MRambler Central » Medical http://www.mrambler.com/blog We are community ramblings. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:32:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Star Wars Technology…… http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/06/02/star-wars-technology/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/06/02/star-wars-technology/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:41:03 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=1524 It’s amazing the advances that have occurred in the Medical field….. Our drummer has been diagnosed with two benign brain tumors….. They now have a procedure called Gamma Knife Surgery…. They’ve developed this machine that looks similar to an MRI unit….. The patient remains awake through the whole thing….. First the upper part of the head is numbed and then a helmet-like device is placed over the head and secured with 4 screws that secure it in position, but do not penetrate the skull…. After that a basic MRI is performed to determine the exact locations of the tumors and adjustment of the Kemo beams is set…..

It works just like the Death Star beam weapon….. Small Gamma beams penetrate the skull and tissue in a 360 degree circle… Each one is not strong enough to cause damage to the skull or tissue….. They all meet at the tumor and combined are strong enough to eliminate the tumor, just like the Death Star Beams all combined to make one all powerful beam weapon….. The patient is removed from the machine, has a slight headache, a little soreness, and goes about their business….. Amazing – no scalpels, no saws, not stitches, no long recovery time!……

Our Drummer is to undergo this procedure on the 9th of June….. If it all goes the way the video shows, he should be up and running the same day!…… Our thoughts and prayers are with him that it will go exactly as the video indicated…… Brain Surgery by Computer!….. Wonder if they are working on something to replace Rocket Scientists?…..

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/06/02/star-wars-technology/feed/ 6 In Memory Of….. http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/01/21/in-memory-of/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/01/21/in-memory-of/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:10:09 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=1323 …..One of the “Coolest Cats” to ever roam The Great White North…… On 18JAN2011 we lost Rainy Cat to kidney disease…… This is more than an MRRC Report, as Rainy Cat was family…… She, along with her two (2) partners, Holstein the Cat and Gimli the Frog, controlled and ran the Jek/Tarn residence since their friendly takeover of the property by Rainy Cat and Gimli in the late ’90′s….. Holstein joined the power duo when Jek/Tarn moved to their present location in the early ’00′s…..

She trained her human protégées well, and in return let them take her for walks in the snow, watch her sit under the rosebushes on the sun deck, and would never leave a lap unwarmed….. She will be missed but never forgotten…… So-o-o, pour yourself a bowl of milk and grab one of your favorite treats and give one last toast to Rainy Cat – One of the Best from the Great Northwest……

RIP Rainy Cat (~1997-2011)

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2011/01/21/in-memory-of/feed/ 8 New Name – Same “Old” Condition….. http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/09/04/new-name-same-old-condition/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/09/04/new-name-same-old-condition/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:09:25 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=777 I thought of this (and, believe me, sometimes thinking isn’t as easy as it used to be) when I tried to look-up the correct spelling of “Alzheimer’s” in my 1977 Webster’s pocket dickshunary (Ha!)….. It wasn’t there….. I did find “Senile”…… So, I’m thinkin’ it’s just a new name for old age forgetfulness that’s been around forever….. Ever remember sayin’ “Whoa, that old dude must be “Senile” – he can’t even remember his own name.”……

What was I talking about?….. More importantly – How did I get here?….. ….And, doubly more importantly who the hell am I?……

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/09/04/new-name-same-old-condition/feed/ 9 Piglet Flu (P1D1 Virus)…… http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/08/31/piglet-flu-p1d1-virus/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/08/31/piglet-flu-p1d1-virus/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:08:58 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=776 …..Remember Prairie Dog Bob?……. I had almost forgotten about him as he has been gone on some extended adventure for a couple of months……. Actually everything around here had become calm and serene…… Well, he finally burst into MR Headquarters yesterday, wheezing, sneezing, coughing, and sweating….. Not only was his face pale, his fur even looked pale…… As he collapsed onto the closest chair, I noticed he had a thermometer sticking out of his mouth and was mumbling incoherently about not feeling well…… I said, “No lie, you look like Death warmed over”….. I immediately grabbed a dust mask and slapped it on….. I didn’t know what he had, but, I was sure I didn’t want it……

After I gave him some allergy and cold medication, he finally calmed down enough to tell me he had the Piglet Flu (P1D1 Virus) – the Prairie Dog version of the Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus)…… I still wasn’t sure that I wasn’t in danger of contracting whatever PDB had, so I tightened the mask up and began sanitizing any and everything in the entire HQ…… It smells just like a hospital in here now….

PD Bob seems much better today, and, I don’t think I contracted anything new – my allergies are so bad, I can’t really tell….. As soon as he wakes up I’m going to quiz him as to where he has been and just what is Piglet Flu as compared to Swine Flu….. Yes, I still have my mask on…… More to come…..

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2009/08/31/piglet-flu-p1d1-virus/feed/ 5 No-See-Ums…… http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/09/19/no-see-ums/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/09/19/no-see-ums/#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:24:35 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=555 Since I’ve been doing a lot of outside work lately, and, here in Oklahoma, with all the recent rains, humidity, and high temperatures, the insect population has exploded, so, I purchased some insect repellent….. Now, it states very plainly the little varmints it is supposed to repel: Mosquitoes, Chiggers, Biting Flies, No-See-Ums, Gnats, and Fleas….. Just what the Hell is No-See-Ums???…… I guess if you can’t see them, you can’t identify them….. Are they dangerous and/or contagious…… Should we put out a No-See-Ums Alert?…… Anyone care to speculate?……

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/09/19/no-see-ums/feed/ 15 Is THAT Really Me?…… http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/06/20/is-that-really-me/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/06/20/is-that-really-me/#comments Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:27:40 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=450 On my recent vacation/inspection of the Great North West, I took lots of pics, and had just as many, or more, taken of me with my camera…… Here’s the deal – The person I see in the photos doesn’t look like the person I see in the mirror!….. I understand the reverse image – left/right is right/left and all that, but that person in the photo just doesn’t resemble that handsome mug I see in my mirror….. Why?….. I look at other people in the same picture and they look, to me, just like they look when I’m eyeing them face-to-face…… What’s the deal?….. This isn’t something new to me, I noticed this years ago….. Is it just me (Watch out in the Peanut Gallery), or does everyone think a photo of them looks different than, no matter how small the difference, what they think they look like “in the flesh”?…..

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2007/06/20/is-that-really-me/feed/ 7 VA The Best! http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/09/07/va-the-best/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/09/07/va-the-best/#comments Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:08:19 +0000 Jek http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=317 Wow.  This just in: The VA is the best.  Check out this Time Magazine Article: “How VA Hospitals Became The Best”.  It totally makes sense:

  • The system is self-contained.  The technology need not integrate with outside systems and all patient information is available inside.
  • The VA has patients for life; so it is in their best interest to invest heavily in preventative medicine.

Here’s a good bit at the end of the article:

…conservatives fear such an arrangement would be a Trojan horse, setting up an even larger national health-care program and taking more business from the private sector. Congress has no plans to enlarge the scope of veterans’ health care–much less consider it a model for, say, a government-run system serving nonvets. But it’s becoming more and more “ideologically inconvenient for some to have such a stellar health-delivery system being run by the government,” says Margaret O’Kane, president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which rates health plans for businesses and individuals. If VA health care continues to be the industry leader, it may become more difficult to argue that the market can do better.

Now if they could just figure out how to keep certain roommate patients from pulling their own IVs and flinging blood around, everything would be perfect.  (Bring back memories MR?)

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/09/07/va-the-best/feed/ 3 …The Continuing Story of MR and the V.A…. http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/07/the-continuing-story-of-mr-and-the-va/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/07/the-continuing-story-of-mr-and-the-va/#comments Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:53:53 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=213 If you think Veterans get free medical from the V.A., you’re wrong…. I spent over six hours at the V.A. yesterday and saw only two real doctors…. One for about five minutes and the other for 10 minutes…. You don’t pay in money, although, depending on your income, you do have a low co-payment, but you pay in time….. My first appointment was a follow-up on the surgery…. After 45 minutes in the waiting room, I finally got into an examination room….. In comes medical student A, a mid-twenties male, who wanted to know every symptom, action, and/or reaction in detail that I had experienced since the surgery…. He poked and proded around my neck, checked my breathing, pulse,etc… After about 30 minutes, he takes off saying that he and the doctor would return shortly…. 30 minutes or so later, enter medical student B, a mid-twenties female, who wanted to know the exact same thing as med student A…. I have to admit though, this exam was a lot more pleasant as she was a looker and very friendly (Who-hoo!)….. Again, this exam lasted about 30 minutes and off she goes stating that she would be back with the doctor shortly, and again another 30 to 40 minutes passed…. By this time I was starting to get worried as it was closing in on the time for my second appointment with my primary care physician…. I was feeling like a guinea pig and wondering if there was going to be a med student C and I still hadn’t found out anything, but it was the real thing this time and she covered everything I needed to know in five minutes or less including changing my medication….. I guess the med students had passed the right info to the doctor and I was a good training aid….. It was then off to the second appointment with waiting and more waiting, etc…. I guess it boils down to if you’ve got the time and don’t have a life threatening ailment where you’re going to croak in the next few minutes they’ll take care of you…. All-in-all, I think I received excellent care, even if it was sometimes s-l-o-w, and I am recovering well and should be back “in-the-pink” soon…..

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/07/the-continuing-story-of-mr-and-the-va/feed/ 3 My Night in the Psycho Ward http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/02/my-night-in-the-psycho-ward/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/02/my-night-in-the-psycho-ward/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2006 05:26:18 +0000 MRambler http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=211 Yeah, I know, everyone, including myself, thought I was going in for a thyroid surgery and a nice overnight stay with room service and some good drugs…… As it turned out the surgery ended up being the least of my worries…. After the recovery room, I ended up in my room for the night….. My roommate looked like an old Popeye and sounded like him too… He had the bed next to the door, which placed me in Bed #2 in the back against the wall with one permanently sealed window….. I couldn’t see him after I was placed in my bed as there was a curtain between us, but I could hear him muttering to himself and earlier Jek said he asked someone which cemetery he was in!…… and he was sitting on the edge of his bed shaking and rocking back and forth all the time. Just before visiting hours were over his family came in and he seemed to settle down…. With visiting hours over, I nodded out and woke-up around 10:30 pm or so to his loud talking. At first I thought he was talking to someone on the phone, but quickly realized he was talking to himself thinking he was talking to someone. The conversation went along the lines of “We gotta get out of here, You better run the cops are comin’, etc..”. I did hear him dialing the phone and apparently not getting the right person and getting more and more agitated at whatever poor soul was on the other end. I thought, Great, I’m locked up with ‘El Nuttso’, oh, well, it’s just for one night, I’ll just ring up the nurse, get some pain killers and go back to sleep. This worked until around 12:30 am when I was awakened by loud noises, things crashing on the floor and a nurse screaming, “You’ve pulled your IV out and you’re bleeding, PLEASE calm down and let me put it back in”, to which Popeye replied for her to stay away from him or he would hurt her. About this time I saw him as he passed the end of the curtain heading for the bathroom with blood going all over the place and yelling at the nurses to stay away from him….. So now I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do to repel a Popeye attack with me trapped in the back of the room with an IV in my arm which was attached to a big pole on rollers and no way out of the room without getting past him. The nurses called in his doctor and security because he was threatening them with bodily harm if they came near him. The doctor had no luck in making him believe where he was and that they were trying to help him. The doctor finally had to call in his family and around 4:00 am they finally convinced him that he was in the hospital and everyone was trying to help him…… I guess they had totally forgot I was even in the room as no one checked on me or asked if I was alright. They decided it might be best if they moved him to a private room with windows so he could see where he was…. So, there I am, wide awake and wondering if I could make through the night and get released before they brought in Popeye II – The Terminator for my new roommate…… Please don’t ever make me stay in V.A. overnight again. I found that surgery’s a breeze but the stay might kill you……

]]> http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/04/02/my-night-in-the-psycho-ward/feed/ 2 MR is OK http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/03/31/mr-is-ok/ http://www.mrambler.com/blog/2006/03/31/mr-is-ok/#comments Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:31:01 +0000 Jek http://www.mrambler.com/blog/?p=210 MR is doing fine.  The surgeon told us that they were able to save both of his parathyroid glands. (The ones that regulate calcium.)  They also got all of nodule/potential tumor out–along with the entire thyroid.  Fortunately it appears the nerve to his vocal chords is fully operational, meaning that he is able to talk/complain. :)   It’ll be a week before the lab processes the nodule to see whether or not it was benign.

It is likely he’ll get out tomorrow.  From internet research on thyroid removal, he thought he would only be able to eat soft foods for a few days.  It turns out he can eat anything within his normal diet.  It’s too bad though; we already bought a few days worth of food.  Any one interested in SouthWestern Yam Soup, Lemony Lentil Soup with Cilantro, or Carrot Puree with Kalamata Olives?

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