Illness, Injury and Medical Advice from the Internet

DEET. Works a treat.

I'd contact DEET with that little quote. It's a gem.

it is why i have to disagree with schick when he suggests wasps are not a serious threat!

lemongrass, and citronella are good for keeping insects away

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa050503a.htm

"

• Citronella Oil
  
• Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
  
• Cinnamon Oil
  
• Castor Oil
  
• Rosemary Oil
  
• Lemongrass Oil
  
• Cedar Oil
  
• Peppermint Oil
  
• Clove Oil
  
• Geranium Oil
  
• Possibly Oils from Verbena, Pennyroyal, Lavender, Pine, Cajeput, Basil, Thyme, Allspice, Soybean, and Garlic"
  
  
  
  
  

allegedly eating marmite can help repel mosquitoes too

I went to the doctor, told him what was wrong with me and he said "You've got hypochondria". I thought, oh no, not that as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbN1bFtNNo4#t=03m55s

Oh, sorry, I forgot to attribute that joke to Tim Vine. Apparently the Conscience Of The Media disapproves.

Just seen this.The relevance of the video wasn't the title ('prince of thieves') as some sort of vague claim that you hadn't given proper attribution to your joke. Rather it was the Costner line about courage and offering his arm up to be chopped off - i.e. referencing the OP of this thread.Tart.

I heard they prefer healthy people

Mosquito bite on ankle from two weeks ago, I splatted him mid-suck. Infection? Amputation?

Don't splat them mid-suck: I've heard that if you catch one in the act and pull the skin tight so the little bastard can't get its sucking tube out then it will overfill with blood and explode.

I've been wanting to try it ever since, but not quite enough to go out and seek mosquitos to bite me.

I think it's aids, aids looks like this, right doctors?

I've applied a Tourniquiet above the knee to stop the spread. Awaiting further instruction...

Mosquito bite on ankle from two weeks ago, I splatted him mid-suck. Infection? Amputation?

Death in 3 days.

That looks more like a tick bite.

it is why i have to disagree with schick when he suggests wasps are not a serious threat!

What I actually say is that wasps are less aggressive than bees. That you're more at risk and entitled to feel that way if you're severely allergic to them goes without saying. They are still unlikely to sting you if you don't lash out for them or accidentally have one in your shoe or sit on it, etc.

What I actually say is that wasps are less aggressive than bees.

oh really? I had it the other way around - that because wasps have a smooth stinger and can just sting you for a laugh and fly off, they are more likely to, but because bees have a barbed stinger, and die if they sting you, they only do it as a last resort.

I'm allergic to bees, and have felt relatively comforted by that belief.

Wasps can sting several times, but that doesn't cause them to be more aggressive than bees. Hornets are actually the least aggressive. (NB I'm talking about their likelihood of stinging humans here--wasps are obviously insect predators.)

Even bees aren't very aggressive--you just have to watch yourself around their hives.

All will sting when alarmed, e.g. by people hitting out at them, or accidentally squeezing or crushing them.

yes, I've been stung by both, although all times hardly their fault, the wasp was the least endangered - it flew into my clothing and must have felt trapped, although I didn't crush it at all, it was between a very thin layer of cloth and my skin, crawling around, I barely felt it until stung me. the bee was stepped on. fortunately never been stung by a hornet.

Old thread revival alert!

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this:

I never get stitches when cycling, never. Then a couple of weeks ago whilst sprinting particularly hard along a stretch of Richmond Park I got a seriously painful stitch like feeling, normal place you get a stitch, same feeling just worse. So bad in fact that I needed to stop and recover for a few minutes. Anyway, it went away like stitches do, but since then I've got a stitch every time I've walked anywhere for more than 200m or so. I'm pretty fit, training for ironman UK this August, and ran today for 2 hours with no problems, and yet walking gives me quite a painful stitch and intense cycling does as well, despite never getting a stitch before...

Pulled muscle? No idea, but as a 19yo guy I am reluctant to go to a doctor, especially as I'm guessing the cure is rest, which I can't do at this stage of my training.

Anyone else had this?

I took a bit of a tumble earlier today. Went to the emergency room and they x-rayed my shoulder. Nothing's broken, but 8 hours on I've still got a burning pain in the joint area and intense sharp pains, if I move it in certain ways. Called their emergency lines, who told me to wait 'til morning and if it's still as painful, show up at the emergency room again.
Should I expect ligament/muscle damage? How does a torn ligament feel?

could be a seperated shoulder. do you have a lump on the top of your shoulder? if so this will be your collar bone sticking out as the ligament holding it to your shoulder blade is damaged. hurts a bit like a sprained ankle, sudden movements will hurt lots.

No lumps - I'm nicely symmetrical. Slept like shit, sitting up.

Took a pedal to the shin on friday night. Cleaned it thoroughly when I got home but it still hurts after four days. Its scabbed over but there is some swelling and redness.

Amputation?

http://i.imgur.com/wvcT1SS.jpg

Pentobarbital

Old thread dredge alert!

Foot agony (big toe actually) means I can't ride or walk very easily. Semi-educated, self-diagnosis of gout due to location of pain/swelling + type of pain + onset of signs/symptoms + family history of at least 2 generations both sides (needs proper medical confirmation obvs).

Has anyone any experience of gout and management/treatment of it? I am not overweight. I don't drink much or eat badly (mainly vegetarian + low in purines + Mrs C00ps is vegan and manages the shopping) and I didn't over-indulge at Christmas either.

Advice much appreciated, as I'm already laying off the port and it hurts like a bastard!

How do you know it's not toe cancer? Go to a real doctor!

Go to the Dr.
The differential for a hot, swollen joint is quite extensive.
The damage caused by it can be quite severe.
If it is gout, the treatment pathway is quite well established and effective.

Good point; well made!

Did you get the cheap Kindle, by the way?

Doc appointment made.

Yeah I did, and it's great, although I did feel a bit ashamed participating in black Friday. Was it you that recommended the deal? Thanks a lot if it was.

Hope it's a negative for toe cancer :-)