Once More The Medical Care Scores A 0

[turtlepins]

I'm pre-diabetic, overweight, and incontinent. My doctor insisted that I needed to lose weight. So I joined a gym. Within a week of exercising every day bone spurs on both heels started acting up and my back is now so out of whack I can barely turn my head. Now I can barely walk, can't stand still anywhere, and though my diet has changed dramatically I'm not losing any weight. So I went to the doctor.

Since I knew I was going to be away from a place to change diapers for at least four hours I wore two gauze prefold diapers under my bib overalls, sewn to wear with the thicker diapers. I also wore my pink plastic pants (leakmaster high-back plastic pants). It says clearly on my chart that I am incontinent. Yet every time I end up at Kaiser I see a different doctor, and every time a new doctor does the examination I have to explain. What gives?

This doctor wanted a urine sample! Good call. After explaining that I couldn't do that, and why she asked me to change into a gown so they could do an x-ray on the heels and back. Her next comment had me standing there with an open mouth. "Do you realize how dangerous wearing diapers like that is?" So I asked her to ask me how long I'd been wearing them. She did and I answered. "I'm 60, I became incontinent when I was 12, so do the math. 48 years, doc! If it was so dangerous, don't you think I would have noticed by now?" She read my chart, probably for the first time seriously, and nodded.

"Why pink?" Was the next question. I was honest. "My yellow ones are in the wash with my rhumba pants." Keeping a straight face while saying that took some effort, let me tell you! It was worth it.

So yes, my back is out of kilter, and the bone spur on my right heal looks like a shark's tooth and is very long, the one on the left heal not far behind. My question was simple. "What should I do?" Her answer was classic. "Cuss a lot." Yeesh!

[BabyFergstar]

Here's hoping you get your medical issues on the mend soon!

[square_duck]

Coming from a 'family ' that has doctors in it, this isn't surprising...and for what it's worth, I'm sorry

As far as i know your heel spurs might need surgery, but I'm not a Dr. (thankfully). You could also check with an orthopedist or a podiatrist and see what they say. Most GP's these days don't know much.

Your back....it depends on whats wrong. You might just need some stretching and massage to work out the kinks. it's acting up because it's not used to doingg what you are making it do.

I have back issues also, and I find just some stretching and sit ups help straighten things out.

Also, if you keep your wallet in yourback pocket...D*O*N'*T. I used to do that and it messed up my back...(see above) so i keep it in one of my front pockets instead, and my back is fine...*shrug*

Good luck either way...but do keep up the hard work, it is worth it, it just doesn't seem that way

[Repaid1]

I would guess, and I am just guessing that those darn heel spurs could be causing alot of your back pain as well by changing your gait and stance. I think if possible I would go for the surgery. Unfortunately you will have to crawl around like a baby for a few days, so I guess that is a plus!

[Dubious]

Thankfully, here in Norway we have the same doctor as long as we want (we can change if we dont like him/her)

So when i get an appointment i know i will get my "own" doctor and not some new random one

[Bettypooh]

Sorry you had a less than great experience turtlepins I just had to switch careers because of my back going bad, bu at least I'm still working which is a big plus I LOVE how you dealt with that woman- she had it coming and your approach was exactly what was called for- kudos!

Square Duck, in my earlier years I had "wallet sciatica" too. The one-sided thickness of your wallet causes your hips to tilt when you sit thus misaligning your back as well as creating a pressure point. I gave up the wallet and in a few days I was pain-free

Bettypooh

[gweg]

I'm pre-diabetic, overweight, and incontinent. My doctor insisted that I needed to lose weight. So I joined a gym. Within a week of exercising every day bone spurs on both heels started acting up and my back is now so out of whack I can barely turn my head. Now I can barely walk, can't stand still anywhere, and though my diet has changed dramatically I'm not losing any weight. So I went to the doctor.

Hey Turtlepins, I too am (just last December) Diagnosed per-diabetic, overweight, and incontinent. I have a severe back injury too and bad feet and ankles so I know the frustration at the Doc's office and trying a gym routine. I suggest what my doctor did/told me to try using the conventional exercise bike and seeing the clinic nutritionist. I was 5'6 and 209lbs last December when I got the bad news on the diabetes. I started slow on the bike set a goal of an average of ten minutes riding an hour for 5 hours a day (which ever hours I could pull it off) and built it up to a half hour at a time for the same hour periods in the next two months. That and (starving I think) eating 3 meals a day with a total of 1500 calories I have been losing quite a bit a month now. anyway down to 167 by the end of April and now am up to 2000 calories. I eat a lot of homemade fruit and vegetable (with loads of carrots) smoothies (bought a vitamix) mixed in with oatmeal in the morning, soup for lunch and a little bigger dinner. Oh and another thing instead of the sugar and substitutes I went to Xylitol (get it at the Good Food store here in Mt or also Albertsons) it tastes better and is a natural fruit sugar that is approved for diabetics. Anyway the doctor is really happy with my average (with only a 500 mg Metformin pill ) gly level of around 110 for the last 4 months according to her blood tests from the lab (have no idea how they know that). I keep thinking is it gone or what cuz my level is staying so low???

[square_duck]

I forgot to mention that you might also have some work done through a chiropractor. My back went out a couple of times and I went in to one I was using and he straightened me out to the point that at least I could walk straight again, instead of like a crab

Anyways, hope that helps a bit and you get things worked out

[Baby Brian]

turtlepins. I've had my back out a couple times now and accidentally ran across a stretch that helped me more than rehad with physical therapy and the chiropractor combined. Hope this helps you too.

Start in a sitting position with your knees bent & out (kind of like a relaxed/open indian style). Keep your shoulders back so you're sitting upright and raise your left hand above your head. Grab your left fingers with your right hand (while keeping your left arm straight up), then bend your torso to the right. Try keeping the left arm straight and don't crunch your stomach while you bend over to the right (or you'll be bending forward and right). Try bending over a far as you can stand like you're trying to touch the ground with your left hand or right elbow (use your legs to support you from tipping over). When you will feel the left side of your spine stretching apart, hold it for 20 seconds. Let go of your left hand & use your right hand to support you're self as you slowly move to the upright position again. Repeat with the other side. Do this just once a day, every day, and you'll heal twice as fast than if you don't do it. Keep doing this stretch after you've healed to prevent your spine from going out again.

I've had a bone spur before too. They took an x-ray and found nothing so for me it was actually the tendon on the bottom of my foot getting too tight (feels exactly the same though). They had me stretch my calf muscles and then while keeping my foot in the same spot bend my knee. I could feel my Achilles tendon stretching but this also got the one on the bottom of my foot too. After 4-5 days the bone spur went away, no surgery needed but I need to do it every day to prevent it from coming back.

[turtlepins]

Tanks evybody for the great suggestions and support. No cussing for me! Mommy would wash my mouth out with soap!

[sarah_ab]

heya, so just a thought, contact your local YMCA that has a pool. Ask about scholarship memberships. Y's give scholarship membershpis based on income/bills etc...etc...etc... and most of them then offer water aerobics classes included in the membership.

a 1 hr water aerobics class can burn up to 800 or more calories - of course depending on the level of exertion the person is able to do... but its great because of the low impact on your body.

if you are just urinary incontinent you really don't even need to wear protection in hte pool, seriously so many people pee in a pool all the time, chlorine will kill anything in it. And no one will know you wet cause you already are!!!

Obvious if you are also fecal incontinent than you will need to wear protection, but they made adult swim diapers, and you can wear them under a pair of swim trunks and again, no one is the wiser..

[blitz1027]

Hey sorry about your troubles with your back and heels. If you are wanting to lose wait I do have one suggestion though. My dad last year got on the Atkins diet and inside of 2 weeks he dropped 20 pounds. You can eat as much as you want you just can't eat anything with carbohydrates. After a year my dad is about 75 pounds lighter than he was when he started. I'm 5'9" and weigh 195 pounds and am about to start the plan as well.

[suzuki2011]

im confused.....why the hell did the doc say it was dangours to wear diapers???

[square_duck]

I think she meant 'cloth diapers'....as t why, I have no clue, and evidently neither did she! IF diapers were dangerous, then kids wouldn't be wearing them either.

In thinking about it, it could be that cloth are 'thought' to be less sanitary than disposables in that the products come in direct contact with the body (where they came from to begin with! ) and aren't "locked away' in the SAP or what ever, so there is more 'chance' for XYZ to happen....who knows. As far as I'm concerned, either one (cloth or disposable) is a viable option for use. There is a large movement (no pun) in the parenting world for going back to cloth diapers for economical reasons...and it's viewed as being more 'natural" what ever that means...

Anyways, coming from a family with doctors in it, all I can do is apologize it seems the more they learn, the less they know....and with the advent of "Mc Medicine (get them in and out as quick as possible to maximize profit and use of time and efficiency blah blah blah) the "art' of medicine (western) has gone down hill VERY rapidly.

I am sure there was a time when Doctors actually knew something and were effective, but with insurance running everything and all the bean counters calling the shots, it seems that no one wants to take the time to really learn something and be of benefit...it has all become very superficial. if you can't diagnose something in 5 minutes, send them to someone else and waste their time

Diapers are dangerous.....thats a new one

[Floaty_Boy]

I think she meant 'cloth diapers'....

In thinking about it, it could be that cloth are 'thought' to be less sanitary than disposables

Years ago, I called around to several local medical supply stores asking about reusable incontinence supplies like cloth diapers and plastic pants. At almost every one of them, I got this shocked "That would be so unsanitary and unhealthy!" response. I replied with "sure doesn't seem to have injured all the millions of kids worldwide who's parents use them."

--Floaty

[Bettypooh]

Unsanitary only happens when you ignore needed changes or do not keep the skin clean and healthy I'd bet a nickel the nurse mentioned was an old wife but I don't have a nickel to spare

If peeing or pooping your diapers were so bad the medical world would have already moved to ban baby diapers and the government would have followed as blindly as they usually do

Bettypooh