Tag: Male

Posted on

Circumcision as a Political Football?

I heard about a group in San Francisco that had managed to get an anti-circumcision law on the ballot in The City.

On the one hand I personally think that circumcision is a barbaric practice.

On the OTHER HAND I don’t think it’s reasonable in our society to add to the body of Nanny State laws.
When the State has a say in what happens with MY dick or the dicks of the males in my family then something is very wrong.

I suggested to my brother that he leave his sons intact. Not because of religious issues, or hygiene issues or anything other than a philosophical position.

I don’t know what my brother decided, but after saying my piece, the matter was closed.

If I, as the Patriarch of our family know when it’s time to butt out, what makes the state of California think that they have any greater say in what is clearly a personal issue.

Lets NOT even begin to discuss the interference in freedom of religion that this San Francisco law would create.

I wasn’t going to comment on this legal silliness UNTIL some nutjob in Santa Monica started to try to get the same kind of law enacted down here.

Folks, Circumcision is barbaric. However, it’s a personal choice for various reasons  AND it should remain a personal decision. This does not belong in the body of law. It also begs the question, are you going to have little boys dropping their trousers so that teachers can report the boys circumcision status to the state?

Again, and I can’t stress this enough Think for yourselves! Don’t eat the pudding.

Posted on

Drug Advertisements

Have you noticed the ad that’s been playing recently for the treatment of Fibromyalgia?
It’s a very interesting ad, especially for someone like me.

I’ve told my physician to his face that I think he’s only 2 or 3 steps removed from waving rattles and dancing around me in a loincloth to heal me. He’s a good guy and he’s not terribly offended by the comment. On the other hand it’s set the tone of our relationship. Since I’m not willing to accept anything he says as gospel, we’ve become partners in my health care.

His knowledge of medicine and my observation of my own body give us the best shot at keeping me around for a while.  I appreciate his compassion for me and patience with me because I know I’m a royal pain in the ass.

So along comes this ad. If you listen carefully to the wording its kind of funny and I’m sure It makes the Doc just cringe.

The Lines that really caught my attention were

After a description of the muscular neural-feedback in the body they say something like,

“It’s thought that this activity is responsible for the symptoms of fibromyalgia.”

Ok, I suppose I can get behind that statement. The next line that caught my attention was something like;

“(Our Drug), is thought to address this neural activity and may provide relief.”

With as much money as has been spent on R&D of these drugs wouldn’t you expect a little more definite statement?

Again I’m left with OGG the Witch-Doctor shaking rattles, dancing around the patient and then feeding the patient a cup of goat pee. (Would probably work too! While the patient is barfing up the goat pee they’re not thinking about their other problems.)

I think part of what caused this to get through my noise filters was the fact that  I KNOW most people heard something more like,

“We’re smart Doctors and scientists and we KNOW your nerves are whats causing you pain and suffering and our drug is the cure. Tell your doctor you want our drug and you’ll feel ever so much better.”

What I heard was;

“We’re guessing here that your nerves are the problem and we kinda think that this drug will maybe make you feel better. Quite frankly we’re pissing in the wind here but hey someone has to pay for the R&D it might as well be you.”

But then I’m a real Cynic.

As always think for yourself, Make you own decisions and don’t eat the pudding.

Posted on

Wheeew! That’s Over!

Well that rite of passage is over!

The surgical center gave me a lovely parting gift telling me I had no issues in my colon and there were pictures to prove it. (Again, places that a camera should never go!)

I’m going to plug these folks because they deserve it.

The Newport Beach Surgery Center is an absolutely fantastic place for Outpatient procedures.

This is the second time I’ve been in their care and they really do make the experience as pleasant as possible the staff is simply great.

I can also recommend the following physicians.

Dr. Lochner – Internal Medicine
Dr. Rodriguez – Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine
Dr. Shadid – Surgeon
Dr. Topkis – Anesthesiology
Dr. Patel – Anesthesiology

The reason there are two anesthesiologists listed is that depending on scheduling at Newport Beach Surgery Center it’s luck of the draw.

They were both were kind, courteous, and gentle. Also, what they said was going to happen did.

I vaguely remember going out for the surgery, and seeing Dr. Topkis putting something into the IV. But I don’t remember anything else until I woke up in recovery.

With Dr. Patel and the colonoscopy… I remember being wheeled into the room with the equipment and seeing Dr. Rodriguez even teasing with him a bit and then I think Dr. Patel put something in the IV and I must have dropped mid thought…

I woke up in recovery with an oxygen mask and heard the soft beep beep beep of a heart monitor.

If you’re looking for excellent care, and people that are HUMAN instead of what has become all too common in physicians these days I’d say make the drive to Newport Beach.

You might not want to mention that I sent you… I’m a real pain in the ass as a patient… You don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with these folks! 🙂

Now about the Colonoscopy itself…

Guys, as has been said many times, the prep is the absolute worst part of this procedure. (I got an “Excellent” on my report about my prep, so there!) Doc Rodriguez wanted me to not eat anything except clear liquids the day before the procedure. I was able to have coffee that morning.

Around 3:00 PM that day, I started drinking the “kool-aid” (actually the stuff is some Polyethylene Glycol concoction with a ton of mineral salts in it.)

The biggest problem for me is that I knew I was drinking something that I shouldn’t be. My instincts about self preservation and not intentionally hurting myself were going nuts! (Note to any Psychs reading this, You’re not likely to ever see me on a suicide watch list.)

After overriding my instincts, and drinking about 3 glasses of this stuff… well, it was time to take a book and go to the bathroom. It wasn’t too bad at first but by the time I’d finished the whole 4 liters of the mix

I was ready to see ANY room in the house except the bathroom.

After the flushing, I was just tired, hungry, cranky and my butt was sore. Oh, one of the nurses suggested and I recommend it too, get a box of baby wipes for yourself. Even with the baby wipes, my butt was sore, I can’t imagine what it would have been like with just toilet paper.

By about 6 PM the Bathroom time was done and I did treat myself to a little bit of lemon Jello about 8PM. (NOTE: Nothing RED or PURPLE. I guess the dyes can look like blood or something else abnormal.)

After that water, plenty of water… watch a little TV, then bed time.

Next morning, up early. Jerry was so kind driving me down there even though I was cranky. The drive to Newport is a long one from Wrightwood but for the quality of care it’s worth it.

After the prep, it’s a pretty easy deal. You show up at the facility, check in, get into one of those silly gowns with no back, and they take you to a nice bed. You’re asked a few questions, then they hook you up to an IV. Strange thing about the IV is that I was thirsty when I got to the place, but after the IV had been running a bit I wasn’t thirsty anymore and in fact had to get out of the bed to take a leak.

This is where I appreciate the staff at Newport Surgical. They’re Busy as hell! And yet they were kind and acted like it was no problem to help me trundle my ass to the bathroom. I know it must have been a pain for them to break their routine but they didn’t even blink.

After that it’s like “Click” and you’re in recovery. I can suggest that if you wake up with an oxygen mask on, BREATHE DEEP.

It helps, my head cleared probably within a half hour. I remember thinking breathe, this is the good stuff! I occupied myself reading the vitals monitor above my head. When I first work up I vaguely remember that it looked like my BP and Heart Rate were a tad high (for Me) but then as I kept breathing deep everything stabilized back to normal. I don’t know what that was about but it kept me interested and conscious. (figure I’ll ask about it when I see the Doc next.)

There is one thing that you should be prepared for. When it’s over, you’ll be lying there and you will be passing gas. A LOT of gas. No it’s not technically yours. The procedure pumps a bit of gas into you so that they can see the walls of your colon better. So… after the tube is removed, well you get the picture.

Dudes let ‘er rip! The post op nurse is listening for that to make sure you’re ok.

I remember some conversation about it as I was being unhooked from the IV. It may be the ONLY time when its OK be as loud as you want. (aside from competitions with your hunting buddies or brothers)

Think about the beans scene in Blazing Saddles

We were in the car by 9 or 10 and home by 11 am. No ill effects and while I did nap a bit off and on during the day it wasn’t a completely awful experience.

As an aside

I did a little research on something called a virtual colonoscopy as well. I think going old school is probably a better idea for ONE simple reason.

If you actually have to have a growth removed… The virtual will show it but you’re still going to have to go old school to actually have it removed.

That being the case… if the prep is the same you might as well have the tube in your colon ready to remove the growth right then. I’m for a minimalist approach, save the extra steps and it’s probably less expensive in the long run.

That’s just my opinion. And FOR GOD SAKE don’t take anything I’ve said here as gospel. THIS is just MY experience your results will vary. Talk to your Doctor and come to your own conclusions.

As always… Think for yourself!