Gay people should be rounded up and fixed...

CJBurgandy · Post by **CJBurgandy** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 11:50 pm

Toawa, it took me 4 doctors and over a year to find out what was wrong with me a few years ago, and then they put me on a medication that almost killed me. And now that we all know what's wrong, no insurance company will cover my medications or treatments because the medication can be used as a conterceptive... now if that's not stupid I don't know what is. The medical world of the USA makes little to no sense.

(BTW, the first doctor swore up and down that I had to pregnant, and wouldn't test for anything else, although I told her I had never slept with men... I'm a LESBIAN)

Jackalope · Post by **Jackalope** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:34 am

Typical. I had to pay for my own wheelchair (to the tune of nearly $3000) because both MediCal and my insurance company decided I'm not crippled enough. Well yeah. Because I'm on 19 different medications, including a monoclonal antibody that costs $2300/mo. I have good drug coverage so they pay for that.

When I first became ill, I went into the clinic and told the doctor that I couldn't seem to get any air when I breathed. And my ribs really, really hurt. They told me it was just stress and I should go home and wait until my appointment with the rheumatologist a week later. What was really going on was lupus destroying the lining of my lungs. By the time I got to the specialist, he had me hospitalized and pumped full of IV steroids to halt the damage. That was the last time I took the "It's just stress/it's all in your head" BS from a doctor.

I've nearly been killed by stupidity twice now (once was because the office staff screwed up and told me to stop the wrong med and you cannot go off steroids cold turkey, but I didn't know that then). And I was a pre-med student before I became ill. I can read the drug info and the articles, but that takes time and energy. I'm probably doing as well as I am because I'm willing to argue with my doctors and wave a big stack of printed out monographs at them. I bullied the neurologist into changing my meds to something that didn't make me a drooling idiot, and I beat my regular doc with the clue-by-four until I got decent pain control meds. But this should not be neccessary.

Cuteswan · Post by **Cuteswan** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:37 am

Thanks, Squiddy. I received visits from the staff dietician and a kitchen manager while there, but before I knew about the vitamin conflicts. However, they were concerned about not serving anything I didn't like and often made substitutions to the normal menu based on my allergies. The pharmacy only had info sheets on the lovenox (in medicalese: "heparin derived from porcine intestinal...." and therefore not kosher) but not the coumadin, but a nurse went on-line and printed out the info. for me on her own time after I had asked her if there were any foods I should avoid (and she already knew the answer, but she had never dispensed my medication).

Jackalope and CJ: The system is whacked, but I hope you're doing better and have people to love and support you. Those doctors should pay for your stress management, which includes trips to Hawaii. Their attitudes suck: An ex-girlfriend had endometriosis and some of the doctors would tell her to "just get pregnant and have a baby." While it may be the most effective cure, the suggestion was more than a bit insensitive.

I also don't care for the determination (which has since changed for some insureres) that laser eye corrective surgeries are considered "cosmetic" since the people with poor eyesight should just deal with glasses or contacts for the rest of their lives.

Major Maxillary: That's my favorite machine!

Toawa: there's much more to my story, but when I wrote out the details this morning, the Cosmic Forces shut me up by having the server drop me just as I ran out of time, losing the message*, so I'll just say that my background and blunt honesty about my conditions may have played a factor, and it got more interesting (and quite infuriating) at times. Still, the nurses get high praises for taking excellent care of a bum like me. WhatMeWorry's suggestion would have been helpful, though.

(I ended up "suggesting" to doctor #3, an okay doctor, that he shouldn't send any more antisocial workers to see me without making sure it was slow in the emergency room.)

*Normally, if I'd expected it to get so big, I'd have used Word and kept saving, like I often suggest, but it went rantish and grew like the Chicken Heart.

WhatMeWorry? · Post by **WhatMeWorry?** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 12:01 pm

jackalope wrote:Typical. I had to pay for my own wheelchair (to the tune of nearly $3000) because both MediCal and my insurance company decided I'm not crippled enough. Well yeah. Because I'm on 19 different medications, including a monoclonal antibody that costs $2300/mo. I have good drug coverage so they pay for that.

If my health ever goes south to the tune of too expensive to handle, I'm changing countries and trading health insurance for socialized medicine.

Moo Cow · Post by **Moo Cow** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 12:58 pm

*hugs CuteSwan* I hope you're okay... that's a lot to go through... terrifying, pulmonary embolyzms... It's ridiculous how when people get really sick the medical system can't seem to figure out what to do. .... sorry to Jackalope and CJ too.... argh, this stuff makes me mad. At least you're all alive and kicking...

But I'm a Cheerleader is an amazing movie. And i just wish that somebody would shut down all these places! Anyone want to go on a gay crusade?

~Sara

Tellner · Post by **Tellner** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 1:12 pm

CuteSwan,

According to my rabbi (Lubavitcher Chassid and the local mashgiach) if you need heparin for a life threatening illness you can use porcine-derived if not doing so would put you at risk. If the difference in price would make it difficult to get other medical care that is necessary for your survival you can buy the cheaper treif version, too.

CJBurgandy · Post by **CJBurgandy** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:18 pm

cuteswan wrote:Their attitudes suck: An ex-girlfriend had endometriosis and some of the doctors would tell her to "just get pregnant and have a baby." While it may be the most effective cure, the suggestion was more than a bit insensitive.
[/size]

That's silly. Endometriosis won't go away like that. It's the growth of Endometry cells outside of the uturas. It doesn't make sense to say pregnacy will get rid of it. (I have that too, along with PCOS) Both my grandmother and Great Grandmother had it and were told the only way to get rid of it was to gut everything out, so my mom is the first woman in her family since her great grandmother to go through menopause. Now a days though, the perscribe things to make it less painful.

Delusion · Post by **Delusion** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:13 am

tellner wrote:
Error of Logic wrote:
squidflakes wrote:
Indeed. Quite as effective as forbidding the eating of meat.

It's odd that this organization hasn't come under governmental scrutiny. Or has it?
Under government scrutiny?

Pull your head out, child. This sort of shit is soon to be official government policy. I'm sure the Office of Faith Based Initiatives is getting a shitload of taxpayer money to carry out the "good work" of brainwashing and psychological torture.

The terminology Zach's quoting looks like Straight Inc.'s jargon.
I don't know if they're receiving any government funds directly, but the
founder of Straight Inc. was rewarded with the ambassadorship to Italy
back in 2001.

Usagi-kun · Post by **Usagi-kun** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:04 am

Thing that worries me is that line seperating church and state is getting so faded you can barely see it anymore. These so called 'camps' to me are just another symptom of this.

Cuteswan · Post by **Cuteswan** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:28 am

tellner wrote:... if you need heparin for a life threatening illness you can use porcine-derived if not doing so would put you at risk.

Oh, I know.

Actually, fifty years ago or so there was some condition that doctors would prescribe bacon for, and even the most religious Jews would have a slice or two every day, though they'd use separate containers, cookware, dishes, etc., just for this "medicine." I haven't kept kosher in a long time, anyway, but that wouldn't have mattered.

I don't know why they decided to use Lovenox heparin instead of a standard drip (convenience, cost, whatever), but it's not like doctor #1 actually talked to me or anything. It was certainly better not to be tethered to an IV tube, as I was less-dependent on the oxygen after a few days and could spend time washing up. (I'm sure the nurses appreciated that.) I just wish they weren't required to keep an IV tap in my arm (which they changed after the first week) for my whole stay when the only time they used it was for the contrast dye while I was in the emergency room. It just made it more difficult to wash up since I had to keep it dry, though my perspiration made the tape fall off and small amounts of blood leaked out because of the thinners and my moving around. Yuck.

* hugs Moo Cow back *

Jackalope · Post by **Jackalope** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:15 pm

They try and use Lovenox preferentially now because there's less risk of cerebral hemmorage. Why add to the patient's problems if they don't have to?

Watcher-Darkfox · Post by **Watcher-Darkfox** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:09 am

I had to go into hospital last year due to an abcess on the brain, thanks to my medical conditions they had to do the operation under local anaethesia... nothing like a hook pealing your flesh back, a hand drill burrowing into your skull and a straw sucking your brains out to give you sweet dreams...

It sounded something like a shaving, a tearing, a grinding through all that wood and a slurping noise....

All the time the doctors are laughing and joking whilst I have my face covered to prevent gore and bone getting into my eyes..

Then there was the drips... ouch... I have small veins and had to have antibiotics delivered intraveniously, so every 3 days the viens would harden and hurt like hell and have to be replaced, they even tried a line in my arm... but that got an infection so it had to be removed and my upper arm was fucked for months after... not to mention if the nurses were busy there would just be enough air in the tubes to cause me to go into mini-fits... and with one lung only already, that kinda screwed with my body...

But being british, I had no bill, so it's all good...

Squidflakes · Post by **Squidflakes** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:08 am

Watcher-Darkfox wrote: ...not to mention if the nurses were busy...

Damn, I read that as "not to mention, the nurses were busty"

MNsane · Post by **MNsane** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:34 am

squidflakes wrote:
Watcher-Darkfox wrote: ...not to mention if the nurses were busy...
Damn, I read that as "not to mention, the nurses were busty"

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm BUSTY nurses...... MN LIKE

Assamite · Post by **Assamite** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:56 pm

Just had to take issue with this...

[quote]No television viewing, going to movies, or reading/watching/listening to secular media of any kind, anywhere within the client

Indigo Violent · Post by **Indigo Violent** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:29 am

Assamite wrote:Wonder if the fundies have listened to Bach's 2500th* Cantata, then? Besides, some of his WTC fugues have an implicit Christian theme. But noooo, MUSIC IS OF THA DEVIIIIL!!!

Well, duh. I mean, anything remotely enjoyable is clearly sinful and evil. Pleasure corrupts the soul! That's why the Bible is so damn boring to read.

Kite-san · Post by **Kite-san** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:42 am

but, sa far as i'm aware, the bible ISN'T boring to read. i havne't read all of the "new testament", but the "Old Testament" is all sex, war, revenge, etc all lumped together. ah, the fun times fucking with people's heads by sneaking into the school bible club and asking for the last section of Noah's story, or the tale of Joseph's little sister Dinah. fun times. ^_^