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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:37:14
i was starting to think that i was idealizing things back here and that when i came back i would realize that...
but...
i wasn't.
i really do have a bunch of cool friends here who are happy to see me (and i'm oh so happy to see them)
home again
phew
over now. like a bad dream.
and now of course the real work starts. but then that is precisely what i signed up for.
one month to write a contracted book chapter
happy days
i know things will get hard...
but the kind of hard i signed up for
home again
thank god.
Posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:38:45
In reply to and back again, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:37:14
and if anyone tells you that there is such a thing as a 'direct flight' from jfk to syd then DON'T BELIEVE THEM. two and a half hours in LAX at gate 120 (that means NO prospects for cigarettes) direct my *ss.
Posted by Phillipa on June 2, 2009, at 12:02:30
In reply to Re: and back again, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:38:45
Alex oh you're going home? Good for you but you were so near yet so far. It was good to know you were and are still here. Phillipa
Posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 13:54:54
In reply to and back again, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:37:14
Thanks Phillipa.
I got bitten by a couple of ticks. Noticed one a couple days before I left. Was tossing up whether to go to a doctor (but was worried about the 'have you come into contact with an infectious disease' question for customs). Thought I'd hold off going to the doctor until I came back. Then once I arrived back (that day) I noticed another. Both on the back of my leg. Neither of them looked well fed but assuming I got bit the night before leaving could have been there longer than 24 hours. I can't figure what kind it is. Looked like a larvae, I'm pretty sure. Small, both of them, but bigger than a sesame seed (just) I think. I didn't have any alchohol or whatever to store it in but I put the second one on the back of some sticky tape in case they need it (didn't want to have to declare the first).
Couldn't get them off without snapping them. Um... Do I need to go to the doctor or do I just wait and see whether I get any flu like or rash symptoms? I don't think it is possible to get the heads off without basically cutting chunks out of my leg and I've read some stuff about their just working their way out anyway. My doc here has a couple weeks waiting list to get into see her for general stuff. Guess I could get in earlier if I say I'm worried about tick related illnesses, but not sure whether I'm panicking over nothing or not.
Trouble is that flu like symptoms (aches and joint pain etc) and jet lag are kinda similar so I can't tell whether I'm worrying overly much or whether I should go...
Posted by gobbledygook on June 2, 2009, at 14:15:34
In reply to and back again, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:37:14
I used to think direct flights were same as non-stop flights, until I got caught on some with
lay-overs, and even airplane/airline changes, while flight numbers remained the same....
misleading to say the least.Yeah, being stuck in LAX for two and a half hours without cigarettes is no fun.
But, Sydney sounds heavenly!
Ava-
Posted by gobbledygook on June 2, 2009, at 14:35:35
In reply to tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 13:54:54
I'm sure you researched the net, but here's a good one to look at for now...
http://health.yahoo.com/emergency-bite/tick-bites/healthwise--tckbt.html
I would wait to see if you have any symptoms(did you say you aren't jet lagged, yet?),
but definitely go in if you're really worried.Ava-
Posted by twinleaf on June 2, 2009, at 15:21:50
In reply to tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 13:54:54
As far as Lyme Disease is concerned, the very first thing you would find is a "bulls-eye"- a white area just where the tick has bitten, surrounded by a 2 or 3 inch red area. If you find this, you definitely want to go on two or three weeks of doxycycline. If you find just the tick, but no reddened area, you may also want to take the doxycycline just to be completely safe. It is so much easier to treat it when it first starts. When it develops into joint and muscle pain and generalized fatigue, it often requires a year or two of treatment.
Posted by Dinah on June 2, 2009, at 15:41:27
In reply to and back again, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 7:37:14
Hey Alex!
I know nothing about ticks.
But I'm really glad you're back home and it's every bit as good as you remembered. :)
When do you see your therapist?
Posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 17:17:36
In reply to Re: tick bites » alexandra_k, posted by twinleaf on June 2, 2009, at 15:21:50
I do have joint and muscle pain and generalized fatigue but I've been flying for over 24 hours so that alone could well be responsible. Stuffy nose could also be due to the change in climate (from very humid to very dry). So... Kinda hard to say. I am keeping my eyes out for signs of rash but there doesn't seem to be one so far... Will probably hold off a few days and see what happens. Know doctor can see me same day if it turns out to be probable that I have something like that. At least I know I was bit so if I get sick I'll be sure to mention that. And I have one on a bit of sticky tape if they need help figuring it out (assuming both were the same kind which I guess is likely).
Think I see t next Monday. He said he had Monday at 4 available - but had a couple of once off appointments in that time slot including one this week. So next Monday, I guess.
Posted by fayeroe on June 2, 2009, at 18:35:30
In reply to Re: tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 17:17:36
Alex, Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever is another disease that you can catch from ticks. I've had it twice. It isn't wise to leave the head in your flesh. It takes about 5 hours for a tick to hurt you. That is what I've been told by the ER docs.
I had aches, headache, fever and malaise.....we thought that it was depression and general letdown after my dog died...turned out it was the RMSPTF again.
I want you to get checked. Do you have ERs? I ended up with a brain lesion and literally had to learn how to walk again.
Lyme disease is transmitted by deer ticks. It took me 3 years to get over the lesser disease. Lyme disease can stay with you for the rest of your life!
Ticks are very, very serious business. Take care. Pat
Posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 20:27:02
In reply to Re: tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 17:17:36
Yeah, I got flu like symptoms. No denying it now. Achy, tired, stuffy nose. I've made an appointment for Friday (Wednesday today). If I notice a rash and / or neurological symptoms I'll ring back and say it is an emergency but otherwise I can wait two days. Crappy crap crap. Maybe I got that swine flu too...
Posted by Phillipa on June 2, 2009, at 20:41:01
In reply to Re: tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 20:27:02
Alex never had the bulls eye rash nor the flu like symtoms. Found on routine lab work from pdoc as had a small one. Anyway a month in the hospital, pic line IV antibiotics and then two years of orals. Will never know if my thyroid going, same time, or anxiety due to the undiagnosed for who knows how long lymes disease. Get a Western Blot blood test. There are many bands that a specialist needs to read if comes back postitive. Many false negatives also. Go to the doc now profilactive treatment but better a month as l0 days of doxy didn't kill mine. But the dumb doc wouldn't listen to me when said still felt wierd. Now you've left? Darn. Love Phillipa
Posted by twinleaf on June 2, 2009, at 20:45:51
In reply to Re: tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 20:27:02
I'd get seen as soon as possible. It could be a tick-born illness, but could also be an infection you got while flying. Make sure your doc looks at the whole range of possibilities, including the ones more common in the US than in Australia. If in doubt, ask for an infectious disease specialist. Good luck!
Posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 3, 2009, at 18:13:42
In reply to Re: tick bites, posted by alexandra_k on June 2, 2009, at 20:27:02
I am sorry you are going through what you are a_k.
But really "baby" yourself...lots of self-love, maybe a spa or a pedicure? Boiling hot shower...bottles of fragarence...maybe some wine?Best wishes..
Jay
Posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 3:53:27
In reply to Re: REALLY treat yourself...get a spa or something » alexandra_k, posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 3, 2009, at 18:13:42
taking it easy, yeah. by the time the doctors appointment came through i realized that it was jet lag rather than the flu. really wiped out by it this time. never been hit to this extent before. think that flying into my the third winter in a row was a bit much, really. and hassles with clearing out my stuff before i left and now rearranging all my stuff now that i've arrived (fetching it from storage and moving my office). that still is largely not sorted. sleeping 12 hours for the last few nights and basically feeling progressively better with each one of those.
i think part of it was that my joints didn't cope with the flying so well this time. since i had a doctor appointment anyway (and medicare came through for me just before I left) i asked my doctor about whether there was any kind of physiotherapy or assessment or something that i could get for my old injuries. she said that there probably was and has made an appointment for me to go get x-rays of my leg / ankle / spine as the first step. she said it is usual to remove metal plates and screws etc after the bones have healed and she said that that might well be something that they can do. i'm not so sure... not so sure that she appreciates the extent yet... i'm not 100% sure but I think they gave me a fusion (kind of like the one on the right):
http://osteonecrosisavnsupport.org/photos.html
hard to say... might be the case that the restricted movement that I have because of the screws reduces pain that I'd have if the jagged bone was rubbing on jagged bone... Or might be that my movement is restricted unnecessarily. Hard to say...
They can do ankle replacements now. Just (by the sounds of it). Don't expect I'd be a candidate for one of those... Especially since my other leg isn't that much better (due to the nature of the break in the leg bones mostly I think - though ankle problems too). Anyway... Would be good to know what is going on with all that. Maybe go to the gym or something once I've got some idea of what is likely to help rather than harm. At the moment... My body is just kind of curling up on itself, really. Over time movement of ankles and movement of back is becoming more and more restricted. I think it hit me so hard because of going from summer (joint fluid is fluid so mobility is better and pain is less) whereas it solidifies in cooler temperatures. Just feel achy... But that is what it is. Joint pain... But not flu or tick bite fever or whatever. That is something at any rate. Kinda scared... Nice to have hope that might well be shattered... Kind of scared... But will be good to know. I guess. Wish me luck. They said it would get to the point where I'd need a wheelchair but then... They were wrong about lots of things in my recovery (you will never walk without crutches, you will never live up a flight of stairs, you will never walk more than 2 k's in one day). Lets see how wrong they can be...
Posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 3:59:42
In reply to Re: REALLY treat yourself...get a spa or something, posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 3:53:27
actually there is a whole bunch of them there. If you scroll down to the next one ('Diane') that seems to resemble mine more (basing my judgement on where I can feel the head of the screws / the scars from where the screws have been inserted). Pretty sure they didn't add any bone, though, just put screws through the bone that was there. At the time... The bone was basically shattered so it was just about holding the ankle straight as best they could with screws and an external fixture. I don't know what the box contraption is that they are on about...
Pretty sure that some of the bones in my foot are still dislocated. I remember them saying that they would likely do more damage than good if they attempted to pop them back in at the time. But... 5 or so years later... They should pop them back in now - right? Dunno... Guess we shall find out. It is going to be a royal pain in the butt if I have to go back to non weight bearing. Basically... Not possible for me to cope with the three flights of stairs...
Posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 5:24:56
In reply to Re: REALLY treat yourself...get a spa or something, posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 3:53:27
http://www.mdmercy.com/footandankle/conditions/trauma/fracture_heelbone.html
subtalar fusion yeah.
And my other leg:
http://orthopedics.about.com/od/footanklefractures/ss/tibialplafond_3.htm
ouchie
Posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 6:54:59
In reply to Re: REALLY treat yourself...get a spa or something, posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 5:24:56
http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/83-B/3/335.pdf
and they told me there was 'nothing we can do' even when i suggested (in my general state of ignorance) that they might be able to stretch a tendon or something.
they certainly didn't tell me it was the result of 'delayed' treatment for compartment syndrome.
you know how sometimes you get that feeling that you aren't getting the care others would because they basically aren't being sympathetic? or maybe you don't... i was fairly sure at the time... just another borderline who will probably succeed in killing herself before she turns 30 or at the very least back in the ER before the year is out. sigh.
fixing that would alter things immensely. i could actually shift weight to the ball of my feet instead of clunking on my heels.
Posted by Phillipa on June 8, 2009, at 20:18:34
In reply to Re: REALLY treat yourself...get a spa or something, posted by alexandra_k on June 8, 2009, at 6:54:59
Alex I do know what compartment syndrome is as was expert wittnes in two court cases here but from the swelling and pressure on the nerves of the legs in both cases amputation was needed. Cure is to open the leg and release the nerves and wait for swelling to go down. What happened to you? I don't know didn't know you then or when did it happen and how? Love Phillipa
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