Quote:
Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield
This Covid thing has fucked with people in untold ways. Never had any issue with my health, despite historically having run the machine hard, until last year.
Out of the blue, got a massive, stroke level spike in BP (testing 200/120). All while heart rate was still in low 70s, indicating pretty athletic cardio capacity at that level of stress. Felt fine. Was actually on my way for a run when a chance decision to test it led to discovery.
Scans and scans and tests later, everything came back fine. No organ issues, no left ventricle expansion consistent with longer term exceedingly high BP.
Cause? Unknown. Told to avoid excessive salt. Told booze intake inadequate to cause that kind of spike. No kidney disease. No thyroid issues. Heart attack enzymes actually low. All potential causes eliminated but one: Having had Covid a few times, both before and after having been vaxxed and boosted.
Maybe it was transient (I opted for meds rather than fuck around, which have a delightful calming side effect). Or maybe I'd have had a fucking stroke. I'd never have known except for a chance decision to play with a family member's BP cuff.
You gotta get lucky in life. In so many ways. And maybe you also have to avoid Covid?
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I think I'm probably 10 years older than most of you (except Icky). Shit gets real.
So I go in for my physical last year. I'm 64 and run 4.5 miles each day. Everyone I used to run with has stopped. I am a Unicorn, and when I do run a road race (seldom) I'll be 12th in my age group, so I'm not saying NO ONE runs at my age, just I do not know them.
My old primary care doc retired. I seeing my new one last year. Results come in- PERFECT- highest "good" cholesterol she has seen, same with testosterone!
BUT my PSA is too high. In 2022 it was 2.7, and the "high normal" range was 4.0- 2.7 was great! In 2023 it was 2.7 but the associated hospital got bought by a very $$$$ driven chain. The fucks lower high normal to 2.5, so now I am high. The doc says I should see a urologist. I argue they just changed the range. But eventually I see one- Prostrate ultrasound (fun!) that shows it is big but otherwise fine.
But he also ran pee tests, which I fail badly. I've retained urine for at least a decade. I have to pee frequently, but I wasn't worried. I can live with it. But em wants to a surgery where he will shave my prostrate. I'm like how soon can I run again? 6 weeks. I tell him no way- my body has a lot of systems and I'm not risking the others by stopping running. He says after 6 weeks I can get back to it. I tell him, it is amazing I still run every day. I am not at all sure I can start up again after 6 weeks.
So the fuck convinces my to do self catheter, meaning you stick a piece of plastic up your pee hole to drain your bladder. He is hocking on me to do it 4 times a day. I can do it once, but if I do it a second time I bleed for a day.
It does feel good to be empty, but not at the price of my dick becoming a bloody wound.
Now he is on me to do this less intrusive operation that will fix it and with only 1 day recovery. Why not lead with that one? The whole thing has the feel of churning my bladder.
And it is all going on because the fucking chain fixed the numbers to drive men to urologists. I did not go see him for peeing, but now I am.
As medical chains go harder for the $$$$ I am sure we will have to tell docs "no thanks" more and more often, and know when to do so.
Have a nice day!
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