Medical Stories

HungryJoe

Here's a Thursday Show topic: Bad Medical Experiences, their descriptions and resolutions.

When I was a senior in high school, I contracted ITP, a blood disorder that dangerously lowers a person's platelet count. Platelets help coagulate blood, so when a person has a lower count than normal, they can have anemia-like symptoms. When I had it the first time back then, I noticed blood blisters in my mouth and on my body at the start of the schoolweek. By the end of the week, I was actually able to cry blood and spit blood. It was a pretty cool effect, but obviously something was wrong.

We went to our family doc. He immediately sent me to the hospital. There, they decided they'd better test to make sure I didn't have leukemia. So they took a bone marrow sample. They gave me the choice of taking it from my spine (they'd have to put the needle in my spine) or my leg (they'd have to put the needle in my hip). I chose the leg. They anesthetized my hip, and then wheeled in the needle. I'm not kidding - it was the size of a railroad spike. Now, since it was going in through bone, they actually had to hammer it in!

They took John Henry to the graveyard
WHAM!
Laid him down in the sand
WHAM!
Every locomotive comin' a-rollin' by
WHAM!
Hollered there lies a steel drivin' man, Lawd, Lawd.
There lies a steel drivin' man.

It was so weird feeling the needle being pounded in. I was numbed of course, but I could feel the blows make contact. They told me that I wouldn't be able to feel anything else, but I swear I felt like I felt marrow being sucked out. Later, my leg felt really weird, like there was empty space in it or something.

Anyway, does anyone else have a good medical story?

Kiey

My only good medical story happened when I was a Junior in High School. I got hit in the face with a 9lb shot put. How? Well obviously I was on the track team (threw shot put and javelin to be specific,) and was walking by the shot put ring going somewhere, I forget where. I was about 20 feet to the right of the throwing area, and our best thrower (could throw a 12 lb shot about 45') was messing around a bit and spin throwing with the girl's 9 lb shot, and as he tried to throw it it slipped out early and went in my direction.

So it hit me in the left cheek, and I sort of staggered and managed to regain my balance. I don't actually remember the impact just the before and then the staggering. Just as I regain my balance, the kid that hit me (who was also a volunteer EMT) was telling me to lay down, and then sort of tackled me to the ground when I didn't fall.

So I just sorta laid on the ground wondering what the hell happened since I couldn't see out my left eye, but nothing hurt. Eventually they got the trainer for school out there, and then an ambulance took me to the hospital. The swelling was so bad by then that they couldn't do any surgery or anything, so they just stitched up a small cut I had next to my eye, gave me some drugs and let me go.

I eventually had to get plastic surgery, but luckily the only thing affected was my cheek, everything else was fine. My cheekbone basically broke off and moved back into my face. It didn't hit high enough to affect my eye, or low enough to affect my teeth. So the surgeon put it back in place, and fastened it there with little titanium discs. There was also some bone shrapnel in the nerve, so he had to remove a lot of that.

It's been about 7 years now I guess and I still have some numbness on that side, but its not really bothersome at all. Oh and only missed 2 weeks of school because of it, well technically 3 but the 3rd week was winter vacation week, so it doesn't really count.

HungryJoe

Okay, I've just ended a struggle with gout. That's right. Gout. I can't believe I had gout.

Before I was fully done with it, I had middle and outer ear infections in both ears.

I've been so sick, I've pretty much missed July, which is okay because July is my least favorite month.

Does anyone have any home remedy advice for tinnitus?