Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[kimmie6067]

AHHHHHHH!!!! THANK YOU!

Bornholm Disease! I've been looking for this for YEARS. Way back, the day of my grandparent's 60th anniversary party, I was getting out of bed and went to the balcony door to shut it when every muscle in my chest and back seized up in agonizing pain. I thought someone had shot me in the chest. My husband had to come and help me move. He took me to the ER only to be told I "pulled a muscle". BS!!!! I was flat on my back for a week! But I couldn't come up with an explanation, only that I'd been a little under the weather previously. Then, a couple of years later, I raised an arm in the shower and it happened again. And once again, the Dr. shrugged and offered pain meds. I knew there had to be a reason. I do all kinds of crazy stuff and don't pull muscles like that, not to mention that when it happens, I'm not doing anything even remotely strenuous. Now I know. The question is, because it's a virus, is it something that sticks with you permanently and flares now and again or am I catching the virus repeatedly and am more susceptible somehow to the muscle pain? I wonder if my new Dr. would be willing to discuss and/or research this...

Could it be these? I have had these since 1991 and when I get them I feel like I am dying.

What is esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus and into the stomach.
There are two main types of esophageal spasm:

• Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
• Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.

You can have both types of esophageal spasm.
Esophageal spasms are uncommon. Often, symptoms that may suggest an esophageal spasm are the result of another condition such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or achalasia, a problem with the nervous system in which the muscles of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) don't work properly. Anxiety or panic attacks can also cause similar symptoms.
What causes esophageal spasm?

The cause of esophageal spasm is unknown. Many doctors believe it results from a disruption of the nerve activity that coordinates the swallowing action of the esophagus. In some people, very hot or very cold foods may trigger an episode.
What are the symptoms?

Most people with this condition have chest pain that may spread outward to the arms, back, neck, or jaw. This pain can feel similar to a heart attack. If you have chest pain, you should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible to rule out or treat cardiac disease.
Other symptoms include difficulty or inability to swallow food or liquid, pain with swallowing, the feeling that food is caught in the center of the chest, and a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn).

 

[RaZ]

I'm not a doctor. I have no medical training. I'm not offering advice.
I do have a bad back that causes me pain. For me, I have one of those devices that allows me to hang upside down.
It seems to work for me.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Lol, my chickens don't like pumpkin. Threw some seeds and guts in there, no one touched it. I will leave it out for another day or two and see what happens...

 

[kimmie6067]

Here's some pictures of my little's

Enjoying some cottage cheese while my kittens look on

 

[ladyrsanti]

Could it be these? I have had these since 1991 and when I get them I feel like I am dying.

What is esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus and into the stomach.
There are two main types of esophageal spasm:

• Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
• Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.

You can have both types of esophageal spasm.
Esophageal spasms are uncommon. Often, symptoms that may suggest an esophageal spasm are the result of another condition such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or achalasia, a problem with the nervous system in which the muscles of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) don't work properly. Anxiety or panic attacks can also cause similar symptoms.
What causes esophageal spasm?

The cause of esophageal spasm is unknown. Many doctors believe it results from a disruption of the nerve activity that coordinates the swallowing action of the esophagus. In some people, very hot or very cold foods may trigger an episode.
What are the symptoms?

Most people with this condition have chest pain that may spread outward to the arms, back, neck, or jaw. This pain can feel similar to a heart attack. If you have chest pain, you should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible to rule out or treat cardiac disease.
Other symptoms include difficulty or inability to swallow food or liquid, pain with swallowing, the feeling that food is caught in the center of the chest, and a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn).

Nope! My mom gets that one though. She passed out on our vacation a couple years ago after taking a sip of soda that triggered that kind of pain. Scary at the time but her Dr. knew what it was, luckily. I've been living with this one for almost seven years (three attacks accompanied by a "cold" or "flu", each one less painful than the one before it) without a clue except that I suspected a muscle-attacking virus. Bornholm is exactly how I'd describe my symptoms. I just needed the name. Hopefully it continues on that trend and disappears. The reading I did on it today suggests that it might.

 

[RaZ]

Lol, my chickens don't like pumpkin. Threw some seeds and guts in there, no one touched it. I will leave it out for another day or two and see what happens...

I hate it when the chickens don't read the rule book.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I fed TONS of pumpkin seeds to my flock a couple years ago, along with DE only to witness horrifying surprises in the poo; I think it evicts the adults but doesn't kill the eggs. A few weeks later i got more surprises so i buckled and got meds. Supposably there is an ok worm load but i just can't deal with that stuff!

I hope everyone's kids made out ok and you all survived without getting any grey hairs :-O. I had to work but we did get donuts and cider at least.

 

[Opa]

I was awaken this morning by want sounded like someone knocking at the door. I've checked and won't be able to determine what the wind gust are blowing into the house until after sunrise. Between the rain and now the wind I would imagine most of the leaves will be gone from the trees. When that happens I know that winter isn't that far away and that I need to get real serious about getting ready. I still have several things that need to be done before it gets here.

I did get the raspberries transplanted. It's amazing just how far from the main plants that new shoots will sprout up. I dug almost 2 dozen shoots and placed them back in the rows in an attempt to expand the batch and get it some what manageable. Late fall is supposed to be the best time to transplant and hopefully those shoots will produce berries this coming year. I guess I will find out this coming July on how well that worked out.

I sure will be glad when Saturday gets here. The post op instructions were to leave the bandage on til then and the skin under them itches like crazy. They also stated that I was not to get it wet til then. The size of the bandage has prevented showers and merely sponge bathing feels so inadequate.

Yesterday's visit to the arthritis specialist was basically just an affirmation of what I am very much aware of........I'm getting old and worn out. They are doing more testing but the initiial diagnosis is degenerative arthritis or what they kept referring to as "wear and tear arthritis". I wonder how many hundreds of dollars that news flash is costing?

After leaving the doctor's office in Okemos I called my old farmer to see if he wanted to go for lunch. When I arrived he was out the door almost before I could get my truck turned around. It seems he had be sitting in a dark house since his electricity had gone out the night before. He had been contemplating fixing something to eat on his gas barbeque grill when I called.

We started a system of his calling me every morning before 10am and just lets it ring one time. If I haven't received a call by then I call him. If there is no answer I will automatically go and check why he didn't respond. He says he really likes knowing that he won't lie there for days undiscovered.

I told him how I don't even have to look at the phone to know it's him. That I have assigned a special ringtone for his calls, the choros of Jason Aldean's Amarillo Sky. He was quite pleased when I played it and he heard "He just takes the tractor another round and pulls the plow across the ground and sends up another prayer. He says Lord I never complain I never ask why But please don't let my dream run dry".

 

[Jake Levi]

Opa, I'm glad that you are.

Have a good recovery, they get slower as we get older.

 

[preciouskitty]

Opa...you never cease to bring a smile to my face in the morning....

The wind...wow, did I get a workout trying to keep my car in its lane during my 60 mile drive to the office...

AND, the wind woke me up around midnight...and kept me up...argh!