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If you think your problem might be BPPV (the most common cause of vertigo), the standard mechanical test ("Dix-Hallpike") and cure ("Epley maneuver") usually clear it up like magic. Something like 17% of all cases resist the cure, and I'm in "the lucky 17%" with this latest bout.:-( My first...

9 years after I got a Hancock II pig AV at 65yo, I am sorely missing my usual indoor beach volleyball marathons at 74yo. But that's not because of the valve, it's because of BPPV vertigo! Lots of details at Norm's Story so far, starting with recovery

Really >2 years since I updated this "blog"? I've had some ups and downs, none of them related to my 9-yr-old Hancock II pig valve AFAICS. It isn't perfect (effective area was always a bit wimpy) , but it's still fine, and I think the last few readings had better numbers than before, which my...

I've just spent some time Googling "Listerine" and it's Essential Oils ingredients and "bacteria" etc. in various combinations, and I've turned up a number of supportive publications in refereed journals - and also a recommendation from the ADA to add Listerine to brushing (and flossing). None...

Mina, with all due respect to your excellent cardiologist, I think the relatively recent real-world experience of the UK provides "good evidence that premeds will prevent endocarditis". I've posted more in a Reply on the previous page, and even more a few years ago elsewhere on this site. The...

Listerine is great, but "the antibiotic myth" turns out to be TRUE! And Amoxicyllin turns out to be pretty benign, too. I think you can find links to two good studies on my long thread that I've been treating as a personal timeline. A few years ago I was on the verge of quitting the Amoxicyllin...

The key ingredients, besides alcohol, seem to be Eucalyptol ( = eucalyptus oil), Thymol ( = Thyme oil) and Menthol ( = mint oil).

I've also adopted the routine of rinsing with antiseptic mouthwash at the start of my dental home care (2x/day) and my dental professional care. At home I use the cheapest amber Listerine imitation I can find. I don't avoid alcohol and I usually add a splash of warm water to the squirt of...

Thanks. I'm a fellow migraine person, though I've outgrown the debilitating headaches of my younger days, now left with occasional auras and very rare terrible waves of dread that have been labeled "icepick headaches" though they don't seem to fit the model. I've never seen an association...

I got a Medtronics Hancock II (porcine) in Aortic position in December 2010 at 65. So far (8.5 years) so good, though this is annual checkup time so I should know more in a few weeks. I'm a crazy active 74yo. 1) Either your "I had been walking 5 miles in less than 15 minutes" is a typo or I'm...

Still getting near-magical relief from the vertigo from the DIY Epley maneuver - touch wood! :) The maneuver is pretty easy to learn and do, as is the test to determine which ear is the problem, but they are both unpleasant. Specifically, they both intentionally cause the same violent vertigo...

And at the risk of doubling down... I just followed Dr. Google to do a test (Dix-somebody) to determine which ear was causing my problem (right) and another procedure (Epley) to slide the misplaced calcium pieces back where they belong, and SO FAR, TOUCH WOOD, I have been vertigo free for an...

I'm sure we're all familiar with the concept of "famous last words"... Well, soon after I made a few posts here rejoicing in the way I've been "aging gracelessly", I've experienced a few grazing blows from the big foot in the sky! After several days in a row when my back kept going in and out of...

Sounds great! But losing the ability to sing (well) was never a concern for me, and I'm glad I escaped! Ive been singing in public (professionally and amateur-ly) both PRE-AVR and since. In fact, teaching "my pig" how to sing was much easier than teaching it to ski and bike and play volleyball! ;-)

There are some people my age keeping up with me in dinghy racing and downhill skiing and urban cycling, and I've got no idea how many have had OHS - though I did compare AVR notes with a guy on a Whistler chair lift in late March! ;-) But at the huge indoor beach volleyball place where I play (8...

I just dropped back in to say hi. I think I'm 8.5 years after getting my pig valve (Hancock II) and some repairs. I just turned 74 and I've still been pursuing a crazy active lifestyle: I got out to play PICKUP INDOOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL about as often as ever, maybe 15 times this winter! Mostly...

Greg, I think this is where I write "You can say THAT again!" :-)

You folks - and others who don't use Amoxy - might want to track down the article about that 2-center study of 4 different antibiotics. The results did differ among them, and I only paid attention to the 2 I am familiar with.

Pauling responded to concerns about C (ascorbate) and kidney stones in his books. There are 2 main kinds of kidney stones: One kind is more likely to form in higher-pH blood/fluids, and the other in lower-pH blood/fluids. Pauling suggested that if you know which kind you're prone to, you should...

For the past ~ 2 years, I've been avoiding my routine dental cleanings -- I usually alternate between my dentist's hygienist and my periodontist's similar technician -- because I've seen so much research attributing all kinds of wellbeing to a healthy gut "microbiome" and attributing health ills...