Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Several Things


This week I'm listening to Elizabeth Warren read her book A Fighting Chance.  I like this woman and if Hillary becomes our next president I'm going to be very unhappy if she does not appoint Elizabeth Warren to a cabinet position.
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I do not suffer from arthritis so I don't take a lot of anti-inflammatory drugs, but occasionally I take Naproxen or Ibuprofen if I have aches or pains.  For years I've taken one Prilosec because a doctor told me this would protect me from getting ulcers if I took anti-inflammatory medications.

I chronically suffer from slight anemia which causes my doctor to fret. It's happened again. I had all the necessary scopes done nine months ago looking for the cause but nothing showed up. Now we're left to assume it's just me but she still wants to take some action. In addition to taking another round of iron she advised me never to take Naproxen or Ibuprofen but to take Tylenol instead. I believe there is now an arthritis formula Tylenol on the market. In addition, for a month, she wants me to take two Prilosec a day hoping it will heal any irritation, and then return to one a day.

I've never been one that paid a lot of attention to taking over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory drugs but I'm beginning to think perhaps I should be more cautious.
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This afternoon I had my yearly diabetic eye exam. The office is near Costo so I took Bob with me and told him we would stop back by Costco to pick up only a few things. I had a list, a short list. I'm not a fish person but decided I'd try some halibut so put a small bag in our cart. Leaving the store Bob asked did I know that little bag of halibut was $43? We were near the customer service desk so we made a quick turn and returned those little fishes.

In defense of myself and my strong dislike of Costco our daughter told me while she was here that our store is the largest she's ever been in, much larger than where she shops in Texas. Now I figure if this store beats the ones in Texas it's got to be humongous in size.

Remember me saying I found a chair and sat, sending Bob on with the basket to shuffle along and shop? She had him sit while she hiked to the back side of the store. Much faster she says.

22 comments:

  1. Until I get so bad that I absolutely cannot stand it, I choose not to take arthritis medicine. I take what I need to keep me alive. Seems like they ok a drug and a year or so later, they say, oops - bad drug.

    That must have been some fish! Somebody goofed or gilded?

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    1. No doubt we take too much medicine in this country without giving thought what it may be doing to our bodies long term.

      Apparently Alaska Halibut is more precious that I realized. I would have choked eating it at $43.

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  2. I have arthritis, plus I do a lot of physical work and activity, so I do use ibuprofen and naproxen. I have never had any trouble with either of them. Tylenol (acetaminophen) does nothing for me, since it is not an anti-inflammatory.

    Alaska halibut season is on, but I guess it is not cheap!

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    1. I've taken Naproxen for many years, since it was a prescription only drug, and also Ibuprofen with no ill effects that I know of.

      I had no idea Alaska halibut would be so expensive. I'll steer clear of that in the future.

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  3. I don't always look at the price of things I pick up at the grocery store. I would have been shocked at that price too! Glad you discovered it before leaving the place.

    I don't take any over-the-counter or prescription drugs for my arthritis although my doctor wants me to. I guess the prolonged inflammation in the body does damage to the body, even if you can bare the pain.

    I love Elizabeth Warren but whether or not she gets a cabinet job would probably depend on the balance in the Senate after the election. Vacating her set would turn it into a Republican seat because the guy appointing her replacement is a Republican. I can see her getting more powerful positions within the senate though. I'm a little leery about the idea of her being a VP pick. Many people are hardly ready for a female president and two on the ticket might have a negative effect.

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    1. Personally I think Hillary and Elizabeth on the same ticket would be disastrous. They're both strong women and I can't see Elizabeth as VP being a workable situation at all. If she stays in the Senate she will definitely become one of the power players. In my opinion she's one we need to keep on our side.

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  4. The medical profession too often ignores the side effects of medication.

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    1. Absolutely. I'm learning that the hard way. Had two relatives die from bleeding ulcers developed from taking over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory drugs.

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  5. Louis Dean and I take a lot of medicine. I'm just glad we have it!
    The antibiotics I'm on now - two different ones and both strong - I'm able to tolerate as long as I don't take as much as an Advil, Motrin or anything else for the pain. It's a good thing one of my character traits is longsuffering!

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    1. Antibiotics can be brutal to the stomach but sometimes they're very necessary. What kind of shape would you be in with that foot without them? You apparently have a very high tolerance for pain which I think is good if you have any kind of joint problems, because those are painful.

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  6. All medication seems to hurt my stomach. I have an appointment next week to see if there is something I can take because the Benadryl is bothering me. It is such a problem. I'd prefer to take nothing but now I'm back on Nexxium to offset the Benadryl. What a circus.

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    1. Isn't it interesting the cycle drugs take. I remember when getting Nexium took an order from god and now you can buy it OTC.

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  7. I take Tylenol when needed (for headaches), but not for joint pain. I'm lucky in that area.

    Wow!! On that fish!! :o You could get lobster for that price. Glad you caught it in time.

    Elizabeth Warren is on fire, isn't she? I've enjoyed watching her lately.

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    1. Those of us who do not have arthritis are very lucky indeed. I'm not a big fish eater and certainly not at those prices. I want Elizabeth Warren in a cabinet position but she may be more important staying in the Senate. I have a hard time paying the political game to know where it's more beneficial for a person to serve.

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  8. I cook with cast iron often. Supposedly it adds iron to our blood. When I donate blood and they check my iron level, it's always excellent. Maybe the iron fry pan and Dutch oven are the reason.

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    1. I suspect there's some truth to the cast iron rumor. Wonder if our ancestors suffered from iron deficiency? Wonder if I could use that argument to get Bob to give up teflon? It's near impossible to brown anything in a teflon skillet.

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  9. The Tylenol arthritis formula is chemically identical to regular Tylenol, it is simply dosed differently; 500 mg or 650 mg as opposed to 325 mg. It also has an "extended release" formula, which means there is an immediate release for some of the medication and a later release to help later in the day.

    Because Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory, it works differently then ibuprofen (naproxen, advil etc). It is gentle on the stomach. But some folks find that it does not help their arthritis as much as the anti-inflammatory medications do.

    So much to think about! And unfortunately no perfect pill to help us with our aches and pains.

    I like Elizabeth Warren. Not sure how it would effect Hillary's campaign. At the very least I hope she is appointed to a cabinet level position, assuming Hillary wins.

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    1. Carole, thanks for explaining about Tylenol. I looked at my bottle and you are right! Fortunately I do not suffer from arthritis so Tylenol serves me fine, especially in the 'arthritis' formula, and I do like the extended release feature.

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  10. I try to avoid as much in the way of medication as I possibly can. It seems like a slippery slope where you end up taking one medication for some condition, then another to counteract the effects of the first one , then another, etc, Most doctors find me annoying about this particular quirk.

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    1. Absolutely. I'm terrified of introducing any new medications to Bob's pill box. Since we spent a whole day in the ER once over a medication conflict I always call his cardiologist to see if it's safe to take any new Rx. Bob's blood pressure is so sensitive that a Rx from the urologist caused it to drop and we found ourselves in the ER. Very expensive day for our insurance.

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  11. When my heart condition was diagnosed, all NSAIDs were banned by my cardiologist and only Tylenol was allowed for my arthritis. Just don't consume alcohol with Tylenol--it can kill your liver. Now days, I rely on exercise to help my particular arthritis. Pretty sure exercise doesn't have any bad side effects.
    I have no doubt Elizabeth will have a cabinet post with all her anti-Trump campaigning. Fair's fair.

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    1. I'm surprised Tylenol is the drug recommended by so many physicians. Since I detest the taste of alcohol perhaps I'll be safe take Tylenol.

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