Canderous and Cade's Crazy Cantina: a shiny new fanfiction social thread!

I really don't care whether an OB is male or female. Actually, in my experience, the men are gentler than women. If they know what they're doing, I'm happy.

And reading all your posts...I am quite happy that I live in Germany. Sure, we have Doctors here who make me scream but all in all, they do a pretty good job. And I can see which ever Doctor I want, no matter where he or she is, no matter which insurance. Because that's just crazy.

But still, as a patient don't go and believe everything they say. They're human and they make mistakes too. If there's something that makes you uncomfortable or the Doc didn't answer your questions acurately, get a second opinion. Or a third.

 

I agree with Ceillean, except for the living in Germany part. The NHS might be having issues right now, but I can see who I want, when I want. If I can't get to the doctors I can still get repeat prescriptions and sick notes. It's just so easy when we don't have things like insurance to deal with. We have pet insurance and that's a hassle sometimes. Knowing me, I'd have to get someone else to sort out my insurance for me because I'm generally useless at, well, everything.

Oh, and before I forget, can I link to a kickstarter project? I know we're not allowed to advertise stuff but I'm not sure if this would be advertising it or not.

 

I dunno, I'd PM a mod about links. But if your bro is allergic to penicillin, I'd definitely get a medical alert tag necklace or bracelet or something, 'cause if he's unconscious and can't tell them he's allergic . . . You'd be surprised what has penicillin in it.

Right now, the Lupus is manageable, for the most part. I haven't been having severe flares. The reason the diagnosis is even in question is because it somehow got removed from my medical records sometime since I was 14 and I'm trying to re-establish, but the standards for diagnosing have changed, and even though I have something like 29 out of 35 symptoms on this list, I don't have the one stupid little ANA count (which usually only happens during a flare, but if I can't get in to see the doc during a flare, it goes away . . . etc.) whenever they draw my blood. But I've got this Lupus rash on my stomach, the dermatologist says it's definitely Discoid Lupus, but these days a rheumatologist has to diagnose Lupus. And the one I had didn't give a crap about me. So I'm trying to find a new one. And I periodically get a "med-pack" of steroids to temporarily calm flare symptoms from my regular doctor.

ANYWAY!

Weather's warmed up some. And by that I mean that it's currently about 25 degrees outside, rather than -2. Fahrenheit, not Celsius. If this continues, it'll start snowing again and drop right back down. *sigh*

 

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem seeing a male OB. It just seems like an odd field to be so male-dominated (at my hospital, anyway), lol.
(could it be that they have no personal-experience concept of how much labor sucks? )

 

I need to find a new OB/GYN, since mine moved to China. Weirdly, same month my rheumatologist moved to Israel. Hmm . . .

 

After all the stuff that's happened here in recent months and all the stuff that's come out about medical treatment, especially of women, and even more especially of pregnant women, I've decided that if and when I have kids, they'll be born in Britain or Germany. I don't want to die or have a lifetime of complications just because I'm not Catholic or some idiot doctor refused to listen to me. I swear they treat patients like kids here anyway. If you want any actual information you have to sneak a look at your chart (which they don't always fill in properly), or hound them until they give in and tell you.

I only really realised over the past year just how bad the health system can be, here. Ever since my brother spent a night in hospital on a bed in the corridor, because there was no room in the wards. Not exactly First World conditions.

 

I agree with Ceillean. My general family doctor can be a know-it-all and the wait times can be ridiculous, but at least I don't have to pay to go see him or deal with insurance companies. Thank goodness for Canadian health care

 

Well, there's something like 1000 administrators for every 20 doctors in Ireland. It's a ridiculous waste of resources, and instead of concentrating on overhauling that, people are up in arms over a stupid, piddly household tax that's less than what we here in the US pay. This is one of the reasons I'm not fired up over Obamacare. It's not going to be a godsend, it's going to start a nightmare. And already has. BYU just laid off a ton of people because they can't afford to give them raises or provide them benefits when they're only half-time employees.

 

What are you doing to drive them all away?!?

That's one of the things I hated about providers at Bliss. I had an OB/GYN talking to me like I hadn't had basic high school (or middle school for that matter) health class. It was a little off-putting.

 

Lol, dana has only once made me feel like fleeing the country. I took her with me, though.

 

@moosemoussee - It just depends on what it's for, but most likely it is fine. Send me a convo with the link and I'll let you know.

The flu is crazy bad this year, I've had so many patients who are critically ill... or ED has been full for weeks. It usually doesn't get super bad until late January early February.

I -like so many people who work in healthcare- haven't been to a doctor in a long time. I really should go for at least a checkup (or to get my migraines under control), I just haven't done it.

 

I hear you on that, Mav. My friend from high school is so adamant about me seeing a migraine specialist that she's researched who I can see in my area...from 2000 miles away.

 

I finally got my flu shot tonight.

As she's injecting me, the pharmacist says, "I swear, the thing going around Oklahoma right now isn't even the flu. We all got the vaccine and we've all been sick."

Me: You're better now...right?

Mav, from what you've seen, are the people getting sick not vaccinated? Or is it just a bad match? I've been hearing both (that the vaccine was very accurate or not at all), I'm assuming part of it is regional.

 

The flu is like that around here, too. They've been filling up other floors of the hospital with flu patients since they are running out of room on the appropriate floors.

 

The only doctors I've had problems with were psychiatrists and the occasional ER doctor. Certain psychiatrists just absolutely love to mess around with my medication. Up this, change that, add this. For more fun, add something that causes my heartrate and blood pressure to spike, and then I require medication to control that, and then another medication to counteract some side-effect from the other meds that counteract the side-effect from the first medication! And then I get a bad cold, which turns into bronchitis, which becomes stubborn and won't go away, so I'm on two courses of antibiotics, plus some heavy-duty cough medicine and I'm taking a literal handful of pills each morning.

My current psychiatrist is one of those pill-happy doctors. When I first started seeing him, he commented on how low a dose one of my medications were. Meaning: he wanted to up it. I declined, said it worked fine. Though, the pharmacy started using a generic for it, and for some reason, the formulation of that generic just didn't seem right, and I noticed that it wasn't working as well as it should. My next appointment, I comment about that, and without skipping a beat, the doctor ups the dosage. So, he wanted to up it all along.

Isn't psychiatry fun?

 

CRAP. I just realised I'm supposed to have my final Hep shot tomorrow. Augh.

 

I got switched to a generic an it didn't work. I was freaking. I got my doctor to write Fill as Prescribed. Then my insurance company had to pay for the good stuff. It is my PMDD meds....why screw with anybody's PMDD meds?! It's only the medication that keeps people from murdering their spouse when they do something really irritating...like that repetitive breathing...in and out...in and out...I get it! Give it a break already!

 

It was an antipsychotic medication that was switched to a generic and lost its effectiveness. The upped dosage uses the brand-name extended release of that same medication, and my insurance will cover that without a problem. But, the lower non-extended-release dosage? Not a chance! They also stopped covering an antidepressant I was on, so I had to switch to an inferior earlier version of the same drug. Works the same, but it has more side-effects.

Then, I get the updated formulary in the mail and find that, oh look, they're covering that drug again.

It's any wonder I'm on medication.

 

Careful, guys. We're starting to sound like a couple of senior citizens complaining about our medical problems over coffee. All we need is someone to complain about the donut hole in their Medicare coverage and we're in business.

 

Honestly, I don't know. If I'm seeing someone because of the flu, they've most likely got a very extreme case (so mostly the very young, the very old and the chronically ill, all people who should be getting it) and are very sick By the point I'm seeing them, it doesn't really matter to ask. I've heard it's a better match than most years, don't know if that's true or not but it's never 100%-- it's always a possibility you will get it even with the vaccine.

I will say that I got my vaccine (have to or you have to wear a mask from October to April the entire time you are in the hospital) and have been up in the face of quite a few people (one of the hazards of being a respiratory therapist) who have tested positive for A and B and haven't gotten it. I know that doesn't really mean anything.


Dantana- I have to get the second in the Hep B series on Valentine's Day... what a day to get it! I've gotten the first several times but always forget to get the rest and then they make me start all over again.

 

I'm supposed to get the shots free, but I have to go get a voucher from my mental health provider every time. So I'm in for a fun day tomorrow.

 

Never in my life have I ever gotten a flu shot. Go me. I've never even had the flu. A cold, sure. The flu? Nope.

I am insanely happy that I'm healthy. More or less. I take my daily meds because I no longer have a thyroid gland but other than that, happily healthy.

So, to stop sounding like senior citizens, as Luna so nicely put it, how's everyone's writing going? The boards have gone quiet in the fanfic. I miss OC stories. Good, action packed OC stories.
Twenty minutes to seven, I have to get ready for work. I'm so tired. I could sleep for another few hours.

 

My muse has been keeping its distance, lately.

 

I have never had the flu, and this was the first time that I've gotten the shot since I was maybe 7? The doctor was very adamant I get it the year I developed asthma, and then I just sort of never got it again. But everything is all doom and gloom about the flu this year which still wouldn't usually inspire me, but I figure if I do come down with it while pregnant, I'll kick myself for not getting the vaccination. Even if I still get it, I'll at least feel better knowing I tried.

Writing? Ha. Actually, I'm about to get swamped with school work (6 days 'til my first class starts...ugggghhhh) which is usually great for my fanfic muse. Less great for school. But you did remind me that I'm due for a diary update (not a dairy update, as I tried to type...twice) so I guess that'll be along shortly.
No, 2012 shall be the year lost to THE MOVE. Here's to a more productive 2013 for fanfic. *cheers* (close enough)

 

Same here. *sighs* Last night I managed to write a few paragraphs and I'm surprised at how much my writing voice has changed. Doesn't fit the character at all so I'm going to go back and change it tonight. Then I found a story that I had written when the temp boards were still online. I forgot about it but ooooh it was so much fun writing evil dark-side Kyp. So I might pick that one up again. We'll see. We'll see whether or not my muse is cooperative.

No, 2012 shall be the year lost to THE MOVE. Here's to a more productive 2013 for fanfic. *cheers* (close enough)

Indeed. *cheers* To a productive 2013.