MEDICAL MATTERS

[Stanley]

Near enough Cathy. 6 pints is 3.4 litres....

[Tizer]

The scientists have isolated a peptide (short piece of protein) from milk, broken it down into three smaller peptide molecules and shown one of them has anti-cancer properties but it isn't clear yet whether this short peptide occurs naturally in milk or is produced in our bodies when we drink milk. The objective of the study was to find anticancer drugs derived from natural sources rather than prove that milk had anticancer properties. So the jury is still out on that one! (But we already know milk contains anticancer compounds, such as sphingolipids and conjugated linoleic acid, CLA, so keep on drinking it - but it has to be full-fat milk to get the benefit of these compounds which are fat-soluble.)

[Moh]

Hubby & I had our 'flu jabs on Wednesday.

[PanBiker]

Seems to be quite late in the season Moh. We had ours early October I think it was. I get mine off the back of Sally's compromised immune system. I would gladly pay for it if not having had the full monty in 1999. Nearly saw the both of us off, 11 days without food and just short of 3 weeks in total to run it's course. I lost 2.5 stone, not good on a 10.5 stone bloke as I was at the time. April when we fully recovered and got the weight back. When you have had proper Viral Influenza you tend to hate the folk who think they are dying with a bit of a head cold and call it the Flu.

[Stanley]

How true Ian!
Moh, I had a bit of an achy spell for about three weeks and have an idea that if I hadn't had the jab it could have been at least a severe cold. Even so, I barred Steve from the house until he improves!
Like Ian and many others, I have had the benefit of full blown flu, it was in about 1957, the dreaded Asian Flu. I've never been as poorly in my life, too weak to crawl upstairs. I thought Doc Morrison was a sadist because he told me that all I could do was rest and keep taking the fluids. Of course he was right but at the time I didn't appreciate it. Every time I hear of someone who thinks flu can be 'worked off' I fume inwardly. They've never had it!

[Tizer]

The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed three times more people than died in WW1 (50 million versus 18 million).

[Tardis]

Have had flu jab for 10 years now. Only ever got pleurisy as a child and so far no flu or any complications with the jab. Was sore after one of the pneumonia boosters, but fortunately those aren't annual.

[Moh]

Ian - got letter whilst I was in hospital - could not get to surgery before now, that is why it is later than usual.

[PanBiker]

Yes Moh, I realised that you have been through the mill recently and thought that might have been the reason. Given us a chance to discuss the potential severity though as a salutary warning to them that don't bother with the jab.

[Stanley]

Apart from the flu jab, how is your hip mending Moh?

[Stanley]

Only one more sleep and I can stop using the eye drops. I know it's only a small price to pay but they are very powerful and the eye feels constantly irritated and swollen. It will be a relief to stop and then the eye will slowly recover and I think is going to be just as good as the left one. Once it has settled down my brain can start to adjust to it, at the moment it favours the left eye when I'm outside and the result, apart from a slight blurring of the right eye is a bit of double vision. I have no doubt this will all sort itself out. If I have leaned anything from this process it is how big a role your brain plays in how your eyes work! Eye test for readers will be well-timed, I think they will have settled down to peak resolution by then. Roll on the day!
I shall take advice from Laura but I'm going off the idea of the half lens and tending towards a full frame set of readers that are graduated to cover computer use and reading. These will be best in the shed as well.

[Cathy]

I have a pair of bi-focals but I can't get along with them. The room seems to swim when I use them for normal vision and when I look down to use the second part of the prescription for close up things I can't focus properly. I don't like the position that you have to hold head in either for close vision.

They have been sat in my drawer for a long time now, unused.

[EileenDavid]

Hello All

At last I have found time to visit site. Congratulations Stanley on having your eyes sorted. I have my appointment for scar tissue peeling on the 13th January so Happy New Year. I know what you mean about the drops I usually have 3 different sorts. One stings this is to rest the eye by keeping the pupil enlarged, 2nd one is the antibiotic and the 3rd one is soothing balm but as you say it's a small price to pay if vision is restored. The posturing is the killer though face down for 5-7 days God how the days drag. I know what you mean about the brain playing tricks with regards to the eyes mine of course favours the right as my vision is good in that eye it's only when I close that eye that I realise how distorted my left eye is. The double vision is a bit frightening though Stanley as I was told to report back if I had double vision.

Cathy the vary focal glasses are difficult to get used to I believe but using one for reading and one for distance is also a bind

Think that's all on the health front.

Eileen

[Cathy]

I'm long sighted and in that way my vision is fine even tho I have only 10% vision in one eye, the other is fine. But trying to see things up close is a whole different thing. I use the chemist type reading glasses for close things. All good.

[Stanley]

I appear to have been very lucky over the years Cathy. Despite the shock of explosions and exposure to welding arcs it appears as though the back of my eyes is still teenage standard. Must be leading a clean life!

[Tizer]

For a long time now I've had varifocals for normal use and separate `reading glasses' for reading, computing and other general close up work. For very close I have to take off my glasses, for example reading very small print. Years ago I had a lot of trouble getting the right mix of glasses but the local Specsavers were very patient and helpful and we got there in the end. I didn't want bifocals because of the sharp cut-off between the lower and upper parts of the lens but varifocal have their own characteristics that take getting used to. Whereas bifocal is just two regions in the lens, upper and lower, varifocal consists of inner and outer which is why you have to always point your head at whatever you're looking at to get them in focus. When reading with varifocal you need to scan the page with your head, not just your eyes. I found this unsatisfactory, especially for all the editing and writing I used to do on computers, so Specsavers made me a second pair of glasses with lenses optimised to suit both eye-to-book distance and eye-to-screen distance and I now use these as my `reading glasses' as well being my `computer glasses'. It's worth spending some extra time with the optician, and extra money if necessary, to get your specs right!

[Moh]

Apart from the flu jab, how is your hip mending Moh?

Thanks fo asking Stanley. The wound has almost healed and I am getting about much better. I go to the fracture clinic on Wednesday so we shall see what they say!!

[Stanley]

Best of luck with it Moh!
Tiz, I had the same journey and finished up with the same solution except for the fact that my near sight was perfect and I simply took my glasses off for close work and reading. That avenue is closed now as I have no near sight at all. So it's another voyage of discovery.
Last day of the eye drops! Yippee!

[Stanley]

No more eye drops!

[Cathy]

Yaye!! Well done Stanley.

[Tardis]

Routine blood tests done, GP took some blood too for some inquiry about whether my hapatitis jab has worked...

Now I can unrestrict the diet a little and enjoy Christmas

[Tizer]

...whether my hapatitis jab has worked...

I don't know, but your happytitis jab seems to have worked and so has Stanleys - can we all have one for Christmas please?

[Stanley]

I don't know whether everybody else has the same experience but I find I am constantly looking for evidence that the right eye is going to be as good as the left. I'm sure it is but it's nice to have bits of evidence that it's coming to. Can you remember when you first got the extended arm syndrome while reading? I found myself reading the small print on a Xmas card by holding it at arm's length this morning. That's definitely progress!

[Tardis]

...whether my hapatitis jab has worked...

I don't know, but your happytitis jab seems to have worked and so has Stanleys - can we all have one for Christmas please?

It's that queue over there

[Moh]

Saw the consultant, he did not say a great deal = just wants a blood test etc.before my next appointment on the 22nd Jan. at Burnley (better than trailing to Blackburn when we live less than 5 mins. from Burnley General!}