tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304021472012-01-12T15:47:25.292-05:00PFGnoreply@blogger.comBlogger831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-6786902614690047442008-09-30T21:20:00.005-04:002008-09-30T21:28:20.338-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-1983918736416822522008-08-30T20:34:00.004-04:002008-08-30T23:15:38.239-04:00

Hey, it's another cool site. Bad Cripple by blogger William Peace. So far, I've spent most of my time on there reading up on his experiences with the Obama campaign and accessibility. It's making me want to go and fix up all my posts with pix (I'm certain I don't always provide alternate text). I'm looking forward to reading more by William and I encourage you to check out his excellent blog.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-51271777236024559352008-08-28T20:08:00.003-04:002008-08-28T20:17:51.140-04:00

...in your Spare TimeThis was the title of some recent inbox spam. Compelling, no? It was the "spare time" part that really hooked me. "Why become a nurse?" the spammy body text asks. Why indeed. Apparently... a nursing career is recession proofa full time position usually includes benefitsthere is a national shortage of nursesand you canwork in a professional environmentOh dear. If this

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-73382295353992613092008-08-28T00:17:00.000-04:002008-08-28T00:18:00.347-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-20414859224298321182008-08-17T13:54:00.004-04:002008-08-17T14:22:07.623-04:00

I asked the nurse practitioner at my GI office "How do your other patients who have symptoms like this handle it? I mean, what do they do so they aren't tied up in the bathroom all morning or passing out from cramping? How do they manage to even get out of the house and get to work?"She said: "Well, some of them just avoid eating all day" then after looking at my face and perhaps seeing the

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-27344954076047040452008-08-06T21:38:00.003-04:002008-08-06T21:40:36.950-04:00

This Onion clip which fit so well with recent posts about research and IBS-D.'Cosmopolitan' Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-2845778657688311832008-08-05T08:57:00.003-04:002008-08-05T09:20:45.483-04:00

I have a meeting set up with a temp agency today and I thought it would be good if I weren't passing out in their bathroom. Hence, no breakfast for me this morning. I don't like skipping meals, it makes me irritable and lethargic but last night was horrible. I was about 10 minutes into dinner when I got massive cramping lower down. I stopped eating and took a bentyl (my first one). I ate a

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-8476633504873296142008-08-01T16:24:00.002-04:002008-08-01T16:33:00.575-04:00

No scopy for me today. Nasty little sinus/ear infection thing got in the way. On the plus side, at least I spiked a temp before I started the prep. On the down side, trying to get a straight answer out of my doctor's office on whether or not they'd go forward with the procedure if I had a temp today was like herding cats. "Anesthesia might not want to do it..." was the best I could get out of

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-6530616893321587612008-07-30T08:24:00.006-04:002008-07-30T12:17:22.785-04:00

I guess because we're in the midst of Lyme season here in the Lyme rampant states today I googled "lyme disease" + test + research. The second "scholarly article" return was this one which I found interesting enough to read in full text (and to follow several linked references to and from).Klempner, M. S., C. H. Schmid, L. Hu, A. C. Steere, G. Johnson, B. McCloud, R. Noring, and A. Weinstein.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-72190280795255239042008-07-29T12:47:00.008-04:002008-07-30T09:35:46.588-04:00

I'm having my second ever colonoscopy on Friday. Or I'm supposed to at least.PEG is such an innocent sounding word. Reminiscent of what is at the moment a sort of ironic song, or an ironic bit of lyrics. "Peg, it will come back to you..." And indeed, it may if what might be coming back (up) is your clear liquid dinner.Really, it should be PEIG, which stands for "Plastic-like Emesis Inducing

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-79468940866036605732008-07-29T12:37:00.004-04:002008-07-29T12:45:36.405-04:00

Hey I just ran across a great section of what is looking like a pretty neat site, IBS Treatment. The section I came in through has patient reviews of various IBS drugs, with both an American version and a UK specific listing. The latter is a bit small, and I don't know if this reflects a true low number of UK specific IBS drugs or if the database just needs to be grown. To write a review, you

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-48651380825943850302008-07-28T13:23:00.014-04:002008-08-30T23:44:32.367-04:00

In response to my post Disability Law,Stephen said...McCain’s record of voting against issues important to people with disabilities speaks for itself. This recent complete reversal on his views is nothing more than typical McCain political pandering.I started replying in the comment field but realized my reply is bigger than a comment.So here goes.I don't know McCain's record on the issue, but

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-34509264494113786852008-07-28T11:24:00.008-04:002008-08-30T20:18:03.133-04:00

UPDATED August 30, 2008: I'm getting a lot of hits on this post from people looking for info about the hyoscyamine/Levsin shortage. The best I can offer (aside from my rambling story time post below which does actually have some useful information) is a more recently updated but still not very heartening bulletin from "The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists", full text at link &

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-60016685615031288582008-07-27T09:54:00.004-04:002008-07-27T10:22:00.101-04:00

I find the last paragraph of the excerpts from the AP article (below) to be a great example of doublespeak. For more in depth information on the bill referenced below and the issues surrounding it, go here. McCain vows to back changes to disabilities lawBy Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press Writer Jul 26, 2008COTTONWOOD, Ariz. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is pledging support

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-90897106333451028942008-07-25T12:57:00.006-04:002008-07-25T14:48:42.100-04:00

I fell asleep in pain and I woke up in pain. Because I'm currently unemployed (going on two weeks now since my last job ended), it wasn't as big a disaster as it could have been. However, to say that it gave me pause to be in such pain right now would be an understatement. I didn't want to stay in bed because being unemployed is freaking me out enough, evoking the questions of how employable

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-6482751769968094122008-07-23T12:08:00.007-04:002008-07-23T14:41:08.189-04:00

It's July. This means it's national "how the fuck do I order that?!" month.As a unit clerk, I dreaded July. Sure, it meant some new fresh folks to replace the ones who had been worn down and frayed by February. But it also meant too many over-eager interns and inflated residents strutting their stuff through our halls, sitting at my computer, walking off with my pen, running away with charts,

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-86053472341274856162008-07-22T11:53:00.011-04:002008-07-22T12:28:22.021-04:00

I've been hoping to make a Lyme public service announcement for the radio, oh for a while now. If you have chronic health problems, you know what it's like to find time for these "extra" things. Anyhow, I am determined to do it this year, mostly because I still run into people in my area who do not know even the basics about Lyme disease. Where I live is an extremely high Lyme disease area. I

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-63072265593015494072008-06-29T19:09:00.003-04:002008-06-29T19:33:17.973-04:00

I went to a wedding this weekend. I went armed with meds - usually my purse is good for a few ibuprofen, tylenol, various anti-diarrhea meds, allergy pills, and even a stray decongestant. Pretty much everything is OTC. This is only the third formal occasion I have had to go to since becoming chronically ill and the first two were unpleasant to disastrous. The last one, I spent the majority of

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-83846386266895413842008-06-26T18:18:00.006-04:002008-06-26T18:36:22.376-04:00

A lovely plugin/add on was recently brought to my attention. It's called "flashblock", and when it's installed for Firefox (which is the browser I use), it blocks those super annoying flash ads - you know, the ones that feature often flickering, dancing, flashing, and otherwise strobe-like visual patterns in the margins of your screen. These are very annoying for most people, and for a few of

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-24876924880933727262008-05-11T16:18:00.002-04:002008-05-11T16:22:06.137-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-14420189214974353232008-04-23T01:55:00.005-04:002008-04-23T02:11:28.032-04:00

I was talking with a graduate student in my program today and medical stuff came up. She's had a run of bad health in the last few years - being diagnosed as needing heart surgery and then had acute and quite bad GI episode (likely due to or exacerbated by a series of intestine slowing drugs a presumably well intentioned but apparently moronic provider put her on). She's finally coming through

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-88622868094757670992008-04-04T21:15:00.006-04:002008-04-04T22:54:23.646-04:00

Still on the prednisone. I think I'd like to stop but I guess I'm supposed to taper. I haven't been on it long, although it's a high dose and I suppose better safe than sorry. I'm ready to be done with it though. Yes, my hip feels excellent. My gut hasn't felt this well in some time, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had a single GI side effect from the prednisone.However....every evening

PFGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-28385019735451714332008-04-03T18:59:00.003-04:002008-04-03T19:23:37.038-04:00

I recently have discovered that although I kinda feel like shit on prednisone, I look good while I'm on it. This may be the beauty secret find of the season. The low grade fevers I've been running since day three have added a rosy glow to my otherwise normal pallor. And the facial bloating is at a level where it has just filled in a bit of the normally over-deep hollows under my cheekbones

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-42970804227637553222008-03-13T01:03:00.008-04:002008-03-15T23:14:30.819-04:00

The capacity in which I deal with consent processes is quite different from the issue at hand in the story below. The people I am obtaining consent from are in a research setting, not a treatment setting. Thus, in the contexts I am most familiar with, the issue of withdrawal or refusal on the part of the patient/participant is to be assumed a basic right. As a researcher, I am very careful to

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-58366755809335344902008-03-08T00:48:00.005-05:002008-03-10T21:20:11.948-04:00

From a local paper this week:School administrators locked down two schools Thursday afternoon as five middle school students were rushed to hospitals after swallowing various pills. A sixth student didn't require hospitalization.The students showed up in the nurse's office after lunch complaining of feeling sick after they took over-the-counter and prescription medication, Police Chief Mark

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-27228373233041295882008-01-31T23:23:00.000-05:002008-01-31T23:30:31.739-05:00

Enjoy!

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-65559262976110082372008-01-21T22:04:00.000-05:002008-01-21T22:07:16.784-05:00

Cross posted. I had written this on another blog (which is less health related and more other general stuff) but it has become something which I think fits well over here in No Harm. Today we had a three and a half hour mini-conference in my department. As with so many academic gatherings, we were cramped in a way which recalls that line Tom Hanks delivers so excellently in the Coen brothers'

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-88907574601565236052008-01-14T15:39:00.001-05:002008-01-14T16:07:02.891-05:00

I just found a great site, linked in Dinosaur's blog. It's called "Multiple Sclerosis Sucks". The writing is honest, informative, and entertaining. I liked the pages How a Scientist Thinks, Statistics, and You Be the Research Scientist so much that I may suggest them for my upcoming research method course.On this site, you can find affirmations of the following sort:When life gives you lemons,

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-68888944717157609702008-01-02T19:08:00.000-05:002008-01-02T19:26:57.735-05:00

I'm feeling down today. I had a bad intestine day yesterday, my legs have been killing at night, and the PT is not going well. I have a lot of pain doing the exercises, both in and out of the pool and I've been exhausted after the pool exercise. So far I've only gone to PT once a week since the holidays sort of disrupted the scheduling. This week will be the first time I go twice. Once today

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-45217477689069890162007-12-23T21:05:00.000-05:002007-12-23T21:08:56.528-05:00

From Big Train

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-75915391989149478872007-12-20T14:50:00.000-05:002007-12-20T14:58:15.630-05:00

My first PT appointment was on Tuesday. I was evaluated, measured, and all that. I left and the therapist changed my exercises (from the last time I was in PT, about 28 months ago), so now I have three total that I'm doing. My second PT appointment was today. It's water therapy. Interesting, and somewhat surprising since I didn't realize my ankles would still take a bit of a burden in the

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-60092947965299934292007-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:002007-12-19T01:03:24.890-05:00

Another Lyme headline. The part that spooks me is the third paragraph.(excerpted from the Stamford Advocate)Medical board approves probation, fine for controversial doctorAssociated PressDecember 18 2007HARTFORD, Conn. -- A New Haven pediatrician who has been praised by patients but criticized by the medical establishment for the way he treats Lyme disease was reprimanded, fined $10,000 and

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-87968609024774134512007-12-12T13:31:00.000-05:002007-12-12T13:44:52.404-05:00

Pubalgia.It nearly rolls of the tongue, doesn't it? At least it does when you compare it to "osteitis pubis" or "pubic symphysitis". Here's hoping mine doesn't get worse than the current moderate, intermittent "pubalgia". Got a shot in the hip today for the outer and posterior aspects of this whole pelvis/hip pain issue and while it wasn't painful, it sure was not comfortable. I don't even want

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-57902657351152811932007-12-08T14:39:00.000-05:002007-12-08T14:47:01.869-05:00

Stressed? You will be next Monday!PRNewswire, via Scientific BloggingLONDON, December 6 According to the results of a recent survey, if the festive pressures haven't got to you already, they will do next Monday - it's officially the most stressful day of the year.An independent survey, commissioned by healthcare provider, HealthSure, has revealed that the British public will be at its most

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-63933929100053322782007-12-03T13:01:00.000-05:002007-12-03T13:24:13.230-05:00

For reasons irrelevant to the nature of this blog, the topic of Haiku came up recently. A search online for more info on it has revealed two fun things.One is this site, which is nice and has information on teaching and writing haiku.The other was mention of random haiku generators such as this one. In playing with the haiku generator I discovered the option to change the vocabulary list it

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-17361530651946186562007-10-26T11:05:00.000-04:002007-10-30T00:55:48.472-04:00

"Ok, you're here for an ultrasound, to re-evaluate the cyst?" the woman at my gynecologist's office asked me. I told her yes."But the pain's been better, right?" she said.It's times like this I want a needle scratch sound effect. There was nothing in my history with that office since my last appointment, or in that day's interaction up to that point, which would suggest resolution or

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-74130899202453530712007-10-25T10:29:00.000-04:002007-10-25T10:39:22.631-04:00

Excerpted from today's Hartford Courant:UConn Prescription: No FreebiesDoctors, Medical Students Urge Committee To Ban Gifts From Drug CompaniesBy William HathawayCourant Staff WriterThe University of Connecticut Health Center is debating whether to become a no-pizza zone for pharmaceutical sales reps.Spurred by a national student-led campaign to ban drug company freebies, Health Center officials

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-30149624488953446432007-10-15T22:15:00.000-04:002007-11-28T15:36:07.815-05:00

From Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's "Why Does Your Drug Require Prior Authorization?" page.Why does Zyvox (linezolid) require prior authorization?Zyvox is a very strong and costly antibiotic. It has been shown to be just as effective as other antibiotics currently available to treat infection, however because it is one of the few antibiotics shown to be effective against resistant gram positive

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-60797794328990662822007-10-15T11:00:00.000-04:002007-10-15T11:11:42.875-04:00

I'd say this is good evidence that the Lyme Disease awareness among the general population is not just limited but BAD. My guess is this kid got her information from internet searches and from friends. I don't think internet medical information (or searching) is inherently bad, but I do think not knowing how to gauge scientific and medical information presented on the internet plus the free

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-47831423294135103132007-10-14T18:09:00.000-04:002007-11-28T15:42:11.091-05:00

Why am I not smoking. Because I had a cold which went immediately into my chest. I don't normally get that. But this time I did. And the very same day I was realizing the coughing fits were increasing and I was feeling distinctly unwell, unbeknownst to me my little brother was in an ER in Massachusetts with a rapidly developing atypical pneumonia.Turns out little brother has a MRSA pneumonia.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-40793159003627857862007-10-13T15:38:00.000-04:002007-10-14T18:09:47.706-04:00

Or, "A long ranty rant about medical insincerity by someone who is likely a bit dopamine depleted"I've been thinking about some of my least favorite contradictions in medicine and health perspectives. I suppose these could be called hypocrisies, but I feel this term implies belief which I am very reluctant to attribute. Contradiction, I think, as a word is more neutral on the existence and

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-38123246987439920452007-09-30T01:55:00.000-04:002007-09-30T01:58:22.156-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-39558234872717987752007-09-26T23:50:00.000-04:002007-10-01T01:01:36.262-04:00

Since I was just writing about compliance (to medication regimen), Medea, and Large Marge, this seems to be an appropriate reading for the day. I'm supposed to be writing a lecture on hypothesis development and testing, but ow. And my attention is less than razor sharply focused. I've gotta say, after looking over the abstract, I find myself quite curious about the "pictorial blood loss chart"

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-32011000382810646532007-09-26T11:48:00.000-04:002007-09-26T12:00:00.508-04:00

According to my GYN, the ultrasound was read wrong. Or done wrong. Turns out it wasn't Medea after all. It turns out this cyst is on my right ovary. And so I need a new name - Large Marge.Marge is big and the whole thing is displaced, now sitting behind my uterus (which is, on account of it being tipped backwards, sitting on top of my bowel). I can't imagine there's much room back there.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-42243653718274338532007-09-24T00:53:00.001-04:002007-09-24T01:43:32.374-04:00

When I was taking doxycycline for my acute Lyme infection many years ago, I developed a serious aversion to it. I had to force myself to swallow each twice daily dose. So great was the desire not to take it that I sometimes gagged on it and had to spit out into my hand, take a moment to visualize that it was a large tic tac, and then pop it in for another go. I often forgot to take it when I

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-70108444245062757682007-09-22T12:17:00.001-04:002007-09-22T12:25:36.839-04:00

I was looking up vitamins, looking into what's out there for doses, routes, and whatnot. This stopped me in my tracks.Buy this item with Home ~ Dixie Chicks today!And I'm thinking, wtf does a B12 sl supplement have to do with the Dixie Chicks? Do 9 out of 10 doctors whose patients listen to Dixie Chicks worry that their patients have pernicious anemia? I wonder now what if I look up calcium

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-10466825785999090802007-09-14T00:28:00.001-04:002007-09-14T17:12:57.356-04:00

I never, ever imagined there would be a point in my life where I'd be wishing for hemorrhoids...I got a call from the GI doctor's office with my results of the various scans - probably Medea and not much else is my guess. The call came right in the middle of the second two hour lecture I was giving today, which ended at about five PM. Yes. Of course. Hey, at least it wasn't Friday.I realized

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-81407909020551019402007-09-11T12:58:00.000-04:002007-09-11T13:09:42.534-04:00

Medea just can't get enough camera time it seems. There she was, a big round dark blob on the ultrasound image, now essentially the entire ovary which is a bit of a new look for her. She needs to go on a diet. I'll wait for the report before jumping to any conclusions about the ovary to Medea ratio. From what I understand, round, dark, and regular is good - well good as these things go. I'm

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-65838231793268176362007-09-10T00:36:00.000-04:002008-12-09T15:59:17.901-05:00

A long chain of internet whatnot starting with some thoughts of Foucault lead me to a book called Under the Medical Gaze: Facts and Fictions of Chronic Pain by Susan Greenhalgh. Dr. Greenhalgh is a professor of Anthropology at UC Irvine.A preview is available at Google Books. I'll let you know what I think after I get it from the university library. It certainly sounds interesting.Excerpted

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-5499510291228354272007-09-08T19:53:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:31:58.637-04:00

I think I should name the cyst on my left ovary. "M" names spring to mind. Martha? Or maybe Medea, seeing as it's caused me some trouble. Yes. Medea it is.I suspect Medea's at it again. I had a pelvic and abd CT on Wednesday because, well, because I'm bleeding. Very lower GI bleeding in fact. Oh ok, I'll stop pussyfooting about. I've been bleeding out my butt and not a little. I can't

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-63397267563921820192007-09-03T14:34:00.001-04:002007-09-10T23:40:14.226-04:00

Where m "mood" and h is the constant for "health".I found a very well phrased summary of why it's hard to have, make, or keep friends when you're dealing with an energy sucking illness. It's on Abide, a blog by sbpoet. Here's a small sample of her post.And for the person who is ill, friends are seen in a new light. When energy is severely limited, one cannot afford relationships that exhaust

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-26821568619538198672007-09-03T13:57:00.000-04:002007-09-03T16:04:23.645-04:00

Thank you to Catherine at Women 4 hope who listed No Harm in her five new blogs for Blog Day which I missed hearing about entirely due to my complete self absorption at this time of year. Classes started last week - earlier every year it seems - and I start teaching this week. My blogging here has been slim while I've been prepping the course material. I'm really hoping to steer some of the

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-83045129468784836012007-08-16T11:25:00.000-04:002007-08-16T11:27:23.667-04:00

I always love a good Matrix parody, and since I just heard a friend is contemplating going to med school after he finishes his PhD, this seemed topical.

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-49489901095454366802007-08-07T15:23:00.000-04:002007-08-20T23:43:46.027-04:00

Here's my plea. If you are a health care provider who has a patient whose severe diarrhea has caused sustained and serious weight loss, please for the love of god work that patient up for malnutrition. Especially if she's lactose intolerant, has been taking a proton pump inhibitor nearly ever day for the last 20 years, says that her stools are oily, and has such a low triglyceride level it'd

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-39765875116524093392007-07-27T13:00:00.000-04:002007-07-29T12:24:15.981-04:00

(Sunday, July 29: Updated with NEJM link)This was just too odd to pass up. My father raised my siblings and me with what's best described as an unhealthy sense of skepticism. Such unwillingness to ever suspend disbelief might make for being a good scientist but I've seen that over application can result in a somewhat annoying human. I often find I want to believe...but I'm always held back by

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-59140185969914372342007-07-25T17:04:00.000-04:002007-07-25T18:47:02.049-04:00

I read an interesting post over at Musings of a Dinosaur called Drug Seeking in Primary Care. In it, the writer discusses encounters with different types of pain med seeking patients. He makes an excellent distinction between "the patient legitimately seeking to form a new doctor-patient relationship for management of a chronic condition requiring controlled substances" and what are

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-62582513132819883722007-07-24T01:24:00.000-04:002007-07-24T01:37:52.695-04:00

As the in house linguistics major, I was sometimes called upon for word and language references when I worked as a unit secretary. My least favorite was the time a nurse asked me to use my extremely out of practice Italian to communicate with one of our frequent fliers who spoke nearly no English. "Hai dolore al petto?" I asked tentatively (and, I think, incorrectly), only to be rewarded with

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-1626797782762228202007-07-23T00:44:00.000-04:002007-07-24T01:56:08.391-04:00

I noticed two recent hits on this blog from people looking for the same topic. I mean exactly the same. Both were referred from Google searches for what the lay person's term for diuretic is. Two different IP addresses even. How odd. I find myself wondering if someone referred to a diuretic in a House rerun or something.Anyhow, since two hits count as a significant portion of the site's

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-7224660852511292472007-07-22T01:04:00.000-04:002007-07-22T01:09:20.340-04:00

Not so great at the moment. I've got a substantive post in the works, but for now we'll just go with a fun YouTube.They say laughter is the best medicine, right?

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-84930565637393811682007-07-19T00:23:00.001-04:002007-07-19T00:23:33.944-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-74941961704282363252007-07-18T00:40:00.000-04:002007-07-18T01:01:34.793-04:00

The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino is an excellent, I mean truly excellent essay about "what it's like to live with sickness or disability". While reading it, I thought of T.S. Eliot's Prufrock measuring out life with coffee spoons.The essay is linked through But you Don't Look Sick, (oh another great name) which I just discovered was founded by Ms. Miserandino. Well done Ms. Miserandino

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-74405156241503809112007-07-17T11:02:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:33:16.423-04:00

When my former primary was leaving her practice, I was told there wouldn't be a charge for my record if I decided to go to another office for primary care.Today I was told that the people who took over the practice (Mr. and Mrs. Doctor) do intend to charge me to obtain a copy of my medical record.I questioned the fee Mr. Doctor wanted to assess and was told this is what Mr. Doctor charges for

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-6152577723128710812007-07-16T23:36:00.001-04:002008-12-09T15:59:18.221-05:00

I had been thinking of making one myself. Tonight I did a quick search and found the folks at the California Lyme Disease Association have gone and done it for me. I hope they don't mind my uploading a picture of their "Ticks Suck" t-shirt.How great is that? I'll tell ya how great. It's super great with great big sprinkles on top. I love creative education/awareness tools. I still have a

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-64234551892237639852007-07-14T12:43:00.000-04:002007-07-14T12:48:04.969-04:00

Celtic Rose at First Do No Harm examines the issue of "Patient vs Client" in an excellent post.I work in the ICU, these are not clients, these are not customers, they have not chosen to be here. They would give anything NOT to be here.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-8971049294370562072007-07-11T19:01:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:33:51.721-04:00

Well that's the first I've heard of such a thing as a field of study. I found it by way of news about a publication a friend of mine has contributed to (congrats to B____ by the way). The book is Illness in the Academy, edited by Kimberly Myers. Here's a short article on medical humanities, Myers, and this book.As a member of the US academic community (well, sort of) and as a patient, I find

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-39370712345547466392007-07-10T11:44:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:34:32.185-04:00

Here's one of what I'm sure will be many posts on Lyme Disease.I live in the state where infection with the bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferi (borreliosis) got it's more common name - Lyme Disease. According to the state's public health website, "the percentage of deer ticks carrying B. burgdorferi can reach 23% in some areas" of this state.Therefore, Lyme is part of my environment, both

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-34528213090142037672007-07-09T17:05:00.000-04:002007-07-09T17:17:17.275-04:00

I just got back from my appointment with the potential new PCP. I think I found a match. Her office staff are friendly and efficient. And I liked her a lot. Very down to earth, and we just talked today. She told me about herself and stuff like who covers for her and when, how long I can expect to wait should I need to see someone urgently, what hospitals she is affiliated with, her policy on

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-10288511941085731652007-07-09T11:46:00.000-04:002007-07-09T11:59:05.707-04:00

My boyfriend's mother is pushing pills at me. Not "drugs". Just natural, herbal goodness in pill form. Rather than believe that her own immune system is responsible for the pain and other symptoms she sometimes experiences, she has decided hormones are the culprit. The idea of an autoimmune disease conflicts with elements of a deeply held world view - this is relevant for her by way of

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-89770527041933641362007-07-08T18:00:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:35:22.467-04:00

Since I'm about to see a potential new primary care doctor tomorrow, and since I'm (um...) picky, I was doing some quick research on how to get the most out of a first appointment. I've had some bad experiences, mostly from trying to get by with a doctor who is not a good match for me, so I wanted to see how other people (professional and not) go about making this decision. Putting it in terms

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-81095145129700773122007-07-01T14:19:00.000-04:002007-07-01T14:22:31.276-04:00

Here's an essay about living with endometriosis. I found it through the 2 Witches Blog.

PFGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-20342657510377694862007-06-30T12:47:00.000-04:002007-06-30T12:58:27.895-04:00

(excerpted from The Boston Globe)MDs offer new services, for $3,600 yearly feeBy Liz Kowalczyk, Globe StaffJune 30, 2007Two popular Boston internists are closing their busy practices, leaving most of their 7,500 patients to find new doctors, as the physicians open a small concierge practice that will charge individuals a $3,600 yearly fee to join.Dr. Jeffrey Bass, 50, of Brigham and Women's

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-3901725582605305182007-06-27T00:14:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:35:48.658-04:00

Why does it seem that a patient is supposed to assume all doctors are not only equally qualified but equally a good fit with them? I don't think this is just me, although I'd be hard pressed to put my finger right on what (other than my own experiences) has informed this opinion. I'll have to think about that. For now, here are my thoughts on this implicit and possibly overly subjective

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-37227731651032367192007-06-26T16:59:00.000-04:002007-06-26T17:02:32.640-04:00

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-10032233155483402442007-06-19T22:08:00.000-04:002007-06-19T22:21:09.030-04:00

...pound foolish. It's not just insurance companies who follow this model. In some defense - some small wee bit of defense - of such policies, the financial wisdom of preventative care and education is not easy to see. Possibly for some, it feels like speculation, like placing a bet. Good odds or not, they are too queasy with the idea of spending some money now to save a whole lot of money

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-77384273097789811412007-06-19T00:10:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:36:19.098-04:00

Continued from Gynecological Diagnosis IIThe gynecologist I saw in 2002 specialized more in ob than gyn. After the lap, she told me she had left several sites of endo during the procedure. She told me she did not feel confident attempting removing them, particularly the one on my right ureter. She put me on birthcontrol pills, said to come in for a follow up a few months later.A month later I

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-46261477296634904782007-06-18T16:32:00.001-04:002008-08-19T15:28:57.989-04:00

Continued from Gynecological diagnosis IAt the office the day of the follow up appointment, the receptionist said "routine exam?" I said no, it was not routine. I started to tell her the short version of the hospitalization story but she had shut the window.A few minutes later, she opened it and said "The doctor had an emergency call to labor and delivery. He should be back soon." Over an hour

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-66516454165352977442007-06-17T17:13:00.000-04:002007-06-26T17:02:46.737-04:00

Ever wonder what your patients are doing in there?

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-5909966497705431362007-06-13T15:58:00.000-04:002007-06-13T16:22:47.912-04:00

From CBS NewsIgnored By 911, Woman Dies In HospitalEmergency Operators Did Little To Help A Woman Dying In A Hospital Waiting RoomAssociated PressWed Jun 13, 11:30 AM ETLOS ANGELES - A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of

PFGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-91449754766192197312007-06-13T13:12:00.000-04:002007-06-19T01:00:40.527-04:00

On sly, workers rate hospital serviceBy Liz Kowalczyk, Globe StaffJune 13, 2007The young woman slipped into a busy primary care waiting room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, took a chair in the back row, and pretended to read Shape magazine. As patients streamed in, standing in line to speak to a receptionist, she began taking notes on a form concealed in her magazine."She was engaged in

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-40493339666050264892007-06-11T14:27:00.000-04:002007-09-10T21:37:26.674-04:00

"Mittleschmerz" the old man who sat on the edge of my bed said to me "literally means 'pain in the middle' or midcycle pain." He was explaining this the morning after the alleged "mittleschmerz" hit me.We were in my college's infirmary. I had spent the night there, medicated but still in so much pain that my legs were constantly moving and I would drift off only lightly then wake up in a cold

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-1163004088845190432006-11-08T11:40:00.000-05:002007-09-10T21:37:50.409-04:00

I'm sitting here waiting for my neurologist's office to return a call.I called about 24 hours ago. I called again this morning. "Sometimes it takes up to 72 hours to return a call..." the woman who answers my call tells me.It's been over a month since my insurance company refused to cover the off label prescription for migraines my doctor gave me. My doctor's office's solution to this problem?

PFGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-52554698057925849092006-11-01T02:37:00.000-05:002007-07-02T16:59:52.569-04:00

Disclaimer - Nothing on this blog is meant to serve as or substitute for medical advice from a licensed health care provider. If you are sick, call a doctor. If you are very sick, call 911 (U.S.) or go to the closest ER.Content - Medical and health care. Patient-provider relations is the most common theme. I am not a health care provider. I have no medical training. I am a person writing from

PFGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30402147.post-54729699854995854012006-11-01T01:13:00.001-05:002008-08-30T23:24:10.879-04:00

I'm 36 years old.My id for this blog is Hygeian.Female, no pregnancies, no kids.I married a doctor when I was very young.We divorced when I was very young.It was a more or less amicable split.We split the house, but I did not seek alimony.I am currently in a serious monogamous cohabitating relationship.I was raised in a working class city just south of Boston.Swearing is part of my vocabulary.I

Hygeianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11566967571565873300noreply@blogger.com