Chief Complaint; ‘My penis is disappearing’

One of the topics breezing around Medicine these days is need for ‘cultural literacy’. This means being savvy to beliefs, customs, and diseases of other cultures.

In psychiatry, there are all sorts of foreign illnesses considered quite common and legitimate in other countries.

While I haven’t seen one case of any of the following, they would be intriguing to witness; 

 

Koro – from Southeast Asia, it is the intense anxiety that the penis is receding into the body. Men suffering from Koro fear the possibility of death from it.

 

Dhat – from India; severe anxiety and hypochondrical concerns associated with discharge of semen, feelings of weakness and exhaustion.

 

Taijin Kyofusho – A Japanese anxiety; the intense fear that his or her body parts displease, embarrass, or offend other people in their appearance or smell or movements.

 

Brain Fag – West African in origin, a condition in students in response to challenges at university; somatic and cognitive problems attributed to brain fatigue. 

This is not to be confused with the “Gumby” matter AKA Monty Python viz. “My brain hurts!”

 

Amok – outburst of violent behavior directed at others, often precipitated by an insult or slight; seen mostly in men.  It is where we get the expression ‘to run amok”.

 

Hwa-Byung – a Korean folk syndrome; a variety of somatic symptoms attributed to suppressed anger.

 

Pibloktoq – an abrupt dissociation disorder of extreme excitement for half an hour, followed by coma as long as 12 hours.  It is seen mostly in the artic and sub-artic regions.  During the attack, irrational or dangerous acts are done only to not recall them later on. “The bezerk Eskimo’

 

 

 

Arizona Allergies and Achoo!

The allergy season has been terrible this year. Neither one of us is prone to allergies, but this year we are hit hard.

Someone has them worse; he is sleeping with a damp cloth on his eyes, which are red from inflammation. I go into paroxysms of sneezing; I sleep open mouthed thanks to a stuffy nose. 

I’ve resorted to allergy pills, but they only do so much and make me quite sleepy.

 

I’ve been told newcomers to Arizona eventually develop allergies either from the exposure to local allergens or to the poor air here. It is ironic that people used to move here for respiratory reasons; now they get sick for doing so.

 

When I was a boy I had bad allergies. I went through a series of allergy shots (do they still do these things?). The allergies went away more or less and I was pleased. Then I moved to Chicago and apparently this change was large enough to set them off again. I thought allergies would be no more when I moved out west.

 

An aside matter; I use handkerchiefs rather than tissue. I’ve had them since I was a boy; I thought it a sign of good style and part of being a gentleman. Most people find my handkerchief use disgusting – ‘snot rags’ they call them.

My hankies are really bandanas in every colour of the rainbow. I have to watch where I use them; having red, yellow, navy blue and robin’s egg blue hankies means more than just having a bad nose.

 

I am actually looking forward to the heat of summer, hoping it burns off whatever is causing us to feels so miserable.

 

Meanwhile, I am stoned on Allegra.  

Sometimes — (#1)

I am anxious that my life doesn’t have any long term plans.

 

Someone makes pancakes or waffles for breakfast. He is a very good pancake chef.

 

When I am bored I rummage through drawers to clear out as many unnecessary objects I can find.

 

Someone plays Sudoku on line; his goal is to get it done as fast as possible.

 

I rue my lack of courage to go to the Pacific Northwest after I graduated high school.

 

I reread the favorite chapters of my favorite books.

 

I understand how to use the home entertainment system  - but not very often.

 

Someone goes to the movies without me. He sees movies I don’t care to see – those with too much movement or violence.

 

Time accelerates so much the weeks seem to go by in a blink of an eye.

 

I make and eat a whole box of macaroni and cheese

 

I nod off at the symphony (perhaps this one should be ‘most times’)

 

I think I am good looking.

 

I think I look dreadful (viz. skinny legs and worn down face).

 

Someone snores very loudly.

 

I poke Someone to wake him up to turn over.

 

When this does not work, I go sleep in the guest room.

 

I remember where I last put my car keys.

 

I believe everything is OK as it is.

Housekeeping

I updated my Blog links.

 

It was sad to remove people who stopped blogging or disappeared.

It was a pleasure to add new folks who have been kind to drop by here and/or include me on their links.

 

If I accidentally deleted you, or the link isn’t going to your updated blog, please let me know.

 

If I forgot to include you, please let me know.

 

If you know of a fabulous blog who is ‘a must read’, please tell me.

Neutron Star Status

Today the personal trainer took my measurements and weight and statistics. We compared them to 4 months ago:

Alas, nothing is ‘bigger’; nothing grew in circumference. Arms, chest, thighs etc. are ~ the same. That was a disappointment.

However, my weight is going up ~ 7lbs since January.

And - my body fat went down from 16% to 12%.

Same height; same proportions; higher weight; less fat . . . . . . . .

Conclusion < I am increasing in density.

When I was a Spo-tot, my uncle called me “Iron Mike”. Maybe I am finally become this! I will be the same density as iron. Que macho.

But what if this keeps going?

At the rate of ~ 2lb/month weight gain and no changes in height or proportion, my density will continue to increase until I become the same density as a Neutron Star.

It could happen.

I just hope I surpass the Chandrasekhar limit (go look it up).

Spo-Reflections on Godzilla and Japanese Monster Movies

My recent shopping for a suitable birthday present for Nephew the Older got me thinking about Godzilla and his ilk.

 

As a boy I was crazy for Godzilla et al. Once in a while the 430PM Movie on Channel 7 would do ‘Monster Week”. We looked forward to this, and planned our TV parties the way some plan for the Super Bowl.  Brother #2, our friends, and I would gather around the TV, enthralled to watch the destruction of Japan.

 

Godzilla was our favorite.  Even when he became ‘the good guy’ we preferred him to any other monster.

 

 

 

I had mixed feelings about Gamera. He looked good but his role of ‘protector of children’ made him whimpy. We kids wanted destruction.

 

Gidhra was a big favorite for this reason.

 

 

 

 

I did not like Mothra. 

 

And I despised Kenny.

(Cliffie at Cliffie’s Notes wrote a brilliant psychological paper on “Getting in touch with you Inner Kenny.” I hope some day she will post it).  

 

Apparently Nephew the Older and Nephew the Younger carry on the tradition of wanting as much Godzilla as they can find. Perhaps Brother #2 is the model for this, but I suspect it is more. Little kids identify with Godzilla; they fantasize over the power and destruction they could do, and the fear they can evoke. On the flip side; there is the fantasy of ‘being the hero’ to defend others from wicked villains. 

Besides, who can resist the ability to breathe toxic fumes and fire?

 

Godzilla’s success as protector of Japan and his worldwide appeal is ironic when you consider his original role. If you haven’t seen it, get a hold of the original unedited Japanese version of Godzilla. It is chilling and without a drop of camp. He is nuclear fallout incarnate, the atom bomb come alive. The folly of mankind to create and use nuclear weapons awakened Godzilla and the need for him. No wonder Japan was the one to create such an archetype!  I am sorry this Shadow Side of Godzilla has been lost over the decades of his career.

 

Synchronicity

You are thinking of a person, and suddenly he phones. “Oh I was just thinking of you!” you say. ‘Funny,” he says, “I was thinking of you so I gave you a call.”

Is this ‘just coincidence’?

Jung spent some time examining if events like this were more than just chance.  He called such events Synchronicity.  

 

He first used the term Synchronicity in his papers from the 1930s. Translated from the German; 

“An a-causal connection between psychic states and objective events’.

An easier definition; Synchronicity is the simultaneous occurrence of two meaningful but not causally connected events.

 

Synchronicity is distinguished from events occurring simultaneously but unconnected in meaning.

 

Much ink has been spilled on what Jung thought was the cause of Synchronicity – did he believe there was some magic or god-like uber-mind causing them to happen?

My understanding is he was rejecting causality as the explanation for everything – A causes B causes C. In Synchronicity A and B happen together and have significance. And from them meaning could be derived. Eventually he went with the belief some coincidental events had a direct psychic connection with an archetype.

 

I had some psychology teachers go as far as seeing everything as Synchronicity.  They reject the word ‘coincidence’ from their vocabulary.

 

An intriguing thought – nothing in life is coincidence. And from everything we can derive some meaning. I find it a bit chilling.

Godzilla and Shakespeare

Today is William Shakespeare’s birthday. He is 444 years old.

Today is Nephew the Older’s birthday. He is 10 years old.

For the past few birthdays, I gave Nephew The Older Shakespeare related items.

This birthday I am giving him a box of Godzilla DVDs.

In honor of the day –

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more;

Men are deceivers ever,

One foot in sea and one on shore,

To one thing constant never:

Then sigh not so, but let them go,

And be you blithe and bonny,

Converting all your sounds or woe

Into Hey nonny, nonny.

Sing no more ditties, sing no more,

Of dumps so dull and heavy;

The fraud of men was ever so,

Since summer first was leafy:

Then sigh not so, but let them go,

And be you blithe and bonny,

Converting all your sounds of woe

Into Hey nonny, nonny.

I like mine dark and strong.

I don’t drink much beer, but I like it from time to time.

 

I inherited non-alcoholic genes. My parents never drank much. I never saw them intoxicated or even tipsy. They enjoy a drink now and then but that is about it. Drinking was never an integral part of my upbringing. (My father calls periodic drink ‘Having a snort’ which is embarrassing in a restaurant “Gee, I’d like a snort before dinner”).

 

I did not drink in high school. I was too busy studying, worried I would not get into college. My first beer was when I was a senior in college (can you imagine?)

 

I had a lab partner in Microbiology named Piers. He was from the U.K. He made his own ale. He was proud of his recipe. So my ‘first booze’ was this beer. It was dark, strong, and complicated. I thought it delicious.  (I thought Piers delicious as well but even with a couple of beers it was always a case of ‘don’t touch’).

 

After college I went to Europe for a month, traveling to Germany and Austria. There I had more exposure to dark beers and ales. So I dark beer became my standard.

 

Later on I finally tried canned American beer – they taste awful to me. They are runny and tinny and without any ‘ummph’. 

 

Last weekend at a fundraiser I had a dark beer with the name with “Alaska” in it. It was lovely; I had two glasses. (Again the non-alcoholic genes kicked in. I ordered a third but didn’t finish it; I lost interest in ‘more beer” and wanted to go home and sleep. Such as party animal.)

 

My favorite beer remains a concoction named “Black and Tan”, a mixture of Bass Ale and Guinness Stout.

 

Anyone out there drink dark beer?

And if so, what to you drink or recommend?

 

 

How to Speak with your doctor

Here are some tips to better communicate with your doctor –

 

1)     Write out symptoms and questions ahead of time, so you won’t forget what you wanted to discuss. You won’t loose time trying to recall things.

2)     If you are seeing a new physician; print out your medical history ahead of time. This includes family history of who had what/how old they died, your own past illnesses and operations, and your social history. This saves time – the new doctor doesn’t have to spend time getting this information if you have it written out already.

3)     Always have a list of your medications and doses, including over the counters and herbals. If you see more than one physician, each doctor may not know what you are taking.  Again, this saves time for the matters at hand.

4)     What gets a doctor’s attention is something new, something different, or something extraordinary.  Statements like “I have a stomach pain I have never experienced” or “this head ache is like none I have ever had before’ makes a physician less likely to dismiss the ‘let’s wait and watch’ approach.

5)     Most things have a variety of treatment options, including non surgical and non pharmaceutical interventions.  Spontaneously bring up you are interested in these if they are available. Lots of MDs reach quickly for a prescription pad; and are pleased to consider other treatments.

 

Here are some things not to do -

 

1)     Tell the doctor what the diagnosis is. “I have a cough and I KNOW it is TB”. People read all sorts of things on the internet and come in convinced they have a specific condition; it turns out they are usually wrong. Rather, convey you are concerned you may have this or that, and then give your supportive symptoms.

2)     Don’t tell the doctor what to prescribe or order; “I want Valium” or “I need an MRI”. Most MDs don’t like being treated like a waiter. Rather, bring up “I saw an ad for X, would that be something I could try or benefit from?” Be prepared to hear ‘no’ (I hope a “no” is given with an explanation why X wouldn’t be the best solution).

3)     In Medicine there is something called ‘the doorknob issue’ where the appointment is over, the patient touches the doorknob on the way out, turns around, and remembers he wants you to fill out papers or address another symptom or problem. Try to bring up all topics at the beginning so there is room in the appointment for all matters.