I finally got the prognosis for my back problem (after only 7 months ). Extruded disk between L3 and L4 pressing on a nerve. The good news is that it will heal, all by itself. The bad news is that it takes 1 year to 2 years to heal. I am so happy to know I didn't break something that won't grow back!

My job is to resume normal activities, except the stupid ones, like moving appliances or furniture.
The latest doc offered to inject cortisone, once a week for three weeks, but knows before she starts that the procedure is so traumatic that she will have to start with a memory blocking drug. I said, "No".

I have healed enough that I don't have any pain at all for about half of the day. If I added an afternoon nap, I might get to almost zero pain. I prefer taking care of myself to submitting to expensive and traumatic procedures.

Still this caused a thought: This is a good business model because the DEA has made it very dangerous for a doctor to prescribe cheap, effective, drugs for temporary pain. Solution? Prescribe expensive, ineffective procedures. Cortisone injections require 3 visits just for starters, and 5 people I talked to said the injections don't work very well and don't last very long. You would have to be desperate to go through that, and I am not desperate. Now that I have learned that there is a normal healing process, I am not even afraid.

As I get older, I find that I am refusing more and more medical advice. What the doctors don't say is, "All I can offer is very expensive and not very effective". They just prescribe these expensive, invasive, and ineffective treatments because that is what, "The Doctor Book" says and so, that is all they know how to do.

Got contradictory results on your blood test? Don't repeat the five dollar blood test; go get a $300 procedure that is so invasive that it requires injected drugs to make you hold still.

Need a Chiropractor? Go to this one, 25 miles away, because he will cost you eight times as much as any other Chiropractor charges. Never mind that there are competent Chiropractors 3 miles away that accept your insurance.

Got a temporary pain that will heal by itself? Go get several expensive, invasive, minimally effective procedures that require injected drugs to make you hold still.

Been taking minor opiates for occasional pain? Let me put you on 24 hour pain patches that are guaranteed to cause addiction and force you to wear them all the time by demanding tests that prove your urine contains the drugs.

I don't think so.

 

Nice rant.

One of the best comebacks I have heard was from a urologist, who used to say simply, "Just wait until you can't pee."

John

 

Every one of those complaints happened to me within the last 1 year.

I suppose you want to say that refusing to do what the doctor orders is rarely a good idea, and at the very least, requires information and good judgement. I am saying that refusing is not only possible, it is becoming more acceptable as I get more information and keep meeting stupider doctors.

I can fix all four of those complaints by, 1) ordering a repeat blood test. 2) asking my insurance company where their nearest approved Chiropractor is. 3) and 4) Simply by saying, "No, I am not consenting to a high risk solution for a low risk problem". The fact that a treatment exists does not make it right for a problem that will heal just as quickly without any treatment at all.

 

or when they call and say your test results are in, can you come in today?
then try to charge you an office visit fee. I always refuse and say You called Me, and I charge the same rate as you for coming here at your request. I have walked out before, but have never been charged a fee to get the results of a test already paid for.

 

As I get older, I find that I am refusing more and more medical advice. What the doctors don't say is, "All I can offer is very expensive and not very effective". They just prescribe these expensive, invasive, and ineffective treatments because that is what, "The Doctor Book" says and so, that is all they know how to do.

This may not be part of your experience, but it is worth watching:

Good luck with your recovery.

 

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but I've found that doing a little homework on your doctor goes a long way. The internet is awesome. I can start typing in a doctor's name and before I finish, google already knows who I'm talking about and has a list of complaints or praises about the person on various websites like vitals, healthgrades, etc. Also all the insurance providers I've gone through in the past few years have a web "portal" where they maintain their own database of customer feedback on doctors in their network as well (including price with the average rating, for a "value" score). When I was looking for a doctor I looked until I found one where there was a consistent pattern of people saying "the doctor is very open," "this doctor actually listens to you," "he will work with you to find find alternatives to prescription meds," "he doesn't default to surgery for everything," and so on. I chose that doctor. Check it out; I typed "dr. joshua de..." and here's what google has to say about my doctor.

 

I suspect there are some MD members here, and almost certainly some MD visitors, and am not out to make a blanket condemnation of all MDs.

But, my opinion is that there are too many doctors that care everything about billing and nothing about their patients, and their conduct screams that attitude at every turn. I despise being treated in a condescending manner and, at my age, see absolutely no reason to pay anyone at any time to treat me like a mangy dog. To that end, I respond in kind to rude service providers, especially the rich, highly educated ones with god complexes.

 

This may not be part of your experience, but it is worth watching

and that is how spinnaker got 8 pills for $230.

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/in-the-hospital.107738/

 

I respond in kind to rude service providers, especially the rich, highly educated ones with god complexes.

Some of my best moments involved knocking the halo off a God Complex.

Sign in the office: "The quality of your care depends on who the doctor is, you or me."

Bedside conversation:
"Where did you learn that word, "alveoli?"
"I got a passing grade in high school biology, didn't you?"

 

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but I've found that doing a little homework on your doctor goes a long way. The internet is awesome. I can start typing in a doctor's name and before I finish, google already knows who I'm talking about and has a list of complaints or praises about the person on various websites like vitals, healthgrades, etc. Also all the insurance providers I've gone through in the past few years have a web "portal" where they maintain their own database of customer feedback on doctors in their network as well (including price with the average rating, for a "value" score). When I was looking for a doctor I looked until I found one where there was a consistent pattern of people saying "the doctor is very open," "this doctor actually listens to you," "he will work with you to find find alternatives to prescription meds," "he doesn't default to surgery for everything," and so on. I chose that doctor. Check it out; I typed "dr. joshua de..." and here's what google has to say about my doctor.

I find it interesting that only one person had an issue with him; then to find out this person claims to be an MD as well. (Educated Abroad)

I suspect the person who made the negative comment; was there for other purposes. Maybe to get prescriptions and was upset your doctor could see through their guise.

I think of an old adage as well ( Doctors make the worse patients ) not to mention their lifestyle is poor by comparison among the population in some cases. If I wanted to be a millionaire I would try to follow the instructions values of a millionaire.

If the Doctor is Un-healthy maybe I should seek another Doctor or if I get a bad vibe. Case in point; I needed a surgery on my sinuses. I went to see an old army surgeon; out of date and out of time. His suggestions and overall attitude creeped me out. Not sure why?

Glad I didn't use him; the Doctor I turned to has his own x-ray machine up to date and is located very close to the hospital and surgical facility. He is well staffed and capable; I had the best experience compared to some horror stories people have told me.

kv

 

I finally got the prognosis for my back problem (after only 7 months ). Extruded disk between L3 and L4 pressing on a nerve. The good news is that it will heal, all by itself. The bad news is that it takes 1 year to 2 years to heal. I am so happy to know I didn't break something that won't grow back!

Been through something similar to that a few times now so I can relate to the pain and overall physically helpless feelings it can cause.

Few things worse than going into back spasms while on the toilet and having your legs go to sleep before the back pain subsides enough to be able to wipe and then trying to get up with a bad back, dead legs and your pants around your ankles.
(Okay its funny now but not when you're there.)

 

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but I've found that doing a little homework on your doctor goes a long way. The internet is awesome. I can start typing in a doctor's name and before I finish, google already knows who I'm talking about and has a list of complaints or praises about the person on various websites like vitals, healthgrades, etc. Also all the insurance providers I've gone through in the past few years have a web "portal" where they maintain their own database of customer feedback on doctors in their network as well (including price with the average rating, for a "value" score). When I was looking for a doctor I looked until I found one where there was a consistent pattern of people saying "the doctor is very open," "this doctor actually listens to you," "he will work with you to find find alternatives to prescription meds," "he doesn't default to surgery for everything," and so on. I chose that doctor. Check it out; I typed "dr. joshua de..." and here's what google has to say about my doctor.

And @killivolt too:

Healthgrades and other similar "services" suffer from enormous sampling bias. Probably even more important, you need to review the criteria used, rather than just look at the grade. The example I have cited before that showed quality of care for heart attacks was better in a psychiatric hospital than in a cardiovascular ICU is just one example. Quality of care was weighted heavily based on the average length of stay. As another example, taking a patient's temperature within 30 minutes of arrival in a ED is a measure of quality of care. However, if you are living in a big city, you may be more concerned about having your bullet wound attended to first. There are many such examples.

My advice to people is to go to your local hospital, contact the pathologist there and ask for a recommendation. Pathologists are rarely seen by the public, except on TV. They often have time to talk, particularly in the afternoon after morning surgeries and noon staff meetings. They are in a unique position in that their patients almost never see them. Instead, they work through the physicians who serve the patients directly and know those physicians well. Pathologists do not have a conflict of interest or worries about losing a patient to someone else. That method has never failed me, regardless of whether I was looking for an PCP/internist/FP or surgeon. Pathologists are particularly knowledgeable about surgeons.

John

 

Few things worse than going into back spasms while on the toilet and having your legs go to sleep before the back pain subsides enough to be able to wipe and then trying to get up with a bad back, dead legs and your pants around your ankles.

It wasn't that bad for me, I merely fainted.

Odd...most doctors and nurses don't understand that, "unconscious" is on my, "pain scale from 1 to 10".

 

Odd...most doctors and nurses don't understand that, "unconscious" is on my, "pain scale from 1 to 10".

Same here. If I am still conscious enough to talk I am still under a 10.

Now that said a few years ago I burned my arm real bad from my elbow to the tip of my thumb with heavy second and mid third degree flash burns from a hot water scalding. While sitting in the emergency room I started to get tunnel vision and everything got real muffled and dim for a moment. I would put that at about a 9.5.

Interestingly enough the skin grafting specialist who looked at me the day after it happened said I would need likely need some work done unless I wanted to have a noticeable scar covering most of the inside of my forearm.
About 6 weeks later I went back for the follow up he had scheduled being he was figuring that would be when he start mapping out what would need grafting.
To his utter amazement about 90% of the boiled and burned skin had grown in and was completely scar free already. even the hair had filled back in uniformly. At 6 months there was no evidence of any injury and only the slightest darkening on my inner wrist where the burns were the worst and deepest. He said he had never seen anything like it in all his time as a doctor.

My wife thinks I am some sort of Alien human hybrid being I heal in ways and at rates that she thinks are not normal.

 

Trading war stories?

17 years old, working at KFC. Somebody got out of pattern during a pressure cooker pull and I had to stop suddenly. A gallon of grease at 200 F on my right arm. Blisters from my thumb to my elbow. A week later? No sign that it ever happened.

The best part of this memory is realizing that I have worked with crews on several jobs and I have never had to put up with a, "danger to himself and others" kind of person. Kind of a blessed life in that sense of the word.

 

Unfortunately I have worked with too many people who are dangers to themselves and everyone around them and every great once in a while I am one of them myself.

Mine was just from my own stupidity and not paying attention.

We had just bought a old Case 1150 dozer and it had been overheating one day so I had been flushing the radiator out over and over while the gunk in the cooling systems was breaking up after having done a heavy acid flush earlier.
I had straight water in it and had been running with the radiator cap loose so that when ever it got hot it would steam over and I would stop and do a quick dump of the system and refill it getting the more and more junk out of the cooling systems every time I did a flush.

Anyway at one point the cap must have managed to get stuck just enough to hold a bit of pressure and when I went to lift the heavy steel cover plate off that is over the cap I dropped it a knocking the cap off which instantly shot boiling hot water up my arm and into my glove. All of my skin was instantly flash boiled from the epidermal layer out.

I walked to the house changed shirts, cleaned myself up and walked back to the living room and told my wife I burned myself a bit and may need to go the the emergency room. All hell broke loose after that being the whole inside of my forearm and half my hand looked like a boiled sausage.

I will say a bossy angry Turkish wife does get you fast service at the emergency room though.

 

I will say a bossy angry Turkish wife does get you fast service at the emergency room though.

Wives!

One day I broke my arm, drove myself to get it fixed, and was on the sofa when wife got home. She was all angry about why I didn't phone her so she could drive 100 miles in a big hurry. I was all, "WTF? You couldn't do anything to fix it."

Wives.

 

I just found a comic that seems appropriate: