Doctors of VN

#226
#226
Question: A patient shows positive results for both MRSA and Strep through a nasal mucosal swab during a preoperative appointment but is not symptomatic.

Can a doctor elaborate on what exactly this means? Are they just a carrier? Can they spread either of those infections?
 
#227
#227
Coug said:
Question: A patient shows positive results for both MRSA and Strep through a nasal mucosal swab during a preoperative appointment but is not symptomatic.

Can a doctor elaborate on what exactly this means? Are they just a carrier? Can they spread either of those infections?
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Yes, both staph and strep commonly colonize the nasopharynx without symptomatic infection.
 
#229
#229
Coug said:
Can they spread it to others?
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Yes, but it would have to have an access point. Some of the largest carriers of staph is the dirt and the interior upholstery and steering wheel of athletes who play outdoor sports. I know Butch or Dooley or whoever caught flack (because why is it important to discuss publically) but it is super important (from the sportsmed side at least) for those athletes to shower as soon as possible after being in contact with the ground b
 
#231
#231
kiddiedoc said:
Yes of course. Respiratory secretions, saliva, even skin contact.
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Not related to the quote -- Was wondering what would happen if I quit taking Levothyroxine -- was given it for hypothyroidism but now I am having symptoms of hyperthyroidism --- the test in Jan 17 showed normal, but since then is when the symptoms have been bothering me - is there a chance the dosage has become to high ?
 
#232
#232
508mikey said:
Not related to the quote -- Was wondering what would happen if I quit taking Levothyroxine -- was given it for hypothyroidism but now I am having symptoms of hyperthyroidism --- the test in Jan 17 showed normal, but since then is when the symptoms have been bothering me - is there a chance the dosage has become to high ?
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I would not stop it without seeing your doctor and having your thyroid and thyroid stimulating hormone levels checked.
 
#233
#233
kiddiedoc said:
I would not stop it without seeing your doctor and having your thyroid and thyroid stimulating hormone levels checked.
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Going in about 3 hours -- actually what I meant to say is symptoms of too much dosage of levothyroxine
 
#234
#234
508mikey said:
Going in about 3 hours -- actually what I meant to say is symptoms of too much dosage of levothyroxine
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Gotcha. Yes, the thyroid can be finicky and often needs frequent monitoring. Have you been given a diagnosis/reason for the hypoT?
 
#235
#235
kiddiedoc said:
Gotcha. Yes, the thyroid can be finicky and often needs frequent monitoring. Have you been given a diagnosis/reason for the hypoT?
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Not really it was a couple years ago when they did complete bloodwork - I didnt have any complaints that would point to the thyroid, but this Dr seems obsessed with thyroids -- I might go to someone else, if today goes bad. Youre right though about the finicky part - seems like this happened about a month after my last tch test in Jan this year
 
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#236
#236
508mikey said:
Not really it was a couple years ago when they did complete bloodwork - I didnt have any complaints that would point to the thyroid, but this Dr seems obsessed with thyroids -- I might go to someone else, if today goes bad. Youre right though about the finicky part - seems like this happened about a month after my last tch test in Jan this year
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I'd question a doctor who is obsessed with thyroids. Most doctors simply go by the numbers on the lab tests. Either you're in the range or out of it. It's VERY easy to not take Levothyroxin properly. You have to take it on an empty stomach with non caffeinated, sugar free beverages. You can't take it with milk, coffee, or orange juice. You should wait 30 minutes to an hour after taking it before consuming any of those drinks and eating any amount of food. You also have to take it 4 hours BEFORE consuming any vitamins containing iron or consuming any antacids or they will affect it's absorption.
 
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#237
#237
Coug said:
I'd question a doctor who is obsessed with thyroids. Most doctors simply go by the numbers on the lab tests. Either you're in the range or out of it. It's VERY easy to not take Levothyroxin properly. You have to take it on an empty stomach with non caffeinated, sugar free beverages. You can't take it with milk, coffee, or orange juice. You should wait 30 minutes to an hour after taking it before consuming any of those drinks and eating any amount of food. You also have to take it 4 hours BEFORE consuming any vitamins containing iron or consuming any antacids or they will affect it's absorption.
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Well that might be the problem - I dont always take it that way -- anyhow the TCH test came back normal 3.2 -- when I first went there almost 3 years ago it was 4.2 (.2 over the standard range of 4.0) I didnt think of it as a problem but the Dr did
 
#238
#238
Got a question for a Doc!

I acquired some type of cold/strep throat virus about a week and a half ago. It took me a good 10 days to finally shake it. At some point I had a Eustachian tube blockage in my right ear which I've now found out has turned into fluid behind my eardrum. This is a first for me as I never even had issues with inner ear fluid even as a child. Nasal steroids(Nasacort) were suggested as a first effort, but everything I've read says that isn't going to even touch it. The next step after that would be oral steroids(prednisone)for 5 days? I'd really like to just skip to step 2 to and try and knock this out. The final effort would be tubes which I'd rather avoid altogether.

What dosage per day of prednisone is recommended for such a problem, 20, 40? Any suggestions for remedies? Has anyone else suffered from this type of problem? At this point the ear and eardrum is not infected and there is no pain. I am still currently on Amox-Clav for the throat infection while I was sick.
 
#239
#239
Actually, nasal steroids might well do the trick. I have success with them all the time, plus you can avoid the unpleasant side effects of oral steroids. Twice a day and inhale gently through your nostrils to get the spray back near the eustachian openings.

You can also do a negative pressure technique by holding a big swig of water in your mouth, pinch your nose and close your mouth, tilt your head so the bad ear is up, then swallow. Perform 2-3x a day.
 
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#240
#240
kiddiedoc said:
Actually, nasal steroids might well do the trick. I have success with them all the time, plus you can avoid the unpleasant side effects of oral steroids. Twice a day and inhale gently through your nostrils to get the spray back near the eustachian openings.

You can also do a negative pressure technique by holding a big swig of water in your mouth, pinch your nose and close your mouth, tilt your head so the bad ear is up, then swallow. Perform 2-3x a day.
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Thanks kd, I'll give these a shot.
 
#241
#241
Sunday night, picked up what i think to be some type of stomach bug. For the first time in my adult life (26 years) I vomited and battled with diarrhea, which I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have had that. Well, anyway, here we are nearly 72 hours later and I am not feeling any better. The vomiting has stopped, but I can't hold down anything at all. Now, my back and legs are hurting bad, too. I have a pounding headache and extreme dizziness and fatigue, though I would attribute that to dehydration.

Symptoms
Low grade fever.
Stool is runny, mixed with black pellets.
Vomit looked like chili, which I did not eat.
Back pain, legs pain.
Headache.
Nausea.
Bloated stomach.

I never go to the doctor, but I just can't figure out why I'm feeling no better after nearly 72 hours of this. Sorry if this is gross, just trying to be specific.
 
#242
#242
kiddiedoc said:
Actually, nasal steroids might well do the trick. I have success with them all the time, plus you can avoid the unpleasant side effects of oral steroids. Twice a day and inhale gently through your nostrils to get the spray back near the eustachian openings.

You can also do a negative pressure technique by holding a big swig of water in your mouth, pinch your nose and close your mouth, tilt your head so the bad ear is up, then swallow. Perform 2-3x a day.
Click to expand...

If you dont mind me picking your brain.....

First I didnt know steroids came in a nasal option. Having gout, its mostly under control with alpurinol but I like to have a pack of roids around in the event I have an unexpected flair up. Yes, I hate the side effects such as bloating and an uncontrollable appetite. Does the nasal option alleviate these? If so, does it have a shorter shelf life than the pills?

Always looking for help on gout....
 
#243
#243
GreveHaller said:
If you dont mind me picking your brain.....

First I didnt know steroids came in a nasal option. Having gout, its mostly under control with alpurinol but I like to have a pack of roids around in the event I have an unexpected flair up. Yes, I hate the side effects such as bloating and an uncontrollable appetite. Does the nasal option alleviate these? If so, does it have a shorter shelf life than the pills?

Always looking for help on gout....
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Intranasal steroids (Nasacort, Flonase, Nasonex brand names, etc.), like inhaled steroids for asthma, work locally on the mucosal surfaces, blood vessels, and smooth muscle. They have very little systemic absorption, so they will be of no benefit to your big toe.

Sorry, but that's the huge advantage of these preparations over oral/systemic steroids: you can get relief where you need it without the side effects of prednisone.
 
#244
#244
My wife has Rocky mountain spotted tick fever and Lyme's disease, she suffers greatly with it. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to ease some of the symptoms?
 
#245
#245
TennesseeFan07 said:
Sunday night, picked up what i think to be some type of stomach bug. For the first time in my adult life (26 years) I vomited and battled with diarrhea, which I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have had that. Well, anyway, here we are nearly 72 hours later and I am not feeling any better. The vomiting has stopped, but I can't hold down anything at all. Now, my back and legs are hurting bad, too. I have a pounding headache and extreme dizziness and fatigue, though I would attribute that to dehydration.

Symptoms
Low grade fever.
Stool is runny, mixed with black pellets.
Vomit looked like chili, which I did not eat.
Back pain, legs pain.
Headache.
Nausea.
Bloated stomach.

I never go to the doctor, but I just can't figure out why I'm feeling no better after nearly 72 hours of this. Sorry if this is gross, just trying to be specific.
Click to expand...

I'm still getting over a stomach bug. You say you aren't vomiting but can't hold anything down? Can you clarify that statement? You need to be pushing as much fluid as you can, specifically electrolytes(drinks(Powerade/Gatorade) with sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium). If you don't throw it up that's perfect, if it comes right out the bottom it's done it's job. Ibuprofin(if it's safe for you to take) is great for low grade fevers and muscle pains. A lot of people immediately reach for Imodium or other like products when they have diarrhea. I'm a firm believer that in most cases if the human body is having diarrhea it means there is something in there that the body wants out NOW. Let it take it's course. A very common and uncomfortable downside to drugs like Imodium is constipation.
 
#246
#246
i Feel like trash.

Quads, shoulders and forearms are aching.
Slight congestion.
Super exhausted/sleepy feeling.
99.7 temp (I usually run about 97.4)
 
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#247
#247
BigO95 said:
My wife has Rocky mountain spotted tick fever and Lyme's disease, she suffers greatly with it. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to ease some of the symptoms?
Click to expand...

See a good Rheumatologist for consideration of an alternate diagnosis.
 
#249
#249
I was just diagnosed with Flu. I've passed it to my kids, son running fever of 104.5.

The past couple days are some of the worst of my life. If it wasn't for ibuprofen, then I feel death would have been an acceptable option. Screw Tylenol, my fever blew through that like I had taken nothing.

Ok, rant over but here is what I don't fully understand. It's obvious that vaccination isn't the best approach to stopping flu before it happens and Tamiflu saves you around a day.

I've been researching since my opinion would be to attack infected cells and kill them, stopping them from reproducing. I found some reading on this and it sounds like this is being done. I forget the name "DRACO antivirul" or something along those lines.

I'm sure the Flu gets great of amounts of research, but I would shift a lot of this money to killing Flu once it's attacked. Preventive is playing darts blindfolded.
 
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