Posts by swiftbear86

Maybe we should try this instead

Go over to Imageshack
hit up my images
check your preferences
look under visibility options and select

then for that one specific photo—just right-click it and hit make private

Is this what you had in mind?
I'm a little lost—what exactly are you referring to when you say "everything"?

Chris Green83 said:http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...netsgame5.jpg/

Did you skip showing the photo on purpose by just dropping a link?

melloworca6 said:So, basically, we aren't allowed to give out anything without a prescription during the shift? That’s how I read these regulations.

Great. So I'd have to drag myself to the ER just because of some damn fever, all so a doctor can write me a script for Lupocet. 🤦 Our system is organized so beautifully...

You mentioned being rude, but I took it as you being rude even to the polite ones who show up asking for nonsense. I agree—I’d probably lose my cool if someone walked in just to buy vitamins or dry skin cream, but I wouldn't be rude if they were actually being nice. You can explain to people politely that you can't do something, and most normal people will actually apologize once they realize they didn't know.

Personally, I'm always polite to everyone, and when someone starts acting like a jerk with me, I feel like ripping their head off. I'm not stupid; if I mess up, I'll apologize. But if someone starts yelling at me after I asked a polite question? Sorry, that’s not how we’re talking.

The night shift isn't meant to be an extension of regular business hours; it’s specifically for handling emergencies. In that sense, you'll have to agree with me—there's just no room for people looking to pick up creams, vitamins, baby food, pads, diapers, tissues, flip-flops, and so on...

Painkillers, fever reducers, or anything prescribed by a doctor under an emergency order—those are absolute musts.

But for some people, it’s totally normal to not plan ahead for "everyday items," so they end up feeling insulted when they’re told "no" during a night shift. Honestly, there’s no valid reason for them to be upset.
You really should take care of those basic needs ahead of time.😁

Luckily, I don't work the night shifts, but I've heard stories about colleagues dealing with "emergencies" involving insulin supplies (which, let's face it, many diabetics haven't even used for ages).
I'm sure it's not fun—having a heated debate in the middle of the night with someone who's acting like an addict.

It’s become pretty common lately for people to treat weekend shifts (Saturday afternoons and Sundays) like a regular pharmacy run, trying to buy things that clearly don't fall under "urgent" care.😉

gentlesailor25 said:I am totally with you regarding people asking for prescription drugs.
But if the pharmacy is open 24/7, sorry, but people actually have the right to come in and buy their multivitamins.🤷

During night shifts, the pharmacist is actually only required to fill prescriptions marked as urgent.

Article 17.

Chloe Gray5 said:I'm only in my second year, so my first priority is getting enough practice under my belt before I ever touch a real person. Honestly, I know nobody would let me near a wound right now if I walked into a clinic asking, and truthfully, I wouldn't want to try without practice anyway—I'd be too shaky and who knows what kind of mess I'd make 🙂. I know I've got time, and this will probably overlap with more hands-on hospital training later on, but I'm just curious—since I've had the chance to stitch before, why not dive back in? 🙂 Plus, I'm asking because I'd love to volunteer at the ER where I spend my summers, provided they'll have me 😁, so the more I know, the better.
Thanks for the input!

There is a massive variety of surgical sutures out there. You really have to know exactly which one you need.
In wholesale, they’re just standard hospital inventory, but if you're ordering through a pharmacy, you need to be specific about what you're looking for.
Prices vary depending on things like $67, length, thickness, and so on...😕

Chloe Gray5 said:Hey there. Does anyone know if you can actually pick up surgical suture at local pharmacies, and if so, what's the damage like on the price tag?
If it’s not crazy expensive, I’m thinking about practicing some suturing at home. I’m a med student—just starting out, so we're mostly working with rats and mice right now 😁—but we have to stitch them up eventually, and I want to get fast and precise at it. Plus, it’ll definitely come in handy later in my career. Also, curious about 🙂.
There are way too many of us in our study groups, from what I hear—over in Miami, every single student gets their own rat, but here it's like ten students per one, and everyone just gets one shot at a single stitch.

Sorry if there's already a thread about this; I wasn't quite sure which sub to post in.

You probably won't find suture kits just sitting on the shelf at a local drugstore.
Your best bet is to call up your neighborhood pharmacy and ask them to check their ordering system for availability and cost. I might have a better idea of the pricing by tomorrow.

Megan Brooks said:I have just one question... I currently take Glucophage 850 for my type 2 diabetes treatment, but now the pharmacy is offering me Glucophage instead, claiming it is the exact same medication and telling me there is no reason to worry about switching. Is this actually something I can do, or should I be cautious?

Why wouldn't you trust the pharmacist?
I mean, why would they try to swap your medication just to cause some kind of headache for you?

Did they explain the reasoning behind the switch at all?

vividsailor7 said:I honestly don't get why pharmacists feel the need to mess around with prescriptions like this. Unless there's a massive shortage or some crazy emergency, they should just stick to what was ordered. It's frustrating.

Actually, part of a pharmacist's job is to "meddle" when it comes to dispensing meds.😉

Maybe they're dealing with a supply issue—like if a drug was just added to the formulary but isn't actually on the shelves yet.

It’s kind of like asking why an insurance provider questions what a specialist ordered. Instead of giving you the specific Glucophage the doctor wrote for, they swap it out for Glucophage.😁

Anthony Nelson4 said:Thanks so much... I'll get an answer from my doctor once I'm back from my neurologist... I'm just not sure yet if they're going to change my medication plan.

In rare cases where a patient has been away for a while, a doctor actually can and is allowed to prescribe the exact same medication you've already been taking, providing up to a 6-month supply.

They’ll issue paper prescriptions for this. You can usually get a maximum of two boxes per prescription, but they have to include specific notations like "chronic therapy" or "dispense all at once" on each one.

Definitely chat with your neurologist about your travel plans. If there's any tweak to your treatment, it changes the whole game regarding getting that 6-month supply ahead of time.
If they decide to start you on a brand-new drug, it doesn't count as your established routine anymore, so you won't be able to write it for a 6-month stretch.

Morgan Ortiz7 said:Hey guys,

I was at the dentist, and they told me I need some oral surgery. They gave me a referral—it’s red, if that matters, and has an electronic ID on it—for radiology scans. On top of that, they handed me a list of three specialists, each with a landline and a cell number, telling me I should probably call ahead to schedule the scan just in case they aren't working on the day I plan to show up.
Anyway, I'm pretty young and honestly a bit overwhelmed by all these phone numbers. Can I just take this referral straight to the hospital (or where exactly should I go? It just says Osijek Hospital), hand it over, and get scanned right away? Or do I really have to make a call first?

If your referral specifically lists Osijek Hospital, then you really ought to give them a ring to book an appointment. Honestly, they'll be the ones to give you the real scoop on how they handle things.

Sandra Green38 said:I'm on an antidepressant and I'm about to finish my second box. Do I actually have to go see the doctor in person, or can I just give them a call and have the nurse send the prescription over to the pharmacy? I really don't have the time to sit around waiting for one single script, and I wasn't sure if they handle everything over the phone now..

If the medication is covered by Medicare, just give the clinic a call and ask how they handle it.

If you need a private prescription, you'll probably have to swing by the office to pick up the paperwork.

Richard Walker49 said:My Medicare card never actually showed up at my house. It was supposed to arrive almost a year ago, but I eventually found out it was sent to the wrong address and ended up being returned to Medicare... I'm wondering if it's still sitting there somewhere? Also, what kind of paperwork do I need to handle since I'm a student and have to renew my supplemental coverage?

Your best bet is to just call the local Medicare office for your area.

You can find this at just about any local pharmacy..
If they don't have it sitting on the shelf, just ask them to order it in for you..
It usually runs about $4.00..

Has anyone else run into something similar at a pharmacy here in the States? What kind of medication were you looking for?
I’m not just talking about birth control, either...

restlessbadger2 said:Which number at Medicare should I call to check which general practitioner is accepting new patients? Please, this is urgent!

You didn't mention which city you're looking in.😁

If you're in Washington, D.C., here are the links for the provider lists. You can call based on where you live or just try every option until you find an available doctor.

http://www.medicare.gov/provider-search

steelowl said:Is there any way someone else (like my mom or dad) could take my enrollment verification to renew my supplemental insurance for this year? I have the proof of enrollment handy, even if it’s from about a month ago—do you think they'd accept it? I'm in a bit of a rush because I won't be a student much longer, and I really don't want to deal with the headache of trying to sort this out all the way from northern Alaska if someone else can just handle it for me.

Greetings from Finland. 😬

Keep in mind, once you lose your student status, that supplemental coverage might expire too..
You should check out this thread and ask there; there's a user named Zikomid from Medicare who is an expert at answering these kinds of questions..

Ethan Johnson2 said:People claim ibuprofen is the same thing as Advil, but they’re wrong. I take one Advil and feel fine; I take four of the other stuff and nothing happens. Plus, you can grab Advil over the counter while the other brand is strictly prescription. It's clearly just kid's medicine.😕

"Ibuprofen" is just Ibuprofen. Seriously, what kind of marketing department comes up with a name like that? It’s like if a car company decided to name their flagship sedan "Car." No flair, no personality, just straight to the point. It feels less like a brand and more like a placeholder.

Think of Neofen as basically the ibuprofen of the group. It’s that go-to stuff you grab when you need to take the edge off some pain.
So, Neofen comes in a single pack that contains 20 tablets, and each one of those has 200 mg of ibuprofen in it.
If you're looking at Neofen Forte, just a heads-up on the dosage: there’s 400 mg of ibuprofen in every single tablet. Each pack comes with 10 of them.
Is Neofen syrup meant for kids, or is it more for people who just have a hard time swallowing pills for some reason?

You can pick up Neofen over the counter because that’s just how it’s registered here in the States. It's similar to how you might grab some basic ibuprofen at a CVS or Walgreens without needing a doctor to sign off on it first.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Just a tiny dose and some minimal packaging.

Ibuprofen 30x400 mg—basically, that’s a pack of 30 tablets. Since we're talking about a larger quantity like this, it's usually intended for longer-term use, so you'll need to have a doctor check you out and write you a prescription first.

Of course you can tell me now. If I know what's up, I can go ahead and grab three boxes of Neofen Forte.
It’s really about looking out for the patient and making sure they actually follow through with seeing a doctor. Sometimes you have to be that nudge in their ear to ensure they don't just ignore the symptoms and hope for the best. It's like when a car makes that weird clicking sound—you can ignore it for a while, but eventually, you've got to get it into the shop before you're stranded on the side of the highway. Taking that initiative is key to getting them the care they need.

If you’re dealing with heavy-duty menstrual cramps, sometimes the standard stuff just doesn't cut it. In those cases, you might want to pick up a spasmolytic to help take the edge off—something like an over-the-counter Advil or even a targeted antispasmodic if you can find one. It's all about finding that extra bit of relief when things get uncomfortable.
I’ve been seeing a lot of questions lately about whether Spasmex or Buscol is the better way to go when your stomach is acting up. It’s one of those classic dilemmas—like deciding between a reliable old Ford truck and a sleek new Tesla. They both get you where you need to go, but the ride feels a little different. If you're dealing with those sharp, cramping pains, think of it this way: Spasmex is like a heavy-duty wrench. It’s designed to really grab onto those muscle spasms and tighten things up to stop the discomfort. It’s very direct. On the other hand, Buscol tends to be a bit more subtle. It works more like a calming balm, easing the tension in your digestive tract without being quite as aggressive. Of course, everyone's body reacts differently. What works for one person might do absolutely nothing for another. It’s always best to check in with your doctor before you start playing chemist with your medicine cabinet, though. They know your medical history better than anyone else can. Stay safe out there!
If you’re looking for Buscopan without a prescription, you won't find it at a local CVS or Walgreens here in the States. In the U.S., most of those specific antispasmodic medications are prescription-only. It’s a bit like trying to buy certain specialized tools at a hardware store only to realize you need a professional license just to get through the door. If your stomach is acting up and you need something right away, your best bet is to head over to the over-the-counter aisle. You’ll see plenty of options like Imodium or Pepto-Bismol, which can help with different kinds of digestive issues. However, if you specifically need an antispasmodic to deal with cramping, it might be worth a quick call to your doctor or a chat with a pharmacist. They can point you toward an American equivalent that doesn't require a formal script, or let you know if you really do need to see a physician to get exactly what you're looking for.

Amanda Morgan67 said:Hey everyone,
I got a referral (back in December) for some blood work and a few other tests, but my doctor didn't specify an expiration date or even when it was actually issued.
Do you think they'll still see me for the blood draw if it's already been a month since it was written?

That referral needs to be valid on the day you actually show up for the testing..

If there isn't an issue date printed on it, the staff at the LabCorp will usually just fill that in themselves.

Depending on which lab you use and what kind of tests you need, you might need to book an appointment.
Your best bet is to give the lab you're planning to visit a quick call as soon as possible.

When a referral says "Endocrinology" but doesn't list a specific hospital, you can either go to a specialist near where you live or just book with the first available provider that accepts it.

For instance, if you're looking at a place like the Mayo Clinic, you typically have to see a doctor there first, and then they'll order the specific tests you need.

loneviper11 said:I was wondering, if I decide to switch over to a new doctor, would she be able to handle all those specific paperwork requirements—you know, things like filing an official workplace injury report—on the very same day that I officially transfer my records over to her practice?

Honestly, you should be good to go starting from the moment you're officially registered under your new doctor with Medicare (basically, once you've handed in that signed statement to Medicare and they've updated everything for your physician).

As for the workplace injury stuff, your new doctor will be the best person to give you a straight answer on that, or you could always just ask about it in this thread: