Bad Medicine

Scott Hardie | October 20, 2004
Have you ever taken medicine, had surgery, or done something else for your health that wound up doing considerably more harm than good? Was it worth it?

(This is not inspired by the flu shot discussion, believe it or not.)

Kris Weberg | October 20, 2004
I found out the hard way that I'm allergic to erythromycin when it was prescribed to me for a sinus infection. The following three days of severe intestinal and stomach cramps, coupled with nausea and dehydration, were even less fun than the earache.

Lori Lancaster | October 20, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | October 20, 2004
Shudder. I couldn't get an epidural. I mean, I'd want pain meds, but I don't think I could deal with that procedure, it gives me the creeps.

I did an over-the-counter yeast infection treatment once that hurt more than having the damn yeast infection. The doctor then gave me stuff that worked while I was using it then stopped when I stopped (It was a three day course of medicine). Finally, out of desperation, I bought acidophillus pills (live-culture good bacteria stuff) and they WORKED. Like a charm. Now I can actually take those if I feel a yeast infection coming on (which hasn't happened in a long while now) and it actually wards them off. Before I felt resigned to doctor trips that wouldn't do any good and cost lots of money. So yay for holistic medicine!

When I got over my sinus infection, I had an explosion of a rash all over my upper body (I think this was because of getting rid of the infection - I had the infection for 9 months or more without knowing it, and my body freaked out after it was gone). I went to the ER, and they thought it was an allergic reaction, and gave me a shot of cortisone, which helped with the itch. Later I find out that the cortisone probably aggravated the condition, which calmed down, but I still have eczema on my hands. I'm dealing with that though.

Lori Lancaster | October 20, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | October 20, 2004
I'm absolutely terrified of pregnancy and giving birth, but I want more than one kid someday so I know I'll suck it up and do it. In fact, when the time comes and we decide to have kids, I'm just going to go off birth control and get pregnant first before I worry about it. Once I'm pregnant, it'll be too late and I can just deal. =) My mom had EXTREMELY short labors for both of us girls, so I hope I take after her in that department.

I don't mind needles - the epidural goes in your back, doesn't it? I have weird medical oogies about backs and hips. For some people it's needles and eyes and etc., but for me it's backs and hips.

Lori Lancaster | October 20, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | October 20, 2004
I *think* I have O neg blood. I don't know anything about RH factors, but I've heard something about that baby blue syndrome thing.

Lori Lancaster | October 20, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | October 20, 2004
Thank goodness I don't have to worry about this stuff right now, cause I feel wholly unprepared. I WOULD however, like to get married soon, but that's up to a certain someone. =)

However much I want to have a real wedding, sometimes I just think, "Let's go to Vegas."

Amy Austin | October 20, 2004
I got married in Vegas -- my birthday is on Elvis's... how could I not?

Scott Hardie | October 21, 2004
Interesting tales of childbirth. Forgive me for thinking the typical male response to childbirth, thanking my lucky chromosomes that I never have to go through with it.

In this day and age of husbands and even other family members attending the delivery, is it wrong for a husband to want to sit out? I don't take the whole concept of pain and bodily trauma well. Even brief footage of tiny cameras inside the body makes me physically ill and faint. In my heart I'd want to support my wife during delivery in any way I could, but I wouldn't be much help by vomiting and passing out on the floor. :-(

On the original subject: I took Xenical for a few weeks to help me lose weight, and it so severely disrupted my digestive system that I could barely stand to eat for days. It has been five years now and I'm still suffering the side effects of that drug; it seems to have permanently broken something in me. If you're looking to lose weight, trying something safer like liposuction.

Amy Austin | October 21, 2004
Ha,ha,ha... that's scary, Scott. I know that a lot of those metabolism drugs are bad news.

As for the gross factor of childbirth -- I tend to agree! And I'm just wondering why more people don't adopt... but then, this is another topic that I feel passionately about. Or rather, that I have strong opinions on...

So, would you do lipo then, Scott?

Anna Gregoline | October 21, 2004
Adoption is more difficult a process than many people know about - it can take years. And it's not cheap, in many instances.

Amy Austin | October 21, 2004
I know this... I guess I should have specified the instance in which I get really hacked: people who, for whatever reason, can't seem to conceive and seek out and spend thousands upon thousands for fertility drugs/specialists and then proceed to pop out a whole unexpected litter of sub-standard babies that maybe they can't really afford in the first place and then take the charity of big baby companies for their supply of baby food or diapers or whatever, while the rest of the stiffs with fewer mouths to feed foot the bill (in the form of taxes or insurance) for their blind or otherwise handicapped babies to receive years of medical attention... instead of just spending the money to adopt healthy, but unwanted, babies in the first place... (inhale)

really piss me off.

Scott Hardie | October 21, 2004
I'm with you, Amy... I'd rather not punish an innocent child with my genes anyway, but all the same, there are far too many orphans and foster kids out there who need a stable home environment for near-infertile couples to go to extremes to conceive a child themselves. But I suppose I merely lack whatever natural resistance people have to raising somebody else's kids; I've never seriously thought about myself as a parent and so it's easy to get up on my pedestal on this one.

As for the lipo, hell no; that stuff can be deadly. You know I was just kidding, right? ;-) I have tried dozens of diets and exercise programs in my life, none of which accomplished any significant degree of success, mostly because I'm an incredibly lazy bastard. I don't like being fat, but becoming not fat is an accomplishment I can barely fathom.

Amy Austin | October 21, 2004
Well, I knew you were being flip, but that still didn't tell me if you would *really* do it... and I don't blame you one bit! Have you ever seen a cannula in action? (Well, if you did, I'm sure it wasn't for long, based on what you said about getting sick seeing cameras in the body!) UGGGH! It's absolutely horrifying! (But I'm still not sure about whether or not I'd actually do it.) I had a friend who had it done to her thighs, and right after it was done, she looked like a victim of some kind of violence!!! But... her shape *was* improved -- an otherwise attractive figure, she just wanted to rid herself of the little pockets of flesh on her pear bottom... it was a good thing.

It's a shame, really -- it seems like all the people who would make really great parents are actually smart enough to be daunted by the undertaking (no offense to the folks here who have kids!), while the ninnies of the world run around willy-nilly propagating in it!!!

The topic of fat is ripe for a whole separate post! As a "sturdy" girl, I have much to say about it myself!

Scott Hardie | October 21, 2004
You know, I had thought of starting a threat about overweight just to badmouth Xenical because it has been on my mind lately, but that turned into this more generic discussion. Let me start one very openly and we'll see where it goes. Something makes me worried that the thin people who have nothing kind to say to fat people will not be reluctant to answer.

Lori Lancaster | October 21, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | October 21, 2004
I think I would be too, Lori. My husband better be by my side during all that - I don't think I could go through it without him.

Scott Hardie | October 22, 2004
Well... How about if your husband was there to hold your hand and coax you through it verbally, but he did it wearing earplugs and averting his eyes from the gore? Cause that's about as close as I think I could get.

Anna Gregoline | October 22, 2004
I don't really think that a husband has to see much gore since he'll be at the head of the bed anyway. Holding a hand is a must though.

Lori Lancaster | October 22, 2004
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Scott Hardie | October 22, 2004
True, but here comes the cop-out: I wouldn't ask my wife to go through with that for me. I intend to adopt kids. The only way I'd have my own biological children would be if she insisted on it, to which I'd consent only if I could employ the aforementioned earplugs. ;-)