Health Problems

Gravy_sl said:

Thanks, fellas. The ceremony was awesome; they did a 21-gun salute for her, and a great flag ceremony. She would have been very pleased.

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My wife's grandfather was in the army (in WW2, no less), and they did the 21-gun salute with the lowering of the flag. It was absolutely amazing.

Sorry to hear about your loss big G. FUCK CANCER!

Sorry, G.

Haus, your wife should avoid benzos. If she can handle taking them just for a month or two, thats fine, but she needs to have an exit strategy. People end taking them forever which causes tons of problems. I'd consider something like Remeron or an SSRI/SNRI first.

Medical pot. The miracle drug. I hadn't used any for 3 months, since my last round of chemo, until 3 weeks ago. Tonight my wife and I actually had a conversation tonight about me using it for depression/insomnia. I notice a MASSIVE difference after about a week and a half. And I'm not talking about the high. I haven't had any in a week and I just feel so much more like myself.

Tred_sl said:

Medical pot. The miracle drug. I hadn't used any for 3 months, since my last round of chemo, until 3 weeks ago. Tonight my wife and I actually had a conversation tonight about me using it for depression/insomnia. I notice a MASSIVE difference after about a week and a half. And I'm not talking about the high. I haven't had any in a week and I just feel so much more like myself.

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I hope you don't get the munchies.

I actually don't and I actually eat less overall. I've lost 15 pounds in the past 2 weeks. 224 now which is the lowest I've been since 2002 when I went from 298 to 185. 3 months in the hospital due to a DVT with a PE will do that.

So. Checkit.

I'm epileptic, the way it plays out is every 6 months I'm required to have liver panels done to ensure I'm healthy enough to continue taking my medication. Fair enough, wouldn't want to be killing myself unknowingly if something's wrong enough with me that means taking my meds will hurt me further. It's standard procedure.

Without the meds, I'll have a seizure at an indeterminate period of time, at a random place and time. You can probably imagine some bad scenarios should that sort of thing come to pass.

Thing is, all I need to do is go through with blood tests that prove what I've been taking for the past 12 years isn't causing liver problems. This verification requires only that a blood sample is taken from my arm and it's analyzed in a lab, then sent back. If all's well, the script for my meds is written. Simple, right?

Problem is, all doctors and every doctor I've dealt with insists that a visit with the physician accompanies this ritual. The meeting (every single time, without exception) with the doc entails a social chat, the doc leaving, and a nurse coming to take a bit of my blood and me leaving. I get charged for a visit with a doctor as well as the costs of the liver panels, then I leave. Before the results have even come in, but after I've paid, I get the OK from my doctor to refill the medicine that keeps me alive.

I got the idea the other day to skip part of the process, and spoke with a friend whose family owns a clinic that possesses the facilities and personnel to perform the same blood tests normally required by my "treating physician" to confirm that I'm healthy enough to continue consuming the medication that keeps me from being an invalid. Cost me nine dollars.

I had a feeling there'd probably be some kind of objection from the doc I traditionally saw for this ritual, so I called ahead and let the clinic know that I'd acquired bloodwork elsewhere and had them fax it over, so that the doc could look it over, confirm everything was fine (it was), and okay the refill for the meds that keep me from having seizures.

I don't know whether it was the doctor being an asshole, or clinic policy, but they refused to accept the results and mandated I come in for a face to face meeting with the doctor before I could get my medication refilled. We're not talking about Oxycontin here, it's shit than only an epileptic or someone with psychiatric disorders would want/need.

So I figured, well, maybe there's actually something wrong or a valid reason I need to speak with the doc and maybe there's a really good reason why they're insisting I come in to see her specifically so I should probably just go in. I did, and it ended up being a 10 minute meeting/argument with the doc as to what exactly the purpose of the entire consultation was. I didn't get a decent answer. She took my pulse and left. The fuck.

Clinic got their way, charged me for an "examination" and the doctor wrote my prescription.

This is the kind of shit that's wrong with the medical system here. I absolutely needed no interaction with a physician whatsoever, unless test results that had already been provided required such. All I needed was to have medication I've been taking for nearly a decade to be re-prescribed once I'd given blood test results that proved I was fit to continue taking this medication.

That's it. That's all. There's absolutely no goddamn reason I should have met with this stupid fucking bitch and chatted or argued about anything, and the entire thing was pointless and kept the stupid bitch from meeting with another sick person for the sole reason that they get to charge me for a visit with a physician rather than just having the person write me a script as is required by traditional medical doctrine for my particular condition.

Do you expect them to write you a script and not get paid? I assume verifying the results of the test and giving you a script costs them time which is why they want you to come in for the assessment. That is what allows them to bill. Not sure how you expect them to get paid.

We have bigger issues than that with our system.

Kedwyn_sl said:

Do you expect them to write you a script and not get paid? I assume verifying the results of the test and giving you a script costs them time which is why they want you to come in for the assessment. That is what allows them to bill. Not sure how you expect them to get paid.

We have bigger issues than that with our system.

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Paid for what, exactly? I get my refills written BEFORE the results for the blood tests come in, but only after I've come in for the office visit and I've paid them for such. The doctors don't even see what's up with my bloodwork until after they've already given me another dose of the shit. They write me 6 month scripts.

Wrathcaster_sl said:

Paid for what, exactly? I get my refills written BEFORE the results for the blood tests come in, but only after I've come in for the office visit and I've paid them for such. The doctors don't even see what's up with my bloodwork until after they've already given me another dose of the shit. They write me 6 month scripts.

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They might give you your refills in advance so you don't run out of meds but regardless of you having the meds I'm sure if they call you and said "STOP TAKING THE MEDS" you would comply and probably wouldn't feel bad about paying for the office visit.

They need to tie an office visit to the bill or they won't get paid. They can do it before, draw the blood there and go over the results later or give you a script for the draw at a third party place and have you come in for the results. Every doc is different but regardless you're going to be billed for the visit because at some point they are going to review the blood work and they don't work for free. They also want to do a physical assessment to make sure there aren't any other obvious issues.

If your doc doesn't do a proper assessment then find another one but don't expect them to give you scripts and review your blood work for nothing. They want the office visit so they get paid. The blood draw is virtually nothing and the lab work is usually sent out. You still need to pay the guy to look you and your blood work over.

Regardless, paying a doctor to give you an assessment, review your blood work and give you a script is hardly an indication of the issues plaguing our medical system.

If the doctor is putting his name on the scrip, he wants the panel so that if you die from liver failure he can cover his ass. It's just the process. They're really not jewing you. It is, ultimately, about patient protection. I mean yeah, maybe he should trust the work of a different lab. But maybe he doesn't. Or maybe he has a business arrangement with the lab that he does use.

You're dealing with epilepsy. They do need to at least shake your hand and make sure your eyes aren't all crazy once every 6 months. And when you go in there for a chat if you ever said to him, "Hey doc. I've been getting terrible headaches the past 3 months" then he might have to do some thinkin'. That's what those visits are for.

Don't be pissed off cause it's working, Wrath. And if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do understand why you're irritated. But that's not something to get THAT irritated over.

How much is the office call? Because unless it's absolutely ridiculous, I don't see what the big deal is paying it every 6 months. It's not like this is a monthly thing. I'm currently stuck revisiting my doctor every 4-6 weeks and getting blood draws in between because of my new medication, although he might just be milking my Obamaphone for as much as he can.

I know my old doctor played pretty loose with those rules, seeing as how he had me on a schedule 2 controlled substance.

Spent the last 4 days in ICU. On April 1st, my heart decided to fuck with me, and ran continuous V-tach episodes until my defibrillator device fired off 4 FOUR consecutive shocks. It's gone off on me before, but luckily then I had fallen unconscious before it discharged. The feeling is like no other, and I hope no one else here has to experience it. It felt like I was being smacked in the chest with a large frying pan at full force. It definitely had a metallic feel to it. After the first couple, I was pretty sure I was a dead man.

I think I'm just too god damn stupid to die.

Stupid is a strong horse, it can be ridden far.

I've seen those paddles in use fairly often. I've never thought to get a testimony on, "So what did that feel like?"

Being beaten to life with a metallic frying pan. Makes sense. Kinda looks like that's exactly what it would feel like.

Well, it's not at all the same device. I bet the paddles hurt less.

Kuriin_sl said:

Iannis is correct here. Because it is the provider's license, they are ethically obligated to seeing you minimally once a year. The standard of care may vary from state to state for epilepsy, however, they are required to see you AT LEAST once a year to verify that everything is fine. They are looking for side effects, even the most minute ones. I know it sucks to have to go in there every time, but it's for your own good (as well as the provider).

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You're right, of course. It's frustration, mostly. Bleeds through, eats away at rationality and kills the ability to empathize with those in the medical field.

I also see the point being made by several of you here now, and I have to admit I feel very childish based on my previous post. Dunno what to say. Heat of the moment, and all that, I guess.

The crucial aspect of this all is that when bullshit with procedure and billing and suchshit becomes an issue, I lose access to the chemicals that keep me from being an invalid, so it's easy to become a bit irrational and hateful.

Thanks for the perspective, regardless.

Gravy_sl said:

Spent the last 4 days in ICU. On April 1st, my heart decided to fuck with me, and ran continuous V-tach episodes until my defibrillator device fired off 4 FOUR consecutive shocks. It's gone off on me before, but luckily then I had fallen unconscious before it discharged. The feeling is like no other, and I hope no one else here has to experience it. It felt like I was being smacked in the chest with a large frying pan at full force. It definitely had a metallic feel to it. After the first couple, I was pretty sure I was a dead man.

I think I'm just too god damn stupid to die.

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Hey Gravy, sorry to hear that man. My uncle is going through sort of the same thing. Had a stroke about a year and a half ago, was in hospital for 4 months. Obviously he couldn't smoke/drink while laid up, but as soon as he got out he started up again immediately. Doctor has given him until about the end of the year. Really sucks, but he's doing it to himself.

Have you taken steps to try and help yourself as much as you can? Some form of physical activity, monitoring eating habits, stop smoking/drinking, etc? Kills me to see people who have been given a second chance yet have a death wish and don't seem to care.

When gravy was rrp'ed I was about to rally for his release because I was worried about him with that recent post. It got reversed though thankfully.

Ugh I feel your pain. Well somewhat. About an hour ago my 4 year old nephew jumped on my back while I was on the ground. Yeah I can't stand up straight now. lol