PIF: How Long to 3017 MdC?

[martym]

They didn’t see her tumor on the CT Scan

 

[Esox]

When I was a boss and had an employee that couldnt do their job, they got let go. I see doctors as no different.

 

[pbrmhl]

After three shaves, the MdC level is just where I thought it would be. I’m destined to win. All y’all should feel free to concede, at your convenience, of course...

 

[Esox]

After three shaves, the MdC level is just where I thought it would be. I’m destined to win. All y’all should feel free to concede, at your convenience, of course...

 

[Ribeye]

One year ago today my wife was released from the hospital after having a pituitary tumor removed. Her surgery was a year ago yesterday. Technology is truly something.
Here’s a shot of her tumor.
Through her nose to remove it, surgery one day, and out of the hospital the next.
View attachment 932931

I guess if you’re gonna have a brain tumor a pituitary tumor is the one to get!!!

PS
Another great shave today!!

I have one of those tumors.
They tried to remove it but had to leave part in do to the location.
Now I get an injection every month to control the hormones.

 

[martym]

My condolences!

 

[Ribeye]

LOL

No condolences necessary. I feel blessed they caught it when they did and they can treat it.

Thanks though.

 

[Ribeye]

When I was a boss and had an employee that couldnt do their job, they got let go. I see doctors as no different.

LOL

Practicing medicine is extremely nuanced imho. I agree with your sentiment but in my case they only caught the tumor because I had my thyroid removed and went to see an endocrinologist for the follow up. No other doctor would be trained to spot the symptoms and I'm not sure how many endos would have at that point since nothing seemed out of the ordinary to anyone. But he could tell by looking at my facial features that I should be tested. And he was right.

I also had hbp and anxiety so those diagnoses would have been correct. The problem is they were symptoms and not the underlying cause. But if you write a letter firing my primary care physician I'll gladly give it to him. I enjoy giving him a hard time. It's one of the things that makes Dr visits tolerable.

All in all I feel blessed that things worked out as well as they did for me. Modern medicine is amazing but it's still not magic. Not yet anyway.

 

[Esox]

LOL

Practicing medicine is extremely nuanced imho. I agree with your sentiment but in my case they only caught the tumor because I had my thyroid removed and went to see an endocrinologist for the follow up. No other doctor would be trained to spot the symptoms and I'm not sure how many endos would have at that point since nothing seemed out of the ordinary to anyone. But he could tell by looking at my facial features that I should be tested. And he was right.

I also had hbp and anxiety so those diagnoses would have been correct. The problem is they were symptoms and not the underlying cause. But if you write a letter firing my primary care physician I'll gladly give it to him. I enjoy giving him a hard time. It's one of the things that makes Dr visits tolerable.

All in all I feel blessed that things worked out as well as they did for me. Modern medicine is amazing but it's still not magic. Not yet anyway.

Assuming you're in the US, doctors in the US have an added incentive to be more thorough, but that can be a double edged sword.

My family doctor will only see me, or anyone else, for a single 10 minute session. If you have more than one thing to talk about, make another appointment and come back next week, if, he has an opening that soon. He only gets paid for the one 10 minute visit so doctors here dont like covering a lot of ground in a single visit. That structure goes all the way up the Canadian Healthcare ladder because we have a shortage of doctors, of all types. Most start here then move to the US.

If you hire an employee to sweep the floor and then tell him that he also has to do this or that, but gets no pay increase for doing the extra work, how enthusiastic will he be too do it. Not very in my experience.

Sept 2015 I had a 100% blockage of my LAD, a 'Widowmaker' heart attack. I came out of it with no damage because I went in right away. All my blood work came back as normal; Blood sugar 6.3, LDL 2.3, BP 120/70. They gave me two blood pressure meds, a max dose of Lipitor and Plavix, an antiplatelet for the stent they put in for the first 18 months. I understood why they gave me the Plavix, but not the rest. My ultrasound at 6 months showed 100% heart function and all my arteries 100% clear.

A friend went into the same hospital Boxing Day 2015. He ended up with either a double or triple bypass I cant remember. One of his arteries had been blocked for so long that the blood had crystallized inside it. When they released him, they gave him the same meds as me in the same dosages. His 6 month ultrasound showed a weakened heart muscle and internal heart capacity was down to 30%.

Thirty days after my release I had my first blood test to check my numbers. Unbeknownst to my doctor I had stopped taking the Lipitor and both BP meds in preparation for that blood test. I wanted my own baseline so I knew what to go by. My LDL was still 2.3 and my BP was still 120/70. While in the hospital a nurse remarked while taking my BP "You have the BP of a 20 year old." I was 49.

I restarted all the meds and continued my 3 month visits to my doctor. My LDL was down to 2.0 on 80mg/day of Lipitor and I started getting a rash. My body was telling me something. I asked for the Lipitor to be changed to 10mg Crestor, which I was put on and I stayed on all the meds for the 18 months I was on Plavix. During that time my BP rose to as high as 156/96 and was never under 130/90. When my Plavix course was finished I stopped taking all the meds. My blood sugar is still 6.3, BP 120/70 - 130/80 and my LDL is 2.3, right where it should be. I did change my diet however. No more junk food for me.

My friends one month blood test and visit showed a blood sugar level of 12.3 so they started him on a diabetic drug, an LDL of 1.8 on the same 80mg dose of Lipitor with a BP of 90/56, on the same two meds I was on.

Clearly, we're both very different patients, but we're treated the same. At 8am when I went in for my 6 month ultrasound there were 30 or more people in front of me. Its a production line and we're just parts upon it. Three years later I feel like a 20 year old. I have enthusiasm, energy and drive. My friend, not so much.

Last year I read this: 'This information is useless': Drug companies reveal they paid millions to doctors but don't say why | CBC News

The Canadian Heathcare system is in serious trouble.

 

[Ribeye]

Assuming you're in the US, doctors in the US have an added incentive to be more thorough, but that can be a double edged sword.

My family doctor will only see me, or anyone else, for a single 10 minute session. If you have more than one thing to talk about, make another appointment and come back next week, if, he has an opening that soon. He only gets paid for the one 10 minute visit so doctors here dont like covering a lot of ground in a single visit. That structure goes all the way up the Canadian Healthcare ladder because we have a shortage of doctors, of all types. Most start here then move to the US.

If you hire an employee to sweep the floor and then tell him that he also has to do this or that, but gets no pay increase for doing the extra work, how enthusiastic will he be too do it. Not very in my experience.

Sept 2015 I had a 100% blockage of my LAD, a 'Widowmaker' heart attack. I came out of it with no damage because I went in right away. All my blood work came back as normal; Blood sugar 6.3, LDL 2.3, BP 120/70. They gave me two blood pressure meds, a max dose of Lipitor and Plavix, an antiplatelet for the stent they put in for the first 18 months. I understood why they gave me the Plavix, but not the rest. My ultrasound at 6 months showed 100% heart function and all my arteries 100% clear.

A friend went into the same hospital Boxing Day 2015. He ended up with either a double or triple bypass I cant remember. One of his arteries had been blocked for so long that the blood had crystallized inside it. When they released him, they gave him the same meds as me in the same dosages. His 6 month ultrasound showed a weakened heart muscle and internal heart capacity was down to 30%.

Thirty days after my release I had my first blood test to check my numbers. Unbeknownst to my doctor I had stopped taking the Lipitor and both BP meds in preparation for that blood test. I wanted my own baseline so I knew what to go by. My LDL was still 2.3 and my BP was still 120/70. While in the hospital a nurse remarked while taking my BP "You have the BP of a 20 year old." I was 49.

I restarted all the meds and continued my 3 month visits to my doctor. My LDL was down to 2.0 on 80mg/day of Lipitor and I started getting a rash. My body was telling me something. I asked for the Lipitor to be changed to 10mg Crestor, which I was put on and I stayed on all the meds for the 18 months I was on Plavix. During that time my BP rose to as high as 156/96 and was never under 130/90. When my Plavix course was finished I stopped taking all the meds. My blood sugar is still 6.3, BP 120/70 - 130/80 and my LDL is 2.3, right where it should be. I did change my diet however. No more junk food for me.

My friends one month blood test and visit showed a blood sugar level of 12.3 so they started him on a diabetic drug, an LDL of 1.8 on the same 80mg dose of Lipitor with a BP of 90/56, on the same two meds I was on.

Clearly, we're both very different patients, but we're treated the same. At 8am when I went in for my 6 month ultrasound there were 30 or more people in front of me. Its a production line and we're just parts upon it. Three years later I feel like a 20 year old. I have enthusiasm, energy and drive. My friend, not so much.

Last year I read this: 'This information is useless': Drug companies reveal they paid millions to doctors but don't say why | CBC News

The Canadian Heathcare system is in serious trouble.

Your experience sounds about right. Being thrown into any system pretty much sucks for me too. Emotionally and mentally you realize how little control you have over your own life. Meh.
The US system isn't as different as you might think though. And as far as I know we have a shortage of primary care physicians also. In no small part because of the cost and effort of navigating our insane insurance systems.

The US does have an okay system if you can afford to access it.
It's like any other aspect of life, all you need is money.

I'm sorry about your buddy. Hopefully he had a more serious issue and they didn't neglect him. That's a terrifying thought.

We're derailing what should be a happy thread. LOL

Do you have any MDC ? I just got a jar of regular. Good stuff.

 

[Esox]

Do you have any MDC ? I just got a jar of regular. Good stuff.

No I havent tried MdC yet. I have just used CRS and Wickham 1912. The scent profile of CRS creams, I have the Wild Rose, is stunning. The slickness, cushion and protection of Wickham 1912 is out of this world. WK is slick, CRS is slick, Wickham 1912 is something beyond them both.

 

[Ribeye]

No I havent tried MdC yet. I have just used CRS and Wickham 1912. The scent profile of CRS creams, I have the Wild Rose, is stunning. The slickness, cushion and protection of Wickham 1912 is out of this world. WK is slick, CRS is slick, Wickham 1912 is something beyond them both.

Are you a rose fan ?
My wife enjoys the TOBS rose cream for her leg shaves and I keep stealing some.
It reminds me of some sort of hand cream my grandmother used to have. lol.

I have the MDC original and the more I use it the more I like it. The scent is a bit different. I assume it's a classic French inspired accord. Lavender and herbs. It grows on you and the soap is top notch, some say it lacks slickness but it seems if I add enough water it's as good as any. Well...not Williams but it's certainly good enough to get a good shave with.

 

[Esox]

Are you a rose fan ?
My wife enjoys the TOBS rose cream for her leg shaves and I keep stealing some.
It reminds me of some sort of hand cream my grandmother used to have. lol.

I am. I have certain scent slots I want to fill. CRS Wild Rose easily filled that slot. Its incredible. The performance is as good.

The scent. This wonderful scent. They really nailed it.

This is the scent in the tub.

This is the scent as I was lathering.

The more its lathered the more it opens up, but its more than that. Lathering for my third pass it hit me. Its more than just a simple rose. Its a rose garden.

I had to concentrate a bit and think about it, but I could detect that rich deep moisture, the green of the leaves and even the fresh clean dirt. Its incredible. The only downside is, and this may only be a downside for me, it doesnt linger much at all.

I've only had a single shave with it so far, but its up again next shave.

My next slot is a Sandalwood. I'm betting on CRS again. Their scent profiles are unmatched of any soaps/creams I've yet used.

 

[martym]

You guys are not derailing this thread in any way, shape, form, and/or fashion. It keeps it alive and and gives us a place to express ourselves and maybe decompress (decompose as my father says). Enjoy this and make the most of it.
I do come to this site to decompose.

 

[Esox]

You guys are not derailing this thread in any way, shape, form, and/or fashion. It keeps it alive and and gives us a place to express ourselves and maybe decompress (decompose as my father says). Enjoy this and make the most of it.
I do come to this site to decompose.

Thanks Marty.

I agree. I come to relax and have some laughs, if not directly vent haha, but my being involved in the Canadian Healthcare System gives me insight many may not have. Knowing what one may be dealing with before they become embroiled in such a system, no matter their location, can pay dividends.

Talking about the system we have here oftentimes raises my BP lol, but whatcha gonna do. I will add though that if one is taking Plavix or a similar med, try your very hardest not to cut yourself shaving. I bled for 4 hours while I was on it from a simple cut. A more serious cut may involve a trip to the ER, no joke. Antiplatelet meds stop your blood from clotting.

Not even a week after I was released I had to take down a large pear tree in my yard before it fell on the garage. Taking the remains to the dump to dispose of, a 5 foot long maybe 10" thick section of the trunk started rolling off the pile while I was standing in the pickup box unloading. I stuck my foot out with my toes under it to stop it rolling against my shin like I've done a 100 times before. It was such a light bump I didnt even think about it. When I got home I had a purple lump 4"s long and 2"s across with maybe 3/4 of an inch high swelling. That was the last week of September 2015. I still have a bruise there today. It has faded, but its still there. My doctor is aware of the type of work I did and still do. I was never warned about bruising being an issue from that medication.

 

[Ribeye]

You guys are not derailing this thread in any way, shape, form, and/or fashion. It keeps it alive and and gives us a place to express ourselves and maybe decompress (decompose as my father says). Enjoy this and make the most of it.
I do come to this site to decompose.

Decomposing as we speak.....

 

[Esox]

I'm trying!

I need to type quietly so the neighbors dogs dont start barking again.

 

[martym]

Halfway through the first month.
I was going to take a picture for y’all to see how it’s going but didn’t want to ruin anybody’s self-esteem. It looks just like it did the day I opened it!
marty

ps

I am thinking of doing another much like this after this PIF is concluded.
I have a huge barber sized tube of Proraso Green!!

 

[Esox]

Halfway through the first month.

Just with a quick glance at that my brain saw "Halfway through the tub", then...

 

[Ribeye]

Halfway through the first month.
I was going to take a picture for y’all to see how it’s going but didn’t want to ruin anybody’s self-esteem. It looks just like it did the day I opened it!
marty

ps

I am thinking of doing another much like this after this PIF is concluded.
I have a huge barber sized tube of Proraso Green!!

Load it like you hate it.
As a famous wet shaver is apt to say......