Dr. Peel came in by ambulance the other night on a cocaine and crystal meth bender. She sure has put on a lot of weight. She was distressed that her 'significant other' was cashing her disability checks to pay rent, after all, she said, her significant other is supposed to love her. So, she called a 'good friend' who supplied her with cocaine and crystal and some fine kind. She had no insurance and no money since she had just spent it on 'partying' and when old Doc Peel gets to partying the only thing that stops her is runnin' out of stuff or wanting to stick a knife in her lover. The sticking a knife in her lover part was the reason she was placed on a mental health hold... I believed she would do it.
After she finished chowing down the sandwich and soda we gave her (and damn if she didn't gum that thing to death!) she demanded something to counteract the cocaine and stood in the hallway begging to go smoke. Such a shame, a promising career like that caught in the web of substance abuse and broken hearts. Thanks, by the way, for paying for her care all you taxpayers out there. It was very expensive, especially because, since psychiatrists are rare as hen's teeth on hospital staffs these days (it doesn't pay) we had to transfer her hours down the road for admission and treatment. Good luck doc.
After she finished chowing down the sandwich and soda we gave her (and damn if she didn't gum that thing to death!) she demanded something to counteract the cocaine and stood in the hallway begging to go smoke. Such a shame, a promising career like that caught in the web of substance abuse and broken hearts. Thanks, by the way, for paying for her care all you taxpayers out there. It was very expensive, especially because, since psychiatrists are rare as hen's teeth on hospital staffs these days (it doesn't pay) we had to transfer her hours down the road for admission and treatment. Good luck doc.
Joy.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, my COBRA costs just went from $500/mo to $867. For me, no spouse, no kids.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm unemployed, and suffering from a somewhat-botched knee replacement and waiting literally months to see the next-tier OS who (hopefully) can fix me.
Miss a single day and I'm stuck in the "pre-existing condition" debacle. Savings are gone, soon I'll be living on (and paying my mortgage with) credit cards.
Last year, by my rough calculations, ~55% of my income went to pay some form of tax -- payroll, property, gas, sales, etc.
The biggest reasons for my slow recovery?
(1) 6 years ago, after my accident, Docs said 6-12 months minimum before I could return to work. 5 weeks later I did -- AMA. Left rehab Friday, went to work on Monday. No time for recovery, no energy for PT. Crippled.
(2) Ever since, I've continued to degrade until I "hit the wall." I just couldn't go on, and had to surrender. My employer meanwhile continued to pile on the work until my average work-week was 80+ hours and I hadn't had a single full day off in over 10 months.
When I read about these people, or see them sitting on the porch of their subsidized house or polishing their Lexus wearing $200 shoes -- well -- I want to ... Well -- never mind. Best keep that little fantasy to myself.
F**K socialists. Bite me. Work or die. Need help? We'll help you get back to work, then you're on your own.
DD
"F**K socialists. Bite me. Work or die. Need help? We'll help you get back to work, then you're on your own."
ReplyDeleteAwesome quote.. would be even more awesome if the entire United States felt that way.. but we all know that'll never happen..
You're shitting me. You FED her?? By golly, next date night with hubby, we're foregoing dinner at our favorite Italian place and hit up the ER. Do you serve whine, too?
ReplyDeleteBoredMedStudent:
ReplyDeleteI left off some of the best parts of my "story":
When I went back to work, I was commuting 2.5 hours one-way from my rural home to my (highly technical) job in downtown big-city. On 240mg MS per day (4 60-mg doses of ms-contin). I changed jobs after 1 year, cutting an hour off the commute, where I've been ever since.
The pain has gotten worse and worse over the last 6 years, eventually I ended up with a 100 McG Fentanyl patch (up from 25, 50 and 75 as they became useless) and still couldn't sleep for the pain.
For the last ~2 years, my Doc has threatened to declare me "disabled" as he watched what was happening to me. Every time I brought up the surgery I needed (and its ~3-month recovery time) they said "bear with us a few more months..." so I did. Months turned to years, and my 10-man group turned to me and ~1/2 of one other guy, as the worload increased instead of decreasing.
Finally, on Feb 18th, I realized a few things all at once, which added up to "I'm getting this done in mid-April. You need to figure out which ~4 people are going to handle the things I have been doing." I gave them ~60-days' notice -- 2x what the law requires.
11 days later they called me in to tell me I'd been an exemplary employee (all the awards and all-aces reviews proved that) but they just didn't need me any more. They took pains to tell me it had nothing at all to do with my impending surgery. Yeah, right.
After perusing my discharge papers, I realized I had 7 days to get my needed surgery or it would be too late and G*d knows when I'd be able to try again. In my crippled condition, trying to get someone else to hire me was nigh on impossible. Who's going to hire a guy who looks like death and can barely walk? How do I explain this? When I got this job, I was able to say "had a bad accident a year ago -- I'm getting better every day." Looking worse now than I did then, all I can say is "had a bad accident 6 years ago, need major surgery but can't get it done." Who is going to hire that guy?
I explained this to Doc at ~2PM on Friday 2/29, he did my surgery at 10AM on Tuesday 3/4. - 1.5 business-days is nothing short of a miracle. I will be eternally grateful to him.
I've busted my @$$ in PT, trying to rebuild muscles that were atrophied to uselessness. I've made remarkable progress, but apparently not good enough - the "disability insurance" @$$holes cut me off after 8 weeks in spite of what Doc said. Still fighting them.
Meanwhile, it appears my medial-collateral ligament is too loose. This allows the joint to separate, my patella to sublux, then the joint to slap back together on every step. Every single, cursed step. It's gotten no better though my muscles are stronger.
I get on the exercise bike and it's beautiful. Knee-bends are great. Pain is much improved, even at this short point, but this clunking is making me nuts.
Doc refuses to consider messing with it -- I don't know if it's ego or what, but I can't live with this... I didn't go through all this to be as crippled as I was before.
So, I wait, and wait, for an appointment with the local big-city teaching hospital, praying they'll consider me an interesting enough case to do what needs to be done.
Meanwhile, I'm paying $867 per month to COBRA so I don't lose my medical insurance.
I've played around with various methods of keeping gravity from separating the joint, and the few steps I can test were WONDERFUL! I'll be simply ecstatic if I can get it to act that way without my assistance.
Hopefully, then, G*d will see fit to let me find a job in this horrid economy. At least I'll be searching on two good legs, hopefully without a limp. But when I see these people who just won't work I want to hurt them -- give them a reason.
I see some of them in PT. Apparently healthy males complaining of non-specific pain, appearing in no distress. One really kills me -- his favorite topic of conversation with any "new" person is how much/what kind of pain meds they have. He even waited for me in the parking lot one day and asked me for "a loan" of some pain pills.
When I refused, he offered to buy them. I told him to get out of my face and stay out before I did something that would land both of us in the ER.
Jackass? DEA plant? I don't know, but I DO know that I - like others with genuine pain - am not parting with any of my precious supply of pain-relief. I understand how it can happen, though -- being broke, eligible for no .gov "assistance" (thanks to previous hard work) I must admit that sometimes I've looked at the pill-bottle and seen a mortgage payment...
Don't get me wrong -- not going to do it -- just saying that I can see how it happens to folks who have no credit available and no credit-score to preserve...
Sorry for rambling...
DD
Sounds like my foster son's Mom.
ReplyDeleteSo I posted a picture on my flickr the other day on the side of my blog that was supposed to be of my sunburn. I happen to be wearing a bathing suit. I got about a million (exaggerated, obviously, but many many) emails telling me I "need to eat a sandwich" because I am "too bony" or similar things. Maybe I should have stopped by so you could have fed me.
ReplyDeleteOne question: If my son has Fifth's disease, how long before my other 3 kids catch it from him? I forgot to ask the doctor this morning. I swear at least one of them has had it before, but I can't remember which one!
RG: OK: Mention "bathing suit" and you know guys are gonna want to look. I did.
ReplyDeleteAnorexia is gross. You're not.
Some of us prefer healthy, slim, attractive women, and you appear to be all three.
Of those who can't (or pretend they can't) tell the difference, most are simply both fat and jealous.
Eff-Em.
DD
radioactive girl - I know you must be a very nice person and a great mom(after checking out your blog), but you always (well, maybe not 100% of the time, but close) find some way to mention how thin you are. I can't figure it out - either you are really stuck on yourself(I don't think this is the case)or you are somewhat insecure about your size. Not dissin' you, just curious.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it hurts me when people poke fun at my weight. I think my commenting on it is like a heavy person making fun of themselves before someone else can do it so it doesn't hurt so bad when someone else does it. If I laugh about it first, it is under my control, not yours.
ReplyDeleteIt HURTS when someone anonymously tells me that they aren't "dissin' me" but then leaves an anonymous comment that isn't nice. If you want to criticise me, go for it. I can take it. But maybe you should have the balls to give yourself a name.
Wait a minute. You may find this hard to believe, but I was TRULY curious about why this seemed to be a "theme" of sorts in your MDOD comments. You answered my question. I was actually kind of fascinated because I am a small person, also. The thin/smaller people I have known are not self conscious since it is so valued in the US.
ReplyDeleteI've been following RadGirl's comments for a long time, and I only remember a few words about her weight. I remember many more comments about her kids, her fight with cancer, her triathalon training and countless mundane things that she makes interesting. Why don't you say something interesting?
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame medicaid doesn't cover haircuts. I can't think of a more significant improvement to one's quality of life, in the case of this robust woman, than a proper trim.
ReplyDeleteanonymous- I do appreciate the fact that you were not truly hurtful in your comment and said a few nice things, but the 2 choices you posed for what you considered to be my constant mentioning of my weight were both not very flattering. If you were truly curious, and not intending to hurt me/make me look bad, an email to me just simply questioning me in a friendly tone would have been nice. My email address is on my blog, which you seem to have read.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows me or reads my blog knows that I am an open book and will answer almost anything. Anyone who knows me or reads my blog also probably knows that I am not stuck on myself and am an extremely generous caring person who would do just about anything to help someone else.
I am a bit insecure about my weight, only because I think there really isn't a way for women to win. Either we are too fat and should be ashamed, or "anorexic" and need to eat. It makes me sad for the future of my daughters. You wouldn't believe the number of emails I get telling me that I need to eat. I mostly just laugh them off, but after a certain point, it hurts. No joke I have questioned not blogging anymore because no matter what I write, someone seems to find fault with it. Even sending packages to soldiers I don't know.
I don't think I look disgusting, and even if I did I don't see why it would be ok for someone to comment on it. I also tend to get a little upset when someone asks me something really personal but doesn't tell me who they are. Just wanted to clear up where I stand on this.
Thank you Rad Girl for your last comment. Please accept my sincere apology if I offended you. I mean that. You honestly look great - be proud! I should have emailed you, just didn't think of it and actually commented off handedly (which should never be done, especially if it causes someone else any type of pain or embarrassment). Keep blogging and no wonder the guys here love you.
ReplyDeleteAbout the anonymous thing - I just haven't thought of a name and I didn't see a big difference between a "made up" moniker and being anonymous. Again, my sincere "I am sorry".
My daughters are both pre-professional ballet dancers. Both are therefore THIN. Eldest is tall and willowy but extremely strong.
ReplyDeleteHer Mother (I have sole custody) is FAT, as are both of her half-siblings. They call her "anorexic" -- Mom's even threatened to call DSS on me because "she's too thin!" I bit my tongue, but the kid didn't -- "Just because you're too fat doesn't mean I'm too skinny."
FTR, she eats like any other teenage girl. I am forceful about nutrition and have them on supplements only because they're teens and excessively active. She's had regular physicals and while she's on the low-end of the curve for weight, 2 Docs agree she's the picture of health.
I honestly worry a BIT because at 17 she's only had a couple of periods, but Docs say it's because she's so active, that it's common for dancers and gymnasts to be this way.
Anorexic girls cannot dance for 8 hours straight, leaping, spinning, etc. Her legs are like iron, she's an ATHLETE.
As are (apparently) you (RG).
I say again -- EFF-'em.
That said, I know nothing beyond what I read here but you seem to admit being sensitive about it. I FIRMLY believe that the "tapes" we play in our head affect us -- I'd suggest recording a loop for yourself that says "just because they're too fat doesn't mean I am too skinny" then pity all the pain the obese will suffer.
You're fine the way you are.
DD
I am with lynn price: when can we come over for dinner?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I like trying new dining places, a free meal is an added bonus. Do we get a choice of soda?
So is this mullet lady any different then the approaching 60 greying, balding, potbelly hippie that STILL wears a ponytail!?!??!
ReplyDeleteNow tell me...how many times have you seen THAT guy stroking, fondling, caressing that...that...hairy protuberance on the back of his head!??!??
gack...choke...I just coughed something into my throat
Steve
Welfare is not socialized medicine. Socialized medicine is not welfare. Those of us who have it (and hey, it ain't perfect but my love for the American system has diminished dramatically since reading this blog) work our asses off and pay about 40%+ of our income in taxes to cover it. For the average working person in America, an equal amount is coming out of their pay in taxes & insurance payments. That is if their employer actually offers insurance.
ReplyDeletePerhaps welfare wouldn't be so necessary for so many people if they'd had the health care and educations necessary to afford them the opportunities the rest of us WASPs have had. And perhaps with those opportunities they wouldn't succumb to the fleeting happiness of drugs thanks to their (accurate) senses of helplessness and despair.
I keep hearing all this anti socialized medicine crap and all I really end up hearing is Don't You DARE put a CAP on my earnings, buddy! I'm a DOCTEUR. *eyeroll* Incidentally, I think doctors should earn a heck of a lot, and that administrators should not. They do not save lives or increase the quality of anyone's life.
If they'd put a cap on the damned administrator's earnings, health care costs just might come down.
And really, why would you begrudge an impoverished child adequate medical coverage. I'd gladly pay more in taxes to see that everyone got a PROPER education along with EXCELLENT health care. And I know damned well there'd still be people who didn't pull their own weight, but the world around me would be a much better place and I might actually be willing to return to that god-forsaken country I used to call home.
Attitudes like the ones expressed in many of these comments are the reason the rest of the world hates us. Ah, but to y'all who are still there...there is no rest of the world, is there? We're 'Mericans by golly and we're right and we're the best whether it's good or bad. The hell with everyone else. They don't exist.
dear cannedam,
ReplyDeletei suspect you are a college student or in teaching or a job that is unionized.
you and i are at polar opposites.
*Perhaps welfare wouldn't be so necessary for so many people if they'd had the health care and educations necessary to afford them the opportunities the rest of us WASPs have had.*
this is really rich. you are the guy that looks at a robbery and immediately thinks that the robber must have had it rough as a child.
the minute you get away from personal responsibility and advocate for 'necessary welfare' you are dooming your society to a slow demise. eventually those bearing the burden of supporting not only themselves and their familys, but those 'less fortunate' will quit bearing.
then you will get frozen social classes and terminal ennui. i really wonder who you think is in the proper position to judge who owes what to whom. there is nobody incarnate who can do this and no committee that can do it and no machine to search the human heart.
welfare is a necessary evil. to the extent it is made easy and comfortable to be on welfare then i am vehemently against it.
no one here is against providing care to anyone, much less children, in fact, all of us here DO provide excellent care to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.
the point is that we are providing so much of it and it is so easy to get that pretty soon there will not be enough doctors because it's not an attractive career anymore.
why not go into medicine yourself and joing medicines sans frontiers? or better yet, and this would be better than any government welfare program... start a business, get rich, and employ a bunch of people and give them health insurance and a job.
i don't know where you get this idea that anyone is owed anything by anyone else. it's pure liberal poison and completely indefensible unless you disbelieve in individual freedom and self-determination.