Trial and error. That’s why a doctor’s office is called a practice, right? It’s the reason we say “practicing medicine” rather than “perfecting medicine.”
No one is perfect, doctors especially. Still, knowledge aside, a good physician listens to his or her patients, even if it goes against what they know about illness. In many ways, seeing a doctor can often feel like being a number rather than a name. Personal experience can attest to the difference between good bedside manner and the opposite.
Tori Geib probably knows this better than anyone. Her countless visits to different specialists for back pain soon turned into a nightmare.“I saw three rheumatologists to find out why I had this pain, but none took me seriously,” Geib told Health.
She went on to explain that one doctor even wrote off her pain as “depression manifesting as pain in my body.
”From anti-inflammatory medication to steroids to muscle relaxers and antidepressants, Geib had seen the backside of a pill bottle too many times to count.
Still, her pain didn’t abate. It got to the point where she started to question herself, wondering if maybe she was imagining what was going on in her own body.
“I almost felt like I was gaslighting myself,” she said. “Was this all in my head? Surely all these doctors couldn’t be wrong; after all, they were the experts.”
For many, meal prep is key to maintaining a healthy diet and saving money, but if you elect to make your food days in advance, make sure to store it properly.
A famous case that recently resurfaced is that of a 20-year-old Belgian student who reheated spaghetti with tomato sauce after it had been left out in the kitchen for five days. The 2008 case was featured in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and spotlighted on the YouTube channel Chubbyemu, which profiles strange medical tales.
In this case, the student, who was not named, became ill within a half-hour of consuming the pasta, suffering intestinal distress, nausea and a headache, the medical journal reported. He decided to try to sleep off the symptoms, drinking water and not taking any medicine or seeking medical attention. He nodded off at midnight after hours of vomiting.
The next morning, he was found dead by his parents. An autopsy showed he likely died about 10 hours after eating the pasta and that his liver had completely shut down and he was suffering from pancreatitis.
So what happened? The student suffered from something known as “fried rice syndrome.”
“[It’s] a generic term for a form of food poisoning, which is actually quite virulent, potentially lethal, which is caused by a specific … bacteria called Bacillus cereus,” Dr. Andrew Ordon of “The Doctors” told InsideEdition.com.
The bacteria multiplies rapidly in food left out at room temperature, particularly rice, lending the illness caused by the microbes its distinctive name.
Pasta is another such food that, when not refrigerated, can create the ideal environment for B. cereus to thrive. That’s why it’s important to make sure to store food properly. “If you consume it you can get really sick,” Ordon said.
The Belgian student isn’t alone. Ordon pointed out several other cases of people who became violently ill after eating food contaminated with B. cereus. “There was one reported story a family went on a picnic, they cooked pasta, made it into pasta salad, so it had been sitting out for some time. … They got very sick, in fact one of the family members died,” he said.
Another case Ordon addressed actually involved fried rice. “In Texas, a woman went to a Chinese restaurant, a buffet … she got very, very sick [and] went into liver failure,” he said.
In 2018, Inside Edition spoke to the woman in question. Germaine Mobley said she became sick after dining at a restaurant just outside Dallas. “I started having problems breathing and my husband called an ambulance,” she recalled.
Mobley ended up in the intensive care unit for eight days afterward but survived.
Ordon has a few tips to stay safe.
“It’s important to remember when you cook food, you need to put it in the refrigerator, whether it’s hot food or cold food,” said Ordon. “Make sure it’s refrigerated, don’t keep it too long. And there are certain foods that are a real setup: Pasta, rice, soups, sauces.
“Make sure that when you cook them, you do refrigerate and don’t keep them around for too long.”
A
73-year-old woman in Colorado died on Friday, nine months after doctors
wrongly removed her kidneys. The surgery followed a mistaken diagnosis
of cancer two months prior.
Prior to her death, Linda Woolley told Denver news station KDVR that
her “life was totally changed” after she underwent the needless surgery
in May, which doctors at the University of Colorado Hospital ordered
after telling her in March that they’d found cancer in both of her
kidneys based on pathology reports. But she later discovered that the
reports actually showed “no evidence of malignancy” from results
“consistent with a benign process.”
Woolley
had been leading an active life before the surgery, riding horses and
swimming in her free time. But the medical mix-up put an end to all
that, leading the grandmother to undergo four-hour dialysis treatments
three times a week.
“Dialysis is no picnic no matter how used to it you get,” she told KDVR. “It robs you of your life.”
Woolley discovered the nightmare scenario when a follow-up biopsy of her kidneys revealed “no evidence of carcinoma” and “no mass lesion identified.” She called the ordeal “a big mistake,” and told KDVR at the time that she was considering a lawsuit. When asked if she felt the University of Colorado owed her an apology, she replied through tears, “I feel like they owe me a kidney.”
“Young and the Restless” star Kristoff St. John has died at age 52.
His attorney Mark Geragos confirmed the actor’s death, saying in an email: “Sadly we can confirm.”
The
LA County Department of the Medical Examiner-Coroner Public Information
Officer Sarah Ardalani said that St. John was pronounced dead at a home
in Woodland Hills on Sunday.
Officer
Rosario Cervantes, of the LAPD, said police responded to an incident
Sunday in the San Fernando Valley area where a person was pronounced
dead. She could not confirm the name of the deceased.
“We
did respond yesterday at 2:05 p.m. on Morea Way for a possible alcohol
overdose and that’s going to be a coroner’s case,” Cervantes said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the medical examiner’s office for more information.
St. John had played the character of Neil Winters since 1991 on the long-running CBS daytime soap opera.
CBS
Television Network and Sony Pictures Television, the studio that
produces “Young and the Restless,” released a joint statement about St.
John’s death.
“The news of Kristoff St. John’s
passing is heartbreaking. He was a very talented actor and an even
better person,” they said in the statement. “For those of us who were
fortunate enough to work with him on ‘The Young and the Restless’ for
the last 27 years, he was a beloved friend whose smile and infectious
laugh made every day on set a joy and made audiences love him. On behalf
of the Y&R cast and crew, CBS and Sony Pictures Television, we
offer our heartfelt sympathy to his family and loved ones, especially
his two daughters, Paris and Lola.”
The actor was nominated nine times for Daytime Emmy Awards, and he won 10 NAACP Image Awards.
He also had roles in the 1990s on a variety of
sitcoms, including “Martin,” “The Cosby Show,” “Living Single” and “The
Jamie Foxx Show.”
On Jan. 21, St. John retweeted a tweet about the loss of a child
that reads: “Grieving the loss of a child is a process. It begins on
the day your child passes, and ends the day the parent joins them.”
He also responded to the tweet, writing: “Never a truer word was spoke. Thanks for posting this.”
Never a truer word was spoke. Thanks for posting this.— Kristoff St John (@kristoffstjohn1) January 22, 2019
The actor took a leave of absence from “Y & R” in October 2017 to undergo psychiatric treatment after a reported scare with regards to his mental health, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“No parent should ever have to bury their child, and for those who do, it is a nightmare that haunts you forever,” ex-wife Mia St. John said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight that month. “The death of our beloved son Julian, has taken a toll on both of us. He is an actor and while he may appear whole on the outside, his heart is broken. As a society we need to start taking mental health seriously and realize that no one is immune.”
St. John was set to be wed, announcing in September that he was engaged to model Kseniya Mikhaleva. He posted a photo of the engagement ring with the caption “She said yes.”
Mikhaleva joined St. John’s co-stars and other celebrities in grieving the actor on social media.
High school sweethearts who went to prom together have finally tied the knot 57 YEARS after losing contact when the woman’s mom died and the man went college.
Curtis Brewer and Barbara Cotton, who are both now in their 70s, got married in Wisconsin after going on ‘separate life journeys’.
The couple finally got their happily ever after they ‘never stopped loving each other’ and got wed on Saturday in Milwaukee.
Loved up Curtis and Barbara got back in touch on a website connecting old school friends and got engaged in July last year.
Barbara, 72, told Fox6: ‘He had always loved me and I loved him. We were high school sweethearts and I went to his junior prom and senior prom. We dated through high school and went steady.
The couple dated throughout school and ‘went steady’ but lost touch before reconnecting online. Curtis, right, finally proposed to his soulmate Barbara, left, last year
‘No one really loved me as much as Curtis loved me. It was such an unconditional loving relationship and no one was ever able to match that.’
They said they ‘never stopped loving each other’ but after Babara’s mom died she was left to look after her five brothers and Curtis went off to college.
Babara’s mom died she was left to look after her five brothers and Curtis went off to college but they ‘never broke up’ and simply drifted apart
It meant that they technically ‘never broke up’ but drifted apart before being reunited.
Curtis said: ‘She saw me on classmates.com. I answered her back, I answered her real quick.’
Curtis Brewer and Barbara Cotton, who are both now in their 70s, got married in Wisconsin after going on ‘separate life journeys’
After dating for a few years Curtis finally proposed to his soulmate in August last year and the pair got hitched.
He added: ‘I called her on the phone and said, ‘Would you?’ That’s all I got out, she said yes, would you marry me — I couldn’t get marry out.’
Friends set up a GoFundMe for the pair, writing: ’57 years from their Prom Night, God found a way to bring them together. They never broke up, but were separated by forces beyond their control. They never stopped loving each other as they continued on their separate life journeys.
Friends say it is ‘still hard for them to actually believe they are together’
‘On July 15th 2018, they became engaged! It’s still hard for them to actually believe they are together and will be getting married very soon.’
Curtis, pictured, said he answered Babara back ‘real quick’ when she messaged him online
The couple are now looking forward to their new life together and are raising money for an RV.
Cotton said: ‘We know that God is in charge. No one could have planned this. We know this was meant to be.’
Brewer added: ‘It’s a beautiful day. I’m blessed.’
For its weekly “Wanted Wednesday,” the Washington police department posted a mugshot of 38-year-old Anthony Akers, who allegedly violated his probation. He has a history of illegal possession of prescription drugs and resisting arrest, according to the Tri-City Herald.
But Akers, clearly exasperated by the attention, didn’t want to be rushed.
“Calm down, im going to turn myself in,” he commented.
When he didn’t show up, the Richland Police Department tried reaching out again. They even offered him a ride to the station.
Akers said he needed to tie up “a couple loose ends” before his impending incarceration, but assured the police that he would show up in “the next 48 hours.”
On Monday, the police responded with another post, days after Akers promised to turn himself in.
“Dear Anthony, is it us?” the Richland Police Department asked. “We are beginning to think you are not coming.”
When he didn’t show over the weekend, Akers wrote a heartfelt apology for standing up the police. Here’s his tongue-in-cheek note admitting his “commitment issues.”
After nearly a week of ghosting, empty promises, and leading them on, Akers finally turned himself in. He replied to the Richland Police Department’s post with a cheeky selfie captioned, “Here for our date sweetheart.”
Love, Actually who? Watch this romance blossom over Facebook instead.
On December 1, people around the globe who come together to recognize World AIDS Day will have much to mourn and also much to celebrate. Worldwide, about 35 million lives have been lost to HIV/AIDS, but remarkable strides have also been made in halting the disease’s progression.
World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988. The day was originally conceived by the World Health Organization to raise awareness and support. This year marks the 30th World AIDS Day, with the 2018 theme being Know Your Status. That theme comes with two major objectives, according to the WHO: “Urge people to know their HIV infection status through testing, and to access HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, and urge policy-makers to promote a ‘health for all’ agenda for HIV and related health services.”
The day is an opportunity to take stock of the epidemic’s scope and the everyday impact of the virus–and what better way to do this than by reminding ourselves of the often alarming numbers involved?
The stories of individuals who have lived with HIV/AIDS, or who have lost a loved one to the illness, will always have a unique power. But the following statistics, gathered from government data and scientific research, bring home the vastness and complexity of the epidemic. RELATED: 16 Signs You May Have HIV
1.1 million = Estimated number of HIV-positive people in the United States
This figure works out to about 1 in every 200 people over the age of 13. What’s more, 1 in 7 don’t know they’re infected because they haven’t been tested for the virus.
Globally, an estimated 36.9 million people are living with HIV/AIDS—nearly 70% of them in Africa. While the rate in the United States may seem low by comparison, it still is one of the highest in the developed world, says Michael Horberg, MD, director of HIV/AIDS at Kaiser Permanente. (In the U.K., for instance, roughly 1 in 625 people are estimated to be HIV-positive.)
12,333 = Estimated annual U.S. deaths from HIV/AIDS
This statistic, from 2014 (the most recent year for which solid data is available), is heartbreaking yet also encouraging: It’s about a quarter of the number of people who died of HIV/AIDS in 1995, when mortality reached an all-time high and dramatically less than the 21,601 estimated deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2009.
The sharp decrease is a testament to improved testing, diagnosis, and treatment. “This number, while still too high, shows that quality HIV care, and the potent medications we now have, [have] dramatically improved the lives of HIV-positive Americans and people worldwide,” Dr. Horberg says.
8,164 = People ages 13 to 24 newly infected with HIV in the United States each year
In 2016, young people accounted for one in every five new infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2010 to 2015, HIV infections among this age group fell 24%. In 2017, 8,164 teens and young adults between 13 and 24 were diagnosed, according to the CDC.
Unfortunately, only 10% of high school students and just 21% of male students who are sexually active with other males have been tested, according to the CDC.
43% = HIV-positive people in the United States who are African-American
This is a startling number, given that African-Americans make up just 12% of the U.S. population. The burden of disease is even more disproportionate among 13- to 24-year-olds, an age group in which African-Americans or blacks (government agencies tend to use the terms interchangeably) account for 54% of new infections.
“HIV is now a disease of minorities—black, Latino, gay men—and people who have been often medically disenfranchised in the past,” says Dr. Horberg, who is also chair of the HIV Medicine Association, a professional association for doctors and health care providers who specialize in HIV/AIDS.
10 years = Time after HIV infection that can elapse before noticeable symptoms appear
People can live with HIV for a decade (or longer) before they experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and joint pain—a fact that underscores the importance of testing and early detection.
Thanks to virus-fighting drugs (antiretrovirals), this asymptomatic period, known as the “chronic” or “latency” phase of the disease, can essentially be extended indefinitely. “If people are diagnosed early and given effective treatment, and if they stay on their treatment, they won’t have any symptoms at all,” Dr. Horberg says.
46% = U.S. adults ages 18 to 64 who have never been tested for HIV
The number of people getting tested for HIV rose between 1997 and 2004 but has leveled off since then, according to the 2014 Kaiser Family Foundation survey results that produced the above statistic. Black and Latino survey respondents were much more likely than whites to report having been tested.
In the United States, National HIV Testing Day is observed on June 27, but World AIDS Day also features free testing and counseling events around the world.
13 to 64 = Age range for which routine HIV testing is recommended
The CDC recommends that everyone between these ages get tested for HIV at least once. People considered at higher risk for HIV should get tested more frequently, according to CDC guidelines.
Routine screening helps get more people into treatment sooner, Dr. Horberg says. “Not only does treatment help patients, but it will also greatly prevent others from getting infected.”
RELATED: How to Prevent HIV
75% = Proportion by which antiretroviral drugs can reduce the risk of HIV transmission
The antiretroviral Truvada became the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV in 2012. In one study of heterosexual African couples in which one partner was HIV-positive, the HIV-negative partners who took Truvada had a 75% lower risk of becoming infected compared with those taking placebo.
There are a number of caveats—most notably, people must diligently take the drug every day in order for it to be effective. But the study results do “show that there are many effective ways to prevent HIV infection,” Dr. Horberg says. In 2017, 21.7 million people living with HIV were taking antiretroviral therapy, according to UNAIDS.
16% = Drop in new HIV infections between 2010 and 2017
This decline is among the many bright spots in the World AIDS Day 2018 fact sheet from UNAIDS. In some regions hit hardest by the epidemic, the numbers are even more encouraging: From 2010 to 2016, new infections dropped by 29% in eastern and southern Africa.
$21.3 billion = Money spent on HIV/AIDS efforts in low- to middle-income countries each year
This includes donations from governments, corporations, and individuals. Although the amount represents a huge increase from the $300 million spent in 1996, even more is needed: UNAIDS estimates $26.2 billion will be required to maintain these efforts in 2020.
Fighting HIV/AIDS is expensive. But in addition to saving lives, the investment will ultimately drive down worldwide health care costs, Dr. Horberg says. “There will be savings down the line, because you will have fewer newly infected people, people will be generally healthier, [and] they won’t be hospitalized,” he says.
In Louisiana, Larry Mitchell Isaacs gave up his medical license in the face of discipline after he removed an allegedly healthy kidney during what was supposed to be colon surgery.
In California, he mistakenly removed a woman’s fallopian tube. According to medical board records, he thought it was her appendix — which already was gone. More surgeries on the woman followed, including one in which he allegedly left her intestine unconnected.
Facing state sanctions, he surrendered his license there, too.
In New York, where regulators were moving to take action based on his California problems, he also agreed to give up his license.
But in Ohio, he has found a home.
There, his medical license remains unblemished, allowing Isaacs to work at an urgent care clinic in the Cincinnati area.
Surrendering a license is often done in the face of overwhelming evidence of unprofessional conduct. It can come after repeated surgical mishaps, churning out improper opioid prescriptions, or years of having sex with patients.
A license surrender can spare a doctor the time, expense and reputational harm that might come with formal charges and a hearing before a state medical board. Typically it comes with no restriction on practicing elsewhere.
His death was announced by his family Friday night. The president’s health had been in decline in recent months.
“George Herbert Walker Bush, World War II naval aviator, Texas oil pioneer, and 41st President of the United States of America, died on November 30, 2018. He was 94 and is survived by his five children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and two siblings,” the former president’s office said in a statement. “He was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Barbara; his second child Pauline “Robin” Bush; and his brothers Prescott and William or “Bucky” Bush.”
George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, has died at age 94.
His son George W. Bush, who served as the country’s 43rd president, released a statement of his own from the family.
“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” George W. Bush said. “George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”
The family said funeral arrangements would be announced “as soon as is practical.”
Former President George H.W. Bush arrives for the coin toss prior to Super Bowl 51 between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium on Feb. 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
President Donald Trump sent a lengthy statement just past midnight on Saturday on behalf of he and first lady Melania Trump.
“Melania and I join with a grieving Nation to mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away last night,” Trump wrote. “Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service—to be, in his words, “a thousand points of light” illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of America to the world.
“Along with his full life of service to country, we will remember President Bush for his devotion to family — especially the love of his life, Barbara,” he continued. “His example lives on, and will continue to stir future Americans to pursue a greater cause. Our hearts ache with his loss, and we, with the American people, send our prayers to the entire Bush family, as we honor the life and legacy of 41.”
Bush was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital with a blood infection on April 22 — two days after the funeral for his wife of 73 years, former first lady Barbara Bush.
He is survived by his five children, including former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Bush was with there his wife when she died at the age of 92 on April 17.
“He of course is broken-hearted to lose his beloved Barbara, his wife of 73 years. He held her hand all day and was at her side when [she] left this good earth,” a statement from his office said after her death. “But it will not surprise all of you who know and love him, that he also is being stoic and strong, and is being lifted up by his large and supportive family.”
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush accompanied by family members watch as pallbearers carry the casket of former first lady Barbara Bush following a funeral service at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, April 21, 2018, in Houston.
Bush was a key part of his family’s political dynasty. His father was a senator; and his son George W. Bush was president from 2001 to 2009.
He served two terms as President Ronald Reagan’s second in command and became the first incumbent vice president to be elected president since Martin Van Buren in 1836.
But Bush’s tenure in the White House was limited to four years. He was defeated for re-election by Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992. A weakened economy, a limited domestic agenda and a broken promise against raising taxes contributed to Bush’s defeat.
Bush was a one-time oil executive who spent years in government service, including terms as CIA director, ambassador to the United Nations and liaison to the People’s Republic of China. He was also elected to the House of Representatives as a congressman from Texas. Following his time in the White House, he and his wife moved to Houston, where they led a relatively quiet life.
