My mom's death, and what I learned from the process

x-no-archive: yes

I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. Rather than
rewrite, this is what I posted there:

I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June
12. My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical
treatment. The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing,
stairway bolting, science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit
woman began with prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in
this post), the year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover
from the statins, and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean
colon one year to stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the
above. But it gets worse; despite promises from the oncologist that
she'd use very low dose chemo because my mom, my sister and I get
extremely strong reactions to even microdoses of meds (positive and
negative) my mother's complaints of the most obvious chemo toxicity
symptoms on the dose she was given were ignored until her chemo toxicity
was extreme. She ended up dying of MRSA vegetations in her heart that
she'd never have been exposed to if she hadn't needed hospitalization
for extreme chemo toxicity. She also had a months long bout of c.
difficile due to this.

I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. Her TGLs were low, her
HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. Statins changed
everything. A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had
artery catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! The same was
true the day before she died. A vascular surgeon was urging us to do
open heart surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg
revealed arteries clean as a whistle. Her organs and arteries were
"like those of a healthy 45 year old." He thought this meant she had a
lot of good years ahead.

She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.

LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline
with age, so older folks NEED more of it. Her muscle aches and fatigue
on the statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by
docs, she just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing
helpful. Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of
mortality, and I believe this is why.

My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! She
was not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM
with high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.

Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.

I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
than the medical treatment she received.

Be careful out there. Caveat emptor.

Susan

Susan wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
> caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. Rather than
> rewrite, this is what I posted there:
>
> I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June
> 12. My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical
> treatment. The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing,
> stairway bolting, science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit
> woman began with prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in
> this post), the year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover
> from the statins, and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean
> colon one year to stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the
> above. But it gets worse; despite promises from the oncologist that
> she'd use very low dose chemo because my mom, my sister and I get
> extremely strong reactions to even microdoses of meds (positive and
> negative) my mother's complaints of the most obvious chemo toxicity
> symptoms on the dose she was given were ignored until her chemo toxicity
> was extreme. She ended up dying of MRSA vegetations in her heart that
> she'd never have been exposed to if she hadn't needed hospitalization
> for extreme chemo toxicity. She also had a months long bout of c.
> difficile due to this.
>
> I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
> when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. Her TGLs were low, her
> HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
> she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. Statins changed
> everything. A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had
> artery catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! The same was
> true the day before she died. A vascular surgeon was urging us to do
> open heart surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg
> revealed arteries clean as a whistle. Her organs and arteries were
> "like those of a healthy 45 year old." He thought this meant she had a
> lot of good years ahead.
>
> She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.
>
> LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
> our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline
> with age, so older folks NEED more of it. Her muscle aches and fatigue
> on the statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by
> docs, she just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing
> helpful. Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of
> mortality, and I believe this is why.
>
> My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
> docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
> IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! She
> was not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM
> with high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.
>
> Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.
>
> I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
> person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> than the medical treatment she received.
>
> Be careful out there. Caveat emptor.
>
> Susan


"I'm so sorry" is such a weak response to this,
but i am deeply sorry. She sounds like a totally cool
lady.


--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

x-no-archive: yes

nickelshrink wrote:

> "I'm so sorry" is such a weak response to this,
> but i am deeply sorry. She sounds like a totally cool
> lady.
>
>

Thanks, Ruth.

She had her strong points, and she certainly had strength, humor and
dignity in the face of adversity these past months.

Susan

Susan, I'm so sorry. As you know I work in a nursing home and
unfortunately I've seen a lot of spiraling complications as you
describe. People come back from the hospital with horrible infections
and sores, and sometimes they don't recover. Even I myself was
misdiagnosed with cellulitis and treated with intravenous antibiotics
for 5 days, when what I actually had was a bad case of eczema.

But anyhow. I lost my mother in 1999 and I know how devastating it
is. I hope the worst pain passes soon.

{{{{{Susan}}}}} {{{{{Susan}}}}} {{{{{Susan}}}}}

Eva

"Susan" <nevermind@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:6cfg0jF3fiu2qU1@mid.individual.net...
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
> caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. Rather than
> rewrite, this is what I posted there:
>
> I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June 12.
> My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical treatment.
> The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing, stairway bolting,
> science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit woman began with
> prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in this post), the
> year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover from the statins,
> and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean colon one year to
> stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the above. But it gets
> worse; despite promises from the oncologist that she'd use very low dose
> chemo because my mom, my sister and I get extremely strong reactions to
> even microdoses of meds (positive and negative) my mother's complaints of
> the most obvious chemo toxicity symptoms on the dose she was given were
> ignored until her chemo toxicity was extreme. She ended up dying of MRSA
> vegetations in her heart that she'd never have been exposed to if she
> hadn't needed hospitalization for extreme chemo toxicity. She also had a
> months long bout of c. difficile due to this.
>
> I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
> when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. Her TGLs were low, her
> HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
> she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. Statins changed
> everything. A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had artery
> catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! The same was true the
> day before she died. A vascular surgeon was urging us to do open heart
> surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg revealed arteries
> clean as a whistle. Her organs and arteries were "like those of a healthy
> 45 year old." He thought this meant she had a lot of good years ahead.
>
> She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.
>
> LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
> our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline with
> age, so older folks NEED more of it. Her muscle aches and fatigue on the
> statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by docs, she
> just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing helpful.
> Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of mortality, and I
> believe this is why.
>
> My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
> docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
> IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! She was
> not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM with
> high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.
>
> Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.
>
> I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary person
> protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> than the medical treatment she received.
>
> Be careful out there. Caveat emptor.
>
> Susan

I'm sorry about your mother's death, Susan. 86 can be thought of a good
ripe old age, but... when the death was due to things that may well have not
occurred if incompetence was not in the mix... & otherwise the person
would've likely lived even longer, well... very frustrating.

Cathy

x-no-archive: yes

Eva wrote:
> Susan, I'm so sorry. As you know I work in a nursing home and
> unfortunately I've seen a lot of spiraling complications as you
> describe. People come back from the hospital with horrible infections
> and sores, and sometimes they don't recover. Even I myself was
> misdiagnosed with cellulitis and treated with intravenous antibiotics
> for 5 days, when what I actually had was a bad case of eczema.
>
> But anyhow. I lost my mother in 1999 and I know how devastating it
> is. I hope the worst pain passes soon.
>
> {{{{{Susan}}}}} {{{{{Susan}}}}} {{{{{Susan}}}}}


Thanks, Eva. Thing is, my mother bolted up a flight of stairs in the
nursing home for "rehab" the week after her colon cancer surgery. They
sent her home, saying she didn't need no steenkeeng rehab. :-) She was
very strong, healthy and fit, which is probably why the crap kept up for
6 mos. instead of doing her in the first time. She kept rallying. Just
a few weeks ago, before things went badly south again, she was pushing
others in the nursing home between hospitalizations around in
wheelchairs for exercise and companionship, taking folks out to the
garden, and boasting about the return of her strong biceps.

Susan

x-no-archive: yes

Cathy F. wrote:

> I'm sorry about your mother's death, Susan. 86 can be thought of a good
> ripe old age, but... when the death was due to things that may well have not
> occurred if incompetence was not in the mix... & otherwise the person
> would've likely lived even longer, well... very frustrating.


It can be considered a ripe old age, and I told her often that she was
maybe getting close to being an Old Woman any time now..

She got her first computer at age 80, a computer instructor, and
emailed, managed and researched her investments online, etc. She was a
very youthful oldbie.

We were very concerned when she bought her second floor condo 10 years
ago in a bldg with no elevator, and last year I mentioned it was looking
like it had been a bad idea. She told me, "I got up and down those
stairs when I had knee surgery a few years ago, and if I ever get to the
point that I can't climb them, it's probably going to mean I can no
longer live alone, period."

She wanted to make sure she got the exercise. :-)

Susan

On Jun 25, 2:10 pm, Susan <neverm...@nomail.com> wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
> caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. Rather than
> rewrite, this is what I posted there:
>
> I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June
> 12. My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical
> treatment. The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing,
> stairway bolting, science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit
> woman began with prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in
> this post), the year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover
> from the statins, and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean
> colon one year to stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the
> above. But it gets worse; despite promises from the oncologist that
> she'd use very low dose chemo because my mom, my sister and I get
> extremely strong reactions to even microdoses of meds (positive and
> negative) my mother's complaints of the most obvious chemo toxicity
> symptoms on the dose she was given were ignored until her chemo toxicity
> was extreme. She ended up dying of MRSA vegetations in her heart that
> she'd never have been exposed to if she hadn't needed hospitalization
> for extreme chemo toxicity. She also had a months long bout of c.
> difficile due to this.
>
> I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
> when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. Her TGLs were low, her
> HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
> she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. Statins changed
> everything. A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had
> artery catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! The same was
> true the day before she died. A vascular surgeon was urging us to do
> open heart surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg
> revealed arteries clean as a whistle. Her organs and arteries were
> "like those of a healthy 45 year old." He thought this meant she had a
> lot of good years ahead.
>
> She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.
>
> LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
> our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline
> with age, so older folks NEED more of it. Her muscle aches and fatigue
> on the statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by
> docs, she just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing
> helpful. Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of
> mortality, and I believe this is why.
>
> My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
> docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
> IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! She
> was not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM
> with high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.
>
> Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.
>
> I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
> person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> than the medical treatment she received.
>
> Be careful out there. Caveat emptor.
>
> Susan

god, susan, i am so very very sorry. it is hard enough to lose our
parents, but with circumstances like you describe, the entire thing
becomes much more tragic. & all the more difficult to bear.

what tremendous dignity your mother maintained in the face of all of
this. my deepest condolences to you & your family.

((((((((susan)))))))
xo,
ellen

On Jun 26, 11:39*am, ellen <epdps...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jun 25, 2:10 pm, Susan <neverm...@nomail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > x-no-archive: yes
>
> > I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
> > caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. *Rather than
> > rewrite, this is what I posted there:
>
> > I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June
> > 12. *My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical
> > treatment. *The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing,
> > stairway bolting, science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit
> > woman began with prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in
> > this post), the year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover
> > from the statins, and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean
> > colon one year to stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the
> > above. *But it gets worse; despite promises from the oncologist that
> > she'd use very low dose chemo because my mom, my sister and I get
> > extremely strong reactions to even microdoses of meds (positive and
> > negative) my mother's complaints of the most obvious chemo toxicity
> > symptoms on the dose she was given were ignored until her chemo toxicity
> > was extreme. *She ended up dying of MRSA vegetations in her heart that
> > she'd never have been exposed to if she hadn't needed hospitalization
> > for extreme chemo toxicity. *She also had a months long bout of c.
> > difficile due to this.
>
> > I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
> > when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. *Her TGLs were low, her
> > HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
> > she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. *Statins changed
> > everything. *A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had
> > artery catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! *The same was
> > true the day before she died. *A vascular surgeon was urging us to do
> > open heart surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg
> > revealed arteries clean as a whistle. *Her organs and arteries were
> > "like those of a healthy 45 year old." *He thought this meant she hada
> > lot of good years ahead.
>
> > She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.
>
> > LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
> > our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline
> > with age, so older folks NEED more of it. *Her muscle aches and fatigue
> > on the statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by
> > docs, she just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing
> > helpful. Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of
> > mortality, and I believe this is why.
>
> > My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
> > docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
> > IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! *She
> > was not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM
> > with high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.
>
> > Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.
>
> > I just can't stop shaking my head. *Everyone has to die, I can accept
> > death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> > ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? *How does the ordinary
> > person protect her/himself from it? *My mother suffered horribly without
> > complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> > than the medical treatment she received.
>
> > Be careful out there. *Caveat emptor.
>
> > Susan
>
> god, susan, i am so very very sorry. *it is hard enough to lose our
> parents, but with circumstances like you describe, the entire thing
> becomes much more tragic. *& all the more difficult to bear.
>
> what tremendous dignity your mother maintained in the face of all of
> this. *my deepest condolences to you & your family.
>
> ((((((((susan)))))))
> xo,
> ellen- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Sympathy for your loss, Susan. Your mom's story sounds like my mom's,
only she's being destroyed at a younger age. She got MRSA in a
hospital too and has doctor-caused osteomyelitis of the skull. Years
of antibiotics destroyed her immune system; she now has leukemia. She
has a chronic bladder infection. Her diabetes was diagnosed 30 years
ago, and she's been a guinea pig for every snake oil that came along.
Her bypass surgery went bad almost immediately.

Mom's had countless hospitalizations because of prescription errors.
She now takes 35 pills a day, is addicted to oxycontin, and can't
sleep without clonazepam. It will be a stone miracle if she makes it
to her 74th birthday. I've got my fingers crossed that she lasts till
after my breast cancer radiation, 2 months from now. I'd like to see
her one more time. After what's happened to her, I was petrified to
put my fate in some doctor's hands.

Les

x-no-archive: yes

sage hen wrote:

> Sympathy for your loss, Susan. Your mom's story sounds like my mom's,
> only she's being destroyed at a younger age. She got MRSA in a
> hospital too and has doctor-caused osteomyelitis of the skull. Years
> of antibiotics destroyed her immune system; she now has leukemia. She
> has a chronic bladder infection. Her diabetes was diagnosed 30 years
> ago, and she's been a guinea pig for every snake oil that came along.
> Her bypass surgery went bad almost immediately.
>
> Mom's had countless hospitalizations because of prescription errors.
> She now takes 35 pills a day, is addicted to oxycontin, and can't
> sleep without clonazepam. It will be a stone miracle if she makes it
> to her 74th birthday. I've got my fingers crossed that she lasts till
> after my breast cancer radiation, 2 months from now. I'd like to see
> her one more time. After what's happened to her, I was petrified to
> put my fate in some doctor's hands.


Les, that's exactly how I feel. I've told Tom to just put a bullet
through my temple if I'm ever unable to make my own decisions and do my
own research. I don't want to be at the mercy of medical people when I
am most vulnerable, scary to be so on our own, but once you realize how
FOS they are, you can't ever trust them to do the right things.

I'm so sorry for your mother's suffering and iatrogenic illness.

Susan

x-no-archive: yes

On Jun 26, 3:14*pm, Susan <neverm...@nomail.com> wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Les, that's exactly how I feel. *I've told Tom to just put a bullet
> through my temple if I'm ever unable to make my own decisions and do my
> own research. *I don't want to be at the mercy of medical people when I
> am most vulnerable, scary to be so on our own, but once you realize how
> FOS they are, you can't ever trust them to do the right things.
>
> I'm so sorry for your mother's suffering and iatrogenic illness.
>
> Susan- Hide quoted text -

Susan, I am so sorry for what happened to your mom. In 2000 my
hysterectomy and bowel obstruction surgery for endometriosis went
well, only to develop hospital pneumonia which put me on a respirator
the next week. Both the two surgeons involved and the ICU specialist
later told me I was within an hour of dying when they intubated and it
was touch and go for the next 2 days. Vancomyacin saved me.
Fortunately I have almost never used antibiotics in my life, and that
may be why it was so effective for me. I finished the 2 week course
through home health care in order to get out of that hospital and this
summer is the first time I have seen a doctor other than in the mental
health field since. This time I am trying a nurse practitioner, in
order to address high blood pressure, and like you, I am terrified of
not making my own decisions.

When I first entered the hospital via the emergency room in 2002, a
CAT scan showed blockages but no masses in my bowels, and it was a
tricky diagnosis, since, true to form, I had not seen a doctor during
the previous 20 years (I was 48 in 2000). My "family doctor" at the
time wanted to do a colonoscopy to clear the bowel rather than the
exploratory surgery that had already been scheduled. Because the
blockages were total, this sounded to me like a horrible idea. I had
been vomiting, and I doubt the prep solution would have even stayed
down. A nurse, heaven save her, refused to prep me and called the
surgeon, and he and the family doctor had a tremendous fight right at
my bedside. My 77 year old husband was at home, and was called by the
family doctor and argued with also until late that evening. To this
day I refuse to have a colonscopy based on the fear generated at that
time in me.

The good news is that the surgery cured my endometriosis to the extent
that can happen - no more pain or bleeding or chronic constipation.
However I had to fight one additional battle when I refused HRT.

Can I ask you briefly about the dangers of statins? I am borderline on
the cholesterol numbers as of the labs this summer, and for now the
nurse practitioner is advising 1000 mg. fish oil caplets, so no
immediate problem, but your posts caused me to start thinking in that
regard.

Take care, and again, my sympathy,
Linda Scheimann

x-no-archive: yes

Linda wrote:

> Susan, I am so sorry for what happened to your mom. In 2000 my
> hysterectomy and bowel obstruction surgery for endometriosis went
> well, only to develop hospital pneumonia which put me on a respirator
> the next week. Both the two surgeons involved and the ICU specialist
> later told me I was within an hour of dying when they intubated and it
> was touch and go for the next 2 days. Vancomyacin saved me.
> Fortunately I have almost never used antibiotics in my life, and that
> may be why it was so effective for me. I finished the 2 week course
> through home health care in order to get out of that hospital and this
> summer is the first time I have seen a doctor other than in the mental
> health field since. This time I am trying a nurse practitioner, in
> order to address high blood pr


Linda, my mom was on IV Vancomycin, among other things, for months. :-/

essure, and like you, I am terrified of
> not making my own decisions.
>
> When I first entered the hospital via the emergency room in 2002, a
> CAT scan showed blockages but no masses in my bowels, and it was a
> tricky diagnosis, since, true to form, I had not seen a doctor during
> the previous 20 years (I was 48 in 2000). My "family doctor" at the
> time wanted to do a colonoscopy to clear the bowel rather than the
> exploratory surgery that had already been scheduled. Because the
> blockages were total, this sounded to me like a horrible idea. I had
> been vomiting, and I doubt the prep solution would have even stayed
> down. A nurse, heaven save her, refused to prep me and called the
> surgeon, and he and the family doctor had a tremendous fight right at
> my bedside. My 77 year old husband was at home, and was called by the
> family doctor and argued with also until late that evening. To this
> day I refuse to have a colonscopy based on the fear generated at that
> time in me.
>
> The good news is that the surgery cured my endometriosis to the extent
> that can happen - no more pain or bleeding or chronic constipation.
> However I had to fight one additional battle when I refused HRT.


We shouldn't have to fight for making our own decisions. My mother was
still fighting when she died for payment of her virtual colonscopy; her
cancer, non existent a year before, was so advanced that the endoscope
couldn't pass through her colon.


>
> Can I ask you briefly about the dangers of statins? I am borderline on
> the cholesterol numbers as of the labs this summer, and for now the
> nurse practitioner is advising 1000 mg. fish oil caplets, so no
> immediate problem, but your posts caused me to start thinking in that
> regard.
>
> Take care, and again, my sympathy,
> Linda Scheimann

Thanks, Linda.

For one thing, older folks with the lowest LDL have the highest
mortality. Second, they do prevent heart attacks, but wreak havoc with
your adrenal and immune function, hence increased risk of cancers,
cognitive disturbances, lethergy, muscle weakness and or loss and pain,
the list is endless.

LDL is the material that all of your adrenal hormones are made of,
including sex hormones. They reduce inflammation, make us capable of
handling stress, help up maintain electrolyte balance, etc. The
endocrine system has an exquisitely fine tuned feedback system. If your
body is raising LDL, it's because it perceives a need for more adrenal
steroids.

Also, cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease; certain patterns of
cholesterol distributions are markers for it (low HDL, high TGLs, small,
dense LDL). My mom had high LDL but good HDL and TGLs. Her arteries
were clean as a whistle. I know someone whose father died at 95 of non
heart related causes after a lifetime of LDL over 300. It's a marker,
and it's something you can't live without, not a cause of heart disease.

Susan

On Jun 26, 5:21*pm, Susan <neverm...@nomail.com> wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Linda wrote:
> > Susan, I am so sorry for what happened to your mom. In 2000 my
> > hysterectomy and bowel obstruction surgery for endometriosis went
> > well, only to develop hospital pneumonia which put me on a respirator
> > the next week. Both the two surgeons involved and the ICU specialist
> > later told me I was within an hour of dying when they intubated and it
> > was touch and go for the next 2 days. Vancomyacin saved me.
> > Fortunately I have almost never used antibiotics in my life, and that
> > may be why it was so effective for me. I finished the 2 week course
> > through home health care in order to get out of that hospital and this
> > summer is the first time I have seen a doctor other than in the mental
> > health field since. This time I am trying a nurse practitioner, in
> > order to address high blood pr
>
> Linda, my mom was on IV Vancomycin, among other things, for months. *:-/
>
> essure, and like you, I am terrified of
>
>
>
>
>
> > not making my own decisions.
>
> > When I first entered the hospital via the emergency room in 2002, a
> > CAT scan showed blockages but no masses in my bowels, and it was a
> > tricky diagnosis, since, true to form, I had not seen a doctor during
> > the previous 20 years (I was 48 in 2000). My "family doctor" at the
> > time wanted to do a colonoscopy to clear the bowel rather than the
> > exploratory surgery that had already been scheduled. Because the
> > blockages were total, this sounded to me like a horrible idea. I had
> > been vomiting, and I doubt the prep solution would have even stayed
> > down. A nurse, heaven save her, refused to prep me and called the
> > surgeon, and he and the family doctor had a tremendous fight right at
> > my bedside. My 77 year old husband was at home, and was called by the
> > family doctor and argued with also until late that evening. To this
> > day I refuse to have a colonscopy based on the fear generated at that
> > time in me.
>
> > The good news is that the surgery cured my endometriosis to the extent
> > that can happen - no more pain or bleeding or chronic constipation.
> > However I had to fight one additional battle when I refused HRT.
>
> We shouldn't have to fight for making our own decisions. My mother was
> still fighting when she died for payment of her virtual colonscopy; her
> cancer, non existent a year before, was so advanced that the endoscope
> couldn't pass through her colon.
>
>
>
> > Can I ask you briefly about the dangers of statins? I am borderline on
> > the cholesterol numbers as of the labs this summer, and for now the
> > nurse practitioner is advising 1000 mg. fish oil caplets, so no
> > immediate problem, but your posts caused me to start thinking in that
> > regard.
>
> > Take care, and again, my sympathy,
> > Linda Scheimann
>
> Thanks, Linda.
>
> For one thing, older folks with the lowest LDL have the highest
> mortality. *Second, they do prevent heart attacks, but wreak havoc with
> your adrenal and immune function, hence increased risk of cancers,
> cognitive disturbances, lethergy, muscle weakness and or loss and pain,
> the list is endless.
>
> LDL is the material that all of your adrenal hormones are made of,
> including sex hormones. *They reduce inflammation, make us capable of
> handling stress, help up maintain electrolyte balance, etc. The
> endocrine system has an exquisitely fine tuned feedback system. *If your
> body is raising LDL, it's because it perceives a need for more adrenal
> steroids.
>
> Also, cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease; certain patterns of
> cholesterol distributions are markers for it (low HDL, high TGLs, small,
> dense LDL). *My mom had high LDL but good HDL and TGLs. *Her arteries
> were clean as a whistle. *I know someone whose father died at 95 of non
> heart related causes after a lifetime of LDL over 300. *It's a marker,
> and it's something you can't live without, not a cause of heart disease.
>
> Susan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Susan,

Have you read "Medical Nemesis" by Ivan Illich? It's an older but
very interesting book about iatrogenic illness.

Les

x-no-archive: yes

sage hen wrote:

> Susan,
>
> Have you read "Medical Nemesis" by Ivan Illich? It's an older but
> very interesting book about iatrogenic illness.
>
> Les

No, I haven't. Actually, due to iatrogenic damage, I've mostly been
unable to read books since 1995. :-/

Susan

Susan wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> sage hen wrote:
>
>> Susan,
>>
>> Have you read "Medical Nemesis" by Ivan Illich? It's an older but
>> very interesting book about iatrogenic illness.
>>
>> Les
>
> No, I haven't. Actually, due to iatrogenic damage, I've mostly been
> unable to read books since 1995. :-/
>
> Susan


SHIT! That would pretty much make life.... well,
really really hard.

I've got very early ARMD and am praying for a
dry-form cure before it gets bad.

--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

x-no-archive: yes

nickelshrink wrote:

> SHIT! That would pretty much make life.... well,
> really really hard.

Yup. I read the NY Times book review just so I know what the reading
world is reading and writing.

>
> I've got very early ARMD and am praying for a
> dry-form cure before it gets bad.
>

ARMD? Macular degeneration? Have you tested your blood glucose after
eating?

Susan

Susan <nevermind@nomail.com> wrote:

> I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
> person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> than the medical treatment she received.

I'm so sorry, Susan. I'm so sorry that your mother was put through such
unnecessary and painful and destructive procedures. I'm so sorry you had
to lose her this way.

I have made a note of the necessity of LDL as we age. Thank you for
sharing.

--
Keera in Norway * Think big and then ask for more.
http://home.online.no/~kafox/

x-no-archive: yes

Keera Ann Fox wrote:
> Susan <nevermind@nomail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
>>death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
>>ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
>>person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
>>complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
>>than the medical treatment she received.
>
>
> I'm so sorry, Susan. I'm so sorry that your mother was put through such
> unnecessary and painful and destructive procedures. I'm so sorry you had
> to lose her this way.
>
> I have made a note of the necessity of LDL as we age. Thank you for
> sharing.
>


Thank, Keera.

For a great, easy to grasp visual about LDL and adrenal steroids, just
google up zrtlab.com steroid hormone cascade and view the PDF. It's all
there.

Susan

Susan wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> nickelshrink wrote:
>
>> SHIT! That would pretty much make life.... well,
>> really really hard.
>
> Yup. I read the NY Times book review just so I know what the reading
> world is reading and writing.
>
>>
>> I've got very early ARMD and am praying for a
>> dry-form cure before it gets bad.
>>
>
> ARMD? Macular degeneration? Have you tested your blood glucose after
> eating?
>
> Susan


Better than that - i decided on my own that i am diabetic and
started living that way.

The first doc who told me that i had ARMD was 18 years
ago when i was only 36. I'd never even heard of mac degen.
and i panicked and saw a 2nd doctor who said no, i didn't
have it but was very likely to eventually. So i've been
religious about diet, supplements and cautious living, and i
must have done the right things because it took 17 years
before i actually did develop it. And very very slightly in one
eye, so i'm not actually too worried.

--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

Susan <nevermind@nomail.com> wrote:

> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Keera Ann Fox wrote:
> > Susan <nevermind@nomail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> >>death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> >>ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
> >>person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> >>complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> >>than the medical treatment she received.
> >
> >
> > I'm so sorry, Susan. I'm so sorry that your mother was put through such
> > unnecessary and painful and destructive procedures. I'm so sorry you had
> > to lose her this way.
> >
> > I have made a note of the necessity of LDL as we age. Thank you for
> > sharing.
> >
>
>
> Thank, Keera.
>
> For a great, easy to grasp visual about LDL and adrenal steroids, just
> google up zrtlab.com steroid hormone cascade and view the PDF. It's all
> there.

Thanks.

--
Keera in Norway * Think big and then ask for more.
http://home.online.no/~kafox/

x-no-archive: yes

nickelshrink wrote:

> Better than that - i decided on my own that i am diabetic and
> started living that way.
>
> The first doc who told me that i had ARMD was 18 years
> ago when i was only 36. I'd never even heard of mac degen.
> and i panicked and saw a 2nd doctor who said no, i didn't
> have it but was very likely to eventually. So i've been
> religious about diet, supplements and cautious living, and i
> must have done the right things because it took 17 years
> before i actually did develop it. And very very slightly in one
> eye, so i'm not actually too worried.
>

Then don't worry, easier said than done, I know.

My mom was an undiagnosed DM for probably many years, and was diagnosed
with it decades ago. She died with very little vision problem, though
night time driving wasn't comfortable for her.

It's still a good idea to test the effect of meals on your bg and keep
it below 140 at all times by cutting as much cho as it takes to stay low.

Great site: www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

Susan

Susan wrote:
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> I posted this to another group, because the medical interventions that
> caused my mom's illness and suffering were relevent there. Rather than
> rewrite, this is what I posted there:
>
> I'm back home after 10 days away, following my mother's death on June
> 12. My mom didn't die of old age or infirmity, she died of medical
> treatment. The downward spiral of this 86 year old web surfing,
> stairway bolting, science fiction reading, fiercely independent and fit
> woman began with prescribed statin she never needed (more about that in
> this post), the year and a half of Prednisone she was rx'ed to recover
> from the statins, and the colon cancer that grew from a perfectly clean
> colon one year to stage 3 cancer the next, a likely result of all the
> above. But it gets worse; despite promises from the oncologist that
> she'd use very low dose chemo because my mom, my sister and I get
> extremely strong reactions to even microdoses of meds (positive and
> negative) my mother's complaints of the most obvious chemo toxicity
> symptoms on the dose she was given were ignored until her chemo toxicity
> was extreme. She ended up dying of MRSA vegetations in her heart that
> she'd never have been exposed to if she hadn't needed hospitalization
> for extreme chemo toxicity. She also had a months long bout of c.
> difficile due to this.
>
> I told my mom for years that her "elevated LDL" was no cause for concern
> when she was taking statins at ages 78-82 or so. Her TGLs were low, her
> HDL high and she had no health problems other than some hearing loss and
> she took a small dose of Synthyroid, that was it. Statins changed
> everything. A few years ago, even after all the steroids, she had
> artery catheterization, she had no plaque, virtually none! The same was
> true the day before she died. A vascular surgeon was urging us to do
> open heart surgery on her after a blood clot removal from her leg
> revealed arteries clean as a whistle. Her organs and arteries were
> "like those of a healthy 45 year old." He thought this meant she had a
> lot of good years ahead.
>
> She would have, had she stayed out of the damned doctor's offices.
>
> LDL doesn't cause heart disease, and it's the building block for all of
> our essential and life sustaining adrenal hormones, ones that decline
> with age, so older folks NEED more of it. Her muscle aches and fatigue
> on the statins, then her kidney bleeding on Crestor were blown off by
> docs, she just got more and more invasive procedures yielding nothing
> helpful. Elderly people with lower LDL have the highest rate of
> mortality, and I believe this is why.
>
> My mom was an undiagnosed diabetic, too, til I brought her a meter, but
> docs kept telling her she wasn't, while they kept putting insulin in her
> IV and injecting her after meals because of the sugar in the IV! She
> was not insulin resistant, she was a slim, active, healthy 86 y.o. DM
> with high LDL and virtually no arterial plaque.
>
> Those lipid targets they're pushing are to promote sales, not health.
>
> I just can't stop shaking my head. Everyone has to die, I can accept
> death, but how do you wrap your mind around the medical incompetence and
> ignorance that's the rule, not an exception? How does the ordinary
> person protect her/himself from it? My mother suffered horribly without
> complaint the last few miserable months of her life, for no reason other
> than the medical treatment she received.
>
> Be careful out there. Caveat emptor.
>
> Susan


Oh, Susan, I'm so sorry. Your mom sounds like a terrific lady,
and how sad that her end was brought about prematurely in such an
awful way by medical incompetence.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Susan}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

FurPaw
--
The plural of anecdote is not proof.

To reply, unleash the dog.

x-no-archive: yes

FurPaw wrote:

> Oh, Susan, I'm so sorry. Your mom sounds like a terrific lady, and how
> sad that her end was brought about prematurely in such an awful way by
> medical incompetence.
>
> {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Susan}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}


Thanks, Furry.

Susan