I've finally been scheduled for surgery. May 27th at 9 am. The long delay had nothing to do with the VA and everything to do with the doctor's office and his monster of an office manager.
The VA wanted to do the surgery in house but after hearing my situation, the head of the VA in Reno agreed to let me see the oncologist in town. Neither of my brothers has contacted me, they're probably too afraid I might ask them to help me with mom while I recover. Which is why Dr. Brilliant (yes that really is his name) agreed that a week in San Francisco and a six week recovery time probably wasn't the best way to treat my cancer and take care of mother. It was agreed that I was under enough stress as it was.
Throughout this whole ordeal the VA has been extremely supportive and has operated in the manner of what's best for me. That all came to a screeching stop once I moved out of the system and into the world of private insurance. Then it became all about the bottom line and not what was best for me.
The referral from the VA specified that it would reimburse at Medicare rates. This wasn't good enough for the bubble headed bleach blond with way too much makeup on and clothes that were at least one size too small. From the moment I started dealing with her she treated me as if I was a developmentally delayed two year old with hearing problems.
She refused to schedule my seeing the doctor until she had personally spoken with the entity responsible for paying the clinic. She finally scheduled my appointment...for three weeks later. I finally see the doctor and he wants to use the da Vinci robot as the recovery time is one day in hospital and three to four weeks at home. I was so jazzed. Until I left the conference room and had to deal with the pit bull masquerading as the office manager.
She told me flat out that she wouldn't schedule the surgery until the exact codes had been approved and that I was to have the VA call her, but not for the next few days because one of the office staff wasn't coming in and she didn't have time to deal with my case until Friday or the next week. I was stunned speechless. Never, never would I have ever told one of my patients that I couldn't deal with their problem because it was more important that I answer the phone. Nor would I have made an ill patient responsible for finding the correct fee billing person and setting up a conference call. And I had a one woman office.
I went back to the VA and talked with the doctor whose timely intervention had caught my cancer. It turns out she has had dealings with the *itch and had been yelled at also. The woman definitely has a reputation for being obnoxious and is known throughout Reno as being difficult to deal with.
Everything has been taken care of and I'm hoping that the two month delay has not allowed the cancer to progress from Stage 1 to Stage 2. The differences between the VA and private practice are striking. One is interested in taking care of the patient, the other is interested in taking care of its wallet. After the surgery I plan on filing a complaint with the doctor and suggesting that the office manager should take classes in empathy and how to deal with patients under stress. Or maybe she should take her skills and attitude to a job more suited to her disposition...such as a debt collection agency.
BBB
Showing posts with label Medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medicine. Show all posts
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
If They Only Had A Brain
Tea Party activists and the GOP have already shown that they don't have a heart and the only courage they display is when they are in mob mode and feel they can spit on people without repercussion.
Why are the teabaggers so scared of a single payer system? Or any system other than the one we have now.? The VA health care I'm receiving is better than mom's Medicare. Whenever I go to the VA, my ID card is swiped once and I am checked in for everything and seamlessly move from one department to another. My records are computerized and every provider has access to the whole chart and the departments work together to provide the best possible service. Heck, I even have access to part of my records and the IT guys are working to make the rest of it available to me by the end of the year. I order my drug refills via the web and a few days later they arrive in the mail. Soon I'll be able to see lab results. What's not to like?
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my health and the experience I was having with the VA system. I cannot emphasize enough how well taken care of I feel. Last Tuesday (3/23) I reported to the surgical unit for a D and C. My check in time was 12 noon. I met the surgeon one more time and since I had completed my pre-op testing a few days before, we were ready to roll. I signed the final consent form and was led into the patient preparation area. There I met the anesthesiologist and the nurse who would be shepherding me from place to place.
We were having a discussion about what I would use for pain management and the next thing I knew I was wide awake and the procedure was completed. My doctor came in to tell me that everything looked good and barring anything untoward in the pathology report, I would be a good candidate for a new way of removing fibroids and that I wouldn't have to have a hysterectomy. Then they called my ride while I got dressed and by 3:30 pm I was home and in my own bed resting up.
The only bad part of my experience was coming home and reading the garbage the GOP was using to whip the masses into out of control mobs. The lies were unbelievable, unless you were an uneducated teabagger. or enjoy waiting weeks for authorizations from some clerk whose job is to increase corporate profits instead of ensuring that you receive the best health care possible. I've had a couple of surgeries in my life and I can honestly say that this last one was the most professional and comfortable one I have ever had. I go back on the 31st for a follow up and then it's on to the next problem. My neck.
I missed a phone call from the nurse in neurology who said she noticed that I have an appointment on April 1st at one o'clock and would it be okay if she scheduled my EMG test for twelve o'clock on the same day. I called her back and said that would be perfectly okay with me.
I honestly don't like the health care bill, but it is better than the alternative for 32 million people, which is nothing. I believe a single payer system would benefit everyone, from the patient to the doctor and the labs in between. Everyone except the insurance companies. You would think that everyone would want the experience that I and other veterans I know have had. But, you would have to have a brain.
BBB
Why are the teabaggers so scared of a single payer system? Or any system other than the one we have now.? The VA health care I'm receiving is better than mom's Medicare. Whenever I go to the VA, my ID card is swiped once and I am checked in for everything and seamlessly move from one department to another. My records are computerized and every provider has access to the whole chart and the departments work together to provide the best possible service. Heck, I even have access to part of my records and the IT guys are working to make the rest of it available to me by the end of the year. I order my drug refills via the web and a few days later they arrive in the mail. Soon I'll be able to see lab results. What's not to like?
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my health and the experience I was having with the VA system. I cannot emphasize enough how well taken care of I feel. Last Tuesday (3/23) I reported to the surgical unit for a D and C. My check in time was 12 noon. I met the surgeon one more time and since I had completed my pre-op testing a few days before, we were ready to roll. I signed the final consent form and was led into the patient preparation area. There I met the anesthesiologist and the nurse who would be shepherding me from place to place.
We were having a discussion about what I would use for pain management and the next thing I knew I was wide awake and the procedure was completed. My doctor came in to tell me that everything looked good and barring anything untoward in the pathology report, I would be a good candidate for a new way of removing fibroids and that I wouldn't have to have a hysterectomy. Then they called my ride while I got dressed and by 3:30 pm I was home and in my own bed resting up.
The only bad part of my experience was coming home and reading the garbage the GOP was using to whip the masses into out of control mobs. The lies were unbelievable, unless you were an uneducated teabagger. or enjoy waiting weeks for authorizations from some clerk whose job is to increase corporate profits instead of ensuring that you receive the best health care possible. I've had a couple of surgeries in my life and I can honestly say that this last one was the most professional and comfortable one I have ever had. I go back on the 31st for a follow up and then it's on to the next problem. My neck.
I missed a phone call from the nurse in neurology who said she noticed that I have an appointment on April 1st at one o'clock and would it be okay if she scheduled my EMG test for twelve o'clock on the same day. I called her back and said that would be perfectly okay with me.
I honestly don't like the health care bill, but it is better than the alternative for 32 million people, which is nothing. I believe a single payer system would benefit everyone, from the patient to the doctor and the labs in between. Everyone except the insurance companies. You would think that everyone would want the experience that I and other veterans I know have had. But, you would have to have a brain.
BBB
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Insanity And Heartlessness
I'd say that Malkin is out of her mind, but that assumes she has one and you know what they say about assuming. She does have an extremely fertile imagination and an inability to face reality which is reminiscent of most people who are off their rockers. The never right wing of the GOP would like to blame the loss of NY-23 on Dede Scozzafava when it was themselves who engineered the defeat of their party in a district that hadn't voted for a Democratic representative in 138 years. They sabotaged the original candidate and totally forgot about the people who actually live in the district while engaging in their hate filled campaign to purge the party. Bloodletting isn't a viable option in medicine and it doesn't look like it's that good for politics either.
Ever since Reagan broke PATCO the average joe in this country has been headed down the path to financial ruin. Jobs have disappeared at a phenomenal rate, only to reappear in another country done by workers who are paid as little as possible. Levis are no longer manufactured in America along with many other products that kept the American worker employed and able to purchase those same products. Meanwhile in the lala land that exists in corporate boardrooms, much joy was to be found in their ever expanding bottom line. Until so many Americans were out of work that products couldn't be sold and more layoffs ensued. Homes were lost, families uprooted and gypsies were created. Can serfdom be far behind? 40 acres and a mule sounds pretty good in comparison to what some people have now, which is nothing.
Balancing the budget on the backs of the people who can least afford it. Then they die. And not one Republican complained about that death panel.
Had my first appointment at the VA hospital yesterday and was more than pleasantly surprised. I got my seasonal flu shot, had my blood work done and the longest visit I have ever had with a doctor. I feel like I was listened to, viable suggestions were made and it didn't cost me a thing. Except for the time I spent in the military. My prescriptions are being mailed to me and outreach programs to increase my quality of life are available. If I was homeless there would be even more help to get me back on my feet. And they have an emergency room.
Speaking of emergency rooms, I had to take mom in on Sunday. It looked like she had broken her wrist but after taking her blood pressure she was moved directly into a room. Her EKG shows that her heartbeat is irregularly irregular and that isn't a good thing. When she sleeps she isn't getting enough oxygen and her heartbeat goes haywire. Her COPD is getting worse and that is accelerating her dementia. I feel sorry for her but now it's all about the waiting. Not a peep from either brother, am I obligated to let them know when she passes?
BBB
Ever since Reagan broke PATCO the average joe in this country has been headed down the path to financial ruin. Jobs have disappeared at a phenomenal rate, only to reappear in another country done by workers who are paid as little as possible. Levis are no longer manufactured in America along with many other products that kept the American worker employed and able to purchase those same products. Meanwhile in the lala land that exists in corporate boardrooms, much joy was to be found in their ever expanding bottom line. Until so many Americans were out of work that products couldn't be sold and more layoffs ensued. Homes were lost, families uprooted and gypsies were created. Can serfdom be far behind? 40 acres and a mule sounds pretty good in comparison to what some people have now, which is nothing.
Balancing the budget on the backs of the people who can least afford it. Then they die. And not one Republican complained about that death panel.
Had my first appointment at the VA hospital yesterday and was more than pleasantly surprised. I got my seasonal flu shot, had my blood work done and the longest visit I have ever had with a doctor. I feel like I was listened to, viable suggestions were made and it didn't cost me a thing. Except for the time I spent in the military. My prescriptions are being mailed to me and outreach programs to increase my quality of life are available. If I was homeless there would be even more help to get me back on my feet. And they have an emergency room.
Speaking of emergency rooms, I had to take mom in on Sunday. It looked like she had broken her wrist but after taking her blood pressure she was moved directly into a room. Her EKG shows that her heartbeat is irregularly irregular and that isn't a good thing. When she sleeps she isn't getting enough oxygen and her heartbeat goes haywire. Her COPD is getting worse and that is accelerating her dementia. I feel sorry for her but now it's all about the waiting. Not a peep from either brother, am I obligated to let them know when she passes?
BBB
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Financial Aid Woes, Insurance Reform And A Musical Observation
Many things should be done to change the student loan situation and foremost should be making sure that the jobs you are able to get after graduating are worth the cost of the loan.
Before I went to acupuncture school the dean said that it would cost approximately $28K to receive my degree. He lied. Tuition increased every year, from $128 per unit when I started to $185 a unit when I graduated and they kept increasing the amount of units required to graduate. Sometimes books were more than a $1K per semester. We had to pay to work in the clinic. The patients paid for their treatment and herbs, we paid for the privilege of treating them. Quite a nice little racket for the school. Every 18 weeks our schedule changed. One semester would be day classes, the next might be nights and weekends (I was in class on Easter three out of the four years I was in school), and the following would be a mixture of the two. Employers don't like that which made holding down a job to cover living expenses very difficult.
I graduated with $68K in debt and no way to pay it off. Despite having done shifts at the San Diego Hospice and some classmates had worked in UCSD clinics, there were no jobs in our profession which meant you had to start a business. And that is a completely different mindset from being a doctor and was only covered in one three unit class. Treating patients was no longer the point, paying for office space, advertising, phones and equipment was. Coming up with $845 a month for my student loan, wasn't. So, I deferred and consolidated and am now income contingent. Instead of having the loan paid off it is over $100K and still growing. I will never earn enough to pay it off.
Was I stupid? You betcha! Halfway through school I realized it was a con (not acupuncture but the school itself), but I had already borrowed so much that I couldn't pay it off unless I graduated. And then I had to hope that I was going to be wildly successful, which I sort of was until Silicon Valley crashed.
I had been in business about a year and was finally making enough to keep a roof over my head and able to budget a loan payment. In less than a month that thought went the way of the dodo. Patients disappeared as fast as their jobs did. Cash patients could no longer afford to come in on a regular basis because they had become the sole breadwinner in their family. Jobs with insurance benefits became nonexistent and then the great Arnold decided to revamp the worker's compensation system, mainly to the workers detriment. This was followed by some idiot changing insurance codes to make acupuncture the equivalent of physical therapy and reduced our payments to a little over $20 a treatment, unless you lied to pad your bill or performed unnecessary prcedures. Which many were forced to do if they wanted to stay in business.
A treatment typically takes about 45 minutes. We do an intake which is at least ten minutes longer than the 18 seconds you normally get at a doctor's office, and we leave the room so the patient can remove one or two items of clothing and lay down on the table. We insert the needles and if we've been in practice for twenty years or don't care about needle location or the comfort of the patient this can be done in two to three minutes but it usually takes five or six. Then the patient rests for 10 to 20 minutes before you remove the needles.
Most acupuncturists have a single room office when they start out which means that if they are completely booked in an eight hour day (don't they wish) and if the patients have insurance they aren't going to make more than $200 a day unless they aren't honest. This might sound like a good wage to some people but they forget about the expenses since that isn't a salary. You still have two rents to pay, two electric bills, telephone, required schooling to keep your license, food, transportation, advertising, needles and other equipment and other assorted living expenses. Like health insurance that you really can't afford. You do your own reports and billing since you obviously can't afford a secretary or billing service. Very few acupuncturists see forty patients a week and certainly not ones who are starting their own business. I lasted almost two years before I quit practicing. And I still have the loan but it's much larger now.
I never wanted to run a business, I wanted to be a doctor. Technical schools count on this. People want to be fashion designers, medical or computer technicians, auto mechanics, acupuncturists, chiropractors, etc. and these schools promise you that it's possible. They take the money that you have to borrow to attend their school (if you had money or skills you wouldn't consider them a viable option but you're desperate to change your situation) and in return you get a degree that isn't worth the paper it's printed on. And a huge loan that you can't pay back.
I understand why traditional doctors are frustrated with the insurance system as it currently stands. They may graduate with more debt than I did but most of them have jobs waiting when they're eligible.
As long as they stay in a hospital environment they don't have to deal with the majority of the insurance issues but heaven forbid if they go into private practice. In order to survive they have to see so many patients that they can't give any of them quality time, then they spend hours charting and justifying their decisions to people who may never have attended medical school or whose personality precludes them from seeing actual patients. Why would anyone ever want to be a primary practitioner when they spend less time treating their patients than they do filling out the paperwork to justify their treatment decisions?
Both our education and medical systems are broken. One is expensive and rarely prepares you for the real world, the other is even more expensive and prevents you from receiving quality healthcare. Both of them cost money that those who aren't rich don't have. And requiring people to purchase health insurance that they can't afford and won't cover them when they need it won't solve the health care problem just like bogus technical schools won't produce an educated populace capable of repaying those loans on a consistent basis.
I love music. While classic rock is my favorite I enjoy all kinds with the exception of opera, country and rap. Some guy named Jay-Z, who I have only seen in commercials or in the tabloids, has more number one albums than Elvis. Mariah Carey has almost as many singles as the Beatles, but I couldn't sing or tell you one song that they have done whereas with Elvis and the Fab Four I can think of quite a few. Word for word. And Madonna? She may be a brilliant businesswoman but I honestly don't think I've listened to a complete song of hers more than once. Elvis and the Beatles have had their music covered by many bands in many cultures, Weird Al becoming famous as he makes fun of you isn't quite the same.
BBB
Before I went to acupuncture school the dean said that it would cost approximately $28K to receive my degree. He lied. Tuition increased every year, from $128 per unit when I started to $185 a unit when I graduated and they kept increasing the amount of units required to graduate. Sometimes books were more than a $1K per semester. We had to pay to work in the clinic. The patients paid for their treatment and herbs, we paid for the privilege of treating them. Quite a nice little racket for the school. Every 18 weeks our schedule changed. One semester would be day classes, the next might be nights and weekends (I was in class on Easter three out of the four years I was in school), and the following would be a mixture of the two. Employers don't like that which made holding down a job to cover living expenses very difficult.
I graduated with $68K in debt and no way to pay it off. Despite having done shifts at the San Diego Hospice and some classmates had worked in UCSD clinics, there were no jobs in our profession which meant you had to start a business. And that is a completely different mindset from being a doctor and was only covered in one three unit class. Treating patients was no longer the point, paying for office space, advertising, phones and equipment was. Coming up with $845 a month for my student loan, wasn't. So, I deferred and consolidated and am now income contingent. Instead of having the loan paid off it is over $100K and still growing. I will never earn enough to pay it off.
Was I stupid? You betcha! Halfway through school I realized it was a con (not acupuncture but the school itself), but I had already borrowed so much that I couldn't pay it off unless I graduated. And then I had to hope that I was going to be wildly successful, which I sort of was until Silicon Valley crashed.
I had been in business about a year and was finally making enough to keep a roof over my head and able to budget a loan payment. In less than a month that thought went the way of the dodo. Patients disappeared as fast as their jobs did. Cash patients could no longer afford to come in on a regular basis because they had become the sole breadwinner in their family. Jobs with insurance benefits became nonexistent and then the great Arnold decided to revamp the worker's compensation system, mainly to the workers detriment. This was followed by some idiot changing insurance codes to make acupuncture the equivalent of physical therapy and reduced our payments to a little over $20 a treatment, unless you lied to pad your bill or performed unnecessary prcedures. Which many were forced to do if they wanted to stay in business.
A treatment typically takes about 45 minutes. We do an intake which is at least ten minutes longer than the 18 seconds you normally get at a doctor's office, and we leave the room so the patient can remove one or two items of clothing and lay down on the table. We insert the needles and if we've been in practice for twenty years or don't care about needle location or the comfort of the patient this can be done in two to three minutes but it usually takes five or six. Then the patient rests for 10 to 20 minutes before you remove the needles.
Most acupuncturists have a single room office when they start out which means that if they are completely booked in an eight hour day (don't they wish) and if the patients have insurance they aren't going to make more than $200 a day unless they aren't honest. This might sound like a good wage to some people but they forget about the expenses since that isn't a salary. You still have two rents to pay, two electric bills, telephone, required schooling to keep your license, food, transportation, advertising, needles and other equipment and other assorted living expenses. Like health insurance that you really can't afford. You do your own reports and billing since you obviously can't afford a secretary or billing service. Very few acupuncturists see forty patients a week and certainly not ones who are starting their own business. I lasted almost two years before I quit practicing. And I still have the loan but it's much larger now.
I never wanted to run a business, I wanted to be a doctor. Technical schools count on this. People want to be fashion designers, medical or computer technicians, auto mechanics, acupuncturists, chiropractors, etc. and these schools promise you that it's possible. They take the money that you have to borrow to attend their school (if you had money or skills you wouldn't consider them a viable option but you're desperate to change your situation) and in return you get a degree that isn't worth the paper it's printed on. And a huge loan that you can't pay back.
I understand why traditional doctors are frustrated with the insurance system as it currently stands. They may graduate with more debt than I did but most of them have jobs waiting when they're eligible.
As long as they stay in a hospital environment they don't have to deal with the majority of the insurance issues but heaven forbid if they go into private practice. In order to survive they have to see so many patients that they can't give any of them quality time, then they spend hours charting and justifying their decisions to people who may never have attended medical school or whose personality precludes them from seeing actual patients. Why would anyone ever want to be a primary practitioner when they spend less time treating their patients than they do filling out the paperwork to justify their treatment decisions?
Both our education and medical systems are broken. One is expensive and rarely prepares you for the real world, the other is even more expensive and prevents you from receiving quality healthcare. Both of them cost money that those who aren't rich don't have. And requiring people to purchase health insurance that they can't afford and won't cover them when they need it won't solve the health care problem just like bogus technical schools won't produce an educated populace capable of repaying those loans on a consistent basis.
I love music. While classic rock is my favorite I enjoy all kinds with the exception of opera, country and rap. Some guy named Jay-Z, who I have only seen in commercials or in the tabloids, has more number one albums than Elvis. Mariah Carey has almost as many singles as the Beatles, but I couldn't sing or tell you one song that they have done whereas with Elvis and the Fab Four I can think of quite a few. Word for word. And Madonna? She may be a brilliant businesswoman but I honestly don't think I've listened to a complete song of hers more than once. Elvis and the Beatles have had their music covered by many bands in many cultures, Weird Al becoming famous as he makes fun of you isn't quite the same.
BBB
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Random Musings
Eight years into the war in Afghanistan and all we have to show for it is that we are stuck in another land war in Asia. Osama bin Laden hasn't been accounted for, our troops are dying at the highest rates (more have died from March to now than in the first three years) since the war started and the Taliban are freely reimposing harsh penalties on Afghani citizens for participating in democracy. Next thing you know, they'll be talking to a Sicilian.
Eight years in and the military in Afghanistan have very few hi tech hospitals. How can this crap still be happening? I understand about going to war with the army you have, but shouldn't the army have weapons, armor and decent medical care by now? 70 minutes to get to a decent hospital after you've been involved in a roadside bombing doesn't sound very efficient. Or lifesaving.
Science doesn't seem to be a big thing in Texas. If the fire marshal had training instead of strutting around like Fire Marshal Bill, Cameron Todd Willingham might have been exonerated instead of spending the next thirteen years before he was put to death trying to get people to believe he was innocent. Just because he wasn't an angel doesn't mean he was a devil. Further prof that the death penalty process is barbaric and an in your face example of cruel and inhuman treatment. Even more so if you're innocent.
Do you ever think about what you're thinking about? I know I'm strange and I've known for a long time. I'm not autistic but it would be a good bet that my baby brother and I have more than a touch of Asperger's. As a small example I really don't like bright lights or loud noises. During my last year of school I wore sunglasses and a hat (at night) because I couldn't take the fluorescent lights anymore. And the hum was a constant that grated on my nerves. As a child I could spend hours watching the dust motes in the light or follow patterns in the ceiling and I still do. As an adult I catch myself doing long division when I'm not actively paying attention to something else. And now there is an application that will let me expand my mathematics skill, such as it may be. Now if only I could convince myself that washing dishes was a repetitive action that I enjoyed...
Rest in peace Senator Kennedy. Thank you for all you did and I hope that there will be someone who can take up the liberal torch. Not liberal by the conservative standard, but liberal in the truest sense of the word.
BBB
Eight years in and the military in Afghanistan have very few hi tech hospitals. How can this crap still be happening? I understand about going to war with the army you have, but shouldn't the army have weapons, armor and decent medical care by now? 70 minutes to get to a decent hospital after you've been involved in a roadside bombing doesn't sound very efficient. Or lifesaving.
Science doesn't seem to be a big thing in Texas. If the fire marshal had training instead of strutting around like Fire Marshal Bill, Cameron Todd Willingham might have been exonerated instead of spending the next thirteen years before he was put to death trying to get people to believe he was innocent. Just because he wasn't an angel doesn't mean he was a devil. Further prof that the death penalty process is barbaric and an in your face example of cruel and inhuman treatment. Even more so if you're innocent.
Do you ever think about what you're thinking about? I know I'm strange and I've known for a long time. I'm not autistic but it would be a good bet that my baby brother and I have more than a touch of Asperger's. As a small example I really don't like bright lights or loud noises. During my last year of school I wore sunglasses and a hat (at night) because I couldn't take the fluorescent lights anymore. And the hum was a constant that grated on my nerves. As a child I could spend hours watching the dust motes in the light or follow patterns in the ceiling and I still do. As an adult I catch myself doing long division when I'm not actively paying attention to something else. And now there is an application that will let me expand my mathematics skill, such as it may be. Now if only I could convince myself that washing dishes was a repetitive action that I enjoyed...
Rest in peace Senator Kennedy. Thank you for all you did and I hope that there will be someone who can take up the liberal torch. Not liberal by the conservative standard, but liberal in the truest sense of the word.
BBB
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Have You Seen?
Cankles. They seem to be genetic which means the only time any member of my family will have fat ankles is if we suffer from congestive heart failure (only the right ankle will be swollen) or kidney failure (the left ankle will be swollen). Good looking legs are a family trait. One of the brothers is a long distance runner and the other has to buy pants to fit his thighs which means the waistband is always too large. And while I may be overweight it doesn't show in my legs. The injury (not a sprain, which can be prevented by doing improving your balance) and subsequent foot surgery affected the right calf so it isn't the same size as the left, but it is still muscular. I'm fortunate to have the muscle definition that most women have to wear three inch heels to attain. Unfortunately, my legs are rather short (27" inseam) so as one guy said "you have nice legs, it's a pity they aren't longer". I don't know what his problem was, they reach to the floor. Unless I'm sitting, in which case they dangle about two inches above.
The hip hop guide to neurobiology? Smart kids with way too much time on their hands and a fertile imagination. Let's give it up for Sarah Tonin.
Glee? I finally watched the first episode at the Fox site and really enjoyed it. The music rocked and if it continues in this mode a fun time will be had by all.
The Nun Study on Alzheimer's? I first read about it when I was in school in 1998 and it's back in the news again. Originally it was one guy tracking all the nuns for his doctoral thesis and it has morphed into something more. In addition to language skills predicting your Alzheimer's risk, the original study also showed that incidences of head trauma also increase your dementia risk. But anyone following the lives of football players and boxers could tell you that.
My jackpot money? The lovely Bank of America extended the hold on the money until the fourteenth and been charging me overdraft fees. They have sent me no paperwork to inform me of the hold, but they did send me an email informing me I need to make another deposit to avoid an extended overdraft fee. After days of pleading and abasing myself, they refunded me most of the fees. I'm 30 cents to the good now. I can't afford to pay my bills despite having money in the bank and they are using that same money to generate income for themselves and trying to charge me extra fees while they do it. I asked one of the supervisors I talked to why the hold was so long and she said "you haven't made a deposit that large before" and I said "yes, I have" (insurance payment from totaling the car) and she said "your daily balance doesn't reflect that". Well, excuse me, that's what happens when one doesn't have a well paying job. Why they think I'm going to use them as my bank after this baffles me. Wankers.
On the other hand, one of the checks they honored (after two hours of cell time with Customer Support) was for the purchase of my car. The one I sold a few weeks ago. Returned reeking of stale cigarette smoke. And I had to pay fifty dollars more than I sold it to the woman for, in addition to signing a contract where she supposedly had the right to repossess the car if the check was returned unpaid. I don't think it would have held up in court since I've had the original pink slip the whole time, but I didn't want the hassle and besides, I had money in the bank. All I wanted was my car back. I'll put new tires on her, every maintenance I can think of, get her detailed and she should be good for a few more years. Right after the bank credits my account with the money.
BBB
The hip hop guide to neurobiology? Smart kids with way too much time on their hands and a fertile imagination. Let's give it up for Sarah Tonin.
Glee? I finally watched the first episode at the Fox site and really enjoyed it. The music rocked and if it continues in this mode a fun time will be had by all.
The Nun Study on Alzheimer's? I first read about it when I was in school in 1998 and it's back in the news again. Originally it was one guy tracking all the nuns for his doctoral thesis and it has morphed into something more. In addition to language skills predicting your Alzheimer's risk, the original study also showed that incidences of head trauma also increase your dementia risk. But anyone following the lives of football players and boxers could tell you that.
My jackpot money? The lovely Bank of America extended the hold on the money until the fourteenth and been charging me overdraft fees. They have sent me no paperwork to inform me of the hold, but they did send me an email informing me I need to make another deposit to avoid an extended overdraft fee. After days of pleading and abasing myself, they refunded me most of the fees. I'm 30 cents to the good now. I can't afford to pay my bills despite having money in the bank and they are using that same money to generate income for themselves and trying to charge me extra fees while they do it. I asked one of the supervisors I talked to why the hold was so long and she said "you haven't made a deposit that large before" and I said "yes, I have" (insurance payment from totaling the car) and she said "your daily balance doesn't reflect that". Well, excuse me, that's what happens when one doesn't have a well paying job. Why they think I'm going to use them as my bank after this baffles me. Wankers.
On the other hand, one of the checks they honored (after two hours of cell time with Customer Support) was for the purchase of my car. The one I sold a few weeks ago. Returned reeking of stale cigarette smoke. And I had to pay fifty dollars more than I sold it to the woman for, in addition to signing a contract where she supposedly had the right to repossess the car if the check was returned unpaid. I don't think it would have held up in court since I've had the original pink slip the whole time, but I didn't want the hassle and besides, I had money in the bank. All I wanted was my car back. I'll put new tires on her, every maintenance I can think of, get her detailed and she should be good for a few more years. Right after the bank credits my account with the money.
BBB
Monday, June 29, 2009
Two Strange Questions
It's been a few days since Farrah and Michael have left us and as the media frenzy continues, I have a question. Having had the unfortunate opportunity to experience both sides of the equation, I do have an opinion, which I will share after the question.
Some of the doctors felt that the patients should be made comfortable to the end, but usually not the end of the patient's choosing. As if being drugged out of one's mind for the last 72 hours, emaciated and in control of very few bodily functions was a graceful way to the depart the planet.
Some families were so unwilling to say goodbye that they considered and implemented treatments that added nothing to the quality of the patient's last days, but added much to the hospital bill, the pain of their loved one and created desperately unhappy memories.
Some patients held on for dear life, one woman was still smoking twelve hours before she died of breast cancer. Others couldn't leave until all family members were taken care of and they could die in peace. There was one woman who had her hair done, a mani-pedi and called her family into her room. She told them that she loved them but that they needed to go home so she could get some rest and before they were out of the parking lot she had passed on to the other side.
I've watched someone pass away from cancer at home and seen the toll on the family. As the daughter (also a nurse) said after he passed, she was glad that someone had dug up old video of him when he was healthy because she didn't want her memories to be the last few week on his deathbed.
My father died July 4, 1991 at 5:35 in the morning from a massive heart attack. He was 60. While I was watching what passed for fireworks (really nothing more than multi-colored fog with big booms that shook the glass in the skyscrapers) in Santa Monica, he was expiring in an emergency room in Santa Barbara County. I didn't find out for another thirteen hours and I can honestly say that those were some of the happiest hours of my life. Not because I was having fun, but because I didn't know. I got thirteen more hours where he was gone but he was still here.
On the other hand, I've spent the last four years of my life watching my mother disappear before my very eyes. After the stroke her reasoning skills in regards to her safety have deteriorated at a rate that is unbelievable. She has become incontinent, sometimes forgets how to swallow but was able to figure out that the "Miniature Killer" had used carbon monoxide by way of the fireplace and occasionally catches the sarcasm behind Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. She thinks Bush is an idiot and that Cheney should shut up but will leave the burners on while she washes my ten inch chef's knife with her hand grasping the sharpest part of the blade. It's frightening to walk in the door and see that.
Given my druthers, I would rather go out like my dad than wither away like my mom. Yes, it was a shock and I miss him terribly, but at least I miss him and really do remember mainly good times. With mom there's nothing to miss since her body is still here and every once in a while, her mind joins her but the day in, day out care is grueling and in the end, unrewarding.
Grief shouldn't rob years from the living before you're gone and it shouldn't root others to one sad and inescapable moment in time. As Jim Morrison so aptly pointed out, no one here gets out alive.
And from the really quirky side of my brain, have you ever been watching recorded television while surfing the internet and when a commercial comes on picked up the mouse to skip the commercials? I keep doing it and it makes me snicker every time. I know what runs my life.
BBB
Is it easier to lose a loved one out of the blue, without warning? Or is it better to watch them slowly fade away, being able to say their goodbyes?One involves shock and disbelief, the other the opportunity to prepare. While at that wacky acupuncture school, one of my clinic shifts was at the San Diego Hospice and I had the opportunity to speak with health care professionals, families and patients. Some were angry, some were sad and some were oblivious. Opinions varied quite a bit on depending upon medical training, religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds.
Some of the doctors felt that the patients should be made comfortable to the end, but usually not the end of the patient's choosing. As if being drugged out of one's mind for the last 72 hours, emaciated and in control of very few bodily functions was a graceful way to the depart the planet.
Some families were so unwilling to say goodbye that they considered and implemented treatments that added nothing to the quality of the patient's last days, but added much to the hospital bill, the pain of their loved one and created desperately unhappy memories.
Some patients held on for dear life, one woman was still smoking twelve hours before she died of breast cancer. Others couldn't leave until all family members were taken care of and they could die in peace. There was one woman who had her hair done, a mani-pedi and called her family into her room. She told them that she loved them but that they needed to go home so she could get some rest and before they were out of the parking lot she had passed on to the other side.
I've watched someone pass away from cancer at home and seen the toll on the family. As the daughter (also a nurse) said after he passed, she was glad that someone had dug up old video of him when he was healthy because she didn't want her memories to be the last few week on his deathbed.
My father died July 4, 1991 at 5:35 in the morning from a massive heart attack. He was 60. While I was watching what passed for fireworks (really nothing more than multi-colored fog with big booms that shook the glass in the skyscrapers) in Santa Monica, he was expiring in an emergency room in Santa Barbara County. I didn't find out for another thirteen hours and I can honestly say that those were some of the happiest hours of my life. Not because I was having fun, but because I didn't know. I got thirteen more hours where he was gone but he was still here.
On the other hand, I've spent the last four years of my life watching my mother disappear before my very eyes. After the stroke her reasoning skills in regards to her safety have deteriorated at a rate that is unbelievable. She has become incontinent, sometimes forgets how to swallow but was able to figure out that the "Miniature Killer" had used carbon monoxide by way of the fireplace and occasionally catches the sarcasm behind Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. She thinks Bush is an idiot and that Cheney should shut up but will leave the burners on while she washes my ten inch chef's knife with her hand grasping the sharpest part of the blade. It's frightening to walk in the door and see that.
Given my druthers, I would rather go out like my dad than wither away like my mom. Yes, it was a shock and I miss him terribly, but at least I miss him and really do remember mainly good times. With mom there's nothing to miss since her body is still here and every once in a while, her mind joins her but the day in, day out care is grueling and in the end, unrewarding.
Grief shouldn't rob years from the living before you're gone and it shouldn't root others to one sad and inescapable moment in time. As Jim Morrison so aptly pointed out, no one here gets out alive.
And from the really quirky side of my brain, have you ever been watching recorded television while surfing the internet and when a commercial comes on picked up the mouse to skip the commercials? I keep doing it and it makes me snicker every time. I know what runs my life.
BBB
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