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Sorry about your brother. Too young. I had a stress echo for similar screening (my brother died of sudden death, had massive coronary disease). You may wish to compare the two (Calcium scan v. Stress echo). I think the latter gives better quality information (odds ratios) than the CT calcium...

Most recent version of Consumer Reports deals with this in depth, worth a look. In recent years, previous chronic pain syndromes have given way to alternative diagnosis and treatments - not only musculoskeletal. Examples: fibromyalgia, irritable bowel diseases, chronic fatigue, chronic cough...

Not sure whether they considered opportunity cost, compounding etc. But I leave it to others who know more. And as you said, it's found money for just a few hours of work. Congratulations.

That projection was for living to 100 years old. I will give you a call when I get there.

Looks like his complex but attractive Social Security loophole is being closed down in a few months. We have determined that we are eligible and are going for it. The above link explains it better than I can. This could end up as a final benefit tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands...

I know. Like they say, "you never know."

Time flies. How many years ago did we visit?

Understand your point but folks nearby may find such dog behavior threatening and confusing (esp if they are not dog owners). I think the owner may be legally exposed if any damage occurs - even if it was "not your fault." Keep it a non-kissing encounter - yes, there are still people who see a...

Scott Burns on backing off the amount of medical care you want to receive after age 75. Food for thought.

+2. Zuckerman, Gates, Buffett and other billionaire philanthropists have my profound appreciation and gratitude. It will be interesting to see how they implement the distribution plan.

Actually it is pretty common for cardiac trouble to occur a few days or more after surgery, rather than the "day of." Causes include pain-induced hypertension, blood pressure fluctuation from meds, bedrest during early recovery, unrecognized pulmonary embolism, recurrent pain as anesthetics and...

Please refer to my signature line for the use of this reply. Yes, there are false negative stress echos, probably due to flaws in technique, failure to reach max predicted heart rate, doing the final echo too late after the exercise, inadvertent of beta-blockers etc. IIRC, the false negative is...

Scott Burns discusses how to spend more for discretionary expenses in the early retirement years, then use inflation-adjusted earnings to ratchet down over time. A bit off topic but interesting nonetheless...

Down at Papa Joes

Endorphins may play a role here.

Yikes. This kid is only 6 years old. Musically amazing.

If it is available, fund a health savings account as heavily as you can. Even if your health is perfect you can use it for Medicare premiums, LTC, vision, dental. I wish I had funded mine more than I did. The HSA accounts can be self-directed.

I must have misread your situation. In any event, best wishes for speedy recovery from both procedures.

First of all let's clear up some terminology. I believe you are talking about epidural steroids. Their long-term efficacy is minimal ("yeah but I once knew a guy/gal..." IOKAG. You definitely want to be sedated if you have them (otherwise very painful for a few minutes and you might jump around)...

It's nice when you catch a break once in a while. Enjoy the blessing of good health.

1. Remember, screening implies that the patient has normal risk factors, history, normal general exam, etc. -- it may not apply to higher risk populations. Example: stress test for coronary disease in normal patients versus in patients with diabetes, 2 PPD smoker, strong family history of early...

Every so often a thread will appear on the board about the risks and benefits of various health screening tests. More testing is not necessarily better and in fact may be harmful. Here's a good article addressing some examples.

A normal stress echo which reaches 10 METS (reflecting a vigorous level of exercise intensity) suggests a very low risk of heart attack for at least 5 years despite other usual risk. There are exceptions (e.g. pulmonary diseases) and is mostly applicable for coronary disease. Before agreeing to...

Often termed ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) this implies various degrees of narrowing of blood vessels by plaques of cholesterol, platelets, and other inflammatory substances. Typical symptoms include pain increased with exertion and relieved at rest. However, ASCVD can be...

Brian Williams says he invented this, and was was shot at by an enemy squadron and it saved his life when a bullet from another squadron bounced off the badge.