Tag: surgery

My Intralasik Experience

I wanted to investigate Lasik vision correction for myself, and found that there were several options. After talking it over with a great Lasik physician, I decided on using bladeless Lasik, or Intralasik, or Intralase. I cannot say that I decided that for any great technical reasons, mine were mainly psychological.

The advantage of Intralasik over a traditional Lasik procedure is that a laser is used to make a flap in the eye. Every Lasik procedure needs to make a flap in order for the excimer laser to be able to reshape the corner. In traditional Lasik, the flap is made with a microkeratome, which is “a very small blade, not a scalpel”. Well, maybe to you. Somehow, even though both the laser and the blade made the same flap, the idea of someone taking a sharp object to….. well, you get the picture.

In addition (though there is a lot of argument and debate over this) using a laser to make the flap might (let me emphasize might to be fair to everyone) make the Lasik procedure have less chance of getting other cells underneath the flap. I don’t really understand all of the Lasik arguments with regard to this, but I think you should discuss the various Lasik options with the physician. They do vary in cost also.

Before I talk about the procedure itself, let me give a bird’s eye view of myself as a Lasik candidate. In short, spectacular! Seriously, all of the items for a good Lasik candidate could describe me: a healthy guy in my mid-thirties, with moderate nearsightedness and slight astigmatism, with good results on all eye exam tests (thick cornea, no eye scarring or infections, etc.).

I did visit two different Lasik surgeons to get their independent opinions of me as a candidate, and also their description of their services. One of the Lasik surgeons is on the staff at the medical college in a nearby major metropolitan center, so I was pretty assured that their opinions were valid.

On the day of the Lasik surgery I came in, paid my first payment for the procedure, and had my eye prescription rechecked. I was given post-procedure instructions on eye drops, no exercising (yeah!), and to go to sleep after the Lasik procedure. I was given a relaxant, and the Lasik physician and I went to the surgery suite.

The chair has padded pillows to rest and restrict head movement, and a teddy bear to hold if I wanted it. There was a clamp to hold my eyes open, and a suction ring, and then my vision in that eye went a bit dim. The first Lasik laser made the flap, and I focused on a small light while the other laser made the cornea changes. This took less than thirty seconds, or so I was told.

Mainly I was aware of clicking noises and some pressure, but no pain or real discomfort. After the eye flaps were put back in place, I rested in a recliner for about 20 minutes. I could see more clearly immediately after the Lasik operation was over, but was told not to try and test my eyes for a number of days, and rather concentrate on getting them healthy and healed.

I am surprised and immensely pleased it went so easily, well, and pain free. I would recommend this type of Lasik procedure to anyone.

Understanding Dental Pain

Pain has always been a major issue with dentistry. The fear of pain in dentistry is so high in fact, that many people fail to go to the dentist until their condition becomes so severe that they have no other choice than to see a dentist. A majority of individuals are terrified of the dental chair, although once they are numb, they sometimes fall asleep. Although the numbing shots may be a bit painful, once they are finished – there is literally no more pain.

Most often, people will concentrate on the thought of getting the shot, which will only magnify the pain. Something that normally doesnt hurt, can get a lot worse simply by thinking in your mind that it will be painful. In most cases, the numbing shots will work very well with one or two applications. If you are already in pain when you visit the dentist, the shots will put your mind at ease and stop the pain almost immediately.

If you have a tremendous fear of dental pain and simply cannot stand the thought of getting a shot, then you may be interested in laughing gas or IV sedation. Either of the two can help you relax before you the dentist applies numbing shots. IV sedation can either be conscious or put you out totally. Normally, IV sedation is preferred during wisdom teeth removal, as most people dont want to hear the grinding and snapping of the teeth. It works through your veins, as the anaesthesia is inserted into your arm through a vein.

If you have chosen either laughing gas or an IV sedation, your dentist will administer either of the two before he gives you shots or goes any further. Once the medicine has taken effect, you normally wont feel anything or remember it. Laughing gas and IV sedation can put your mind at ease, so you wont be uncomfortable during your surgery or extractions.

Although dental pain is something that many fear, it isnt near as bad as they may think. Most of the fear stems from not knowing, or thinking that it will hurt more than it actually does. The worst part of dental work is the numbing shots, which actually dont hurt all that bad. Once you have been numbed, youll find that the pain will be gone. Dental pain isnt near as bad you may hear or think – which is why you shouldnt fear it.

If you need dental work or if you are having a bad toothache, you shouldnt hesitate to get to the dentist. The dentist will explain everything he is going to do in your treatment, and ask you about other forms of sedation or medicine. Even though youll feel the shots, the rest of the procedures you wont feel at all.

Congestive Heart Failure

The human body is a magnificent machine that works in harmony with nature. The machinery needs proper care and sometimes parts replaced. Like the machine so the heart also needs help to prevent failure. The pump may not pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs, which can lead into congestive heart failure. Many underlying conditions can cause congestive heart failure.

Over time and with the wear and tear of one’s body the heart itself can develop such things as coronary artery disease or high blood pressure, which can lead to congestive heart failure. These things sap your strength leaving the heart with the inability to pump efficiently causing a break down. It is very important that you take care of yourself because these things while not reversible are preventable.

We have medicines that can treat the conditions you have improving your survival rate. These medications if taken properly can help control your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other things that might be affecting your heart. The field of medicine has come a very long way in providing medicines to prevent congestive heart failure.

The cardiologist who is a heart specialist can inform you about by-pass surgery or stents to help open up the flow of your blood through your veins. Many things are possible to prolong your life just ask your doctor for advise as to what you need. It is very possible for you to do things for yourself that will help in good heart health.

Congestive heart failure maybe prevented by changing your lifestyle. This does not always take a big change but some things in your life are controllable. First, look at your diet eat a heart healthy diet. Watch out for salt intake, fatty foods, and over indulgences as these can cause congestive heart failure. Many of us in today’s world need to know how to manage stress overcome depression or simply improve the quality of our life. The problem of being over weight can lead to other problems such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. We need to keep these conditions under control in order to prevent congestive heart failure.

Managing stress becomes a stressful problem in itself for many people. While others enjoy the benefit of belonging to a gym or owning equipment that they use in their homes some of us do not have the time, money, or space to afford such luxury’s. A person who sets daily in his office may feel the tensions building up to the point of no relief and farther some even go into a depressive condition. This is very bad for the heart we say that our heart is what feels our emotions like love, sadness, hate, excitement etc. still yet our heart suffers with stress and depression. Congestive heart failure one of the number one killers of men and women can be prevented. Prevention begins as they say at home with you taking care of your needs.

Facts about Hair Transplant Procedures

It is getting more common for people to get hair transplant procedures as the methods keep improving. It is just less obvious than in earlier times when everyone could spot a person with bad hair plugs. Yet, there are still a few facts about hair transplant surgery that are not widely known.

1. A large percentage of men have balding issues. In fact, 50% of American men that are 50 years old or older are dealing with some amount of hair loss. Hair problems in today’s society beg to be conquered. Some do it by shaving their heads completely. Others take the exact opposite route and have hair transplant surgery. Those who accept their baldness may have a healthy psyche, but they are slightly out of step with the rest of the world.

2. The procedure is permanent. If you decide you do not like the results, it is not as simple as taking off a wig to change your hair. You would have to go through many surgeries and your head may never look the same. This is why you should never accept any doctor’s offer to do a few hair grafts and see how you like it before doing a full hair transplant surgery. Once you start, you are committed.

3. You need several days of rest afterward hair transplant surgery. Since the operation is so easy to endure, you might think that you can jump up and go right back to your regular activities. It is just your scalp after all, not muscle or bone. The truth is that you have many small wounds and you need to protect them.

4. Hair transplant can be a time-consuming commitment. Treatment can often last one to two years. Mega-sessions where thousands of grafts are done in one sitting help to shorten the overall time. However, the length of these sessions is often grueling.

5. Hair transplant surgery may be combined with other procedures. If you do not have enough hair, you cannot have a normal hair transplant surgery. However, there are other surgeries that can be used in conjunction with hair transplant to achieve similar results. The difference is that these procedures are generally more painful.

6. The grafts may not survive. Few surgeons will divulge to you the fact that hair grafts do not always survive after hair transplant surgery. The hope is that only a few will be lost and the overall result will not suffer. The reality is that is what usually happens.

7. Hair transplant treatments do not cost as much as you think. For example, you might reasonably spend $12,000 on a hair transplant. If you got it done at age 30 and died at age 70, you would have the transplant 40 years.

That would average out to $300 per year, or $25 per month. Many of the supposedly low cost treatments for hair loss cost much more than $25 per month. You would actually save by getting the hair transplant surgery done in the first place.