Susan James42 said:Women can't get anywhere near a surgical residency here. Honestly, if you don't have some high-level connections, being a woman basically shuts the door in your face...
Thomas Peterson46 said:Colleagues😘 Standing together against corruption and criminal behavior targeting patients 😉😬
Chicks, I really hope you all find some peace... and that you don't get blindsided by the rough stuff when you wake up each day 😈 I mean, there will be times when you haven't done a single thing wrong, yet some incredibly rude patient decides to just steamroll over you 😍—and trust me, even if it seems impossible, those people exist. They're usually just venting some random frustration that has absolutely nothing to do with you, but they'll start listing off their credentials, how much they pay, what a piece of shit you are, and how you should basically jump whenever they snap their fingers... you know the drill . Look, if after a few years of dealing with that kind of "respect," you still manage to stay genuinely selfless (and believe me, there are people out there who do, I’m putting my name on it... I worked in an ER long enough to see it firsthand 😬), then honestly, you deserve a massive round of applause 👍
Megan Reed said:I bet they’ll end up citing you in their research, for sure! 😍 😬
Let them try it! I'll sue them for copyright infringement, emotional distress, plagiarism... honestly, I'll find something else too. Between my stubborn streak and the fact that my mom is a lawyer, I've got this covered. 😈
It's because we old-school doctors are just a bunch of corrupt, overpaid hacks 😍. Honestly, we're more like bloodsucking vampires, actually 😈 they're so terrified (scared we'll snatch away all the prestige and glamour we enjoy) that they won't even dare to set foot within a mile of a medical school 🙂 . Happy now? 😬
Brandon Murphy7 said:It didn't work that way for me... if I'd only been smoking a couple of cigarettes a day, I probably wouldn't have even tried to quit. Well, I went from a full pack to two packs overnight.
Honestly, I was exactly the same way when I was smoking! Smoking wasn't even a health thing for me (at least, not yet), and I didn't really care about the social stigma either. These days, smokers basically get treated like white trash everywhere you go—just totally out of style and looked down on.😬 For me, the real kicker was just how gross my mouth felt in the morning. It was like I’d spent the whole night chewing on an ashtray along with some cold breakfast cereal.🤮 So, one day I just made a snap decision: this is the last one. And it was (well, for now... though it's been a long time already 🙂).
When it comes to smoking, it's pretty binary: you're either doing it or you aren't. It's kind of like 🙂 whether you've had sex or not 😈 There's no middle ground where you can just say, "Let's try to be a LITTLE bit more intense."🙂
So, full disclosure here—the guy who installed my AC unit is actually the husband of one of my patients. We’ve known them as a couple since long before they ever stepped foot in my clinic. I paid him the standard rate, just like I would any other customer: $500. I will admit, though, he swung by the very next day after I bought the unit, just like we’d planned. I actually made sure to ask him which day he had open before I even pulled the trigger on the purchase. 😬 Does this mean I'm some kind of dirty, corrupt, evil vampire doctor? 😍 Should I go out and punish myself for this, or is just sprinkling ash over my head enough? Because honestly, I feel pretty terrible about what I've done 😈
Yeah, alright, so I’m "some kind of" doctor... but let's be real, Justin Fox, you are an incurable paranoid, potentially a danger to yourself and everyone else around you. Honestly, my heart just breaks for whichever poor woman ends up having a kid with you. I truly feel for her. 😱
And as for this wild idea of yours about heading over to Switzerland for some custom surgical incision just because a patient thinks they know better than medical professionals... man, get a grip 😵 😵 😵
I started my undergrad journey back in the '82/'83 school year and finally walked across that stage with my degree on October 15, 1987. I didn't even bother with an extra "senior year"—honestly, I wasn't even technically a super senior because I knocked out my very last exam in June during my final regular term. My GPA was sitting pretty at a 4.7. Right after that, in the '87/'88 term, I jumped straight into my Master's program... then I landed a job... and honestly, history just kind of took a backseat. To be fair, it wasn't a massive struggle for me—not just because I’ve got a good head on my shoulders 😍, but mostly because I was actually really disciplined about how I managed my study schedule. I never missed a beat with labs or lectures, and I made it a point to clear my entire exam load by the start of every summer. I think the latest I ever pushed an exam was during my fourth year (my memory isn't what it used to be, 😬), when I had to push pharmacology back to July because I ended up coming down with the measles. 😂 Every summer was a total whirlwind of activity, and even during the semester, I always made sure to get out and enjoy life.
Look, I know I can be a bit of a genius sometimes 🙂, but I definitely wasn't a one-of-a-kind case. There was this whole group of us in our cohort who tackled our studies with that exact same intensity. Most of those folks are professors or lecturers now; almost all of us went on to become specialists or at least earned our Master's degrees. Even nowadays, I occasionally get this itch to go back to school and pick up another degree—maybe Law or something similar...
Elon Musk said:Look, I’m definitely not just sitting here helpless... obviously, I’m gonna ask my sister for advice. Let her be the one to take the doctor's notes, and if this lady wants to yell at her, let her vent.
Anyway, I wanted to share this little gem with you all... she’s definitely pulled some ridiculous stunts before, but this one is pretty much illegible (especially if you don't already know exactly what it's supposed to say).http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=recept26nu.gif
Piece of cake! 🤣
It says:
Good luck, buddy Dr. Scat. Orig. N I (uno) 😍
Man, this guy belongs in a category of medieval scribes or something—just someone obsessed with calligraphy. According to one radiologist we know—I won't name names—he refuses to type up his findings on a computer. Instead, he insists on doing everything "by hand" (and even then, only when he actually remembers to read the scan)... the problem is, he’s a totally unstable guy (it's been verified), and nobody has the guts to tell him he's basically a public hazard. So, my colleagues and I end up having to interpret his images ourselves, or we have to go begging other radiologists for help... it's honestly exhausting.🙄
Justin Fox, even though I told you I was done replying to your posts—and honestly, I'm pretty sure you only write them because you love the reaction they get
Pregnancy and childbirth are NATURAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES (assuming everything is healthy, obviously), and I see absolutely NO REASON TO TREAT THEM LIKE A MEDICAL CONDITION! Thinking that way is just straight-up twisted! 😈
As for whether a woman chooses to work or stay home, or if she wants to have kids at all... that is HER business, her husband's business, and her family's business. Even though our country claims to be a social safety net, let's be real, it isn't... nobody actually gives a damn about helping out. It’s the same story everywhere else: you might get some government assistance for a little while, but after that? You're on your own! If someone can afford a kid, great. If not, then don't! Amen! :ziba :
Don't expect to hear another single word from me on this topic. 🙂
Man, seriously... Justin Fox, how on earth does someone as chill as you end up getting harassed by some incompetent personal banker?! :asshole:
Look, if you want, I can give you the contact info for my private banker. She’s honestly incredible—she handles everything for me without me even having to lift a finger. We're talking investment funds, supplemental retirement accounts, moving money between different currencies, setting up CDs, tracking interest rates... all that tedious stuff. 🥳 🙂 🙂 ☕
Honestly, life is complicated enough for us doctors as it is, especially when we don't have a competent banker looking out for our interests.... 🙂
goldengull3 said:I haven't really noticed doctors being any different from the rest of us; they aren't fundamentally different from a bus driver or a university professor. It’s just that because health matters so much to everyone, if a doctor has a crappy personality, we tend to remember that way more than we would a cashier or a guy repairing our washing machine.
In my opinion, med school is incredibly tough, and being a doctor is an immensely responsible—yet underpaid—job when you're working in the public healthcare system.
As for social standing, doctors and judges are highly respected in almost every society, maybe even a bit more so here than in the US.
Honestly, this is the one voice of reason amidst all the noise and chaos I've encountered here... 😍 Look, I finished med school, did my residency, completed my fellowship, and earned my academic credentials... so I feel somewhat "qualified" to weigh in with some actual objectivity:
1. Med school is only as hard or as easy as the individual student makes it and how seriously they take their studies. Personally, I know plenty of absolute morons who managed to graduate, and quite a few geniuses who never did. Being a great student doesn't guarantee you'll be a great doctor, and vice versa. Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, a close friend of mine, who is now a top-tier neurosurgeon, was actually pretty mediocre—and let's just say handsome—but he was a bit dim as a student. But during his residency, he clearly "found his groove," and now he's such a specialist that I'd trust him to operate on me any day, 😬
2. Regarding social status—give me a break. We all know who actually holds the prestige and power in our society: the people with the money! And most doctors definitely don't fall into that category. Sure, we make decent, respectable salaries compared to the national average, but we are nowhere near the kind of income that buys real power. The real "VIPs" in society are the drug dealers, the smugglers, the nouveau riche, and the old money elites. I was recently at a gathering where there was this guy who owned an optical shop (I'm not looking down on opticians, don't get me wrong... I've actually written about them on my blog if you want to read it), but he had this suspicious amount of cash. Despite that, lawyers, engineers, economists... people with PhDs were practically bowing down to him. Should I mention that the guy was, by the way, extremely rude and vulgar? 😈
3. Is there a bad apple in every bunch? Absolutely. There are lazy, corrupt, incompetent, and clueless doctors just like there are in any other profession. But that doesn't give anyone the right to generalize and trash an entire profession because of a few individuals. Not every priest is a predator, not every teacher is a sadist, and not every cop is ignorant or illiterate. That's the very definition of discrimination. People will always hate us just because we happen to be doctors. And yet, those very same people won't hesitate for a second to come running to us when they need help. If they actually remembered that and showed a little respect, we wouldn't be in this mess. 😎
Anyway, nothing much has changed in the twenty-five years I've spent directly or indirectly within the healthcare system, so I don't expect things to look any different in the twenty-five years left until I hit retirement... :ziba : If I didn't love what I do, there'd be no point in doing it. There have always been idiots and there always will be (Maurizio Costanzo has a great saying about this... he often says "La madre dei cretini è sempre incinta"... basically, the mother of fools is always pregnant...), And honestly, life just keeps rolling along—so we probably shouldn't hold our breath expecting things in this country to actually start making sense anytime soon...
Ugh, I honestly don't envy you one bit. I have a Maine Coon myself and he is my absolute world—I don't think I could ever part with him if things got tough. I'm actually not sure if they offer specific immunotherapy for cat dander allergies these days. That said, allergies can be pretty fickle; they flare up and then settle down, so sometimes just focusing on boosting your immune system or taking an antihistamine like Zyrtec proactively might help dial back those symptoms or even make them disappear entirely. Either way, you should definitely go chat with an allergist to see what your options are. Sending good vibes your way! 🙂
Exactly, Frank Alvarez8 hit the nail on the head—maternity leave kicks in anywhere from 28 to 45 days before the due date.
Regarding that second point about employers taking advantage of their staff—yeah, it definitely happens, and it’s honestly messed up. It’s especially bad when you look at manual labor jobs, like a retail clerk who’s expected to be hauling heavy boxes and scrubbing floors all day... but from what I’ve seen personally, most women who jump straight onto disability leave the second they see a positive pregnancy test are usually working desk jobs where they aren't physically breaking a sweat anyway. And about that whole idea of "optimizing the workforce"... isn't that basically just how most bosses think across the board? I promise I won't drag this topic out any longer!🙂
Justin Fox, look, the law is pretty clear on this: maternity leave kicks in four weeks before the due date. And let’s be real, there's no room for sentimentality here. No employer is just going to gift you eight months of psychological prep time or whatever else you need to get ready for motherhood. Now, obviously, if we're talking about illness, a high-risk pregnancy, or a job that could actually harm the mom or the baby—like being exposed to radiation, toxins, or infections—that's a completely different conversation. But if the woman is healthy, I honestly don't see any reason why she shouldn't be working. Work is both a necessity and a responsibility. If someone doesn't want to work, they don't have to; my God, just quit. But personally, I don't see why I, or any of us, should be paying for a healthy pregnant woman to just sit at home all day (regardless of whether she's reading, walking, exercising, or meditating). After the baby arrives, our laws allow for maternity leave until the child reaches their first birthday (with exceptions like twins going up to three, plus special extended childcare leave, etc.). A lot of women head back to work early because of socioeconomic reasons—we all know pretty well how much the government actually pays out for maternity leave (it's okay for the first six months, but after that, I think it's only around $867 per month).
I know this is totally off-topic, but many women globally—though maybe less common here in the States—don't work from the time the baby is born until they start school. Personally, I think that's fine, but not at the expense of everyone else having to foot the bill through our payroll taxes because they're technically on medical leave. If I were physically or mentally unable to work, or if I just didn't feel like it because, say, I was going through menopause—people wouldn't show me any mercy; they'd tell me to either work or quit. And really, that goes for anyone else too; let's not kid ourselves.
At the end of the day, having a kid is a personal decision and a financial one for the parents... if the father earns enough to support the family, then the mother can choose to focus on the family. Public daycare, which is already struggling because of various thefts and the massive shadow economy that fails to fill the federal budget, just can't handle that kind of load here.
Regarding my friend who worked right up until a week before she gave birth and then jumped back into work just three weeks after the baby arrived—this isn't about being greedy for a paycheck or trying to prove how tough she is at the office. The girl is specializing in surgery in Baltimore, and her environment was basically a "love it or leave it" situation. Have you guys ever watched ER on TV? You notice how even the pregnant doctors there are working hard with huge bumps? In that world, the bosses feel like the job has to get done, period, and your baby is considered your own private business. Personally, I don't think that's right, but that's just the reality of it. To give you some specifics, my friend's mom flew in from back home to watch the baby for a few months, so during her lunch breaks, my friend would head home (thankfully she lives super close to the hospital) to pump. It wasn't always different here, either—my mom, for instance, was actually in court arguing a case about four weeks before she went into labor, and she didn't head back to work until three months after the baby was born. I know this is getting a little off-topic, so sorry about that, but honestly, any SANE (and I really mean sane, let's be real) pregnant woman—whether she’s working a desk job, teaching in a school, or even a doctor—shouldn't feel the need to go on medical leave the second that pregnancy test comes back positive. Yet, so many women do—it doesn't matter if nothing is wrong; their OBGYN will happily hand them a high-risk pregnancy diagnosis just because they asked (because, hey, you can't say no to your doctor), and the woman stays home perfectly healthy and fine. Is it even worth mentioning (especially since so many ladies here have been through it) that this kind of "idling" is actually more harmful than helpful?
Betty Bennett10 said:There’s this fundamental difference between pregnancy and actual illnesses—pregnancy isn't a disease, childbirth isn't a sickness, and women giving birth aren't "patients" (and honestly, they shouldn't be treated like patients). Because of that, a woman should first and foremost have the right to decide where, how, and with whom she gives birth. Secondly, in this specific context, she should definitely have the right to access every possible way to deliver without needing an episiotomy or tearing. An incision should only happen if it's absolutely unavoidable and truly the better medical choice for that specific moment. But here in our hospitals, they just perform them routinely, much like so many other standard procedures during labor.
Look, I totally agree with everything said there, except for that last sentence (though, to be fair, a lot of women unfortunately act like patients from day one—for instance, taking maternity leave way earlier than necessary. I have a friend who's a surgical resident in Baltimore who worked right up until seven days before her due date, then was back at the hospital three weeks after having the baby). Regarding routine episiotomies, it's true they used to be done almost every single time, but lately, that's really changing. Wherever it's possible to preserve the perineum, doctors are doing that now, especially among the younger specialists. That said, you still run into some older doctors who just don't accept any other way. There's also been a huge shift toward different birthing methods, like water births—you see fewer incisions there, though if one is medically necessary, they'll still do it even in a tub... As for the idea that birth is just "routine"—well, a normal birth *should* be treated as a natural part of life! The bottom line is that a doctor needs to use their expertise to stand behind their work, and the final call on whether an episiotomy is actually required should rest with them, not the woman. Otherwise, what's the point of having doctors at all if everyone thinks they know better than the professionals?
coastaldriver4, just because a patient wants something doesn't mean it’s actually what’s best for them...
Take gallbladder surgery, for instance. Nowadays, the standard is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Instead of making one big incision right under the rib cage, surgeons just make four tiny little cuts—about an inch each—around the belly button and the sides of the abdomen. It's much less invasive. But here's the thing: no matter how much a patient insists on avoiding a large incision, sometimes during a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon has to switch gears and perform an open surgery. It happens when things get messy—maybe the anatomy is too tricky to see clearly through the camera, they can't get the bleeding under control properly, or there's way too much inflammation and scar tissue in the way. In those moments, you have to pivot to do what's necessary.
Look, I'm totally against cutting someone open or putting them on meds if it isn't absolutely necessary, but I truly believe the final call has to rest with the doctor. The idea that a physician would just do whatever they want out of some weird sadistic streak and then dodge accountability? Honestly, that sounds like something out of a fairy tale. If we followed that kind of logic, it would be like saying bus drivers should just plow through cars or pedestrians whenever they feel like it...😈
So, here’s the deal: Medicare doesn't actually cover routine preventive checkups or those regular systematic physicals for the general public. There are some specific groups where it's covered—like little kids before they start school—but once you move into high-risk industries (kind of like the line of work I'm in), the responsibility shifts. In those cases, it's strictly on the employer to foot the bill for their staff's medical screenings, following whatever legal schedule is required for that specific job type. Most companies end up paying for their employees' physicals, though honestly, how much they shell out really just depends on how much they're willing to spend on their crew. The thing is, even if you have a primary doctor through the CDC, they can't just write you a referral for a full systematic exam and expect Medicare to pick up the tab.