The Medical Thread: We're experts on everything else; why not?

[Kepler]

No, not necessarily.

Ah. Forgot they were poor by choice.

Thanks for the calcification*, Judge Smails.

( *auto correct for "clarification," but checks)

[The Sicatoka]

Can we start with a system that doesn't treat teeth and eyes as luxury body parts I must pay extra for?

100% agree.

Eye and oral health are "canaries in the coal mine" of overall health. Those should be part of general wellness exams and covered under base health insurance (and my optometrist relatives will now remove me from their Christmas card lists).

[The Sicatoka]

The "over-treatment" is, by and large, a requirement by the payers. A huge percentage of hospital overhead is spent on administrative work, ensuring treatment is deemed appropriate to avoid risking claim denials. Ask a clinical case manager how much of their time is spent going between doctor and insurance company to convince the insurance company to pay for a necessary treatment?

Another aspect of "over-treatment"? Lawsuits. Sorry to offend the barrister-ilk that may be reading this, but many tests and procedures are CYA moves by the physician ... just in case.

We have this strange belief that medicine can fix anything. (Spoiler: No, it can't.)

Recently I was told of a friend-of-a-friend who wanted to have children but was 400+ pounds. Against advice (from three different physicians) she had gastric bypass. It went bad, as in feeding tube for rest of life, bad. She committed suicide. Her family is in the process of suing the physicians who performed the procedure (again, against medical advice). So the physicians' malpractice costs will go up. And that will also be passed along.

[leswp1]

WHen I first started "over-treatment' was something certain amoral providers did. By the time I left I was forced to 'over-treat' multiple patients daily to meet insurance measures.

A few pages back there was a comment about single payer- All for it. There are multiple countries with models providing single payer with ability to get optional coverage. Posting this will almost always get a response saying but, but in Canada they have to wait... Yup. You might. If you eat well your gall bladder might not be an emergency. You will have to watch what you eat instead of ripping it out. But if you need an emergent treatment it will not leave you in massive debt and you will get treatment. If you have a test ordered and booked you will not be turned away because you can't pay, even when it is approved. yaddah yaddah yaddah.

I do not anticipate this will change anytime soon. We have an entire generation of medical staff, all levels, who have been brought up being taught to practice insurance, basing decisions on what they are allowed to do, not thinking of what the optimal treatment is or what the best choice is for the patient.

[MissThundercat]

Question: I woke up this morning feeling very sleepy from one of my meds and sweating without running a fever. After lunch at work, I felt better, but is there a way I can break through that malaise sooner?

[busterman62]

Question: I woke up this morning feeling very sleepy from one of my meds and sweating without running a fever. After lunch at work, I felt better, but is there a way I can break through that malaise sooner?

Can your med be taken at bedtime?

[MissThundercat]

Can your med be taken at bedtime?

I took it at bedtime. But when it was time to wake up at 4 AM, I was still tired.

[busterman62]

I took it at bedtime. But when it was time to wake up at 4 AM, I was still tired.

If adjusting the dosing schedule won't allow you to time the major portion of the fatigue while you are in bed (and since you were still very fatigued until lunch, I'm not sure you will be able to) your options are usually limited. You can try changing Rx if possible or hope the SE wear off or you develop a tolerance. Sorry for not being much help but, as the phrase says, it is what it is.

[MissThundercat]

As for my mental health, I'm managing for the most part, but on days the depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADHD, and dysphoria all pile on: best thing to do is go home, take my shoes off, and take a3 hour long nap.

[The Sicatoka]

I took it at bedtime. But when it was time to wake up at 4 AM, I was still tired.

Are you sure you don't have a base sleep disorder?
Waking up tired and afternoon naps just to function are sleep apnea red flags.

My pulmonologist* tells me her most severe apnea patient is ... a 5'3", 108 pound, female marathon runner! Yeah, there's a "prime apnea demographic" (males with 18" or greater shirt collar) but it hits everyone.



*I'm a CPAP, actually BiPAP, user; greatest machine in the world. I've had the 18" neck since competitive hockey (no matter what I weigh) and I come from a long line of snorers.

[MissThundercat]

It's called MT has depression, bipolar II, generalized anxiety, and ADHD, and her quality of sleep positively correlates to how well she manages. If she eats healthy-ish (allowing space for her favorite foods), drinks plenty of water (water, not water filtered through coffee grounds first), gets 30-60 minutes of purposeful physical activity 5-6 days a week, and takes all meds as scheduled, along with practicing gratitude... she sleeps lights out.

[MissThundercat]

Surgery on my right foot July 2, 2019. Never really healed, the joint never fused, and still experiencing pain. I've done what I can to mitigate the pain, like wear a brace for when I'm walking, wear supportive shoes as much as possible, limit the heels/cute shoes for times I need a picture, switch from high intensity/impact activity to yoga, Pilates, and Barre, and still...

It just makes me sad.

[St. Clown]

Do any of the medical people on this board have any insight on toenail re-growth? Back in January, I had a “toe crushing event” of the big toe on my left foot. Every time I research online, the only things I find give me a timeline, up to 18 months, but nothing that sort of gives a description or point-in-time series of pics showing what to expect with a healthy or expected process. And I think my lack of success in the search is that I don’t know the right terms to search as much as anything else.

[MissThundercat]

Do any of the medical people on this board have any insight on toenail re-growth? Back in January, I had a “toe crushing event” of the big toe on my left foot. Every time I research online, the only things I find give me a timeline, up to 18 months, but nothing that sort of gives a description or point-in-time series of pics showing what to expect with a healthy or expected process. And I think my lack of success in the search is that I don’t know the right terms to search as much as anything else.

As a a former endurance athlete, I've lost them before. I cannot provide an accurate what to expect timeline, because some have grown back much faster than others.

[The Sicatoka]

Do any of the medical people on this board have any insight on toenail re-growth? Back in January, I had a “toe crushing event” of the big toe on my left foot. Every time I research online, the only things I find give me a timeline, up to 18 months, but nothing that sort of gives a description or point-in-time series of pics showing what to expect with a healthy or expected process. And I think my lack of success in the search is that I don’t know the right terms to search as much as anything else.

I started taking collagen protein in my morning coffee. I recover faster after working (knees and feet feel way better) and my nails grow faster than ever. That's one option.

Another would be to visit your doctor and kill that nail bed. You don't have to have a big toe nail.