Posts by mistyjackal842

I saw this report on CNN about those people who decided to go skinny dipping in the ocean in San Francisco for New Year's. They all came out of the water looking as red as lobsters—it was pretty intense to watch on the news. Personally, I wouldn't even dream of getting in the water if the temperature drops below 66 degrees. I guess the real danger here is probably for the elderly, since they seem to be the ones most likely to brave the cold water during winter. The freezing temperatures constrict your blood vessels, which just isn't good, especially for anyone with heart conditions. It's just such a massive strain on the heart when it's that cold outside.

I’ve actually gone under general anesthesia twice now at two different hospitals in Washington, D.C. The first time was for a tonsillectomy, and the second was oral surgery—specifically an alveotomy for a wisdom tooth. After that first one, I woke up almost instantly; there wasn't any nausea or anything, and I didn't even feel sleepy afterward. It was almost like I hadn't even had surgery. Of course, I followed all the rules and made sure not to eat or drink anything after midnight before the procedure. From chatting with other patients in the hospital, I noticed some people just don't follow those instructions—like smoking right before or even having a drink on the day of the surgery, which... I mean, that isn't smart at all. The second time, I also woke up very quickly from the general anesthesia. No nausea this time either, though I did feel incredibly sleepy and drowsy, which wasn't really the case after my first surgery.

If I had the choice, I think I would always opt for general anesthesia.

I have tried local anesthesia once, too, and honestly, it didn't even hold up properly during the procedure. The worst part was having to actually experience and feel everything while such a bloody surgery was being performed.

I’d be especially terrified of spinal anesthesia, you know? That feeling when you lose sensation in your legs... I don't know how I would handle that discomfort. I'd probably worry about the numbness sticking around, and then there are the headaches and having to lie still for 24 hours, which just doesn't happen with general anesthesia. I've never really been afraid of going under; I just sleep through it all and everything goes fine. Although, I did meet a younger woman in my room once who was absolutely terrified of general anesthesia—she was just completely shaken up before her surgery.

In my experience, Hypo is actually a really solid bank. My Mastercard Gold card always shows up right on schedule, and the staff is genuinely friendly. Even when things get a bit hectic, they’re quick to open another teller window to help out, and if I have a question, they’re always super polite about answering it. When I set up my savings account, I even got some little gifts with the bank's logo on them, which is something I never once experienced at any other bank.

John Barnes

I honestly don't see what the issue is with getting vaccinated in your situation. I mean, I got my tetanus shot back when I graduated high school, which was way back in 1996. So, it’s really not some brand-new thing; there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Fast forward five years to 2001, and I actually had to get another one because I fell off a roller coaster onto some nasty asphalt—partially hitting dirt, too—and ended up with these two huge gashes on my leg. That whole accident happened while I was vacationing down in Savannah, and I went to a local community health center. They just told me to spray the wound with some antibiotic spray and stay out of the ocean for a few days. They didn't even mention a vaccine. It wasn't until I got back home to Washington, D.C., a few days later, that they insisted I get the tetanus shot I should have received right then and there. But yeah, the folks at the clinic in Savannah didn't bring it up at all.

If I can offer some advice, please don't avoid the shot. It can only help you. You might get hurt somewhere, and you may not be able to get a vaccine immediately—especially if you're in a smaller town or a tiny community health center that just doesn't stock it. I guess... if it's been more than five years since your last tetanus shot and you have an accident or an open wound, you'll definitely need a booster. But even then, it's much better to already be up to date.

Thanks for getting back to me.

crimsonstag3

So, I guess it’s enough to just carry around that proof of health insurance coverage I was using while waiting for my new insurance card to arrive? All those ID numbers that aren't on the new card are listed on that paper, right? It's not even really about getting prescriptions at the pharmacy—not that I need any right now—but I'm asking because I'll be heading in to get a referral early next year, and they're going to need those specific numbers for that too. I also noticed at the hospital check-in desk that they still verify everything against the old card info, so I don't quite get why they suddenly left all those necessary details off the new ones, especially since they're still being typed out on the referrals.

The receptionist probably already had everything keyed in because she used the numbers from your old health insurance card, so that's what's still stuck in her system. Now, if those numbers changed, she can't just pull them up out of thin air since they aren't on the new card. The only way I could find them was by looking at that paper registration for health insurance I used back when my new card hadn't arrived yet. I noticed that all those missing numbers were listed right there on that document. But, I guess you might not have even received a paper like that, especially if your status hasn't changed since you're still a student—it sounds like your old card just expired. So, whether all the numbers actually stayed the same as your old card in your specific case... I honestly don't know.

It seems like everyone has those new health insurance cards now, the ones without the expiration dates or all those old ID numbers—regardless of whether you're a student, employed, or currently between jobs. But the thing is, those numbers are still absolutely necessary because they’re still being entered onto every single referral. If you check out the Law and Health Insurance section, I think we actually posted something about this there. I'm not entirely sure how to link things properly on this forum, but you can easily find it; just head to the first page of the Law and Health Insurance subforum. I guess one user there mentioned that your primary care physician should be able to pull those missing numbers from their computer system, but personally, I suspect they won't be able to access them digitally until everyone is transitioned over to those smart chip cards.

I actually posted about this over on the legal subforum, in that thread about health insurance. And honestly, I recently received one of those cards too where almost nothing is listed—so many numbers are just missing. They told me it’s fine to carry it to the doctor, but they also suggested bringing that old enrollment form for Medicare that I used while waiting for the new card to arrive. On that form, you still have all those necessary numbers that were left off the actual card, which really matters because I'm pretty sure they still need them for referrals and probably for prescriptions, too. I actually have supplemental insurance as well, and my card for that has all the info clearly printed; it's perfectly normal, just like you said. I truly don't understand why they decided to leave those numbers off the health insurance card... it just seems like they're making things unnecessarily complicated for us.

Is that what they were showing on TV? There's a massive crowd there, and it looks like most of them are just elderly people standing in this endless line.

Keith Thomas11

If you aren't in a high-risk group, you're under 65, and you don't deal with chronic illnesses, you basically have to buy the influenza vaccine yourself at a pharmacy and then take it to your family doctor or a nurse to get the shot. That’s exactly what I did early last week. I checked two different pharmacies, and both had the Dutch version of the Ifluvac vaccine available for the same price, which was $20. My dad got vaccinated through his general practitioner using the French Vaxigrip, but he's over 65, so the rules are different for him. Now, I've been hearing rumors that there might be a shortage of that specific vaccine in stores. But honestly, I only heard that yesterday at the same pharmacy that didn't even have any stock at all early last week. You should probably ask around a bit at local pharmacies; when I checked near Trnje—Flower Settlement and over on Horvaćanski by the Baschiera pizzeria last week, they told me they had plenty of stock. If you manage to pick some up, maybe just ask a clinic if they'll administer it for you since you already bought it. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two, I guess... if you bring the vaccine yourself, someone should be willing to give you the shot, even if you aren't officially registered with that specific office.

Regarding those house calls, do you really think a general practitioner is just going to show up at your front door? I mean, I think that hasn't been a thing for quite a long time now. The only person who would typically come by the house is a visiting nurse. For my mom, back at the start of last summer, a nurse actually came out to our place for about a week because she had to stay on bed rest and take heparin injections.

I guess at the end of the day, it really comes down to the patient's decision, though I suppose you have to weigh their opinion and suggestions from the anesthesiologist too.

Paul Moore16

I wonder if you actually got a say in which type of anesthesia was used? Did they even bother asking you?

I honestly feel like everyone should have the chance to choose their own anesthesia, though obviously, you’d still need to follow what the anesthesiologist recommends. I mean, why would I ever agree to spinal anesthesia if it's something I really wanted to avoid? I guess I'm just speaking hypothetically here since I'm not facing any surgery anytime soon. But seriously, if someone like Janica Kostelić could have a choice in her medical options, why shouldn't other young people have that same right? Take that young handball player, for instance—I think he had to go under spinal anesthesia for his knee surgery. I actually watched an interview with him on TV earlier this year, and... I don't know, it just seemed like it wasn't such a great experience for him, having the surgery done that way.

But wouldn't general anesthesia actually be better for the patient than spinal? I mean, it’s not exactly pleasant to have no feeling in the lower half of your body, especially if the sensation doesn't come back for ten hours like some people were saying in the other threads.

About eight years ago, I had two quick procedures under general anesthesia, and honestly, I didn't have any issues at all. I wasn't even remotely nauseous afterward, and I woke up pretty quickly. I could have opted for local anesthesia instead, but I just didn't want to after having one incredibly bad experience with local anesthesia during a procedure at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. For a healthy young person who has cleared their blood work, an internal medicine exam, and the anesthesiologist's checkup, I guess general anesthesia doesn't carry significantly higher risks.

I also read somewhere that Janica Kostelić chose general anesthesia every single time she had knee surgery, and she seems perfectly fine today, despite having gone under general anesthesia so many times for those knee operations.

So, does anyone here have savings over at JPMorgan Chase? I’ve got some tucked away because I picked up a Mastercard linked directly to my term deposit. I'm wondering, what's everyone else planning to do regarding their savings? Are you thinking about canceling your accounts and just pulling all your cash out?

Harold Miller24

Maybe you should try posting this question in the dental advice thread instead? That way, you might actually get some useful tips from a dentist who can tell you what the best move is for your specific situation. As for me, I ended up getting three crowns—all of them done late last year during the fall and winter. Mine are on both of my lower sixes and one of my upper fives.

There’s also this clinic called Quest Diagnostics in Washington, D.C., that handles laser vision correction. It's right over by Capitol Hill on Broadway. I haven't actually been there myself, so I can't really tell you what the experience is like firsthand. Maybe just check out their website? It seems pretty thorough.

You can actually transfer your health records to a different clinic whenever you want during the year, though I guess there is one catch—you have to make sure at least a full year has passed since your last move. For instance, I’m planning to switch over to a dentist who accepts my insurance, even though I’ve been seeing him privately for a while now. I originally switched from my previous insurance-provider dentist back in late June of last year. So, I’m just waiting out these next three months before making the official jump to this new dentist I've been visiting privately since September. I suppose I could technically switch right this second, but then I'd have to file some kind of formal request or petition, so I think I'll just wait it out a little longer.

I’m noticing quite a few of you younger ladies here have dealt with ovarian cancer, which... honestly, it really caught me off guard and left me feeling pretty shaken. I was wondering, if you don't mind sharing, what kind of symptoms were you experiencing? And did you manage to catch it in the early stages? Also, what specific tests or screenings did you end up going through to get a diagnosis?

Sending so much luck to everyone currently in treatment—I truly believe you all have the strength to get through this.