Tiki Central Member Infirmary

Hooray for Grog!

Here's hoping and praying that your blood test
and the ultrasound of your neanderthal kidneys
will show nothing wrong, or nothing that can't
easily be fixed.

Actually your health problems seem fairly minor
compared to a railroad conductor I once knew.
He drank even more than you claim to, and had
blood coming up his throat, out his penis and
out his ass. He was always in and out of the
emergency room, where the docs kept warning
him that he wasn't going to last long at that
rate ( he only sobered up when he had to face
an alcohol test before going on shift). Yet he
lasted several years that way. Mild-mannered
Grog seems in good shape by comparison.

Best of luck and life to you!

kraken

The other day GROG had a nose bleed (weak blood vessel in nose) and hemorrhoids (must've had a big meal the night before), so GROG was bleeding out of both ends. Does that count? Not alcohol-related though.

Grog is not in the same league as my railroad
conductor. His anal blood flow was often gross
enough that he needed to wear a makeshift
diaper for his trip to the ER.

Or a woman I knew from playing bocce. She
had a lifetime total of one nosebleed. but it
was gushing enough that the whole front of
her blouse and lower half of her face were
completely covered with blood, and the EMTs
had to haul her away to the ER. She's had no
nosebleed trouble since.

kraken

[ Edited by: kraken 2013-10-23 23:07 ]

Whoa that's a lot of bloody stories and we are not in England. I'm glad to hear you are on the mend GROG. Cheers, Wendy

I had a nasty nosebleed a few years ago. I wrote the following on December 1st 2007.

Wednesday morning I woke up and Karen said it seemed too cold in the house. The furnace was on and blowing but it was blowing cold air. The temperature in the house was down to 58. I was in the basement checking on the furnace when my nose started bleeding. It just started bleeding. First it was just the left nostril but then the second one started as well. I don't have normal blood anymore. My blood looks like colored water. That's because of the blood thinner I take. I couldn't get my nose to stop bleeding. After two and a half hours of bleeding Karen called Dr. Rajan-George and she said I should go to urgent care.

I went to urgent care in Dewitt. This was the same urgent care where I went when I had my heart attack. It is very close to my house. They put a salve in my nose that acts as a nasal constrictor and they packed my nose, both nostrils. They packed my nose with long pieces of a guaze like material. I thought it was kind of unpleasant, which is funny looking back on it now. I didn't know what was yet to come. They said if it started bleeding again I would need to go to the emergency room. I went home and waited for the furnace repair guy to come. I waited bundled up on the couch as the temp dropped down to 56. My nose was still bleeding and I was starting to feel pretty miserable. The furnace repairman came and it turned out we needed a limit control switch and he got the furnace working. I went to the emergency room at St. Joes.

I got there about 3:30 PM. I told Karen not to come right away, there didn't seem to be any point. She went to visit Katie at University Hospital and then came to see me when she left Katie. I think she got there just before 10:00 PM and they still hadn't seen me. When you first come into the emergency room you see a triage nurse almost immediately. I think the purpose of that is to determine just how long you can stand to wait. I was feeling pretty miserable. The blood was dripping down the back of my throat. It was making me sick to my stomach. After Karen got there they took us to a room.

The doctor said he was going to repack my nose but with something more heavy duty. He said a name for it but I don't remember what it was. While he was going to get ready the nurse said it was kind of like a Tampon for your nose. Well the doctor came back with this 6 inch long tube soaking in a plastic cup filled with some kind of liquid. I thought they must put it in your nose and then cut off the excess. Nope. Once he started I realized he was going to shove that whole thing up my nose and up into my sinus cavity. As he was pushing it into my head I kept thinking there must be something he wants to know and if he would just ask I would gladly tell him anything he wanted to know. But there was no deal to be made that entire thing got shoved up my nose.

Then there was a tube dangling from the inserted part and he put a syringe on the end and inflated the thing in my nose and sinus. That was a lot of fun. There was a good deal of miscommunication. I was in a lot of pain with this thing that seemed way too big shoved up my nose. The doctor said it had it to stay in for half an hour and then he would come back to check on it. I thought that meant he was going to take it out when he came back. No such luck. I was supposed to go back to see a doctor on Friday to have the packing removed. They sent us home about midnight. I spent an absolutely miserable night. I could not lie down. As soon as I reclined past a certain point the blood would pool in my throat and I would start gagging. I was in a lot of distress and I didn't feel I could make it until Friday. Karen got me an appointment to see Dr. Alfaro-Franco, my cardiologist, at 2:00 PM on Thursday.

I was a mess. I hadn't slept, I hadn't eaten, my stomach was full of blood. Dr. Alfaro-Franco told me to stop the Plavix and she said I needed to go back to the emergency room. They didn't have an ENT doctor at St. Joes so she sent me to University Hospital. I got a room at University Hospital much quicker than I did at St. Joes. The nurse was very nice. She was starting the IV and that's when things went bad. She stuck me once and couldn't get the blood flash. She tried a second time, no luck. I think it was difficult because I was so dehydrated. She tried again and I passed out. My blood pressure had taken a precipitous drop. I came to and heard her on the intercom calling the doctor, yes it was kind of an emergency she said. I felt very strange and very scared. I felt like I was becoming detached from my body. My body was letting me down and I was losing control. I felt all at once that I was going to throw-up, my bladder was going to release, my vision was blurred, and I felt warm flashes coursing through my body. It was actually scarier than anything I felt when I had the heart attack.

The nurse said I was never in any danger and I'm sure she was correct but it was an experience I would just as soon skip in the future. The nurse got an IV established and got some fluids into me and I bounced back. The doctor was there now and they laid me back. I was afraid I would start gagging but the bleeding had finally stopped. I slept on the bed in the hospital. The doctor decided the best course of action at this point was to leave the packings in place. He felt that if the bleeding had stopped it was best to leave well enough alone and he decided to leave everything in place until Monday. It is amazing how your body can adapt. By this point the packing that was so painful the first night was now tolerable. I've been sleeping a lot. I try to get some fluids in me to stay hydrated. I have not been very hungry and I've been losing weight. I am scheduled now to get the packings out of my nose on Monday afternoon. If all goes well I should be back to as normal as I was before this incident.

The ER nurse at University Hospital said she used to be a nurse in the cardio cath lab and she said I need to get back on the Plavix as soon as possible. She said, "you guys always end up back in the cath lab." I am very much looking forward to getting back to my old self.

Wow, That sucked. Big time.

On 2013-10-24 08:30, khan_tiki_mon wrote:
I had a nasty nosebleed a few years ago. I wrote the following on December 1st 2007.

Wednesday morning I woke up and Karen said it seemed too cold in the house. The furnace was on and blowing but it was blowing cold air. The temperature in the house was down to 58. I was in the basement checking on the furnace when my nose started bleeding. It just started bleeding. First it was just the left nostril but then the second one started as well. I don't have normal blood anymore. My blood looks like colored water. That's because of the blood thinner I take. I couldn't get my nose to stop bleeding. After two and a half hours of bleeding Karen called Dr. Rajan-George and she said I should go to urgent care.

I went to urgent care in Dewitt. This was the same urgent care where I went when I had my heart attack. It is very close to my house. They put a salve in my nose that acts as a nasal constrictor and they packed my nose, both nostrils. They packed my nose with long pieces of a guaze like material. I thought it was kind of unpleasant, which is funny looking back on it now. I didn't know what was yet to come. They said if it started bleeding again I would need to go to the emergency room. I went home and waited for the furnace repair guy to come. I waited bundled up on the couch as the temp dropped down to 56. My nose was still bleeding and I was starting to feel pretty miserable. The furnace repairman came and it turned out we needed a limit control switch and he got the furnace working. I went to the emergency room at St. Joes.

I got there about 3:30 PM. I told Karen not to come right away, there didn't seem to be any point. She went to visit Katie at University Hospital and then came to see me when she left Katie. I think she got there just before 10:00 PM and they still hadn't seen me. When you first come into the emergency room you see a triage nurse almost immediately. I think the purpose of that is to determine just how long you can stand to wait. I was feeling pretty miserable. The blood was dripping down the back of my throat. It was making me sick to my stomach. After Karen got there they took us to a room.

The doctor said he was going to repack my nose but with something more heavy duty. He said a name for it but I don't remember what it was. While he was going to get ready the nurse said it was kind of like a Tampon for your nose. Well the doctor came back with this 6 inch long tube soaking in a plastic cup filled with some kind of liquid. I thought they must put it in your nose and then cut off the excess. Nope. Once he started I realized he was going to shove that whole thing up my nose and up into my sinus cavity. As he was pushing it into my head I kept thinking there must be something he wants to know and if he would just ask I would gladly tell him anything he wanted to know. But there was no deal to be made that entire thing got shoved up my nose.

Then there was a tube dangling from the inserted part and he put a syringe on the end and inflated the thing in my nose and sinus. That was a lot of fun. There was a good deal of miscommunication. I was in a lot of pain with this thing that seemed way too big shoved up my nose. The doctor said it had it to stay in for half an hour and then he would come back to check on it. I thought that meant he was going to take it out when he came back. No such luck. I was supposed to go back to see a doctor on Friday to have the packing removed. They sent us home about midnight. I spent an absolutely miserable night. I could not lie down. As soon as I reclined past a certain point the blood would pool in my throat and I would start gagging. I was in a lot of distress and I didn't feel I could make it until Friday. Karen got me an appointment to see Dr. Alfaro-Franco, my cardiologist, at 2:00 PM on Thursday.

I was a mess. I hadn't slept, I hadn't eaten, my stomach was full of blood. Dr. Alfaro-Franco told me to stop the Plavix and she said I needed to go back to the emergency room. They didn't have an ENT doctor at St. Joes so she sent me to University Hospital. I got a room at University Hospital much quicker than I did at St. Joes. The nurse was very nice. She was starting the IV and that's when things went bad. She stuck me once and couldn't get the blood flash. She tried a second time, no luck. I think it was difficult because I was so dehydrated. She tried again and I passed out. My blood pressure had taken a precipitous drop. I came to and heard her on the intercom calling the doctor, yes it was kind of an emergency she said. I felt very strange and very scared. I felt like I was becoming detached from my body. My body was letting me down and I was losing control. I felt all at once that I was going to throw-up, my bladder was going to release, my vision was blurred, and I felt warm flashes coursing through my body. It was actually scarier than anything I felt when I had the heart attack.

The nurse said I was never in any danger and I'm sure she was correct but it was an experience I would just as soon skip in the future. The nurse got an IV established and got some fluids into me and I bounced back. The doctor was there now and they laid me back. I was afraid I would start gagging but the bleeding had finally stopped. I slept on the bed in the hospital. The doctor decided the best course of action at this point was to leave the packings in place. He felt that if the bleeding had stopped it was best to leave well enough alone and he decided to leave everything in place until Monday. It is amazing how your body can adapt. By this point the packing that was so painful the first night was now tolerable. I've been sleeping a lot. I try to get some fluids in me to stay hydrated. I have not been very hungry and I've been losing weight. I am scheduled now to get the packings out of my nose on Monday afternoon. If all goes well I should be back to as normal as I was before this incident.

The ER nurse at University Hospital said she used to be a nurse in the cardio cath lab and she said I need to get back on the Plavix as soon as possible. She said, "you guys always end up back in the cath lab." I am very much looking forward to getting back to my old self.

And I thought my emergency kidney stone operation was bad! This is one of the worst stories I have heard. Hope everything turns out well for you.

khan_tiki_mon there are so many of us alive because of modern medicine. Thank goodness you were smart enough to know you needed help. I hope you'll let us know how Monday goes. Best wishes for you to have a full recovery, Wendy

Thanks for the well wishes Wendy and Dan but they aren't needed. The nosebleed was almost five years ago and I never had a recurrence. And I am still on the Plavix. Yes, modern medicine is wonderful if we are wise enough to take advantage of it. I advise everyone that if things don't seem right they probably aren't and get to a doctor sooner rather than later. Mahalo.

Got to see Sandra & Grog out and about yesterday at Don's
which made our day! happy to see you guys on the backside of your ordeals.

khan_tiki_mon, now how did I miss the first line? It's good nose oh I mean news that it was so long ago. Keep healthy, Wendy

Grog, regarding the colored sparks in your peripheral
vision that you mention in your journal. You will find
two possible diagnoses earlier in this infirmary forum;
bottom of page 5 and top of page 6.

. . . . . . . . . kraken

All in all, Grog's problems seem to be fairly well
under control. A non-obstructive kidney stone is
not a big worry, and his blood leakage isn't enough
to be worrisome either. As for the vision sparks, I'm
not the only one on Tiki Central to have had them,
and whatever the cause they seem to fade away
after a while.

The sternum pain is mild enough that it reminds me
of the old story of the frontier scout out on the
western plains who came galloping into the fort one
day all bloody from a dozen arrows stuck into his
body. One of the younger cavalrymen asked him
"Does it hurt bad?" He replied "Only when I laugh."

Diarrhea is not always an indicator of gut trouble.
Ever since my youth I've been able to get it from
eating too much chocolate, which is easy to do by
cleaning up the trick or treat candy.

But what of Tiki Sand? When last she posted,
several weeks ago, she was talking of setbacks.
Since then, silence. Here's hoping and praying
that her recuperation is once again firmly on the
upward trail

. . . . . . . . . . . kraken

I saw her last Saturday & she looked good & said she was doing better.

http://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/journals/user/erniekeen

GROG you mentioned a video of your naked twister debacle. Could you post the link if it's on U-Tube. Dan wants to see it.

Am I on your list of Blog subscribers? I ask because I never got any update notices.

I hope you have fun at cardiac rehab. While you have been recuperating I have been on a fat free diet to unclog my arteries. I found out I was high risk for a heart attack. I don't even get to eat the good fats. So it's raw fruits and vegetables. Good part is I've already lost 12 pounds!

The best vacation is the road to recovery. You go guy, Wendy

Grog (Ernie Keen) seems kind of flat in his heart
valve journal lately. In a try to pep him up again
I'm proposing that we all write up odd things we
did on Thanksgiving, in that addendum he has to
his heart valve journal. The URL is right above.

I'v already posted mine, about my Thanksgiving
Day jaunt to donate blood--yes, the blood bank
was open. Now, all who will, join in!

. . . . . . . . . . kraken

Kraken,

I didn't have any funny Thanksgiving stories for Ernie but thanks for the suggestion. I wrote him a message. I read his updates all the time and sometimes want to respond but can't!

Mahalo!

No horrid pictures, but I have been suffering from left hip bursitis for about 3 weeks. The first week was almost intolerable, now I am just in extreme pain when standing up and not so wonderful pain when walking. Not sleeping well...taking tons of Naprosyn...and cocktails when I make it out to a local restaurant. I look like an emperor penguin when walking...truly a sight!!!

And now back to our regularly scheduled illnesses, diseases and injuries...

VampiressRN I am so sorry to hear this. I swear by ice. I'd pack ice packs front and back. You can get used to them fast after a while and it will cut down the pain far better than heat packs can. I'm really having fun telling an RN how to treat herself but I've had enough pain to have learned this trick works. I hope you feel better soon, you don't deserve this.

I was at Marketplace with GROG. He can stand a tight hug now and looks great.

I also met Tiki Sand who has posted here. It was a delight to meet her.

Well wishes for everyone and a hope for Happy Holidays, Wendy

Grog & Tikisand looking none the worse for their traumas of life and always Wendy with a wonderful smile.

Glad to see the patients looking so well! Keep it going!

Vamp, I hope you're feeling lots better soon; that sounds just rotten & very undeserved.

Get well Vamp...

My wish is for everyone to be surround by friends and family throughout the holidays and that your wishes for good health are granted. Cheers, Wendy

Had another basal cell carcinoma chunk carved from my forearm. I'm to the age where I'm paying for all those years I spent in the sun. Remember to wear sunscreen and see your dermatologist on a regular basis :)

Sorry Mike, we didn't do any beach tours on our vacation. We used sunscreen and wore hats. That sure looks like a big one. Wendy

Hope u are ok Mike
Keep it in the shade bruddah

Almost time for Grog 1 year anniv
I will not be up at midnight to post this on the 11th
So......

:)

U da man Grog

Thank you, brother. The new heart valve seems to be working well. Hope it lasts a while. The 11th is GROG' 1st re-birthday, and Friday is GROG' 51st birthday (not countng a couple of thousands of years frozen in a glacier). :)

Time for my annual Basal Cell Carcinoma harvest LOL This time on my neck. Remember, the sun is not your friend

Happy Almost Anniversary GROG! I'm still waiting on my bowl. :)

Take care of yourself MDM! Heal quickly.

GROG so glad you've healed and are back to your caveman ways.

MadDogMike you look more and more like a pirate with all those scars. No sun for us.

Wendy

Mad Dog Mike, it's been almost 3 years since you started
to tell us the story about piercing your own belly button
for a ring. Hope you are about ready to finish it up now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kraken

Kraken, you have a heck of a memory!

I don't remember what I told you before so I will start at the very beginning :wink:

It was 1998, I had my 40th birthday. I had always had "needle-phobia" bad enough that I passed out every time I gave blood. I decided I was a grown man, a black belt in karate; there was no reason to be afraid of a little needle. I was going to do my own exposure therapy so I gave blood for the first time in several years, I got my tetnus, flu and series of 3 hepatitis shots that I had been putting off. And I decided to pierce my own belly button. I work at a hospital so one night shift when I was working I went to the hypodermic needle cabinet and selected a nice 18 guage needle. But it was as big as a telephone pole so I put it back and got a smaller 21 guage. I stuck the needle through my belly button and pulled it out, but the hole closed up and I couldn't get the ring through. I put the needle back through my belly button and wiggled it all around to make the hole bigger but I still couldn't get the ring through. I went back to the cabinet and got the monster 18 guage, I pushed it through my belly button and wiggled it good but the ring STILL wouldn't go through the hole. So I poke the big needle back through for the 4th time. This time I put the wire of the ring into the lumen of the needle and pulled it back out the other side - SUCCESS!

When I got off work in the morning I showed it to my wife and expected her to tell me how sexy it looked (remember, this was 1998). Her reply was "YOU GET THAT OUT OF THERE BEFORE THE CHILDREN SEE IT!!!" :lol:

Mike, thanks for the great story!

My only regret is that, since this was the wife
who passed away, we'll never get to read a
detailed post from her on exactly what she
found so objectionable in that very counter-
cultural belly button ring.

. . . . . . . . . . kraken

The kids were young teens at the time, she was afraid they would want a piecing too. "If dad has one why can't we?" :lol:

Good point, actually.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . kraken

MadDogMike you are one wild man. I've stuck needles into other people thousands of times. Even 19 gage needles which are the size of pencil lead. I don't have a fear of needles but I can say that I would never have done this to my own body. It made me woozy just to picture you doing it. Your wife was right. Wendy

:music: I fought the log and the log won :music: :music:

:lol: I was out in the desert without an ax and tried to break a long piece of firewood by throwing onto the ground. It bounced up and hit me in the face. a little gash in my eyebrow bled like a stuck pig all down the side of my face and neck :lol:

Mike, why didn't you use your Kung Fu?

OUCH!!!...one word....Goggles. Take care.

MadDogMike you are a one man show. Two basil cell surgeries, an allergic reaction with a swollen eye and then an attack on the same eye. So what is Teresa saying about all of these injuries? You should photoshop them into one weird photo.

I hope you are well soon, hugs, Wendy

ATP if I used my Kung Fu I probably would have broken my hand instead
Vamp then I would have had broken pieces of goggles stuck into the side of my head
Wendy I think that's my 4th basal cell carcinoma "harvest". I'm an active guy and a bit klutzy, that's a bad combination. But Teresa isn't squeemish about a little blood so she'll adjust just fine.
:lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P

WOW Mike!!!! That must have really rung your bell. Here is one of the many joys of being a sheet metal worker. Just happened this morning. Six stitches and a tetanus booster for good measure. I'll be back on the job in the morning. Be careful out there gang.

Good job of making my knees ache uncle trav. That's quite a photo. Ouch, Wendy

Nice one Trav! That sheet metal is like working with razor blades! Keep it clean my friend!

This happened to me yesterday. I was cleaning out my garage. I am trying to convert my garage into a workspace/ shop/ studio where I can work. I was moving a shelf without cleaning it off first. Apparently I had stored some saws on top of the shelf and when I moved it all the saws fell on me. I was lucky. No stitches and no shots required.

Geez Louise - Be careful, you guys!

Every time I have to take anything off the shelf in our hall closet I duck & cover because I know there's a hammer up there somewhere. This is a good reminder to go move it!

Happy healing to all.

Twins separated at birth