The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky)

Post Reply New Topic

the quick brown fox jumped over the fence

Does he know why the chicken crossed the road?

what chicken?

That isn't a chicken in the pot? Must be my goose is cooked.


Play time over, the old lady is here.

So, when you're "Lost in Space", does your robot buddy say "Warning Warning Danger Chuck Robinson"?

I think you put your finger on it right there. It doesn't need a conspiracy theory. Psychological research shows that people who accept favours feel obliged to reciprocate, even if they imagine they don't. The pharmaclological industry spends huge amounts of money doing favours to doctors, because they know it works.

From there on, all you need is that plus a doctor who is convinced he knows what's best for you (psychiatrists are more at risk of believing they always know better because they more often than other doctors deal with patients who really don't know what's good for them). If he is also annoyed if you question his good judgment, you're well up the proverbial creek even without any bad intentions at all.

Your welfare ends up not being the only criterion for your prescriptions. Profit margins also matter. How much the profit margins matter depends on the individual doctor. Doctors can even persuade themselves that keeping up profit margins is good in the long run, because that way the industry has money for research. Pharmaceutical research is so expensive, that argument may even have some merit, though that fact that it tends to be put forward by people in expensive suits reduces its credibility a little, in my mind.

I am about 5 pages back slowly reading my way up to this post. . .
Just wanted to tell you I am flummoxed by my web cam. . do they ALL make you look like a geek, or just mine?


hum...
now that I think of it, EVERYone looks like a geek on a webcam


now, let's see a show of hands. ... who is content with their image on a web cam??


Merle

why did the punk rocker cross the road?





cause he was stapled to the chicken . . .


Merle

*times the jump rope... back and forth, back, forth...and jump in!*

It is bad enough that it goes that far but unfortunatly it dosen't stop there. I work in retail pharmacy and therefor have to deal with insurance companies for a large portion of my day. The doctors arn't the only ones making deals with the pharmacutical companies. After you get the script and take it into the pharmacy you are very likely to find out that your insurance does not prefer that drug and will either not cover it at all or pay so little that you can't affort it anyway.

If they won't pay they hide it as a "Prior Authorization". This means that the pharmacy has to put together a form with a phone number for the doctor to call. This is faxed to the doctor who has to take time out of his day of seeing patients and driving his fancy car to lunch to call the insurance company and awnser questions. These questions try to convince him to change your medication to something they prefer while he explains that he has a degree in this field and feels that you neally need to take what he prescribed. Ofcourse he may be working in your best intrest or further his connection with a different drug manufacturer.... or he may not call at all!

On top of that it is still up the insurance company and they may not approve the doctors request if they so choose. Ofcourse I've seen them get an approval for a medication and them the next month when the dose is changed to twice a day the insurance company says, "Plan limitations exceeded. Only 30 capsules allowed per 30 days." Ahrg!

Lets recap:

You want to feel better.
The doctor wants to make more money and maybe make you feel better as a side-effect of that.
The insurance company wants to keep as much money as possible.

I know this comes across as pesimestic but it is meant to be informative of the factors that are in play.
In the end your best and maybe only advocate is yourself.

(okay, I'll try and stop ranting now. )

Walmart has, sometimes, t-shirts made out of rayon made out of bamboo. They print the label on it instead of sewing one on. They were like $5 the last time I saw them. And they are the MOST comfortable clothes I've ever worn. Very good "skin feel" to them.

Hey Swampie!! !

uh, me?

Richie, this touched me as few things do. we are so fortunate to be not there, even if we were there at one time. I sincerely hope you weren't. Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope you weren't there. . .


Merle

Ditto. My uncle died in Greystone in NJ. I'd have ended up there, I think, if things had gone as they probably would have. One wonders why/when, in dark moments, they'll bring along the cattle cars for us. Only one suitcase, please....

I'm afraid to go see what "Willowbrook" is sorta. Thats one of my HUGE fears for my daughter. What will happen to her if anything happens to me? Shes only 6 and I'm 44, and there is NOONE to take over if anything happened to me. My older daughter who is 20 would take her in I know but how long can that last? What if she fell in love w/ some jerk guy who wasn't considerate of my baby girls needs.
I'v actually started taking better care of myself because of this fear that is ALWAYS in the back of my mind. (Watching the first "Kill Bill" movie really did NOT help, loved the movie itself through)My boss got me to quit smoking after a 2 pack a day habit for 26 years, by putting a picture of my little angel in the restaraunt and telling me, "Now, every time you see her, you remember your killing her and yourself, and she's autistic, she will NEED you her whole life and your KILLING yourself" (say it w/ a greek accent of a 78 year old man) I love my boss and haven't had a cig. in 8 mos. 5 days. (quit on the day of my daughters death) The thought of her being in any institution is one of my worst fears.

Welcome to SwampBlossum and rathermousie!