1. IrvingSnodgrass - Nov. 13, 1998 - 10:22 AM PT
It's cold and flu season again... is something ailing you? Or are you just pissed off about HMOs? What about Health Insurance? Hard to find the right doctor when you need one? And why are there no doctors posting in the Fray? (Do you suppose they have a *life*?)
Tell us all about what's bothering you, then take two aspirin and post again in the morning...
2. profemeritus - Nov. 13, 1998 - 10:28 AM PT
Irv
As your medical adviser, I think you should get to bed earlier.
3. thomasd - Nov. 13, 1998 - 10:28 AM PT
My PPO stinks, and I'm just getting over the worst flu/cold, considered overall, in my life. I'll have to give serious consideration to getting flu shots, henceforth.
Re. aches and pains in general, I find it interesting that they increased somewhat subjectively until my early thirties, but haven't seemed to worsen significantly in everyday life since then. I would have expected the opposite.
4. PsychProf - Nov. 13, 1998 - 10:29 AM PT
Under the category of "pains", I would like Banks RIPeed for talking about Yankees.
5. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 11:54 AM PT
Why do you think they call it Medical "Practice"?
I say, if they're just "practicing", they should get lower "apprentice level" fees.
6. bubbaette - Nov. 13, 1998 - 11:55 AM PT
Christi
And along those lines, what does it mean to be practicing abstinance -- how do you know when you're any good at it?
7. TheDiva - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:01 PM PT
Funny you should ask.......
8. bubbaette - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:02 PM PT
Diva
I've heard that abstinance makes the heart grow fonder.
9. TheDiva - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:06 PM PT
Bubb
Also it makes you grind your teeth in your sleep.
10. bubbaette - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:07 PM PT
Which just goes to show that it's not good for you.
11. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:10 PM PT
Oh, I don't know. If you grind your teeth, won't that make it easier for your Dentist to drill down to "the good stuff" - less annoying enamel to get thru doncha know.
12. hashke - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:13 PM PT
Bubbaette:
Good neologism there. Abstinance -- a person who has been far away from the city of Nancy, France for a long time.
"Abstinence' is a whole nother territory.
13. TheDiva - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:13 PM PT
Don't get me started on dental insurance. (How's that for a transition?)
My HMO is great. The doctors are wonderful, the premiums and the co-pay couldn't be more affordable, it's five minutes from my house, there's a pharmacy, a lab, x-ray facilities.....the works.
The dental plan SUCKS. They have a list of local dentists, and a rate schedule, and that's it. Expensive as hell.
Why, oh why, don't they run dental the way they run everything else?
14. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:14 PM PT
*doncha just hate spellin fanatics*
15. bubbaette - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:19 PM PT
Christi
I blame Bill Gates. First he makes me dependent on spellcheck and then he creates this forum from hell with no spellcheck.
16. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:21 PM PT
yer right, bubba. it's all a perniscious plot to drive you (and only you) insane
(just because you're paranoid, that doesn't mean they're not really out to get you)
17. bubbaette - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:23 PM PT
I knew it I knew it I knew it!
18. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:25 PM PT
TTFN
I bore everyone with my aches and pains later - right now I have to (gulp) attend a meeting
19. harper - Nov. 13, 1998 - 12:46 PM PT
I'm lucky. My doctor belongs to every health plan known to man. If he didn't belong to one, I wouldn't join it. The man is terrific. Since I have moved around a lot jobwise (as a consultant, I sometimes had to provide my own insurance), my health plans changed frequently, but luckily, he was always part of the one I had.
I go to a dental clinic within walking distance of where I live. I figured out years ago that I got the same (if not better) care at the clinic for less money. The place is somewhat run down, but that assures me that I'm not paying too much for service in order to finance a fancy office. I used to go to a (highly recommended) dentist who had a posh office. All his fees were considerably over the norm -- to pay the lease, I guess. Plus, his billing service screwed up my billing and messed up my credit rating for several years until I threatened to sue over it.
Also, the clinic always has female dentists. What a discovery! They have smaller hands(!) and are gentler than the male dentists. I've always been scared of dentists because they always hurt me. The women don't.
Just my 2 cents worth.
20. thoughtful - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:02 PM PT
Well, since Irv created this kvetch thread, I'll start. Well, I thought I had fibromyalgia, and I don't. Then I thought I had PMR (polymyaligia rheumatica), and I don't. Doc says if I had PMR, the prednisone would've kept working and it's not. Now he's tapering me off the prednisone and wants me to be on nothing for a few weeks and "See how you do." I suggested that perhaps I could call him if within a few weeks all this pain and stiffness immobilized me. He allowed that that would be ok. He's still pushing that I'm perimenopausal -- y'know ladies, the last refuge of all docs when they don't know what's wrong with any woman between the ages of 35 & 65. So I browbeat him into giving me tests so we could at least start checking my hormone levels. I assured him we'll be having this argument for at least the next 10-12 years, so we'd better start getting some data now.
Essentially he confessed he was looking for something wrong with me that he could fix. In other words he doesn't know what I have and doesn't know what to do except throw more drugs at me. I translate that into, essentially, I'm on my own.
So for my next step, I've decided to go to an allergist. Never been to one. Maybe some allergy is triggering an odd response in my immune system. Who knows? Could only add more info to an inscrutable situation, right?
21. thomasd - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:21 PM PT
Re. 20 -
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I don't have a five-syllable disease, after reading this.
22. JaDeGoLd - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:25 PM PT
tommydemoron;
Sure you do.
It's called Moronicmisogynisticxenohomophobia.
23. philistine - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:28 PM PT
As Mr. Boffo's doctor told him;
"It's not as bad as it sounds. I don't think we're pronouncing it right."
24. thomasd - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:32 PM PT
Re. 22 -
Moron -
No.
Unfortunately, there's no cure for your terminal idiocy, compounded by delusions of adequacy.
However, I now find I have moronphobia. So go away, Moron.
25. thoughtful - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:33 PM PT
Gosh, I hope tommyd doesn't have MMXHP -- as far as I know, there's no known cure. (But I believe some studies suggest a link between MMXHP and the Wall St. Journal editorial page.)
They've tried administering Eye of Newt -- but it only made one's Lott in life worse.
}:-)
26. marshame - Nov. 13, 1998 - 1:39 PM PT
I have several fatal illnesses in my lifetime. One time, I got a sore in my mouth on the inside of my lower lip. After thinking about it for about 5 minutes, I realized that I had contracted oral cancer. But it went away before I could look up "oncologist" in the phone book.
Then I had spinal meningistis. It began as a headache, which lasted an hour or two. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I had probably contracted spinal meningitis from somewhere. I took some aspirin to relieve the pain until I could get myself to a doctor. But I got distracted and forget about it, and I believe I am now in remission. (That was several years ago. So I guess I'm still in remission.)
My daughter had polio one afternoon. She was just a toddler, and she was sliding down the slide at the park. As she toddled around to climb up the ladder again, I noticed a slight limp. Before she had climbed to the top, the diagnosis of polio was clear in my mind, especially because I couldn't remember if I had taken her for her two-year old booster or not. Fortunately, it cleared up by the time we got home.
I have had brain tumors, heart attacks, cancer and rare diseases of all kinds. I'm happy to report that they have all been of short duration and have spontaneously healed themselves without so much as a single trip to the doctor.
27. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:17 PM PT
marshame -
I am so glad your physical problems have been of short duration to date. You are so lucky.
28. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:22 PM PT
Since some people have expressed a dislike of personal stories/experiences being posted and invading their privacy, i won't tell y'all about my aches and pains. ('sides I already did - I think - once upon a time)
I'll just say this - I am in great sympathy with those who call on Dr. K. The only reason I have not yet departed this body is that I have a child to raise. I am eagerly anticipating the time when I can say goodbye to the pain I have been experiencing for fourteen years now.
29. harper - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:37 PM PT
thoughtful:
Obviously you & CharlieL suffer from the same "pun-ishment." Keep at those doctors. Make them earn their keep. My best friend had been feeling lously for quite a while and had been trying to find out what was wrong. Her doctor ran all sorts of tests, found nothing. Finally, it occurred to my girlfriend that all the women in her family had bad gall bladders. Sure enough, hers had gone really bad. She had it removed and feels so much better. But this took about a year off and on to get a diagnosis.
By all means, try that allergist. A food allergy can do terrible things to you. Good luck.
marshame:
Either you are suffering from hypochondria or you have been miraculously healed. Or maybe you better stop watching "ER" and "Chicago Hope." Unfortunately,even imagined illnesses can be as devastating as real ones. I have a friend who belongs to the "disease of the month club". Whatever's trendy, she's got it. And her husband is such an enabler that we all want to smack him. If he'd tell her to can the crap, she'd probably get well really quickly. She thinks it's a way to keep him around.
30. labarjare - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:43 PM PT
thoughtful - you are one sharp cookie, so I am sure you will approach the prospect of getting involved with an allergist with appropriate wariness. Actually, it has been many years since I was so involved, but it was clear to me then that when it comes to complicated allergy analysis and treatment, you are dealing with many moving targets. Expensive moving targets.
As I say, it has been many years and perhaps both the testing and treating have become much more sophisticated and sure.
(It was determined after many many tests [including one set which almost killed me as a teenager] that I am allergic to almost all grains, all meats, all flowers, all etc. I guess I outgrew a lot of it and moving to the East took care of most of the pollen problems, but...at the time it was not fun being picked at, shot at and head-shaked at.)
The wisest of my various doctors once said that it made no sense to spend, say, $50,000 to determine what mix of allergies I then had because by the time the tests were completed, that mix might have changed. Overstatement, but my kind of doctor.
31. marshame - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:47 PM PT
harper
I think I have been miraculously healed from hypochondria.
It seems the older I get, the better I feel. I used to notice every potential line on my face, every flaw, every pimple. Now, I see a gigantic bruise on my thigh and I wonder "Hm, when did I get that? (Maybe it's a malignant sub-dural hematoma...)"
32. profemeritus - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:53 PM PT
thoughtful
It appears to me that your doctor needs a refresher course. They are available all over the country under the title "Board Review" courses. Why don't you have the AMA send him announcements. You wouldn't have to include your name card.
More seriously, the pace of medical changes and technology is very rapid. I recently attended a seminar just on that subject, and the main point was that methods in vogue a few years ago were already obsolete. In an interactive exercise in that seminar, about half the doctors there gave the wrong answers on the most recent diagnostic techniques. This is a very serious problem, especially in HMOs where a large fraction of the doctors' time is devoted to bureaucratic requirements.
33. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 2:56 PM PT
Ummmmm... marshame, I think "sub-dural hematoma" is just doctorese for "bruise" and I don't think a bruise can be malignant.
(but you knew that, right?)
Get thee to a Physician's Desk Reference!
&:o)
34. marshame - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:04 PM PT
Christi
I was demostrating a momentary relapse of my primary diagnosis (hypochondria).
35. ChristiPeters - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:09 PM PT
Oh.
I see.
but all the *best* hypochondriacs have a Physician's Desk Reference. It gives them they're best material. I guess this just proves that you have been cured long enough to fall out of practice.
Congratulations
36. marshame - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:21 PM PT
Christi
Don make me 'splain it. *Of course* bruises aren't malignant, except to a hypochondriac, who can turn anything into imminently impending doom!
Actually (true story) the last time I looked in a Physician's Desk Reference, I was newly pregnant. I had been taking diet pills until I found out I was pregnant, so as a lark I thought I would look up the side affects of the particular diet pill. I waded through all the medical jargon and came to this precautionary note for pregnant women" "may cause tetrageneis." Unfamiliar with the word, I looked it up in the dictionary and was horrified to read "tetragenisis: the creation of monsters."
Not only did I give up the diet pills, I gave up reading the Physician's Desk Reference! My child was born perfectly normal, and is only occasionally a monster.
37. Random - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:27 PM PT
News last night: HMO's in California are dropping Social Security
Medicare patients because there is not enough profit in them. That is
one point. Now to find a Medicare Gap filler one can afford. Point
two: Our local hospital is closing Jan. 1, 1999, another fatality of
the HRC health care plan.
The first doctor I've found in California
that I like will continue my care. I like to utilize alternative care by Chiropractors, or herbs and hope to experience accupressure.
38. hashke - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:30 PM PT
Random:
If you're in LA you're already experiencing accupressure.
39. trouserPilot - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:33 PM PT
"Our local hospital is closing Jan. 1, 1999, another fatality of the HRC health care plan."
Is Randumb the only human in the USA who doesn't realize that the HRC health plan WASN'T ENACTED?
40. marshame - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:33 PM PT
Well the mere thought of it was enough, tP.
41. hashke - Nov. 13, 1998 - 3:41 PM PT
It wasn't even a trouserPilot project?
42. arkymalarky - Nov. 13, 1998 - 4:37 PM PT
Marshame! I can't believe there's a fellow hypochondriac on the Fray! Actually my whole family suffers that problem to a degree, and we like to call eachother and share symptoms, and whatever family member happens to be listening says, "that's nothing; I've had that," and proceeds to describe *their* symptoms. My husband, on the other hand, could be all lumps and bleeding out every orifice and not think a thing about it.
43. verdeazul - Nov. 14, 1998 - 12:53 AM PT
"...I will follow that system of
regimen which, according to
my ability and judgement, I
consider for the benefit of my
patients, and abstain from
whatever is deleterious and
mishievious...."
(From the Hippocratic Oath, ca.400 b.c.)
Rise Up!
I had the great misfortune
of becoming a statistic during the
last, big polio scare/epidemic
in Los Angeles,1949. I was seven.
Little was known about Infantile
Paralysis back then so it took on
the patina of Plague. I went to
the 17th floor of Los Angeles
County's General Hospital (All
Polio, All the Time!), and my family,
five brothers and one sister, was
placed under House Arrest -
quarantined - with big, bright
yellow signs nailed to the front
and back doors.
I recall lying in a crib and
a good many other 'lumps' had
cribs of their own. Rows and
rows...and it was very still most
of the time because we were all
too sick and too weak to make much
noise.
(cont)
44. verdeazul - Nov. 14, 1998 - 12:58 AM PT
(cont)
The only medical-type care
given to us was a "Hot Pack Wrap.'
Twice each day, every child was
swathed in hot, wet, cotton cloths
then wrapped in a sheet. Finally,
a heavy woolen blanket was wound
around you, "mummy style," then
a deft toss placed you back in your
crib on your belly, there to baste
in your own salty juices.
While simmering, thus, for the
first time, my nose began to bleed.
It took a long time to get help because
the hot-rag machine made noise as
did the old, metal crib-sides being
slid up and down.
When someone finally did hear my
cries, blood had spread all across the top
of my sheet to below my face and under
my chin. I can still smell it - and taste it.
They tried the treatment one
other time in the seven weeks that
I spent there. I bled all over my sheets
again. After that, I was excused
from this "treatment" for the rest
of my stay.
My legs were weak and wobbly
when I finally made it home, and I
have a fleeting but vivid memory of
being in a toy wagon pulled around by
my brothers on Halloween Eve so that
I, too, could gather my candy stash;
(it had to last until Christmas).
My legs slowly improved and one
day, I was able to run again.
~
I sometimes have wondered how the
other children fared. I also sometimes
wonder if being excused from the
hotpack treatment actually helped
in my final recovery.
There is so much to wonder at.
zulolio~
45. msgreer - Nov. 14, 1998 - 5:45 AM PT
I am a nurse advocate and consultant. I work with people with and without insurance and I am here to say the folks with insurance, especially HMO's, get no better health care than the folks I represent with no insurance.
When it comes to the people with HMO's it's just a matter of knowing the codes, calling the HMO's over and over and over again, appealing their decisions and basically not going away.
With the people with no insurance, it's a matter of knowing the laws that govern each hospital and their written responsibility toward indigent folks. Making sure the person doesn't sign certain papers the hospital throws at you, etc..
And getting them into see doctors, well, it has taken 9 years for me to make contacts in my city so I know the doctors well enough to call and say, "I have someone who you need to see, it's pro bono for me so it will be for you too," or something like that.
Over the years I have dealt with more insurance companies than I choose to count. Again, know the codes, fight what they state is "reasonable" cost for a procedure or test or doctor visit.
I say all this because it has taken me 9 years to build up my business, what must it be like for one who doesn't understand the health care systems.
It frightens the hell out of me.
I get letters and email's from many other states, saying "I heard about you from ... can you help me?" Or my father needs a nursing home, Alzheimer client.. can you help place him and stay on to make sure he isn't getting abused or neglected.. and I do help with this. I go see my clients anytime I want to just to see what is happening with and to them. I have written so many letters to so many people stating the abuse or neglect, the bedsores, overmedication.
My message is not to hire me, but never, never go to a hospital, for any reason without an advocate or a friend, family member, who is not afraid to speak up. Not afraid to find out what medication someone is
46. PsychProf - Nov. 15, 1998 - 9:22 AM PT
Go Figure
47. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:24 AM PT
Mr.PsychProf: "Go Figure," what? If you are talking to me, I may not have funny poetry to write, just a desire to converse with others about the "Aches and Pains" of the health care system that exist for the majority of people.. However, if you were not responding to me, excuse my paranoia.
From, msgreer, your friendly nurse.
48. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:30 AM PT
Re. 46 -
Not surprising to me.
About twenty years ago, I lived in an apartment complex where the manager was a two to three pack a day smoker, even *after* he developed lung cancer and had a lung removed. Not too surprisingly, he lasted only about a year after that.
49. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:32 AM PT
To continue, if you want horror stories I have plenty of them.
I am hungry to find others who want to raise their voices in disgust and willing to join in, let's say, California's one payer system.. or Florida's. There are many of us who are working very hard for the one payer system.
If you live in California, it has been on your ballot many times.. it just doesn't seem to pass. The money from the insurance companies flows in whenever this issue is raised. They don't even want it debated. And because many people don't understand the one payer system, they are afraid of it and the insurance propoganda rolls on and on..
50. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:35 AM PT
thomasd, how is your health?
51. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:40 AM PT
Re. 50 -
msgreer -
Overall, very good up to now. Blood Pressure good and pulse low, everything normal in my blood workup. I'm in my 40's. No other specific conditions I'm aware of. However, the severity of a flu/cold I just went through is making me consider taking regular flu shots in the future.
52. CharlieL - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:50 AM PT
This thread makes me think of the hypochondriac's tombstone:
"I TOLD you I was sick!"
53. CharlieL - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:53 AM PT
Message #37: "I like to utilize alternative care by Chiropractors, or herbs..."
Most of your posts sound like you're on some kind of herb. Or perhaps you're trying out the "LSD Diet?"
54. Wombat - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:55 AM PT
I am reminded of the Milton Berle gag:
Patient: "Doc, what's wrong with me?"
Doctor: "You're sick!"
Patient: "Can I get a second opinion?"
Doctor: "Okay! You're ugly, too!"
55. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 10:58 AM PT
How about:
Patient: "Doctor; I've got a terrible problem! Sometimes I think I'm a teepee and sometimes I think I'm a wigwam!"
Psychiatrist: "Your problem is obvious. You're two tents."
56. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:02 AM PT
MSG...sorry for the confusion....my post was meant to stand alone. I read your post(s) with great interest.
57. marshame - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:04 AM PT
Verdeazul
Interesting story about your experience with polio. I was a small child when the vaccine came out and I remember my parents thinking it was the greatest miracle of modern times. I guess the fear of polio was an annual horror, and I remember being told to dry off when I got out of water from swimming, because that's how Roosevelt got polio.
Arky
Is your hypochondria of the spontaneous remission kind, like mine? Unlike most hypochondriacs, I avoid doctors like the plague. It makes diagnosis so much easier that way. Also, I have noticed an immediate cessation of symptoms as soon as I make an appt. The only time I really go see a doctor is when I must have drugs (the hormone variety) which they hold as ransom to make me come in once a year.
58. marshame - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:08 AM PT
Speaking of hormones and the Wonderful World of Being a Woman, here's something I got from a friend today:
PREPARING FOR YOUR MAMMOGRAM
Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for the week preceding the exam and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared. And best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises right in the privacy of your own home.
EXERCISE #1:
Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.
EXERCISE #2
Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.
EXERCISE #3:
Visit your garage at 3:00 a.m. when the temperature of the concrete floor is just perfect. Take off all your warm clothes and lay comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until the breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat for the other breast.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Now you are properly prepared for your mammogram. Isn't it FUN to be a WOMAN?
59. Jenerator - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:11 AM PT
Marshame,
You crack me up!:)
60. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:11 AM PT
I've always considered chiropractors as being unsatisfactory substitutes for osteopathic physicians, if not quite in the category of quacks. Osteopaths, unlike chiropractors, in the US, are fully medically trained and state board accredited doctors, that can perform operations and prescribe medicine.
61. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:18 AM PT
to 56: PsychProf: Nice to know someone is listening. I'm so deeply involved in changing our health care system and had hoped I might get some back and forth on this subject.
Obviously, scarring woman about mammograms is funny to the reader.
I say, you're lucky you can afford to get one.
62. bubbaette - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:21 AM PT
Marshame
I've also always suspected that gynecologists keep there speculums (speculae?) in the fridge. Do they hate women?
63. bubbaette - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:24 AM PT
MsGreer
How much is a mammogram in your area? I think I got a special deal a few years ago for $45 for my 35th Birthday. Not something I'm eager to repeat. Only once every five years is necessary?
64. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:24 AM PT
MSG...many in the fray(me too) are lighthearted and headed at times...Marsha was just providing some Monday smiles.
65. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:42 AM PT
A man walks into a psychiatrist's office with a pelican on his head. The doctor looks up and says, "I'd say you have a problem." "I sure do," says the pelican, "I can't seem to get this man out from under me."
66. arkymalarky - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:44 AM PT
You oughta get a mammagram from a student's parent. Talk about embarrassing. It was not painful at all, though.
67. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:45 AM PT
How about a mammogram directly from 'a student'? Cut out the middleman.
68. arkymalarky - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:47 AM PT
BTW, Marshame, in answer to your question, my hypochondria is such that I avoid the doctor like the plague until I'm certain that my symptoms have gone on so long they *must* be terminal, then I go expecting a death sentence. I'm that way in spells, when I'm under a lot of stress. Thank goodness I'm not like that all the time.
69. arkymalarky - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:50 AM PT
Well, thomas, fortunately there are no Doogie Howsers in my classes, so I think I'm safe from that, but it's very feasible that I could get a former student as a Dr. or technician one of these days. I hope not. I'd hate any old grudges to resurface under those kinds of circumstances.(g)
70. thomasd - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:51 AM PT
I could imagine:) "Do you remember that C- you gave me....?"
71. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 11:55 AM PT
msgreer; interesting posts. Are you a nurse practicioner? Where are you located?
72. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:00 PM PT
Mammogram Info
73. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:02 PM PT
I am in Florida.. And about the cost of mammograms..often times there are "special deals" here for mammograms. These deals come when it is Breast Awareness Month.. The average cost where I am is $85.
My suggestion on how often to get mammograms, once a year, unless you are being followed for a specific problem.. talk to a doctor you trust! Or get on the Internet and read the pro's and con's of yearly mammograms before the age of 40.
74. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:03 PM PT
And, yes, I am a nurse practitioner.
75. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:14 PM PT
msgreer; Do you have prescriptive athourity in FL? What is your specialization? Do you feel that you are given the opportunity to use your education and skills to the full benifit of your patients? What are the parameters of your consultancy practice?
Questions, questions, questions, flooding into the minds of concerned young persons today!
76. bubbaette - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:36 PM PT
MsGreer
How does one find a doctor to trust? My doctor will do everything within his power NOT to see me, even up to prescribing over the telephone. The Doc I used to have and like doesn't take my HMO. Frankly, my impression the past couple of years is that of being herded through doctors offices like one of so many head of cattle when I have a health problem.
77. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:37 PM PT
To 75:Yes, I can write prescriptions. I don't do it lightly and my friends know better than to call me for "a goodie".
My speciality:cardiology with a second in family practice.
Does my education allow me to give my clients the help they need, it certainly has helped. The medical community treats me with some respect because I am one of them. Sorry state of affairs for everyone that doesn't know their games.
But I am back in school to keep me up to date on all that is changing in the field.
I go to numerous conferences about health care and the law.
So, I think it has to do with doing it over and over, not being intimated and continuing my education.
78. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:46 PM PT
msgreer; "Does my education allow me to give my clients the help they need, it certainly has helped."
I think you may have misunderstood my question. I assumed that you education and skills allow you to give your clients help. I was looking more at the system. To you find that the structure and biases of the health care system allow you ....etc. In a nut shell, as an NP, to the *physicians* and the physician oriented care system, give you the respect you have earned and allow you to give your clients the help they need?
Regarding scrips, few states give that athourity to NPs California does and I was just curious if FL did.
What are the parameters of your consultancy practice?
79. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:48 PM PT
and BTW, where did you go to school?
80. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 12:58 PM PT
To 76: Your story is so familiar.
One item to be aware of, some nurses or front desk help is trained to keep us away from our doctors. If my doctor didn't call me back, I would make an appointment for a consultation with that doctor to make sure he/she knew what I expected to be included in my health care. If your doctor won't give you time for a consultation, find another one, word of mouth helps or perhaps your state has what Fl. does, the Sunshine Laws. I can get on the Internet and find out anything I want about any doctor. Have they ever been sued and what for, anything pending, and complaints from their clients. Knocks some out
immediately.
Before I would accept a physician, that all important consultation is the thing. Interview your prospective doctor. It's only our health we are talking about.
Or, find yourself a medical advocate and let them do this for you. You can discuss what is important to you, any specific issues you have and hopefully, they will give you the names of several physicians you can go and visit.
An advocate has nothing to gain from the doctor you choose. Calling those lines, "can't find a doctor, we will match you up with one" are poison Good luck, it can be a project.
As my daughter says "find a doctor who is a good listener." Did you know the research says doctors stop listening after 3 minutes??
81. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:07 PM PT
" Did you know the research says doctors stop listening after 3 minutes??"
Thats because they have already made up their mind about your diagnosis and treatment in 2 minutes. Why should they listen to you longer than that?
82. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:10 PM PT
I went to University of Michigan. GO BLUE!
Does the medical system give me respect? I have to earn it everyday with the system. The hospital doesn't like to see me coming with billing errors or administrative issues. So, in one way, I have my foot in the door because of my education.
I think one has to learn the difference between being an assertive adocate/consultant and an aggressive one. The system will turn their back on aggressive behavior, so I have had to learn diplomacy and I really have a hard time with it.
I find more friends in strange places all the time. Nurses call me, ones who do not their names used, to tell me of going ons they want checked but fear for their jobs if they do or say something about it.
It is new everyday. You just have to keep going. And you have to get along with people within the system you are going to one day go face to face with..is this making sense?
83. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:12 PM PT
Doctor-bashing is stereotypical, uninformative, and boring...every graduating class has a top half and a bottom half...shall we start in on nurses next?
84. thoughtful - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:21 PM PT
Sorry for the late replies:
RE Message #29 Harper, thanks for the "endurance" push. I need it. This nonsense has been going on for over a year now.
RE Message #30 Labarj: Yes, allergists are a cause for wariness. I spoke with Doc this weekend and he strongly discouraged me and suggested instead I see a rheumatologist. I wasn't happy with the first one, so I'll try another. Can't hurt.
RE Message #31 Marshame: A subdural hematoma is a bruised brain -- can't happen anywhere else...at least as far as I know... MsG may feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. How do I know? Sure sign of a hypochondriac? Nope -- sure sign of someone who had a crush on Dr. Ben Casey. I think *all* his patients had subdural hematomas!
85. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:23 PM PT
mgreer; "I went to University of Michigan." When you were there did you work with Maureen Frey by any chance?
(M Go Blow, You call it Maize, we call it corn (g) )
86. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:25 PM PT
You asked about consulting and what I do.
First, I go and see a new client and give them 1 hour free just to tell me what their issues are and to see if I can help them.
Other consultations: Gathering all the doctors on one case, together, in one room, and discuss a plan for my client. It is a challenge for doctors to realize the importance of the left hand knowing what the right is doing.. and the importance of a health care plan. I don't think physicians take a health care plan course in med school, I could be wrong. All I know is I write alot of them for doctors.
A consultation maybe getting on the Internet to any place, any hospital, institution, doctor to discuss a case of mine. You'd be delighted to know there are many people willing to help out if I just ask.
Consulting means finding the exact health care facility my client is asking for, ie.. one has a delicate operation facing them. They want to know what surgeon does this type of operation everyday of his life. He/she does this procedure only..
Have I given you an idea of what I do.
87. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:26 PM PT
PP; ".shall we start in on nurses next?" Just you try it. Nurses are the best!!!!
88. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:27 PM PT
Thoughtful..."dural" derives form "dura", one of the three menniges, i.e., coverings of the brain and spinal cord.
89. ChristiPeters - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:28 PM PT
msgreer -
Hail to the victors valient
Hail to the conquering heros
Hail Hail to Michigan
....
Ok, I forget the rest, it's been 16 years since I was at U of MI.
Nice to hear from you.
I said that I wasn't going to bore y'all with my medical history, but your posts have inspired me to recite one:
In 1984, I was trampled by a horse. After hospitalization, physical therapy, etc. etc., I still had pain in my upper back. I kept going to doctors who 1)as soon as I said my back hurt, assumed I was talking about my lower back, then 2)once I got thru to them that I was talking about the upper-back said "you *can't* have pain there, the thorasic spine is stabilized by the rib-cage". Eventually, I quit going to doctors. I am in enough pain that suicide looks inviting, but I have a daughter to raise, so I'm still around.
Finally, in early 1998, my family practice physician referred me to a pain specialist because the only med that helps my pain also makes me gain weight and the weight is now causing health problems. The specialist said "It's *unusual* to have upper back pain because the thorasic spine is stabilized by the rib-cage, but let's take a look," and ordered an MRI. The MRI showed a significantly bulging disk at T7-T8 which is actually compressing my spine as well as impinging on other nerves. The pain specialist's reaction to the MRI was amazement at how *well* I am doing. The fact that I am in pain and only have 50% use of my left side is a *mild* effect of the injury. So, now, I hope I will get some help.
The moral? Don't let the doctors discourage you from continuing to seek help if you really feel you need it. I sure wish I hadn't spent 11 years too disgusted by the doctors to even try to get help.
90. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:28 PM PT
msgreer; Clear like bell. Thanks (please forgive the shots at UM, I went to State for grad school and those old reflexes are hard to overcome (sort of a Tourettes type thing I think.)
91. msgreer - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:30 PM PT
You're right. Enough of this... Just to let you know I am not saying all doctors should leave their practice. Just got abit carried away.
Laughing probably would cure it all.
92. PsychProf - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:31 PM PT
thoughtful...sorry, meninges...busy day.
93. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:31 PM PT
Christi: "Hail to the victors valient" Oh now you're one too!!!
Glad to hear your back issue was finally diagnosed properly.
94. ChristiPeters - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:34 PM PT
How do you find a doctor?
When I took this transfer, I went from a "no network" area to a "network" area. So, first I found out what doctors in the area were in the network. Then I looked specifically for "family practice physicians" as I have been pleased with them in the past. Then I made initial consultation appointments.
When I saw the one who immediately started telling me her background, education, experience, health/patient philosophy, etc. *before* I asked for it - ie. her basic assumption was that this was a normal part of a first visit - I thought I'd found my doctor. When she then asked me, not only about my health history, but about living conditions, family support, family history, etc. and *listened*, I KNEW I had found my doctor.
95. ChristiPeters - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:37 PM PT
Thanks, rick!
I just hope that "diagnoses" is going to translate to "help". Cure may be too much to ask for, but a life where I am not in hell when I'm not doped up, would be very nice.
96. thoughtful - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:40 PM PT
RE Message #32 ProfE, scary statistics they. My doc is pretty up on things, but he's also a very, very busy man. He certainly can't have seen as many folks with my problems as a rheumatologist, so I think it's a good next step.
RE Message #58 Mammograms: How do you know if you've gotten a good mammogram? You end up looking like a Picasso painting!
MsG, Bless you if you have the patience to deal with the medical community on a daily basis. As best as I can tell, it is the most disorganized, bureaucratic,one-hand-doesn't-know-what-
the-other-is-doing organization I've ever run into. My background is business, and if we ran our businesses like that, we'd be bankrupt too. I don't know why, but every hospital I or anyone in my family has ever been in behave as if you are the first patient they've ever seen, and they've never done this before and still have to work out the kinks. My drs. office has so many people behind the desk that they must trip over each other. Still, no one covers the phones at lunch time, appointments are made with the wrong dr., receipts aren't written, and they require 72 hrs. for referrals, though with faxes they could be done in 10 minutes. Sheesh! I'm in an HMO with "No Paperwork." That means you have to make 12 phone calls and write 4 letters to get the billing straightened out -- perhaps if they had a form, it'd be done right the first time. Hubby had to get a referral and even tho' drs office insists on making a copy of his insurance card for each visit -- they still tried to book it under the insurance company we haven't used in 3 years!
97. rickc2000 - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:42 PM PT
If you end up going the surgery route and you have a choice, I recommend a neuro-surgeon over an orthopedic-surgeon, based on my own past experience. I had neuro-surgeon do my back work (L-5, laminectomy) and I have had very little trouble since.
98. thoughtful - Nov. 16, 1998 - 1:50 PM PT
OK, enough kvetching.
PP thanks for the info. I knew the dura was a brain covering but didn't realize it was around the spinal cord too. Interesting.
ChristiP, congrats on finding hope for your back pain. I think there is no worse pain (and frankly, I don't care to test that statement!) I hope it works out for you.
VerdeAzul: interesting story from your past. I remember how much parents feared polio cause, even tho I'm young enough that I wasn't at risk, I remember that look in their eyes when they mentioned the word or talked about people they knew in school with it.
99. thoughtful - Nov. 16, 1998 - 2:01 PM PT
Re internet searching, I read that 40% of internet searches have to do with medical care issues. Here are some of my favorite sites:
Rx List gives lots of info on drugs -- sorta like an on-line Physician's Desk Reference. Useful for drug interactions -- but be wary reading side effects. Whenever I start a new drug and read the side effects, I start getting them all! (Anyone remember that scene from Airplane! with Peter Graves?)
Researching Medical Literature on the Web provides lots of useful links and advice on finding what you need.
On-line Medical Dictionary to help you understand all the terms you find in the other links.
Merck manuals on line including one for the home, geriatrics, and even vets.
Healthfinder helps you link to sources and associations focused on different medical problems.
HTH.
100. marshame - Nov. 16, 1998 - 2:20 PM PT
Oh my gosh, you mean that bruise on my thigh is actually metastisized from my brain? Yikes!