6 B
SIUSLAW NEWS z SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
TO YOUR
GOOD HEALTH
How to choose a
kidney doctor
DEAR DR. ROACH: How can I
find the most successful, experi-
enced kidney doctor? Would I be
better off with a doctor who has his
or her own practice, or one who
works in a hospital? My kidney
function is at 32 percent, down from
44 percent four years ago due to
hypertension. — J.A.
ANSWER: I often have tried to
point out when a teaching hospital
or special expertise is critical to
having the best chance for a good
outcome. For chronic kidney dis-
ease, the expertise of the kidney
specialist is seldom at issue,
because virtually all kidney doctors
are very experienced and are expert
at taking care of this condition. The
main goal will be to slow down the
decline of kidney function, but
many people in your situation even-
tually will need dialysis.
SALOME’S STARS
ARIES (March 21 to April 19)
Regarding your upcoming challenges,
the Aries Lamb should very quickly
size things up and allow you to make
the best possible use of whatever
resources you have on hand. Good
luck.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You
rarely blame others for missteps that
worked against you. But this time you
need to lay out all the facts and insist
that everyone acknowledge his or her
share of the mistakes. Then start again.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You
might want to start making vacation
plans. And don’t be surprised by unex-
pected family demands. Maintain con-
trol. Be open to suggestions, but don’t
get bogged down by them.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Work
with both your Moon Child and Crab
In my opinion, what you want to
look at carefully is the dialysis
facility, which vary greatly in qual-
ity. I found a watchdog group with
an interesting look at dialysis cen-
ters
at
http://projects.propublica.org/dialy-
sis/. This uses Medicare data to
evaluate hospitalization, infection
and even mortality. It’s not a perfect
tool, but it gives you some informa-
tion on which to base your decision.
Find a doctor affiliated with the best
dialysis facility around.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a gen-
erally healthy 81-year-old lady. I
retired from teaching two years ago.
I had a very strange situation about
a month ago. I was sitting on the
toilet and suddenly had pain in both
my legs, and I could not move my
feet, toes or any other parts. My
husband gave me two aspirin,
which did not help the pain. He then
gave me an oxycodone 5 mg from
our son, who was recovering from a
badly broken arm. The oxycodone
worked after about an hour and a
half, and I was able to get up and
walk. My husband thought it was
probably a leg cramp.
I went to see my regular doctor
the next day. He thought that I
might have a blood clot in the leg
and sent me to the hospital for more
testing. After ultrasound testing,
they did not find anything abnor-
mal.
I am now afraid to drive by
myself or even to be at home alone.
Do you have any idea what this
might have been, or what I should
do at this point?
ANSWER: Sudden onset of pain
and weakness does not sound like a
blood clot to me. It sounds like a
neurological event, such as a
pressed nerve (actually nerves,
since it was both sides). It is possi-
bly in the brain or the spinal cord,
but that seems less likely. A leg
cramp usually would not be on both
sides and usually does not cause
weakness.
I don’t agree with you taking
your son’s oxycodone. It’s a very
powerful and dangerous narcotic.
Five mg is a relatively small dose,
but people can be very sensitive to
narcotics, and deaths have occurred
from people using a friend or fami-
ly member’s drugs.
If your symptoms don’t occur
again, I would suspect that this was
caused by too much pressure put on
the nerves.
aspects this week to keep both your cre-
ative and your practical sides balanced.
Your intuition sharpens, giving you
greater insight by the middle of the
week.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) The Big
Cat finally should have all the informa-
tion needed to move on with a project.
If not, maybe you’ll want to give every-
thing a new and more thorough check
before trying to move on.
VIRGO (August 23 to September
22) Too much emotional pain caused
by someone you can’t win over as a
friend? Then stop trying to do so. You
have other things you need to work on
this week. Go to it, and good luck.
LIBRA (September 23 to October
22) It’s a good time to reassess where
and how your strengths can help you
build, and where your weaknesses can
hinder you. Remember to build on your
strongest foundation.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November
21) That personal matter that seemed so
hard to deal with should be less confus-
ing now. Don’t rush. Let things happen
easily, without the risk of creating even
more puzzlement.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to
December 21) Change continues to be
a strong factor in many important areas.
Keep on top of them, and you won’t
have to worry about losing control. A
personal situation takes on a new look.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to
January 19) A business offer sounds
intriguing. But if you don’t check it out
thoroughly, you could have problems.
Take a set of questions with you when
you attend your next meeting.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to
February 18) Your self-confidence
should be coming back. That’s good
news. But it might be a bit over the top
right now, so best to let it settle down
before you start making expensive
decisions.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20)
Your life, your decisions. Good
enough. But be sure you have all the
facts you need to put into the decision-
maker mixing bowl and hope it will
come out as it should.
S i us l a w Ne w s
!
AD IT DAY
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