Medical ?, tongue swelling...any ideas...Help

My husband (44) woke up in the middle of the night last night with his tongue swollen and hard.  It woke him up because it started to close up his throat and he is a mouth breather and could not breath.  He immediately took a Benadryl but was afraid to go to sleep.  He did eventually go back to sleep but I was awake every 30 minutes checking to see if he was breathing.  The left side of his face was also somewhat swollen.  He could not think of anything different that he ingested or came in contact with or any different activity.  This morning his tongue is still slightly swollen but better.  This really has me worried.  You have to understand first that mh DH is somewhat of a hypochondriac and is always afraid he has something wrong with him.  This was just so strange and out of the blue that not only he is worried but so am I.

All this comes after attending wake services of a friend's husband (age 45).  She now has two boys to raise on her own.  Just makes you stop and think.

• Medical ?, tongue swelling...any ideas...Help - tia
  • You are so lucky people were not - sm
    • actually, I think it is primarily ONE poster --sm - none
      • unbelievable - ab1
        • that is her way though..sm - none
  • I'm sorry, but its really scary to me that anyone - Shocked2
  • his next allergic reaction will be quicker and worse. - MT2RN
  • He needs to be checked out by a doctor. - my opinion
    • My cousin never had a problem with shellfish until later in life. - MMT
      • Same with my hubby - fine one week- - nearly died the next
  • Seek medical attention quickly. - concerned
  • possible allergic reaction to something--sm - none
    • I agree. He should go to the doctor - green mt

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because it should be "while you are at it" or "while you're at it". 

In any case, I think the moderator discourages correcting spelling on this board because it often evolves into nastiness.

I have this problem too.   My doctor said basically that the fluid in your does not circulate around good when sitting for long periods of time and he recommended hose that I got at the Health Supply Store.  They are knee-highs and I just wear them most of the time when I am typing.  They are like Jobst stockings and make you legs feel really good.  They still swell a little but not half as much.  I also am on a daily BP/fluid pill too.  I think this is just a chronic problem that most MTs have.  I know my friends have aches and pains and now I think I am developing bursitis or tendonitis in my right forearm and elbow.   It is so painful.  My daughter sells Voltaren Gel and I am trying that.  Otherwise I am going to get it x-rayed but my mother has arthritis really bad so I expect this is hereditary and my job finally getting the best of me.  It hurts just to pick up the lightest weight object.  If I did not have to type for a week or two it most likely would feel better, but who can do that anymore.  Good luck.  Old and tired.

Does anyone else have swelling in their calf/ankle/foot after a long day of typing?  Also I have shin splint symptoms in the anterior shin which I think may be from just overuse.  I have been doing this type of work many years and am overweight.  Just wondering if anyone else has these sort of symptoms because I am wondering if it is just from MTing and weight or if I need to go to the doc and get tests run.

Thanks

and Tessier's The Surgical Word Book, 3rd edition.  Books you could buy used I would say would be Stedman's Pathology and Lab Medicine and Cardiology/Pulmonary word book.  These are all the books I use the most during my day.  You could buy other speciality word books as you need them and could probably go used with those.

I wouldn't bother with buying a drug book, new editions come out every year and I just stick to the FDA website and RXList as my drug references.

Also FYI, not a book, but I use my Stedman's Electronic Medical Dictationary a lot.  It's easier to open the program than it is to pick up a huge 30-pound dictionary.

background and anatomy and physiology knowledge, a transition into coding wouldn't be hard at all.  From what I can tell by looking through my husband's books, an MT would have to learn insurance regulations and legalities.  We've basically got all the medical background down or we should be if we're worth our salt as an MT.

I even contacted AHIMA and found that the qualifications for taking the CCS or CCP coding exams are completion of the a coding program, RHIT program, or RHIA or related work experience.  Transcription is part of HIM, albeit the red-headed stepchild of the HIM department, but a part nonetheless and so satisfies the qualification of having work experience.

The test is tough though.  My husband didn't pass it his first time out and I think I read something like only 20% or so pass it the first time.  So it would probably be best to take some sort of formal coding class, in my opinion.

I picked up an exercise bike at a yard sale for $1 and a mini trampoline for $5.  Whenever I need a break to recharge, I get on the bike or trampoline for 5-10 minutes.  They say that little spurts of exercise throughout the day are as effective as exercising all at once.  Plus, it'll help clear your lungs out.  Another thing to try is to just step outside for a moment and take some really deep breaths of fresh air in.  You used to inhale deeply with smoking, so now you inhale deeply without the carcinogens.  You can also try yoga or tai chi.  Very calming on the nerves.  I also switched to herbal tea, so I'll take a break and fill up my little teapot for one.  Replace your bad habit with a good habit.  Just don't replace smoking with eating.  If you need the hand to mouth thing, try air popped popcorn, cut up fruit or vegetables, a small amount of nuts or seeds, or hot peppers.  I keep a jar of Bit o' Honey and fireball candies on my desk, so I'll have one of those a day.

It's important to reward yourself, so take the money you would ordinarily have spent on cigarettes and get something for yourself.  I like to buy books, bubble bath, stinky candles, mocha lattes, restaurant gift certificates.  You can also put the money you're saving into a big jar to watch it add up for a BIG reward.  I saved enough to buy a dishwasher, which is kind of silly for a reward, but I really wanted one.

Number one was psychology, but that will take too long, going part time, and knowing in the next five years MT'ing might not exist.  You need a bachelor's to get foot in the door.  I wish they had schooling completely on line for this degree, but they do not. 

Second is something with cooking.  Would like to work with people on diet and weight loss, since it is the way i've lived my own life for years and I believe strongly in it.  The chef/cook field is predominantly male, so it will be hard to get a foot in the door there.  I can be a certified dietician all on line within a year, but the pay isn't all that good.

Ultimate goal would be a personal chef or working for myself doing SOMETHING.  I think thats everyones dream.

My daughter LOVES trains, and you can find scenic train trips all over.  We did one in Romney, WV that was just wonderful.  The train was called Potomoc Eagle, and we did see bald eagles on our trip. 

Not sure where you are in WV, but what about Hershey, PA?  Probably not the cheapest vacation, but lots to do.  Besides HersheyPark itself (very kid friendly) there is a zoo, a garden and more.  I'm sure there are packages available.  

I'm anxious to see what others come up with too.  We are in PA and looking for some close trips as well.  Which beach do you go to?  We found a beautiful not-so-commercial beach at Lewes, DE last year and can't wait to go back!

Good luck with your planning!   

First, sorry about the funny way my answer is formatted below, I'm no good in this little box.

Are you dialing into a Lanier system?  LX-219 and other Lanier equipment only works with Lanier. 

 Ranzy Luster in Texas fixed my LX-219 with large display for a flat rate of $100, gave a 90-day warrantee with the repair.  He sometimes advertises on the MT Daily site.  He has been around a long time.  His phone number is 254-235-3241 and his e-mail is rluster@transcribe solutions.com.  I felt he treated me very well and he was fast.  I should say if the large display is not working, I don't believe he works on that, but if you can see anything in the large display, I believe he will work on it.  Ask him.

Look in your User Guide for the LX-219 and try performing the call-echo-cancel sequence.  If you are calling into a Lanier system, then it is not recognizing your machine.  Lanier machines send a proprietary tone in to connect with the host modem. 

Sometimes the phone is set for dictate instead of transcribe.  You can try this: Press  *99 (that's star-99) then the 1 key

If set for transcription it will say 20 through 39. 

My old Lanier service tech said he always used 20 as his default when setting machines for transcription mode. 

When you dial into Lanier, the LX-219 must be programmed with YOUR ID number.  So, program one key with the number you are dialing, then another key with your ID. 

You can test how this works by dialing the phone manually, touching all the buttons just like the regular phone, then input your ID number, the system should recognize you. 

I haven't used my LX-219 machines in a long time, I use a Lanier TXC card to download large amounts of dictation to a sound card in my computer, but the above were some hints I wrote for myself in the handbook for the LX-219 a couple of years ago. 

Is your C-phone located near any other equipment?  That can cause static.  Move it away by itself. 

I hope something here helps.  Give Ranzy a try.  He might have some suggestions for you. 

Sorry, this is kind of long, but I would appreciate any advice/comments.

Back in May I was contacted by someone to whom I had sent my resume several months prior.  She asked if I would be interested in some part-time work, and I said that I was.  She had no idea how much or what time of day, etc. 

Well, it turned out to be quite a bit of work, and I wound up calling her and letting her know that it was too much, as she would ride me about turnaround time when I had let her know that I already had almost full-time work prior to accepting her part-time deal.  She did have another girl working on the account, but her work needed to be edited (fully to voice), and she asked that I hang in there while she found someone else, which I did, and she went through about three other girls.  During this time she would hit me with sometimes 2+ hours of dictation out of the blue, and there would be many days with nothing at all.  I had actually been hoping to still get daily work, but just a reduced amount from what it had been, and was still hoping that is how it would go once she was able to find someone else to share the load. 

Anyway, about a week ago I received an e-mail from her that she no longer had the account, and here is where my question comes in . . . I really liked doing this dictation, and am interested in trying to obtain the account for myself, but they are in a different state from me.  Since she has lost the account, I do not feel that it would be stealing, but obviously they must have had a replacement transcriptionist/service prior to telling her they would no longer need her services, so I am wondering how long I should wait and what approach I should take . . . should I call them, or perhaps mail something, or even call and try to get an e-mail address???  I was not told what the reason is that they no longer use her services either, by the way, and as far as having said what I did about it being too much work, I would give up something else to have this account if I could get it, but at the time I told her it was too much I had not decided that.  I had been considering proposing just that to her, for a negotiated higher wage, but then she lost the account. 

What would you guys do?

TIA for opinions/ideas!