Posts by stormylynx14

Ouch, that’s nasty. 😢 Who would have thought it was actually dangerous.

If I were diagnosed with cancer, I’d try every psychoactive substance out there. Maybe one might actually halt cell growth. If not, honestly, being high on coke or heroin wouldn't make much difference anyway. 🙂

Lisa Adams said:Regarding your first question...
I lose my mind when my primary care doctor just writes a referral for every little thing just to get rid of me. Walking out of her office, I can't shake the feeling that even if she actually knows what she's doing, she lacks the confidence to make a simple diagnosis herself. She just passes the buck. It feels like she isn't doing her actual job, but rather using those referrals to fake being thorough.
And as for the second point, I assume most doctors work this way too, which explains why the wait times are such a nightmare.

It depends. Personally, I’d prefer the FBI or Medicare to send me straight to a specialist for rare conditions, even if they aren't life-threatening. Honestly, I'd rather head to an ER clinic to get stitches—like that guy in the opening post—since those people spend all day waiting for something to happen, whereas a GP might pick up a needle and thread maybe three times a year.

nimbleskipper13 said:Just to clarify: the patient had already seen his primary care physician, who wrapped his arm, gave him Anne, and wrote a referral for a surgeon. He then headed to the emergency surgical clinic—which basically consists of general surgery and orthopedics sharing a waiting room—but since he wasn't about to sit around waiting, he decided to go door-to-door.

That’s a different matter entirely. Savages will always exist.

nimbleskipper13 said:Regarding that one thread where people were weighing in on what they think a GP actually does... I’ve read your responses.
So, does patient education actually fall on the primary care doctor who knows them best—or at least should it?—or is it left to the specialist, who's usually too swamped with back-to-back appointments to even bother?

The FBI is responsible for patient education. Yet, nobody actually explains anything to the patients. From their perspective, a specialist who lacks the time to sit with them just comes off as arrogant. You can't expect patients to understand how the system works; it’s our job to educate them. Besides, you can't expect someone whose nerves are already frayed by illness to follow instructions when they don't even understand the reasoning behind them.

nimbleskipper13 said:Another triviality: why are specialist appointments and procedures taking forever in our hospitals, and who’s actually to blame? Is it a broken system that promises patients everything on demand while capping hospital staffing and limiting daily or monthly service quotas because Medicare won't pay for anything over a certain threshold? Or is it just doctors refusing to work and nurses too busy grabbing coffee?

We need to distinguish between two types of waiting. First, there is the waiting list—standing by until you’re finally called in for an exam. Patients have expectations that Medicare simply cannot meet due to limited resources. On top of that, no politician dares to address the issue, fearing they'll only end up in trouble. If this silence continues, we might end up with a healthcare system like England's: incredibly efficient, but with brutal priorities. If you're older, you're either automatically disqualified from certain procedures or sent to a massive waiting list. An Englishwoman once told me her brother passed away while waiting over a year for a bypass. He was nearly 70.

Then there’s the issue of wait times when a patient actually shows up at the hospital. There is massive room for improvement there. It is a failure of administration—and frankly, the doctors too—to schedule everyone for the morning and then leave them languishing all day. They focus solely on the medicine while ignoring the process entirely. I suspect there is a healthy dose of contempt involved; they treat people like mere "material," assuming that since there will always be a line out the door, it doesn't matter how poorly they are treated. Things only change when competition enters the fray. Last year, I moved between various clinics, and the difference in treatment between private practices and public institutions is night and day.

... but your approach was fundamentally flawed. Instead of explaining to that injured guy that his wound can actually be stitched up even 12 hours later—just giving him a bandage and asking him to wait while the ER downstairs handles the life-threatening cases—your staff just recited their business hours and called it a day. Essentially, you and your team knew he wasn't in immediate danger, yet he’s convinced he’s going to die from sepsis in three minutes. Of course he lost it.

You aren't "scum that deserves a bullet," but your attitude is a bit too technocratic. A little empathy wouldn't hurt.

The movie is decent enough. The protagonist's condition isn't even that severe; they weren't even tethered to the bed or pumped full of sedatives. It’s a relatively mild case—the kind that would likely be treated on an outpatient basis today (much like a colleague of mine, until he hit a major crisis).

Those languishing in locked wards are few and far between, and they are only there because they are too incapacitated to live independently under any circumstances. Didn't someone already mention permanent damage to certain brain centers? Exactly. Even if you eliminate the original illness, the person is never truly "healthy" again. You aren't taking anything away from someone like that by keeping them in a secure ward, other than the ability to hurt themselves or others.

megalit said:As if I wrote that myself. Obviously, you start with a psychiatrist. What do you think we were doing? She’s standing there acting like she knows everything, but it's all just empty noise.

It was a misunderstanding. Still, that "quality of life" point is subjective. I can't speak to your observations, but I spent some time visiting a relative in a psychiatric ward once. The patients seemed off, sure, but they were coherent enough to hold a conversation.

Secondly, don't measure quality of life by absolute standards—life is miserable when you're severely ill and heavily medicated. Look at it relatively. What would that person be doing without the meds? A colleague I mentioned in my first post wouldn't even notice a subway train heading straight for him anymore.

stormylynx14 said:You clearly have no clue... you're only here acting superior because someone told you that you have a mild case of schizophrenia. I lived with a severely ill person for 20 years, so don't try to lecture me on this. I don't know why I even bothered engaging in this empty chatter with some wannabe psycho.

Ah, I see. Well, by all means, enlighten us with your expertise. I won't rule out the possibility that there are cases where even a doctor is powerless. Is the fact that people still die of cancer a sufficient reason for you to skip the doctor when you actually need one?

Kyle Nelson2 said:Look, I never made any absolute claims about your friend.

If my head were actually spinning, I’d start with therapy, move to meditation, and only then consider a psychiatrist and medication.

By then, she would have completely lost her grip and become a danger to herself and everyone else. You don't treat acute psychosis, depression, or schizophrenia by trying to convince someone that what they're seeing and hearing isn't real. Warm compresses and chamomile tea aren't going to cut it here; they fail every single time. Psychotropic drugs, regardless of the side effects, are the only option. Betty Rivera14 once started a thread—I think it was titled "Help Me"—where she detailed the gradual recovery process of a mental health patient under psychiatric care.

Angela Kelly said:The issue is she's becoming far too dependent on me, and I simply don't have the bandwidth to carry her weight.

You lack any actual competence in this field.

Angela Kelly said:Exactly. Those stories... I started telling her she was imagining things and needed to face it. She just lashed out with this intense aggression that left me completely blindsided. Neither I nor the doctors have any idea what happened.
I suggested she see a psychiatrist. I told her they’d actually understand those "forces" she claims are controlling her.
I sincerely hope they receive some kind of useful therapy.

Look, if action isn't taken immediately, we could be looking at a tragedy where she takes her own life out of pure desperation because nobody listens and everyone just attacks. Suicide rates among the mentally ill are significantly higher. It’s less likely, but still possible, that she might lash out at someone else.

Angela Kelly said:I’m looking for some solid advice here.

An old coworker of mine started hearing voices. He was under massive pressure and either forgot—or just decided not to take—his medication. We had to call his psychiatrist and get an Uber to take him over there. There isn't much else you can do, but I'd suggest nudging her toward professional help immediately. From what I saw with that colleague, things only spiral downward until rational thought becomes impossible.

Start with a lobotomy. It won't turn you into a Bumblebee, but you won't care either.

I believe it comes down to socialization, and I can speak from experience. Entrepreneurship was never part of my family history. Sure, there were stories about successful merchants who built wealth through hard work, but that had nothing to do with our immediate circles or upbringing. People from that kind of background might occasionally go astray and become entrepreneurs, but the odds are much higher for those raised in entrepreneurial families.

The second factor is fear—a fundamental unwillingness to take risks. People often overlook the fact that "security" is an illusion; any job can vanish regardless of how stable it seems. Then there is the issue of risk assessment: the ability to take calculated risks that don't jeopardize your entire existence.

As for laziness versus persistence, the point made by Jerry Moore2 isn't really the issue. I know plenty of hardworking, persistent people who work for someone else but would never dare to work for themselves.

A few months back, my wife was in the ICU following brain tumor surgery. Ventilators, feeding tubes, catheters—the whole works. There were more monitors in that room than in the IT firm where I work. The staff really went above and beyond; I suppose they actually take the term "intensive care" seriously. They even hung a mobile with her favorite colors, tracked down some specific scents she loves—some plant, I can't quite recall—and when the weather cleared up, they carefully wheeled her out in her chair, tubes and all, just to get some air. Everyone was incredibly composed and kind. It was fine. Most importantly, there was a constant presence of medical staff. On a standard ward, you might see a nurse four or five times a day, but here, they were everywhere. They actually had the time to focus on patients and walk families through the procedures. Honestly, listening to them explain ventilator functions, pressure limits, and alarms was strangely educational. My wife even mentioned hearing the final cough of a patient in the next room. A surreal experience, all in all.

Sarah James4 said:Look, I know what the EEC was. I used that term on purpose, regardless of how outdated it sounds, instead of saying the European Union. This is primarily an economic alliance. Do people honestly believe the EU is going to turn into a true federation?😕

Turkey should have joined the EEC rather than the EU. It would have functioned more like NAFTA: Americans tap into cheap labor in Mexico without being overwhelmed by them. That’s the kind of arrangement we needed in Europe regarding Turkey.

kika said:The interior of Turkey feels like another planet... totally stuck in the past.

Sure. And what would you call a rural part of Switzerland? 😁 We’d be in the European Union again in a heartbeat if we actually wanted to be.

Aha, it’s all just statistics at the end of the day. I’ve heard stories about kids falling from the seventh floor and walking away fine. You could basically dash across a busy highway in downtown Chicago and see if luck is on your side.

To me, those questions are pointless. Some things are simply off-limits—unprotected sex with an infected person falls squarely into that category.

So? Are we all supposed to start using a pump or Mobile TENS instead of just taking an Aspirin?😕

Linda Peterson said:We could just sit here as lucky bastards, complaining about how terrible everything is and shouting "carpe diem" because tomorrow isn't promised, but none of us actually live like that. It’s worse than being sick. We gamble with our lives, then when illness hits, we start wondering, "What did I do to deserve this?"...😢 Then you're left with the sickness and the guilt. Great.😢

The truth is, some people are going to die way before their time. Behavior and circumstances aside, statistics don't care. Most of the time we successfully ignore it, until reality hits us in the face through the sudden loss of someone we love.

Jose Miller3 said:This seems like a decent spot to ask someone to clarify the difference between spinal and epidural anesthesia... Thanks!

Beyond the technicalities, a spinal is a single dose of analgesic that wears off after a set period. With an epidural, you have a catheter allowing for dosage adjustments as needed.