stillkickin242

I have a condition that causes orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia. It is mostly due to chronic hypovolemia and reduced constriction of my blood vessels. I have low endurance in general but can usually walk for about .5-1 hour without needing a rest break. (I will be bringing a wheelchair with me just in case.) I'm planning on going to Tibet in a few months and I'm wondering if it is dangerous for me to go to such high altitude. I've traveled to Yosemite several times since I've been sick and did better than at sea level (presumably due to the decreased temperatures at the higher elevation.)

The information I find just says that people with heart or lung problems should not go, but none of the sources elaborate.

When I do go, I plan to use diamox (which I've taken before for an unrelated condition. Makes the blood pressure lower, but I can tolerate it for a few days). I will drink a lot and take my usual meds that increase blood volume (florinef) and constrict blood vessels (midodrine). Is there anything else I can do to reduce the chance of having problems?

(And of course I am going to get checked out by my doctor and ask his opinion too.)

I have had an oily discharge coming from the areola area of one of my breasts all day. At one point it was enough to soak through my bra to my t-shirt. The area also looks kind of swollen however I don't have any pain, There is nothing coming out of the nipple, just the surrounding area, I am not breast feeding and there isn't a chance I could be pregnant. What could cause this? Could it have anything to do with hormone imbalances? I am going through the process of being checked for that this month because of some other symptoms,

I'm going to France with my family and we are looking for suggestions on some less touristy places to go. A lot of us are really into science and history so things like caves, wildlife reserves, gem mining, ect. are right up our ally.

I have been playing around with the idea of getting and ipad which I would use as an e-reader (and other things). I'm worried that reading off the ipad would be just like reading off of a computer screen because its so bright. For those of you with an ipad, how is it reading of the device as opposed to a kindle or other e-reader?

I had a pretty puzzling appointment with a doctor and was wondering if anyone who has a good background in neuroanatomy could help me out.

I am a young adult and had a pretty classic stroke like episode but nothing was ever found on the MRI. I did have to go through stroke rehab to learn how to walk and balance again. I still have left sided weakness. This is possibly irrelevant though.

Ever since that episode, I have VERY brisk reflexes globally. The strange part is that some of my reflexes change. For example, when doctors do the babinski test, I may have a positive, negative, or no response. I may have several different doctors try the test with the same results one day and then the next week I have a bunch of doctors try it and they all get the same results as each other, but different than before. I also have a positive Hoffmann's sign test. I also have intermitant clonus of varying severities.

Other possibly irrelevant details are that I have intermittent episodes of weakness, dysautonomia, and like five tiny jugular veins on each side of my neck instead of the usual two.

I mainly just want to know what part of the nervous system would cause this pattern of reflexes and why things change from day to day. This is more for my own curiosity than for trying to find a diagnosis or anything like that (I'll leave that to the doctors). I'm studying biology, so this is interesting for me.

I use a wheelchair for endurance and weakness issues and I am looking for a chair that will be best suited for traveling. Ideally, the chair will be an all-terrain power assist manual wheelchair, but I haven't found anything like this so far. Any ideas where I can look? If not, are there any companies that make custom wheelchairs that may be able to make something like I need?

If something like this just doesn't exist, what kind of chair do you travel with?

I am starting my spring garden indoors and in one of my pots, I noticed a bit of mold after a few days. I took off the plastic top I was using to help the soil retain moisture, but the mold has still grown to cover quite a bit of the soil. The good news is that I am getting successful seedlings sprouting. How can I eliminate the mold/fungus growth without harming the seedlings?

I just found out that I have super small jugular veins and if I turn my head, one of them gets blocked off and causes some neuro symptoms. (I had an CT and ultrasound to discover/confirm this.) I went jogging today and got a HORRIBLE headache and my vision was so bad I couldn't read for a while. The only thing I could do to make it better was to hold my neck in a straight position with my hand and lay down. Is is possible that the headache is connected to the small jugular veins? Or cervical instability? Because I have that too. Not looking for a diagnosis, just wanting to know whether the things I already know I have can cause headaches with exercise.

I'm throwing a party on a really tight budget and need a venue that can hold around 100 people. It is a casual party, so it doesn't need to be fancy. Thanks!

I have a mac and want to get a drawing pad to help me with some design projects I'm working on. I'm ok with a track pad or mouse, but i am still better at drawing with a pen and paper. The things I am looking for include:

-ability to see what I am drawing on the pad (as opposed to only on the computer screen)

-compatible with mac and programs like Photoshop and Autodesk

-and of course the cheaper the better

I don't care about:

-bundled software

-whether the device uses a USB or has wireless connection

What kind of computer drawing pad would work best? Are there any other features I should look into when deciding on what kind to get?

I have two conditions that lead to periodic near syncope episodes due to blood pressure dips and periodic muscle weakness or paralysis. These things often happen with little or no warning. I think that having a service dog to warn me before these things happen, and to help me out when they do happen would really help me be more independent. I've done a lot of research on service dogs but I haven't been able to find any places that train medical alert dogs for anything other than epilepsy or diabetes. Does anyone know where I can find more information on different kinds of medical alert dogs?

What are the pros and cons of each phone?

If you have used both, which one do you like better?

My parents 25th anniversary is over 6 months away but I want to start planning now. I wish I could have a fancy party for them, but I unfortunately am still in college so aside from cutting back on my ramen budget, I have no source of income. haha

My idea was to have a surprise party at my grandparents house and have it be a potluck/backyard BBQ so I don't have to cook or order food for all of the guests (there will probably be about 50 guests). This is the type of thing we do at get-togethers in college, but I don't know if its still acceptable in the adult world. What do you think? I'm also going to be getting all of the drinks and I don't know if I should stay non-alcoholic or get some "adult drinks" too. Since I don't drink I really have no idea what would be expected at this type of party.

Also I'm going to make a video slideshow with their wedding song and make the invitations myself. What are some other ideas that will help make the day special?

I was going to make this a no gift thing with an option of donating to a charity in their name, but I am thinking of having it just be a no gift thing. What is customary?

The best part of this is that I know that they aren't expecting anything so it will be a complete surprise!

I am brainstorming ideas for a major senior project and wanted input from the community of people who I want to work with (people with chronic illness, serious illness, and/or disabilities and their families). I have a background in all of the above myself, but I feel I would benefit from hearing other's opinions as well.

So my question is, what resources or programs would improve your life that you do not have access to?

Some ideas I currently have are:

-A card/gift receiving program similar to (www.makeachildsmile.org) but for a larger age group

-A Program that sends people with chronic or serious illness fun PJ's (I spend a lot of time in mine!)

-A website with activities, boredom busters, and resource links for people with disabilities, chronic illness or serious illness.

-A social forum for your age group

-A visitor program

-A mentor program

-Career Advice tailored to your specific abilities

-Some combination of some of the above in a single program

-Other

Before you answer that there is no such thing, just google it please. :)

I noticed about a year ago that I would get hives sometimes when I iced or got an cold IV, but recently things have gotten a whole lot worse. If I try to ice like my knee or something I will get huge hives and swelling on and around the area that the ice touches. If I hold a cup of ice cream while I'm eating it, my fingers swell up to the point that they start tingling and then go numb. What can cause this to happen? Is it something I need to go to the doctor about? Obviously, I am staying away from cold things the best I can, but is there anything else that I should do? Thanks.

I have quite a few symptoms of chiari and tethered cord, but my laying down MRI was normal. First I want to know if this was the right test for these conditions and if not, what other tests I should have had. Also, I am wondering if it is even worth pursuing. If I did have chiari and/or tethered cord, is there anything significant that would come out of fixing it? My overall health is poor right now so I would only consider addressing this if it could make a difference.

I don't know if this helps, but here are my symptoms:

-dysautonomia symptoms (postural tachycardia and hypotension)

-nausea

-intermittent foot drop

-intermittent abnormal reflexes in lower extremities

-brisk reflexes in lower extremities

-pins and needles with laying down leg raise over 30 degrees

-pins and needles with walking (and running, but I can't run anymore)

-chronic back and neck pain

-very bad pain at the base of my skull

-scoliosis (mild)

-spina bifida occulta (or however that's spelled haha)

-weakness in legs

-weak spells, especially with exercise

-increased symptoms when neck held in extension

-relief from at least pain when someone pulls up on my head

I have outgrown my point and shoot camera and am looking for an upgrade. I use my current camera on a daily basis to take pictures of friends and family, but I would like my new camera to do well with weather shots and wildlife shots. Any suggestions? What specs should I look for when purchasing the new camera?

I usually draw or paint on paper, but recently I've been interested in learning how to do art on the computer. I am well versed in photoshop, but I am tired of having to use already created open source clip art in my designs and would rather create my own clip art. What are the best programs to do this? I would also like to know how to take my drawings on paper and through a scan make them into vector art since I have trouble making the same quality drawings on the computer as on paper. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

About a week ago I was rolling down a hill on a wheelchair (long story) and I got going too fast so I tried to stop with just my right foot. My leg was at an angle (knee rotated slightly inward) and when I put my foot down to stop myself, I felt a very clear pop and felt pretty bad pain in my knee. I tried to stop again with the same leg and felt worse pain so I got up and tried to walk and couldn't put weight on my leg.

The popping feeling came from the back, outside, deep part of my knee and I have pain in that area as well as under and on the sides (particularly the outer side) of my kneecap. It hurts to straighten it or put weight on it, but bending it is ok as long as it is at the right angle. Driving and similar movements are very painful.

Initially, is was very swollen to the point my knee did not look normal. The swelling went down over the next day or so. The pain improved by the morning following the injury, but as soon as I tried to walk for more than a few minutes, I was back to it hurting very bad and not being able to put weight on it. Basically, if I rest my knee, it feels ok, and the more I try to use it, the worse it feels. I don't appear to have any huge instability in my knee, but I haven't been officially evaluated for that so this is just a guess.

I'm going to see a doctor and all that as soon as possible (which is not all that soon unfortunately), but I was curios what type of knee injury it could be in the meantime. My tendency is to want to call it a sprain and try to use it as much as I can tolerate, but I know that if its not just sprained, pushing myself could hurt it.

Thanks!

I am a 20 year old student looking to improve my writing. I am mostly interested in fiction writing and would like to subscribe to a magazine. I would like the magazine to have good articles and writing contests. What do you recommend?