The Medical Thread

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

@ Genji @ Ledgem
Yep, it turns out I have GERD. Nothing too serious, more like the early stages of it. I was placed on Protonix (PPI) and have to follow a GERD diet for about a month. No citrus acids... in addition to no greasy foods, avoid beef, avoid acidy/spicy foods/drinks, and worst of all, no coffee (right when I started my 2nd semester of nursing school Q_Q) and alcohol (which I rarely drink anyway).

The good thing my doctor pointed out was that I would probably lose at least 5 lbs just for following a GERD diet (which mainly involves avoiding citrus acid-containing drinks especially since I'm a soda drinker xP)

Additional advice. Don't lie down immediately after eating. I mean, make a good time frame before lying. If I'm not mistaken, I bet it's 2 hrs, because it will take about two hours for your food to be fully digested. Just another advice though. GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

@ Genji @ Ledgem
Yep, it turns out I have GERD. Nothing too serious, more like the early stages of it. I was placed on Protonix (PPI) and have to follow a GERD diet for about a month.

I'm a bit surprised that they placed you on Protonix (pantoprazole) as a first-line. That's a "big gun" medication, one of the best (arguably the best) proton pump inhibitors that we have available. Unless they scoped you and found clear evidence, GERD is still just a theory. Starting you on anti-reflux medications and having you modify your diet would be a way to simultaneously confirm and treat the diagnosis.

Hopefully that will work for you. As for coffee, it's overrated... just get enough sleep each night. Coffee doesn't wake me up, it just makes me urinate a lot; as a result, I've been forced to do without it. Despite that, I still outdo many of my coffee-toting peers for energy and endurance. You don't need it.

[Pink Cow]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

Goddammit it's been almost a week since my physician license exam and the results aren't even out yet amf.

Congratulations on passing! XD

It'll be my turn next August. >.< I'm starting to feel the pressure now. Ugh,

[AnimeFan188]

Promising New Tactic Found in Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease:

"Reporting in the journal Neuron, Dr. Stephen Strittmatter, professor of neurology at
Yale University School of Medicine, describes a missing link in the Alzheimer’s disease
process that could lead the way to new drug-based treatments."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/promising-tact...094503523.html

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

Promising New Tactic Found in Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease:

"Reporting in the journal Neuron, Dr. Stephen Strittmatter, professor of neurology at
Yale University School of Medicine, describes a missing link in the Alzheimer’s disease
process that could lead the way to new drug-based treatments."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/promising-tact...094503523.html

That's great and really promising. I hope they could find ways on how to settle this things up as it's really pitiful to see our grannies suffering from this disease. Anyway, hopefully with cancer as well.

[MrTerrorist]

RIP Stephen Crohn, 'The Man Who Can't Catch AIDS'

Stephen Crohn, who carried a genetic defect in his white blood cells that made him resistant to AIDS, died late last month, the New York Times reports. He was 66.

What a loss. Condolences to his family.

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

RIP Stephen Crohn, 'The Man Who Can't Catch AIDS'



What a loss. Condolences to his family.

Oh damn why? Why did he commit suicide?! He's/she's one of a kind! What about his genetic codes? Have they studied it enough for a reference on discovering the cure for aids?

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by SummeryDreams

Oh damn why? What about his genetic codes? Have they study it enough for a reference on discovering the cure for aids?

I think he is one of the rare blood disorder in which his blood component doesn't have any T cells which is HIV's target cells. I think draining his blood (joke) wouldn't help unless we make a medicine from it that will kill all our T cells.

I have no idea why Crohn committed suicide, as his sister reports.

WTF? Just when a lot of HIV patients are wishing and hoping to live longer, he chose the opposite?

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by NoemiChan

I think he is one of the rare blood disorder in which his blood component doesn't have any T cells which is HIV's target cells. I think draining his blood (joke) wouldn't help unless we make a medicine from it that will kill all our T cells.



WTF? Just when a lot of HIV patients are wishing and hoping to live longer, he chose the opposite?

Yea, that's the point. He didn't even wait for the scientist to found some good stuffs out of his genetics that will solve the mystery behind this incurable disease. Whatever his reason is, I guess he still don't have the rights to kill himself, not because the whole humanity needs him, but because we all have the reason to live no matter what the consequences is, and of course, we should have faith in God that no matter what sh*ts we are into, someday he will provide us rest and ups in life as well. tsk.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by NoemiChan

I think he is one of the rare blood disorder in which his blood component doesn't have any T cells which is HIV's target cells.

No, he would have major problems if that were the case (he'd essentially be an end-stage AIDS patient).

As far as I'm aware, Crohn (and a few others) had a mutation affecting the expression of CCR5, which is used in cell signaling and trafficking. HIV uses the receptor to gain entry into cells. We have anti-HIV drugs that work by blocking the virus' binding to CCR5, however there are strains of HIV that use another receptor (CXCR4) to gain entry into cells. Obviously, the CCR5-blocking drugs are ineffective against those strains, although at the moment those strains seem to be in the minority.

[NoemiChan]

I might have mistaken him for another patient... hehehe

[barcode120x]

Originally Posted by SummeryDreams

Additional advice. Don't lie down immediately after eating. I mean, make a good time frame before lying. If I'm not mistaken, I bet it's 2 hrs, because it will take about two hours for your food to be fully digested. Just another advice though. GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease.

I learned the hard way

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I'm a bit surprised that they placed you on Protonix (pantoprazole) as a first-line. That's a "big gun" medication, one of the best (arguably the best) proton pump inhibitors that we have available. Unless they scoped you and found clear evidence, GERD is still just a theory. Starting you on anti-reflux medications and having you modify your diet would be a way to simultaneously confirm and treat the diagnosis.

Hopefully that will work for you. As for coffee, it's overrated... just get enough sleep each night. Coffee doesn't wake me up, it just makes me urinate a lot; as a result, I've been forced to do without it. Despite that, I still outdo many of my coffee-toting peers for energy and endurance. You don't need it.

Yup. My doctor didn't want me to start off on a low medication or do some extra tests to 100% diagnose as it would cost a lot of money. She figured to start me off strong I guess, and if it works, keep it up and then lower it with a modified diet.

It's been about 3 weeks, going to 4 weeks since I've been on Protonix with a slightly modified diet. It's helped out a LOT with the nausea and bloated feeling. First 2 weeks was totally rough. I actually avoided fast food and greasy food, AND SODA, something which is nearly impossible in my household/culture haha, but I really wanted to get better. I mainly stuck to the basics of food really, light cereal for breakfast, PBJ for lunch, and broiled chicken and veggies for dinner or soup for dinner with fruits as snack. Super tough the first 2 weeks, but in the nauseated/bloated feeling went away a good amount of the time. After that, I started to slowly ease back into "regular" diet, but now I definitely still do not eat hardcore like I used too.

The good thing is I lost about 3lbs since I started, doesn't seem much but I can kind of tell on my face/stomach. I definitely cannot eat as much as before, even if I want to, I can't simply because I feel full which is kind of good I guess haha; helps me cut back on eating. I still get the nauseated feeling, especially very early in the morning since I have to wake up around 5am for school. That's when the nauseated feeling is the worse, but as long as I'm chewing something the first couple hours of the morning (like gum), I'll be fine throughout the day. I also have to watch out when I eat out with friends since sometimes certain things just irritate my stomach and I can't finish eating (like ranch dressing...but I did eat a lot of it this one time haha)

[AnimeFan188]

Why We Need to Think Differently About Our Genomes:

"In a wonderful feature for the New York Times, Carl Zimmer explains that scientists
across the world are discovering that many of us contain more than one genome. Now
that genome sequencing is much cheaper—thousands of dollars as opposed to
millions—researchers are noticing that chimeras are far more common than they
thought. Some of us have mutated cells within isolated parts of our bodies, for
instance, while other are riddled with genomes that came from other people."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/why-we-need-to-th...mes-1354749647

[AnimeFan188]

Scientists Create a Blueprint For the First Universal Flu Vaccine:

"A team of British scientists just took a major stride forward in the quest to develop a
universal flu vaccine. Using data gathered after the 2009 swine flu outbreak, the team
from the Imperial College London have a game plan to develop a vaccine that stands
to save as many as half a million lives every year.

The key to the latest flu research can be found in immune cells known as CD8 T cells.
Research showed those of the 341 subjects in the swine flu study, those who had
more CD8 T cells in their blood experienced less severe symptoms or no symptoms at
all. A new vaccine would simply instruct the body to produce more of these types of
cells."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/scientists-have-f...ive-1370978469

[AnimeFan188]

Dentists May Start Covering Teeth in Growth-Stimulating Diamond Dust:

"Looks like there's a new candidate for most awesome supermaterial in town. Dentists
may soon start fighting bone loss by covering our teeth in itty bitty nanodiamonds,
making repairing teeth quicker, cheaper, and much less painful."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/dentists-may-star...ing-1370861423

[MrTerrorist]

Doctors have vacuumed a 2-foot blood clot out of a patient's heart

Not for those who just ate.

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Doctors have vacuumed a 2-foot blood clot out of a patient's heart

Not for those who just ate.

There was an important typographical error in that article, I believe it's anesthesia. Anyway, the procedure wasn't new but the blood clot in terms of how big it is is amazingly something I've heard for the first time.

[AnimeFan188]

The breast cancer shot? Cleveland doctor develops a vaccine:

"Vincent Tuohy, an immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic, has a vaccine. But even now,
three years later, there remains a big catch: It’s so far been tested only on mice, and it
isn't likely to be available to women for another 10 years. And that’s only if it passes a
rigorous Food and Drug Administration approval process."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/the-breast-can...113000843.html

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

The breast cancer shot? Cleveland doctor develops a vaccine:

"Vincent Tuohy, an immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic, has a vaccine. But even now,
three years later, there remains a big catch: It’s so far been tested only on mice, and it
isn't likely to be available to women for another 10 years. And that’s only if it passes a
rigorous Food and Drug Administration approval process."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/the-breast-can...113000843.html

But that doesn't stop it from sagging, does it?

I am glad that the girls I love are usually flat!

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

The breast cancer shot? Cleveland doctor develops a vaccine:

"Vincent Tuohy, an immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic, has a vaccine. But even now,
three years later, there remains a big catch: It’s so far been tested only on mice, and it
isn't likely to be available to women for another 10 years. And that’s only if it passes a
rigorous Food and Drug Administration approval process."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/the-breast-can...113000843.html

I hope it cheap.