Really, I'm not. I have a reasonably high tolerance for pain and I do not run to the doctor when I have a runny nose. However, if I suspect a terminal illness or an imminent catastrophe, I'll be heading out the door in a flash. The tricky part is to be able to identify those illnesses/events. To wit:
1. I woke up one day with a rash on my palm. The next day the redness appeared to be migrating up my arm, following the nerve. And my neck was incredibly sore. I could barely lift my head from a prone position. It was an easy diagnosis: meningitis. I dashed off to the doctor, and as fast as I had diagnosed meningitis, she diagnosed shingles.
2. Last Thursday, I noticed flashes of light in my peripheral vision. At first I swatted at them, thinking I was once again being harassed by insects that swarm around me at night. But the flashes persisted -- that night and again the next. Plus I had a new floater. Uh oh. Diagnosis: Detached retina waiting to happen. Off I went to the doc. Her diagnosis: harmless (operative word) PVD.
Contrast this behavior with Durf's approach to medical care. To wit: We both notice a growth on his leg. I say, "get it checked." He says, "Naw, it's normal." Two weeks later, it's twice the size it was. I say, "Egads, get it checked. It's growing." He says, "No it's not." Two months later it's the size of an orange. I say, "OMG, I can see it growing before my very eyes. Get it checked or it's going to leach all the blood from your brain." So Durf ambles to the doc. He gets his basal cell diagnosis and says, "See, I told you it was nothing."
Colorado score: -1 (Doctor's office is 45 minutes away. I could die before I get there!)
It was recommended by my doctor to get a shingles vaccine - I just got it yesterday. I had to wait 6 months for them to get the vaccine in.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon!
Love,
Helene
Whats a PVD?
ReplyDeletepvd = posterior vitreous detachment
ReplyDeleteSo I'm thinking now that I've had shingles I shouldn't have to get a shot, right?
ReplyDeleteIt's hell getting old! I had shingles when I was 8 or 9... I'm sure they were somehow directly related to Mom! Never got them again... so far.
ReplyDeletedo you have shingles, Twila? has the rash gone away? how are your eyes? I'm like you rather than Durf, but I can't run off to the doctor, so I just have to hope the various doodads on my body ain't serious. I hope all is well now.
ReplyDeletehttp://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/few-takers-for-the-shingles-vaccine/
ReplyDeleteJanuary 12, 2011, 8:38 am
Few Takers for the Shingles Vaccine
By PAULA SPAN
The good news about the shingles vaccine, recommended for all adults age 60 or older with normal immune systems, is that it works even better than scientists first thought. . . .
So help spread the word. Shingles is a mean disease, and the older the victim, the meaner it gets. Apart from the pain of that postherpetic neuralgia, it can attack the eyes and permanently damage vision. And once you get an outbreak, you can get another. And another.
OMG!
ReplyDelete