Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Sherri

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?

Forgive me for not quoting that into this one.  My grandmother is 74 or 75 and has a bunch of pills she takes for her many ailments.  She has had stints put in her arteries twice, and they discovered in the middle of last year that her kidneys were starting to fail, fibermalga(sorry - I probably slaughtered that one),arthritis, and the list unbelievably goes on.  She takes insulin twice a day (as do my mother and grandfather - I'm lucky so far), and I made a updated list of her meds for the nurses in the hospital.  It took almost a whole page typed with 1/2 spaces in between.  Everything from arthiritis pills to nerve pills to sleeping pills.  Way too many if you ask me.  If you have a health plan her the drugs are free.  Me, I don't have one, so I pay for any meds I need - don't go to doctor very often.  She is on the DVA (dept of veternans affairs) plan with my grandfather, they have an allowance of so much a year and then they have to pay.  Which is usually only a months worth of meds.  But that costs a small fortune.

But Wednesday when she almost went into a diabetic coma...she was so close it wasn't funny.  The First Responders told me I was in the wrong profession - I just laughed a little and said no, hate the health care system.

Around here the waiting times are horrible.  For instance, the doctor thinks my father may be diabetic.  Found this out last October, he's waiting for tests that are scheduled for next month.  Most specialists are in Halifax, we are just starting to see some branching off and spreading into towns.  But they don't stay long.  Doctors come and they can't wait to get back to the city.  At my doctors office, it's unreal.  Say your appointment is for 10:30, you can be sure of an hours or more wait.  Dad had an appointment with a surgeon, he waited in that office for 2 hours and finally told the receptionist to go pound salt, he wasn't getting paid to stand there, there was only standing room left in this office that housed 3 surgeons.  He said there was at the most 8 chairs.  It's a little crazy.

But if you manage to get into see the doctor, sugeon or what have you, the care is most generally awesome.  Nanny had to spend a night in emergency in Halifax 5-6 years ago.  She had fallen and hit her head on the corner of her night stand.  Dad and myself took to the hospital in Bridgewater, they sent us on to Halifax where we sat in the waiting room for 5 hours and then they called her into the back room and we sat there for an additional 4 hours.  Mind you Dad and I had to get up to go to work in the morning.  She had a "blood bubble" between her skull and some kind of membrane.  I thought it was called a bruise - but what do I know?

Grampy had a stroke 5-6 years ago (the second set of stints, the stroke for grampy and her falling into the night stand all happened in 2 months).  We took him to the hospital and they sent him home.  He couldn't walk, Nanny had just gotten out of Halifax from surgery and they sent him home.  The next morning he went back in and the doctor tried to refuse to see him.  She didn't last long around here.  Anyway off to the city for tests and supposedly back home.  He stayed in the QEII for 3 weeks and then onto rehab for a month.  His care was good, could have been better, but we all survived.

But anyway I will be going to see her again today so I'll keep you posted.

Sherri

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?

So I'm back off to do some more dancing.  It's a little chilly out and that damn pole looks a little frosty, but I'll be brave.

Sherri

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?

I wouldn't touch that one with a ten foot....ummm...never mind....

Sherri

I will never understand why a few docs feel it is necessary to put patients on so many medications.  There is NO way they know how all of those medications interact together....heck, half the time they don't know if two medications interact with each other, much less how the combination of 25 or 30 do!!  I have seen a few patients come through our office with a list like what you are talking about for your grandmother....I take note of the name of their primary care physician and make a mental note to NEVER go to them and to warn my friends and family away from him/her!  Basically, their philosophy seems to be treat every symptom with a medication, the heck with WHY the symptom is occurring!  (Could you tell this is a pet peeve of mine?!)

Are the waiting times because of lack of physicians willing to work in the area where you are (are you in a remote area?),. just a lack of physicians in general or a healthcare system that is just maxed out, period? 

Why would you have to pay for your healthcare?  I thought all of Canada was basically free healthcare (not counting taxes of course!)

I am in the healthcare field and I do have to defend some aspects of it......nurses, aides, medical records, etc. people are, as a rule, understaffed, underpaid (McDonald's pays more than many healthcare positions!) and overworked.  And, believe it or not, while I will not claim that docs are underpaid, I will say that, as a general rule of thumb, the docs I have worked with have been a very hardworking bunch.  One of our surgeons easily spends 12 hours in an operating room, sometimes on one surgery, sometimes on back to back surgeries and will work these kinds of hours for several days in a row, not to mention being on call.  They have to deal with a lot of beauracracy in terms of insurance companies and Medicare....having to justify everything they do to companies who are looking for any and every reason not to pay.  And our docs always give people who have no insurance major discounts....50% or more off their medical bills. 

Personally, I think insurance, lawyers (sorry Mad dog!) and govt. are at the root of most of the problems....anytime you allow insurance companies to determine what is and isn't considered medically necessary, you know your medical system is ass-backwards....

(And that is my rant for the day....going to go meditate or something now ....)

Paula

MrMom

Brrrr....wouldn't the grease be just as cold or am I supposed to warm it up???  What would you suggest for a pole warmer?  It is snowing here this morning.  The ground is trying to turn white.  Nice fine flakes though.  I'd like to see some huse monster flakes.

Paula,

That's my thought on medications and doctors.  They don't want to find the root problem, just perscribe a pill to make those symptoms go away and when another pops up - do the same.  The doctor she was with in Lunenburg was ral bad for that.  The doctor she's with now isn't quite so bad, but the damage is done.  Can you imagine - cardic, diabetic and renal diets.  Her previous doctor is the root cause of the renal diet - he pushed too many pills and now her kidneys can't function well.  Her new doctor has cut her meds in half, but still that's not enough.

We aren't that rural.  Bridgewater is a pretty big town with a lot of out lying areas.  A relatively new hospital that has lots of space, but no doctors.  There's a entire wing not open.  Just supplies waiting to be used.

I think new doctors don't come and stay is because of the over load they seem to get right off the bat.  There are a lot of people here on waiting lists.  There's just no new blood around to help ease the other doctors loads and when they do come they go holy crap and run for the hills.

When anybody goes to a doctor they don't have to pay for a regular visit.  But at my doctors office you have to pay for stupid stuff like having forms filled out, having moles removed - cancerious or not, ingrown toe nails and the list goes on.  The doctors claim that these things the health care system won't pay for.  I have some wierd looking moles and should have them looked at, but for the price of $40 - 50 (that's canadian) I don't think so.

The people in the healthcare system here are greatly over worked.  Most of the people going to medical school can't find jobs and are going to the US.  There they get more money and a job, with the debt they are in from schooling - who can blame them?  So that isn't going to help ease the load on anyone.  When I was in visiting my grandmother yesterday, I saw 2 trainees.  The rest of the nurses sitting sedately behind the nurses station were batting middle age.  There should be positions for younger people, but there aren't and that's disappointing.  When someone rings the buzzer they just sit there until it goes off for the second or third time and then they go and investigate.  Nanny said that happened to her in the middle of the night.  She woke up and felt funny.  She thought her sugars were going low and the nurse didn't come until the third buzzer and then didn't know she was diabetic.  It makes me wonder, it really does.  All the charts are there, pull it when you hear the buzzer, do a quick check and then go.  But that's not what they do.  They seem to think it's a horrible thing to have to go to someone in the middle of the night.  The nurse by the way told her she looked fine and to go back to sleep.  I was not terribly impressed when I heard that one.  Butthat's enough ranting on the hospital, I know that she is feeling better and able to keep that stuff they call food down.  Remember diabetic, cardic and renal diets - what does that leave you to eat?????  Last night it was a pound of turkey, a cup of rice, apple juice (watered down), and applesauce.  She mixed her applesauce in the rice so she could eat it, but she just could swallow the turkey without it getting stuck in her throat.  Nice meal.

But anyway it's still snowing YEAH!!!!!!!!!  I should go check the weather and find out how little we are really supposed to get, I thought this was actually supposed to be rain, but I'm not going to complain.  I LOVE THE SNOW!!!!!

Sherri

PS - Sorry that these posts are so long.

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?

You must have been doing something right (bet Snowshoveler thinks you have too...) because we're under a winter snow advisory here in Wisconsin!  Wahoo!!  Trees are covered and gorgeous....snow is coming down in great big flakes! 

We've already been out to play....sledding down the big hill onto the lake although the sledding isn't that great because snow is packy.....makes for great snow fights though! .  We did have fun slip-sliding on the ice.  Took the dog out and let her play too....likes to bury her face up to the eyes in the snow and then lift her muzzle (10% dog, 90% ham)  so all you can see is eyeballs, doing her rabid dog routine...

Keep dancing Sherri (and I'm sure SnowShoveler will take care of providing the pole....). 

Paula

Shovelers out there warming up the pole again - no rest for the weary.

Sherri

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?

You are making headway, Thin you cracked the curse.  lot of area's snow predicted. 

However you know there are  24 hours in the day.

I am not saying you have to be dancing around the campfire every night,  but  Look for full moon nights.  change outfits during the course of the day to reflect the theme (maybe an NFL C.L. outfit to work.)  You were getting in to the North Amer native thingy, Eskimo and or Indian thingy.  

I don't know  Eagle feathers,  and those dream catcher things.  (nice decorations those Dream catcher)  Buffalo head necklass,  beads,  Jack and the bean stock beans .  whatever.  At least the beans could be workin while your sleepin. Yeah I know lame suggestions,  But some of us are getting desperate as the thaw is close.

It is in the forecast, but it may still be up to you to make it happen.. Go get em Snowcloud.

Ben  

I've tried lots of outfits, leather, lace, pink, white, black and so on.  Haven't figured out yet which one works best.

I think I'm going to have the pole moved out behind the house, I'm tired of all accidents happening out here.

First Ungabunga and his tractor, that brought several RCMP, fire dept., and ambulances.  Well 2 RCMP cars have ended up in the swamp, 1 ambulance and I think I saw a fire truck end up over the cliff before I came in.  Hope the neighbors aren't getting mad.  But if they are oh well - they should be out dancing too.

Well foods on - then I'll go change into a genie theme and head back out.

Sherri

If you don't have free speech, what do you have?