Flu Season

I belong to a closed group facebook page with 659,000 other nurses. They are massively reporting that nationwide hospitals are over-capacity, patients are being housed in hallways and surgical units, and some hospitals have resorted to putting up tents in the parking lots. Many ER's are on divert status, with no where to divert. Hospital staff are dropping like flies. Nurses who have been practicing 30-40 years are reporting that this is the worst flu season they've ever seen.

I don't know why this isn't on the news. Perhaps they're trying to prevent a panic. So heads up my friends: if you have the flu, stay home. Hell, if you don't have the flu, stay home! There are two very nasty strains going around. This year's flu shot missed the mark (again).

Remember that the flu is a virus, and antibiotics won't help. Crawl under a bunch of warm soft blankets, keep hydrated, and use tylenol for the pain. Don't go anywhere near a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office if you can help it. If you have underlying health issues, be aware that many ER's are so overwhelmed they are taking STEMI (heart attack) patients only. Other ER's have a wait time of 10-12 hours in the big cities, less in rural areas.

Stay well!

Did Someone Leave Their Call LIght On?

Welcome to the TCKT infirmary, where everyone has their own personal bed!

Some of us may need IV therapy...it's a good thing we're well stocked!

And how about a luxury hospital bed that we can all fit in? The cranky old farts will probably hog the bed, and of course the brilliant young ladies will steal the blankets! 

And I think some therapy dogs would be really nice and cuddly...

And some therapy goats!

Er...on second thought, maybe not...we could play chess though, to pass the time.

I hope everyone gets well soon. It's been a tough year or so for our TCKT family, but faith and friendship will see us through.

More On The Invasion Of Europe

Article from the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

There is chaos in Berlin, where the authorities are being sued by refugees who demand money

Right now a train arrives in Berlin with approximately 450 refugees daily — where authorities are pushed to the limit. Between 350 and up to a total of up to 800 find their way, every day, to Germany’s capital.

The tens of thousands of predominantly young men, who have, in recent months arrived in increasing numbers from many countries, must first queue in front of the foreigners’ agency in Lageso in the district of Moabit.

It is going to go horribly wrong.

Here, in the middle of Berlin, around 50,000 refugees and migrants are expected this year. Frustration prevails, anxiety and sometimes chaos — because the queues are endless, and now comes the cold.

And this: As Goes Nickelsdorf, So Goes Europe

Anyone who watches the uncontrolled masses and their behavior can see very clearly that Austria has long lost its sovereignty over its borders. Neither a few ramshackle patrols nor the few remaining police have any effect here — especially not when there is a clear and blatant lack of political will and operative commands.

Also:

Western toilets are phooey!

Mobility is an across-the-board problem nowadays for the indigenous population. For the longest time, all train traffic has been completely halted to and from Nickelsdorf; the trains stopped at the station before the town. And here you see the same picture you can see with the Railjets of the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railway) in all trains that were used to transport immigrants: All railway wagons were extremely filthy beyond the acceptable. The trains had to be cleaned and disinfected. Many cars were rendered useless due to the contamination of feces. Many of the immigrants of the Near and Middle East have no use for Western toilets — just as they have no use for our idea of garbage disposal. The local garbage collection locations at the most were used as convenient pissoirs. 

Cholera. Hepatitis. Typhoid. Rota, Nora....to name a few of the diseases that will become rampant under these unsanitary conditions.  How will Europe cope with sheltering, feeding, and providing medical care to this onslaught of people?

Coming Soon...

Trip to Israel, how I fractured my elbow, the Israeli health care system, things you never knew about Annie (hint: she lives in Israel!)

The whole of Israel is kosher (who knew?)

Everything closes on Shabbat, even the elevators.

Wine is cheaper than water in Israel (seems fitting somehow, no?)

Hot Off The Presses of Middle Finger News

Who Be the Stupid Ones?

                                                  Middle Finger News Guest Editorial
                                                           By Dr. Jonathan Gruber

I’m not the egomaniacal, deceptive monster you think I am.

Making the rounds on the internet is an unflattering video of me speaking at an academic conference, a place where great minds share the fruits of scholarship. To the uninformed viewer, one of my remarks may seem disparaging, as if I were suggesting American voters suffer from below-average intelligence. The 22-second clip if often viewed out of context, and it’s a far cry from what I was clumsily trying to express, which was simply this:

You stupid. Me not stupid.

                                               

Read it all here. 

Interesting Times

Here is an interesting article by William Galston, published at Politico. A taste:

"Bill Clinton, in whose administration I served as a domestic policy adviser, spoke often of an economy that rewards Americans “who work hard and play by the rules.” Today, these Americans still work hard, but they no longer know what the rules are, and they are no longer seeing the rewards as readily. They want, but are not getting, a credible success story for the American economy in the 21st century. That is one reason why the sense of loss of control is so pervasive." 

I think that Galston captures the mood of working voters. There is a sense that Americans who refuse to work are benefiting more from the economy than those who bust their derrier. Families who don't work have their housing, food, medical care, utilities, and children's college education paid for by those who cannot afford to send their kids to college. Where is the reward in that?

I've personally seen people drop out of the work force because their employers no longer offer health insurance because they have received an "exemption". For individuals and families, the Obamacare premiums are too steep if the breadwinner has a decent job; these folks don't qualify for the subsidies. People who have manageable health conditions who could continue to work for years to come are forced onto the disability/medicaid rolls because it's the only way they can obtain the medications they require. Of course, you won't be reading about these families in the NY Times or watching their hard-luck stories on the ABC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

There is also a sense that government institutions have grown too big and corrupt. This tax season, the IRS will be confiscating the refunds (the actually overpayments of working Americans, not the income redistribution that is known in lower income/no income circles as a "tax refund") of Americans who cannot afford to pay the ACA premiums (of which a large chunk is a donation rather than an actual premium). This will not go over well. At all. 

NASA, the agency that inspired kids to dream BIG in our youth, is now a joke. The CDC, once the elite organization of health care and epidemiology, has been caught like a deer in the headlights by this Ebola business. The head of this once revered agency has no clothes. Have you seen the newest guidelines to stem the spread of this horrible hemorrhagic nightmare? Here, take a look:

The CDC released new Ebola guidelines on Monday for monitoring travelers, including healthcare workers, coming to the U.S. from West Africa.

For asymptomatic travelers at the highest level of risk (e.g., received a needle stick when caring for an Ebola patient, or cared for a patient without wearing protective equipment), the CDC is recommending voluntary at-home isolation and direct active monitoring for fever and symptoms for 21 days. Those with some risk (e.g., a returning healthcare worker) are advised to undergo daily active monitoring and, depending on the local health department, could also be restricted from boarding airplanes or public transportation or going to work, similar to the high-risk group.

Several medical groups, including the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have denounced some states requiring that all healthcare workers returning from Ebola-stricken countries undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

Editorialists in the New England Journal of Medicine write: "We should be honoring, not quarantining, health care workers who put their lives at risk not only to save people suffering from Ebola virus disease in West Africa but also to help achieve source control, bringing the world closer to stopping the spread of this killer epidemic."

Does that give you confidence? Especially after the New York doctor who chose to transverse a city of 20 million people via the subway, after only being home from West Africa for a few days? Or the nurse (cringe) who has thrown a conniption fit because she was forcibly quarantined for day or two, threatening to sue because her civil rights were violated? Do these examples give you the warm, fuzzy feel of certainty that your health care professionals are placing the public health as a first priority over their own comfort?

There is also a sense that our elections are not free and fair, and that shenanigans are commonplace. We've all seen the photos of NBP goons hijacking a polling place, read the stories of voting machines that register straight-ticket democrat regardless of who the voter actually selects, heard the whispers of illegals (and dead people) voting in many jurisdictions. What's the truth? The media isn't trying to find out, that's for sure. If the Rs don't take the senate next week, as every poll says they will, how will conservative voters react? 

May we live in interesting times.

Indeed.

Connecticut Declares Public Health Emergency

What does Dannel Malloy, the governor of Connecticut, know that we don't?

"I hereby declare a public health emergency for the State, pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes Section 19a-131a, for the duration of the epidemic. Specifically, in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes Section 19a-131b, I authorize the Commissioner of Public Health to Order the isolation or quarantine, under conditions prescribed by the Commissioner of Public Health, of any individual or group of individuals whom the Commissioner reasonably believes to have been exposed to, infected with, or otherwise at risk of passing the Ebola virus."

Read more at Zero Hedge.

I've been following the Ebola epidemic closely, as well as the spread of Enterovirus D68 and the Dengue Fever outbreak in Asia. My fear is that there could be hundreds, or even thousands, of cases in America before the media acknowledges there is an epidemic. Protect yourself friends. The best way to stop an epidemic is to lock down the population; we could all be stuck in our homes for as long as 3 weeks. Stock up food, water, and medications to last this duration, as well as bleach for disinfecting surfaces if someone in your family gets sick.

Ebola is normally self-limiting, as is Dengue, and I expect these strains will follow suit. However, it never hurts to be prepared.

The Enterovirus is more worrisome, as it targets children and mimics polio in some cases. Five kids have died, and more have experienced paralysis. Adults have an easier time handling the virus.

Widespread bouts of disease may be the "new normal" until we get a president that's serious about protecting the health of Americans. Unfortunately, the CDC has become another NASA; poorly led, badly staffed, and lacking direction and vision. Don't depend on any government entity to protect you and your family.

The Reality of ObamaCare

From a conversation I had with another nurse, in another location, last week:

Me: Are your patients falling through the cracks of ObamaCare?

Her: The free clinic where I volunteer is empty.  Everyone is now "insured".

Me: Well, that's good, isn't it?

Her: The doctors in my area aren't taking any new patients. So everyone is dumping into our hospital's emergency department. They're packed.

Me: So does ObamaCare pay for their ED visits?

Her: No, because their problems are not emergent. Not only that, but the ED tacks on an additional $200 for wasting their time and resources on colds and other non-emergencies.

Me: So...who's picking up the tab?

Her: If the patient can't or won't pay their bill, the hospital is forced to absorb the cost. But the thing is, the patient is then blacklisted. Unless they're bleeding copiously or suffering an acute heart attack or some-such, they won't be treated. Period.

Me: What happens to them then?

Her: I don't know.

Observation Status

My friends, please read this article! It could save you and your family many thousands of dollars.

For years, there have been other misjudgments against Medicare patients that are only now becoming apparent. Let me clarify a particular problem which wishes not to be clarified: observation status.

You would think when seeking life-threatening medical care at a hospital, treatment begins in the emergency room followed by admission to an inpatient bed. But under the controversial designation “observation status” determined by Medicare bureaucrats, you are still considered an outpatient even with oxygen in your nose and an IV in your arm.

*snip*

If you are a Medicare patient in a hospital, make sure you know your status. Should you be observation, question the case manager whether there might be justification to make it inpatient. Discuss with your physician the need to minimize testing, and bring your own medications from home to be distributed by nursing.

This is important. A hospital stay under "observation" status could easily force a family into bankruptcy. I knew that our local hospital used this designation, but I had no idea why until today.

I'm sure the ACA will be utilizing many such tricks to get expenses down. I believe that prescription medications will be another cost-cutting target. Talk to your doctor about whittling down the number of prescription medications you take.  Most (not all) people can achieve this if they lose weight, exercise, and eat healthy foods. We should all try to make the transition now, before our insurance plans refuse to pay for all those medications. It won't be easy.

Make no mistake: the pencil-pushers managing the ACA will mandate that we ALL have skin in the game. Those that refuse could find themselves staring at the reaper.

Pay The Lady At The Front Door

The patient of a friend of mine went to the doctor for chest pain, and the doc wanted to "rule out" cardiac issues. He didn't think it was a cardiac issue, but he still wanted to cover his bases. The doc ordered a chemical stress test to be performed by our local hospital. No biggie. The hospital injects a radionuclide and takes pictures of a heart at rest, then injects a chemical that artificially elevates the heartrate, and a second set of pictures are taken to show how the cardiac vessels are performing. This is a relatively quick and easy outpatient procedure.

The hospital called this patient, who works full-time but is uninsured, to schedule the test. The hospital demanded $8,000 UP FRONT, plus the cost of the images and the doctor who reads the images. Needless to say, the patient angrily declined to schedule the test, and is reportedly fuming mad. The hospital-lady on the other end of the line suggested this patient go online and "get insured".

Apparently, this is one of the evil ways the bastards will force everyone into the socialized medicine quicksand. Tests, hospitalizations, medications, and even trips to the doctor will be made unaffordable to the common working person paying out-of-pocket.

Meanwhile, anecdotally, I was chatting with a full-time health care worker the other day who boasted that she and her family were now insured. According to her, the local DHS office signed up everyone on their subsidized housing rolls for ObamaCare. She didn't have to lift a finger, and her shiny new "insurance" doesn't cost her a penny.  She was so proud to have insurance! When did Americans become so blinded that they can't differentiate between actual insurance and welfare? Bonus question: can I really blame this good woman, this woman who works hard every day, for trying to salvage a bit of dignity?

I told her congratulations. What else could I say?

Ethics, Resources, and Health Care

This is a really good article about a problem patient and her impact upon our system. The vast majority of our health care resources are consumed by a small percentage of people. Ethically, what is our obligation to people like this? Can our ethical position be supported by the financial restraints of a bad economy and dwindling resources?

What are your thoughts?

The Fat Police

Americans are fat. Obese. Tubby. Jiggly. Out of shape and out of breath. Artery-clogged and diabetic. Hypertensive. Protuberant. Rotund.

But don't worry, the Obama regime is here to help you by organizing fat patrols in YOUR neighborhood. Thoughtful medical academics, firmly ensconced behind their mahogany desks and their padded pay envelopes (in a galaxy far, far away from actual reality) have sharpened their pencils and scribbled out 83 ways to leave your lover ways to wage the battle of the bulge.

If this doesn't give you a shiver of apprehension, you may need to check your pulse. 

In a sane, fiscally-responsible world, the government would not hand out faux-debit cards for "poor" people to buy all those chips and sodas. Give them a food box every week with staples. Oatmeal. Beans. Fruits and veggies. Truly poor folks will be grateful for the assistance, and who gives a rat's behind about the rest.

Of course, the Unicorns & Rainbows Brigade can't do that. Their voting pool of sponge-brained moochers will riot if any of their goodies are taken away. By taking the insidious "non-compliance= no health care" approach, the zombies won't know what hit them until they're dead as a doornail.

The Quest For Immortality

This is amazing!

The Double-Edged Sword...

...of electronic medical records.  From a court case in Florida:

July 3, 2012 — Florida cannot enforce a law that prohibits physicians from asking patients whether they own a gun because it infringes on their First Amendment right to free speech, a federal judge in Florida has ruled.

US District Court Judge Marcia Cooke in Miami issued a temporary injuction against the Firearm Owners' Privacy Act for that very reason in September 2011. Last week, Judge Cooke made the injunction permanent, and in a final judgment filed yesterday, she declared the Florida law unconstitutional.

The problem isn't the doc asking if you own a gun and giving you advice on how to keep your guns out of the hands of children. The problem is that all of this information will be entered into a federal system, under your name. There are two issues intertwined within one another; your privacy and value of your healthcare provider's time.

The whole "electronic health records" thing will be coming up A LOT unless ObamaCare is struck down in it's entirety in January. The "do you own a gun" court case is an ominous bellweather for what's to come. Documenting, in a government-run computer program, which millions of people can access with the click of a mouse, all of YOUR personal information each time you seek health care is an infringement upon your right to privacy, and an enormous burden upon your health care providers.

Nurses will exit the field in droves (they already are), because charting requirements have become ridiculous, and will get worse, much worse. Nurses do NOT want to spend all of their time trying to navigate leviathan databases to chart every tiny item of a patient's care AND WHAT THEY OWN OR DON'T OWN, rather than a quick running narrative focused on your health coupled with lots of hands-on care. They won't put their patient's lives or their licenses at stake, not even shrieking, frothing-at-the-mouth progressive nurses who helped create this unholy mess.

Private doctors will be run out of business. Who can afford to transfer all of their patient records into this burdensome system? Who can afford the software? Who can afford the TIME to navigate this monstrosity? Physicians are stretched to capacity now; adding government-mandated charting requirements (for the sole purpose of data collection) is a recipe for disaster.

And what about your right to privacy? Do you REALLY want every tiny detail of your health AND your life on a government database run by bureaucratic idiots?

I think your private information belongs to you.  How do you all feel about this? Do you like the convenience of any health care professional being able to access your data at a moment's notice, including whether or not you own a gun? Honestly, some of the information on that record may save your life in an emergency situation. Then again....

It's A Boy!

Or is it? Ultrasound...only the shadows know.

A Problem To Solve

Shortages of critical drugs have been impacting the health care of thousands of sick people, and the problem may grow into an outright crisis that will touch the lives of all of us.

Record shortages of prescription drugs in the United States are forcing pharmacists and doctors to scramble to find medications for their patients or to delay potentially lifesaving treatments.

Medical professionals say they've been able to blunt the impact by turning to alternative drugs or reserving supplies of vital medications for patients who need them most.

They caution that the problem is reaching a crisis point.

Several issues are driving this, but good information is scarce because the drug industry and the FDA are rather tight-lipped. There are a few manufacturing plants that have been shut down due to contamination. Drug companies don't make the enormous profits on generics (or even take a loss), so some have simply stopped producing these life-saving drugs, to the detriment of patients who desperately need them to survive.

The NYT has an op-ed piece calling for "more government!" to tackle the shortages. Shocka.

Beyond limited responses, like using the F.D.A.’s discretionary powers to expedite temporary imports of drugs that are sold overseas but not here, there are very few ways to ease the crisis. For the longer term, bipartisan bills in Congress would require drug makers to give the F.D.A. six months’ warning of problems that might disrupt supplies. For that to work, the penalties for noncompliance would need to be stiff.

Other proposals include a national stockpile of critically important drugs, incentives to encourage the manufacture of generic drugs, and broader powers and additional resources for the F.D.A. to head off looming shortages. Some, perhaps many, Congressional Republicans will inevitably oppose an expansion of the F.D.A.’s regulatory authority. This cannot and must not be a fight over ideology. For many Americans, it is a fight for their lives.

Anytime a progressive says "this is not about idealogy" a red flag goes up; in this case, it means they're proposing to ram new government regulations up the hindquarters of private businesses and citizens, or outright nationalize another industry.

The drug shortages are a problem that must be solved. Any ideas?