What are you doing?

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I'm resting. Tonight is my neighborhood's monthly cocktail party/potluck and my neighbor across the street is hosting. I told her to let me know if she wanted me to bring anything in particular; she asked me to make slider rolls from my burger bun recipe for the pulled pork she's making. Made a batch yesterday and another one today, as well as apple cider sangria with white wine, ginger simple syrup, cinnamon schnapps, apple brandy and honey. In a little while, I'll chop up some apples to float in the sangria. Should have a bit of a kick! ;)
 
I'm not sure if this is "What are you doing" or "The sick room." The lines are getting blurry.

What I am doing is getting really tired of rain. It just won't stop! We are up to 12-plus inches for October, and it is only the 19th. We have had a total of three days with no rain this month. I don't know how people in Seattle or London deal with this kind of weather.

CD
 
Soooo, I am watching Sunday Night Football, and the Bengals are having their ***** handed to them. It is 45 to 10, and the game isn't over. :ohmy:

Here is where it get's weird, for me. My Steelers did not play today, yet they moved from third place to first place in the AFC North.

You can't make this stuff up. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. :LOL:

CD
 
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Recovering from total knee replacement surgery.
That’s a real beeyotch! My mom had two, one on each knee; it was the first and only time I’ve ever heard her say the “mf” word. “Tell that mf-ing doctor that I’m gonna kill him,” when she came to. They never really healed correctly, because of her age, her weight, and her RA.

I feel for you. Hope you heal quickly and completely!
 
taxy, I feel for you. I hope they find something that quiets old Arthur Itis for you. I just walk around and complain, much to Himself's chagrin. Hey, it works for me! :LOL:

Lydia, I hope your MRI results come back good.
I have Naproxen for my severely arthritic hip. I try to manage without taking it unless I REALLY need it. It works but if I take it for any length of time (eg 2 weeks while decorating) I get thumb-print size bruises on my arms and legs which goes away when I stop taking the Naproxen. According to the blurb in the pack and on the internet this is not A Good Thing.

Took this issue to the doctor as advised on the blurb. I think I was boring her or at least wasting her afternoon napping time. No comment forthcoming apart from a lot of muttering under her breathe. By this time I was bored too, so bade her "Good Afternoon" and went home. Back to the over-the-counter anti-inflammatories which don't work as well as the Naproxen.

When I first moved here in 2010 I stayed with my Doctor at the old place (about 6 miles away) as I was (to quote him) "disgustingly healthy" and "intelligent and sensible" and he actually listened to what one said. However, he retired so I joined one of the two practices in the village where I now live. Here I am treated like a senile old biddy. Questions, however intelligent and to-the-point are treated as though you are trying to steal the Dr's job.

The British National Health Service is wonderful. No-one dies or suffers unnecessarily because they can't afford treatment but unfortunately some of the GPs and their minions need attacking with a cattle prod.

Sorry, rant over.
 
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The British National Health Service is wonderful. No-one dies or suffers unnecessarily because they can't afford treatment but unfortunately some of the GPs and their minions need attacking with a cattle prod.

Sorry, rant over.

We have a "free enterprise" healthcare system here, and it is actually not much different. GPs here are called PCPs (Primary Care Physicians). The are certainly not stupid, but they have very basic medical education, but we have to go to them first, and have them refer us to specialists. Otherwise, the insurance company won't pay for the specialist. I'm sure your system has it's share of stupid rules, too.

I don't want to attack my PCP with a cattle prod, but I do make her refer me to specialists, so my insurance company will pay for the specialist. She is a good doctor, but she has her limits, and she knows her limits. When something is above her head, she refers me to a specialist.

But, at least I can afford to have health insurance. Healthcare is considered a privilege here -- something poor people and their children don't "deserve," according to the people currently running things.

CD
 
That’s a real beeyotch! My mom had two, one on each knee; it was the first and only time I’ve ever heard her say the “mf” word. “Tell that mf-ing doctor that I’m gonna kill him,” when she came to. They never really healed correctly, because of her age, her weight, and her RA.

I feel for you. Hope you heal quickly and completely!


Thank you J.J. The polar ice set up helps. Unfortunately, I can't get out to the front garage to the freezer to get it very easily. DH snuck out for work early today again, the small ice packs work temporarily. Outpatient rehab starts today. I wish your Mom well,. Hopefully she can get some relief.
 
I have Naproxen for my severely arthritic hip. I try to manage without taking it unless I REALLY need it. It works but if I take it for any length of time (eg 2 weeks while decorating) I get thumb-print size bruises on my arms and legs which goes away when I stop taking the Naproxen. According to the blurb in the pack and on the internet this is not A Good Thing.

Took this issue to the doctor as advised on the blurb. I think I was boring her or at least wasting her afternoon napping time. No comment forthcoming apart from a lot of muttering under her breathe. By this time I was bored too, so bade her "Good Afternoon" and went home. Back to the over-the-counter anti-inflammatories which don't work as well as the Naproxen.

When I first moved here in 2010 I stayed with my Doctor at the old place (about 6 miles away) as I was (to quote him) "disgustingly healthy" and "intelligent and sensible" and he actually listened to what one said. However, he retired so I joined one of the two practices in the village where I now live. Here I am treated like a senile old biddy. Questions, however intelligent and to-the-point are treated as though you are trying to steal the Dr's job.

The British National Health Service is wonderful. No-one dies or suffers unnecessarily because they can't afford treatment but unfortunately some of the GPs and their minions need attacking with a cattle prod.

Sorry, rant over.

Easy does it on the nuproxen & anti inflamatories. They are, as my kidney doctor said, they're poisin to the kidneys. I only have 1 kidney. When doc found out I was prescribed that he went on a frenzy. I was disappointed as it was the only thing that was working for me. My nuphrololgist (kidney doctor) recommended taking OTC tumeric. It didn't work as well but helped take the edge off.
 
We have a "free enterprise" healthcare system here, and it is actually not much different. GPs here are called PCPs (Primary Care Physicians). The are certainly not stupid, but they have very basic medical education...

This is not true. All physicians practicing in the United States must complete three to five years of residency training following four years of medical school. Without a residency, they have a medical degree but they cannot get a license to practice. Most PCPs have completed a three-year residency in either family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics or geriatrics.

... but we have to go to them first, and have them refer us to specialists. Otherwise, the insurance company won't pay for the specialist.

This depends on the insurance plan you have, which is in part dependent on which state you live in. My current insurance doesn't require me to get a referral from my PCP, but I usually ask him for a recommendation. When I had intestinal surgery, I asked my GI doctor for a recommendation for a surgeon. Insurance paid for the surgery, no problem.
 
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... we have to go to them first, and have them refer us to specialists. Otherwise, the insurance company won't pay for the specialist. I'm sure your system has it's share of stupid rules, too.

CD

We also cannot just "go" to a specialist. We must have a referral from our GP. Specialists will just put you on the end of a 3 to 6 year waiting list to see them without a referral. Even with it is often a 3 to 6 month wait for an appointment.

Ontario has PCP's but they are nurses - not doctors - their training is one step up from a nurse and one step down from a GP. They can write prescriptions (limited) and referrals. Not being in Ontario I'm not sure exactly what their limitations are.

If you have seen the specialist before and are in their records as a patient, the wait list is again shortened (down to about one month).
 
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I just finished my lunch that is delivered to me five days a week.

Shepherd's Pie. Creamy mashed potatoes. it covered the the top of the container. Then it was placed under the broiler. So tasty. Most of the time I get a lunch that for me is not edible. I can't eat raw roughage like lettuce. Sure enough a nice little salad came with it. My tummy is satisfied with what I ate.

Now with Pirate so sick, I have to figure out a way I can get those dishes done while standing on one leg.
 
We also cannot just "go" to a specialist. We must have a referral from our GP. Specialists will just put you on the end of a 3 to 6 year waiting list to see them without a referral. Even with it is often a 3 to 6 month wait for an appointment.

Ontario has PCP's but they are nurses - not doctors - their training is one step up from a nurse and one step down from a GP. They can write prescriptions (limited) and referrals. Not being in Ontario I'm not sure exactly what their limitations are.

If you have seen the specialist before and are in their records as a patient, the wait list is again shortened (down to about one month).
Again, it's not necessarily required in the United States that you see your PCP before getting an appointment with a specialist. It depends on your insurance plan and to some degree on state laws. The waiting times will vary widely depending on the number and type of medical professionals in a given area. Places that have a medical school nearby usually have lots of specialists and waits aren't too bad.

When I'm in the hospital, a partner physician or physician assistant from my GI doctor's office visits me every day. When my sister had gallbladder surgery in her city, which has no medical school, a GI doctor only came to the hospital once a week. It was ridiculous.

We have nurse practitioners who have additional training beyond registered nurses and can diagnose and prescribe meds, to an extent. They practice on their own, but they have to have access to a physician for consultation. I have a friend who is a retired nurse practitioner; she ran the student clinic at the university I attended.

We also have physician assistants who practice under the supervision of a physician. Their training is typically a two-year master's degree; their undergrad degree can be practically anything. They can prescribe and treat, but typically you'll see them after a physician has already diagnosed you and created a treatment plan. The occupation of physician assistant was created after the Vietnam War because there were so many highly trained military medics who were not qualified to be doctors or nurses after they left the service.

I learned a lot from working at the local medical school for 14 years [emoji2]
 
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In my case, the difference is whether a plan is HMO or PPO.. I have had both in Cali and MO..


In the HMO plan, the PCP directs me to a specialist..


In the PPO plan, you find a specialist who works with your ins plan..


I am currently in an HMO so, my PCP recommends a specialist within our HMO plan..


Ross
 
In my case, the difference is whether a plan is HMO or PPO.. I have had both in Cali and MO..


In the HMO plan, the PCP directs me to a specialist..


In the PPO plan, you find a specialist who works with your ins plan..


I am currently in an HMO so, my PCP recommends a specialist within our HMO plan..


Ross
That's what I meant when I said it depends on your plan.
 
We also cannot just "go" to a specialist. We must have a referral from our GP. Specialists will just put you on the end of a 3 to 6 year waiting list to see them without a referral. Even with it is often a 3 to 6 month wait for an appointment.

Ontario has PCP's but they are nurses - not doctors - their training is one step up from a nurse and one step down from a GP. They can write prescriptions (limited) and referrals. Not being in Ontario I'm not sure exactly what their limitations are.

If you have seen the specialist before and are in their records as a patient, the wait list is again shortened (down to about one month).
That depends on the specialist. It's always at least 3 months for my ophthalmology appointments. I have been going to the same doctor at that same clinic for seven or eight years. OTOH, if it's urgent, they fit me in the same day, but it might be a different doctor.
 
I think one of the reasons that referrals are often required for specialists is because that way you don't waste the specialist's time. Sometimes people don't know when it is appropriate to go to a specialist and sometimes they want to go to the wrong kind of specialist.
 
I think one of the reasons that referrals are often required for specialists is because that way you don't waste the specialist's time. Sometimes people don't know when it is appropriate to go to a specialist and sometimes they want to go to the wrong kind of specialist.
I agree.
 
Looks like I won't be going anywhere today. The roofers are here, and I'm parked in by a bunch of workers' cars and haul-away equipment. We had significant hail damage last year, and I finally got around to getting it fixed. Got the best of the best, highly recommended and busy, he did two other houses on the road, and the neighbors are very happy with the work. The crew arrived shortly after 7 am, and should be finished by the end of the day. Beagle was very confused when I took her out this morning!

Edit: They're already done and cleaned up by 11!
 
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