You are warned: This is a girl-y post from the heart of a, well, girl!
I really don't know how to start this post. Remember how in April I went to the doctor and I got an ultrasound, blood test and CT scan? The CT scan was normal, the blood test came back with raised prolactin, and the ultrasound came back with a "few follicles" on my ovaries. I went to the doctor yesterday to get another check up after my period barely started when it stopped and the doctor diagnosed me with early stage Polycystic Ovaries.
My doctor thinks that because of all the stress from studying, exams and assignments that I've basically screwed up my hormones. But I've been on holidays for a month, away from that stress. Maybe my body hasn't caught up yet... Last time I had a complete menstrual cycle was back in April and my period lasted 3 weeks. I had both very little bleeding and heavy bleeding. My next period was last week (3 months later) and it was very very light bleeding over two and a half days.
A few months ago I was worried so I did some research on what can go wrong and result in screwed up periods. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome did pop up and was one of the few that I knew I had a strong possibility of having. But I never thought I would get diagnosed with it. Looking back to my research, everything fits now. Mostly how depressed I've been feeling about everything. I've found that ever since my best friend left for a different uni and I started working while studying I've been feeling more down than usual. It may have been my realisation that life after high school is almost completely individual or it could have been my hormones since that's around about when other symptoms started.
Looking to the future, I'm really mixed about my feelings. My doctor said Polycystic Ovaries primarily affects fertility but most women are able to conceive naturally. Since I'm 19, I'm not really concerned about having kids but it does make me wonder. It doesn't help that at least one person I'm connected with in social media posts a picture of a baby... Apparently Polycystic Ovaries are associated with diabetes and heart disease which does have me seriously worried. My grandfather got diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of the year, and I suspect a couple of other relatives have undiagnosed diabetes, and I have a family history of high blood pressure.
Right now, I've really got to get started with something I've been battling with for many many years - weight loss. I've been on the "chubby" side for almost my whole life. When I moved high schools it started getting troublesome and then when I started uni I began a diet which failed miserably. Last year I joined a weight management program online which did help me to lose some weight but I found keeping track of calories quite difficult since it was an American program aimed primarily at Americans - they had different serving sizes to start with! In addition to that, I wasn't cooking my meals, my parents were and I didn't really know everything they put into the dish. When I finally just gave up on the program, things got crazy with uni and I ended up putting on all the weight back PLUS an additional 6kg! Arghhh.
I guess I'm a whole mess about this topic right now. I hope you had a better holiday than me! Well, I'm pretty sure anything would have been better than this.
A
Ps: My twitter account is currently set to private because of some personal reasons. It'll be back on public in a short while.
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Monday, 27 April 2015
Craziest week
Last week at uni has been rather quiet. There were a couple of online assessments I had to do so my teachers had cleared a bit of my timetable. I've been procrastinating with some subjects so last week I caught up in a couple of them. Life outside of uni was pretty darn crazy.
On Thursday morning my grandpa arrived in Australia so we had a family lunch. My two dogs didn't like him as much as we had expected. My Rottweiler liked him as soon as he got treats from grandpa but my German Shepherd didn't like him at all. Today (Monday) the dogs are ok with him but my German Shepherd still growls in complaint or barks in alarm when he comes down the stairs.
On Friday I had to go get an ultrasound. No, I'm not pregnant. The doctor just wanted to see my abdomen area and check up on my ovaries and uterus while they were doing the exam. I had to drink 1L of water in half an hour on a freezing cold morning! It was horrible! My stomach was feeling extremely full around the 750ml mark! I managed to squeeze the rest of the litre down but I was so uncomfortable I was walking around the house clutching my stomach for 20 minutes! Around the 13 minute mark of the 20 minutes, I started getting the urge to pee. I, of course, hold on to my urine but I'm walking uncomfortably around the house.
When we got there, it turned out I booked the appointment at the wrong building - I booked it at the Private Hospital instead of the ultrasound centre across the road. After waddling like a heavily pregnant woman (you have no idea how painful it is to walk normally with the vibrations of every step in your bladder), I arrive just in time for my appointment, they give me a form to fill in and tell me to wait in the waiting room so I'm standing in the corner of the room, absolutely busting to pee. FIFTEEN minutes later, I'm in so much pain to go pee that I'm standing in the corner with tears nearly coming out of my eyes. My mum walks up to the counter and she nearly rages at the lady because I was in so much pain. The lady replies with 'Yes, the ultrasound team know you're here. Just tell her to sit down.".
I'm standing in the corner going, "How the freak so you expect me to sit down with such a full bladder?!". She tells me to sit down again so I do this time and OWWW. It hurt much more sitting down than standing! The only way I'm able to sit down on the chair is when my buttocks are at the front of the seat and I'm leaning all the way back. FIVE more minutes later, just as mum was telling me she was going to pull the plug and take me to the nearest bathroom, the ultrasound lady came for me. Far out she was walking so much faster and I was in so much pain that I was clutching my bladder and waddling.
She starts the ultrasound by seeing how much urine is in my bladder and immediately states "Wow, you're really full" and makes me go to the bathroom to release six seconds worth of urine out. On my return the lady completes the ultrasound then asks me to go to the bathroom to empty my bladder as much as possible. She scans my bladder and kidneys to check they went to normal size before telling me how much was in my bladder. I HAD 790mls WHEN I WALKED IN THERE! To put this into perspective, an average person would start to get the urge to go to the bathroom at 300-400mls. Yeah, I was way over and completely in pain!
I had a doctors appointment today to get the results of the ultrasound and it turns out that the test showed that I had a "few follicles" on my overies but not enough to clinically diagnose my problems. My blood test results came back too and it shows that everything's normal except my prolactin levels, which were a little bit higher than what's normal. So just to check that my pituitary gland is ok, I've got a CT scan tomorrow.
Ahh. Freaking out.
A
On Thursday morning my grandpa arrived in Australia so we had a family lunch. My two dogs didn't like him as much as we had expected. My Rottweiler liked him as soon as he got treats from grandpa but my German Shepherd didn't like him at all. Today (Monday) the dogs are ok with him but my German Shepherd still growls in complaint or barks in alarm when he comes down the stairs.
On Friday I had to go get an ultrasound. No, I'm not pregnant. The doctor just wanted to see my abdomen area and check up on my ovaries and uterus while they were doing the exam. I had to drink 1L of water in half an hour on a freezing cold morning! It was horrible! My stomach was feeling extremely full around the 750ml mark! I managed to squeeze the rest of the litre down but I was so uncomfortable I was walking around the house clutching my stomach for 20 minutes! Around the 13 minute mark of the 20 minutes, I started getting the urge to pee. I, of course, hold on to my urine but I'm walking uncomfortably around the house.
When we got there, it turned out I booked the appointment at the wrong building - I booked it at the Private Hospital instead of the ultrasound centre across the road. After waddling like a heavily pregnant woman (you have no idea how painful it is to walk normally with the vibrations of every step in your bladder), I arrive just in time for my appointment, they give me a form to fill in and tell me to wait in the waiting room so I'm standing in the corner of the room, absolutely busting to pee. FIFTEEN minutes later, I'm in so much pain to go pee that I'm standing in the corner with tears nearly coming out of my eyes. My mum walks up to the counter and she nearly rages at the lady because I was in so much pain. The lady replies with 'Yes, the ultrasound team know you're here. Just tell her to sit down.".
I'm standing in the corner going, "How the freak so you expect me to sit down with such a full bladder?!". She tells me to sit down again so I do this time and OWWW. It hurt much more sitting down than standing! The only way I'm able to sit down on the chair is when my buttocks are at the front of the seat and I'm leaning all the way back. FIVE more minutes later, just as mum was telling me she was going to pull the plug and take me to the nearest bathroom, the ultrasound lady came for me. Far out she was walking so much faster and I was in so much pain that I was clutching my bladder and waddling.
She starts the ultrasound by seeing how much urine is in my bladder and immediately states "Wow, you're really full" and makes me go to the bathroom to release six seconds worth of urine out. On my return the lady completes the ultrasound then asks me to go to the bathroom to empty my bladder as much as possible. She scans my bladder and kidneys to check they went to normal size before telling me how much was in my bladder. I HAD 790mls WHEN I WALKED IN THERE! To put this into perspective, an average person would start to get the urge to go to the bathroom at 300-400mls. Yeah, I was way over and completely in pain!
I had a doctors appointment today to get the results of the ultrasound and it turns out that the test showed that I had a "few follicles" on my overies but not enough to clinically diagnose my problems. My blood test results came back too and it shows that everything's normal except my prolactin levels, which were a little bit higher than what's normal. So just to check that my pituitary gland is ok, I've got a CT scan tomorrow.
Ahh. Freaking out.
A
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
Dental Braces
Information written on this site does not substitute for professional medical advice. Seek advice from a GP, community healthcare professional or similar if you are unsure if "it" needs medical attention.
Note: I am in Australia and all costs are in AUD.
Thinking about getting braces? Well read on! This is based on personal experience.
I got braces in 2009 when wearing braces was popular, well in my area at least. My treatment was predicted to last for 9 months but because the date clashed with the Christmas holidays, I got nearly 10 months of wearing braces. The cost of my treatment was around $5000. Yeah, it was on the expensive side. My sister also had braces and she got hers around 3 months before me. Her treatment was predicted to last 18 months and cost it $7000. The orthodontics we went to wasn't the cheapest but at the same time, they are very respected and they had upfront charges. The money we paid included all the subsequent check-ups, cleaning, after-care and after-care check ups in addition to goodie bags.
Picking the right orthodontist for you is the first and most important step. Since I got braces when it was popular, my of my friends had them and what I noticed was that different orthodontists provide different braces and different after care. Make an appointment at a orthodontic clinic and they'll go through the process of how braces work and what treatment they offer. I would recommend you ask them what happens after you have your braces taken off, in regards to how to stop teeth moving back to disarrangement. Some clinics provide fixed retainers and others provide retainers that are able to be taken out when eating. More of this below.
Another important fact about choosing the right orthodontist for you - you're going to be going there for years. Many orthodontists will not touch the work of another orthodontist so you can't jump from one clinic to another easily.
Some orthodontics give you the choice of having at least two types of braces. My sister and I were offered metal or ceramic braces. I had the metal ones and my sister had the ceramic ones. On the other hand, my friends who attended an orthodontist nearby from the one I went to were not offered a choice.
Metal braces are the cheapest option but at the same time, they're the most noticeable. Some people may choose this option because you can change the colour of the bands that surround each bracket. I chose this option because it was the cheapest (only 9 months remember) had a blast changing colours at each check-up!
Ceramic braces are the next step up in regards to invisibility. They're less noticeable than the metal braces but at the same time, they're more expensive and if you don't take care of them they can stain. Near the end of my sister's 18 month treatment her "clear" brackets had changed to a light cream-clear colour. These braces can't support the coloured bands and, honestly, kind-of stand out later in the treatment. They may have "clear" brackets but the wires that attaches the teeth together are not. As the treatment progresses, the wire becomes thicker to assist more movement of the teeth.
Some orthodontists only offer the ceramic braces for the top teeth and use metal braces for the bottom.
Invisalign braces are the clearest type but there is quite the list of cons. These braces won't work for serious dental problems and are only available to teens and adults. This is the more expensive option and some orthodontists do not offer this option. Invisalign braces are basically retainers that need to be replaced every 2 weeks with a new aligner. Treatment can be longer and cost more if you lose these braces. For those who are looking for invisible braces this is the closest you can get but they are visible up close. Be aware that some advertisements show half a mouth with braces and half a mouth with Invisalign braces but if you look closer, the half with Invisalign braces is just a mouth without braces.
Getting your braces put on isn't too bad - there's quite a lot of cleaning and gluing. In the first couple of weeks there is some discomfort and tenderness as your teeth begin to move. It feels as though there's a force pushing your teeth backwards so you tend to want to eat soft food. Foods recommended by the orthodontists include; porridge, yoghurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs, tuna salad, soups, mashed potato and gravy, quiche and salad, pasta dishes and sandwiches with soft spreads and no crust. When you feel comfortable starting on other foods, usually in week 2, they recommend chopping up larger food like fruit and vegetables and eating them on your back teeth.
There are also foods that you should stay away from for as long as you have the braces in for. These include but are not limited to; hard sticky lollies, corn on the cob, popcorn, pork crackling, soft drinks, nuts, crunchy bread, corn chips and ice. Eating these foods may risk you in breaking your braces.
The pain I experienced was not too bad but on the other side, my sister took paracetamol for the pain at night. Some of the brackets may rub against your cheek or inside of the lips and if they do, you're given strips of bees wax to place on the annoying bracket. Unfortunately some orthodontic clinics charge extra for the wax but some places give it for free. Quite a few times I gave my friends unused extras my orthodontics gave me.
Brushing your teeth is basically the same as you would do when brushing teeth but you have to concentrate brushing brackets and wires as well. The most noticeable difference between brushing regular teeth and brushing teeth with braces is that there is more toothpaste foam. You're also given orders to brush with a proxabrush after every meal to ensure that there isn't remnants of food left behind.
You may accidentally break your braces by doing various activities. Just ring up your orthodontist and book an appointment. I was fortunate not to have broken my braces but my sister broke them at least three times. The most memorable one was when she broke them brushing her teeth. I also clearly remember she had been complaining about a bracket in the back after she came back from getting a new wire put in and a few days later we were eating sausages when the wire popped out. Get an appointment as soon as you can because if you have too many breakages or you wait too long to get the break fixed, it will slow down your treatment progress.
Elastics for braces are not always needed. Some people may need the elastics to assist teeth movement or correcting an overbite. There are different strengths of elastic bands, classified in various animals, which one to use is stated by your orthodontist. I did not need them but my sister was required to wear "bear" elastics for the latter reason. Some brackets have a metal piece which enable the elastic to be attached to them, the brackets to be used and how to use them is told to you by your orthodontist. These bands are replaced daily or if broken and you take them out when you eat. Oh, how I remember doing the dishes to find two clear bands on a plate.
Retainers are the last step after your braces are removed. As previously mentioned, some clinics give you removable retainers whereas others give fixed retainers. My orthodontist only gives out the fixed retainers because they recognise that people forget and most of their clients were teens or younger. Most of my friends were given removable retainers and that was when the words of my orthodontist came back, "...people forget...". One after one, my friends eventually stopped wearing their retainers, mainly because they forgot but a few of them because they lost them and didn't replace them because it was costly. Without wearing retainers, their teeth moved back to a near state of what they started with.
The fixed retainers are not uncomfortable. There is some cleaning and gluing required and about a week of having weird lumps (the glue) behind your teeth but you get used to it. So used to it that you don't even process it any more. It is recommended that the fixed retainers stay in for at least 10 years but the longer the better. This is my 5th year wearing them and they have not been a problem at all. There may be other issues to fix before getting braces. One of my friends has an underbite which she was told she needed surgery to fix when she's stopped growing at around 20 years of age. Last updated 08/04/2015 by A.
Note: I am in Australia and all costs are in AUD.
Thinking about getting braces? Well read on! This is based on personal experience.
I got braces in 2009 when wearing braces was popular, well in my area at least. My treatment was predicted to last for 9 months but because the date clashed with the Christmas holidays, I got nearly 10 months of wearing braces. The cost of my treatment was around $5000. Yeah, it was on the expensive side. My sister also had braces and she got hers around 3 months before me. Her treatment was predicted to last 18 months and cost it $7000. The orthodontics we went to wasn't the cheapest but at the same time, they are very respected and they had upfront charges. The money we paid included all the subsequent check-ups, cleaning, after-care and after-care check ups in addition to goodie bags.
Picking the right orthodontist for you is the first and most important step. Since I got braces when it was popular, my of my friends had them and what I noticed was that different orthodontists provide different braces and different after care. Make an appointment at a orthodontic clinic and they'll go through the process of how braces work and what treatment they offer. I would recommend you ask them what happens after you have your braces taken off, in regards to how to stop teeth moving back to disarrangement. Some clinics provide fixed retainers and others provide retainers that are able to be taken out when eating. More of this below.
Another important fact about choosing the right orthodontist for you - you're going to be going there for years. Many orthodontists will not touch the work of another orthodontist so you can't jump from one clinic to another easily.
Some orthodontics give you the choice of having at least two types of braces. My sister and I were offered metal or ceramic braces. I had the metal ones and my sister had the ceramic ones. On the other hand, my friends who attended an orthodontist nearby from the one I went to were not offered a choice.
Ceramic braces are the next step up in regards to invisibility. They're less noticeable than the metal braces but at the same time, they're more expensive and if you don't take care of them they can stain. Near the end of my sister's 18 month treatment her "clear" brackets had changed to a light cream-clear colour. These braces can't support the coloured bands and, honestly, kind-of stand out later in the treatment. They may have "clear" brackets but the wires that attaches the teeth together are not. As the treatment progresses, the wire becomes thicker to assist more movement of the teeth.
Some orthodontists only offer the ceramic braces for the top teeth and use metal braces for the bottom.
There are also foods that you should stay away from for as long as you have the braces in for. These include but are not limited to; hard sticky lollies, corn on the cob, popcorn, pork crackling, soft drinks, nuts, crunchy bread, corn chips and ice. Eating these foods may risk you in breaking your braces.
The pain I experienced was not too bad but on the other side, my sister took paracetamol for the pain at night. Some of the brackets may rub against your cheek or inside of the lips and if they do, you're given strips of bees wax to place on the annoying bracket. Unfortunately some orthodontic clinics charge extra for the wax but some places give it for free. Quite a few times I gave my friends unused extras my orthodontics gave me.
Brushing your teeth is basically the same as you would do when brushing teeth but you have to concentrate brushing brackets and wires as well. The most noticeable difference between brushing regular teeth and brushing teeth with braces is that there is more toothpaste foam. You're also given orders to brush with a proxabrush after every meal to ensure that there isn't remnants of food left behind.
You may accidentally break your braces by doing various activities. Just ring up your orthodontist and book an appointment. I was fortunate not to have broken my braces but my sister broke them at least three times. The most memorable one was when she broke them brushing her teeth. I also clearly remember she had been complaining about a bracket in the back after she came back from getting a new wire put in and a few days later we were eating sausages when the wire popped out. Get an appointment as soon as you can because if you have too many breakages or you wait too long to get the break fixed, it will slow down your treatment progress.
Elastics for braces are not always needed. Some people may need the elastics to assist teeth movement or correcting an overbite. There are different strengths of elastic bands, classified in various animals, which one to use is stated by your orthodontist. I did not need them but my sister was required to wear "bear" elastics for the latter reason. Some brackets have a metal piece which enable the elastic to be attached to them, the brackets to be used and how to use them is told to you by your orthodontist. These bands are replaced daily or if broken and you take them out when you eat. Oh, how I remember doing the dishes to find two clear bands on a plate.
Retainers are the last step after your braces are removed. As previously mentioned, some clinics give you removable retainers whereas others give fixed retainers. My orthodontist only gives out the fixed retainers because they recognise that people forget and most of their clients were teens or younger. Most of my friends were given removable retainers and that was when the words of my orthodontist came back, "...people forget...". One after one, my friends eventually stopped wearing their retainers, mainly because they forgot but a few of them because they lost them and didn't replace them because it was costly. Without wearing retainers, their teeth moved back to a near state of what they started with.The fixed retainers are not uncomfortable. There is some cleaning and gluing required and about a week of having weird lumps (the glue) behind your teeth but you get used to it. So used to it that you don't even process it any more. It is recommended that the fixed retainers stay in for at least 10 years but the longer the better. This is my 5th year wearing them and they have not been a problem at all. There may be other issues to fix before getting braces. One of my friends has an underbite which she was told she needed surgery to fix when she's stopped growing at around 20 years of age. Last updated 08/04/2015 by A.
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Pressure Ulcers
Information written on this site does not substitute for professional medical advice. Seek advice from a GP, community healthcare professional or similar if you are unsure if "it" needs medical attention.
THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.
Also called bed sores, pressure areas.
Pressure ulcers can, unfortunately, be a common incidence all around the world. It has a high rate of occurrence when someone has been bed-bound for a prolonged period of time, sometimes even with the highest amount of care given. Pressure ulcers can form on any area of skin in people of all ages but older persons are more vulnerable because of their reduced mobility and their aged skin. In addition to this, constant moist skin (from faecal or urinary incontinence for example) or friction to a particular area increases the risk for a pressure sore to occur because the skin integrity has become impaired.
How does it happen? Nutrients from the blood are supplied to the skin to keep it alive. When pressure is placed on the skin, the amount of blood being supplied to the area is reduced - causing a white-yellow patch to form before returning to your normal skin tone. This is similar to capillary refill on your nails. Pressure areas are, effectively, skin that has died because of lack of blood circulation to the area. Pressure ulcers can form in a short amount of time with more weight or a long amount of time with little pressure.
Pressure ulcers usually occur in areas of skin that cover a bony prominence. Common areas for pressure areas while laying on your back are: back of the head, shoulder blades, buttocks, heels and elbows. Other areas are effected depends on what position that person is in.
Pressure areas are classed into stages depending on how far deep the damage is. Below is a table showing the different stages.
In hospitals, a patient should have a pressure area risk form filled out (among others!) when they are admitted to the ward. This allows the health care staff to assess and monitor pressure areas at the time of admission as well as note the risk of a pressure area forming. Some wards have access to air mattresses which inflate different areas of the bed so the area of skin in contact with pressure is rotated. Other wards will turn patients on their sides regularly.
Regular skin inspections and early detection of pressure areas will assist in the worsening of a pressure ulcer. If you wish to assist in showering your loved one and a nurse asks to call them immediately after you wash them, it's not because they doubt your washing skills; it's because they want to assess your loved one's skin condition and take note of bruising, skin tears or redness which could indicate a stage 1 pressure area.
Last updated 28/03/2015 by A.
Also called bed sores, pressure areas.
Pressure ulcers can, unfortunately, be a common incidence all around the world. It has a high rate of occurrence when someone has been bed-bound for a prolonged period of time, sometimes even with the highest amount of care given. Pressure ulcers can form on any area of skin in people of all ages but older persons are more vulnerable because of their reduced mobility and their aged skin. In addition to this, constant moist skin (from faecal or urinary incontinence for example) or friction to a particular area increases the risk for a pressure sore to occur because the skin integrity has become impaired.
How does it happen? Nutrients from the blood are supplied to the skin to keep it alive. When pressure is placed on the skin, the amount of blood being supplied to the area is reduced - causing a white-yellow patch to form before returning to your normal skin tone. This is similar to capillary refill on your nails. Pressure areas are, effectively, skin that has died because of lack of blood circulation to the area. Pressure ulcers can form in a short amount of time with more weight or a long amount of time with little pressure.
Pressure ulcers usually occur in areas of skin that cover a bony prominence. Common areas for pressure areas while laying on your back are: back of the head, shoulder blades, buttocks, heels and elbows. Other areas are effected depends on what position that person is in.
 |
| Common locations of Pressure Ulcers Retrieved from Adam Smith, MD. http://doctoradamsmith.com/reconstruction/wound-and-ulcer-therapy/ |
In hospitals, a patient should have a pressure area risk form filled out (among others!) when they are admitted to the ward. This allows the health care staff to assess and monitor pressure areas at the time of admission as well as note the risk of a pressure area forming. Some wards have access to air mattresses which inflate different areas of the bed so the area of skin in contact with pressure is rotated. Other wards will turn patients on their sides regularly.
Regular skin inspections and early detection of pressure areas will assist in the worsening of a pressure ulcer. If you wish to assist in showering your loved one and a nurse asks to call them immediately after you wash them, it's not because they doubt your washing skills; it's because they want to assess your loved one's skin condition and take note of bruising, skin tears or redness which could indicate a stage 1 pressure area.
Last updated 28/03/2015 by A.
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