Time To Take Your Meds.

[JDoors]

Pete, in another thread, mentioned that after much worry and medical investigation, his problem was that he was sleeping on one side all the time. Change sides, problem solved.

Which reminded me how similar a situation I've had. My left arm was hurting inexplicably. Worry, worry, test, test, etc. Yup, I was sleeping on that side too much.

BUT ... If I sleep on my right side, then I get heartburn (same for sleeping on my stomach). So, sleeping on my back is the solution? Oh Jeez, I don't know why but I cannot do that. I'll almost ... drift ... off ... Then I HAVE TO TURN NOW!

So ... I wind up a-tossin' and a-turnin' all night long trying to minimize the problems associated with each position. I get very little sleep.

What's buggin' YOU?

[rv56]

Pete, in another thread, mentioned that after much worry and medical investigation, his problem was that he was sleeping on one side all the time. Change sides, problem solved.

Which reminded me how similar a situation I've had. My left arm was hurting inexplicably. Worry, worry, test, test, etc. Yup, I was sleeping on that side too much.

BUT ... If I sleep on my right side, then I get heartburn (same for sleeping on my stomach). So, sleeping on my back is the solution? Oh Jeez, I don't know why but I cannot do that. I'll almost ... drift ... off ... Then I HAVE TO TURN NOW!

So ... I wind up a-tossin' and a-turnin' all night long trying to minimize the problems associated with each position. I get very little sleep.

What's buggin' YOU?

Hmmm....I go through the same thing every night...

What also bugs me is I just can't seem to remember things anymore...

[jimras]

"What also bugs me is I just can't seem to remember things anymore..."

You know, they have a name for that now.

It's called 'CRS disease'

( Can't remember S**T)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

[TheTerrorist_75]

Try Prilosec OTC for your heartburn. My surgeons told me that I can use it as a substitute for the Protonix I have to take. Using either has kept me free from heartburn/GERD.

[bozodog]

You can also try sleeping a bit more elevated. Use two or three pillows. Like the angle you have in a reclining chair.

Another great thing I've found is a "memory foam" matress pad. Paid $60 for mine at Target and absolutely love it.

[blim]

Ohhhh, I'm a side sleeper (I flip flop all night). I can't imagine trying to fall asleep on my back or stomach...

Liz

[Pierce]

Im covered completly in contact dermatitise, so basicaly i have a rash for any piece of skin thats "in contact" for too long. This includes the entirety of my right face, because i cannot sleep on any other side other than my right. I nearly sleep on my back and wake up lying on my back, but just cant drift. Oh well loads of mostiurizer later i look okay.

Pierce

[JDoors]

Oh yeah, I "forgot" to also mention I have CRS syndrome. It's so frustrating as several friends and I have Netflix subscriptions and if I'm not near a computer where I can look things up I'm always saying, "Oh man, I saw this great movie, you should put it in your list, it's ... umm, about ... something ... and the name -- oh heck I'll never remember the name!" End of conversation!

As for antacids, I had severe pain that was always diagnosed as heartburn (using all the latest terms for it) for YEARS, until the pain got so bad they actually looked and found the problem, which got fixed. During those years I tried all the antacid products on the market and the only thing that ever worked for me was plain ol' chewable antacids. I'm not entirely sure how much of the other product's failures were due to the misdiagnosis, but they never helped while the chewable ones were usually very helpful. Plus, they're cheap. And so am I.

Elevating the head of the bed: Tried it, sometimes still resort to it, but my reaction is similar to what I said about sleeping on my back, I get to some point where I practically scream and HAVE to lie flat. "Arrghh! This ain't right!!! [flops back to 'natural' position]."

Cripes, contact dermititis? There's NOTHING that can be done? You can't sit for long periods then either? I would be SO screwed. I wonder if that 'memory foam' bed would be of any use?

Edited November 25, 2005 by JDoors

[robroy]

Damn we all suffer from crs it seems, learned too much to remember everything is my excuse hehe

[rv56]

Well it's good to know that others have "CRS" because I was getting a little worried.... and so is my wife whom is concerned. Its very frustrating thats for sure..

[goman87]

It's soooo hard for me to get to sleep. I can't find a comfortable position!

[irregularjoe]

On a slightly different note:

My S.O.'s damn dogs have a new habit of whining by her side of the bed all night long.

So THEY are now getting doggie valium at night.

Last night one of them was OK, but the other started in around 5AM again. Double the dosage tonight.

[Pete_C]

Yeah, I just love it how all to many doctors diagnose things based on what is the latest pet medicine the pharmaceutical companies are promoting. I took zantac and prilosec for years since they insisted my pain had to be "heartburn" as JDOORS said. My wife was likewise diagnosed as having heartburn until she had a massive heart attack and needed a triple bypass. That was why I went to a heart specialist (Cardiovascular and pulmonary intervention specialist that is) when the pain kept getting worse. Thankfully my insurance backed me up on that one. And thankfully he was competent enough not to just push some Lipitor or Zocor on me and tell me all would be better . He actually diagnosed things correctly and solved my years of pain.

Speaking of pain, after her heart attack, despite a contraindication of prescribing it due to other medications she was on and a family history of adverse reactions the same imbecile who had told her she had stomach problems prescribed zocor. (As soon as I found out, I got her to stop, and change doctors, but by then she already had suffered nerve and muscle damage). The end result is she has chronic neuromuscular pain. Amazingly, she has found that simply drinking a cup of Celestial Seasonings Ecinacea Complete (which also has eucalyptus and a few other things ) daily releaves the pain. She has also had good results from taking a daily dose of a nutritional supplement called "Juice Plus" .

Regarding the contact dermatitis; have you had the possibility of accute dust mite alergy investigated? Dust mites infest just about all bedding and most clothing. They (along with roaches) are a primary cause of asthma and aggravation of other allergies. Washing in very hot water with clorox kills them , but there are so many in carpets and they are small enough that they fit through a standard vacume filter bag so they reinfest quickly. Covering your mattress with a plastic cover and putting your pillow in a plastic bag and washing all bedding as above will get rid of them for a day (shower before getting into bed). If this helps, you have something you can attack and a starting point ( hardwood floors, electrostatic filters, hepa vacume cleaner and insect growth regulator fogging).

[Chappy]

What's buggin' YOU?

Heh...don't get me started, we'll be here all day and I'll just get all depressed again.

Lets just say, I haven't been able to work for 4 months now, and I'm tired of not getting to sleep and basically passing out from exhaustion 3 days later. 20 to 24 pills a day on average, just to control the pain and my diabetes.

I'm sick of it all right now, when does God say "OK, he's had enough already, let him rest (in peace)".

Pierce

My nephew has contact dermatitis also, nasty problem that one. He takes a special cream for it that seems to help allot, I'll find out what it is and let you know. You've probably already tried it maybe, but we'll see.

[thesidekickcat]

Found a special cream that works very well for sensitive, dry, itchy skin last Spring at our Kaiser Pharmacy. It's an over the counter product. Unfortunately they are not currently stocking that particular Eucerin product, though I have requested it on special order. It works so well for my itchy dry hands and face, and it is non-allergenic, fragrance free, non greasy, no medicinal smell, dermatologist recommended. "Calming Creme", a dry skin therapy, by Eucerin. Might help your condition Pierce. Google it for UK website, though I didn't see this particular creme listed on that page. The U.S. phone number is 1-800-227-4703.

I also recommend that you check out information on yeast infections (men get them too not just gals), via several books on the subject at least, and I imagine websites too, dealing with that particular nasty ailment. Had major problems at one time in my life with rashes from overload of yeast. Caprylic Acid by capsule form helped until I was finally and completely healed of it by the Lord Jesus several years ago. I noticed that this Eucerin Creme contained Caprylic Acid, along with Colloidal Oatmeal. By the way if you want to use Colloidal Oatmeal, in your bath water, don't buy the special boxes of it at inflated prices. Just buy oatmeal, and run it through the blender until very very fine textured. Same thing, and lots cheaper. It does help with the itchy red skin.

As for dust mites and other allergens, when we bought a Rainbow vacuum cleaner it really helped cut down on that stuff and helped me a lot. Also the Rainbow is good for whenever our local volcano blows again to deal with ash that gets tromped into the house. My friend had one when Mount St Helens blew in 1980 and hers was the only clean house I knew while all that was going on. So we bought one soon after that. Really cuts down on all the house dust, dust mites (vac the bed too) etc. Collects all the stuff in water reservoir instead of in a bag, therefore doesn't need expensive Hepa filters etc. Can even add eucalyptus oil drops to the water and set it to go into the air when people have colds, or use the drops when you vacuum. helps rid house of fleas if you have pets.

So hope some of that helps you get some relief. I'll be praying for you too.

Pat.

God bless everyone.

[JDoors]

How can I get my neighbor's dogs to take doggy Valium? "Yipe, yipe, yipe, woof, woof, woof, yipe, yipe, yipe, woof, woof, woof." This goes on all day long. You think it has something to do with my lack of sleep?

------

Another doctor's ignorance issue: The first time I ever had a medical problem the emergency room put me on Morphine for the pain, then they wheeled me into the X-ray room, pumped me full of IVP dye, and I blacked out. When I woke up the next day I had a wrist band stating, "Allergic to IVP dye." OK, I had never been in the hospital before, how could anyone know, right?

Years later I had a headache that wouldn't go away, for three months! When I finally broke down and went to the doctor he sent me to an outpatient clinic for a scan. So I'm sitting there while the technician is preparing everything, and she's filling a hypodermic with something. I jokingly said, "I sure hope that's not IVP dye, I'm allergic." Not expecting they hadn't read where I wrote that down, right there, on the paper in front of her face. I had every reason to believe they knew what they were doing and the stuff she was about to pump into me was perfectly safe. She starts ranting about someone's stupidity for not catching that (not mine, I hope) and slamming things around. She didn't have the substitute on hand so I had to cancel.

There's no doctor in the outpatient clinic, what do you think would have happened if she had pumped me full of that dye? Yeah, medical professionals. Uh-huh. (If one were on these boards I'm sure I'd hear the other side, for all the good that would've done me had I not spoken up.)

------

It's amazing a cup of tea can be so helpful Pete. My right knee started going all wobbly on me, it felt like it was bending backwards just when I least expected it, painfully so. I'd read about glucosamine & chondroiton and my neice had taken it after her knee surgery (which was for the same thing I was beginning to get). After taking if for about a week, I was "cured" (though I have to take it daily, if I stop the wobblies and pain return). Until then I had a very low opinion of "home" remedies or supplements (other than a daily multi-vitamin). I'm not convinced the thousands of available supplements are of much use, but I'll have to add ecinacea to my list of "don't knock it 'til you tried its."

------

Ahh, sleep. I was tired. I went to bed. I fell asleep. I woke up feeling like I'd just wonderously passed out for what felt like six or seven hours! Yeah! The alarm hadn't gone off yet, so I thought I'd make a quick stop in the bathroom and go back to sleep. I saw the clock ... I had slept for a whole two hours.

[robroy]

you all need to remember one thing

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS PRACTICE MEDICINE

We swear that my mother in laws death was caused by medical malpractice, she never recovered fully after a quad bypass. They failed to seal an artery and she bled internally for four hours till they could get her back in surgery. during that time they pumped 3 quarts of blood into her to keep her alive.

Edited November 26, 2005 by robroy

[Pete_C]

Actually, my opinion of ecinacea remains that it is overblown and misrepresented. Based on trying different brands, I conclude that it is the combination present in the Celelstial Seasonings Ecinacea complete which actually is effective. Probably the eucalyptus or something else in combination helps with pain.

As for skin problems, my wife is diabetic (now fully under dietary control) but when she was having skin problems from it, she found this stuff called diapedic cream to be even more effective than the eucerin product. It is over the counter at walgrens and available online.

http://www.amlab.com/products/diapedic_foot_cream.asp

It is also effective at relieving the pain of diabetic neuropathy and stimulating surface circulation. Note that it is also antibiotic and antifungal. Rather expensive, but a little goes a long way since it really works.

http://ameswalker.com/difocr.html

has a list of ingredients.

Regarding the barking dogs, I recommend watching the National Geographic channel' "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Millan

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

And ex Marine Instructor who now runs a rescue center for "dangerous dogs" (Pits, Shepherds, Rottweilers) .

As he points out to many folks, barking comes from a failure on the owners part to provide necessary social structure and activity.

If the dog is satisfied that the person is a leader, then they feel no need to bark to alert them of every little thing. I see this in my Neighbors boxer. The guy is a salesman and goes out of town frequently. Fortunately we convinced him to leave the dog with us instead of in his back yard or at a kennel. When we first took him on, he was convinced that his owner is an idiot who goes out and gets lost and does not come home for days. Needless to say, this is a very upsetting thing for a dog to deal with. Although he still has a bit of a barking issue, it is improving. Our dogs , on the other hand primarily only bark when they see a stray dog (as opposed to one being walked on a leash) or when they want in they know to go and give one bark at the bedroom window. (If I do not respond to that, my big boy knows how to bark at just the right pitch and volume to set off my trucks alarm, he knows I will come running when that goes off).

[blim]

Pete, I'm glad to hear your dogs bark at "unleashed strays"--that always makes Sandydog go ballistic! As if she is saying, "that is NOT allowed, where is your Mommy?"

Hubby went on Glucosame and Chondritin for neck problems--the doctor said, "try it for 3 months, it doesn't work for everyone" well it works for him. (and apparently the FDA recently declared "it doesn't work", well, they should change that to "it doesn't work for everyone"!)

And my mom swears by echineaca for colds--if you take it the very first day. Doesn't work for me, I never know if I'm starting a cold or starting an allergy attack. Symptoms are the same for me. Hubby says I should just take it every day...nahh...I'm too lousy at remembering to take pills!

Phew, reading this makes me glad I have the most boring medical history on the planet. Every time I fill one out, I seek out "allergies", mark that "yes", and just draw a line through all the "no's".

Liz

[Pete_C]

Proven to work on colds is vitamin C combined with Zinc Gluconate ; generally available in tabs, often with ecinacea. Something about the combination slows the cold virus ability to enter cells.

Just as with the avian flu, most of the problem from colds results from damage caused an overreaction by the immune system. In a viral infection stage 1 is for the white cells to detect and kill viruses for analysis. This happens almost immeadiately and is characterized by a low fever. Then the second response of the immune system is what causes problems. The immune system targets infected cells with killer cells which kill them and the viruses they contain. In the case of a cold, these are the cells lining the nose , which causes it to swell up and become congested and leak fluid. In bird flu, these are the cells lining the lungs. Unfortunately killing them causes fluid to leak into the lungs and lowers the amount of oxygen you can take in. This can be fatal. It is not for anywhere from three days to two weeks that the research started by the white cells pays off and antibodies which target the virus and prevent it from being able to enter cells as well as attracting white cells to clean them up begins and you can win the fight.

There are so many (several hundred) different cold viruses that you can catch one every year and never get the same one twice. When a virus you have encountered before appears, your immune system can pump out enough antibodies to neutralize it before it can infect enough cells to cause a problem. This is how vaccines work, they infect you with a variant which cannot actively infect your cells and thus does not trigger the adverse features. Then you develope antibodies and will respond fast when you get infected with the real virus before it can infect cells and the immune system cause damage killing the infected cells.

Tamiflu works as a protease inhibitor, slowing the viruses ability to reproduce . The idea is to keep it in check long enough for your immune system to deal with it.

Auto immune diseases result from one of two problems . One is when an antibody is designed which bonds to a protein on the virus which is similar enough to one in the body that when the virus is not present it can bond to that protein instead. The other is where the killer cells malfunction and read non infected cells of a particular type as being infected and kill them.

[JDoors]

... MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS PRACTICE MEDICINE ...

That's true, and they're not Gods so it's understandable, but it's their disconnect from reality that makes them dangerous.

Small example: Recent visit, fill out the forms, sent to another receptionist to fill out more forms. She asks me questions and fills in the blanks; "How did come to this practice, a recommendation, family?" "I needed a dermatologist, called the insurance company for a name, here I am." "Oh, we'll put down a friend recommended you, that sounds so much nicer."

Nicer for who? Lie to the doctor? Why? What kind of ego-stroking does this doctor need? I can't even figure out why a doctor would not like to know that insurance companies are sending them patients.

My younger sister's a nurse and she's told numerous stories of how everyone around doctors 'bend the truth' to what they think the doctors want to hear. Reminds me of CEO's who surround themselves with yes-men and wind up not having a clue what's really happening around them, but with deadlier consequences.

[Pierce]

Theres also another problem with contact dermatitise. You become alergic to whatever works. So the eventuality is that ill run out of everything that works. Thank god ive been able to get 6 months out of my shedio products without any problems, but my bodywash is starting to not work.

I eliminated sodium laurth, sodium layural, DTA's and EDTA's from my lifestyle (yes its in everyting, including toothpaste). Which has helped greatly. I also try to use natural products, that come from nature, as sodium laurth from coconuts i can use, but not manufactured sodium laurth.

Basicaly i can sit all i want, but i sleep mostly on my face. Which i change my pillow cases every night which helps. My back ive noticed now is starting to go "dry" but its not itchy, maybe the new body wash i bought today will help (royal jelly).

I also use a natural sponge to exfoliate. Its not dietary, because then the rashes would be random, not consistant. Also if i sweat, then i get really really itchy.

Ah well, i suppose being partially deaf, wearing glasses, naturally flat footed, going grey (im 21)..... Im not too bad off. As i say, life sucks, but its wonderfull

Pierce

[DarkestDream]

Im a side sleeper. i tried to sleep on my back once in a while but my leg get too uncomfortable. Hope i dont have Restless Leg Syndrome. So if i cant sleep, i simply sleep on my stomach and im gone catching the ZZZs. but.... when i sleep on my stomach, i tend to sleep my head on left side, when i turn to right side, it get pain. not too painful, just uncomfortable to sleep that way. so im used to sleep on left side.

My back gone a hurting because im sleeping on a futon....... yes people, you hear me, a freaking futon...... a cheap Wal-Mart futon....... i got it for christmas, then half year later, the support under the mattress broke off. so i took a peek how they weld it, and the company who made that metal futon did a sucky job. i mean so sucky job i ever seen. it just weld one side only, not the whole 360 side. and the other reason is because my 160-pounds great dane dog love to sleep with me.

[mlegg510]

Hey Pete, I think you have spent as much time as me in the hospital to know all this stuff!

One thing with echinacea a lot of people are unaware of is that if you have a comprosmised immune system or an auto immune disease then the effects of it backfire. It can make you sicker.

I found this out the 1st yr I was diagnosed with MS and I had this cold coming on. I took a load of the echinacea and vitamin C and had the cold for a month! It ended up turning into walking pneumonia.

So my neurologist says why did you take it.... How the heck am I spose to know what to do or not do after this guy just tells me I have a disease

So it took about 4 yrs to get the right meds to finally get me stable and I did a whole lot of research into medical stuff. I am pretty good now thank god

[DarkestDream]

Mlegg, has you read the news about one british man who cured from HIV.....

Well people, it is true, the doctor claimed that this man got cured from HIV, so the man should know how he do it, but he WONT tell how he cure it..... make me feel like i want to punch him and tell him to tell us how to cure HIV/AIDS. jeez, over 10 million people got HIV/AIDS.