"Limitations only exist if YOU let them"
Again, a facebook friend has provided the fodder for a blog entry.
As much as I'd like to pretend there are no limitations in life, let's all be honest here... There are PLENTY. I think that many people put up false limitations and don't live to their potential, but there are also people for whom platitudes like the above are actually hurtful. They make us ignore or deny our limitations, disregard what our bodies are telling us, and can actually lead to long term problems. I'm so glad for people who can live a life without limitation...
I am not one of those people.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Correct Specialists
People really like to avoid proper care.
This is the only explanation I have for the behavior of some folks. If your knee was broken, you wouldn't see an ear, nose, throat doctor, would you? Why do people insist on avoiding qualified immunologists?
I understand some people can't travel, but talk to me when you live more than two hours from the closest qualified doctors. It's worth it on these things to get it right. Going to an infectious disease doctor for diagnosis of an immune problem, especially when you have access to immunologists, is just silly and seems very much like you have some kind of munchausen problem, rather than a real immune deficiency.
I guess my opinions here are colored by the fact that I had to drive 45 minutes to get decent medical care as a kid, then drove an hour and a half or two hours to see my immunologist while I was in college. It's really not that far, especially when you have such a rare disease presentation and potential diagnosis. There are folks that fly to other parts of the country for better care from experts. An hour and a half is nothing in comparison.
Edit: In traffic, my current doctor is an hour away.
This is the only explanation I have for the behavior of some folks. If your knee was broken, you wouldn't see an ear, nose, throat doctor, would you? Why do people insist on avoiding qualified immunologists?
I understand some people can't travel, but talk to me when you live more than two hours from the closest qualified doctors. It's worth it on these things to get it right. Going to an infectious disease doctor for diagnosis of an immune problem, especially when you have access to immunologists, is just silly and seems very much like you have some kind of munchausen problem, rather than a real immune deficiency.
I guess my opinions here are colored by the fact that I had to drive 45 minutes to get decent medical care as a kid, then drove an hour and a half or two hours to see my immunologist while I was in college. It's really not that far, especially when you have such a rare disease presentation and potential diagnosis. There are folks that fly to other parts of the country for better care from experts. An hour and a half is nothing in comparison.
Edit: In traffic, my current doctor is an hour away.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
SUSHI BOAT!!
Sometimes, incentives are necessary to ensure medical compliance. After a full week of being completely 100% compliant with my oral medications, a SERIOUS accomplishment for me, my dear boyfriend has determined that after 2 weeks, I get a reward.
What is that reward, you ask?
A SUSHI BOAT!
He knows what gets to me.
What is that reward, you ask?
A SUSHI BOAT!
He knows what gets to me.
Military Insurance
I have several friends who are in the military or belong to military families. In the recent budget released by the president, military insurance takes a hit.
The Military Officers Association of America reports that might have to end up paying $2000/year for premiums, along with an increase in deductible to about $320. Tricare is still some of the best insurance around, covering many conditions private insurance balks at.
Let's put this in perspective. By changing the structure of their insurance for a government savings of over $13 billion, the veterans and their families have to pay more. Meanwhile, private insurance rates are going up 25% for some folks and more for others. Just for myself last year, I paid over $1600 for premium costs... and that's only covering part of my premium because my employer covers most of it. Many employers are using this premium cost shift as a way to save money. Should the federal government really be expected not to follow suit?
I think members of the military and their families experience a lot to protect the country and that we should provide for their care, but at what expense? At what cost to the general populace? I can't afford the kind of care that tricare recipients receive freely. Sure, they will have more out of pocket costs now, but they'll still have access to some of the best insurance in the country. Many of those in federal service pay a lot more for their care.
The Military Officers Association of America reports that might have to end up paying $2000/year for premiums, along with an increase in deductible to about $320. Tricare is still some of the best insurance around, covering many conditions private insurance balks at.
Let's put this in perspective. By changing the structure of their insurance for a government savings of over $13 billion, the veterans and their families have to pay more. Meanwhile, private insurance rates are going up 25% for some folks and more for others. Just for myself last year, I paid over $1600 for premium costs... and that's only covering part of my premium because my employer covers most of it. Many employers are using this premium cost shift as a way to save money. Should the federal government really be expected not to follow suit?
I think members of the military and their families experience a lot to protect the country and that we should provide for their care, but at what expense? At what cost to the general populace? I can't afford the kind of care that tricare recipients receive freely. Sure, they will have more out of pocket costs now, but they'll still have access to some of the best insurance in the country. Many of those in federal service pay a lot more for their care.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Antibiotics and Sinusitis
Today, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology linked to a study recently published by physicians at the Washington University School of Medicine. I'm sure the study will cause a lot of hubbub among doctors and patients because it essentially recommends just symptomatic treatment for most sinusitis, siding with a recent CDC panel's recommendations.
I, for one, am glad to see that serious work is being done to discuss what works and what doesn't for the average patient with sinusitis. Overusing antibiotics puts patients with chronic problems at higher risk for complications from antibiotic resistant bugs. Further, I think that most people go running to the primary care doctor for antibiotics at the first signs of discomfort. I think physicians should be much quicker to recommend symptom relief and much slower to dispense antibiotics. It would be better for people in the long run. People should also realize that it takes time for their immune response to fully kick in and remove the pathogens. In this study, patients treated with amoxicillin and patients treated with placebo had the same results 10 days out.
The study's authors were careful to exclude those with chronic sinusitis, ear infections, chest infections, and other complications to get a better picture of what the average person with a normal immune system and normal sinus presentations would experience. I am hopeful that the next stages of the investigators' work will yield some positive outcomes and treatment procedures for those with sinus infections... hopefully, they'll be antibiotic free.
I, for one, am glad to see that serious work is being done to discuss what works and what doesn't for the average patient with sinusitis. Overusing antibiotics puts patients with chronic problems at higher risk for complications from antibiotic resistant bugs. Further, I think that most people go running to the primary care doctor for antibiotics at the first signs of discomfort. I think physicians should be much quicker to recommend symptom relief and much slower to dispense antibiotics. It would be better for people in the long run. People should also realize that it takes time for their immune response to fully kick in and remove the pathogens. In this study, patients treated with amoxicillin and patients treated with placebo had the same results 10 days out.
The study's authors were careful to exclude those with chronic sinusitis, ear infections, chest infections, and other complications to get a better picture of what the average person with a normal immune system and normal sinus presentations would experience. I am hopeful that the next stages of the investigators' work will yield some positive outcomes and treatment procedures for those with sinus infections... hopefully, they'll be antibiotic free.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Entitled Parents
So we all know how I feel about using children as an excuse. I know it's difficult to be a parent and I have all the respect in the world for those who choose to become parents and are dedicated to their children.
There comes a time when this becomes absurd. Being a parent shouldn't entitle you to any special privileges. Maybe I'm just tired and unsympathetic right now, but just because you spawn some progeny doesn't mean you should get more sick leave.
Yes. A friend with a new baby was complaining that because she has to take care of 2 people she should be entitled to two times the sick leave. Nope, sorry. You chose to have kids. I didn't choose to have a disease that has me spending a lot of sick, vacation, and unpaid leave to care for myself. Just because you've decided to have kids doesn't mean you should have more rights to sick time than I do.
In the first year of life, new parents are entitled to 12 weeks of FMLA. Mom and Dad both have that option (should their employers be large enough), so that amounts to 24 weeks of leave. Yes, babies get sick often and can often make the parents sick also, but that shouldn't get you more leave. Heck, you should feel lucky you have paid leave at all. There are millions of parents in this country who don't have paid leave of any kind, let alone the ability to take FMLA time, even if they are legally entitled to it.
"Children are the future." Yes. They are. But your child's future doesn't make you more important than me, especially not in the eyes of the law. Parents get a lot of leeway for a lot of things and people don't ask new parents for favors. Take what you can get and please, for the love of all that is good, just shut up about what a challenge it is. Talk to me when you've been going to work for the better part of the last 4 months while sick enough to take a sick day.
Note: many of the parents I know are not like this, but there are a vocal few who seem to think they're better than I am and more deserving of the ability to have time off when they or little Timmy are sick.
There comes a time when this becomes absurd. Being a parent shouldn't entitle you to any special privileges. Maybe I'm just tired and unsympathetic right now, but just because you spawn some progeny doesn't mean you should get more sick leave.
Yes. A friend with a new baby was complaining that because she has to take care of 2 people she should be entitled to two times the sick leave. Nope, sorry. You chose to have kids. I didn't choose to have a disease that has me spending a lot of sick, vacation, and unpaid leave to care for myself. Just because you've decided to have kids doesn't mean you should have more rights to sick time than I do.
In the first year of life, new parents are entitled to 12 weeks of FMLA. Mom and Dad both have that option (should their employers be large enough), so that amounts to 24 weeks of leave. Yes, babies get sick often and can often make the parents sick also, but that shouldn't get you more leave. Heck, you should feel lucky you have paid leave at all. There are millions of parents in this country who don't have paid leave of any kind, let alone the ability to take FMLA time, even if they are legally entitled to it.
"Children are the future." Yes. They are. But your child's future doesn't make you more important than me, especially not in the eyes of the law. Parents get a lot of leeway for a lot of things and people don't ask new parents for favors. Take what you can get and please, for the love of all that is good, just shut up about what a challenge it is. Talk to me when you've been going to work for the better part of the last 4 months while sick enough to take a sick day.
Note: many of the parents I know are not like this, but there are a vocal few who seem to think they're better than I am and more deserving of the ability to have time off when they or little Timmy are sick.
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