Health Care Advice

[cwd]

what are you afraid of?

That's a pretty broad question, but I'll use my powers of deduction to assume you're talking about the thread topic. In that case, I'm afraid of needles and hospitals. In general, I'd have to say heights, tsunami, crocodiles, and water buffalo.

Hospitals scare me too. I used to have a needle phobia, but donated blood enough times to get over it.

A friend's father was suffering gradually increasing feelings of illness, and when he could no longer put it off, went to the doctor to find he had metastatized colon cancer. Dead in a few weeks. Left no clear will, ex-wife & first family squabbling with not-quite-wife and sort-of-second family over the estate. Ugly.

That's why I went through with the colonoscopy -- I'd rather know early, even if the diagnosis is death. More time to die well.
Or in my case, a clean bill of health and some nifty color photos of the inside of my asshole.
Just in case I ever need some.

[Murelli]

what are you afraid of?

That's a pretty broad question, but I'll use my powers of deduction to assume you're talking about the thread topic. In that case, I'm afraid of needles and hospitals. In general, I'd have to say heights, tsunami, crocodiles, and water buffalo.

Hospitals scare me too. I used to have a needle phobia, but donated blood enough times to get over it.

A friend's father was suffering gradually increasing feelings of illness, and when he could no longer put it off, went to the doctor to find he had metastatized colon cancer. Dead in a few weeks. Left no clear will, ex-wife & first family squabbling with not-quite-wife and sort-of-second family over the estate. Ugly.

That's why I went through with the colonoscopy -- I'd rather know early, even if the diagnosis is death. More time to die well.
Or in my case, a clean bill of health and some nifty color photos of the inside of my asshole.
Just in case I ever need some.

There's not only colon cancer, but you may have polyps that can be removed in the colonoscopy. Polyps are benign but they can pull out an Anakin.

[TimK]

Funny story, I just went to the doctor this morning for maybe the second time in 10 years (last one was 7 years ago, also under suspicion of strep throat). I'm 32 btw. Anway, this time it was to figure out if I have rhabdo... arms are swollen around the triceps/elbows/upper forearm. Waiting for results from blood/urine tests.

[tersh]

Naughty boy!

Though, honestly, I envy you a bit. I'm down to doing an annual visit with my (flakey) urologist to keep the HRT going, but I've spent entirely too much time visiting doctors in the last five years. Less than some here, but more than enough for my taste.

Sounds like you'll be fine. I'm guessing you don't know what strategies are most effective for you in dealing with your needle phobia?
I'm not a fan of them, and I deal by watching everything very closely. A blood draw doesn't really bother me much at this point, but even though I've been giving myself injections for a good while I sometimes still get woozy.
Other people have to look away.

I'll confess I'm like you with the dentist, though. I haven't been in ages, and have partially erupted wisdom teeth, and a very crowded lower jaw full of crooked teeth. I don't see much point in paying someone a shitload of money to pull healthy teeth.

[cwd]

I'll confess I'm like you with the dentist, though. I haven't been in ages, and have partially erupted wisdom teeth, and a very crowded lower jaw full of crooked teeth. I don't see much point in paying someone a shitload of money to pull healthy teeth.

That's the exact state I was in, saying "no" to having my partly-erupted WT removed over and over.
Then one time my dentist saw a shadow on an X-ray, said it was possibly a cavity down deep in my jaw, and I went and had them out at about age 30.

Once removed, they turned out to be cavity-free. Oops!

[tersh]

I'll confess I'm like you with the dentist, though. I haven't been in ages, and have partially erupted wisdom teeth, and a very crowded lower jaw full of crooked teeth. I don't see much point in paying someone a shitload of money to pull healthy teeth.

That's the exact state I was in, saying "no" to having my partly-erupted WT removed over and over.
Then one time my dentist saw a shadow on an X-ray, said it was possibly a cavity down deep in my jaw, and I went and had them out at about age 30.

Once removed, they turned out to be cavity-free. Oops!

Lesson: Don't believe dentists. If you really need a tooth out, you'll probably know. I mean, abscesses aren't anything to fuck with, of course, but yeah.

[cwd]

Lesson: Don't believe dentists. If you really need a tooth out, you'll probably know. I mean, abscesses aren't anything to fuck with, of course, but yeah.

Probably he had a boat payment due, and needed the kickback from the oral surgeon.