and getting a PT eval done is a good next step. TBH it’s not THAT bad it just concerns me as it’s slowly getting worse. Primary due to bench press it seems. Thanks!
 
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Gurgeh

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Foler said:
Appreciate the investigation and response. Sounds like stopping lifting at the gym and getting a PT eval done is a good next step. TBH it’s not THAT bad it just concerns me as it’s slowly getting worse. Primary due to bench press it seems. Thanks!
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Have you tried collagen? Nowadays that's the only supplement I regularly take, with vit D. It did wonder for a long lasting cervical pain. The evidence that it works are increasingly clear.

Same for IR exposure, it helps.
 
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Foler

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Gurgeh said:
Have you tried collagen? Nowadays that's the only supplement I regularly take, with vit D. It did wonder for a long lasting cervical pain. The evidence that it works are increasingly clear.

Same for IR exposure, it helps.
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Unfortunately have to skip collagen. Have a small plantar fibroma and don’t want it to get bigger. Some theorize collagen supplements could make worse. 🤷‍♂️
 
Borzak

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At the hospital to have some blood work done this morning. I couldn't remember my birthday but I could remember it was on my license and dug it out. Lucky I had it I guess as I often don't since it's out of date.

Edit - damn today was tough. First the memory thing. Then this afternoon the pain. It starts off like really bad skin pain and then feels like bone pain for lack of another thing to name it. Places really bad there's very little muscle. I took a hydrocodene and that did nothing, so another. That really only took the really bad edge off. So I took two prednisone and two nuerontin together and eventually it settled down. Prior to that it was an honest 10 out of 10 but no way I was going to make it outside and get into a car to ride to the hospital. Getting kinda loopy now so probably lay down for a while.

When the skin thing started I used calamine spray and it burns when I spray it but it helps some after a while but it only helps a little and doesn't last long. Plus the spray kinda feels like it's very toxic with the stuff floating around for a while. Sometimes I use regular calamine lotion and when you put it on it's like a very hard burning sensation but it helps eventually. But it's very messy, did find out you can get it in clear instead of the color the other stuff is that kinda turns you pink.
 
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Goatface

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april 24th, saw my pcp and had some tests run

1717089221305.png


calcium is down a full point from march. last time has PTH tested was 2021 and it was 96.8

if i had not just posted in the rustled jimmies thread would posted this there.
on may 1st, pcp send off a referral to see an endrocolongist. after not hearing anything is 2 weeks, called the office and left a message. after not hearing anything for a week, send a message using the health system app. chick replied says it was sent on the 1st and don't know why nothing has happen and would send it again on the 24th. also said if not heard anything by wed, to call the endrocolongist office.
today, call them. lady looks for my referral for about 10 mins. she says, "oh it came in monday and i have been out of the office for last few days. i will begin to process it and insurance will have to approve it, which might take around 10 days."
the way it has been going, will probably have my 3 month follow up with my pcp before seeing the endrocolongist.

all i want to know is this shit is what causing me to produce kidney stones or what.
 
Gurgeh

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The Medical Benefits of Vitamin K2 on Calcium-Related Disorders - PMC

Background: Due to the potentially crucial role of vitamin K2 in calcium metabolism, a deficit can disrupt many mechanisms, resulting in an array of different issues, such as broken bones, stiff arteries and poor fertility. Although there has been ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

K2 vitamin might be something you'd want to add to Vit D. K2 deficiency isn't the root cause, but it could part of reason why you have stones.
 
Kajiimagi

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Had MRI # shit I've lost count on 6/3. This one was post radiation, post chemo. In fact It had been just over a month since I stopped chemo. I have not got the official nod from the doc(s) yet but me & the wife had a good ol' ugly cry over this result.


Oligodendroglioma COMPARISON: March 1, 2024 and December 8, 2023 FINDINGS:
Ventricular system is normal and in the midline. There is no mass effect, midline shift, or extra-axial fluid
collections identified. There is no abnormal diffusion. Postoperative changes in the right frontal lobe noted.
Overall appearance is stable. There is no abnormal contrast enhancement. No vasogenic edema. No newly
appearing abnormalities. Orbits and globes are grossly unremarkable. Paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells
are grossly unremarkable. IMPRESSION: Stable exam.


Fuck cancer right up it's ugly ass!
 
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Kajiimagi

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Today is an anniversary for me. A year ago today my wife found me on the floor having a seizure, after the resulting 911 call and emergency hospital ‘adventure’, I found myself facing brain tumor surgery. I also didn’t know if it was ‘get your affairs in order’ or what.

Today I am thrilled to report I have had 4 straight 100% clear brain MRI’s. I was extremely lucky and barely had cancer/tumor/whatever you want to call it. I was able to do my chemo at home with tablets, and the radiation only took a month. I truly cannot imagine how someone more advanced could go through this. Even my little bit really-really-REALLY sucked.
I now am looking at MRI’s every 3 months for the immediate future. If that keeps coming back clean, the space between will increase but that will never go away. For me and my wife, I intend to fight this with everything I have. And, oh yeah – FUCK CANCER!
 
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Xarpolis

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Kajiimagi said:
Today is an anniversary for me. A year ago today my wife found me on the floor having a seizure, after the resulting 911 call and emergency hospital ‘adventure’, I found myself facing brain tumor surgery. I also didn’t know if it was ‘get your affairs in order’ or what.

Today I am thrilled to report I have had 4 straight 100% clear brain MRI’s. I was extremely lucky and barely had cancer/tumor/whatever you want to call it. I was able to do my chemo at home with tablets, and the radiation only took a month. I truly cannot imagine how someone more advanced could go through this. Even my little bit really-really-REALLY sucked.
I now am looking at MRI’s every 3 months for the immediate future. If that keeps coming back clean, the space between will increase but that will never go away. For me and my wife, I intend to fight this with everything I have. And, oh yeah – FUCK CANCER!
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MRI's suck, but I've had a few dozen of them so far. I have Multiple Sclerosis, and they give me MRI's over 3 sections twice a year. brain, thoracic spine & cervical spine. With & without contrast. It's usually a 3-hour series of MRI's. I'm usually very comfortable in an MRI. I have they put on whatever pop station they can, and honestly... the MRI's noise blends in with the music, making it more tolerable. I'm usually able to fall asleep inside of the MRI, but I've gotten in trouble for breathing too heavily while asleep. Oh well.
 
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Xarpolis said:
MRI's suck, but I've had a few dozen of them so far. I have Multiple Sclerosis, and they give me MRI's over 3 sections twice a year. brain, thoracic spine & cervical spine. With & without contrast. It's usually a 3-hour series of MRI's. I'm usually very comfortable in an MRI. I have they put on whatever pop station they can, and honestly... the MRI's noise blends in with the music, making it more tolerable. I'm usually able to fall asleep inside of the MRI, but I've gotten in trouble for breathing too heavily while asleep. Oh well.
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I have had all 3 of those types done, but never all at once. That would suck. The brain MRI for me sucks because you have to lay on that flat ass board (and I know it's the receiver and has to be there) perfectly still, and it takes 20+ minutes. My arms/neck/shoulders/hands go to sleep. Then my back is fucked the rest of the day , more than usual. Better than the alternative though. I'm at least here to bitch about it.
 
Borzak

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About once a year I have a MRI, head, neck, and spine with and without contrast. I just use earplugs and sleep a couple of hours.
 
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Goatface

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Tendonitis in elbow is hurting again. Had a shot in Dec that took care of it for a long time, but It has steadily been getting worse over last month or so.
Don't see my PCP till late July, so went by my Ortho and picked up their exercise plan. they want to do that for 6 to 12 weeks before getting to shots.
Was wondering if having it flare back up in roughly 6 months will change anything.
 
Cutlery

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Goatface said:
Tendonitis in elbow is hurting again. Had a shot in Dec that took care of it for a long time, but It has steadily been getting worse over last month or so.
Don't see my PCP till late July, so went by my Ortho and picked up their exercise plan. they want to do that for 6 to 12 weeks before getting to shots.
Was wondering if having it flare back up in roughly 6 months will change anything.
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Cortisone shot?

I've been working in warehouses my whole life, and every single guy I've ever talked to says "I regret getting the shot, don't get one."
 
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