Ardith,
According to both of my favourite dictionaries methane,
despite its reputation, is odourless. However, it seems to me that whenever decomposition involves large numbers of anaerobic bacteria the smell can be pretty bad. :-)
Talk about being a group of little stinkers. <G> The dogs are especially
bad at such (especially with the SBD bombs), but like anything else, it's determined on what the human or animal eats.
Before my wife died, we were on our Futon, otherwise "intimately
occupied", and the dachshund was in his bed on the floor. All of a
sudden, this horrible stench permeated my nostrils, and I started
gagging...the dog had dropped a methane bomb!! My wife was laughing uncontrollably, saying "You know he's down there, going 'Hee Hee Hee!!
Ignore my [butt], will you??" <G>. Needless to say, any romance went
out the window...I had to get dressed, and take the weiner widget for
a walk. :P
The dogs check each other out, by sniffing each other butts. At least
humans don't literally do that. :P
With OTC drugs the manufacturers want to make sure you're
not using the product on a long-term basis without seeking medical
advice. When you do, your doctor may prescribe a stronger dose or tell you it's okay to go on using the stuff. Either way you're acting under supervision from a person qualified to determine what's going on. WRT some ailments symptomatic relief may be the best one can expect...
OTOH, self-treatment may hide more serious issues. :-)
This is why I'm not one for the herbal or home remedies. Of course, your mileage may vary...as everyone's system is different. My clinic is also
part of this group that makes sure controlled substances that have been prescribed are being properly used.
Several years ago, when I had a large cyst develop on the left buttocks cheek, it had to be removed surgically. It was benign, but it had to heal
from the inside out. I had to have home health care for 2 months, to clean
the wound, change and repack the bandages, etc. They even inspected my
medicine cabinet; but since everything in there had been legally prescribed, they couldn't touch me. The scar is rather large, and at times, it itches.
Archaeologists have found arthritis in the bones of humans
who were in their 20's when they died, and IIRC such a person commented that anyone who lives long enough will get it eventually. Sometimes
it's painful... sometimes it's not. Because the pain tends to come &
go, and because different remedies may affect different people in different ways, there are no easy answers. :-)
The bones in my neck are so kinked, my PCP is amazed I'm not in more
pain than I am now. I use a cane everywhere, and have the walker and a wheelchair for emergencies.
I noticed that during a heat wave when our daughter was
still using the potty & had been given an antibiotic which resulted in diarrhea. It's not hard, under such conditions, to monitor the volume
of urinary output.... :-))
I'm battling diarrhea now, but it's because I'm drinking at least six
12 ounce bottles of diet green tea citrus a day, to keep hydrated. They
did blood work to check my B-12 level this morning, but I had to set up
a full blood work (diabetes, cholesterol, etc.) check for next week. That
gets done every 6 months.
I still had to get the B-12 shot this morning, but if it helps the level
(I should know today's results by next week), then I may not need the
shots anymore. But, it's the Ozemprazole (prescription strength Prilosec) causing the B-12 issues...the OTC Prilosec has no effect on my acid
reflux, and they say you shouldn't take that for more than 14 days. I also
got the next Low-T shot this morning, and while they think they have a
supply of testapel (testosterone pellets) in, they're not sure...and
they have a backlog of patients waiting to get them. So, I have to keep
getting the shots until they get around to me.
Plus, they're going to get full blood work from me there in 2 weeks. Basically, I see Dracula twice in the next 2 weeks. Along that line, the tagline below (which I procured <G>) fits my mood. ;)
I'm told other foods can also have this effect, but my first
& only experience with it occurred a few hours after I ate
multi-coloured nacho chips at a restaurant I'd never visited before. Thanks to Uncle Google we were able to see that the red ones must have been dyed with beetroot juice... [chuckle].
When someone tells me about eggplant, I quip "I thought that was redneck
for 'chicken'" <G>.
Alternatively, you may be able to get rid of certain people just by telling the unvarnished truth. Years ago I was in the
gynaecology ward of one of our local hospitals, i.e. a teaching
hospital. Since I'd dutifully watched the required film about hysterectomy (together with most of the other patients in the ward) it wasn't difficult to guess why most were there. However, I was there
for another reason... and I figured so was my roommate, who looked to
be about 15 years old. When a young doctor came into the room & asked permission to do an internal exam of Yours Truly I was puzzled as to
what he thought he'd be able to see, considering I was bleeding. I
guess folks like him need folks like me to practise on... but I also realize teens may be very sensitive about such things. When, as an afterthought, he enquired why I was there I told him calmly & quietly
that I was having a miscarriage. He immediately fled & never showed
his face again. I can't help wondering who would choose gynaecology if s/he can't stand the sight of blood. Perhaps it wasn't his choice, but
I hope he's now learned to read the charts before initiating various procedures. :-Q
I saw a story on the news this morning, where this woman, who had just graduated from nursing school...was inspired to do so by her 98 year old
Mom, who had been a nurse for 61 years. I wish we had more stories like
that.
I've talked to some medical folks, veterinary and otherwise, where while
they can handle the sight of urine, blood, and feces, vomitus is where
they draw the line, as it were...especially if you have a weak gag reflex,
as I do.
Years ago, when they first diagnosed me with digestive tract issues (irritable bowel syndrome, nervous stomach, spastic colon, and diverticulitis), I was first told I had to watch what I ate (meaning
diet). I replied "I do...from the plate to the mouth"...they didn't
like my answer. <G> When I had rectal bleeding, I thought it was colon
cancer, but it was hemorrhoids. My next colonoscopy is in April. I am
going to try to go back to the citrate of magnesia and Ducolax. That
MyLytely was so tart and acidic, that it reacted with the stomach acid,
and was burning my esophagus and throat...so, I couldn't finish the prep
work.
Next, they decided to do "prune" me, with a drink which was like a
thick strawberry shake and Sprite (I think it was actually a barium
contrast solution, that was to go from the top down, rather than from
the bottom up...pun intended). They said "don't even pause to belch",
and I swigged that down like a drunkard. Amazed, they said "this man
knows how to drink". It was the first thing I had been permitted to have
in 3 days, and I love strawberries and Sprite, anyway. I told them "you
better have the stepstool here, in case I have to bid a hasty retreat"...
and it was only 10 minutes when (as comedian Jeff Foxworthy put it, on prepping for his colonoscopy) "my underwear tapped me on the shoulder,
and said 'RUN!!'". <G> They told me that I was LUCKY -- some folks had
to stay down there 5 HOURS to get cleaned out...I cringed.
Well, something on the ultrasound and X-Ray in the abdomen looked very suspicious, as if I was going to need an appendectomy. They had me on
NPO (nothing by mouth), as they thought they'd have to do surgery. The
nurse walked in, and had the gall to ask for a stool sample!! I growled
"Where do you think I'm going to get it?? From the bedpan in the next
room?? You haven't fed me in 3 days!!". She finally looked at my chart,
and admitted "Well, you can't manufacture it, if you ain't got it". So,
they gave me green Jello to "get their quota".
I lost 10 pounds the hard way that week. My employer wasn't happy, as
the dirty work at my job fell in his lap. I snarled "If you think I'd
rather be on a cold and hard emergency room table, with constant vomiting
and diarrhea, not to mention severe pain, you are crazy".
When the arthritis and migraines got so bad, and I went in to my now
former workplace, and announced I was quitting, I said "My body won't
let me do it anymore". Had I not stopped when I did, I would've either
been in worse shape, or dead long ago.
I found out a little bit ago that my mother-in-law passed away this
past Sunday (my father-in-law called to deliver the news). Her birthday
was August 7, but apparently she was in the hospital and very ill...but
my wishes were relayed to her. Yesterday (Sept. 1) would've been my Mom's
94th birthday, had she lived (she died 3 weeks before her 93rd birthday).
Daryl
... Why look at the Docs?? The nurses are prettier.
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