If you dont see future posts from me...

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, I tried calling my primary doc at 9:02AM, but they don't answer their direct number until 9:30AM, apparently.

So I went outside, and took a walk around the parking lot. Although, I've had a few Mt. Dew White/Black/Green Label drinks in the mornings to wake me up. Stopped drinking (well, except for like one, maybe two swigs, to empty a bottle) Mt. Dew proper.

Dafuq?

Nutritionally, those are the same thing. Sugar water. Stop it. This "well, it was just one... or a few... to wake up in the morning, because I need it" bullshit is what alcoholics do.

And they don't even have that much caffeine in them. (A single can has half as much as an 8oz. cup of strong coffee.) Drink 4-6 oz. of coffee or 8-12 oz. of "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" and you'll be as awake as you've ever been.

Disclaimer: I can neither confirm nor deny claims that I drank a full 2-liter pot of coffee yesterday. I'm behind Teddy Roosevelt, though. The fact that it contained approximately 5 calories and cost me about $0.50 is a bonus.

It is completely acceptable to replace one addiction with another, if the new one is less likely to kill you.

Found out that the heart condition that my mother heard about from my last hospital stay, was in actuality not a diagnosed condition at all, but only something that the doctor offered as a possible explanation for the symptoms my mother described. Meaning, that I may not have it at all. I try to tell my mother that "facts are important", but she seems to navigate by "the feels". And if it "feels" to her like I have a condition, then I have a condition, regardless of whether I've actually been diagnosed by a medical professional or not. Because my mother "feels" like a medical professional, "because she's read books". (Not to mention, "statements by doctors", over the internet (internet ads), pushing their own brand of supplement, that she takes as gospel, "because they're doctors". Yeah, Doctors used to recommend smoking, too. Follow the money, mom, don't be stupid by "feels".)

Good. Then you know to ignore your mother and not share information with her re: your health. She's obviously not equipped.

Edit: Yeah, ate a second salad last night too. Tasted really good. I need to pick up a few more, either at the new local grocery store, or the convenience store I go to.

What kind of salad? Was it mostly green things? Or was it a "midwestern" salad that's mostly pasta and ranch dressing?

There's nothing as distinctly American as ruining a perfectly good 400 calories worth of leafy vegetables, fruit, and nuts by putting another 400 calories of cheese and whipped grease on top.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Good. Then you know to ignore your mother and not share information with her re: your health. She's obviously not equipped.

That doesn't stop her. I found out that she called the hospital, and had them fax over my medical records from my hospital stay, to a cardiologist she wants me to go to. I did not authorize any of that. Possibly HIPPA violation / lawsuit time?

What kind of salad? Was it mostly green things?

Yes.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

That doesn't stop her. I found out that she called the hospital, and had them fax over my medical records from my hospital stay, to a cardiologist she wants me to go to. I did not authorize any of that. Possibly HIPPA violation / lawsuit time?

Calling on your behalf to make sure your records are transferred from one provider to another is legit, since the only people with the information are doctors and are therefore covered by HIPPA. IIRC, though, she can only get your records released to her if she has a Power of Attorney or something.

Does she have one of those?

 

[VirtualLarry]

she can only get your records released to her if she has a Power of Attorney or something.

Does she have one of those?

Thank God NO.

 

[BoomerD]

Presuming you're over 18...(if you're not, you were pretty young when you joined here 16 years ago) then there's no reason your doctor should be telling her ANYTHING...(but it MIGHT be legal for them to do so)

 

[AdamK47]

Eating healthy foods while being physically fit is the best way to stay awake in the morning.

Just here to state the obvious.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Ok, well, I saw my primary care doctor today, after getting some labs done yesterday.

Labs are pretty-much normal, Glucose was 97, supposed to be under 100, that's OK.

Liver and Cholesterol OK, "good" cholesterol slightly low, need more exercise, need to lose weight.

So, I had two salads the last few days, have another one in the fridge, just took another walk around the parking lot, back is killing me after that, have to get in and sit down on my nice comfy computer chair(s).

Doctor thought that sleep apnea could be an issue, definitely, so I'm going to make an appt. with a specialist to check that out. Have another family member with it.

So, I'm doing quite a bit better, stopped drinking Mt. Dew for like a week, but I had 1L today, to help me stay awake until the evening, to get more normal sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, if that.

Had like seven "Rip It" energy drinks, well, six yesterday, and one today.

Haven't had sudden napping happen to me lately.

Going to try to get more normal rest / sleep, cut down the caffeine (Stick with pretty-much Tea only, and some Zevia Cola, which does have some caffeine).

Thanks for caring, everyone.

 

[Thebobo]

Good news, cause I might needs some help in the future

 

[lxskllr]

Sounds pretty good Larry, all things considered. If you're mainly drinking sugar bombs for the energy, and don't like coffee, you might want to consider NoDoz, or something similar. If you go that route, be careful. More isn't better, and you can certainly OD on caffeine.

 

[Rifter]

Ok, well, I saw my primary care doctor today, after getting some labs done yesterday.

Labs are pretty-much normal, Glucose was 97, supposed to be under 100, that's OK.

Liver and Cholesterol OK, "good" cholesterol slightly low, need more exercise, need to lose weight.

So, I had two salads the last few days, have another one in the fridge, just took another walk around the parking lot, back is killing me after that, have to get in and sit down on my nice comfy computer chair(s).

Doctor thought that sleep apnea could be an issue, definitely, so I'm going to make an appt. with a specialist to check that out. Have another family member with it.

So, I'm doing quite a bit better, stopped drinking Mt. Dew for like a week, but I had 1L today, to help me stay awake until the evening, to get more normal sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, if that.

Had like seven "Rip It" energy drinks, well, six yesterday, and one today.

Haven't had sudden napping happen to me lately.

Going to try to get more normal rest / sleep, cut down the caffeine (Stick with pretty-much Tea only, and some Zevia Cola, which does have some caffeine).

Thanks for caring, everyone.

Good stuff.

 

[Sonikku]

Best news I've heard all day!

 

[UDT89]

I just read this whole thread. Lay off the "caffeine blends". It does strange things.

I've been drinking Monster since it first came out in 2002-2003ish. 14 years later I still drink the sugar free version but drinking more than two in a day messes with your blood pressure. Big spikes and big lows. I'm fortunate enough to get my BP checked at work. 30 min after you drink an energy drink your BP is scary high. Seeing it definitely helped my crusade to start switching to coffee or only one energy drink a day.

Once you stop the sugar work on the caffeine.

 

[esquared]

So, I'm doing quite a bit better, stopped drinking Mt. Dew for like a week, but I had 1L today, to help me stay awake until the evening, to get more normal sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, if that.

.

If you feel you need to drink Mt. Dew, drink the sugar free version.

 

[interchange]

That doesn't stop her. I found out that she called the hospital, and had them fax over my medical records from my hospital stay, to a cardiologist she wants me to go to. I did not authorize any of that. Possibly HIPPA violation / lawsuit time?

HIPAA (not HIPPA) is a federal standard which allows exchange of information between providers for the purposes of care of a patient restricting only HIV status and psychotherapy notes. There is a separate federal statute which places some privacy protection on substance abuse treatment. States will, however, have statues which are stricter than HIPAA and thus it would be hard to know if there were a violation of a state statute here. I'm also not sure how things change since you were not already an established patient with the cardiologist. Additionally, your mother could call and make this request and share information, and they could listen and choose to facilitate a transfer of information, but if they shared protected health information with her without your consent then this would be a problem.

So you might have a case for some minor violation and could report it and they might incur a fine.

A lawsuit for malpractice? Funny. What were the damages that you incurred?

Separately, I'm glad you got yourself under the care of a physician. Hopefully they identify any relevant problems and help you out.

 

[Crono]

Energy drinks will heavily screw with your digestive system and interfere with your sleep. 7 Rip-Its a day is nuts. I used to drink 1 or 2 of those (or Monster, or other energy drinks) a day. I occasionally still do drink energy drinks, but usually only the sugar free variants, and nowadays only about once a month.

 

[slayer202]

it sounds like a miracle that your glucose levels are normal but don't use that as an excuse to go back to old habits

 

[MrRamon]

Ok, well, I saw my primary care doctor today, after getting some labs done yesterday.

Labs are pretty-much normal, Glucose was 97, supposed to be under 100, that's OK.

Liver and Cholesterol OK, "good" cholesterol slightly low, need more exercise, need to lose weight.

So, I had two salads the last few days, have another one in the fridge, just took another walk around the parking lot, back is killing me after that, have to get in and sit down on my nice comfy computer chair(s).

Doctor thought that sleep apnea could be an issue, definitely, so I'm going to make an appt. with a specialist to check that out. Have another family member with it.

So, I'm doing quite a bit better, stopped drinking Mt. Dew for like a week, but I had 1L today, to help me stay awake until the evening, to get more normal sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, if that.

Had like seven "Rip It" energy drinks, well, six yesterday, and one today.

Haven't had sudden napping happen to me lately.

Going to try to get more normal rest / sleep, cut down the caffeine (Stick with pretty-much Tea only, and some Zevia Cola, which does have some caffeine).

Thanks for caring, everyone.

Stop drinking that crap.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Ok, well, I saw my primary care doctor today, after getting some labs done yesterday.

Labs are pretty-much normal, Glucose was 97, supposed to be under 100, that's OK.

Liver and Cholesterol OK, "good" cholesterol slightly low, need more exercise, need to lose weight.

So, I had two salads the last few days, have another one in the fridge, just took another walk around the parking lot, back is killing me after that, have to get in and sit down on my nice comfy computer chair(s).

Doctor thought that sleep apnea could be an issue, definitely, so I'm going to make an appt. with a specialist to check that out. Have another family member with it.

So, I'm doing quite a bit better, stopped drinking Mt. Dew for like a week, but I had 1L today, to help me stay awake until the evening, to get more normal sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, if that.

Had like seven "Rip It" energy drinks, well, six yesterday, and one today.

Haven't had sudden napping happen to me lately.

Going to try to get more normal rest / sleep, cut down the caffeine (Stick with pretty-much Tea only, and some Zevia Cola, which does have some caffeine).

Thanks for caring, everyone.

Glad you're getting this looked into and working to change.

I will echo others, you need to cut out the energy drinks. Isn't there some evidence that they can actually give you heart rhythm issues? I didn't read the whole thread, but if you were drinking energy drinks, that might have played a role in whatever heart thing was being discussed.

Also, drinking them to try and regulate sleep is a terrible idea. Is there any reason you need to be awake in the evening? Sleep or lack thereof is a big health issue, and your body is pretty good about regulating itself in that regard. So just go sleep. You'll probably be surprised and find you'll sleep and wake up at typical time. You might wake up, but stay away from stimulants (including getting on your computer), drink some water, and then go lay back down and you'll probably fall asleep again, and then the next day you should have more energy, and then get some exercise in the evening and get to bed at a good time.

Keep it up Larry, you will start to feel better, and it will get easier. It is easy to backslide though, but don't beat yourself up if you slip up now and then, just try to keep moving overall in a positive direction.

 

[nurturedhate]

HIPAA (not HIPPA) is a federal standard which allows exchange of information between providers for the purposes of care of a patient restricting only HIV status and psychotherapy notes. There is a separate federal statute which places some privacy protection on substance abuse treatment. States will, however, have statues which are stricter than HIPAA and thus it would be hard to know if there were a violation of a state statute here. I'm also not sure how things change since you were not already an established patient with the cardiologist. Additionally, your mother could call and make this request and share information, and they could listen and choose to facilitate a transfer of information, but if they shared protected health information with her without your consent then this would be a problem.

So you might have a case for some minor violation and could report it and they might incur a fine.

A lawsuit for malpractice? Funny. What were the damages that you incurred?

Separately, I'm glad you got yourself under the care of a physician. Hopefully they identify any relevant problems and help you out.

Just want to correct this - HIPAA covers FAR more than HIV and psychotherapy. I worked in this field for 15 years, also goggle is your friend.

What Information Is Protected

• Information your doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in your medical record
• Conversations your doctor has about your care or treatment with nurses and others
• Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system
• Billing information about you at your clinic
• Most other health information about you held by those who must follow these laws

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html

This part "Additionally, your mother could call and make this request and share information, and they could listen and choose to facilitate a transfer of information, but if they shared protected health information with her without your consent then this would be a problem." is correct.

 

[NTMBK]

Sounds like you're on the right track Larry. Really glad to hear it.

I'd definitely try to kick all the sugary/energy drinks though. They have 20 different brands of the same poison. They brand some of it as "low sugar", or "lite", but they're still absolutely terrible for your health.

If you're still struggling with a regular sleep pattern, there's one thing I would recommend- sunlight! If the weather is decent in your neck of the wood right now, I would break out the sun lounger and a good book. Try to spend a few hours in your day just sitting outside, in the sun, reading a book (and drinking plenty of water!). Sunlight is the best cure I know of for a busted body clock. Let your body feel the sun's heat during the daytime, and don't stare at illuminated screens too late in the evening (no AT forums in bed!), and your body will start to figure out when it's meant to be awake and when it's meant to be asleep.

Keep us updated Larry!

 

[interchange]

Just want to correct this - HIPAA covers FAR more than HIV and psychotherapy. I worked in this field for 15 years, also goggle is your friend.

What Information Is Protected

• Information your doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in your medical record
• Conversations your doctor has about your care or treatment with nurses and others
• Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system
• Billing information about you at your clinic
• Most other health information about you held by those who must follow these laws

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html

This part "Additionally, your mother could call and make this request and share information, and they could listen and choose to facilitate a transfer of information, but if they shared protected health information with her without your consent then this would be a problem." is correct.

Sorry if my post was misleading. In no way was I trying to say that HIPAA only covers HIV and psychotherapy. None of the above protected health information could be shared without consent to his mother, for instance, or among healthcare providers if it wasn't for purposes of the patient care.

HIPAA, however, offers stronger protection for psychotherapy notes. Apparently with google's aid I was mistaken about stronger HIV protections. That might be a separate federal statute or a state one that applies to me that I had thought was part of HIPAA.

 

[VirtualLarry]

it sounds like a miracle that your glucose levels are normal but don't use that as an excuse to go back to old habits

Well, those were "fasting" levels. But I'm thankful they were normal.

 

[Shmee]

Wow I just came across this. Glad to hear you're ok. Someone needs to buy Celerons and Pentiums after all

 

[highland145]

Wow I just came across this. Glad to hear you're ok. Someone needs to buy Celerons and Pentiums after all

Shmee Moderator <BR> Memory and Storage <BR> Video Cards

Who are you?

Pics of s.o.

Please excuse zinfamous for his outbursts. He's a researcher/science/rat molester/ type.

Thanks,
RSW

 

[Crono]

Shmee Moderator <BR> Memory and Storage <BR> Video Cards

Who are you?

Oh, wait, that's Smee.