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7495. judithathome - 6/21/2009 6:58:32 AM When my son was ten he had experimental chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Disease Stage 4. It worked on him and after 23 years of testing him, they deemed him cured...not in remisson but cured. He was the only one of that group who lived long enough to follow his progress...which they did, year after year.
Today when children get Hodgkin's, that very treatment they tried on my son is the one now being used on them.
His neurologist did an experimental technique on the artery in his brain last year and it was successful for nine months, at least. So the doctor told me that the things he learned from that surgery will help others down the line...he also said he had hoped for more time to study my son's case because he thinks this particular technique will be really helpful to others in situations like my son's.
So I think my kiddo did his part in helping others...something of which I'm extremely proud. 7496. arkymalarky - 6/21/2009 7:48:14 AM Absolutely. And do you remember Spook's nephew's wife who came to the gathering with her son several years ago and was terminal with cancer in her organs? She's still alive and getting experimental treatment as part of some study. 7497. judithathome - 6/21/2009 1:33:07 PM Yes, I do remember her and am happy to hear about that! 7498. robertjayb - 6/29/2009 9:16:39 PM Aussies using "trojan horse" cancer therapy...
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists have developed a "trojan horse" therapy to combat cancer, using a bacterially-derived nano cell to penetrate and disarm the cancer cell before a second nano cell kills it with chemotherapy drugs.
The "trojan horse" therapy has the potential to directly target cancer cells with chemotherapy, rather than the current treatment that sees chemotherapy drugs injected into a cancer patient and attacking both cancer and healthy cells.
7499. judithathome - 6/30/2009 2:19:05 PM That would be an amazing breakthrough! 7500. msgreer - 7/5/2009 5:09:27 AM It is late on the Fourth of July. I am looking for anyone who might be awake and roaming theMote. 7501. robertjayb - 7/6/2009 10:12:14 PM Yes we can! Krugman says so...
...last week the congressional budget office scored the full proposed legislation from the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). And the news — which got far less play in the media than the downbeat earlier analysis — was very, very good. Yes, we can reform health care.
.................................................
...fundamental health reform — reform that would eliminate the insecurity about health coverage that looms so large for many Americans — is now within reach. The “centrist” senators, most of them Democrats, who have been holding up reform can no longer claim either that universal coverage is unaffordable or that it won’t work.
7502. robertjayb - 7/21/2009 10:59:37 PM Canuckistanian's Journal
Words you'll never hear in the Canadian health care system
Tue Jul 21st 2009, 02:29 PM
As a Canadian I marvel at all of these terms that are so common to Americans, but are virtually unknown to us.
Here's a partial list off the top of my head:
1. "Out of network"
There are no "networks" in Canada. Doctors and hospitals are not affiliated with private insurance companies. Doctors are private business entities and hospitals are usually run by non-profit boards or regional health associations.
2. "COBRA"
Health coverage is NOT tied to your place of employment in any way. So any COBRA-like scheme is unnecessary.
3. "Co-Pay"
The government pays 100% of basic care, 100% of the time. Drugs are not covered, but are subsidized by government to a point. And because of mass buys, discounts are obtained from the drug companies. That's why our prices are so much lower. Most employers offer a drug plan that pays for 100% of drug cost coverage.
4. "monthly premiumdeductible"
Wazzat? We don't consider our health to be the same as our possessions.
5. "waiting for approval"
Doctors are the sole decision makers for health care. NOBODY influences or delays their decisions, warns them of costs or prevents them from giving treatment for any reason.
6. "Government interference"
The provincial government in each province PAYS for whatever services doctors provide. No questions asked. Unless the procedure is experimental, not medically necessary or unwarranted, doctors cannot deny basic care - by law.
7. "Health insurance lobby"
There are NO insurance companies for basic care, only companies for providing insurance for travelers. No money to be made here.
8. "bureaucracy"
When we visit a hospital or doctor's office, we walk in, get treated, walk out. No "applications", "registrations" or any other kind of paperwork is required. We NEVER have to talk to a single "government official" or wait for a "judgment".
9. "PRE-EXISTING CONDITION"
This is such a foreign concept to us. A Canadian's usual reaction to the explanation of this term is astonishment.
I'm glad to see that a sane health care system is within reach in America. Fight for it. It's WORTH it.
(via Democratic Underground) 7503. alistairconnor - 7/23/2009 8:00:43 PM hmmm. So the Canadian system is better than the French system. Goddam socialists. 7504. robertjayb - 7/30/2009 12:54:17 AM Lots of ink today about a supposed deal democrats have reached to appease the blue dogs (republicans lite). I'm dubious. Single-payer hasn't been mentioned in so long I think it can be presumed dead. That is a shameful victory for greedy pols and the tv screechers. The vote will not come until fall, but I don't expect improvement. 7505. wabbit - 7/30/2009 3:03:31 PM Institute term limits and eliminate lifetime benefits for elected pols. Bring them back into the real world and see if they can't wrap their heads around the health insurance issue. 7506. arkymalarky - 8/24/2009 3:00:00 AM Reposted from the Cafe:
I don't see any good argument for keeping insurance companies. Means test everything and force all parts of the med profession to compete directly rather than thru insurance companies. 7507. wabbit - 8/25/2009 1:09:21 AM Copied from the Cafe:
25522. rdbrewer - 8/12/2009 3:17:27 AM Here is my FaceBook page. I wrote something on it a few hours ago. Erased it. And put it back up because it was eating at me.
"That weird feeling I got in the restaurant is still on my mind. Got up and left. No, not a bellyache. Tingly weird. Must have been the ants crawling all over my body."
I just realized what it was. My ex-father-in-law was there. I never focused on his face, though, partly because I had my reading glasses on; partly because I felt the sensation immediatly and was looking round and round from the first second. Funny how the subconscious can see things we don't. Anyway. He's the closest thing to a father I've ever had. And he didn't greet me. Considering the things a BPD DID, etc., sufferer will make up--because, really, they don't know--I guess it's not a surprise. It hurts, though. I've been forgiving in a Christian way all along. Looks like they're not going to. And, if you'll look at some of my trust mistakes listed in #25475 above, that cost me everything I ever worked for. Like I said at Ace's I could have gone many different ways before I met her, like starting the restructuring of my business, finishing my house (only 40 days out), locking in the equity, and spending two weeks in Brazil. In fact, that was my very plan.
And here, I mentioned why I'm being painted black. It's similar to my post at #25475, but much greater detail. I wasn't there. I didn't do it. She's unblameworthy. I know I pushed too hard. But I didn't do it.
It's frustrating. I'm now black evil because of someone's most primitive, subjectivity-driven, surreal, ego protection mechanisms, which are perfectly understandable, considering what she's been through. But. I didn't do it. I just tried to get her to stop drinking because her son, the only boy to ever call me "dad"--the most wonderful word I've ever heard--expressed his concern in private. I screwed-up the attempt, of course, out of arrogance and marked ignorance of the depth of her underlying condition. But I'm not one of the creatures from the dark past. It's not fair to paint me with that brush. She has little choice, I know that. But they know better. In fact, I put her ahead of me in everything. She made all the big decisions. I carried them out. Like I said, I'm Co-D. That's why I lost everything.
(continued)
7508. wabbit - 8/25/2009 1:09:42 AM 25523. rdbrewer - 8/12/2009 3:18:09 AMI'm ranting, because it stings really hard. I love that man. You have to believe your little girl, of course, but he should know better. If you read the texts, like mine, heh, these people make-up or mold reality at will. Stepping on you proves to them they're not "a bad person." If you look bad, how can they look bad? Of course, no one said they were bad; no one tried to make them look bad, but, for them, any criticism is taken as a statement they're bad. Thus, no apologies, however warranted; kick in the defense afterburners, and knock 'em down. That way, you're safe. I'm not complaining about her. I understand her and forgive her. And if she needs a bad guy, I'll be it. I'm just hurt he didn't say hi. You know, maybe he thought I saw him first and purposely didn't say anything. I hope not. That would mean, of course, I'm even more of an asshole. I really hope not. In that case, couldn't God, the fates, Evis, or Abraham Lincoln have told me to lose the glasses before getting outta the car? /rant But I really love that guy. 25527. rdbrewer - 8/12/2009 3:40:57 AM Must have had an open tag there. Here is another thing I wrote at TPW: "Psychological honesty is precious. As I mentioned upthread, these things are stealthy. If psychological honesty becomes a goal, these mechanisms have to be monitored and beaten back over and over. This is probably very nearly impossible without at least some counseling. BUT. Once past a certain hurdle, it's easy. And try to avoid thinking I'm universalizing my own experience. Dr. Richardson hit on this in quotes I posted upthread. We are flawed beings. Easy to recite, but real acceptance of those words is another matter. Monitoring for these whack-a-mole background programs becomes a piece of cake once you understand that you are designed to screw up. We're the screw-up species, Homo Sapiens Sapiens Screw-up. Once you expect to screw up, the self-bullshit mechanisms are much less important. What would be the need at that point? They're hardly required. Recall the following quote from above, "Once these inner experiences are properly understood consciously, you can begin to live an emotionally open and honest life, and your unhealthy defenses will dissolve because they will no longer have any useful function." Anyway. What I get from reading Dr. Richardson is that acceptance of our flawed nature is the key to psychological honesty. It's the big hurdle." 7509. wabbit - 8/25/2009 1:10:13 AM 25571. Dubai Vol - 8/23/2009 3:11:27 AMUp early again. Getting only 4-5 hours of sleep a night lately. A bit worrying, as it's one of the early indicators of a "mood swing." Just went to the doc friday and got some pills for just that; after 30 years of doing without, it's a big step for me. 25574. Dubai Vol - 8/23/2009 10:45:24 AM Yep, getting the finest care from the great American health care system, for as long as I can pay for it. The antidpressants the doc prescribed, that I don't think I need, nor want to take, cost $400 a month. I haven't started on them yet, and will pay good money for another visit next week to try to argue him out of them, instead of waiting a month to tell him I'm not taking them. At least he's willing to try a low dose of lithium to start. I'm taking less than he recommended for now, and may increase as I se how it goes. This approach, going to a private doc when I feel fairly normal, beats heck out of the way I have been medicated before: in a locked ward while having a full-blown manic episode. Still feeling more than a bit trepidatious. Oh well, baby steps. Aren't you glad you asked? :D 25575. Dubai Vol - 8/23/2009 10:47:04 AM Oh, wait, you didn't. 25576. wabbit - 8/23/2009 11:10:22 AM I'm thinking that most folks who are getting their panties in a twist over healthcare have never needed anything more than the most basic care. I hope you get the drug and dose sorted soon, keep us posted. 25579. Ms. No - 8/23/2009 2:29:09 PM Dubai, Lay it on us. I can empathize with the meds debate. I got "lucky" in that I only suffer depression as opposed to also having the swings of mania like others in my family, but all of these mood afflictions seem to share an aversion to taking the meds that quite often are life and sanity saving. I struggled with my meds for a few years for various reasons, not least of those being simple inertia, but once I got on them for good my quality of life really improved. I was able to make progress in my life that didn't get wiped out by the cyclical destruction that plagued me when I was unmedicated and trying to be brave and maintain and stiff upper lip and all of that. A lot of it was giving up on the idea that I was some kind of pussy because I felt better with meds. Nobody thinks you're a pussy for taking insulin if you're diabetic. Three years ago when I got laid off and made the move to Sacto to pursue my new career I had to adjust to being off meds for the first time in five years because I didn't have health insurance anymore to cover the cost, but I had too much savings to be eligible for government assistance. Anyway, it's been a rougher three years for the lack of meds and I'm looking forward to finally being able to get them again. Hell, I haven't even had a regular physical or been to a dentist in the last three years. 7510. wabbit - 8/25/2009 1:10:36 AM 25581. arkymalarky - 8/23/2009 4:39:29 PM The lack of access to medical care without a job to provide it is criminal. It doesn't need to be free or even cheap. But if Bob or I lost our jobs it would cost over $700 to carry the two of us on the AR public ed system. And Mose couldn't get it at all. She was denied for absolutely nothing. After seeing what happened with her it was obvious if you ever get medical help, once you need to buy insurance on your own you're screwed. It's scary. 25582. arkymalarky - 8/23/2009 4:41:14 PM To be clear, she has it with her job. She couldn't get it independently. 25584. Ms. No - 8/23/2009 5:51:51 PM Insurance is extortion. You pay because you're afraid that if you don't, you'll end up needing that protection and have no way to obtain it. You pay in case you have a catastrophe. The problem is that if you don't have a catastrophe you've paid tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your life for care you didn't need. 25585. wabbit - 8/23/2009 6:48:45 PM Insurance is legalized gambling and the only people who win are the heads of the insurance companies and lobbyists. R&D is tax deductible for drug companies. Then they go whining about how they need to charge an arm and a leg for their drug to make up for the R&D costs that have already been picked up by the taxpayers. Then they open manufacturing plants in Puerto Rico where they get favorable tax status and pay nothing on their profits. Then they sell the drug at cost everywhere but the US, which helps drive up our insurance rates. Then they come up with a new use for their expensive drug, which gets them a patent extension. And one of those drugs is Enbrel, which was originally developed for RA, then used for psoriasis, then Juvenile RA, then ankylosing spondylitis...and eventually it will be granted a patent extension for every auto-immune condition known to man. But god forbid we have "SOCIALIZED" medicine, like they have in Congress. Maybe this can be continued in the Health thread. 25586. Dubai Vol - 8/23/2009 9:11:51 PM My uncle, a recently retired doctor (anesthesiology,) told me tonight that his office billed ~40% of its work to the government already, between Medicare and other programs. So we are already almost halfway to socialised medicine now.
7511. wabbit - 8/25/2009 1:14:23 AM 25587. arkymalarky - 8/23/2009 9:53:43 PM I don't see any good argument for keeping insurance companies. Means test everything and force all parts of the med profession to compete directly rather than thru insurance companies. Reposting this in Health 25588. judithathome - 8/24/2009 11:45:01 AM Just went to the doc friday and got some pills for just that; after 30 years of doing without, it's a big step for me. Depending on the meds you get, you will see a vast improvement after starting it. I resisted sleeping pills for months after my son passed away and finally, the effects of sleep deprivation got so glaring, I decided to take the doc's advice and started taking Ambien. It's been like a miracle for me. 25589. Dubai Vol - 8/24/2009 12:21:21 PM A lot of it was giving up on the idea that I was some kind of pussy because I felt better with meds. Nobody thinks you're a pussy for taking insulin if you're diabetic. Thanks for that. I've seen the diabetes analogy before, and that's a good point. My real resistance has always been a fear of losing my "self" to the meds-having them change my personality. A chemical lobotomy if you will. I've gone now to the dose the doc recommended, and still feel normal, so that's a huge relief. My objection to the anti-depressants is two-fold: if I start on two meds and feel better, how do I know which is responsible? It's like my experience engineering race cars. You change one variable at a time. If you change two things and go faster, which change did it? My other objection is that I don't know that I really need anti-depressants. I may get there, but I want to try just the lithium alone first. I am lucky to have an uncle who has been a dear friend for 40 years (ever since he married my aunt) let me stay with them while I get sorted out. Thanks all for the kind words. I appreciate the support more than you know. 25597. Ms. No - 8/24/2009 7:37:41 PM Dubai, I agree with you on the two meds thing. I'm not a doctor, though, so what makes perfect common sense to me may not be medically sound. I think things have gotten a lot more refined than they used to be where it was just "keep throwing meds at the patient until it seems like something works." Please feel free to ask me anything. If you come across something you'd rather not post in open forum, you're welcome to email me if you'd prefer. Seriously, I've had some rough experiences and some really good help and if I can help somebody else out with this crap, I'm happy to do it.
7512. Dubai Vol - 8/25/2009 9:00:10 AM I think it's a matter of experience and confidence. To continue the racing analogy, my doc may be the Roger Penske of psychiatry, and can take one look at a person and prescribe this and that, and be done. But I am not to that point, and need to proceed in a way that I am comfortable with. Just starting on lithium is a huge step for me.
He's got me on two 300 mg pills before bed, but I think that may be too much at once. I feel slightly "drugged" at the moment. Nothing spectacular, but I've always been sensitive, especially as I am not on any other drugs at all: no caffeine for almost 20 years, stopped smoking 3 years ago, and even cut out all drinking weeks ago, when I first decided to try lithium again. Eliminating a variable. Giving up beer was far easier than stopping smoking; a non-issue.
Anyway, to fill y'all in, I had the worst depression of my life over the past year and more, so bad that I finally had to admit that I actually do get depressed. Before, when I would spend a year as a hermit after a manic episode, I never felt depressed, and told myself I was just pissed off. Then I would feel better and get on with life. No official manic episode preceding this bout, tho I've certainly struggled with the mood swings over the years. Just feeling slightly manic has, since my last visit to the locked ward in '94, been all it took to scare me straight, as it were.
Or so I am telling myself. After just a few days on lithium, I fancy that I am passing through my optimum serum level during the day. I feel unusually calm until evening, when I go back to my usual "cat in a room full of rocking chairs" state. Usual for lately, anyway. I think I may be fending off a manic episode, but that's not really a concern. I've been at this place many times before, and even without meds managed well enough. I almost feel as if I am "cheating" by having the meds, but it's a good feeling: comforting to not have to do it alone and unaided any more.
7513. Dubai Vol - 9/6/2009 3:23:27 PM Got my first full night's sleep in ages last night. For several weeks I was waking after only 2-3 hours, alert and refreshed, unable to go back to sleep. I was keeping a regular schedule, going to bed at the same time every night, but waking at 1 or 2 AM. Last night I felt tired and turned in early and slept until dawn, 10 hours straight.
I am hopeful that this is a good sign, and that the manic state is receding. I am good at controlling myself, as I have had to learn to do over the years while I was not on meds, but it involves a lot of restraining myself from saying and doing things that I am impelled to do, mostly intrusive ideas about other people: "you know, it would be better if you..." kind of stuff. Maniacs are bloody experts on everything. Or at least we think so when we're manic.
Seeing the doc a week from Monday, and expect the lab results will say I need a larger dose. I agree. So far I still feel myself, so that's good. The feeling of being drugged has passed. 7514. arkymalarky - 9/6/2009 5:22:15 PM Great news, Dubai!
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