How about a general medical topic? Not for the "what is this bump here" are "my symptoms are . . ." but more of an "explain this to me" discussion. Not for medical advice! just discussion.
For instance . . .
could someone explain congestive heart failure without using medical terms?
Or . . .
what causes "sleepy-sand" in the eyes? Can you have too much of it? How come?
I sure can do CHF for you. I wasn't an EMT instructor all those years for nothin.' Congestive heart failure is essentially "pump" failure. A common form happens when the left side of the heart squeezes out a portion of blood from the lower left chamber, but does it so weakly that it doesn't empty, it leaves some in there. In a moment, here comes some more new blood in, but there is still some in there. Once again the heart squeezes, but not hard enough to empty itself and again leaves some behind. Eventually that chamber is so full of left over blood that it starts backing up in the system. The lungs end up with extra fluid in them. The person may have a rattley sound when they breathe, sounds like a wet chest cold. In more serious cases the person will feel weak and "winded." In heart attacks, the person may say their chest hurts, in CHF they say they can't breathe, and feel very weak and tired. Any questions?
By "sleepy-sand" do you mean eye-crusties that we all get in the morning???
If that is the case, then here is the explanation...
We all have microscopic organisms that live in our eyelashes and around our eyes. At night when we aren't blinking and clearing away their secretions with tears, the secretions build up and dry and become the crud that you have to wipe out of your eyes in the morning.
It is possible to have too much. Sometimes the build-up is bad enough that your eyelids get "glued" together. If that happens just use some saline solution to break up the gunk, and massage your eyes gently until you can get them open. Be careful not to pick at your eyes when you have excessive build-up because an open sore can create a sty or other infection in the midst of everything.
If having too much "sleep" in your eyes is becoming bothersome, or you are experiencing daytime build-up, which means that there is too much for your tears to wash away with normal blinking, it would be wise to consult your physician.
Wow! What a whiz-bang group of people are here. I'm pleased and impressed by the answers you gave! They are easy to understand and knowledgeable too. I've learned two new things today ~ Thanks!
Here's something I've always wondered about: My joints pop all the time, have since I was a kid. Back, neck, wrists, knuckles, hips, knees, toes ~ everything. And usually when I'm doing normal activities, I try not to do it on purpose. Some people say it is tendons snapping, some say it's air in the joints popping (where does it go I wonder?) ~ no one seems to have a clear idea and doctors, even chiropractors I've asked, always change the subject after assuring me 'it's not unusual at all'... I've heard it causes arthritis, and I've heard that it doesn't. Anyone have any information on this?
Thank you Kermit, and yes, there is more that can be done now than a few years ago. It depends on what caused the CHF in the first place. It can stand alone, (an old tired out heart), or it can be a left over from heart attacks of certain kinds in certain areas of the heart. Of course the first thing is to get rid of the cardiac overload,( extra fluid ) 40mg. of Lasix and get out of the way! The kidneys and bladder will work overtime! Many people with mild cases take meds to strenghten the contractility (squeezing) of the heart, take a diuretic to help keep extra, unneeded fluid out of the body, take the salt shaker off the table and live for years, and live well. It can be one sudden and fatal event if it is accompanied by other serious heart disease complications.
Joint noises do not cause any problems that you weren't going to have anyway. You probably have slightly looser joint attachments, so they move around a bit more. As long as they are just noisy and don't actually dislocate, it's fine. Most of the answers you've heard are correct to one degree or another. It can be tendon and ligament noise, or the synovial (lubricating) fluid in the joints moving.( they do contain a gas, not really air ). No pain no problem. Now the snap and crackling (mice) in our knees can be a bit more of a problem. They are commonly little "flakes" that come loose and are rubbing around in there. If they become very painful, they can be taken care of, otherwise no problem. As we get older, all the wear and tear on our bodies begins to show itself. Our bodies never totally forgive us for the things we do to them. As always, if you suspect something is wrong, see the Doctor!!!
This is so wonderful! Thanks!
Great answers.... and in a language that everyone can understand.
Thanks.. :)
Here's a bit more on CHF. Sometimes the extra fluid in the body is so much that the ankles and lower legs swell. This is not the same as hot weather swollen ankles. It commonly happens at the same time as the terrible fatigue and chest gurgling. In most cases, these folks want to sit up, to get the extra fluid low in the lungs. If they lie down flat they feel as if they are drowning.
That was my Mom all over. My dad spends a lot of his sleeping time in a recliner instead of bed, now. He has COPD and is down to about 40% of his lung capacity. Two different causes, but an inability of breathe is going to get both my parents, looks like.
Smokers?
My dad didn't smoke much after WWII was over. I think he may have smoked as much as a pack a week sometimes. My mother, believe it or not, smoked four packs of cigarettes a day until a couple of months before she died of CHF. Whenever I think of that, I wonder how it is even possible to smoke 80 cigarettes in a day. She also had minor niggling heart problems throughout her life, growing worse as she got older.
Maybe she could have gotten through that, but she was also an active alcoholic practically up until the day she died. It is apparently a family problem on her side. Her father was an alcoholic. One of her brothers and her sister were alcoholics. My brother and my sister are active alcoholics. Every one of those managed(es) to get through each and every day with that problem, fulfilling most of their responsibilities. It is amazing to me. I am also extremely happy that whatever genes cause the problem of dependency missed me on the way by, the only one of the three of us kids it spared.
Really tough. :(
It was hard on her. My mother was a phenomenally intelligent woman, and in most ways very strong. I think she only gave in to alcohol after my Dad got back from the war and forbade her to work outside the home. I am very sure that she wanted to be someone on her own, someone more than a mother, and that situation broke her spirit. I am also very sure that she could have been someone on her own had she been allowed the opportunity. But that was not how things worked in 1946.
And I know it sounds a little bleak. My mom was an alcoholic. My dad was a workaholic. But, in truth, almost all of my memories of growing up are good ones. My dad worked a lot and I solved that problem by working with him when I could. My mom was sometimes not able to do all of the mom-ly things, so us kids all filled in. At the same time, I had my Uncle Max and my other uncle's wife, Leora, to take up some of the slack. Everybody worked together and everything got done.
Stuff goes wrong in life. It happens to everybody. I believe that the biggest mistake that happens is when people dwell on those things for the rest of their lives. All that does is make it worse. You have to deal with the bad things that come your way, then you have to get on with it. Anyway, that has worked for me.
I agree.
You have the right idea on that one Kermit.. and being someone who has had to deal with that all your life.. then you know what you are talking about.
You are not just talking the talk.. you have actually walked the walk.. so those are wise words to live by.
We all could, at times, take heed.. :-\
I too agree with you, kermit. Things come along on our paths of life that sometimes gets in our way of keeping things in a line for a while then we have to let go of them. Things that are unkind to us manifest themselves after a while until they can become problems and get in our way of forgiving and forgetting. I don't think any of us can "forget per se" but we sure can put it behind us and forgive.
Thanks to both you and Diane for your fine answers to the medical questions.
If all of us were able to put things behind us and go on with life, Teresa, what would Oprah and Jerry Springer talk about on their next show?
It also occurred to me a few minutes ago, while I was doing some Web design for a friend, that some or all of you must be wondering, "What the heck is that idiot frog doing posting all that stuff out here in the open?" That's a perfectly valid question, and like most other good questions, I'll try to answer it.
First, I did not write a word in these posts that I have not shared with all of the people involved; by now, they are used to me being bluntly honest. Second, when you have some things that you simply can't talk about, and I do, it somehow makes it easier to talk about everything else; odd but true. And third (and most importantly) it is possible that someone, somewhere, will look at what I wrote and take it to heart, thereby having an easier time of things in their life.
Besides, I would rather be here in this forum being open than sitting across from Doctor Phil being weird.
But you might get paid if you were sitting by Dr Weird Phil. :)
Having now pondered that as an avenue of possible revenue, I do not think that the world of daytime television is ready for me. And, now that I say that, probably not cable, either.
Okay - another question - and I hope I get this right because I didn't completely understand it when I first heard it.
Eating sugar products will make you hot.
True? Not? ???
Listening in on a conversation between two people:
Wow, it's hot in here.
What did you have for lunch?
Regular, but I had a pineapple shake for dessert.
Well, that's why you're hot.
What is?
The shake - when you eat that much sugar, your body temperature rises shortly afterwards.
Huh? ? ? ::) ???
The "blue" speaker continued on in that vein -
everyone knows if you eat too much sugar, you'll get hot.
I've never heard of that.
I don't know. I'd have to ask about that one myself. Feeling hot or flushed, and an actual temperature rise aren't necessarily the same thing. So take your temp., eat something sweet, wait about 30 min, and take your temp. again. See what happens. Hot, spicy foods do make many people sweat. It's called gustatory perspiration.
Depending on the precise chemical content of the carbohydrate, ingesting a lot of them will make you feel hot and will also make your temperature rise slightly, but not much. Sugar, of course is a very potent carbohydrate. Probably, many of us have felt warm after eating a large, carbohydrate-laden meal. There's a lot of calories in there and the body will occasionally work overtime, and very quickly, getting the excess out of the blood. That produces heat, which you can feel.
The studies that I have seen, however, say that it is more of a warm feeling than it is a rise in temperature, although there if often a small rise in the latter.
Quote from: Teresa on August 05, 2007, 03:34:10 PM
You have the right idea on that one Kermit.. and being someone who has had to deal with that all your life.. then you know what you are talking about.
You are not just talking the talk.. you have actually walked the walk.. so those are wise words to live by.
We all could, at times, take heed.. :-\
I just wanted to add, that when I talk about me having survived cancer and my sons death and my other sons having nothing to do with me (his problem, not mine) I am just sharing my heartache and I know no one can do anything about it, it just gives me a way of coping with all of that.
I am doing well for the shape I am in. But, there are days when I relive each and every portion of each heartache..
I can be doing nothing important and one of those "kick-in-the-pants" emotions will start me thinking.
Most of the time, NOW.......I deal with it by remembering the good points.........I don't ever regret being a mother; I am cancer free and I did meet a lot of people who knew exactlly what I was going through and letting me vent or chat about it............: I also know it is my son who chose to go through the door he did. I gave him to God and when it is time I know David will speak to me again. If not, it is Gods will.
We can not go through life without heartache..........and illness and loss............I guess this is God's plan for us all to learn how to lean on HIM............without HIM I would have given up a long time ago.
I know most on here are God believing and to those who aren't I am sorry......you don't have to read this........and if it offends others, I am sorry.......but, this is me, and I do not appologize for me. I am what I am.................SO THERE oh heck.........-)~ this is me..
And this is ME. I have a soft shoulder and two BIG ears. You can share with me anytime. I can't fix much, but most women do need to talk things out. It really helps to just say stuff. Lots of men want to go "fix" things and don't get it when women need to just talk sometimes. You must have developed coping skills that worked for you when needed them, and they will be there if you need them again.
Yes Maam!, that is so.
Even when I didn't realize it, HE was always there leading me through the rough spots.
sometimes he carried me, some times he would give me a shove......well ok, a kick in the pants....
and when the worst was easier (I won't say over) He would pat me on the back and tell
me "Good job"..........and all I could say was Thank God HE was here.......now I can share with
others, When they let me.
I guess this lesson in life is a gift from God. Isn't He Great!?
God is Great, Judy. Especially since He brought you into our lives.
know what is really amazing? That so many of us, including me, have had very trying times in our childhood. Alcoholics, divorce, abuse, whatever, and not a one of us used that as an excuse to go out and kill someone and then have an attorney stand up and say "we had a disfunctional childhood" - good grief, my life is still disfunctional at times :-\ and now I have just had a call from a girlfriend saying "come on up for lunch, and I'll send you home with some home grown tomatoes and all sorts of things" and so I am on my way.............. bye
Ok, here's another off-the-wall question. Don't laugh too much, but haven't you ever wondered . . .(and this series of questions was inspired by the recent discussion on butter beans and venison)The foods that cause people to "toot" -
- if everyone ate the same foods, would all the "toots" smell the same?
- " " " " sound the same"
- what causes the different sounds? the size of the intestines?
- why do some people burp instead of "tooting"
- how controllable are they? can people vary the sound on purpose
;D :D ???
Yikes! This is too large a question to answer in here. However, I can point you in the right direction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence)
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question46.htm (http://www.howstuffworks.com/question46.htm)
http://www.gasmedic.com/wt_paper.htm (http://www.gasmedic.com/wt_paper.htm)
That should get you started. While thinking about this, I have decided that my proper direction is probably away from that casserole, or perhaps from the people eating it. The casserole itself sounds divine, but...
;D