Medical things you didn’t know?

[Emptychairdoasolo]

Just watching a medical drama and wondered what happens if you die on the operating table? Do they just sew you back up without repairing anything inside?

but also had me thinking what other medical things didn’t you know until you maybe experienced them or learned?

Doctor for 30 years and I've not come across the nurses/carers opening a window for the soul to get out. Maybe it's regional. I've only worked in London.

Another one, a really important one - flossing reduces the risk of alzheimers. If you have bleeding gums, there's a type of bacteria that lives in the mouth that can then get into the bloodstream through the cuts in the gums. It travels to the brain and can then infect brain tissues and is linked to dementia.

Always floss!

But absolutely confirm the care and respect in laying out a dead body. We also write "may you rest in peace" or similar in the notes whenever anyone dies, even though no one else will ever see that.

Thank you for doing that. So far all my family have died at home or in hospice with us around but that is a beautiful thing to do. And I agree with letting their soul out.

That's true of quite a lot of drugs: as long as efficacy and safety at a large scale can be demonstrated it almost "doesn't matter" how they work.

Cardiac sarcoma is rare but exists.

That children's ears grow a lot faster than I thought. I didn't realise until my then 7 year old got his first hearing aids and had to have the moulds replaced every couple of months because he grew out of them. Apparently babies ears grow even faster.

People with eating disorders can have diabetes it's called diabetes mellitus. My Dad starved himself to death.

It was on his death certificate

No, I wasn’t at Leicester.

Love this description so true. No one is allowed to say the Q word 😭.

And the active drug in Viagra was originally produced as a drug for use in chronic lung disease - the effects on a man with ED issues is just a ‘happy’ coincidence!!

In fact, many drugs are now not used for the conditions they were first produced to treat!

No , particularly if she was small she couldn't physically get her knee onto his chest whilst he's on a dental chair, it would make teeth even more difficult to take out.
Because of the anatomy around the lower jaw bruising from an extraction, particularly from a lower wisdom tooth, can appear around the neck and down to the collar bone . Nothing to do with kneeling.

I didn't stop growing when I started menstruating - I grew a good inch in university! Mind you I have ARFID and I was pretty bad as a teen (much better diet now) and my periods stopped for a bit in the middle of my teens then came back, so maybe that affected it.

Just reporting back what he was saying about how disconcerting it was being awake and having this wee woman practically sitting on him. He was wide awake and definitely not imagining it! She was Polish so possibly different techniques?

I second the person who says don't ever mention the Q word!

I'll never forget the young police officer who came out when my husband died suddenly. He was a trainee too and he was absolutely wonderful. He was so kind, and clearly moved but also incredibly calm and reassuring. The GP who came out to certify the death was also wonderful; she cried with me, and held me while sobbed. And the paramedics were just amazing. They kept doing CPR long after it was necessary so that I could be there with my husband at the moment of "death" (even though really he had gone before they even arrived and we all knew that) and then moved him into bed, under the covers, so I could cuddle with him until the funeral directors arrived. And they stayed with me until my family got there.

Anyway, a massive thank you to you, and to anyone else who is present at the moment of someone's death and treats the deceased person, and their family, with love and respect and care. I can't tell you what a difference it made. It was the worst night of my life but I can also look back on it with an odd fondness because of the extraordinary kindness shown to me by those professionals. I genuinely believe their behaviour is what stopped me from developing PTSD despite the traumatic nature of my husband's death and having to do CPR etc.

No , it's physically impossible. Unfortunately pain and stress can alter people's perception and memory.
If even a petite woman knelt on someone's chest in this way they would probably break that person's rib.
You can't physically get a knee on a patient's chest if they are on a dental chair , unless your e freakishly tall, flexible with excellent balance.
It would make taking a tooth out impossible , you push to take a tooth out, not pull.

Ears and noses never stop growing, albeit slowly, only one body part never grows from birth to death -amazing!

(eyes)

End of life care the nurses gave my dad was very respectful and very appreciated.

Thank you for this. The hospice my sister passed away in picked some primroses for her and put a bunch in her hand ❤️

Also, babies have almost 100 more bones than adults

I don't know if it's anecdotal, but I thought that similar to paracetamol, aspirin would not be certified for OTC / general use if it were discovered today.

Are you me? I had the same with lower tooth extraction, it took the dentist an hour to get that bloody tooth out.

Bridget You sound such a caring nurse. My Dad died a few months ago in the most wonderful nursing home. The family had left to have something to eat and members of staff took turns in sitting with until we returned but as the nurse left the room for a few moments my died died. We arrived back 10 mins later to find the window open and a nurse sat with my Dad so he wasn't alone. My lovely dad and our family were treated so well by the staff and they insisted we came back for a cup of tea and a chat in my Dads room the next day. They had left his room exactly as it was except they had placed a photo of him and some flowers by the bed. Every single member of the staff from the finance officer to the laundress came to offer their condolences. We have been told we are welcome to visit the home or just come and sit in the garden whenever we want too. Those small things have meant so much to our family , knowing that in his dying days and hours he was looked after by people that really cared has eased our suffering.