Health Thread

[Mailman]

Interested in how the eye thing turns out (asking for a friend)...

Well in that case, seeing in that you’re interested, I will give you a more accurate and less flip description of what they’re doing and what I know about it. ( I know just about enough to be dangerous )

Initial internal eye pressure tests have indicated an elevated pressure in my left eye, the one with the blind spot.
I was given a sample bottle of eye drops to see if it would reduce the pressure and went back yesterday to be re tested. The drops worked and brought my pressure back to the normal range.
There does not seem to be a single definitive test to determine if you have Glaucoma, it’s not eye pressure alone.
People naturally have different pressures and respond differently. Not all people with high pressure will have Glaucoma and conversely people with lower pressure sometimes DO get Glaucoma. It’s rather random.
A high resolution retina scan showed a rather normal, undamaged looking optic nerve, from what he could see.
He said it still could very well be Glaucoma but he wants to rule out other possibilities with the MRI.
My biggest fear was a tumor in the pituitary gland, it’s in a small space in your skull pretty much straight back from the bridge of your nose. The optic nerve shares that small space and a tumor would start to push on the nerve and cause vision loss. The surgery to remove a tumor there is pretty invasive and unpleasant.
When I brought up the possibility of a pituitary tumor, he said he doubted that because he said that would usually present itself as a loss of vision in BOTH eyes.
So....what’s the MRI all about? The optic nerve pathway from the back of your eyeballs to its final destination in your brain is a rather long one. From what I’ve been able to find out online there are numerous opportunities for something to impede the function of the nerve, most involving some sort of obstruction of blood flow to the nerve.
My doctor gave me the option of getting the MRI or watchful waiting. He said he didn’t really suspect a tumor, but let’s have the peace of mind of ruling it out. The other thing that puzzled my doctor was the fact that my vision loss had a rather sudden onset. Glaucoma is a very slow moving condition, he said it doesn’t typically show up suddenly.
So that’s where I’m at right now. Taking daily eye drops and waiting for the MRI. I should know more in a week or so. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[Goldenboy]

Well in that case, seeing in that you’re interested, I will give you a more accurate and less flip description of what they’re doing and what I know about it. ( I know just about enough to be dangerous )

Initial internal eye pressure tests have indicated an elevated pressure in my left eye, the one with the blind spot.
I was given a sample bottle of eye drops to see if it would reduce the pressure and went back yesterday to be re tested. The drops worked and brought my pressure back to the normal range.
There does not seem to be a single definitive test to determine if you have Glaucoma, it’s not eye pressure alone.
People naturally have different pressures and respond differently. Not all people with high pressure will have Glaucoma and conversely people with lower pressure sometimes DO get Glaucoma. It’s rather random.
A high resolution retina scan showed a rather normal, undamaged looking optic nerve, from what he could see.
He said it still could very well be Glaucoma but he wants to rule out other possibilities with the MRI.
My biggest fear was a tumor in the pituitary gland, it’s in a small space in your skull pretty much straight back from the bridge of your nose. The optic nerve shares that small space and a tumor would start to push on the nerve and cause vision loss. The surgery to remove a tumor there is pretty invasive and unpleasant.
When I brought up the possibility of a pituitary tumor, he said he doubted that because he said that would usually present itself as a loss of vision in BOTH eyes.
So....what’s the MRI all about? The optic nerve pathway from the back of your eyeballs to its final destination in your brain is a rather long one. From what I’ve been able to find out online there are numerous opportunities for something to impede the function of the nerve, most involving some sort of obstruction of blood flow to the nerve.
My doctor gave me the option of getting the MRI or watchful waiting. He said he didn’t really suspect a tumor, but let’s have the peace of mind of ruling it out. The other thing that puzzled my doctor was the fact that my vision loss had a rather sudden onset. Glaucoma is a very slow moving condition, he said it doesn’t typically show up suddenly.
So that’s where I’m at right now. Taking daily eye drops and waiting for the MRI. I should know more in a week or so. I’ll keep you posted.

You are on top of this, and that's great. Your doctors are very thorough. When you said sudden vision loss, I thought of floaters. They happen overnight, but I'm sure that was ruled out right away. I try to make a conscious effort to avoid putting any pressure on my eyes while I sleep as I've had a few floaters, or wrinkles in the retina. These folds cast a shadow in the form of an arc in your periferal vision, and seem to float around, slowly and are usually seen in low light conditions. You can put pressure on your eyes by sleeping on your arm. And yes, the hernia should be taken care of if it's getting bigger. That could become strangulated. My father had a large inguinal hernia and refused to treat it for years and kept pushing it back in. That could have been dangerous, but he was lucky. He finally had the mesh put in and the problem was solved. My doctor found a small inguinal hernia last year so I followed up with an internest who said it was small enough that no action was warranted. Best of luck, Bob. We all want to see your bike done sooner than later.

 

[650Skull]

Dam Bob, so close.............All the best, sounds like your on top of it...........

 

[Mailman]

Thanks guys! I’ll be back ASAP! I wanna see my bike run too!

 

[Goldenboy]

Well in that case, seeing in that you’re interested, I will give you a more accurate and less flip description of what they’re doing and what I know about it. ( I know just about enough to be dangerous )

Initial internal eye pressure tests have indicated an elevated pressure in my left eye, the one with the blind spot.
I was given a sample bottle of eye drops to see if it would reduce the pressure and went back yesterday to be re tested. The drops worked and brought my pressure back to the normal range.
There does not seem to be a single definitive test to determine if you have Glaucoma, it’s not eye pressure alone.
People naturally have different pressures and respond differently. Not all people with high pressure will have Glaucoma and conversely people with lower pressure sometimes DO get Glaucoma. It’s rather random.
A high resolution retina scan showed a rather normal, undamaged looking optic nerve, from what he could see.
He said it still could very well be Glaucoma but he wants to rule out other possibilities with the MRI.
My biggest fear was a tumor in the pituitary gland, it’s in a small space in your skull pretty much straight back from the bridge of your nose. The optic nerve shares that small space and a tumor would start to push on the nerve and cause vision loss. The surgery to remove a tumor there is pretty invasive and unpleasant.
When I brought up the possibility of a pituitary tumor, he said he doubted that because he said that would usually present itself as a loss of vision in BOTH eyes.
So....what’s the MRI all about? The optic nerve pathway from the back of your eyeballs to its final destination in your brain is a rather long one. From what I’ve been able to find out online there are numerous opportunities for something to impede the function of the nerve, most involving some sort of obstruction of blood flow to the nerve.
My doctor gave me the option of getting the MRI or watchful waiting. He said he didn’t really suspect a tumor, but let’s have the peace of mind of ruling it out. The other thing that puzzled my doctor was the fact that my vision loss had a rather sudden onset. Glaucoma is a very slow moving condition, he said it doesn’t typically show up suddenly.
So that’s where I’m at right now. Taking daily eye drops and waiting for the MRI. I should know more in a week or so. I’ll keep you posted.

I'm hoping this will cheer you up, Bob. We were talking about the price of medicine and I received this bill on Tuesday. So, I called to find out why they told me I owed them $28,516.00. Then I asked the nice lady if she wanted me to pay them with hundred dollar bills or thousands. The hospital billing dept. said, " Oh, we forgot to bill your insurance. So, then I asked what the bill was for and they said the infusion of Entyvio I received on February 27th. The total charges for three weeks I spent in the hospital was only

$27,000.00. I received three infusions so far and I'll be receiving one injection each month for the forseeable future, and that comes out to $342,192.00 for the year, which Medicare will be billed. So, I guess they side stepped Medicare and billed me directly. (Throw it against the wall to see if it sticks) Because Medicare will give them an allowed amount, which probably be closer to $4.75. The actual medication, a biologic was $26.000.00 and they billed $2,516.00 to place an IV in my arm for 1/2 hour. I am anxiously awaiting the "Explanation of Benefits" from Medicare. But seriously, this is a good reason to have Medicare supplemental insurance which pays the 20% Medicare doesn't pick up. I do have Blue Cross as my supplemental carrier. I just don't want Valley Hospital to put a lean on my house.

 

[kshansen]

OK then, keep an eye on my garage comedy mechanixs.. Wish I coulda got a pic today for you of my 79 running hooked up to a cheesy IV , carb leaking fuel while trying for a timing light hook up to stay on Lol !
No fire yet tho

I hope you have a good fire extinguisher close by. Talk about leaking carbs my 1978 has a leaking petcock I need to look at as soon as the Vespa project is done!

 

[Mailman]

I'm hoping this will cheer you up, Bob. We were talking about the price of medicine and I received this bill on Tuesday. So, I called to find out why they told me I owed them $28,516.00. Then I asked the nice lady if she wanted me to pay them with hundred dollar bills or thousands. The hospital billing dept. said, " Oh, we forgot to bill your insurance. So, then I asked what the bill was for and they said the infusion of Entyvio I received on February 27th. The total charges for three weeks I spent in the hospital was only View attachment 137431$27,000.00. I received three infusions so far and I'll be receiving one injection each month for the forseeable future, and that comes out to $342,192.00 for the year, which Medicare will be billed. So, I guess they side stepped Medicare and billed me directly. (Throw it against the wall to see if it sticks) Because Medicare will give them an allowed amount, which probably be closer to $4.75. The actual medication, a biologic was $26.000.00 and they billed $2,516.00 to place an IV in my arm for 1/2 hour. I am anxiously awaiting the "Explanation of Benefits" from Medicare. But seriously, this is a good reason to have Medicare supplemental insurance which pays the 20% Medicare doesn't pick up. I do have Blue Cross as my supplemental carrier. I just don't want Valley Hospital to put a lean on my house.

Holy crap! That’s truly unbelievable! I’m applying for Canadian citizenship as we speak! I was getting tired of all this sunshine anyways.
Seriously though GB, good luck wading through all that bureaucracy.

 

[Goldenboy]

I hope you have a good fire extinguisher close by. Talk about leaking carbs my 1ered parts.978 has a leaking petcock I need to look at as soon as the Vespa project is done!

I rebuilt my petcocks and Marlin warned me about warping the backing plate if all the parts are not lined up before tightening the screws. Damned if I didn't do that anyway, but I knew what was wrong and was able to fix it just by repositioning the gaskets and layered parts and tightening the screws again.

 

[Goldenboy]

Holy crap! That’s truly unbelievable! I’m applying for Canadian citizenship as we speak! I was getting tired of all this sunshine anyways.
Seriously though GB, good luck wading through all that bureaucracy.

Socialized medicine is worse than Medicare, because everyone's in the pool. It could take 6 months for you to get elective surgery, meaning something not considered an emergency, say a painful bunion, nose job to breathe better, or a revision of an ankle surgery. I got this from a Canadian trucker who was glad he broke his ankle in the U.S. He was offloading hay for the race horses at Meadowlands Racetrack when he fell off the tailgate of his truck and he was on my x-ray table while I was taking pictures of his broken ankle. Well that was his opinion, and I hope this won't stir up any ire from the Canadians. Pete?

 

[Jim]

I got this from a Canadian trucker who was glad he broke his ankle in the U.S.

Well, a broken ankle ain't exactly "elective"... is it? I suspect that, rather than waiting 6 months, he would have been at the head of the line.

 

[Jim]

Lets go a little further into this.....

Socialized medicine is worse than Medicare, because everyone's in the pool. It could take 6 months for you to get elective surgery, meaning something not considered an emergency

A few yrs. ago an MRI showed that the cortisone shots in my knee had done all they could. The wait for my knee replacement surgery was a tad over 5 months. And this is different from "socialized" medicine....how exactly?

 

[Mailman]

Lets go a little further into this.....

A few yrs. ago an MRI showed that the cortisone shots in my knee had done all they could. The wait for my knee replacement surgery was a tad over 5 months. And this is different from "socialized" medicine....how exactly?

This debate is polarizing, but I’m in agreement. I think the Canadian healthcare model is pretty exemplary.
I’ve already kicked this anthill once before , when I was railing against the insurance companies.

 

[GLJ]

It's one thing for something to slow you down, but that doesn't mean it has to stop you.

 

[Jim]

This debate is polarizing

Yeah... it is. And that's the really sad part of this... it's polarizing. Why? Good affordable healthcare is a goal. Has anyone ever achieved a goal by bowing up their backs and demonizing a system, or idea, or person.... or group? No, of course not. You solve a problem by looking at the facts, discarding the bulls#&t... and working together as a group to solve the problem. With millions in this country without healthcare.... and millions more paying way too high a percentage of their income for healthcare, I think we can all agree that there's a problem there in need of a solution. Does throwing out buzz words like "socialism" work towards a solution? Or does it just further polarize?
Let's look at socialism. Medicare.. medicaid... both forms of socialism. VA healthcare... socialism. Hell, social security has the damn word in it's very title... and don't you dare talk about takin' mine away. Socialism at it's core means we all contribute to a common good so that those in need can draw from it. Sumbitch if that don't sound like auto insurance.... we all pay into this giant pool of cash, and when you have a wreck, you get to draw out of the pool for your needs. It's the very essence of socialism. Granted, there's capitalism thrown in there so's the rich can get richer and we all pay an arm and a leg.... but that doesn't diminish the fact that it's still a form of socialism. Saying "socialism" is a great way to invoke the boogieman. How does that get us closer to a solution though?

Oh... I know were not supposed to talk politics in this forum. The truly sad part of this is that the problem of how do we give everyone affordable quality healthcare is that it's no longer a problem in need of a solution... it's politics, pure and simple.

I doesn't have to be this way. We... the nation that invented the airplane, the atomic bomb, the modern computer.... invented the internet, put a man on the Moon... not once but 6 times. We... a nation of pioneers and innovators.... can't f&cking figure out how to do what the rest of the world does? Really???

Perhaps we should stop invoking the boogieman... lean into the grindstone.... and do what America used to do best... solve the equation.

 

[Jim]

Just ponderin' here... I'm an insomniac... sue me....

We can break this down to (at least) two equation's that need to be merged into the big solution.
1. What's a fair and equitable price for health care?
2. what's a fair and equitable price to provide health care?
So number one starts with how do we collect it? We all know there's no such thing as "free" healthcare. A monthly tax.... a monthly bill? Annually? Does the interval really matter? Does it really matter if we tax them or "bill" them? If I ask a hundred dollars of you, does it really matter what I call it? See the political trap here? If I gotta pay a bill... well, OK I guess... sorta... if I have to.... but charge me another tax? No f%ckin' way man!!! You nuts? Bottom line... a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks. End of story. What you call it is pure political bulls&$t.

Next part of the equation.... same amount per individual, or a percentage of what you earn? One buck per person, or one buck for every hundred you earn? If you go one buck per person... you , Jeff Bezos and the Koch brothers all pay the same cost for care. That seem fair? What about 1 percent? 10 percent? I think the amount is baked in... whatever it takes to make the system run.
The thing is, if we go a percentage based system, the wealthier you are the more you'll pay. On the other hand, the more you can afford it. Currently, if you're middle class, you might be paying up to 20-40% of your income. Bezos and the Koch's are paying about .000001% of their income. Where do we as a society fall on that... fair or not?

These are some of the questions that we, as a country need to debate and decide. Democracy... majority rule. We can call up the boogiemen and shout at each other while people suffer and die... or we can get to work. What's fair in your mind? Got a better idea? Who wants to tackle the second part of this equation? Let's keep politics out of it. In the words of Gene Kranz... " Settle down people, lets work the problem."

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Too many hands in the pot...

 

[Jim]

Too many hands in the pot...

Part 2 of the problem... the cost:
Agreed. What's the solution? How do we get rid of some of the hands?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

The machine:

Find or create a problem.
Broadcast it, create support.
Build a bureaucracy around it.
Staff it heavily. Unemployment goes down.
Legal eagles want in.
Insurance wants in.

It's now a big party goin' on.

All 'tween you and yer doc...

 

[MaxPete]

Canadian healthcare....hmmmmm. Well, OK then, here we go.

When I went to see my family doc about my knee, it took 2 days to get the appointment - my bill:= $0
She referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon and that appointment was about 3 weeks later - my bill = $0
He sent me for an MRI and X-rays which were done that day along with a brief return apt. - my bill = $0
He & I decided that I needed a total knee replacement and the original surgery date was 11 month off
During that waiting period I had 4 cortisone shots for knee pain on dates of my choice - my bill = $0
My surgery was moved up by 2 months due to cancellations - operation was on Jan. 17/2019
I was admitted at 6:15 AM, had surgery at 8:30 AM and was discharged 2-1/2 days later - my bill = $0
I was prescribed oxy-codene pills for pain which I took for about 2-1/2 weeks - my bill = $0
A physiotherapist came to my home the day after discharge (on a Sunday) to make sure I was ok - my bill = $0
I began physio sessions 3 times/week for one hour each (still going 9 weeks later) - my bill = $0
I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon two weeks post-op - my bill = $0
Today (Sun. Mar. 24) I will ride my motorcycle to a bike club breakfast - my bill = likely ~ $10
I will have another (final I suspect) appointment with the surgeon next week - my bill = $0

Incidentally, I often see a lady at physio who had her knee replacement on the same day as me - she told me on Monday that she is 82 years old.

Now, why did it take 9 months for me to get the surgery? Well, there was a wait list BUT I chose my surgeon (one of the best in the country - trained at Johns Hopkins in the US BTW) AND I wanted it in Jan. so that it wouldn’t mess up Christmas or riding season PLUS, I could walk, ride and live OK, AND I got those cortisone shots whenever I needed them.

Now, my knee treatment was not an emergency - but here is how it works when it IS an emergency:
- my Dad (a life-long smoker age 69) was diagnosed with lung cancer on a Monday in 1999 - his bill = $0
- he had surgery that Wednesday (48 hours later) - his bill = $0
I won’t go into all the gory details, but he had two more operations, radiation, chemo etc. over the next 3 years before finally passing away at age 72 and his bill for all that treatment and drugs etc etc. = $0

I live on the US-Canãda border and so I hear all the BS and lies pumped by the US medical industry and fruitcake media about our system (can’t choose your doctor = a lie, you’ll die on the wait list = a lie, no surgery after age 70 = a lie, limits on life-long medical care costs = a lie, old people cut adrift on ice floes in the arctic = Gimme a f@ckin’ break!).

You can call it “socialized” medicine if you like, but knowledgeable Canadians call it a rational, logical, humane system which manages the best of modern care in way that benefits the widest segment of the population. I have never seen a medical bill from the Canadian system - ever. It is handled seemlessly in our tax system which is progressive (i.e. the rich pay more) as it is in virtually every other western country. If some know-nothing, bonehead, Canadian trucker doesn’t get that - oh well - and BTW, if he had been injured in Canada, it WOULD clearly have been an emergency and he would have been treated immediately - his f@cking bill = $0.

Is iour system perfect - he!, no!
Would I trade our system for the US system - nope.

Yes, I paid for my health care and for my late father’s care too - but I shared those costs with 34 million other Canadians and so the bills were pretty manageable, in my view. One final data point, if you want to see how the performance of our two systems compare, just Google two statistics:
- infant mortality;
- male and female life expectancy.

Our weather may suck but, sorry friends, we have better beer, better hockey players and waaayyy better health care and the total amount of PUBLIC funds, per capita, spent by Canadian taxpayers on health is less than that spent by American taxpayers. Check it out - your government spends more of YOUR money on health care for a system that doesn’t even cover everyone - than ours does to cover everyone. The only thing the Canadian health care system lacks that the US system does have is a huge health insurance industry that:
- NEVER sees a patient
- NEVER stitches a wound
- NEVER does an operation
- NEVER serves a hospital meal
- NEVER comforts a grieving parent
- costs a friggin’ fortune to feed, clothe and provide golf club memberships for.

I have lived and worked In both Canada and the US (loved it there BTW), and my employer in LA provided a great health insurance plan for my family and I. From what I can see as a semi-outsider looking in, for Americans who can afford good insurance and/or who work for an employer who provides it - your system is awesome, but for other people.....

I don’t want an argument, but someone did ask.

PS: all dollar amounts above in CDN currency so deduct 30% for the equivalent amounts in USD.

 

[MaxPete]

Well, a broken ankle ain't exactly "elective"... is it? I suspect that, rather than waiting 6 months, he would have been at the head of the line.

ZACKLEY - and if he said that he would have waited six months for treatment for a broken ankle in Canada, he was totally FOS - or he was stroking you GB.