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Tuzza
Member
08-19-2005
| Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 4:47 pm
Ok this is probably in way the wrong spot, my early apologies. Looking for advice... To give you a quick background. I had major back surgery June 1st. Prior to surgery, I had lost the complete use of my arm, I had nerves pinched so bad. So I have been on constant pain meds since early April. I have continued with pain meds since surgery. In the last month, 2 a day sometimes only 1. Last night I did my first night of no pain medication. I felt good about it, I know that I am ready. I may not be able to have every day with no meds. But, I think that it is the point in my recovery that I take only when really desperate. All of this info may be of no relationship to what I need advice on. I slept well last night, didn't take any pill today at all. I have twinges but nothing I can't deal with. The issue is that I feel absolutely horrible. I am really just blah and out of it today. Very quesy and I guess flu like would describe it best. I have not thrown up at all though. My head is pounding and my stomach hurts. I decided to take a shower and when I went to get in, I noticed my belly button has this flaming red (no exaggeration) circle around it. It looks and feels like a really bad burn. I can't even touch it and the water touching it I thought I was going to die. I get out of the shower and just feel lousy so I just took my temp. It is 102.9 I have no idea...I don't typically get sick and maybe this is just flu...anyone have a clue? Surely going off pain meds wouldn't give someone a fever that high right? I appreciate any time you have, Thanks
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Wendo
Member
08-07-2000
| Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 7:48 pm
Sounds like you have an infection. I'd recommend either going to the doctor or the emergency room if your concerned.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 10:46 pm
Tuzza, you didn't say what kind of pain meds you were on. I'm assuming, given the injury and surgery you describe, that they are fairly strong. You may be experiencing some physical withdrawal symptoms from the narcotic effects of the pain medicine. Consult your doctor for advice. It's not always good to just stop taking those kinds of meds suddenly; your doctor may want to wean you off slowly or give you something to help make the transition to little or no pain meds a bit easier on your system. Good luck and I'm glad you're back is doing so much better! 
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Denecee
Member
09-05-2002
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 8:36 am
I would call your doctor's office, they will probably tell you to come in right away! Crossing my fingers that it is nothing serious!! but since you don't feel good, I will take Gilby off your hands, k?
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Tuzza
Member
08-19-2005
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:08 am
LOL how kind of you D!! Thanks for the advice. I knew to call my dr. You know that you just feel like crap and don't want to mess with it feeling? I was hoping a million people would say it is the flu, go back to bed and I could justify it! LOL I can get about 2 hours of relief on tylenol and then I am back to just feeling rotten. The circle around my belly button could now be called the color of fabric Michael made his outfit on Project Runway the other night, suspect to say the least! I am sure it is nothing. Thanks for your advice. And back off D, Gilby wants to comfort me in my hour of need! My appointment is at 1 this afternoon
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Wendo
Member
08-07-2000
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:02 am
Glad your going to the doctor. The reason I suspected an infection is because of the red ring with the fever. Better safe than sorry. Good luck.
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Tuzza
Member
08-19-2005
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 12:51 pm
Back from the doctor. So that stunk big time. I am actually really upset. I feel like I was punched in the stomach. This all started out as just weird I really thought I had the flu or I screwed up my pain meds. I am a bit shakey and all over the place in my thoughts. I just was told that I have Lyme's Disease. Not the end of my world and I know people have it worse. I just came off this major ordeal with these stupid pinched nerves and surgery. Now I am being told treatment for a year! unreal...it is like it doesn't end suddenly
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Wendo
Member
08-07-2000
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 3:29 pm
Wow. Now I'm REALLY glad you went to the doctor. I think there's a Lyme Disease folder her. If not, I'm sure Herck can put one together. Herck's great at that stuff.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 3:34 pm
Sure thing. (Wendo, how nice! ) Good thing I've been nosy here. Tuzza, I am so glad you went to the doc's! My dental hygienist had Lyme Disease and I learned, left untreated, it has terrible consequences. She was fine in the end. (Uh, my dog had it, too, and he is fine now, too! LOL!) Anyway, good for you for going! I will start a thread about it (or add to one if one exists . . . will check shortly.)
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Denecee
Member
09-05-2002
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 4:03 pm
whoa! Tuzza, so glad you went straight to the doctor.
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Tuzza
Member
08-19-2005
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 4:48 pm
Thanks everyone. I can't lie, I am pretty down in the dumps, but I know I will be ok. It has just been a very long year. I went from rarely getting a cold to not being able to use either of my arms for 3 months and then 3 months of recovering from the fixing of that. Things were finally looking up, I am a teacher and go back to work on Monday. I don't think I freaked out when he said Lyme Disease, I think I freaked out when he said one year treatment. I just want to be better. Now that I have calmed down, I realize what an ass I was in his office. I argued with him (after he said this treatment was for a year) that I had the flu, I even lied and told him that people online had told me it was the flu! LOL I will get over my pity moment tonight. I am very fortunate and I know that. The treatment as I understand it is oral antibiotics for 30 days, along with weekly IV's for 6 months. At 6 months time they will determine if I can go to monthly IV's for the remainder of the year. It will end up being more of a frustration than anything else. I laughed when he gave me scripts for pain pills and talked to me about how though the pain is bad now it will get worse! I didn't fill my pain pills and don't think that I will. Thanks for the info, I will read over more of that type of stuff when I am not so mad, hopefully tomorrow. Also, thanks for letting me sound off and vent, I haven't told anyone else, just this place. I feel guilty. I was so disabled for so long and so many people helped me, I can't stand the thought of telling them something else is wrong. For now, I am going to reclaim my belly button and boy oh boy, am I ever glad that the damn tick had a place to live rent free. The jerk! I guess all I can say is check your belly buttons, that itch may be a free dweller!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 5:19 pm
Dang, Tuzza, good thing you went to the doc. And the people who helped you might have to help you a while longer. I am sure they will. It's not like you went out and looked for a Lyme Disease tick so you could "milk the sick thing" longer.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 6:24 pm
Tuzza, my mother and brother just got over having lyme's disease. They went to different doctors and both of them only had to take antibiotics for 3 weeks. It sounds like you caught it fairly early. I have never heard of anyone that I know who has caught it (except when people 1st came down w/it and the doctors didn't know what it was.) be on treatment for a year and have to get IV's every week. It just sounds very strange to me. I will ask around to see if anyone had to do this. Good luck and I hope the antibiotics start making you feel better real soon.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 7:13 pm
Grooch, the material I posted (from the CDC) states that IVs are used for those with heart or neurological problems. See the thread labeled Lyme Disease. It may be that Tuzza's back and arm problems put her in that category.
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Tuzza
Member
08-19-2005
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 7:26 pm
Hmmm I didn't overly question him because I don't know enough about it to question him and also because he recommended me to an infectious disease specialist who I see next week and where I am suppose to have "treatments". My thoughts are that I will get my head together over the next few days and read up enough about it to be able to question this guy. I am all for 3 weeks only, trust me.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:06 pm
I have 2 very different questions. 1. Has anyone ever heard of your body odor changing? You know how each person has a distinct odor, well, mine has changed. It seemed to change around the time I went on insulin but I've asked the diabetes doc twice if this could effect it and he said no. So today I asked my uro-gyno and he kind of blew me off. Its driving me crazy! Its not a pleasant odor. 2. In all my years of going to the gyno there's always been a nurse in the room during a pelvic exam, but I have a new gyno and today he did a major bladder test and pelvic exam with just me and him in a small room. Nothing untoward happened at all but I was a little uncomfortable. Is this something new? Should I say anything? After this test I probably won't have another exam for a year.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:30 pm
I don't have any real answers, BUT. . . Body odor can change depending on what you eat, so it stands to reason that adding insulin to the mix could change things. I doubt most docs would think it's a big deal one way or the other, thus the brush-off. If you have any homeopathic folks in your town, you'd probably get a better answer from them. Or, sometimes pharmacists can help, too, if you can find a small one that actually caters to customers (as opposed to the big-box discount places). Sorry I can't help more. I haven't been to a male gyno since college because I had one who was so ignorant of how women really feel and wouldn't listen to me when I told him what I thought was going on (which turned out to be correct -- something I only found after things got worse and I went to a women's clinic). But I thought it was pretty much required that a female nurse or nurse practitioner or some other assistant be in the room during exams. If for nothing else than to protect the doc from possible legal problems. It would at least seem like a good idea from the doc's perspective. Next time, you might want to request that someone be in the room with you if it made you uncomfortable.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:39 pm
Twinkie, what I found about the odor issue rather alarms me. I don't understand why the docs (ask your diabetes doc, not the gyn) didn't know the info below. I think #2, 3 and 4 probably fit, (unless you have symptoms of #1, that is). It could mean: 1. Diabetic Ketoacidosis: See Wrongdiagnosis.com-- (click link HERE) Below, more on that topic from CNN.com--(click for link HERE) Increased blood acids (diabetic ketoacidosis). Sometimes your cells become so starved for energy that your body begins to break down fat, producing toxic acids known as ketones. The signs and symptoms — including loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever, stomach pain and a sweet, fruity smell on your breath — can easily be mistaken for the flu. Check for excess urinary ketones if you're sick or very stressed, or if your blood sugar is persistently above 240 mg/dL. You can buy a ketones test kit at most drugstores and perform the test at home. If the test reveals a high ketone level, call your doctor right away. Left untreated, diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to a coma and possibly death. 2. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). See CNN.com--(Click on link HERE) Same information in 1st paragraph listed under Mayo Clinic site. (Click on link HERE) This occurs when the level of sugar in your blood drops below a certain level. It's most common in people with diabetes who take insulin or oral medications that enhance the action of insulin. Early signs and symptoms include sweating, shakiness, weakness, hunger, dizziness and nausea. Some people may develop low blood sugar after eating, especially if they've had stomach or intestinal surgery. In rare cases your body may produce too much of the pancreatic hormone insulin, leading to low blood sugar. Short Term Complications Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This complication is most common in people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, when they are just learning how to balance insulin injections with meals and exercise to achieve normal, reasonably steady blood sugar levels. It occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below 70 mg/dL. Your blood sugar can drop for many reasons, including skipping a meal, exercising more strenuously than normal or injecting too much insulin. Early signs and symptoms include sweating, shakiness, weakness, hunger, dizziness and nausea. If your blood sugar falls below 40 mg/dL, you may have slurred speech, drowsiness and confusion. These signs and symptoms mean you need to eat or drink something that will quickly raise your blood sugar level, such as hard candy, a regular (non-diet) soda, fruit juice or glucose tablets made especially for treating low blood sugar. Unfortunately, the confusion caused by very low blood glucose may keep you from realizing that you're hypoglycemic. That's why it's important to always wear a tag or bracelet that says you have diabetes, so people who may not know you have the disease can seek appropriate treatment for you. Sometimes blood glucose levels can fall so low that you might go into a coma, because your brain requires glucose at all times. This is a life-threatening condition. The best treatment is an injection of glucagon, a hormone that stimulates the release of sugar into your blood. If you take insulin, your family and friends should know how to give you this injection and you should always have a glucagon kit nearby. 3. Do you have a nail polish odor? See AskMen.com (Click on link HERE) Some odors may indicate health problems. People who smell like nail polish can have diabetes (and an ammonia smell is a sign of liver disease). 4. Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus See Discovery Health--(Click for link HERE) --Or diabetes, a condition that causes increased blood sugar levels
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 12:44 am
WOW! Thanks, HP!! I think it would definitely be the last one because I don't have any of the symptoms of the others and my blood sugar will probably never be considered low again. Its usually above normal. They keep upping the dose of insulin trying to get it lower. Its the damn diabetes doctor that I've asked twice about this and he keeps telling me that its not the diabetes! I'm beginning to think he's full of...crap. I'm not happy with the diabetes clinic as it as. The desk crew is the most inept and rude to boot. I've been bugging them for over a month now to get the prior authorization for a script that the doc there gave me and its still not done. I was already planning on telling the doc next time I'm there that I won't be coming back. So now I have to find a new diabetes doctor that isn't booked into next year. LOL The thing about the gyno...hubby said he'll come in with me from now on. Whew. LOL Thanks again for your quick response, HP! You are a doll!
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 1:02 am
Yw, hon. I'll bet this relieves your mind. And yes, I'd sure look for another diabetes doc. That just gives me fits that he was so dismissive--and WRONG!
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Kristylovesbb
Member
09-14-2000
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 2:48 pm
I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I wear a braise at night but my hand still goes to sleep and I wake up with it throbbing. I have done a lot of research about it but would like to know if anyone has found other ways to ease the discomfort. Sometimes draping my arm over the bed and letting it hang down the side helps, sometimes propping it up helps sometimes nothing helps.
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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 2:59 pm
I'm pregnant 
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 5:33 pm
LOL KL! Kristy, the braces didn't help my carpal at all. Had to get a shot at the base of my hand. Go see a hand specialist. HP, it makes me want to kick his a$$!! LOL
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 9:47 pm
Congratulations, Ketchuplover. You must have a LOT of questions! I know I sure do.

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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 10:02 pm
LOL, I think KL need a whole thread devoted to that one!
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