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I wish you lived in NYC, I would ask you to refer me to your doctor! Can you tell me about the minor surgery recommended to you?
Super super guy. We don't always agree about everything, like the use of herbs, but I trust him more than anyone else. Surely you have great docs in NYC? I'm hoping that Suzy has already DM'ed you about that surgery--I believe it's called uterine ablation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
By the time you noticed the hair loss, new hair had started to grow. It is the new hair growing in that pushes the old hair out of the follicle.
In one day, a hair will grow 0.3 to 0.4 millimeters. That is 2.1 to 2.8 mm per week. A hair follicle is about 4 mm long. That means a new hair has been growing about two weeks before it even emerges at skin level. So, if your homeopathic product appeared to work after one week, it was because the problem causing the hair loss had already resolved and the new hair was already growing when you started using whatever you did.
You most likely had something called telogen effluvium, which is self correcting.
Well I believe you I think, but here's what I noticed at the time. While my hair was falling out it looked flat and lifeless, but as soon as it stopped falling out it fluffed up again. Hard to explain but I suspect you know what I'm talking about. I have had this happen about 3 more times since the original time and I have taken the H. silica and each time it has stopped right away. The first time was the worst and it was for months and I don't remember having any abnormal stress or dietary insufficiencies at that time. I did have a perm but I'd had them before. That was before I figured out I don't even need a perm, lol. I tried various vitamins, minerals and herbs, esp vitamin B and the B was great but it didn't come close to solving the problem. OTOH, my dd acquired anemia due to an eating disorder and her hair fell out in bunches and silica did nothing, so it won't help everyone--only those with a specific type--probably the type you're talking about.
I have, a couple of times. One time I told my doctor I was stressed out over school, family issues, etc., and he wrote me a script for an antidepressant. I thought that was odd, and I threw it away. That was a long time ago. I think now if that happened, I would just politely decline.
I have had a couple of doctors recommend certain tests...I always ask them to explain why, what are the consequences/potential risks if I don't, etc. I work hard to choose good doctors and mine have always been able to give me a good reason why.
I go to my physicians as needed because I value their expertise. I don't feel like I have to do everything they tell me to, but I respect their opinions and recommendations.
My google button isn't broken. I asked for Stepka's opinion and not yours because she isn't speaking to me based on a google search. She speaks based on personal experience. So thanks for showing off your google skills, but I am not impressed. You've actually repulsed me instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
The women I know who have had hysterectomies frequently comment that their only regret is not doing it sooner. The only people who can decide if a hysterectomy is "needed" or not are the patient and her physician. And most gynecologists do not make as much as you might think they do. A hefty percentage of what they collect goes to pay liability insurance premiums.
Hysterectomy for fibroids need not include removal of the ovaries. It is removal of the ovaries that results in immediate menopause. In the past, many women over the age of forty would opt to have their ovaries removed, even if they were normal, to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Estrogen replacement was offered to treat the symptoms of menopause. These days, unless the woman has factors that increase her risk of ovarian cancer, the ovaries are usually not removed, because estrogen replacement has fallen from favor.
There are now procedures that can treat the fibroids without doing a hysterectomy.
One option is to simply remove the fibroid(s) and leave the uterus. That is about as much surgery as doing a hysterectomy, though, with much the same complication risks. It is usually reserved for women who do want a pregnancy. Removing multiple or large fibroids can be difficult and result in significant scarring of the uterus. New fibroids can grow.
Another involves placing a catheter into the arteries supplying the uterus and using tiny spheres to block the blood flow to the fibroids. This causes them to shrink. The procedure is done by a radiologist.
This procedure is not really "minor" and also not foolproof. Some women end up having a hysterectomy anyway.
For fibroids just below the uterine lining, removal using a telescope --- the hysteroscope --- is possible.
For bleeding problems, if the cavity of the uterus is not too distorted, it may be possible to destroy the uterine lining and leave the fibroids alone, a procedure called endometrial ablation. This will not help with symptoms due to enlargement of the uterus and pressure on the bladder and other organs though.
There is a medication that can shrink fibroids, but it is expensive and really not suitable for long term use. It causes menopausal symptoms.
Any woman who has fibroids deserves to know what her options are, but that includes the option of hysterectomy. Many women choose it for themselves because it is the only procedure that can pretty much guarantee fixing the problem permanently with one procedure.
Just because you feel that hysterectomy is not for you does not mean that all hysterectomies are unneeded and gynecologists are "money-grubbing ghouls".
Super super guy. We don't always agree about everything, like the use of herbs, but I trust him more than anyone else. Surely you have great docs in NYC? I'm hoping that Suzy has already DM'ed you about that surgery--I believe it's called uterine ablation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OngletNYC
My google button isn't broken. I asked for Stepka's opinion and not yours because she isn't speaking to me based on a google search. She speaks based on personal experience. So thanks for showing off your google skills, but I am not impressed. You've actually repulsed me instead.
Anyone has the right to decline treatment or testing at any time.
However, you supposedly are going to a physician in order to take advantage of his knowledge and expertise. Why bother to go if you do not wish to follow his advice?
Exactly.
If you dont feel comfortable enuf to talk to your doctor about everything, then you need a new doctor. You shouldnt accept a prescription just to throw it away, or act like you are going to do what they tell you to and then DONT do it. They have your health in mind. Tell them you dont want to take the pills, or that you'd rather discuss a better treatment plan.
My family doctor asks me so many questions every time i go in, before he even physically examines me. There ARE good doctors out there. If you dont like your doctor, please find a good one. They get paid to take care of their patients. Dont fool them into thinking they are taking care of you if they are not. YOU have to take the initiative to be proactive when it comes to your health.
WTS, each pill i'd try for my arthritis pain - i'd try for the amount of time necessary to see if it worked, and if it didnt i wouldnt take it any more and i'd tell him. I guess that's the extent of treatment i've 'refused' so far. I have also refused dental work until i had the money to pay for it - becuz it costs so friggin much!
My mom was getting chemo in her 80's, and had a weak heart. She had to stop it about midway thru due to weakness. She just could NOT take it anymore, and the family agreed with her decision. She did get a letter from the cancer specialist 'scolding' her for doing it, and warning her that the cancer may come back. We were apalled as a family that he would do that to a woman of her age (altho we thought maybe it was done for legal reasons). My sister wrote him a fine letter back, though
I've posted before about my particular situation with doctors offices. I used to have a doctor I got along with, could trust, would recognize on the street, they knew me by name, was reliable, personable, etc. I don't expect doctors to be my pals. I do expect them to treat me like a person and not "the 8:45 in room 111."
Unfortunately I'm stuck with the latter. Not merely one doctor, but a "group." The doctor I'm actually assigned to, I've met once, in the past 4 years. When the receptionist asks who I want to make the appointment with, I ultimately tell her "whoever shows up on time that day." That's how bad it is. They are mostly competent, but they really just don't give a damn about their patients. The insurance companies don't allow them that luxury; they have to get the patients in and out in 10 minutes because they have 20 minutes worth of paperwork to do on each of us and that time costs money.
I almost switched to an independent physician last year, but discovered that she wasn't taking any new patients. Same deal the year before, but that doctor's accent was too heavy for me to understand clearly. Being hearing impaired, that's a deal-breaker. You don't want to spend 20 minutes asking the doctor to repeat himself slowly.
There just aren't that many doctors who still have truly private practices anymore; they're all in groups and act like robots in a factory, with their patients as the products. So no, I don't have high expectations from them anymore. I used to. But they taught me to expect otherwise. They exist now, to diagnose, prescribe meds, and refer me to specialists when my insurance requires a referral. They, in conjunction with the insurance companies, have lowered themselves to that level of care. And so that is how I will treat them, until such time as they choose to rise back up and return to the practice of the healing arts.
Yes, I have refused medications and treatments when I thought there might be a better option, including holistic or lifestyle remedies.
I simply thank the doc and say that I will take the information/scrip under consideration; say what I intend to do about the situation such as wait a week or try a few days of bedrest etc, tell them how I will follow up with them such as 'I will call you if I've decided to use the prescription.'
After my ovariohysterectomy 20 years ago my surgeon gave me a prescription for Premarin. He had been so sweet and comforting throughout my entire ordeal, but, when I told him I didnt want the Premarin, he became violently angry and started yelling at me that I had to take it. I walked out and never saw him again. (Two years after that my sister began taking Premarin and continued it for 15 years -- until she got breast cancer, although there is no other breast cancer in our family.)
My current GP is wonderful and has been giving me a prescription for Plavix (I had a stroke 5 years ago). I havent told him that I stopped taking it about a year ago, although I do give him an updated list of my drugs at each visit. I did tell his nurse that I've ceased taking it and she said "Good". I will tell him, outright, at my next appointment next week, though.
I'm more honest with my GP about my feelings regarding mammograms. He always counsels me on the need for them and I always tell him why I choose not to get them.
I'm happy with my docs. All five of them. But my GP is a peach. He never rushes me in and out. He doesn't patronize me. When he suggests a treatment or medication, I always ask him if that's what he'd order for his Mother. I did refuse medication when my cholesterol was elevated and they wanted to order statins. I refused and my cholesterol is at a comfortable 184. I have taken medication and discontinued it when it didn't seem to be helping the problem or when the side-effects were unbearable. But the doctor is always the first to know.
I usually don't refuse testing, though, because I know that's the only way they can diagnose what's going on inside.
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