Lisa K

One diagnosis is Chronic Inflammatory Demylinating Polyneuropathy (really underlying is Babesia Duncani and Lyme and EBV). I am on regular Medicare as well as Medicaid for drugs, since I am now disabled and no one will hire me.

Several doctors have recommended or agreed with the idea of IVIG treatment to reset my immune system. It is an expensive treatment, esp. if not covered. Part B likely will not pick up because CIDP not covered diagnosis. But NO ONE will tell me what insurance will help or otherwise how to get or cover this. If I needed a GoFundMe page, no one has told me. The silence has been going on for MONTHS.

Anyone get this; how can I? (I live in NJ, fyi, in case useful to know.)

Just bought this FIR portable sauna. It has a foot heater and I believe it is a Frisby model. The controller allows the temperature setting to range from 1 to 5 (1 lowest, 5 hottest). I do not know what temps the levels 1 to 5 signify. I lack a manual. Help! (Timer clearcut in 5 min intervals.)

I volunteer at a cat sanctuary and I have started socializing two cats in a room of FIV+ cats. I have had Lyme Disease and Babesia for years. I am not worried about them affecting my health. I am concerned that, should one ever scratch me or if I have a mishap (one cat jumped on my shoulder and I have balance problems), exposure to my blood would adversely affect kitty's health. Should I be concerned? Should I wear gloves or something protective?

I saw a question posed like this some time ago about toy recommendations for a declawed cat but no one entirely addressed the question of whether certain types of toys are annoying or even hurt a declawed cat. The background: my brother and his wife moved into a neighborhood where there are resident cats. One actually was declawed, belonging to a one-time resident who died; they decided that this cat should be their indoor cat, given his lack of front claws. (They only let it out for short visits to the other cats.) I noticed that this cat does not have any toys, as of yet. What would be fun for kitty without annoying or frustrating or even harming his paw pads owing to the lack of claws? Maybe a laser pointer rather than mouse? Plush is okay? What health problems might occur owing to the lack of claws?

My kitty is a 10 year old cancer patient and I have been watching her like a hawk for problems. I've noted that she is struggling to poop and just had one episode where she tried and didn't go and yet it looked like she was trying hard to do it.

I read somewhere that canned pumpkin was a good home remedy laxative. Any experience with it? Or is there another item that you've tried? Just looking for something to make kitty's life easier.

My kitty had a tumor removed in February. It was cancer and she had lymphatic invasion, meaning the cancer wasn't gone. There was a question beforehand if it was cancer or could be scar tissue but a prior surgery years ago wasn't in that spot, so I was sure it wasn't scar tissue then.

But a lump has returned to the area where the surgery was. It seems very similar in density to what was there before. This time, however, kitty seems sensitive to the spot; when it was a tumor, she was not sensitive to it. But perhaps surgery there has made her touchy?

I went to the vet maybe 3 weeks ago and was told it was too soon to tell which it was. I'll be going again in just under 10 days, but in the meantime I worry. Is there a way to tell which it is? It is growing, which is odd to me, because she is on a low dose chemo and the other bump I'm pretty sure is a tumor is either shrinking or staying the same size. That is, the low dose chemo is supposed to stop fast growing cells and target the capillaries that would feed tumor growth.

If this is tumor, my cat's prognosis is poor. If it's scar tissue, my cat is doing rather well, given she has cancer. That's a big gulf. Please advise me if you there is a way to tell the difference. Thanks.

When I've moved, I've used a doggie partition and added a bed and a litter box and darkened out side windows she could look out (reduces motion sickness). This trip is about an hour to a specialist, an oncologist. I'm being discouraged from going thru the machinations I do for the longer trips, but my kitty hates car rides. I don't mean polite meowing. I mean agonizing wailing for almost the entire trip both ways. I've thought about putting her on a leash in the back under the cargo net minus the carrier but I wonder if she could undo the cargo net. (I drive a Subaru Forester.)

Then there's putting the carrier in the back seat perhaps. Maybe more stable?

Do you have ideas about reducing kitty's stress?

For over a year I've had problems in one leg, below the knee (sometimes including the knee) and esp. the foot. Three issues, specifically. A blueness or redness, depending on recent activity or position, swelling, particularly if nothing is pressing to limit swelling, and coldness. The third can be the most noticeable. It's like one foot has been in freezer. I can feel it through a sock. It is a very big contrast from my other foot, which isn't terribly warm, anyway.

What regulates temperature in that extremity? Is it blood flow? Is it a message from the foot to the brain (perhaps garbled somewhere in between)? I had a test of blood flow through the largest artery through the thigh (ultrasound?) and it was normal. I'm taking a small bit of a generic for NORVASC and it isn't doing much.

Should a podiatrist evaluate me? A neurologist? Any ideas?

It seems to be on maybe a lower mammary gland (she's been spayed). She needs to go in again on Monday to get a go-ahead for surgery and an X-Ray. Anyone here with experience on this? On cost? On prognosis? Was it benign or malignant? Is there a way to predict? How fast did it grow? How were any nearby lymph nodes? Just trying to prepare myself for what might happen.

Thanks. Wish me and kitty luck. It's going to be a LONG weekend.

Imbalance led me to a cane and now I have one normal-looking leg and one still half an inch smaller in circumference (a few inches below the knee) that looks almost straight from knee to ankle. I've been doing ankle raises on a stair on one foot but it's not building up the calf that much. That is, I've been doing this for months without a huge result. Can anyone suggest more exercises to make my 2 legs look even?

According to type A, I don't think I should have Acid Reflux. But I do. If you know the blood type diet, it claims A's have little to no acid. But some foods it recommends have given me trouble, esp. coffee. Now my father has the same issue and over similar foods. Yet he is blood type O. Should I double check my blood type (I was pretty sure about it but...) ? Should I modify how much of an A I am given this, as if I'm really a combo of A and O? I'm confused but I have enough health issues that I've wanted to try this diet. And I do have digestion issues (once called a "leaky gut").

I have a plastic device (I guess you'd call it that) that goes in my mouth. It has several stress tears in the flexible material. I would like to repair and reinforce these places with a glue that adheres to plastic and can get wet. Is that rubber cement or something else? What do you suggest using? Thanks.

Sometimes my cat rubs up against me, either with her head or body. Other times she butts her head against me. I don't understand why she does both or the difference. I presume both are friendly or affectionate but my first cat only did one and this one does both. I don't speak "cat" so I need an interpreter.

I am trying to recover from Lyme Disease. I have had it for a long time (much of that time undiagnosed) and it has made me lose my balance, at times quickly or unexpectedly. Some of the falls or near falls I have had are embarrassing and I often walk with a hand on a wall or use a cane in public. I would like to work at getting better as I try to eradicate the active spirocytes from my body. So I am rehabbing and cannot start with anything too difficult (or scary; the wobble boards look intriging but scary) but something that would improve my situation.and potentially progress in difficulty. That Reebok Core Board looks interesting since it has a base. If you have experience with that and recommend it -- or if you have other ideas -- thanks for all input!

I've had a cold or flu for many days now and at least a week ago, I lost my sense of taste. Smell has come back to me but nothing sweet registers, for one. It's as if ice cream and cardboard tasted the same, even if I can smell chocolate. I'm trying some saline nose spray but I don't get what is blocked and how to unblock it. Help!

I have a midnight blue gown and cannot wear high heels (I have balance issues, probably from chronic Lyme Disease). I didn't want to wear a black shoe because it's kinda typical or boring. What do you think of silver? It would be a medium grey that looks like silver and the shoes have ankle straps, a round foot with an open toe end and about a 3/4" stack heel. I have silving earrings with a midnight blue sapphire on each so I'm thinking they should work. Well?

I got no time frame given before or after food so I have no idea how to use these.

Most diagnoses of syndromes or diseases involving the GQ1B antibody are neurological and can be identified on whatever is indicated on the EMG (which is that test where you are the equivalent of a pin cushion getting electrical changes). These include Guillian Barre' Syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demylinating Polyneuropathy. My EMG showed no abnormalities, however. My neurologist has to consider other tests and other conditions. I'm just trying to pick someone's brain here in my next appointment if I have some ideas for the next step. Thanks much.

I have MS-like symptoms, including issues with balance and doublevision. I have been tested for myathenia gravis and MS in various ways but don't seem to have either. I also was told I don't have lyme disease. I have the results of various medical tests but don't know where to begin researching. The neurologist seemed to say they were all "good" but that leaves me with a dilemma. I still have a problem and it's not showing up. It seems I have to know the name of the disorder first. Also, I seem to do better when I avoid dairy products. I have no idea why. Any ideas of what I should check and what type of practitioner I should seek? My chiropractor has helped more than any MD. Oh, and I'm younger than 45, too.