Subj : Another Day In The ER To : Daryl Stout From : Barry Martin Date : Wed Oct 28 2020 08:47:00 Hi Daryl! 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! DS> In this case, your first point (not the overquote alert) has to DS> be emphasized. I've known people who ended up with a pulmonary DS> embolism, and it ended up killing them. Yes, there is frequently a fine line between some medical conditions and 'just a bit of gas' or 'a pulled muscle'. DS> The best time to see a doctor is when you feel perfectly DS> fine...as many forms of cancer, in their early stages, have no DS> symptoms. And, many illnesses, in the incubation stage, have no DS> symptoms. Plus when healthy establishes a base line. DS> While there wasn't much traffic at 3am, I don't like to be out DS> after dark. It would've been worse if weather had been an issue. DS> In case we get a bad winter, I'm wanting good health, so I can DS> avoid an ER trip. This is because with icy roads, it's going to DS> take awhile for either the ambulance beforehand...or to get a DS> taxi afterwards. Portions of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, DS> Colorado, Missouri, and other areas, have had Winter Storm DS> Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings the last 2 days. With many trees DS> still having leaves on them, there are likely widespread power DS> outages, as well as wrecks on the roads. Yes, all sorts of potential hazards when driving, more when the conditions aren't that great. BM> Glad everything turned out reasonably well. DS> Except for the wallet . That's like the episode of "The DS> Flintstones", where Fred and Barney enter this clinic, and this DS> guy comes out screaming in pain. Fred asks the nurse if he needs DS> to see the doctor...the nurse replies "He's cured. The doctor DS> just showed him the bill". In Psychiatry that's called shock Therapy! DS> At least I have Medicare to get DS> 80% of it...and I could get the finances written off, if need be, DS> or set up a payment plan. They took away my Medicaid and SSI 7 DS> months before my wife died, saying "$1500 a month between 2 DS> people is too much money" -- do NOT get me started on that. Get a supplemental plan? I've got the "G" version. And while at it get a prescription plan. Might be best to consult with someone knowledgeable -- here one of the local hospital groups has advisors which are trained -- I don't know how well or if biased; I went though my financial advisor the other day. ...He is slightly biased as he/his company is not a member of certain plan offerings but they were more expensive and offered less anyway. DS> of a TV sitcom (Married With Children). BM> Right: step-children by label but hopefully thought of as one's own. DS> I knew a lady in square dancing, where her first husband died, DS> and she remarried...so he was the kids step-father. He and his DS> wife died within a short time of each other a few years ago. DS> Before becoming a square dance caller, he sang in bars, etc., and DS> had a melodious baritone voice. When the dancers would go the DS> wrong way, he'd start going "YANG!! YANG!! YANG!!", and everyone DS> would bust out laughing. At one dance, it was where the guy was DS> supposed to swing his corner (the woman on his left in the DS> formation). But, the dancer got the wrong one, and it came out DS> "Swing your YANG YANG YANG!!" What kind of a perverted place are you affiliated with?! You ship your newsletter out in a plain brown wrapper?! 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). DS> Yeow!! The reasons the prices are so big, are due to Big DS> Pharma, as follows: DS> 1) The drug representatives "wine and dine" these doctors offices DS> and clinics, buying "the finest cuisine", or even "widespread DS> pizza with all the trimmings" for the staff...and you have to pay DS> for that. Then, once they've got "a captive audience", they do DS> their spiel on why the doctors and the clinc should use their DS> products. Probably. And other subtle ways: freebie handouts such as notepads with the drug d'jour imprinted, pens with the drug name on it, etc. DS> 2) The commissions these drug reps likely get, along with their DS> salaries. Takes money to make money! DS> 3) The cost of radio, TV, and print advertising. I'm thinking of all the polital ads lately: on local news seems there's more air time to the political ads than the news itself. And the paper recylcing bin has been fuller than usual from the print ads. (Print shops must love election time!) DS> So when a drug goes generic, big pharma hates that. I heard one DS> big wig with them note "A Cured Patient Is A Lost Customer". That DS> tells me they could prescribe something to cure them...but, DS> instead, they prescribe stuff to cause other issues, requiring DS> more medication. Like the tagline notes "Overmedicated?? We have DS> a prescription for that!!". :P Plus 'big pharma' is doing most of the research and development, which costs lots and lots of money, and the generic versions get to ride the coattails. I do think they also create some of their own business: several years back the average blood pressure numbers went from (IIRC) 130/80 to 110/70. Mine has been pretty close to 120/80 for literally decades, so all of a sudden I went from average to boarderline hypertensive? I don't think so! Dropping to 110 and I'd probably drop from hypotension! DS> As for me, I'd rather do CLEAR citrate of magnesia (you do NOT DS> want anything red, orange, or purple), with the Ducolax, and the DS> enema. My late wife termed it as "Sprite With A Kick". It was DS> very tart, and we always chilled it, then washed it down with a DS> big glass of water. There are several videos on YouTube on DS> colonoscopies...done by Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and others. Why do I hear "and away go troubles down the drain, Roto-Rooter! Roto- Rooter!". DS> When I was living at H.U.D. subsidized housing for the disabled DS> (I moved back home 2 years before my Mom died...she was in a DS> nursing home by then), when I had to prep for a colonoscopy, and DS> the management was to do an inspection, I told them that "I'll be DS> naked all day, because of the colonoscopy prep...so if you come DS> in, you'll find me in the buff". Once you take that first DS> purgative, the urge of a colon about to explode, will come within DS> 10 minutes. So, you might as well just get naked, and stay close DS> to the toilet for the next 12 hours or so. My reaction isn't quite that urgent. I think it was about 45 minutes after I took the Suprep I started humming the Chiquita Banana Song ("I'm Chaquita Banana and I'm here to say, sit on the toilet and bombs away!"). DS> Or, as comedian Jeff Foxworthy noted, "At which point, my DS> underwear tapped me on the shoulder, and said RUN!!" Admittedly one should not dilly-dally! DS> I was also waiting for them to do a strip search for illegal DS> drug use (there had been several instances of meth labs out DS> there). I would've gladly consented and stripped naked (hoping DS> that the management was all female )...because since all of DS> my drugs were legally prescribed, they could not do a thing to DS> me. Early when meth-making started 'becoming popular' there were numerous instances of tapping in to anhydrous ammonia tanks on farms (for fertilizer) to get one of the ingredients. DS> Also, when I had a large benign cyst removed from the buttocks DS> cheek... it was so deep, that it had to heal from the inside out, DS> and had to have home health care for 2 months. They also DS> inspected the medicine cabinet in the bathroom to be sure I DS> didn't have illegal drugs...but as noted, since all of them were DS> legally prescribed, they couldn't touch me. Except your boott-ee! DS> And, with the keyword "benign", it tells me that it could've DS> become malignant (cancerous). I've had several benign colon DS> polyps in my colon before, but no cancer...and I'd like to keep DS> it that way. Yes - I'm having a follow-up colonoscopy in a year because they found two benign polyps. Better safe than sorry! DS> Originally, I had to avoid solid foods, and be clear liquids 2 DS> days out. Now, they've gotten that to one. They say with that DS> "Lytely" solution is to "light up the colon". I thought the DS> colonoscope had a light on it as it was. The first time I had the DS> Go-Lytely, it was like drinking warm, tepid, salt water. I was DS> gagging, and the nurse said "we can put it through your nose", DS> and I snarled "I'll drink it". Maybe she meant via a gastric tube versus just pouring in in. Wonder if cold or if at least cool water would make it taste not as bad? I prefer the taste of cool/refrigerated/iced water to that of from the tap. Same water, just the temperature is different. DS> Then, you have these idiots who take Immodium and/or eat during DS> the prep work...those totally defeat the purpose of the DS> colonoscopy prep!! One time, when I was getting one done, there DS> was an 85 year old woman in the prep area next to me (obviously DS> separated by a curtain), and apparently it was her first one. The DS> gastroenterologist was very annoyed with her for waiting so long. DS> Another time, the female nurse was talking to a woman in her 50's DS> in the prep area next to me, and noted "I just had mine done DS> yesterday". I'd guess the 85 y.o. was thinking "out of sight, out of mind", or just never got around to it, though as waited until 85 why now? DS> They also recommend things like Tucks, to soothe the anal DS> burning, especially with hemorrhoids. Mine merely suggesed Vaseline to soothe any irritation. Suppose if the Tucks has some sort of anesthetic properties. DS> Those are part of growing DS> old...plus for women having babies, folks straining a long time DS> on the toilet, or seated for long periods of time, like OTR truck DS> drivers. When I saw red blood, I thought for sure it was colon DS> cancer....but it was hemorrhoids. When my PCP checked it, it was DS> a flexsigmoidoscopy, with no anesthetic (I cramped like women do DS> on their monthly cycle). When the doctor said "Look!! Your colon DS> on TV!!", I growled "I want to change the channel!! Where are the DS> dancing girls??!!". :P The dancing girls' legs are those giant polyps!! ¯ BarryMartin3@ ® ¯ @MyMetronet.NET ® .... One dose of diuretic goes pee, double does go pee-pee? --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .