Posts by Angela Wright

Unfortunately, people are going to have to face the cold, hard truth: things aren't what they used to be under the old socialist safety nets. We’ve moved past that era. Now, folks need to start saving for their health and medical expenses just like they would save up for a house, an apartment, or a new car. There's simply no other way forward. At the same time, major insurance providers are eventually going to have to step up and offer specific policies for those devastating scenarios—like being diagnosed with a condition that requires expensive, lifelong biological treatments. It’s just the reality we're facing.

Michael Diaz4 said:Sometimes my nose gets so incredibly dry it actually starts to hurt, forcing me to step outside for some air. Usually, that only happens when I'm dealing with a cold and my sinuses are completely blocked up. Aside from those times, I rarely catch anything. To be honest, the last time I actually came down with the flu was probably twenty years ago...

Just use some saline spray or a sea water mist. I always keep a bottle right by my pillow so I can give myself a quick spray while I'm drifting off.
Pick up a humidifier for your room.

Michael Diaz4 said:I sleep on my side almost every single night, but I still get complained about. My mouth feels constantly dry, too...

It's an ENT issue.
She should probably head to bed before you do.😉

Michael Diaz4 said:A little bit overweight. I’m 6'0" and about 187-189 lbs. That puts my BMI at 25.3. My sinuses are fine. I've been dealing with a bit of a cold lately—and I know it's bad form to complain when you're actually sick—but generally speaking, I snore quite a bit...

Go see an ENT specialist. It’s not uncommon for people with a deviated septum to deal with major snoring issues.
Try sleeping on your side; when you're flat on your back, your tongue tends to slide toward the back of your throat, which just makes the snoring way worse.
That’s pretty much the extent of what you can do on your own.

Kate Collins67 said:People are working on it, sure, but when you're dealing with a system this massive—and let's be honest, dealing with IT-illiterate Americans—it’s an incredibly slow process. But hey, movement is happening.
Right now, most hospitals are mostly digitized, but only within their own walls. A GP's office connects to its own central hub, whatever that might be. I guess the next logical step is connecting those hospitals to the central hub, and eventually, getting everything fully networked.

But let's look at the reality here: hospital digitization started back in 2006, and even today, it's still nowhere near finished.

From what I can gather, there won't be any real integration between specialists and primary care doctors.
Plus, the software they're currently running is fundamentally flawed, which is a real kicker considering how much taxpayers shelled out for it.

Kate Collins67 said:@ Angela Wright

There’s a hell of a lot that gets under my skin... But the truth is, the longer you stay in this line of work, the more you have to start putting death, the patient, and the disease itself into perspective—otherwise, you're going to lose your damn mind.

I get the distinction, I really do, but this is just the reality of the US healthcare system. Even if they tried to accommodate everyone, it’s simply impossible.

We should be striving to meet people halfway when it comes to rights that are fundamentally guaranteed to any human being.
The right to life, to health, to medical care, and to die with dignity—those aren't optional extras. No one has the authority to start playing favorites or deciding who gets full rights and who gets the short end of the stick.

Kate Collins67 said:Well, this one is a little harder to tackle.
Let me throw out a few examples of how things get abused.
1. A patient rolls into the ER during regular business hours because they’ve had a temperature of 99°F since this morning, but they don't have any other symptoms. When asked if they've seen their primary doctor, they say, "Yeah," and what did the doctor say? "Nothing, it was too crowded, so I sent them here."
2. "I haven't had a bowel movement since yesterday morning."
3. Someone gets a referral from their doctor for chest pains—something looking like a pre-heart attack state—but then tells the ER nurse that it actually burns when they pee. I call the doctor who wrote the referral, and he tells me, "No, he told me his chest had been killing him for the last hour..."
I could go on forever with this nonsense.

🙄 😍

2. I haven't had a bowel movement since yesterday morning.

😁

3. They get a referral from their doctor for chest pains that look like pre-heart attack symptoms, but then they tell me they have a burning sensation when they pee. I call the doctor who sent them over, and he tells me he actually told them they needed to come in because of severe chest pain starting an hour ago...
I could go on forever with this nonsense.

See, that last issue would be perfectly solved if we actually had a unified system where primary care doctors and specialists were all networked together. Person xy would have a single digital file containing every single note from every medical visit. Not only would coordination and communication become seamless, but other initiatives—like follow-up studies on recovery rates for things like cancer—could actually happen.
Some altruists I know would probably build a system like that pro bono, but the problem is the government thinks such a thing would violate privacy rights. 🙄🙄🙄Think what you want.

Kate Collins67 said:@ Angela Wright

Oncology patients represent a very specific subset of patients.
But even they split into two camps: those where medical intervention can actually make a difference, and those where it simply can't.
I’m struggling to phrase this without sounding cold, but that's the reality.

It was understood perfectly fine. Just because we can't save someone doesn't mean we can't provide them with supportive or palliative care.
To be specific, regarding that sample from the city, we were looking at people who were already mid-treatment and showing great results—meaning they were actually responding to the therapy.

Look, let me try to put it this way: you have a choice. You can spend a massive amount of money trying to treat a patient who is medically beyond help, or you can take that exact same amount of money and use it for diagnostic testing on a handful of people who might—or might not—have some illness that could be cured if caught early enough. If it isn't about the money, then it's about hospital beds. There is a finite number of beds available; you can't house everyone in a hospital.

Does it not bother you that the system essentially forces you to play God and decide who lives and who dies? Personally, I went through this at home when my mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma... so you get the picture. We were kept in the dark about how she could continue the therapy she had originally responded to after her relapse, purely so the system wouldn't be burdened. But in doing so, they simultaneously stripped us of the chance to secure our own funds to keep her treatment going. She just wanted to see her first grandchild. She defied every prognosis and lived for three and a half years with that diagnosis just to make that happen. She lived for that. They took that away from her. And because of that, she died less happy.
Do you see the distinction now?
Sure, there might be less money than there used to be, but these issues aren't new. They've been around forever, and they are the direct result of poor management of the system.
The funding might be tighter, but money is still leaking out of every crack in the system—millions being wasted on trivialities. What we need is a fundamental shift in the national mindset.
Until then, we're just patching holes.

From a purely humanitarian standpoint, everyone mentioned deserves the best possible care at any given moment. But you are still forced to choose. Do you keep a terminal patient in a hospital bed for 30 days so they can die "with dignity," or do you move them to a different bed to make room for multiple other patients—some of whom you might extend their lives by 20 years or more?

Of course a terminal patient shouldn't be occupying a hospital bed. That's what hospices are for, which is why we are pushing for them. I agree, a curative medicine facility shouldn't be tasked with palliative care. But what has actually been done to jumpstart this? Have any curative institutions actually stepped up and taken the lead to solve this problem? Anyone?

irontrucker9 said:Hey there

So, here’s the deal
We found out my wife was pregnant four days ago, and then the very next day she just completely collapsed—passed out cold because of this intense abdominal pain. The ER rushed her in... they were all worried it might be an ectopic pregnancy...
Turns out, it wasn't ectopic at all, just an ovarian cyst. But here's the kicker... my wife conceived while she was actually on Lyrica, which her specialist had prescribed for those chronic migraines of hers. AND HE EXPLICITLY TOLD HER NOT TO GET PREGNANT WHILE ON THIS MEDICATION.
The ultrasound today showed the embryo is right where it should be in the uterus and everything looks okay so far (growth rate and all that...), but the doctors can't give me a straight answer on whether there will be any neurological fallout for the baby later on.
The head nurse at the clinic actually told me today, "Well, you guys are young, you'll have more kids eventually"
Basically, she was implying she wouldn't take the risk. My wife is currently about 6 weeks along.
Does anyone here know anything about the potential consequences of being on Lyrica during pregnancy??

Here is the number for Pfizer's representative office in NYC: 01 37 72 350
Give them a call, explain the whole mess, and ask specifically about the consequences. They likely have all the clinical studies covered, so they should be able to send you a link or some data.
I tried Googling it, but I couldn't find anything concrete.
Honestly, a good pharmacist might also be able to give you more insight.

Kate Collins67 said:I honestly have just one question here. So, they raised the limit for this particular hospital? That means from our pool of imaginary $33 hospitals, instead of having $6.75, we now have $10. All the other hospitals, the clinics, the community health centers—they've all been stuck with $27 until now, and suddenly this one gets bumped up to 70? Look, for someone to gain, someone else has to lose. It's just that harsh reality of life again, isn't it?
One-off fixes don't solve anything in the long run, but hey, I suppose everyone has the right to fight for their own life and their own dignity.

Look, those quick fixes actually saved lives in the oncology ward, and based on what our members in Rijeka are telling us, things are still running smoothly.
Let me remind you: people had their medication therapies cut off—meds that were specifically approved for them and listed on the hospital's formulary—simply because the clinic blew through its budget limit. And why was that limit slashed? Because the director botched his job. Next time he tries to play fast and loose with the numbers, I guarantee he'll think twice.
Someone definitely lost out here, but it wasn't because of the people screaming for help; it's because the ones suffering stayed silent.
Believe me, this wasn't done at the expense of the patients. Maybe a few less buckets of paint were bought for St. Roch, but that's about it.

Michael Diaz4 said:How do I stop snoring? My wife has been on my case for days about it, telling me I’m basically torturing her, and honestly, I’m at a loss.🤷 The second I drift off, I'm out, but then the snoring starts immediately. Even when I'm just drifting in that weird space between being awake and fully asleep, 😁 I can actually hear myself doing it, but there’s nothing I can do to make it stop. Any advice?🙂 I'm not sure if it's actually bad for you. I feel fine, but I've heard people say it puts extra strain on your heart...

What’s your situation with weight and sinus issues?

Kate Collins67, I'm right there with you.
The algorithms—meaning the actual guidelines—are being drafted, but the big question remains: who is pulling the strings and what criteria are they actually using? According to the Resolution on malignant tumors passed by Congress, patient advocacy groups should have a seat at the table when crafting the National Cancer Plan. Supposedly, this plan is already in the works, yet we have zero clue who is behind it, and nobody has reached out to our committees. This whole thing was supposed to be finalized ages ago to meet our commitments to the European Union.
But don't sweat it too much; this won't stick, I promise you 😉 They'll just fumble through it.

The issues are laid out plain as day. Of course, we can't fix everything overnight, but for heaven's sake, we need to stop stalling and start solving. That’s where public pressure comes in.

Alexander Lewis said:

Angela Wright As specified by:
Honestly, I think you and anyone else sharing that mindset are just manufacturing excuses to avoid getting stuck in the trenches and actually rolling up your sleeves to get dirty.

This guy has actually been an honest and high-quality contributor to this forum, so I completely get why he doesn’t want to play Don Quixote in his real life. There is a massive difference between a patient complaining—which might just be their way of dealing with treatment discomfort (unless they wait to file a lawsuit later, of course)—and a doctor turning around to sue the very institution that pays their salary and manages their budget. Honestly, the state of healthcare today is just a mirror held up to society; it’s a political minefield that nobody seems brave enough to step into.

Angela Wright As stated by:
It’s exactly what you'd expect from a society conditioned to believe that someone else should swoop in and fix everything for them. We've been raised on this idea of instant gratification—where a problem exists, and an immediate solution should just be handed to you on a silver platter. Honestly, it applies to everyone, from the doctors to the patients themselves.
If you're just sitting there with your head stuck in the sand, you don't get to complain. Honestly, nobody wants to hear it. You only earn the right to grumble if you actually stepped up, tried to change things, and failed. Anything else is just noise.

It’s a sad reality that the American professional community tends to follow a "keep your head down and endure" philosophy—basically, don't poke the bear. Nobody seems to have the guts to actually speak up against injustice. That’s exactly why we see these ridiculous situations where bags full of gems end up in court because two powerful people had a falling out, yet those absurdly overpriced contracts for X-ray machines never face scrutiny simply because the big players stayed on the same page. That lack of backbone is precisely why our history of privatization was such a disaster, leading directly to the era of tycoons and the broken economy we’re stuck with today. Let’s be real: no foreign investor is going to swoop into America and suddenly hand us our rights on a silver platter. If Americans themselves aren't willing to fight for their own interests, they shouldn't be surprised when they end up without them.

Look, we realize that, but man, if you let us open the door so we can fight for better working conditions through this platform, don't go slamming it in our faces.
People are so terrified they won't even dare to speak up. What’s the point of having an oncologist or a radiologist with all that specialized expertise and dedication if the patient is stuck waiting three months just to get radiation therapy? This isn't just about some dirty WCa equipment at the clinic; this is something fundamentally more broken. It raises the question: how moral is it to stay silent about this? Personally, I couldn't do it—but hey, that's just me. Of course.

It's a sad reality that the American medical establishment basically follows a "keep your head down and endure" policy—they won't poke the bear. Nobody dares to raise their voice against injustice. That's exactly why we see those scandals involving bags of cash hitting the courts only when powerful people start fighting, while weird procurement criteria for X-ray machines never reach a courtroom because the elites are in agreement. That's how we ended up with the privatization era, the tycoons, and the economy we have now... No foreigner is going to fly into America and suddenly fix everything for Americans, and clearly, even Americans don't seem interested in fighting for their own rights, which is why they don't have them.

Well, we dared to speak up. We make noise whenever and wherever we can. Honestly, once you've faced a cancer diagnosis and the "gift package" that comes along with it, what else is there left to fear in this life?🙂
And nobody has threatened us yet. I guess they realize there's nothing to gain from that. For the most part, they respect us and frequently give us exactly what we ask for just so we'll stop bothering them.
People, be a nuisance.👍

Kate Collins67 said:Look, if you follow the news, it’s always the same old story—every other headline is some exposé attacking a mistake here or a failure there, someone being blamed, someone being accused of negligence... but you almost never see a front-page story about an oncology patient advocacy group begging for more hospice care. I get it, you don't call the shots on what gets published, but I'm just calling it like I see it in the American press.

Sure, people can be weirdly indifferent, but that isn't just on the medical staff. Just look at how little anyone cared when the unions organized those strikes over pay cuts a year ago—or whenever that was. They didn't exactly break any attendance records, did they?

The truth is, both you and I are going to have a hell of a time fighting for anything just by "gathering people together"—because real change doesn't just happen overnight.
My take? We need to spread awareness about the actual, underlying issues through every channel possible. Eventually, that critical mass will build up, and maybe then we'll start seeing a shift in the collective mindset.

Of course we're pushing for a hospice to open! Should we just stay silent about it?! The newspapers are being way too soft anyway; what would they even write? You've got people waiting three months for radiation, patients being denied meds because of some "cost-effectiveness" nonsense, and then they're just left to die like dogs. The government isn't doing its job—even though they explicitly promised to—and they aren't being held accountable. This isn't about whether a building has been constructed yet; this is about human lives and dying with dignity.
We've been around since 2007, and considering how few of us are actually active, we've pulled off miracles in these two years within the society we live in. We hunt down media coverage like hyenas whenever we can, and we launched a website that gets massive traffic specifically to educate, inform, and provide support.
We are all very aware that a crowd doesn't gather overnight, but someone has to kick things off, stir the pot, and get everyone else riled up. That's where the initiative is lacking.

And regarding that show link I posted—in this case, a doctor stood up and spoke out, but his own colleagues turned their backs on him in public. The only public support he received came from a patient.
Once the pressure mounted, the problem was fixed. The hospital received emergency funding and the limits were raised.

Kate Collins67 said:Let’s be real: palliative medicine practically doesn't exist in this country in any meaningful sense.
We’re talking about actual hospices here.
But look, there are a couple of cold, hard facts we have to face:
1. Most oncology drugs just don't have a logical cost-to-benefit ratio. (That’s the brutal reality right there)
2. There is only so much money in the pot, and within the system, it has to be allocated where it can actually do the most good.
There’s more to it than that, but I don't want people getting the wrong idea.

Of course we don't have hospices, even though the government stood before the European Union and gave guarantees that the first hospice would be built by 2008. But sure, building a house is the easy part—who actually works in it? Nobody was willing or capable of training the first specialized team abroad—maybe in somewhere like Mexico or maybe even some parts of South America where they have excellent hospice programs—and then somehow establishing a palliative medicine department at a medical school... you know, solving the problem *systemically*.

I'm well aware of points one and two. And as for the money, it exists; it's just being funneled into repaving highways, bailing out billionaires, various scandals, or keeping big-name sports teams afloat so they can compete in international tournaments.
Look, from top to bottom, the whole system is a circus, so it makes sense that we ended up with a system like this. But while people are busy living their small lives, they fail to recalibrate our values and realize that health is number one. By ignoring preventative measures, we aren't just being irresponsible toward ourselves, but toward society as a whole. When you get a preventable cancer—one of the top four most common carcinomas hitting the population—and you don't catch it until it's advanced, the treatment costs vastly more than if it had been caught early or prevented entirely.
If everyone actually did their part, then those poor souls who happen to be struck by some rare sarcoma—for which the medication is so expensive even a wealthy person can barely afford it, and isn't even registered in the US because of Big Pharma's damn profit margins—might actually have a few cents left over just to try their luck and see if they stand a chance.

Everyone has the right to fight for their life and their recovery.

Kate Collins67 said:To be perfectly honest, I have a massive issue with how this whole setup works—but if or when an individual like me actually has the power to change things, I’ll certainly give it a shot. For now, though? My hands are tied.
Just a heads-up: this is strictly my own take, and I can almost guarantee most doctors aren't going to agree with me on this one.

But if you look at it from the patient's perspective, the problem is way more deep-seated, which means the burden still falls on the patients to force a change in the system.
The thing is, "patients" usually go about using the media and other platforms all wrong. Instead of pointing out the specific, systemic failures, they just end up attacking the staff...
I've listed a few examples below.

Well, you've got it backwards, at least regarding the association I represent. We have never, ever, ever gone against the medical profession. On the contrary, we build and maintain excellent relationships with doctors. Everywhere we go, we emphasize how vital good working conditions are and highlight the high level of expertise we have here in the US; we collaborate heavily, especially on prevention campaigns and second opinion initiatives. Like I told you before, we actually experience the exact opposite: whenever we speak out publicly to advocate for medical workers' rights, the profession stays silent. Then, the government turns around and claims we're lying because, since the doctors aren't reacting, everything must be fine.
Look, sorry, but we've practically swallowed our pride just to fight for you, and then when it's time to point out what's actually happening, you all just scurry back into your mouse holes... so where's the progress in that?
How are patients supposed to get on your side and use the media effectively if this is how it works?

EDIT: here is a =63230&tx_ttnews[backPid]=23&cHash=f1ad1cca92%3E[tt_news]=63230&tx_ttnews[backPid]=23&cHash=f1ad1cca92']link to the show "Openly," which does a great job showing the difference between how doctors defend the profession versus how patients do. When you watch it, please try to view it through the eyes of someone who is sick, or maybe someone in your own family, rather than looking at it through a doctor's lens. It completely changes your perspective.

dustymarlin10 said:Well, I was actually getting ready to jump in with some more complaints, but I hate to disappoint you all. I’ve actually got a pretty positive story to tell.
By some stroke of luck—and after pushing it off for years—I finally went in last Friday to get an atheroma on my neck operated on at the Varazdin General Hospital.
I was honestly pretty terrified beforehand because of all the horror stories I’d heard from self-proclaimed "experts," so I was definitely feeling the nerves. People were warning me about everything from being operated on without proper anesthesia to pure negligence, arrogance, and just straight-up rudeness.
But, honestly? My experience was nothing short of great.
None of that nightmare stuff happened to me.
I showed up right when they told me to.
The doctor was incredibly kind, genuinely interested in my case, attentive, and clearly knew his stuff (if you know Dr. Lekic, you know).
Even the three nurses I dealt with—at reception, in the clinic, and in the OR—were all super friendly, caring, and smiling.
Everything went perfectly smooth, and I even spent the procedure chatting with the doctor while he worked.
It just goes to show my theory is right: a little smile and a kind word go a long way. Of course, that works both ways if the patient is also being decent. By keeping things positive on my end, it set the tone for them to treat me with that same respect (at the end of the day, they're just people too).
The actual facilities they're working in are frankly terrible—we're talking ceilings falling apart in the OR, green sheets washed so many times they're unrecognizable, and office chairs that look like they're about to collapse... yet none of that stops them from doing their jobs professionally.

I’ll just add one thing: if a patient is being aggressive, rude, or just plain obnoxious (like that visibly drunk guy screaming at doctors in the ER because they "haven't seen him yet"), no amount of medical training is going to turn the staff into saints.

Believe me, looking at it from the perspective of an oncology patient, you don't have to be stumbling drunk to get a tiny dose of actual "humanity."
But hey, it is what it is; you get what you pay for. That logic applies everywhere, including medical services. Empathy is something they only bother writing about in palliative care textbooks—which, by the way, remains a total mystery in the US, even though we've been living in the 21st century for ages and its foundations were laid back in the Renaissance.

Kate Collins67 said:Just to clear the air—I’m actually a guy. My wife opened this account, but I didn't really feel like dealing with it myself, so here I am using hers.

Look, I’m in no position to be making any big moves or changing things right now, and there are two very specific reasons for that.
1. In the grand scheme of the corporate ladder, I’m pretty much at the bottom.
2. Until I finish paying back that 1,000 $0.00 debt to the system that supposedly "trained" me, I can't exactly afford to start throwing punches—if I lose my job, those collectors are going to be knocking on my door immediately.

Side note: we can't just band together and act as one because, let's face it, we don't all see eye to eye, and these changes aren't going to sit well with everyone.

Then where exactly is the patient supposed to sit in this hierarchy? Who do you think should be driving the change? Some big shot executive, or maybe just some little guy like you, standing next to another little guy, who stands next to another little guy—civil society.

2. Until I pay back the $1,000 $0.00 I owe the system that "educated" me, I can't exactly afford to start throwing punches. If I lose my job, those debts come knocking immediately.

Honestly, I think you and everyone else thinking this way are just making up excuses to avoid going toe-to-toe with the beast and getting your hands dirty. But that’s expected, isn't it? We live in a society raised to believe someone else will swoop in, fix our mess, and hand us an instant solution. This applies to everyone—doctors and patients alike.
As long as you have that mindset, you don't get to complain. Only the person who actually tries to shake things up and fails has the right to moan about it!

Do you really think patient advocacy groups all think the same way or share the same interests? Of course they don't. But we fight, and you know why? Because we've finally had enough and we're drowning in it—we have no choice left. Clearly, the doctors haven't reached that breaking point yet.

Look, Doctor, most of what you’re saying hits the mark, but we aren't going to fix this by whispering anonymously on internet forums; we fix it through medical associations and public advocacy. You are the ones on the front lines with the patients, which means you should be the first ones applying pressure to the government to overhaul how this entire system is structured.
As a member of a very active cancer advocacy group, I can tell you firsthand that we’ve been left out in the cold by the medical establishment more than once. We’ve actually had to step up and publicly defend the profession ourselves because everyone else seems terrified of crossing the Medicare administration or the Department of Health and Human Services.
It is time to pull together and start acting as a united front.
Regarding point 6: you simply cannot expect a patient—a layperson with zero medical training—to distinguish between an emergency and a non-emergency. That is yet another systemic failure where a triage process should be functioning before any processing even begins.
As for point 7:
If all we do is sit around complaining to one another without taking concrete action, we could post things like this forever and never see a single tangible result.

I’d honestly suggest you go see a GI specialist, if only because what you’re feeling could be caused by an H. pylori infection. You really can't afford to ignore that one; leaving an infection like that unchecked for too long is like playing with fire—it can actually lead to stomach or esophageal cancer.