The Health Issues Thread

[xita]

Hey, Kittens. This thread is for us to talk about any health issues we have, ask questions, and support each other.



Please remember, though, that only a qualified medical professional can diagnose or treat an illness - and only in person.

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To get this thread started, I have a request.



As a favor to a friend, I was wondering if there any lesbian/bi kittens who have some form of ostomy? If you do and you don't mind chatting with someone about it, please email me xita@xita.org. Thanks!

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"Hard work often pays off after time but laziness always pays off now!"

[urnofosiris]

I had to look that up what that meant, heh, your friend probably already knows about this but if not, there is a huge site with a lesbian and gay section which is still under construction, but it does have a phone number and an email addy listed: www.uoa.org/networks_glo.htm

The last mosquito that bit me had to check into the Betty Ford Clinic.

--Patsy Stone

[Sleepyhead]

Um, hi, I'm a little shy about this, but I figure better to let you know that now, and just try my best to be frank from now on.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect from a mammogram (or mammography, whatever floats your boat).

A few days ago my left breast started to get really painful (ow, serious ow) and I realised there was a lump there. Now being only just fifteen I'm aware my chances of having breast cancer are quite low, but my family has a rather abundant history of cancer so I'm worried anyway. I've read about women who get painful lumps that go away in the week before their periods, so that could be it. But I know I should get it checked out anyway.

Only I'm kinda (a lot) nervous about going to the doctor and getting whatever tests (I'm assuming a mammogram is an almost certainty but I may be wrong or there may be additional ones,) he decides are necessary. I'm really quite shy so I'm not fancying the idea of taking my shirt and stuff off in front of him, I will if I absolutely have to, but I'd rather be prepared before hand, for that and for anything else I should expect. I read about them on the internet but it was all rather clinical and useless.

So anyone who feels like helping out a nervous and rather worried girl, thanks in advance.

[meretricious]

Sleepyhead,

I work in medical imaging and can give you some general information. First and most importantly, don't ever let your shyness stand in the way of getting medical care that you need. Remember, no matter how intimate or weird it seems to you, your Dr. will literally see/examine thousands of breasts and bodies in his career, it should just be a very clinical experience.

You're correct about breast lumps coming and going during your menstrual cycle, due to the affect of your hormones on cysts and lymph nodes. At your age, a dr. might not jump straight to a mammogram. An ultrasound is often the first way a lump is checked, esp. if your dr. has ultrasound equipment in his office. Ultrasound exams aren't painful, they'll just squirt some gel on your breast and move a probe around over it. Sometimes the gel is cold, but you don't feel the ultrasound itself.

If the lump looks like a cyst on an ultrasound, most likely you would monitor the lump for 2 or 3 months (does it grow, change in hardness, change size in your menstrual cycle, etc. ).

The discomfort that can be caused by a mammogram is highly individualized. I performed them for a few years, and there were as many women that reported little or no pain, as those who found it quite painful. However, the breast should only be compressed for about 30 seconds, or less for each picture (typically 2 pics of each breast), so even if it is uncomfortable for you, it's over quickly.

In the US, mri of the breast is becoming very common, and in your age group, esp. if your breasts are overall fibrous or cystic (in other words, just really dense tissue) then a dr. might order the mri instead of a mammogram. This is usually more comfortable than a mammogram, but longer. If you end up getting an mri ordered, drop me a line and i'll tell you all about it ( i do about 5 a week) .

Like i said, this is all very general info. If/when you get some exams ordered and want more specifics, let me know. Good luck~mary

[writerfreak]

Okay, so I have a lot of health problems naturally....like heart problems and some other things that basically couldn't really ever be helped. But lately I've been having this really really sharp pain in my right ovary. It hasn't ever happened before and as far as I have checked into all my own medical situation, has nothing to do with any of it. It comes and goes, but there is usually a general ache in that area, and then I get really random sharp pains... Has this ever happened to anyone before? Any ideas?

writerfreak

[CrazyTaraWitch]

writerfreak: This sounds like an ovarian cyst, particularly if you have felt nautious or had vaginal pain. Normally ovarian cysts go away on their own, but you still may want to see a doctor. Hope this helps!

[JustSkipIt]

Writerfreak - I used to have that years ago, especially about at ovulation time and only in my right ovary. Like CTW said, it went away on it's own and never came back.

[SJ]

Hey Dorothy I read about your health issues in another thread and wondered what tests did your doctor do?

[Nue]

uhn.. health issues... that´s sucks... I got tons of them, my eyes don´t work... I mean it´s not I can´t see, but I got this sneaky tumor on my optical nerve and it´s inoperable... maybe in the future, the docs find a way to take it out without killing me (or making me losing my eyes.. not a pretty sight...)
I can deal with the pain, I´m on some heavy medication (yeah, my lungs and liver doens´t work fine too and I got a esophagus ulcer due the meds...)
the whole package ¬¬

[Dorothy]

Hey Dorothy I read about your health issues in another thread and wondered what tests did your doctor do?

nothing much, after the, I think 7th, visit he had some blood samples sent to the lab which all came back ok... But now, 9 months later, I'm still pretty sick. Off and on a bit, it will get to a managable level and then shoot up to a few very sick days/weeks again.
Strangely in my good weeks, my knees and hips seem to be worse with the pain and all.

I've given up by the way, felt like the doc was getting annoyed by my constant whining and all. Someday it'll go away, kill me or just linger on to annoy me for life.

[Taralover]

I have a small patch of bad skin just below my lower lip. It's fine now but if it does go really bad, my whole mouth could get chapped.

[SJ]

Dorothy you should get a second opinion and have further tests not just blood tests but scans and an endoscope.
I have a lot of the same symptoms as you and all my blood tests and scans came back normal but now I'm having a duadenal biopsy for suspected Whipple's disease.

[Dorothy]

in that case I'd be pretty near dead now cause wikipedia says that kills in a year when untreated.

[SJ]

It can take upto 5 years for the full symptoms to show up.
Anyway,my point being is that your doctor should have investigated your symptoms further.

[Dorothy]

Maybe I should just shake em till they find something to fix me LoL but got some issues with asking for/demanding/doing "selfish" things.

But thnx for the concern might go to the doc tomorrow if it fits in their schedule.

[Dorothy]

Owwie :'-( My knees are so darn frakked up that I can't even ride my bicycle in the lowest gear anymore, even though it's a racerbike and I'm usually a though cookie.

So I decided to walk to the citycentre instead (like, not even 2 miles) and now not only my knees, but my hips, all the joints in my feet and toes AND some muscles in my right leg hurt like hell, like they're trying to tear themselves appart.



(I've been to the doc for this but once again no real answer besides "get stronger leg muscles", yeah, HOW? With the being unable to do any kinda sports and by the way I cycled to frakkin Paris last year, I think my muscles should be strong enough!)

[Kessari]

(I've been to the doc for this but once again no real answer besides "get stronger leg muscles", yeah, HOW? With the being unable to do any kinda sports and by the way I cycled to frakkin Paris last year, I think my muscles should be strong enough!)

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I was in the same situation in 2005. My doc told me my hip joint was hurting so much, because my knee was destroyed from osteoarthritis and that I should work out. How the fuck are you supposed to work out, when you can't even put your socks on without help?... Three months later I was in emergency surgery, because my hip joint came to nothing and I was kinda walking on my thighbone.

Don't wanna scare you here. It's just that docs can be real jerks and believe me over the last 16 years I met a lot of those.
I'd advise you to go to a rheumatologist or internist. If they tell you the same, seek out another doc. I know it's annoying and stressful and just really sucks, but I guess it's the only way to find out, why you are hurting and what to do against it, because the answer you got is clearly... fucked up! I cross my fingers for you!!!



BTW: In 1993 we seeked out about a dozen different docs, but after 6 months they finally knew what was wrong with me...

[Dorothy]

Don't wanna scare you here. It's just that docs can be real jerks and believe me over the last 16 years I met a lot of those.
I'd advise you to go to a rheumatologist or internist. If they tell you the same, seek out another doc. I know it's annoying and stressful and just really sucks, but I guess it's the only way to find out, why you are hurting and what to do against it, because the answer you got is clearly... fucked up! I cross my fingers for you!!!

That`s sweet, thnx for the answer I'm kinda afraid the doc(s) will get annoyed with me, but hey, I'm annoyed by not being able to move my legs without hurty (I don't take painkillers because I'm afraid I'll make things worse when I don't feel what hurts and what doesn't.

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At this point even walking is too much and sitting down/standing up/walking downstairs/downhill...
Gonna try if I can get to a specialist without a perscription or get a new doc when I'm back in amsterdam (Lille now, London later)
wrists and fingers hurty too, luckily I don't have to use those all day LoL

[SJ]

Anyone suffer from neuropathy?