Thanks for all the ~ma, all.

Much health~ma for Drew.

Seska, kidney stone, OW. Don't you sometimes wonder if your body just sits around thinking of ways to fuck with you?

God, yes. I said something along those lines to The Girl just this morning. (LOL at "a me stone"!)

Can I ask what it is

It was carbamazepine. For some reason it worked better for me than lithium - it's usually the other way around. If you have a specialist to talk meds with, they can talk to you about 'less general' options.

I've seen them, but I kinda assumed they were BS. Maybe I'll buy one with my coming (tiny) bonus check.

They work, but not for everyone. Any chance you can borrow one to see if they help?

One doctor carefully explained to me, using *drawings*, the concept of "calories" and how if I just cut out one bagel a day I'd lose half a pound a week. I wanted to smack her.

I might actually have done so. Patronising wanker.

What I love is the doctors who tell me, "If you were more active you wouldn't be this fat. Because clearly, fat is the cause of your joint and connective tissue pain." They never think to invert that to: If I wasn't in so much pain, I'd be more active and therefore less fat.

This one is the worst. "Just get more exercise." I'm sorry. Apparently everything I've told you about my pain and fatigue has gone entirely over your tiny head. Shall we start on that again, or could you perhaps be bothered to read my notes?

I've lost about 25 pounds in the past nine months or so, and my joint pain has been getting consistently worse.

Interesting. Very interesting.

In defence of the medical industry, the doctor I saw at the hospital clinic this morning was amazing. I want her for my GP (but she does not work in non-emergency practice, sadly). She did stuff like picking up on my mention of EDS and checking I have regular heart check-ups: unbelievably good (and she could have saved someone's life with that one). And she may have solved a very long-term health mystery in one visit that no doctor has been able to figure out before. The Girl kept mouthing "Fucking hell, she's good" to me behind her back. There are a few good ones out there. Shame I don't get to see them nearly often enough.

I can state that doctors look at fat people as things that are completely unworthy of lifting a single finger for.

I'm sorry you've had bad experiences but, you know, this is not true. I get pretty offended with doctor bashing given that my best friend is one (who works her fucking ass off providing healthcare for a severely under-served population).

I hate waiting for test results.

{{{Pix}}}

~ma to Drew. I hope it's something easily dealt with.

I've got some issues myself today, but I know what it is: severe cramps. Like I want to curl up in a ball and cry kind of cramps. I need to run errands today, but that just isn't going to happen.

I can state that doctors look at fat people as things that are completely unworthy of lifting a single finger for.

I'm sorry you've had bad experiences but, you know, this is not true.

I will say it is not universally true, but it certainly does happen. I've had really bad doctors who blame a sinus infection on my weight. I currently have a great doctor who I love. In fact, she's 35 miles away, and I continue to go to her because she's so great.

I've had really bad doctors who blame a sinus infection on my weight.

A doctor once told me that my sore throat would go away if I lost 60 pounds. The doctor I went to the next day did a throat culture and told me that I had strep.

My Dad struggles with his weight and his doctor is very supportive. I gained a little weight and my doctor was quite rude to me. I think doctors vary like anybody but doctors like mine are more common than ones like my Dad's.

IME, doctors who are assholes about weight tend to be assholes in general, and I doubt the breakdown of asshole/non-asshole is all that different among doctors than in the population at large.

(I'm thinking of one GP in particular who looked at my chart, broke out the BMI calculator wheel and proceeded to lecture me about the dangers of obesity without once looking at me. I can't imagine her bedside manner with a thin patient was all that warm and fuzzy either.)

Lisah I'm with you. While I understand people have bad experiences with doctors I hate hate hate doctor bashing. Dad was a doctor and mom was a nurse and I grew up among amazing medical people. I see painting all doctors as bad as the same type of stereotyping as saying all Korean women are bad drivers or talk in broken english.

I'm watching curling. I find it kind of calming.