Health Care priorities are misguided - my ER visit

[SwampSurvivor]

Unfortunately, drug addicts have ruined it for people like yourself who have a legitimate need for these pills. A pretty well written show that gives a good insight into all of this is Nurse Jackie. It opened my eyes to the problem of addiction. I have a stash for Lorazepam from a few years ago. I think it has actually expired. Apparently I have the opposite luck. I went to the doctor because I had a pretty serious cold and would be flying for work ... I wanted something so I wouldn't have sinus issues. I don't know too much about medications and such so they wrote me a prescription for this. It wasn't until after I learned what it was. Never used it ... didn't take them with me.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig

Third World healthcare is on the way. The Brits, often touted for their "free" "National Healthcare" also have a thriving population of "private" doctors for those who can afford NOT to use the "National Health". In this country the "leaders" who brought us this system will ALSO have a private network to rely upon. Did you actually think it would be any other way?

Don't you realize that our 'leaders' despise 'us' (the regular folks)..they are forced to solicit our 'vote' every so often but in reality they despise us. Why do you think they make so many laws and then exempt themselves....

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: Al

Originally Posted By: sleddriver

I seem to recall years ago when two Motrin tabs were prescribed. Well, that's 1600mg right off the bat. That would be equiv. to eight 200mg tablets. Again, your mileage may vary. There are stronger NSAID's available behind the counter, that last longer, such as Meloxicam (Mobic).

Yea..as I said earlier 800mg 3 times a day for 2 or 3 days does wonders.

Check your math Al. Two prescription Motrin = 1600mg, not 800mg.

 

[javacontour]

That's the problem, we think it's "ok" to shift those costs to others. It's NOT ok. If Mr or Mrs no insurance or here illegally would simply pay their own way, you wouldn't have this madness. But no one in power is brave enough to say, ENOUGH! We have people saying everyone has the right to healthcare. Which if it meant you couldn't be turned down because or race, gender religion, political affiliation, etc, but you still don't ahve the right to demand others pay, things would be fine. But the right to .... has been perverted to mean the right to demand others pay. That's not what it means to have a right to something. There is no right to shift costs to others.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Slo-town, What about the hospital collecting $0 from an illegal with no insurance and they have infected appendix needing surgery and 3 day hospital stay ? Beckers Hospital Review.com has lots of info on the way hospitals are run. There is a good reason a bandage costs $300

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: javacontour

That's the problem, we think it's "ok" to shift those costs to others. It's NOT ok. If Mr or Mrs no insurance or here illegally would simply pay their own way, you wouldn't have this madness. But no one in power is brave enough to say, ENOUGH! We have people saying everyone has the right to healthcare. Which if it meant you couldn't be turned down because or race, gender religion, political affiliation, etc, but you still don't ahve the right to demand others pay, things would be fine. But the right to .... has been perverted to mean the right to demand others pay. That's not what it means to have a right to something. There is no right to shift costs to others.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Slo-town, What about the hospital collecting $0 from an illegal with no insurance and they have infected appendix needing surgery and 3 day hospital stay ? Beckers Hospital Review.com has lots of info on the way hospitals are run. There is a good reason a bandage costs $300

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted By: tgrudzin

Sorry for your pain. The drugs you want are classified as Schedule 2 drugs. Such high potential for miss use that prescriptions must be made in person and must be written, not electronically sent. Law changed in the past 12 months which is why the last time your were able to call it in. The law was changed, not your doctor or insurance company policy. The went into effect October 6th, 2015. Federal law at that.

This. Overprescribing narcotics has led to chemical dependency among a very large chunk of middle class persons who get their drugs through "back pain" treatment instead of the streets. So the government is trying to curb this epidemic.

 

[Alfred_B]

OP, also watch out for the NSAID use and stay within the recommended dosage. Otherwise you can damage your liver.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver

Check your math Al. Two prescription Motrin = 1600mg, not 800mg.

Yea..I know..just remarking that you can take higher doses like 3 doses of 800 each

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: dishdude

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

If you are in the country illegally..that's what I would do.

 

[javacontour]

Who said let them die? Figure out how they can pay for it. But cost shifting is the wrong solution. Those who have no stake in the treatment of others getting the bill? Where is the accountability in that transaction? Besides, I thought the ACA was supposed to solve all this. Sign them up right there if they don't have coverage. But stop shifting costs to others.

Originally Posted By: dishdude

Originally Posted By: javacontour

That's the problem, we think it's "ok" to shift those costs to others. It's NOT ok. If Mr or Mrs no insurance or here illegally would simply pay their own way, you wouldn't have this madness. But no one in power is brave enough to say, ENOUGH! We have people saying everyone has the right to healthcare. Which if it meant you couldn't be turned down because or race, gender religion, political affiliation, etc, but you still don't ahve the right to demand others pay, things would be fine. But the right to .... has been perverted to mean the right to demand others pay. That's not what it means to have a right to something. There is no right to shift costs to others.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Slo-town, What about the hospital collecting $0 from an illegal with no insurance and they have infected appendix needing surgery and 3 day hospital stay ? Beckers Hospital Review.com has lots of info on the way hospitals are run. There is a good reason a bandage costs $300

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: Al

Originally Posted By: dishdude

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

If you are in the country illegally..that's what I would do.

As long as we have veterans to treat, I think those here illegally go to the back of the line. Or we could send them back home where they can use the healthcare system where they are citizens. Seems fair to me. If you break the law, you face the natural consequences of breaking the law.

 

[javacontour]

What I'm saying is my wife and I paid over $32k in federal and state taxes last year, not counting sales taxes, excise taxes, property taxes. I'm intimately familiar with these numbers as we just finished tax season. That's over and above supporting three children and paying for health insurance. I'm tired of everyone thinking it's my job to pay the way of others. If you want to help others, start writing checks and spending your own money. I'm just tired of everyone piling it on me and my family. It's not that I don't help, we gave about $12 grand to various charities, so it's not like I don't help others. If someone doesn't care enough to avail themselves to the myriad of benefits out there, then I just might not care if they don't make it. Sorry, I'm just tired of it being my responsibility to care for others.

Originally Posted By: dishdude

Originally Posted By: javacontour

That's the problem, we think it's "ok" to shift those costs to others. It's NOT ok. If Mr or Mrs no insurance or here illegally would simply pay their own way, you wouldn't have this madness. But no one in power is brave enough to say, ENOUGH! We have people saying everyone has the right to healthcare. Which if it meant you couldn't be turned down because or race, gender religion, political affiliation, etc, but you still don't ahve the right to demand others pay, things would be fine. But the right to .... has been perverted to mean the right to demand others pay. That's not what it means to have a right to something. There is no right to shift costs to others.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Slo-town, What about the hospital collecting $0 from an illegal with no insurance and they have infected appendix needing surgery and 3 day hospital stay ? Beckers Hospital Review.com has lots of info on the way hospitals are run. There is a good reason a bandage costs $300

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel

What I don't understand is why the OP was doing heavy lifting when he has a history of problems that could be exacerbated by lifting heavy objects?

It wasn't heavy lifting. What it was a bit awkward when I pushed the box back into it's shelf when 90% of the weight was back on the shelf. I've done med to heavy lifting all my life from age 12 to age 55. Finally had to tone it down a lot because of shoulder pain and a recurring hernia. For the past 7 years all my weight lifting is with the bars or dumb bells off the floor on stands...never more than 65 lbs now. I never lift them from the floor. I have never in my lift hurt or aggravated my back from lifting weights. And in this instance, the box was 3 ft off the floor to start with and was moved to a bench also 3ft off the floor. I've done movements like that dozens of times each year. It could be a 40 lb bag of concrete or some logs. Though I must admit I was totally unfamiliar with the notion that I could flame out my hip from a fairly "safe" and controlled lift. Never had a hip flame out before like this. Lesson learned though. Fwiw I carry 40lb water jugs down a flight of stairs quite routinely. Degenerative back disease runs in the family. I also bike 8-9 miles 3X per week (down from the 11-13 miles from a few years ago). To do nothing invites more back problems. It's almost always stupid things that cause me back/hip spasms. And by that I mean turning the wrong way with a light weight (10 lbs) or no weight. Or bending over to pick something up like a piece of paper or gallon of water. I almost always brace my arm to my leg with picking anything up. Even when I sneeze I brace my body as I've sprained my back from that. Even got a back sprain once by brushing my teeth and turning the wrong way. Ironically, I've never hurt my back with any type of weight lifting or cardio exercise. My simple lifts are always straight and in-line. Most of us can't afford to hire a butler to do all the 40-50 lb box lifts for us. It's just the two of us and my back is in far better shape that the Mrs. who is restricted to 15-20 lbs or less. So the doctor gave me a stretching routine and the advice to get more core exercise into my routine. I had slacked off a bit on the core the past month as this hip soreness seemed to aggravate it. He felt that could have helped left the hip to take more of the brunt of the lift. To those who said that a single muscle relaxant dose wouldn't have helped me is full of it. After arriving at the ER, a single Valium pill was all I needed to walk out under my own power 3 hours later. Those are good for 8 hours. I was prescribed 10 of those along with 10 Naproxen. I've taken 5 of each so far. Saw my PCP today and he suggested finishing all the Naproxen but had no problem with me "saving" the 5 remaining Diazepam/Valiums for the next potential event. I knew on Friday that 1 pill could get me over the top, just like it does when I blow out my back once every 1-2 years. ----- I'll take Al's advice to do 2400mg/day next time around. Had I started that regimen earlier (vs. 800 mg/day) it might have helped to keep me out of extremis. Thanks for all the inputs.

 

[Mr Nice]

Dishdude, You are being silly. Of course they need to treat the illegal resident so they don't die. Your very good insurance pays for folks without insurance. Bottom line, your taxes and insurance premiums pay for the uninsured.

 

[dishdude]

How is that silly? If they don't have insurance and are broke, the cost of caring for them is being shifted to someone else. BTW, I also paid plenty in taxes last year, I am not boohooing about it.

 

[Mr Nice]

Silly that you suggest that I wanted for the person to die on sidewalk in front of hospital. Dishdude, You know anyone looking for work? We are hiring with benefits and good health insurance.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Silly that you suggest that I wanted for the person to die on sidewalk in front of hospital. Dishdude, You know anyone looking for work? We are hiring with benefits and good health insurance.

I was replying to jc, but I see you got quoted in there too. I do know someone looking for work, kindly send a PM to Spillips. Everyone else I know is fully employed and doing very well, fortunately.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dishdude

Originally Posted By: javacontour

That's the problem, we think it's "ok" to shift those costs to others. It's NOT ok. If Mr or Mrs no insurance or here illegally would simply pay their own way, you wouldn't have this madness. But no one in power is brave enough to say, ENOUGH! We have people saying everyone has the right to healthcare. Which if it meant you couldn't be turned down because or race, gender religion, political affiliation, etc, but you still don't ahve the right to demand others pay, things would be fine. But the right to .... has been perverted to mean the right to demand others pay. That's not what it means to have a right to something. There is no right to shift costs to others.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Slo-town, What about the hospital collecting $0 from an illegal with no insurance and they have infected appendix needing surgery and 3 day hospital stay ? Beckers Hospital Review.com has lots of info on the way hospitals are run. There is a good reason a bandage costs $300

So you're saying allow hospitals to refuse treatment and have people die on the sidewalk in front of the hospital?

I say ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY YES!

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle

I say ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY YES!

At least you're honest about it! Everyone else - oh we shouldn't have to pay for that. And then you ask if treatment should be refused - oh no I didn't say that, how could you possibly insinuate something so silly.

 

[bbhero]

The real issue here is the billing of healthcare not the provision of it. When the end receiver becomes greatly detached from the cost of anything then the results are sky rocketing costs. The provision of healthcare by employers which stated as a very good thing as become a vastly oversized monstrosity with no end in sight to its growth potential. Added into this care paid for by the government and the perfect storm began for ever higher end cost. If we made the EXACT same large scale decisions for car maintenance then replacing rotors and pads all around would be what $5, $6000??? If the transaction of payment had been kept from ONE person to a doctor or hospital then these number would have never gotten out of control to begin with. Now when anyone in healthcare can charge LARGE sums of money to a LARGE corporation what happens?? Prices for services go inexorably higher over time. I've seen firsthand how the billing of care provided goes between a hospital and a large insurance corporation. It's laughable... You might as well be at Barrett Jackson. Plain STUPID. Now, this monster that has been created is going to ultimately bring about its own demise. Due to what I've mentioned already plus our nation taking on more people who are needing care with no way to pay for it because they don't have any part or portion of the monster. Aka employer provided health insurance. Another part of this demise is people believing it should be "free" or paid by all taxpayers. The "Free" part is not remotely based upon reality. The bottom line is that we have long passed the part where this service was affordable. Having a take over by the "large government corporation" will do nothing to slow down costs increasing. The result will be a total failure and collapse of this current system in which will result in poor care for anyone and everyone. This should be a strong cautionary tale to anyone in the future about removing the direct person to provider relationship and replacing it with a large third party that is in between the two original parties. As a brief side note..... This phenomenon has been happening with college costs too.... How's that going?? The EXACT same way. Hmmmm.... No bueno. I truly wonder about this.... What if there was a cure found for say cancer... Wouldn't it be suppressed because if allowed how many people would be out of work?? Researchers losing large grant money and their jobs?? Is it not far more advantageous for everyone involved for there never to be cures?? Hmmmm.. Would appear that way to me. Don't know. I've grown very suspicious with time. Even with my illness this would be the case too. Ohh and my drug cost $1100 a month in 1999... Now $5000. Same drug. No changes. Yeah it's cheaper all right. Again, the monstrosity has gotten in the way.