[Esteban]

Originally Posted by M_Six

That's why I'm getting the test. I've been having a minor issue swallowing anything on the dry side, like sammiches or cheese and crackers. It gets caught a little right where it transitions from mouth to throat. Sometimes I have to swallow 2 or 3 times or take a drink of something. It's not serious, but it is noticeable as I've never had that problem before. I figured it's best to have it looked at in case there is an underlying reason. Always good to catch stuff in the early stages.

Definitely true. Might be esophagus issues. I worried about this (had a swallowing issue) and had an upper endoscopy done. Luckily everything turned out okay and problem went away.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Definitely true. Might be esophagus issues. I worried about this (had a swallowing issue) and had an upper endoscopy done. Luckily everything turned out okay and problem went away.

That's what I'm hoping for.

[bucketfoot]

Had the back of my neck puff up bigtime during our WDW trip for our daughter's wedding.

Had it checked out recently including a CT scan and fortunately found out it is only a fairly large lipoma (benign fatty tissue). It does impact my range of motion and causes some neck pain, so I'll be looking at getting it removed.

[NealfromNZ]

Originally Posted by M_Six

That's why I'm getting the test. I've been having a minor issue swallowing anything on the dry side, like sammiches or cheese and crackers. It gets caught a little right where it transitions from mouth to throat. Sometimes I have to swallow 2 or 3 times or take a drink of something. It's not serious, but it is noticeable as I've never had that problem before. I figured it's best to have it looked at in case there is an underlying reason. Always good to catch stuff in the early stages.

My father-in-law had issues swallowing with food of late especially with dry food.
It got progressively worse to the point where he reduced his eating consumption considerably.

Background is he’s been on a lot of meds from heart through to others required over last three years.

It turned out that his GP was saying with all the meds and antibiotics he ended up getting thrush in the throat. Ended up being straight forward to treat with yet more meds, but came right relatively quickly after.

Hopefully it’s something straight forward like above.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

Don't remember those... not to scare you but my wife had hers last week, initial biopsies were negative but they found a mass that will hopefully be removed in the next week or two for additional testing/biopsies. Keeping fingers crossed!

So a long over due follow up. The mass was cancerous and had spread to her liver. The mass was removed back in October and she had six rounds of chemo to shrink the three small spots on her liver. The chemo shrunk the spots significantly and she had surgery this morning to remove those spots.

Scans show no other cancer but given the spread beyond the initial colon tumor, she will have another six rounds of “clean up” chemo in case anything else is floating around.

She is resting comfortably and should be home in a couple days. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

So a long over due follow up. The mass was cancerous and had spread to her liver. The mass was removed back in October and she had six rounds of chemo to shrink the three small spots on her liver. The chemo shrunk the spots significantly and she had surgery this morning to remove those spots.

Scans show no other cancer but given the spread beyond the initial colon tumor, she will have another six rounds of “clean up” chemo in case anything else is floating around.

She is resting comfortably and should be home in a couple days. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!

Sorry to hear about the first part, but glad to hear the second part. Sounds like she has been through a lot over the past 6+ months (as have you I am sure). Best wishes with her continued treatment, recovery and a healthy future.

[Artemis]

High-energy trauma in a low-speed motorcycle shunt last night.

Upper arm - which took the blow on the street - requires surgery shortly (fractures and cracks of the proximal humerus). Minor cracks in my big toe (hallux) will heal all by itself. Some scuffs on knee and elbow, bruised hip: no biggie.

Helmet, gloves, jacket and boots avoided worse.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Artemis

High-energy trauma in a low-speed motorcycle shunt last night.

Upper arm - which took the blow on the street - requires surgery shortly (fractures and cracks of the proximal humerus). Minor cracks in my big toe (hallux) will heal all by itself. Some scuffs on knee and elbow, bruised hip: no biggie.

Helmet, gloves, jacket and boots avoided worse.

Sorry to hear, that sucks! Glad it wasn’t worse and I hope you heal up quickly. Good on your part for wearing the appropriate gear.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Artemis

High-energy trauma in a low-speed motorcycle shunt last night.

Upper arm - which took the blow on the street - requires surgery shortly (fractures and cracks of the proximal humerus). Minor cracks in my big toe (hallux) will heal all by itself. Some scuffs on knee and elbow, bruised hip: no biggie.

Helmet, gloves, jacket and boots avoided worse.

Glad things weren't worse. I usually wear full gear but there are times I don't. Really gives me pause to think about the next time I jump on any of my bikes without full gear.

Hope you heal up soon.

[BWBike]

I had total hip replacements three years ago (both sides three months apart).

I could barely walk before the first replacement due to the severe pain. The day of the surgery, the pain was nearly completely gone on that side. The days of the second surgery, I walked out of there with almost no pain at all. I am able to do anything I was able to do years ago.

For those who are contemplating such a procedure, don’t put it off. I wished I had done it two years before I did.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by Artemis

High-energy trauma in a low-speed motorcycle shunt last night.

Upper arm - which took the blow on the street - requires surgery shortly (fractures and cracks of the proximal humerus). Minor cracks in my big toe (hallux) will heal all by itself. Some scuffs on knee and elbow, bruised hip: no biggie.

Helmet, gloves, jacket and boots avoided worse.

Ouch! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Artemis

High-energy trauma in a low-speed motorcycle shunt last night.

Upper arm - which took the blow on the street - requires surgery shortly (fractures and cracks of the proximal humerus). Minor cracks in my big toe (hallux) will heal all by itself. Some scuffs on knee and elbow, bruised hip: no biggie.

Helmet, gloves, jacket and boots avoided worse.

Ugh. Been there, done that. Laid up for weeks. I, too, was barely moving. Still ended up with nasty injuries. I hope recovery goes well for you.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Sorry to hear about the first part, but glad to hear the second part. Sounds like she has been through a lot over the past 6+ months (as have you I am sure). Best wishes with her continued treatment, recovery and a healthy future.

So after two surgeries and 12 rounds of chemo my wife finally rang the bell this afternoon. All went as well as we could have hoped for and she has been a real trooper. Not totally out of the woods as once it has metastasized you never know what might pop up so now on to a quarterly scan routine to keep an eye on things but we are so relieved.

[M_Six]

Love hearing about people beating cancer. I hope the good prognosis continues for a long time.

[RickFLM4]

Great news! Really happy to hear!

[chassis]

@kscarrol Great news for you and your wife! Prayers answered!

[kscarrol]

^^ Indeed!

[DrVenture]

Timely thread. I just had my first colonoscopy, after delaying it for over 15 years. 3 small polyps and need another in 5 years. I had them do an endoscopy at the same time, they assured me they wipe it off first. The scheduling person got a kick out of my asking.

The endoscopy was due to lifelong issues with acid reflux. Turns out there was no smoking gun, so they said just keep taking Omeprazole. Which is a PITA to keep the prescription going, as they want annual pre-authorizations and tend to fight it. Much cheaper than OTC, though. The colonoscopy is usually free of charge, The endoscopy ended up costing 20% - around $850 - so be forewarned on that.

Now I am getting ready for my first pre-op appointment for cataracts. Doing the laser, as the doctor recommended. This one will be expensive. I figure at least $2500 per eye, as they said the insurance will not pay for the laser. And there is a total of 8 office visits, plus the actual surgery: consultation, 2 pre-ops, 2 clearance appts, 2 post-ops and a follow-up visit with my general Opthamalogist. So, another $500 or so in co-pays.

My hope is that 2026 is not as many doctor visits! But, I am pretty sure I have bursitis in at least one shoulder. And something going on with the ball of my right foot, if I walk/stand too much. A lifetime of good health luck is finally catching up to me.

On the dental front, I am golden, as I started having crowns and/or implants 10 years ago to replace old filings and a bridge.I did this knowing that I would no longer have dental insurance when I retired (next year).

[DrVenture]

Originally Posted by NealfromNZ

My father-in-law had issues swallowing with food of late especially with dry food.
It got progressively worse to the point where he reduced his eating consumption considerably.

Background is he’s been on a lot of meds from heart through to others required over last three years.

It turned out that his GP was saying with all the meds and antibiotics he ended up getting thrush in the throat. Ended up being straight forward to treat with yet more meds, but came right relatively quickly after.

Hopefully it’s something straight forward like above.

Similar issue for both me and my son which were due to acid reflux. Went away with daly Omeprazole. They would recommend a 14 day course and it would come back soon after ending it.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by DrVenture

Timely thread. I just had my first colonoscopy, after delaying it for over 15 years. 3 small polyps and need another in 5 years. I had them do an endoscopy at the same time, they assured me they wipe it off first. The scheduling person got a kick out of my asking.

The endoscopy was due to lifelong issues with acid reflux. Turns out there was no smoking gun, so they said just keep taking Omeprazole. Which is a PITA to keep the prescription going, as they want annual pre-authorizations and tend to fight it. Much cheaper than OTC, though. The colonoscopy is usually free of charge, The endoscopy ended up costing 20% - around $850 - so be forewarned on that.

Now I am getting ready for my first pre-op appointment for cataracts. Doing the laser, as the doctor recommended. This one will be expensive. I figure at least $2500 per eye, as they said the insurance will not pay for the laser. And there is a total of 8 office visits, plus the actual surgery: consultation, 2 pre-ops, 2 clearance appts, 2 post-ops and a follow-up visit with my general Opthamalogist. So, another $500 or so in co-pays.

My hope is that 2026 is not as many doctor visits! But, I am pretty sure I have bursitis in at least one shoulder. And something going on with the ball of my right foot, if I walk/stand too much. A lifetime of good health luck is finally catching up to me.

On the dental front, I am golden, as I started having crowns and/or implants 10 years ago to replace old filings and a bridge.I did this knowing that I would no longer have dental insurance when I retired (next year).

I am also on a 5-year cycle for colonoscopies and endoscopies. Had endoscopy last year. No Barrett’s. GI recommended staying on Omeprazole but said I could try Famotidine (Pepcid). I did but it just doesn’t work nearly as well (heartburn every afternoon no matter what I eat), so back to Omeprazole it is. I also opt for the Rx mainly because I hate the packaging of Prilosec OTC.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by DrVenture

Now I am getting ready for my first pre-op appointment for cataracts. Doing the laser, as the doctor recommended. This one will be expensive. I figure at least $2500 per eye, as they said the insurance will not pay for the laser. And there is a total of 8 office visits, plus the actual surgery: consultation, 2 pre-ops, 2 clearance appts, 2 post-ops and a follow-up visit with my general Opthamalogist. So, another $500 or so in co-pays.

I was very nervous a few years ago about laser cataract surgery, but for me it was a game-changer. Despite my trepidation, it was a very positive experience. I had worn glasses since I was a toddler, and suddenly I had 20/25 vision and could drive without glasses.

In my case, my out-of-pocket cost was zero, though.

[DrVenture]

Medicare? I was wondering if it was $0 out-of-pocket. I may have jumped the gun doing it while I was still on private insurance. But, I was getting to hate driving, especially at night. And didn't consider cost until I was already starting the process. Maybe I'll be surprises and insurance will cover more than I was led to believe. This is "Femtosecond" laser, FWIW. In addition to the cataract removal, vision correction, the doctor told me he could do things to help with my narrow-angle glaucoma. So, a triple win, I suppose.

I am anxious about the whole thing, like you stated. Being able to buy regular sunglasses seems like a bonus though, for some reason.