The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

Dh does not have a PCP.
Dr.s are in short supply around here.

 

[microchick]

been layin low a couple of days drs appts and company... couple of melt downs... but all ok.

I did get approved for Gastric surgery referal... so I go to the first seminar on the fifth of December before the doc will make an appointment.

deb

I was wondering if things were moving along for your bariatric surgery. Glad to hear that they are. I worked with a few bariatric patients during my clinical days.Pre surgery. You can do this with your eyes closed and standing on one foot. You have the desire and the will to succeed!

@bobbi-j, why am I not surprised to hear that happening?

Morning all! Still cold here, still winter, but the bright spot is that we are about a month away from the winter solstice and y'all know what that means! A creaping return to longer days. YAY!

DH has been 3D printing snowflakes for me as tree ornaments. I'll have to get a pic of them when they are done. Love the 3D printing! These little things cost pennies to make and stores sell them a dollar for two or three.

 

[getaclue]

chicka, since he just had surgery again, and just got discharged, I'd keep the pain meds steady, and on time for at least 3-4 days. Sometimes after a few days, the pain subsides enough you can stretch them out. In the meantime, I'd be getting in touch with the doctor, and the insurance company. I've found that more often that not, a phone call to the insurance company can achieve the desired results. I'd also be talking to the pharmacy. If it's a pharmacy policy that they won't fill more than a week at a time, I'd be looking into another pharmacy. Work the phones.

 

[getaclue]

After doing a good bit of research, in most states they've not put legal limits in place. Instead they've authorized the pharmacies, and/or insurance companies to place the limits. While it's a one-size-fits-all rule whether it's the pharmacy, or the insurance provider, there are exceptions to those rules. In some states, they require an additional signature on a waiver type document. Here in Florida, Wal Mart won't fill more than 3 days of a CII pain medication at a time. There are exceptions to the rule, but it's up to the patient to advocate for them.

When they began announcing there was an opioid crisis, I kept wondering how they arrived at suddenly knowing there was a crisis. There was plenty of media on how poor Tommy went in with a broken arm, was prescribed pain medication which was needed short term for his condition. When the pain medication ran out, Tommy returned for another prescription of pain medication. The doctor prescribed another round of pain medication, but when Tommy returned again, the doctor refused to give him any more pain medication. It was too late. Tommy was hooked. Tommy didn't seek help, but began using heroine. Somehow this translated into being the doctor's fault.

Another thing I noticed is that they could give statistics on the number of people that had gotten pain medications in a year, and the number of all addicts being treated, but NOT on the number of addicts being treated that became hooked on legally prescribed medications. This still begged the question of how they arrived at the conclusion that there was an opioid crisis.

Well, there have been some big numbers of class action lawsuits, by people that suffered side effects from the pain medication prescribed for them. In turn, this opened the doors to people that claimed to suffer an addiction to them.

A great number of these people filing the lawsuits were heroine addicts, but they claimed their addiction started with a prescription of pain killers. In addition to heroine addicts being the beneficiary of the monetary gains from the lawsuits, heroine addicted babies, being born to heroine addicted mothers became recipients of money from the lawsuits, if the mothers claimed their heroine addiction started with prescribed pain medication. At that point, anyone addicted to anything, that had ever taken a pain medication, could sue.

Because of the lawsuits, and the money the pharmaceutical companies had to pay out, there became an opioid crisis. Pharmaceutical companies don't want to lose money, so they began working to get legislation passed allowing insurance companies, and pharmacies to impose restrictions on the distribution of pain medications.

As I said, it's a one-size-fits-all rule, and there are exceptions to the rule, but the patient has to advocate for themselves to get them to apply the exception.

 

[ronott1]

I've seen things on Animal Planet about some of the rescue groups in various areas. They are fantastic.

UC Davis Vet med school has setup a facebook page with pictures of pets rescued to help reunite them with the owners

 

[ronott1]

After doing a good bit of research, in most states they've not put legal limits in place. Instead they've authorized the pharmacies, and/or insurance companies to place the limits. While it's a one-size-fits-all rule whether it's the pharmacy, or the insurance provider, there are exceptions to those rules. In some states, they require an additional signature on a waiver type document. Here in Florida, Wal Mart won't fill more than 3 days of a CII pain medication at a time. There are exceptions to the rule, but it's up to the patient to advocate for them.

When they began announcing there was an opioid crisis, I kept wondering how they arrived at suddenly knowing there was a crisis. There was plenty of media on how poor Tommy went in with a broken arm, was prescribed pain medication which was needed short term for his condition. When the pain medication ran out, Tommy returned for another prescription of pain medication. The doctor prescribed another round of pain medication, but when Tommy returned again, the doctor refused to give him any more pain medication. It was too late. Tommy was hooked. Tommy didn't seek help, but began using heroine. Somehow this translated into being the doctor's fault.

Another thing I noticed is that they could give statistics on the number of people that had gotten pain medications in a year, and the number of all addicts being treated, but NOT on the number of addicts being treated that became hooked on legally prescribed medications. This still begged the question of how they arrived at the conclusion that there was an opioid crisis.

Well, there have been some big numbers of class action lawsuits, by people that suffered side effects from the pain medication prescribed for them. In turn, this opened the doors to people that claimed to suffer an addiction to them.

A great number of these people filing the lawsuits were heroine addicts, but they claimed their addiction started with a prescription of pain killers. In addition to heroine addicts being the beneficiary of the monetary gains from the lawsuits, heroine addicted babies, being born to heroine addicted mothers became recipients of money from the lawsuits, if the mothers claimed their heroine addiction started with prescribed pain medication. At that point, anyone addicted to anything, that had ever taken a pain medication, could sue.

Because of the lawsuits, and the money the pharmaceutical companies had to pay out, there became an opioid crisis. Pharmaceutical companies don't want to lose money, so they began working to get legislation passed allowing insurance companies, and pharmacies to impose restrictions on the distribution of pain medications.

As I said, it's a one-size-fits-all rule, and there are exceptions to the rule, but the patient has to advocate for themselves to get them to apply the exception.

It is a real mess!

 

[ronott1]

The smoke is forecast to get bad today by early afternoon. Campus has been closed and I will leave work at Noon today.

We may go over 200 and into purple--that is the very unhealthy level

 

[pertnear09]

The smoke is forecast to get bad today by early afternoon. Campus has been closed and I will leave work at Noon today.

We may go over 200 and into purple--that is the very unhealthy level

Sorry Ron, hard to like that post. Heard last night the death toll is up to 48.

 

[ronott1]

Sorry Ron, hard to like that post. Heard last night the death toll is up to 48.

It is up to 48 for the camp fire and 2 from the Woolsey fire down in So Cal.

There are a couple hundred still missing too

 

[microchick]

I hit like just to let people know that I've read their posts and support them! Sometimes it's hard but......

@getaclue, very informative post. Well said and thank you. Yes, if people really want to get picky there is also an alcohol crisis. I took care of babies in the nursery that we couldn't figure out why the newborns were so jumpy. If you bumped their crib they would literally come up off the mattress, little hands in tight fists, red in the face and scream so loud you would flinch.24 hours later mommy dearest, usually in her early 20s would inform us that they had a hangover and had come in drunk when they were in labor.

Poor babies were alcohol toxic born to alcoholic mothers and definitely suffering from alcohol syndrome. I've often wondered what the little ones grew up to be.

No matter what it is a no win scenario with pain management. A few rotten apples as the old saying goes.

So I will continue to jump through the hoops along with the other folks suffering from degenerative bone diseases so we can live as normal a life as we can with our pain controlled as much as it can be and hope for the best. I just thank God I have two doctors and a list of diagnosis's that make the hoop not too small or held too high.

Sitting here making Christmas ornaments. Love it!

Found the clear plastic balls at Dollar Tree and have been stuffing them with bantam feathers. Since they are molting, tis a shame to let those feathers go to waste!

The snowflakes were made with my DH's skill with the 3D printer. I'm adding glitter to them. I may be prejudice but I think they are pretty.