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Medical Advice

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The Natural Way

08:47 / 27.07.02

Been feeling very strange for the last week - like I'm on adrenalin overload. I've got almost perpetual butterflies in my chest and my heartbeat and breathing go all fucked before I go to sleep (I've had this problem before now, but not as powerfully and certainly not every night/day). I often wake up after just having drifted off w/ my heart pounding like fuckery. I'm pretty sure this isn't anxiety, as I'm very familiar w/ anxiety attacks (almost a permanent condition in my late teens), and basically I'm shitting it a bit and kind of afraid to go to the Dr.

Any advice/pointers/ideas would be appreciated. (Have a Dr's appointment for Monday morning, by the way - so don't worry. I am going to go. Just wish my normal GP wasn't on his hols - he really puts me at ease...)

Thanks.

Oh, and I don't think it's nervous exhaustion either.

It's lessened slightly by eating.

10:18 / 27.07.02

Could be a number of things, Runce, from atrial fibrillation (cardiac conduction problem - your heart beating irregularly - usually temporary and readily sorted out with the right medication) to yes, anxiety presenting in a different way from your previous waking panic attacks.

Don't try to speculate too far ahead on this. Avoid coffee and Red Bull, and make sure you attend that GP appointment.

The Natural Way

11:42 / 27.07.02

Cheers.

It's very unpleasant.

11:58 / 17.06.06

..any firsthand advice for the care of animal (cat) bites?
I've got a lot of deep puncture wounds I'm keeping clean with technicare solution.
I did all this stuff

...except going to the docs.. yet.

My arm is red and swollen but not the bites themselves. The beastie has powerful jaws so I think the swelling/redness is just fom the tissue trauma. The puncture marks are scabbed over but not red.

12:14 / 17.06.06

Best wishes Runce, get well soon- I get something similar when I haven't eaten properly for a while so I sympathise. Have you tried Rescue Remedy? Great for shock symptoms, might help a little.

All Acting Regiment

12:21 / 17.06.06

Could your cat have any diseases? Tetanus etc...I think it'd be best to go to a doctor.

12:23 / 17.06.06

Runce's probably fine by now (hopefully) see posting dates, Quantum.

13:10 / 17.06.06

I exist outside of time dontcherknow. Quantum is time-dyslexic like an anti-TARDIS.
xk, have you tried Rescue Remedy..?

14:52 / 17.06.06

Hey there, xk,

I would highly recommend you make that trip to the doc.

Puncture wounds are particularly prone to infection because of how the tissue is damaged.

If you are reticent about going to the doc, watch for a sensation of heat coming from the wound and monitor the area for "streaking." If you see any streaking (red lines above and/or below the wound), get thee to a doc immediately.

Best wishes on healing.

00:13 / 18.06.06

Legba, inside cat with up to date shots. I'm more worried about the evil floating through my house, old shack might have tetanus.

Quantum, that's an excellent idea. Was hoping to find a homopathetic anti inflammatory so a trip to the hippy mart is in order.

RetroChrome, the wounds look clean with no streaking but the arm is ridiculously swollen. Advil knocked some of the swelling down. The underside of the arm is all blushed red. Looks like an allergic reaction, I'm told it could be a reaction to the cat's saliva....

I just don't want to take antibiotics if I don't have to. They make my gut ailments act up for months. But that's still a better option than no arm!

Thank you for the advice and positive thoughts. Sounds like I better suck it up and go to the doctors for at least a tetanus shot. Thank ya!

00:30 / 18.06.06

xk... I wonder if you're allergic to cats? Often when people have a pet allergy it's the saliva they're allergic to. When I had a prick test for allergies, the cat prick made my arm swell, itch, and hurt like mad.

00:45 / 18.06.06

never had an allergic reaction to my catsons before...maybe?
My biochemist sibling says it is the protein in the saliva.("Am I being digested?" I asked. "Yes." She said laughing.)
I think perhaps the 20lbs of cat hanging off my arm via his fangs might have bruised mine tissue. I'd post pictures for you but it is uber teh gross. Himself's paws are fine though so we're saved from double invalids in the house.

Bard: One-Man Humaton Hoedown

03:44 / 18.06.06

I wouldn't be surprised if bruising was involved in the swelling. 20lbs of anything hanging onto your arm via multiple puncture wounds (especially in a very limited area of effect) cannot be good for the afflicted areas.

04:10 / 18.06.06

xk:

Perhaps colloidal silver and/or garlic taken internally as both have antibiotic properties would sit better than conventional meds.

Oh, one thing I thought was odd about the link you posted with the suggestions for treating a bite was the part about elevating the wound above the heart.

The fuh?

That would make sense if it was an injury like a sprain, but not if there's been a foreign body/substance introduced into your system.

BTW, I'm just weird enough to be curious about those photos...

07:16 / 18.06.06

Good grief, colloidal silver? Do you know any evidence of a single genuine health benefit beyond placebo to offset the hideous danger of turning grey? Nothing wrong with a good placebo, I'm fond of many kinds of health-eliciting trickery myself, but I usually go for something without known rubbish side-effects.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

08:56 / 18.06.06

Re: Colloidal silver--what Saturn's nod said, essentially. The stuff is worthless and does nothing (other than turn your skin a scary grey colour, forever. Great if you want to look like a zombie, rubbish for anything else). Garlic is the biz for taking care of infections.

Elevating the limb above the heart slows the blood flow to the affected site, hence slowing bleeding and also slowing the spread of any infection. Blatantly.

11:12 / 18.06.06

xk- more hippy remedies I swear by, Arnica is fantastic for bruising and swelling (cream is best in this case) and Aloe Vera is great to help the wounds and reduce infection, it's like nature's synthiskin.
Colloidal silver? WTF?

12:57 / 18.06.06

Thank ye all, I really appreciate your suggestions with this. I know a lot of people go directly to the docs but I dread their quick antibiotic treatments.
However if anyone else gets a cat bite and doesn't have issues with antibiotics my research and current experience indicate you should immediately seek medical help. I was able to irragate the wounds really quickly and it is still heinous.

here's a great article on what the evil in a cat bite is

Upon waking I soaked my arm in hot water and anti-everything soap, then again in hot sea salt mixture.
Sadly I'm having to admit there is some minor infection happening. I busted out a sterile scalpel and re opened the bites shallowly to drain them after soaking. Not a lot came out, but enough. The hot soak seemed to be a major smart move. I've been reading up online and the hot salt water soak appears to be the most effective to draw out the evil.

I ate a giant spoonful of propolis/honey and sucked down some ginger and elderberry tea. I'm going to get some garlic. Probably go with the goldenseal/echinecea tincture to kick my immune system up.
GO IMMUNE SYSTEM!GO!

Quantum I've been told to avoid arnica when scrapes/puntures are involved. That it was best for bruises. Is this not true? I have used it for bruises in the past and been very happy with it.

Chamomile seems to be the suggestion for a hot compress for swelling. Anyone used it for this before?

Thank ya for your help!

14:20 / 18.06.06

avoid arnica when scrapes/puntures are involved.

Sorry, that's right- I should have been more specific, it's for the bruising. Aloe Vera will do the trick though and it's dead gentle and naturaly antiseptic IIRC.

16:46 / 18.06.06

Wow. Never heard of people turning *grey* with colloidal silver. Always worked well for me in beating down the sick. Don't think I turned grey, but then again wasn't watching for that particular side effect. Good to know for the future.

Just throwing out what has worked for me here, folks, and what I've seen work for others, but I certainly don't claim to be an expert.

Carry on...

17:09 / 18.06.06

Retro, glad you're learning something from this too!

Quantum, do you just slather the aloe vera on or do you drink it?

I'm about to try a chamomile (german) compress. I had the arm 'looked at' by a friend who is an infection expert. She tells me the puntures do not look infected but the swelling looks lke an allergic response. I'm still going to treat it like it is infected to be on the safe side. Have to go back to the hippy mart as I spaced the rescue remedy and to pick up aloe vera. I got side tracked with vit C and bromelain.
(I wish they had fresh pineapple instead, I'm not normally allowed to eat it and so welcome the excuse!)

I should have pics up soon for the morbidly curious.

17:40 / 18.06.06

What's your beef with doctors, xk? They're not out to murder you.

Usually.

17:57 / 18.06.06

they are very quick on the antibiotics for this sort of thing. It is standard animal bite procedure.

Antibiotics play havoc with my intestines and usually result in three to four months of chronic devil poo and other assorted evils. I'm a walking candida target.

I'm on a super restricted diet that is doing very well and living an otherwise normal life. I'm afraid a dose of antibiotics will result in all my hard work establishing a good gut environment to go up in a puff of smoke.

I like the whitecoats for everything but the fast draw antibiotics. I have reason to suspect being given them too often as a child (for strep) contributed heavily to the slippery slope of ill gut health.

docs = good
umbrella antibiotics = bad

18:33 / 18.06.06

Screw the hippie remedies. See a doctor by Monday.

Better safe than sorry. And better a doctor than an irremediable injury.

18:57 / 18.06.06

Sage advice.
Better to have an unhappy gut than not to have an arm.

I will make an appointment so as not to be a big jerk and waste everyone's good advice by kicking the bucket.

Thank ya!

19:31 / 18.06.06

Yeah and you can always ask Dr. Shipman for anti-biotic alternatives, I'm sure, more so if you've got a history of having not-so-good reactions.

And, yes, Umbrella anti-biotics are very bad. Especially for your complexion.

19:43 / 18.06.06

This Dr. Shipman?

I called the holistic medical center that never has open appointments and left a long rambling account of my woes. Hopefully to keep me from repeatedly calling back they will call me in the AM.

Or yes I will end up at a Dr. Shipman's eyeing the proffered 'script with much fear.

01:02 / 19.06.06

chronic devil poo

Ah, yes, the type where you need a seatbelt with the toilet.

Thanks, all, for correcting me (no sarcasm).

Chamomile

xk: I found chamomile to be very helpful once. I got a surface piercing over my sternum and it became very angry with me. A wonderful goddess piercist told me to make a mixture of sea salt and hot water and to let the teabag steep (in the salt and water mixture) for a while, then apply them to each piercing site.

Worked like a charm.

But, still, in your case, I vote for the whitecoats if you've got infection setting up house in your mortal envelope.

13:30 / 19.06.06

slather the aloe vera on it's great. You can buy the gel stuff but really it's best to get a bit of the plant (the plants are cheap succulents and dead easy to grow) and squish the jelly out of it and wipe it on the area. It comes out of the plant as they sell it pretty much (except without preservatives of course) and it's excellent for sunburn, dry skin, burns, bites, grazes, scalds, eczema (I think,) rashes, acne, putting on after shaving etc ad infinitum. IMHO either Tea Tree or Aloe Vera will cover most skin complaints.
Definitely go to the doc though, and just tell them you don't want broad spectrum antibiotics.

14:52 / 19.06.06

yeah the chamomile worked sweet on the swelling. Me love my piercer, she came over and checked me for infection and than drove me around to the hippy mart.

I have an aloe plant but I always feel so guilty pulling its bits off....

I called around and it seems I have to go to the ER to get my tetanus shot which frankly I find ridiculous. True it is my fault as I had not made the 3 month in advance appointment with one of the in town doctors offices for new patients.
Going to the ER with puncture wounds feels a lot like taking a hungry 5 year old to a candy store. I dread the germies that are there.

today the arm is showing yellow bruising and a bit less swelling. The blushed areas seem to be in relation to how I hold it and where the swelling is. So areas that were blushed yesterday are not today (I'm at work sitting up not lounging on da couch).

Overall it seems much better. Yay for hot soaks!

13:09 / 20.06.06

the real medical update for those who have given me sage advice on the evil cat bites....

Arm is infected. Not the punctures, the nasty germies went into the blood stream/skin and the skin of the arm is infected. Cellulitis (sp?).
The nice whitecoats patted me on the head for my efforts, hooked me up to an IV of clindamycin, gave me xrays for possible lodged cat teeth, hot compresses, tetanus shot, some oral antibiotics/antiparasitics, an IV plug so I can come back tonight for more IV goodness, and a fashionable sling. Must have looked worse than it feels because they dosed me with pain killers ans gave me a 'script for more...Oh and two days not allowed to work. Just in time for solstice and new mafia thread! WOO!

I asked what happened in the old days and they said amputation. Oddly, I don't think they were joking....possible death from cat bite?

Anyhow I now get to answer people's "whathappenedtoyou"s with a haunted look and the softly muttered "Ice weasels...they come at night...oh god.."

Don't be a macho fuck-tart like myself, take thine ass to the ER.

Thanks for all your help!

14:53 / 20.06.06

Glad to hear it.

Cat bites can be super-nasty (even fatal), and good ol' western allopathic medicine is just the thing for them.

And now you've got a great story, a cool new scar, and a bit of cat DNA swirling through your system.

15:18 / 20.06.06

xk:

Thanks for the update. Was wondering how you were doing and what the ER trip would bring about. It sounds like you went right on the cusp of having some sort of transformation into half-ice weasel/half-human.

Geez. Amputation.

15:47 / 20.06.06

thanks for the concern!

Retro here are some links to the pics of my arm taken on day 3.
Note that on the comparison shot of my two forearms the red lines on the injured arm are actually new scarification marks. The big red dots are more fang marks however.

deep punctures on one side
Swollen left arm (on right side of image) normal non sausage right arm (on left of image)

there was a good shot of the multiple teeth marks lined up in a crescent on the other side of the arm someplace....

16:03 / 20.06.06

the pretty crescent

I think you can see the gross red swelling better in this one too.

Enjoy!

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