So I had my follow-up today. It's all good news. I've had a few health scares the past few years that have ended up being nothing at all. I don't know that there's a part of me that has not been scanned or tested.
Glad you got good news, John. Are you feeling better? I'm busy being aggravated by my PCP today. It's time for my annual checkup and I don't want to go in. (I have always considered that pointless but it's the only way I can get my BP medicine.) So I messaged my doctor and said I have no issues or concerns and would like to postpone my visit for a few months. The response was that I can schedule a "virtual appointment." What the hell. Another money grab I suppose. I just told the jackass that I'm not having any medical complaints or issues, so what is the actual value of a "virtual appointment??" I suppose they have me over a barrel; I won't be able to get my prescription renewed unless I play their medical billing game.
The whole system is goofy. I think I told of the cardiologist they hooked me up with after my [supposed] stroke. Strokes have nothing to do with your heart, once they rule out A-FIB. The guy is milking it through me. Has a procedure he wants to do in the hospital but it gets perpetually COVID-postponed (no need for me to go in while this mess exists.) Yet he brings me in every 90 days just to tell me there's no need for me to go in while this mess exists...then makes another appointment for 90 days out. I finally protested to being a billing vehicle, he got snarky, and now I go in every 6 months. Still way too often, but the guy's got car payments to make.
You’re a better man than I am Gunga Din. I am in the same league as @Frank Sanoica in that I stay very far away from anyone who says that they are going to cure me whilst wheeling a very sharp knife in his or her hand. The logic just isn’t there but yet, my wife seems fairly relaxed about such things. I pulled shrapnel out of my legs and thought nothing of it but yet, someone with a needle in their hand makes me very anxious whilst my wife takes it with a grain of salt. Go figure. All that said, I waited to post whilst praying that all would be well with your tests and now it would seem that you are going to be with us for a good while longer and with no extra parts missing. The hope is that there are good things coming your way or at the very least, a long life without the formidable stuff that seem to come with growing older. Edit. Just a thought. You might suggest to your doctor to downsize on his choice of cars and homes. I mean, with less financial responsibility he will not have to work so hard by bringing his patients so often. Fat chance.
Hoping everything turns out okay, John. I had a biopsy years ago, have had no ill effects since except emptying the bladdar occasionally.
Thanks, Bobby. Believe me, this was the 4th doctor I saw before commending my being into their care. I trust this guy. I have other minor stuff going on, and he told me that based upon what he's seen, he would treat the issue with meds or leave it be because that's "just how I am." He does not recommend another procedure. In fact, we're talking about taking me off the meds I'm on now (Flowmax) to see if removing the stone has fixed things. I don't think the UVA hospital folks would take this position. This all started when a CT scan taken 2 years ago for other issues showed a large bladder stone, and having had kidney stones in the past, I knew it was a ticking time bomb. I wasn't gonna pass that honker by myself. While I do everything I can to avoid the intrusive stuff, being a 66 year old male in a family where those of my gender expire in their mid fifties, I don't shy away from tests, scans, and reasonable procedures...although this one was pretty radical. I have no idea what my genes might put me at risk for at this age. But now I can cross prostate cancer off my list. All those years of being incident-free, and it's kind of snowballed the past 2 years...yet everything has ended up all right in the end and my symptoms just dissipate...knock on wood.
Thanks, Bill. That's where I am now. I just told Bobby that the doc I have now is taking a conservative approach to this. I mainly subjected myself to the biopsy because I was gonna be put under anyway to have that bladder stone removed, so it was for peace of mind. What are you gonna do? That stone had to come out.
Wishing you a good biopsy report John. When I had mine in 1993 I had a Gleason Score of 9 which indicated a highly agressive prostate cancer. I opted for a Radical Prostatectomy and had a full recovery.
@John Brunner I HAVE A-FIB. Two cardiac specialists concurred in not allowing me to be discharged from the hospital until several other "tests" were performed. This was last December. Their procedure consisted of catheterization of both my heart ventricles, as the Echocardiogram indicated "unequal blood pressures in them". I asked more questions. Left ventricle B.P. 45 mm of Mercury, Right ventricle 55 mm of Mercury. What's "normal"? 40+. What does "unequal" constitute? "Abnormality". Then what? "We decide that after testing". I demanded they discharge me; they tried hard to keep me, to the point of resignation when I told them I would walk out. Which I then did. Still have the A-FIB, still alive and kicking 11 months later; added another year to 78..........at WORST I'll die trying to out-think the quacks. Frank (gambler at heart)
@John Brunner How was the stone removed? Years ago, a new process was developed for non-surgical removal of kidney stones. It is called Lithotripsy. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy "ESWL was first used on kidney stones in 1980, and is also applied to gallstones and pancreatic stones. External shockwaves are focused and pulverize the stone which is located by imaging. The first shockwave lithotriptor approved for human use was the Dornier HM3 (human model 3) derived from a device used for testing aerospace parts. Second generation devices used piezoelectric or electromagnetic generators. American Urological Association guidelines consider ESWL a potential primary treatment for stones between 4 mm and 2 cm." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithotripsy As I understood it back then, the body was submerged in a tub of water, and ultrasound energy injected broke up the stone(s). Great advances have since occurred. Frank
@Frank Sanoica I know a little bit about A-FIB since they tested me for it (I wore a heart monitor for a month) because it is thought to be a possible cause of strokes. But I don't have it. I have none of the stroke risk factors (A_FIB, high blood pressure, smoker, being obese, high cholesterol, blocked arteries.) The cardio guy said "I'm not convinced you had a stroke." But no one knows what caused my symptoms. The cardio guy wants to go look at a common, minor thing he saw on a heart valve, but that was back in January and COVID has kept us out of the hospital. Since nothing bad has happened the last 10 months, I'm thinking that I might not really need that procedure. Regarding lithotripsy: I first got kidney stones in 1990. I've been very lucky with them. I passed 5 of them in rapid succession my first session and then another 4 an hour later. No pain or discomfort...just confusion as to what just happened. A bladder stone is different. They actually form in the bladder over a period of time when you don't completely empty and the minerals in your urine crystallize. I didn't ask why they do not pass on their own as a kidney stone does...all I know is that mine didn't. They don't do lithotripsy on bladder stones...because of the location, it's not effective. They removed my bladder stone via cystoscopy (they go up inside of you and physically grab it, using a laser to break it up into tiny pieces if necessary.) I still cross my legs hard thinking about it...but now it's gone. I agree with your skepticism over treatments. I saw 3 doctors in the University of Virginia Hospital urology department up the road from me, and then a doctor in a different practice 50 miles the other direction. I trusted the last guy. The first doctors did not want to talk or explain...I got the feeling I was blocking the queue of those who wanted to buy procedures, and the doctors wanted me to either say "Yes" or get the heck out of the way. The other guy listened, he made suggestions, and we discussed the pros & cons of each option. He also suggested removing the stone and doing the biopsy at the same time since I was already knocked out. The first doctors never even discussed doing that.
I know alot about A fib because I had it for 25 years. It was Vagally Mediated Afib. I had a ABLATION Procedue by one of the Top Internationally known Dr. Andrea Natale
I just read about Ablation. Interesting stuff. The contributory factor A-FIB presents to strokes is that when one chamber of the heart fails to fully fill with blood, the air in there can cause clots to form, and those clots may go to your brain. I did not know there was a non-medication fix. Right around the same time you had your ablation, I got in an FDA pilot program for a new procedure to replace a herniated cervical disc. I walked out of the hospital the next day with instant joint integrity...no hard neck brace, no "at risk" window where I had to mind my activities until a graft took hold. Once you're convinced of the need for such procedures, you not only have to be grateful that they are available to "regular folk" like us, you have to stand in awe that such things can even be done in the first place. But you gotta be in charge of making your own decisions...or at least, heavily participating in them.
@Lon Tanner Finally, someone with experience! Lon, was your A-Fib treated in any way during all that time? Electro-shock, drugs, catheter testing? How long did you have it before being diagnosed? Considered life-threatening? As far as I know, I never had it (could be wrong, though) until diagnosed during routine CT scan for other reasons. Thinking back, my B.P. instrument always had a nice, steady beat to it, dit,...dit,...dit,.... Then, last Fall, it did 'dit, dit-dit-dit,......dit,..... uneven and too many beats. Been that way since. Heart specialists wanted "tests" I made no sense of. At kidney dialysis, the inexperienced get upset, un able to secure reasonable B.P. readings, and Pulse Rate. The machine is trying to average out erratic beats as true heartbeats, which they are not. Can you explain ABLATION for me? Sorry for all the questions, one might think I'm desperate! Thank you! Frank
My A fib was not life threatening and my heart would generally convert to a normal sinus rhythm by its self with out any medication. I could go into afib by doing something simple like bending over or swallowing too large a mouth full of beverage. I always knew when I started a fib and when it was over. It was like turning a light switch on or off. My first Cardiologist didn't believe me when I told him that I always knew When I was in or out of afib. Meds that were prescribed never did prevent a fib or stop it once it started. As I got older I would have to be Electro Converted to stop the a fib. I never had any pain when my a fib would start, just a uncomfortable feeling and un easyness. MY ADVICE FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH. Find the best Electrophysiologist you can for your a fib. Not all Cardiologists are Electrophysiologists. I found mine with a Google Search on line. Dr. Andrea Natale pioneered the Ablation Procedure that I had done in San Francisco and was in much demand. I was first diagnosed after my very first episode 30 years ago at a ER in Clovis California. My a fib never prevented me from being very active physically all through my early retirement years. I Scuba Dived regularly, walked the golf course, Bungy Jumped Etc Etc.