Hello.**
- all!

I just came home today after hospitalization for spontaneous pneumothorax (happened while I was actually walking toward the hospital.**
- no less…). I was treated by having a tube placed in my chest and with many many painkillers. I had the tube out yesterday.**
- but was hopped up on percoset at the time.**
- so I can’t actually remember what all the doctor said about what I can and can’t do.**
- how long to keep resting.**
- or anything.**
- really. All I really remember through the haze of pain and percoset is him telling me that I shouldn’t fly for a while and I should never scuba dive again (I actually giggled out loud a bit at that.**
- considering I’m terrified of deep water).

So.**
- my questions are:

1. How long should I actually leave the dressings on? I asked a few of the nurses.**
- and they all told me different things.**
- anywhere between ‘take it off tomorrow.**
- if I feel like it’ and ‘wait until you come in to have the stitches removed in a week’.
2. How long should I stay at rest now that I’m out of the hospital?
3. Heavy lifting – should it be limited even after I’m all healed? Also.**
- how heavy is heavy? I’m guessing no more than 5-10 pounds?

Also.**
- I did post this elsewhere on the boards (general health discussion.**
- I think).**
- but I was just wondering if pneumotrophin had ever been used to treat a pneumothorax after normal treatment of the tube in the chest to drain the excess air and fluid and whatnot. Has it been tried to heal the spot that tore? Has it even been tested?

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Thanks everyone!

Chronic Tingling in Hands and Feet

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I noticed that after exercise my hands and feet will tingle for quite some time before going away. All summer this has been happening. I’ve been to two doctors (today the most recent visit) who told me it’s anxiety related which I totally disagree with. Has anyone else experienced this chronic condition after any kind of physical activity or exercise? If so.**
- what is it? Vitamin deficiency? Lymes Disease? Diabetes? Chronic Inflammation? Cancer? It just can’t be anxiety if it only happens after I exercise. I already suffer from chronic exercise induced asthma. I quit smoking 6 years ago and don’t even drink alcohol. I’ve been on my own kind of “anti-inflammation menu” with fruits.**
- veggies.**
- fish.**
- salad.**
- olive oil.**
- nuts. My junk food consists of cookies.**
- chocolate ice cream and doritos. That’s about it. Any insight into why exercise makes my hands and feet tingle would be great. I’m 40 so do you think it could be poor circulation or hormonal changes? I was just diagnosed with going through perimenopause. Turning 40 for me has meant lots of health problems all of the sudden. So frustrating. I’ve had my heart and lungs fully checked out and both are normal but my circulation and cholesterol levels weren’t checked at all. Neither was my blood sugar or liver enzymes or vitamin levels.

…which actually is quite amusing since it’s usually like pulling teeth to get ahold of anyone THERE….

Anyway.**
- after leaving a message on my cell and calling my home number twice.**
- I finally answered (I’ve had the flu and was napping).**
- and the member of the office staff told me that my INR level (measures my blood clotting ability – I had a pulmonary embolism 2 years ago and am on warfarin) was critically high. Of course.**
- my GP had already told me this when the result came in last evening.**
- and it really isn’t anything to freak out over.**
- I just lower my warfarin dose.

Anyway.**
- she also gave me my thyroid results from yesterday. And now I am completely confused. LOL. I’ve put the ones from 3 weeks ago here too.

Aug 15/2011
TSH – 0.17 (0.27-4.2)
FT4 – 17.1 (12-22) 51% of range
FT3 – 4.57 (3.9-6.7) 24% of range

Sept 7/2011
TSH – 0.09
FT4 – 20.3 (83%)
FT3 – 5.0 (40%)

Now.**
- I haven’t made any med changes. The last changes were:

June 22/2011
-125mcg Eltroxin

July 21/2011
-3.75mcg Cytomel

So what on earth has made them change so much? I was on that V8 diet for 4 days last week before I got this damn flu.**
- my INR shot up.**
- but I don’t know how that possibly could have affected my thyroid levels in a WEEK.**
- if at all. I was expecting my free levels to be even lower than the first results.**
- the way I’ve been feeling. My free T4 is where I’d like it to be.**
- my free T3 is still below mid range but has doubled in that 3 weeks and hasn’t been this high in 10 months of med adjusting.

I just don’t understand.

Day 30 and my non op ear continues to be plugged. Hearing in non op ear seems diminished by 80%. Surgeon says it’s just because i now have “good” ear (stape surgery ear) to compare it to combined with possible e-tubes being swollen. But I strongly disagree. When i plug my surgery ear and listen with only non op ear i can recall non op ear being much much better.

Anyone have this happen? Explaination?
I’m due to go back to surgeons on Aug 19th.**
- not sure if hearing test will be performed or not. I know that would give the “for a fact” answers by simply comparing before and after. When/how long after did you get your hearing test post op?

For years my period was never regular I would get it once every other month or so (my gyne said this was “normal”) but for the last couple years it was back on track.**
- getting it every 30 days or so. It was like that up until now.**
- now I just got it 21 days from the last time.**
- is that strange? Anyone else ever deal with that? I am 31 years old.**
- I have been told I have ovarian cysts but was told they are nothing to worry about.

Oh & it has never been 21 days.**
- this is the first time.

Hello.**
- I have been feeling unwell for almost 8 years now and things continue to get worse. I have seen no improvement over this time.**
- just a steady decline in my health.

It all started with fatigue.**
- and feeling spaced out all the time which worsened over the years. In February of 2010 things started to get worse for me. I got really dizzy for about 2 months straight.**
- earache.**
- felt really disoriented all the time and had several consecutive sinus colds.

A couple of months later I started developing numerous other symptoms which include the following:

Dizzy.**
- wozziness.**
- off balance feeling
• Feeling spaced out all the time.**
- like my eyes don’t focus
• Concentration is terrible.**
- brain fog all the time
• Feeling of pressure in my head
• Eye floaters
• Eye pain
• Light sensitivity
• After images (especially when reading off a computer screen… if I look away I will see the text faintly on the wall for example)
• Tinnitus
• Dull ear ache feeling off and on
• No energy at all.**
- feeling fatigued all the time.**
- yawning all day long
• Muscle twitching.**
- weakness and pain

All my symptoms are causing me problems.**
- but the biggest thing is I’m constantly feeling run down and have no energy. My muscles are so weak I have a hard time even standing for more than a couple of minutes or holding my arms up.

I was on benzodiazapines for several years for insomnia problems but have since stopped.**
- thinking they were causing more harm to my body. I have been off these for over a year now.**
- but I’m not sure if they can cause long lasting problems like these.

Tests that I have had done:

MRI of Cervical and lumbar spine – disc degeneration and bulge
CT and MRI of head – normal
EEG – normal
Blood Panel – normal except ESR and CRP have been high-normal
Heavy metals – normal
Lyme Disease – tested negative (ELISA and Igenex)
Neurologist – Did standard assessment and said everything was fine
Sleep Study – Moderate sleep apnea (been on CPAP for several months – no help)

People will say stop worrying about things so much but the truth is I’m not really worried… I feel more relaxed now than I have the last 8 years of my life… however I can tell there is physically something wrong with my body and can feel myself slowly fading away. I know there is something wrong that hasn’t been identified yet. If I have to live with this stuff the rest of my life then I can deal with it.**
- I just want to know what’s going on. If anyone has any comments please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Depression after Alzheimer’s diagnosis.**
- mother’s death

---

Hi guys. My dad was diagnosed two days ago with Alzheimers.**
- after being in and out of hospital for the past 6 weeks. He also lost his mother in the past 6weeks.**
- and he has been forced to retire and stop driving because of epilepsy/Alzheimers. He has mild Alzheimers (can still function normally for the most part). He hasn’t talked about the Alzheimers diagnosis and he won’t get out of bed. Yesterday he stayed in bed/slept until 15:00. As soon as my mom got home he got dressed and started to socialize (luckily). Today.**
- he fixed the car’s battery.**
- took a shower and went back to bed. Should I be worried at all? He shows no interest in his favorite activities such as watching a spiritual DVD. He did read the paper for a few minutes when I gave it to him.**
- but then he went to bed again! He ignores me when I tell him that he shouldn’t be sleeping all day. Is there anything I can do to keep his mind occupied so that he won’t fall into a depressive state? He has been on antidepressants for the past year and seemed to be doing fine until two days ago. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

The pain is still so deep. I don’t know how I can feel so much pain and sadness.**
- yet feel numb at the same time. My father had a rare long disease (Interstitial lung disease) he never smoked and was hiking mountains into his late 70s and walked daily until a week before he passed. I think what is hardest for my mother and I is that it was so sudden. My mom had to call an ambulance during the early morning hours.**
- he was taken to the hospital.**
- admited to the pulmonary ICU unit and passed two days later. The day he died.**
- he knew he was dying and told my mom and I and I was able to get my kids to the hospital (my husband brought them) and my brother and his wife came. We were able to say a proper goodbye and had an opportunity to each tell him how much we love him and how grateful we were for him. The Chaplain also said a prayer.**
- which was nice.

The thing that gets me now is the emotional part. I miss him so much and it causing me to be a bit emotionally distant from my husband and kids. It isn’t intentional.**
- it just feels like that and I know they feel it. I can’t remember the last time I really laughed with them. I just feel like I’m going through the motions – like part of me is missing.

To top it off my mom just found a radiologist report from November that showed the severity of the disease. He kept it a secret from us – it was like he was trying to protect us (which is the kind of person he was – never complained) and he just went on with his life like normal. I would ask to go with him to his appointments with his Pulmonary specialist.**
- but he told me it was unnecessary. I just feel like we all leaned on him for so long.**
- why didn’t he lean on us and allow us to support him? I feel so sad that I didn’t know how far his disease had progressed. I was feeling very uneasy about it – especially once he went on oxygen in June.**
- but he didn’t seem to want to worry me. Now.**
- looking back there were so many signs. I feel so guilty – like I should have pushed harder to at least let him know I was there for him. No one should go through the fear of dying by themselves and that first radiologist report showed how dire his condition was.

I just don’t know how I will ever resolve myself with any of this. I miss him so much and I know he wouldn’t want me feeling so guilty and dwelling.**
- but I can’t help it. I also know he wouldn’t want it to affect my own family – which it is (because they are going through their own mourning and loss – they were all so close to him) and I know I seem distance and it doesn’t help them.

Any thoughts? I’m not sure how to reach resolution with this.

Hey everyone.**
- never tried posting online about things like this before.**
- but I figured I’d give it a shot.

I’ll try to be as precise and to-the-point as possible..

For years I’ve had this issue and I haven’t found anyone else who shares the same problem. Every single day (yes.**
- every day) upon waking up I get an excessive amount of saliva (?) into my mouth causing me to have to spit it out.

It has a slight thickness and a touch of color to it (not red.**
- definitely not blood) that makes me think there may be mucus or some sort of acidic build-up mixed in with the saliva.

Either way.**
- it keeps coming up and coming up no matter how many times I spit. Mind you.**
- I keep a small trash can next to my bed.**
- so upon waking up I lean over and spit.**
- rest my head for about 30 seconds to a minute.**
- and spit again.**
- and so on.

I don’t swallow it because I feel like that would cause me to become nauseous.**
- as I also tend to have a “gassy” and “upset stomach” feel upon waking up (every day).

I’ve tried many things. Eating right before bed. Not eating a while before bed. Sleeping with my upper half elevated. Nothing changes it.

The spitting lasts until I either drink a lot of water.**
- chew gum.**
- suck on a mint.**
- or something along those lines that “counter-acts” it and stops it from coming up.

I don’t know what it is.**
- my Gastroenterologist doesn’t even know what it is. A few years ago I had an endoscopy and it said I had slight gastritis and esophagitis. I was on Nexium for a while which helped my overall problems but the spitting still remained.

I’m only 24 years old and I want to get this taken care of as it’s a pain in the neck (and stomach) to have to wake up every morning.**
- spit for a long period of time and have an upset stomach feeling. I’d love to be able to wake up feeling great.**
- set my feet on the floor and start the day on a positive note.

Any help or suggestions from anyone with any similar experience would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone else have this? Had it? Like I said I’ve never found anyone with the same issue.

Thanks and I hope someone can shed some light.

I hope im not breaking the rules. I was just wondering if this helps with coping with chronic pain. I take .50mg about every other day or so with 10-20mg of Oxycontin in the morning. I find I can get threw the evening better with the Xanax.

thanks

PS: I had a 2 level fusion 7 months ago.