The Body on WT8P's Notes to Self

Ganglioneuroma: Rarest and most benign

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:08:11 +0000

Despite scant information on ganglioneuromas (many just repackaging the NIH blurb in a different style sheet), I wasn’t losing sleep while waiting for the pathology report. However, it was still great to get the official phone call confirming it was, in fact, the most benign of -omas. Because this sort of thing is pretty rare, no fewer than four pathologists were involved in “Dude, check this out.” Hey, I would have done the same.

It’s done

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:22:37 +0000

Finally had surgery for the thing. Here’s a recap of the last few days.

Day before (1/11):

8:30 – last solid food. Though it was slightly tempting to have a celebratory Twinkie, I opted for steel cut oats and bananas. Going without food the rest of the day was a lot easier than I thought it would be as I was permitted “clear liquids” like black tea, Gatorade and all the tap water I wanted.

That’s no moon…

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:26:19 +0000

During last month’s Stone Concert, the CT scan showed two unexpected somethings.

Dramatic reenactment: The noisy TIE fighter? It is the least of your worries.

I went into my primary care physician ask what, if anything, I should do about them. Because I’m generally feeling fine, the gallstone can be ignored. (Update: Until next year.) I will probably have to cut back on the butter fried bacon twinkies smothered in bacon, wrapped between a pair of glazed donuts, sprinkled with Oreo bits, and surrounded by a moat of heavy whipped cream. (I really have never had such a thing, nor would I really want one. I have my bacon-limits.)

Insert your getting stoned joke here

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:02:35 +0000

I’ve gotten into a nice groove where my daughters’ evening dance classes have provided an excellent excuse for me to bike to work. If I leave my car at the park & ride, I’m only 2 blocks away from where I need to pick them up. I get to bike (versus a commute of similar duration), my spouse saves 40 minutes of driving, and the kids get their Nutcracker fix for the season. Everybody wins.

Snap, Crackle and Pop

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

As I’ve aged, evidence of my lost cat-like stealth comes in the form of various snapping, crackling and popping noises I make when I walk. They’re freakish sounds, though I have no pain associated with it. In fact, it actually feels good when I stretch at night.

The most common popping noises people have are associated with knuckle cracking. (… which I don’t do.) Knuckle joints look like the diagram to the right: two bones contact at their cartilage. Cartilage is surrounded by synovial fluid — a soluble lubricant. All of this is surrounded by a joint capsule.

Physical

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:43:32 +0000

In anticipation of my physical, and partly to assuage fears that the post-big four-oh one would entail uncomfortable things, I sleuthed around for things on what to expect, thinking. Clearly I’ve been watching too many episodes of House.

The American Academy of Family Physicians1 has six classifications for their recommendations of common “clinical preventive services:”

SR – Strongly recommended: there’s a net gain, it’s cost effective. Vaccines top the list: MMR[4] (despite the anti-vaccination lunacy), tetanus booster, and diptheria/pertussis. Blood pressure is always/easily checked. Since I’m over 35, they want to check lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides). Anticipating this, I fasted prior to the appointment. It’s logistically unfortunate they don’t do the tests and process the results before the doctor visit, because I would like the option of asking what the numbers mean.
R – Recommended: moderate benefit or moderate evidence. There were a lot of these. Rather than sifting through the conditionals (e.g., “for women over 65 years of age”), it was easier to consult the male[2]- or female[2]-specific charts.
NR – No recommendation: there are only four of these in the 15 page list. The only one I’d heard of was screening for chlamydia in pregnant women over 26 years old.
RA – Recommended against. I wasn’t entirely surprised they recommend against taking beta-carotene supplements. However, one that did turn my head was the recommendation against routine screening for testicular cancer[6], especially with the Lance Armstrong awareness campaigns[5].
I – Insufficient evidence to make a recommendation either way. This was one area I was surprised: prostate[7] and skin cancer[8] screening fall into this category.
HB – Healthy behavior that’s desirable, but a physician’s advice and counseling might not effective. For example, physical activity is recognized as beneficial.

Like the physical I had a few years go, this was easy: