Wellness

[LilacTree]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

It's worth noting that any cat bite or scratch that breaks the skin should mean very close observation, and a trip to the ER the minute it starts to redden. It may or may not be cat scratch fever, but it's potentially rapidly very dangerous in any case.

I had a friend who broke up a spat between her two cats. She ended up in the ER the following day with a hand twice its normal size and was massively pumped with IV antibiotics and had to return for more, and barely avoided losing her hand - in 24 hrs!

I was once accidentally scratched good on the shin by my startled kitty. I went through two complete courses of two different antibiotics to get rid of the cellulitis and also had a CT scan to make sure I didn't have osteomyelitis.

Cat scratches are serious.

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@Moonchilde

I made that same mistake with my daughter's two cats (both ferals).  I stuck my leg in between them and one of them bit me hard!

He had his rabies shots (my daughter made sure of that before she let either of them into the house) but they gave me a tetanus shot at the hospital anyway.  I think also an antibiotic, I can't remember.

Not good to try to stop a fight between two angry animals with sharp teeth and claws!!

[DianeJ2]

Glad you are also going Monday just for a recheck My dad had cellulitis, took 2 doctor visits to confirm. He had circulatory issues.

Keep us posted @LilacTree hope you have a nice weekend 🌻

[LilacTree]

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@chickenbutt wrote:

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@dex wrote:

@chickenbutt That sounds very scary and painful...glad to hear that you healed without any body parts removed....I bet your b itchy supervisor would have been really miffed if your disease took your life and she had to be further inconvenienced...what a terrible heartless person.

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Thanks!   Still have the scars on my fingers but I never had that happen again.  I, again being me, asked the doc if I was now going to have a proclivity for getting this again and/or what can I do to preclude it.

He said no but if I ever find myself in a situation with cuts where bacteria could have gotten into the JOINTS to just come in and have him clean it properly.   There was nothing I could have done because I didn't know what had happened.

I was just thinking 'geez, a few little cuts - what the heck!'.   But whatever bacteria was in that dirt outside quickly found its way into the joints and did its damage.

As for the awful woman - I couldn't believe she went off on him like that and then slammed the phone down as he was still talking to her.  I was laying right there in the hospital bed, being all hooked up, and heard him.  He didn't incite it.

Furthermore, I was ALWAYS the person who went to work, always early, always performed, even if I was half dead.  It wasn't like I ever called in sick.   The previous day when I had gone to work even though this thing was growing, she chose that day to monitor me.  I asked if there was any way she could put me in another day because of my hand.  It was my left hand so I was really struggling, plus the pain and all.  She said no, let's get to it.   I'm not a whiner, but I thought that was pretty nasty.  She didn't HAVE to do me that day.

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@chickenbutt

She sounds like a disgusting person.  How long did you work for her?  She obviously had no empathy for her employees. 

[LilacTree]

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@DianeJ2 wrote:

Glad you are also going Monday just for a recheck My dad had cellulitis, took 2 doctor visits to confirm. He had circulatory issues.

Keep us posted @LilacTree hope you have a nice weekend 🌻

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@DianeJ2

Thank you so much!  And my wish back to you for the same. 

[sydsgma1]

Lilac...glad you had that checked out. Did you mention your long term prednisone use...??? When I am on my short term burst and taper regimen, my dr. Always reminds me to check my skin. Steroid use increase the tendency to bruise . 

[chickenbutt]

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LilacTree wrote:

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chickenbutt wrote:

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Whatnow wrote:

@chickenbutt That sounds very scary and painful...glad to hear that you healed without any body parts removed....I bet your b itchy supervisor would have been really miffed if your disease took your life and she had to be further inconvenienced...what a terrible heartless person.

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Thanks!   Still have the scars on my fingers but I never had that happen again.  I, again being me, asked the doc if I was now going to have a proclivity for getting this again and/or what can I do to preclude it.

He said no but if I ever find myself in a situation with cuts where bacteria could have gotten into the JOINTS to just come in and have him clean it properly.   There was nothing I could have done because I didn't know what had happened.

I was just thinking 'geez, a few little cuts - what the heck!'.   But whatever bacteria was in that dirt outside quickly found its way into the joints and did its damage.

As for the awful woman - I couldn't believe she went off on him like that and then slammed the phone down as he was still talking to her.  I was laying right there in the hospital bed, being all hooked up, and heard him.  He didn't incite it.

Furthermore, I was ALWAYS the person who went to work, always early, always performed, even if I was half dead.  It wasn't like I ever called in sick.   The previous day when I had gone to work even though this thing was growing, she chose that day to monitor me.  I asked if there was any way she could put me in another day because of my hand.  It was my left hand so I was really struggling, plus the pain and all.  She said no, let's get to it.   I'm not a whiner, but I thought that was pretty nasty.  She didn't HAVE to do me that day.

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@chickenbutt

She sounds like a disgusting person.  How long did you work for her?  She obviously had no empathy for her employees. 

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This was a large national insurance company where I worked for almost 10 years before I couldn't stand it anymore.   I was in a position where I had to be licensed in a number of states, wrote policies, underwrote policies, and serviced policies.

The weird thing was that before she got promoted to Supvr over our unit (we were all agents who were authorized to do all these things), she was an underwriter.  We often talked and she was basically a friend.  Very nice and all that.  I'd go over to underwriting sometimes with a question because she was a long-experienced underwriter.

Anyway, (sorry so long) at some point in my last few years or less she got promoted as one of the supervisors of our unit and she REALLY changed.  That sort of thing is always a shame.

I was even halfway to my CPCU (a degree like a Masters in insurance) and made great money, had awesome bennies, the whole deal.  But the morale in that place (humongous office that took up a whole floor of a large building, plus another floor downstairs for the mail room and such) was just so horrible.  They not only treated their insureds like garbage, they treated their employees like garbage.

By the time I gave my notice it was literally killing me.  I would be so sick all day Sunday at the notion of having to go back on Monday.  Funny thing - when I gave my notice I got a bunch of 'congratulations' cards from others there.  Many of us had been there for all those same years.

Too bad that company is so horrible because, had I been able to stay, I would have had an amazing retirement.  I took out my 401K and converted it to an IRA and a couple of years ago they sent me a letter about my 'retirement' fund.  Now, having been there less than 10 years, it wasn't all that much and only would have been a couple hundred a month but I had the option to either take the cash now (stupid idea), wait until retirement age and take that little bit a month, or take about $35,000 and roll it into my  IRA, so I did the last one.  I figured it would make me more money in the interim although now - who knows.      For the last several years  I had high hopes for our investments, as they were really doing great again.

[LilacTree]

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@sydsgma1 wrote:

Lilac...glad you had that checked out. Did you mention your long term prednisone use...??? When I am on my short term burst and taper regimen, my dr. Always reminds me to check my skin. Steroid use increase the tendency to bruise . 

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@sydsgma1

Yes, I did.  I always bring my little plastic bag with my meds in it whenever I go anywhere medical.  I only take regularly three meds a day, and prednisone is one of them.  They always ask what meds one is on.

Yes, I have bruises all over and red senile purpura bruises (the ones that start out purple and end up red, then end up as light brown spots) all over my lower arms especially.  They are usually caused by my banging my arm into a door or something, but sometimes they just appear.  These always follow a pattern of lasting about a week.  Once in a while I'll get one so close to the surface it will bleed. 

This is different.  In what way, I guess I'll find out.

[LilacTree]

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@chickenbutt wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

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@chickenbutt wrote:

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@dex wrote:

@chickenbutt That sounds very scary and painful...glad to hear that you healed without any body parts removed....I bet your b itchy supervisor would have been really miffed if your disease took your life and she had to be further inconvenienced...what a terrible heartless person.

---

Thanks!   Still have the scars on my fingers but I never had that happen again.  I, again being me, asked the doc if I was now going to have a proclivity for getting this again and/or what can I do to preclude it.

He said no but if I ever find myself in a situation with cuts where bacteria could have gotten into the JOINTS to just come in and have him clean it properly.   There was nothing I could have done because I didn't know what had happened.

I was just thinking 'geez, a few little cuts - what the heck!'.   But whatever bacteria was in that dirt outside quickly found its way into the joints and did its damage.

As for the awful woman - I couldn't believe she went off on him like that and then slammed the phone down as he was still talking to her.  I was laying right there in the hospital bed, being all hooked up, and heard him.  He didn't incite it.

Furthermore, I was ALWAYS the person who went to work, always early, always performed, even if I was half dead.  It wasn't like I ever called in sick.   The previous day when I had gone to work even though this thing was growing, she chose that day to monitor me.  I asked if there was any way she could put me in another day because of my hand.  It was my left hand so I was really struggling, plus the pain and all.  She said no, let's get to it.   I'm not a whiner, but I thought that was pretty nasty.  She didn't HAVE to do me that day.

---

@chickenbutt

She sounds like a disgusting person.  How long did you work for her?  She obviously had no empathy for her employees. 

---

This was a large national insurance company where I worked for almost 10 years before I couldn't stand it anymore.   I was in a position where I had to be licensed in a number of states, wrote policies, underwrote policies, and serviced policies.

The weird thing was that before she got promoted to Supvr over our unit (we were all agents who were authorized to do all these things), she was an underwriter.  We often talked and she was basically a friend.  Very nice and all that.  I'd go over to underwriting sometimes with a question because she was a long-experienced underwriter.

Anyway, (sorry so long) at some point in my last few years or less she got promoted as one of the supervisors of our unit and she REALLY changed.  That sort of thing is always a shame.

I was even halfway to my CPCU (a degree like a Masters in insurance) and made great money, had awesome bennies, the whole deal.  But the morale in that place (humongous office that took up a whole floor of a large building, plus another floor downstairs for the mail room and such) was just so horrible.  They not only treated their insureds like garbage, they treated their employees like garbage.

By the time I gave my notice it was literally killing me.  I would be so sick all day Sunday at the notion of having to go back on Monday.  Funny thing - when I gave my notice I got a bunch of 'congratulations' cards from others there.  Many of us had been there for all those same years.

Too bad that company is so horrible because, had I been able to stay, I would have had an amazing retirement.  I took out my 401K and converted it to an IRA and a couple of years ago they sent me a letter about my 'retirement' fund.  Now, having been there less than 10 years, it wasn't all that much and only would have been a couple hundred a month but I had the option to either take the cash now (stupid idea), wait until retirement age and take that little bit a month, or take about $35,000 and roll it into my  IRA, so I did the last one.  I figured it would make me more money in the interim although now - who knows.      For the last several years  I had high hopes for our investments, as they were really doing great again.

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@chickenbutt

Oh man, CB, don't get me started on insurance companies!!  I have been put through hell and back by my life insurance company who changed the nature of my policy when I turned 75.  I wrote to everyone, including the NJ State Insurance Commission and couldn't get anyone on my side.  I was even in touch with the national center out in California.  They were helpful to a point, but have no influence over the states.

So, believe it or not, I pay $375 per month for my policy, which started out in 1995 at $160 per month (high enough!!).  They will raise it again any day now.  I'm too tired to rant on about it right now, but I know I was ripped off and will continue to be.  It's just that I have invested so much money into it over all of these years that I can't bring myself to cancel it when I am almost 80 and not in good health.  It's for my kids.

[Nomorebirthdays]

@LilacTree. Glad you went and got checked. BTW gangrene lives in soil so maybe your kin did get it in the garden. Take care.

[LilacTree]

I am back from my Medicare Wellness Check.  I passed with flying colors on the cognitive testing, doing better than I did last year. 

My BMI is too low and I have to eat more fats to gain weight.  I also have to add some B vitamins.

My PCP was not there today (as usual).  The nurse practitioner (FNP) looked at my ankles and I do not have cellulitis.  In fact, the area looks a lot less angry since I have been using the tea tree oil which she said I can continue using.  The bruise on my other ankle is not related.  She did say I have very thin skin and will probably bruise easily (which I already knew).

She was thorough and very knowledgeable, as well as soft spoken and very nice.  I had the same FNP as last year which she remembered and I didn't!  Guess it's my weird first name.

I wish this Wellness Check could be available to ages 55 and over.  But we are less likely to get that than ever before, unfortunately.