Subj : Re: Another Day In The ER To : Barry Martin From : Daryl Stout Date : Tue Oct 27 2020 15:48:00 Barry, BM> (I know: overquote alert!) At least no clot which could break off, BM> clog elsewhere and cause some major damage. As for picking up the BM> prescription immediately (3 a.m.) or a more resonable hour, I'd BM> probably have chosen the delay and get to sleep -- driving when sleepy BM> can be more dangerous than not being on the medication! In this case, your first point (not the overquote alert) has to be emphasized. I've known people who ended up with a pulmonary embolism, and it ended up killing them. The best time to see a doctor is when you feel perfectly fine...as many forms of cancer, in their early stages, have no symptoms. And, many illnesses, in the incubation stage, have no symptoms. While there wasn't much traffic at 3am, I don't like to be out after dark. It would've been worse if weather had been an issue. In case we get a bad winter, I'm wanting good health, so I can avoid an ER trip. This is because with icy roads, it's going to take awhile for either the ambulance beforehand...or to get a taxi afterwards. Portions of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, and other areas, have had Winter Storm Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings the last 2 days. With many trees still having leaves on them, there are likely widespread power outages, as well as wrecks on the roads. BM> Glad everything turned out reasonably well. Except for the wallet . That's like the episode of "The Flintstones", where Fred and Barney enter this clinic, and this guy comes out screaming in pain. Fred asks the nurse if he needs to see the doctor...the nurse replies "He's cured. The doctor just showed him the bill". At least I have Medicare to get 80% of it...and I could get the finances written off, if need be, or set up a payment plan. They took away my Medicaid and SSI 7 months before my wife died, saying "$1500 a month between 2 people is too much money" -- do NOT get me started on that. DS> of a TV sitcom (Married With Children). BM> Right: step-children by label but hopefully thought of as one's own. I knew a lady in square dancing, where her first husband died, and she remarried...so he was the kids step-father. He and his wife died within a short time of each other a few years ago. Before becoming a square dance caller, he sang in bars, etc., and had a melodious baritone voice. When the dancers would go the wrong way, he'd start going "YANG!! YANG!! YANG!!", and everyone would bust out laughing. At one dance, it was where the guy was supposed to swing his corner (the woman on his left in the formation). But, the dancer got the wrong one, and it came out "Swing your YANG YANG YANG!!" BM> chug it get it over with). Bad news is the cost isn't all that well BM> covered by insurance: mine was $75, a friend's was over $100. BM> (Checking receipt: U&C = $129.99). Yeow!! The reasons the prices are so big, are due to Big Pharma, as follows: 1) The drug representatives "wine and dine" these doctors offices and clinics, buying "the finest cuisine", or even "widespread pizza with all the trimmings" for the staff...and you have to pay for that. Then, once they've got "a captive audience", they do their spiel on why the doctors and the clinc should use their products. 2) The commissions these drug reps likely get, along with their salaries. 3) The cost of radio, TV, and print advertising. So when a drug goes generic, big pharma hates that. I heard one big wig with them note "A Cured Patient Is A Lost Customer". That tells me they could prescribe something to cure them...but, instead, they prescribe stuff to cause other issues, requiring more medication. Like the tagline notes "Overmedicated?? We have a prescription for that!!". :P As for me, I'd rather do CLEAR citrate of magnesia (you do NOT want anything red, orange, or purple), with the Ducolax, and the enema. My late wife termed it as "Sprite With A Kick". It was very tart, and we always chilled it, then washed it down with a big glass of water. There are several videos on YouTube on colonoscopies...done by Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and others. When I was living at H.U.D. subsidized housing for the disabled (I moved back home 2 years before my Mom died...she was in a nursing home by then), when I had to prep for a colonoscopy, and the management was to do an inspection, I told them that "I'll be naked all day, because of the colonoscopy prep...so if you come in, you'll find me in the buff". Once you take that first purgative, the urge of a colon about to explode, will come within 10 minutes. So, you might as well just get naked, and stay close to the toilet for the next 12 hours or so. Or, as comedian Jeff Foxworthy noted, "At which point, my underwear tapped me on the shoulder, and said RUN!!" I was also waiting for them to do a strip search for illegal drug use (there had been several instances of meth labs out there). I would've gladly consented and stripped naked (hoping that the management was all female )...because since all of my drugs were legally prescribed, they could not do a thing to me. Also, when I had a large benign cyst removed from the buttocks cheek... it was so deep, that it had to heal from the inside out, and had to have home health care for 2 months. They also inspected the medicine cabinet in the bathroom to be sure I didn't have illegal drugs...but as noted, since all of them were legally prescribed, they couldn't touch me. And, with the keyword "benign", it tells me that it could've become malignant (cancerous). I've had several benign colon polyps in my colon before, but no cancer...and I'd like to keep it that way. BM> sloppy diagnostics but at ths point we want results and don't care too BM> much about the anatomical details!) Originally, I had to avoid solid foods, and be clear liquids 2 days out. Now, they've gotten that to one. They say with that "Lytely" solution is to "light up the colon". I thought the colonoscope had a light on it as it was. The first time I had the Go-Lytely, it was like drinking warm, tepid, salt water. I was gagging, and the nurse said "we can put it through your nose", and I snarled "I'll drink it". Beforehand, I bought plenty of lemon or banana popsicles, and flavored water. They say to avoid the carbonated beverages (causing excess gas), and especially alcoholic beverages. Even though vodka is clear, the alcoholic beverages will "rock your world in a big way"...as you're losing a lot of fluid already. One woman did such, and she died on the table. They had to stop the colonoscopy, and do CPR on her. Then, she had to do the prep work again...and this time, had to pay the full fee for the procedure (several thousand dollars). Then, you have these idiots who take Immodium and/or eat during the prep work...those totally defeat the purpose of the colonoscopy prep!! One time, when I was getting one done, there was an 85 year old woman in the prep area next to me (obviously separated by a curtain), and apparently it was her first one. The gastroenterologist was very annoyed with her for waiting so long. Another time, the female nurse was talking to a woman in her 50's in the prep area next to me, and noted "I just had mine done yesterday". They also recommend things like Tucks, to soothe the anal burning, especially with hemorrhoids. Those are part of growing old...plus for women having babies, folks straining a long time on the toilet, or seated for long periods of time, like OTR truck drivers. When I saw red blood, I thought for sure it was colon cancer....but it was hemorrhoids. When my PCP checked it, it was a flexsigmoidoscopy, with no anesthetic (I cramped like women do on their monthly cycle). When the doctor said "Look!! Your colon on TV!!", I growled "I want to change the channel!! Where are the dancing girls??!!". :P The thing is, unlike most other cancers, colon cancer is one of the most preventable. Daryl .... I was toilet trained at gunpoint. -Billy Braver === MultiMail/Win v0.52 --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (454:1/33) .