OT: contrasts in the healthcare system

this is a good thing for those who oppose national health care to read

Last night, when coughing vigorously (on purpose) to try to dislodge some phlegm at the back of my throat, I felt a sharp twinge in my side that made me yelp. This was at the place that hurt when I fell on the ice last Monday. That made me wonder if I might have a cracked rib after all and that the cough made something slide a little. It was still quite tender this AM even with two 650-mg tylenol. No fever, difficulty with deep breathing, shooting pains or pink sneezes so I'm not worried but I decided I probably should seek medical consult. Had some driving to do first. Today was a down-and-back-same-day drive to Mayo for Mary's chemo. I brought lots of Tylenol. Good help is readily available at Mayo if you know where to look -- and we do now. The folks at the rehab center were also very helpful so all I had to do is drive -- no heavy lifting (for me) today getting Mary moved from wheelchair to car and conversely. All I had to do is drive, and push the wheelchair around within the Mayo campus after others moved her from car to wheelchair at the main entrance to the Gonda Building. The level places were no problem but the stairs would have been tough without the help of the blue-haired lady. (just kidding) Driving condx were OK: quite cold but bright, no snow, good road. I was glad I didn't have to mess with a gear shift today. While there, I decided I probably really should see someone here about me so I got on my phone to my clinic in the cities while Mary was being infused. What a contrast! After the exemplary care Mary has been getting at Mayo and other places, I thought I was in a third-world country -- with cellphone service connected to phonebots, idiots and passive-aggressive trolls. It turns out that the story I got depended a whole lot on from whom I got it. I guess I did learn a few things in Corporate America, hmmmm? After being told variously that all clinics and ER's in the cities are swamped, see a chiropractor because MDs don't do much about broken ribs anyway, take an Aleve and go to hell, man up and go to your happy place, etc, I got an appointment with a Dr. (Unpronouncable) tomorrow morning in the after hours urgent care unit at the clinic. Apparently "urgent" means in the next day or three, maybe, unless they're busy. There's no separate facility, it's just a different appointment desk. The day crew told me it wouldn't be possible to see anyone today or this evening. Oh well, I was outta town most of the day anyway and my situation isn't really urgent. The stuff on their website (accessed from public 'puter near the chemo desk at Mayo10 East) says that broken bones are an emergency, but I don't know that I have any broken bones. Is it an emergency, urgent or routine to determine if any bones are broken? When I finally got connected to an actual triage nurse, that question stumped her. The fact that it did told me all I needed to know: thank her, hang up, call back hoping for better luck with next conversation. I know if I went to the E.R. I'd be triaged for hours behind actual emergencies -- and of course the usual contingent of indigents with sore throats, runny noses, no insurance and minimal English. Then, one "urgent care clinic" person said call at 07:00 tomorrow because they don't make Saturday appointments on Friday. Hmmm! After thinking about that a bit in context of how things tend to work in bureaucracies, I called again, got a different person, asked a different question and learned that they actually start making appts at 17:30 on Friday. That's probably after the Friday day shift goes home or something. So I called at 17:32. "Shoooore, what time would you like?" "Huh?" "Early, late, 09:30,

10:00, 10:30, 11:00, what?" As of 17:32 today, tomorrow morning was apparently wide open. HAH! I grabbed an 11:00 so I could sleep in a bit. All I want is a dang Xray. I don't expect a remedy, potion, miraculous surgery or ritual cleansing but it seems like an Xray might be a prudent thing to do so if something is about to knit like this --__ at least we'll know it. Discomfort has subsided noticably in the past few hours with just routine ibuprophin (said by one nurse today to be better than Tylenol for such things) and takin' it easy if driving a couple hunnerd miles can be considered as takin' it easy. I'm now pretty sure it's just a pulled muscle that will be OK if allowed to heal -- though it might take a little while before it's fully loadworthy. That's my untrained but not completely ignorant opinion. I still want an Xray of the hurty place, and maybe, possibly, if it ain't too much trouble, 15 seconds of a Doc's time to look at said Xray before they tell me to take annother Aleve and quit bleating.

Apologies for redundant post.

Those hurt! I was one of six guys manhandling an old Model T bucket around when they went around a corner short. I got caught between the heavy wood bed and the wall, cracking a short rib. DAYUM, that hurt.

Don't worry. It'll be much better once Barry's Magic Healthcare Bill filters down to the little people.

...or maybe it has already filtered down and this is the result.

I would have gone for the 7am, getting in before seventy walk-ins usurped your space. 'Course, I get up at 4 or 5 anyway. What's this "sleeping in" crap, anyway?

Absolutely.

That's good.

Yeah, no wrestling of polar bears for a month, at least.

Well, so far, you've mentioned Tylenol, Bupes, and Aleve. Tylenol doesn't work well on me. Bupes are my fave for most things. And Aleve is naproxen sodium, the best thing for bone cracks since sliced bread.

-- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. --Jack London

You've obviously never had military health care. THAT is hte single best reason in the country to avoid socialized medicine like the plague. I wouldn't wish that clusterf*** on X-Comment.

Holy crap, man! It happened to you twice!?

It sometimes depends on where exactly you are when it strikes, too. I have had the same MD for 25 years, he took over for my old horse doctor GP when he retired, so I've seen this one long enough to remember him when he was skinny and had hair. One time, I had to wait a few days to get in. He chided me for waiting, and I said I was only doing what the robots told me. He told me that next time, just come to the front desk and tell them that he said to get right over here. I have only had to pull that once in about five years now, but it is nice to have a place where you don't have to tapdance on every tile in the waiting room before they will let you sign in. And in my small town in Utah, a busy waiting room is someone ahead of you.

Sounds like you pulled a ligament. It will probably feel better when it quits hurting. ;-) Those take a while to clear up. Hope it's just a glitch.

Regards and prayers to Mary. (if you believe in prayer, otherwise just plain good thoughts from me.)

Steve

I have some experience with military medical practice, which I would hardly call "health care".

Single payer national health care could work but not the liberals' plan, if there was a way to eliminate the waste, create high efficiency and prevent abuse and theft. I think the liberals want the power and the skim off the top. Such a huge amount of money would be redirected into undeserving pockets...exactly what they want. A lot of money goes into undeserving pockets now and liberals want it and more...like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

Contrasts can sometimes be a good thing. If government gets a monopoly over healthcare, the contrasts may disappear and we will get universally bad healthcare. Someday we will learn that democracy and economics should be separate, but probably only after we get fed up waiting in long lines or on the telephone waiting for the doctor.

how is it that YOU know what "liberals" want? I know of no one, liberal, or conservative, that wants anything like what you said. I do know people, myself included, who want low cost clinics for those who cannot afford insurance with a govt subsidy to keep the cost down - a $10 or $20 copay and you can get a cut sutured, a broken limb set, or bronchitis treated - no liver transplants, no viagra, and no cancer treatment.

Now, does that make me someone who wants to skim off the top and steal? I'd say it makes me compassionate and interested in cost efficiency by keeping these people out of the emergency room

You know no one that wants "a way to eliminate the waste, create high efficiency and prevent abuse and theft"? How strange!

You don't think that healthcare revolves around power and money that have nothing to do with actually caring for health? Like I said...a national healthcare system could work but not the one mandated by the current powers to be, it's too inefficient and too much money changes hands to the undeserving but connected. More than half the country seems to agree with me, as shown in last November's election where the theme was to repeal Obama-Care as written. But, it had to be passed(deemed passed) so we could find out what's in it. You seem to have a very high scam threshold. Or maybe mine is too low...some scamming is OK!

apparently English language words mean something differen to you than to me. It also appears that you don't understand how to count - less than half the "country" voted in the last election, so whatever the outcome it cannot mean what you said. As for scamming - where did I say that corruption and theft were legal? I know you feel an obligation to demonize everyone who sees otherwise, but read my words - I did not say what you claim.

OK Bill, you got me...I guess I'm too stupid to understand just WHAT you said.

And, polls show that "more than half the country wants Obama-care repealed. I didn't SAY more than half the country voted last November.

(first hit on "majority wants obama care repeal")

"The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that

56% favor repeal of the health care law, including 43% who Strongly Favor repeal. Forty percent (40%) oppose repeal of the law, including 27% who are Strongly Opposed."

Bill, I know you have "reservations" about non-liberal anything...but it seems you get the demonizing award this time! You like Obama-care as written, I don't...most people don't.

(snip) Aleve works best for me. (snip) Aleve, for me is useless.

say whut???

I'm not sure I know what a ligament is as relates to ribs, but I think you're probably right. Pain has abated markedly with minimal medication. I've cracked bones with no swelling but the hurt didn't go away this quickly. A doc poked and pushed today, didn't hurt. They took a coupla Xrays. Aleve is workin' for me, I'm happy.

I'm not a prayerful guy anymore, but Mary does appreciate prayers and has several prayer warriors rooting for her. So thanks for that, it is appreciated. Do keep praying, please!

Progress continues at a disappointing and sometimes discouraging rate, but progress definitely beats retrograde movement.

Perhaps I could handle the fleeting moments of despair better with prayer if I were a person of faith. I'm not and I don't dare try to fake it so perhaps I have a little residual godfear if not faith.

I've always rebelled against motivation by fear. Only damn fools never experience fear but I've always been hell-bent to not let my behavior be governed by fear. I once knew fear that paralyzed me like a frozen rabbit (adrenyline overload) as a kid, and I hugely hated it. That was in fifth grade. I've never yielded to fear since then.

I sure can see how having a faith could be a comfort. It has been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. Foxholes are usually occupied by very young men.

This from the department of redundancy department?

I saw that too, senior moment? Aleve works for some things for me but gives me nightmares if I take it for a few days.

I'm OK, thanks Chris.

I didn't bother mentioning this minor event to my sister Kathy who has been a lifelong member of LDS and was married (joined for eternity) in the temple in Salt Lake City.

I didn't like the man she married. He was a deacon in the Church, treated her abusively in my opinion but none of my beeswax.

Some vets find and use various drugs to suppress nightmares.