The Medical Thread

So I have a question that I'm sure every writer has probably asked at some point in their writing career.

Is there a way to knock someone out without doing the easy blow to the head trope? I know that doesn't work because losing consciousness is a sign of a serious concussion and that would probably just kill the person. Drugs like chloroform are also out because they take a long time to administer and you have to apply a specific amount based on things like weight, and failure to do so results in an overdose and probably kills the person.

Google fu gave the suggestion of a chokehold? Those apparently last for a few minutes at most, but that's fine for what I'm using it for. I'm told, however, that those are really tricky and that it's more likely that the chokehold will just result in serious injury?

I know of course that the obvious answer is that there isn't an easy way to do this; humans are really durable and losing consciousness is a sign that there's something wrong. Worst case scenario, I'll rewrite it and figure out a way to make the scene work without knocking the person out.

Compromising the carotid is usually considered the sure-fire method... for all its drawbacks. <_< But, you're right: the only safe-ish ways are actually the slow ones. -_-

A prolonged beat-down or electrocution would do it, if only thanks to the system-wide pain and shock overload. And, heaven help you if they bleed out or burn to a crisp. Waterboarding, if you've got time to set it up, is a great way! Or, how about pumping a room full of obscene amounts of <insert sedative here>, when you've got a medical history of the person you're hoping to knock out. <note acute sarcasm>

You've got problems with both ends of survivability, whatever you try doing: "safe" and "knock out" don't really exist with even a trained anaesthesiologist. It's all about reducing the risk factors.

So for the third or fourth time now I've had some sort of white bio-material (which I completely ignore what it is) cover the stitches of my Wisdom Teeth removal surgery. When the superficial stitches are covered, both the white material and the stitches fell off without any pain.

What the shit was that about? I thought the stitches were supposed to melt, not fall off like that. I'm confident in saying that it wasn't food, because it formed too quickly to be food that turned into something un-holy and I brush my teeth regularly, including the scar area. The last instance of that happened yesterday, about 3 months after the operation.

Reddit thread about some horrible stuff some doctors saw.

I'm barely one third through it, but the pregnant women shitting worms while giving birth has to take the cake.

EDIT: Nevermind, there's... there's stuff going on in hospitals.

Yet again I acquire more respect for medical practitioner.

edited 29th Jan '14 9:44:45 AM by QuestionMarc

I just read through that whole thread.

That was some of the grossest stuff I've ever seen or read.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE oh my god

What's the deal with Diabetes feet? I've seen a couple of mention about how gross they are, but I have no idea what they're referring to. I... I don't want to google it either. No... no reasons.

I also learned today that maggots can chew on people even when the people are still alive. That hobo story who lost his ankles to rot... brrrr.

Diabetes feet: Diabetes can damage the sensory neourons and blood vessels, promoting and causing disfiguring infections and injuries and tissue damage to the feet.

The number of diabetics who come in with gangrene is truly frightening. There are a number of contributing factors:

• Damage to blood vessels, which results in poor circulation. The area is thus poorly perfused, waste and pathogens cannot be moved away as easily, and white blood cells can't reach the area easily when needed.
• Immunosuppression, so the body is less able to fight infection.
• Peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes damages the nerves of the body, rendering them less sensitive to pain and touch. When this affects the feet, a diabetic can step on a rusty nail, have it pierce their foot deeply, and not feel anything. They also won't feel the infection developing, so either they won't notice the injury at all, or think that it's not serious because it isn't painful.

Whilst diabetic foot sounds more disgusting than dangerous, it is actually a very serious issue as it can easily lead to an amputation.

Severe injuries like stepping on a nail and not noticing are more dramatic, but in most cases of diabetic foot damage, the starting injury is something small and/or/mundane — a blister, a small cut, a splinter, a bruise, even an ingrown toenail; anything that can allow an infection to get started.

Red alert: Body kills 'spontaneous' blood cancers on a daily basis

Autistic brains create more information at rest, study show

How lungs keep living after being removed from the body

I sort of knew about this stuff before but I think it's just really damn cool to see more about it.

<shrugs> It's not like we don't know about brain-death. Just because the cortex and/or hypothalamus has died, doesn't mean the rest of the organs are quick to peg it, given nutrients, oxygen and impulses enough to keep going.

So does anyone here specialize on sleep stuff?

Basically, I've had this problem my entire life, or as long as I remember, that if I go to bed before I'm tired, I think way too much and I can't fall asleep at all. So I just sit in bed and wait for hours. I find though that if I go to bed around say, 3 or 4 in the morning, I'm tired enough that I just fall asleep right away. Then I wake up around noon and I feel fine because I got enough sleep. It's fine for the most part because I'm in college and I only tend to have morning classes once or twice a week.

But then on the days where I have to be up early, it's a problem. Regardless of how much sleep I've gotten the night before, and regardless of how much caffeine I have in the morning, if it's morning and I'm sitting there and listening, I start nodding off. No matter what. No matter how interesting it is, I just start nodding off. And it's been something that has happened since middle school.

It's never been a problem? The classes I had in the morning in middle school or high school didn't require tons of participation and I still passed them. As for my college classes, if there's active participation and I'm doing something, I'm fine. But if it's just a lecture, I'm screwed.

My professor for gender studies emailed me about this and was like "maybe try an expresso?" I technically do that already in that I tend to take soda into my morning class already. It does nothing.

I'm just really worried about this because I'm in my junior year of college and I'm probably going to get a job that will require me to be working in the morning at some point. And I can't do that if I'm nodding off and falling asleep every time I'm on a computer or listening to something. And like I said, it doesn't matter how much sleep I get the night before. It still happens. I can't keep awake before twelve, and I can't fall asleep before three or so in the morning.

Uh. You might need help with that: you sound like an extreme night owl — but, note the related link to be found in that article "delayed sleep phase disorder". There are other sleep disorders that might be in play, as well, though.

There is help to be had... beyond the not-so-helpful advice of "drink more coffee", but you might well have to be properly investigated to get it. As always, a proper diagnosis will help. (There is nothing more convincing than having an ECG to wave in people's faces.)

edited 5th Feb '14 1:19:06 PM by Euodiachloris

How would I go about finding a doctor to talk to about that stuff? I'm a college student out of state from my hometown, I haven't been to a doctor in ... years, and I doubt this would be covered by insurance.

(Our current insurance sucks anyways, I think we're going to be picked up by Obamacare in a couple of months but I don't know. I'm rambling.)

Also what kind of treatment? I don't want to take pills or medication for it. The side affects from those sound like more trouble than they're worth. (Also aforementioned cost/insurance coverage issues.)

Um... you'd have to ask somebody else: I'm used to the British way of going about things. But, I'm pretty sure you can find info on where your nearest doctor is with a simple Google. And, a little more searching will probably tell you what you need to do to get an appointment (and, how to fund it).

Random question, if you are on life-support, but expected to get better soon can someone who holds power of attorney choose do disconnect life-support?

As far as I can tell, the extent of Power Of Attorney varies between legal systems (and the specific case, even).

OK, upon rechecking, it seems that it can happen, but not likely.

edited 11th Feb '14 9:47:13 AM by SeptimusHeap

Thanks!

Power of attorney has limits. From the way you've phrased the question, it sounds like you're asking "could the holder of a PoA kill you by disconnecting you early". There the answer is almost "certainly no". PoA is generally limited to making the decision between two or more possible and reasonable courses of action, not arbitrarily setting one just because that's what you want to do. Even with a PoA in effect it's unlikely that the doctors in charge of treatment would agree to disconnect if the prognosis for recovery was decent if support were continued.

edited 11th Feb '14 9:52:56 AM by Madrugada

Help for a scarred heart: Scarring cells turned to beating muscle

I've got a lot of phlegm in my throat that won't seem to leave no matter how much cold water I drink or how much spit I get out of my mouth and throat. Do I just need hot water or do I need to add some ingredients or drink tea instead or something?

Technique allows for radiation-free detection of tumors, study finds

What are the most common health problems in real-life that are directly associated with either eating or sex (whether of the "too much" or "too little" sorts)? I currently have obesity, anorexia, sexually transmitted diseases/infections, and impotency on the list.