This may be helpful to others going through something similar:
On June 8, 2005 my Dad had a stroke in the left side of his brain. It was not a hemorrhage (or a bleed in the brain), but an ischaemic stroke (blockage). The symptoms were slurred speech, confusion, and weakness on the right side. Prior to this he was brought to the hospital with similar symptoms, although more mild, and since they subsided before they got in to see a doctor, he was released. No one ever mentioned that these little episodes could have been transient ischemic attacks (or TIAs).
Lesson #1: If you have any stroke-like symptoms no matter how short-lived or mild, demand that they are looked into. Getting on medication early can prevent a stroke that will most likely cause brain damage!
The day of the stroke and the day after it my Dad was still having trouble with his speech. With some effort he could get a few words out and a short phrase here and there. His right side was weak, but he was able to feed himself and walk just fine (he'd stray to the right a little when he walked, though).
The day after the stroke my Dad was scheduled for an MRI and a swallow test, but both tests kept being delayed. The hospital had not allowed him any food or water in over 24 hours and my Dad started getting very angry. By noon he was shaking his fist at my Mom and saying "never again". As time went on he got more and more angry. Eventually they did the swallow test brought him some food, but it didn't help. He was still very angry and he began throwing things. Security had to be called. It was obvious that my Mom was getting the brunt of his anger, so she had to go wait down the hall while they tried to get him to take a tranquilizer.
The tranquilizer didn't help. He was pacing and my Mom was frantic. My Dad wanted to go home, and nothing we could do could convince him to stay. We begged the staff at the hospital to keep him, but since he was determined to be of sound mind, he was allowed to sign himself out. We asked the staff and his doctor what to do if he was to get violent, seeing how angry he was, but no one had any answers for us. So, we brought my Dad home.
Throughout this day (the day after the stroke) my Dad's speech grew more and more garbled. At the end of the day and for the next 3 months (so far) he hasn't been able to get any words out unless they're automatic responses like "Hi" when he sees me or 4 letter words when he drops something -stuff like that. The doctors say that after a stroke the brain swells, and it takes up to 6 months for the swelling to go down, so it can be awhile before you see the stroke victim regain speech, movement, etc. The movement on his right side grew worse in the days after the stroke as well. A couple days after it he was unable to eat using his right hand. Now, 3 months later he's able to again and he has good stregth in his arm and leg as well, but he's not 100% yet.
Lesson #2: Expect things to get worse before they get better.
Months later we're still having our ups and downs, but we're learning to ride out the bad times in anticipation of the good times to come. They always do. It's just a matter of time.
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Vitamins and Minerals as Sleeping Pills?
I've always had problems getting to sleep and/or staying asleep and I've tried: routines, reading before bed, cutting out caffiene, not exercising before bed, etc. Those all helped me fall asleep faster, but they didn't help me stay asleep -I'd still wake up in the middle of the night, and not be able to go back to sleep.
Well, I read an article a few months ago about the effect of minerals on sleep. Calcium, it said, helps you get to sleep. This is why the old folk wisdom says to drink warm milk. But, too much Calcium can make you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom because the calcium settles in your bladder and makes you feel like you have to go. To fix this you need more Magnesium so that your body can absorb the Calcium.
Magnesium provides the brain with energy. Too much magnesium, and you wake up in the middle of the night and you can't get back to sleep. (My problem.) The answer, again, is to balance the Calcium/Magnesium ratio. Either cut down on the Magnesium, or increase the Calcium.
In researching "B vitamins" I found that Niacin is also a sleep inducer. It's supposed to be calming.
So, I put all this together, and I've been taking the following before bed for over a month now:
Well, I read an article a few months ago about the effect of minerals on sleep. Calcium, it said, helps you get to sleep. This is why the old folk wisdom says to drink warm milk. But, too much Calcium can make you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom because the calcium settles in your bladder and makes you feel like you have to go. To fix this you need more Magnesium so that your body can absorb the Calcium.
Magnesium provides the brain with energy. Too much magnesium, and you wake up in the middle of the night and you can't get back to sleep. (My problem.) The answer, again, is to balance the Calcium/Magnesium ratio. Either cut down on the Magnesium, or increase the Calcium.
In researching "B vitamins" I found that Niacin is also a sleep inducer. It's supposed to be calming.
So, I put all this together, and I've been taking the following before bed for over a month now:
- 250mg Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide)
- 315mg Calcium Citrate (+200IU Vitamin D to help absorbtion)
- 500mg Flush Free Niacin (as inositol hexanicotinate + 42mg Calcium Carbonate)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Breaking News: Sit-ups won't flatten your tummy!
Well, Spring's here and everyone's a-buzz about diet and exercise. Now's the time that we pay the price for all those cookies and treats we shoved into our mouths while our sweaters hid the growing bulge. The bulge has been revealed, and now's the time to start talking about doing something about it...
I've been in an enormous number of discussions with co-workers and other acquaintences about starting a diet and exercise routine. It seems a twice yearly event: first comes New Year's and our resolutions after making pigs of ourselves over the holidays. Then, the stores start putting out the swimsuits and we remember why we were going to start the diet in January. There's no time now! Ahhh!!! The only way to save face is to recognize the problem and start talking to people about the fact that you're going to take action... Tomorrow.
I know it's easier to talk then to do it... My real aggravation is the fact that I've heard, at least three times now, people say "I've got to start doing sit-ups. I have to loose this tummy/gut".
If you want to bulk up your biceps, what do you do? You do arm curls! -What's different about your stomach? Nothing. If you do 100 sit-ups a day, you'll only succeed in "bulking up" your stomach, it definitely won't help you get rid of the fat there. It just doesn't work that way!
Fat lives all over your body, and it's actually nomadic. The fat cells release themselves from your thighs, travel through your bloodstream (in case you need them for energy), and then re-deposit themselves in, say, your stomach ('cause you're just sitting there). So, exercising one part of the body will not reduce the fat in that one area alone. In fact, strength-training exercises like sit-ups and arm curls don't do much to reduce your body fat (at least not in the short-term). Your best bet for loosing fat is aerobic exercise (running, jogging, speed-walking, riding a bike, rollerblading, etc -and you don't get the full benefit of the exercise until you at LEAST 15 to 20 minutes into it). See, aerobic exercise allows you to use up those fat cells that are floating around in your bloodstream and they won't continuously get re-deposited. After 15 or 20 minutes, your body starts relealizing that you might actually keep going, so it starts releasing more fat cells into the bloodstream so you have the energy to continue. You burn more fat as a result.
Now, if you can't do aerobic exercise -there's still hope. Strength-training exercises (again, sit-ups and the like) do help you burn some fat while you do them (but not nearly as much), and they help you burn more fat when you're at rest (just to keep that extra muscle alive). But, if you stop exercising, that muscle will be re-absorbed by your body, and guess what'll replace it?
Anyway, that's your primer on exercise...
Go forth and talk about running instead of about doing sit-ups.
I've been in an enormous number of discussions with co-workers and other acquaintences about starting a diet and exercise routine. It seems a twice yearly event: first comes New Year's and our resolutions after making pigs of ourselves over the holidays. Then, the stores start putting out the swimsuits and we remember why we were going to start the diet in January. There's no time now! Ahhh!!! The only way to save face is to recognize the problem and start talking to people about the fact that you're going to take action... Tomorrow.
I know it's easier to talk then to do it... My real aggravation is the fact that I've heard, at least three times now, people say "I've got to start doing sit-ups. I have to loose this tummy/gut".
If you want to bulk up your biceps, what do you do? You do arm curls! -What's different about your stomach? Nothing. If you do 100 sit-ups a day, you'll only succeed in "bulking up" your stomach, it definitely won't help you get rid of the fat there. It just doesn't work that way!
Fat lives all over your body, and it's actually nomadic. The fat cells release themselves from your thighs, travel through your bloodstream (in case you need them for energy), and then re-deposit themselves in, say, your stomach ('cause you're just sitting there). So, exercising one part of the body will not reduce the fat in that one area alone. In fact, strength-training exercises like sit-ups and arm curls don't do much to reduce your body fat (at least not in the short-term). Your best bet for loosing fat is aerobic exercise (running, jogging, speed-walking, riding a bike, rollerblading, etc -and you don't get the full benefit of the exercise until you at LEAST 15 to 20 minutes into it). See, aerobic exercise allows you to use up those fat cells that are floating around in your bloodstream and they won't continuously get re-deposited. After 15 or 20 minutes, your body starts relealizing that you might actually keep going, so it starts releasing more fat cells into the bloodstream so you have the energy to continue. You burn more fat as a result.
Now, if you can't do aerobic exercise -there's still hope. Strength-training exercises (again, sit-ups and the like) do help you burn some fat while you do them (but not nearly as much), and they help you burn more fat when you're at rest (just to keep that extra muscle alive). But, if you stop exercising, that muscle will be re-absorbed by your body, and guess what'll replace it?
Anyway, that's your primer on exercise...
Go forth and talk about running instead of about doing sit-ups.
Monday, February 14, 2005
General Hospital II: My doctor's worse than my disease!
As you recall, in the previous episode, Erica's doctor suspected her hand pain was due to rheumatoid arthritis. He referred her to a rheumatologist who didn't take her insurance. Erica called her insurance company and got the name of a specialist who WOULD take her insurance (and was close to home) but he couldn't fit her into his schedule until a month later.
So, one month later, I show up at Edward's hospital way early for my appointment so I could pick up a copy of my x-rays from the radiology department that the rheumatologist requested I bring along to my appointment. I drive through the parking garage and finally find a spot on the roof. The sign near my car says "Stairs" and points left. I walk in that direction, open the door, and find myself in a pretty nasty looking stairwell. It doesn't look like a public area, but I walk down anyway (the sign told me to!). When I get down to the ground level, I'm in a small corriador with 2 elevators, 2 hallways, and a few offices. I decide to take the hallway that goes left, but there's nothing but offices that way. I go back and take the other hallway, and it looks like it's the same thing. After taking the elevator's up (maybe the lobby is on the 2nd floor?), then back down, and finally finding an odd hallway that went, like, half out-side -I eventually found the lobby.
From there the lady at the Information desk pointed me to radiology, and within 10 minutes I had a copy of my x-rays on CD for the rheumatologist. Next, I went back to the Information desk to find out where the specialist, Dr Munn, was located. The girl looked him up in a big book, then consulted with the other lady about where the office was and how to give me directions to it. After getting about half-way through the instructions, she gave up and walked me to the bank of elevators I saw when I first entered the hospital from that scary stairwell. She left me there, at the elevators, saying that he was on the 3rd floor. I pushed the "up" button while she helped an older woman who was as lost as I was when I first entered the hospital. (The sign that directed me to the stairs in the parking garage was clear enough, why not a sign like that near the elevators that says "LOBBY -->" ?
Anyway, I got off the elevator on the 3rd floor, and walked around looking for an office that said "Dr. Munn" or "Rheumatology" on it, and after finding "Rheumatology", found myself in a line waiting to check in. No biggie. I was over a half-hour early. As I got to the head of the line a man tried cutting infront of me, but I have mad anti-cutting skillz, so I beat the cane-carrying man to the counter (heh, take that!).
"Erica Steeve here for a 2:15 with Dr. Munn" I said. And the receptionist got a confused look on her face.
"Dr Munn is never here on Fridays" she said.
"WHAT!?! I've waited a month in pain and took a half-day off of work to come to this appointment!"
"Sorry, he's not here."
"Well, could you check to see if I'm in the computer? I was told I have an appointment with him today at 2:15pm."
"Well, Dr Munn works out of his Oakbrook office on Fridays. I'll call there and see if they know where he is."
So, I wait. About 5 minutes later she comes out and says that his answering service says that his office is at lunch until 2pm. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked exasperated.
After finally getting her to try reaching the doctor's office directly instead of through his answering service (!?!) she still can't get anyone on the phone that can say where the doctor is or what I should do. I left the office with Dr. Munn's business card and slammed the door behind me on my way out.
As I ride the elevator back down to the first floor (to take the stairs to the 4th floor of the parking garage) I dial the number on the business card. I get a woman on the phone and I tell her my situation. She explains that Dr. Munn is in the Oakbrook office today, he only sees patients in the Naperville office by request.
Again, I explained that I've spent a month IN PAIN waiting for this appointment and ask what I should do. She gives me directions to the Oakbrook office and says I might still be able to make it. I look down at my watch, it's almost 2:00 -time for me to take my medication. I haven't had lunch yet, and I can't eat while I drive 'cause I'm in the Laser (stick-shift). I get in the car and start crying before I get out of the garage...
I pulled in the parking lot of the Oakbrook office at 2:15pm (I love the Laser), and quickly find Dr. Munn's office. The receptionist turns out to be who I talked to on the phone and she re-iterates that Dr. Munn can see me in Naperville if I request that at the time the appointment is made. It takes all I have to not catch her by the throat and tell her that if someone would have told me that my appointment was in Oakbrook I could have avoided this whole mess and saved about 60 miles on the car since I started out from work in Hinsdale, drove to Edward's Hospital in Naperville, then back to Oakbrook for this appointment. But, instead, I take a seat and wait for my name to be called.
When I get into the doctor's office I start to calm down and was suprised that my blood pressure was "normal". Dr. Munn ended up being a great guy. He explained everything well, and didn't seem to be in a hurry. Any questions I had were answered, and he even took the time to tell me about some exercises I could do to help stabilize my "floating patella". Early on in the exam he said he didn't think I have rheumatoid arthritis. He was able to feel nodules in my 2 most painful fingers and diagnosed the problem as "Trigger Finger". My treatment options are: rest and anti-inflammatory medication, a cortisone injection (which he readily admitted was very painful), and surgery (also painful, but very effective). I chose the drugs even though I've been on NSAID's of one sort or the other since November because of this pain and suspected arthritis. After reading up on it, however, I bet I'll eventually give in and go with the injection or surgery. I mean, obviously I'm no good at resting my fingers...
So, one month later, I show up at Edward's hospital way early for my appointment so I could pick up a copy of my x-rays from the radiology department that the rheumatologist requested I bring along to my appointment. I drive through the parking garage and finally find a spot on the roof. The sign near my car says "Stairs" and points left. I walk in that direction, open the door, and find myself in a pretty nasty looking stairwell. It doesn't look like a public area, but I walk down anyway (the sign told me to!). When I get down to the ground level, I'm in a small corriador with 2 elevators, 2 hallways, and a few offices. I decide to take the hallway that goes left, but there's nothing but offices that way. I go back and take the other hallway, and it looks like it's the same thing. After taking the elevator's up (maybe the lobby is on the 2nd floor?), then back down, and finally finding an odd hallway that went, like, half out-side -I eventually found the lobby.
From there the lady at the Information desk pointed me to radiology, and within 10 minutes I had a copy of my x-rays on CD for the rheumatologist. Next, I went back to the Information desk to find out where the specialist, Dr Munn, was located. The girl looked him up in a big book, then consulted with the other lady about where the office was and how to give me directions to it. After getting about half-way through the instructions, she gave up and walked me to the bank of elevators I saw when I first entered the hospital from that scary stairwell. She left me there, at the elevators, saying that he was on the 3rd floor. I pushed the "up" button while she helped an older woman who was as lost as I was when I first entered the hospital. (The sign that directed me to the stairs in the parking garage was clear enough, why not a sign like that near the elevators that says "LOBBY -->" ?
Anyway, I got off the elevator on the 3rd floor, and walked around looking for an office that said "Dr. Munn" or "Rheumatology" on it, and after finding "Rheumatology", found myself in a line waiting to check in. No biggie. I was over a half-hour early. As I got to the head of the line a man tried cutting infront of me, but I have mad anti-cutting skillz, so I beat the cane-carrying man to the counter (heh, take that!).
"Erica Steeve here for a 2:15 with Dr. Munn" I said. And the receptionist got a confused look on her face.
"Dr Munn is never here on Fridays" she said.
"WHAT!?! I've waited a month in pain and took a half-day off of work to come to this appointment!"
"Sorry, he's not here."
"Well, could you check to see if I'm in the computer? I was told I have an appointment with him today at 2:15pm."
"Well, Dr Munn works out of his Oakbrook office on Fridays. I'll call there and see if they know where he is."
So, I wait. About 5 minutes later she comes out and says that his answering service says that his office is at lunch until 2pm. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked exasperated.
After finally getting her to try reaching the doctor's office directly instead of through his answering service (!?!) she still can't get anyone on the phone that can say where the doctor is or what I should do. I left the office with Dr. Munn's business card and slammed the door behind me on my way out.
As I ride the elevator back down to the first floor (to take the stairs to the 4th floor of the parking garage) I dial the number on the business card. I get a woman on the phone and I tell her my situation. She explains that Dr. Munn is in the Oakbrook office today, he only sees patients in the Naperville office by request.
Again, I explained that I've spent a month IN PAIN waiting for this appointment and ask what I should do. She gives me directions to the Oakbrook office and says I might still be able to make it. I look down at my watch, it's almost 2:00 -time for me to take my medication. I haven't had lunch yet, and I can't eat while I drive 'cause I'm in the Laser (stick-shift). I get in the car and start crying before I get out of the garage...
I pulled in the parking lot of the Oakbrook office at 2:15pm (I love the Laser), and quickly find Dr. Munn's office. The receptionist turns out to be who I talked to on the phone and she re-iterates that Dr. Munn can see me in Naperville if I request that at the time the appointment is made. It takes all I have to not catch her by the throat and tell her that if someone would have told me that my appointment was in Oakbrook I could have avoided this whole mess and saved about 60 miles on the car since I started out from work in Hinsdale, drove to Edward's Hospital in Naperville, then back to Oakbrook for this appointment. But, instead, I take a seat and wait for my name to be called.
When I get into the doctor's office I start to calm down and was suprised that my blood pressure was "normal". Dr. Munn ended up being a great guy. He explained everything well, and didn't seem to be in a hurry. Any questions I had were answered, and he even took the time to tell me about some exercises I could do to help stabilize my "floating patella". Early on in the exam he said he didn't think I have rheumatoid arthritis. He was able to feel nodules in my 2 most painful fingers and diagnosed the problem as "Trigger Finger". My treatment options are: rest and anti-inflammatory medication, a cortisone injection (which he readily admitted was very painful), and surgery (also painful, but very effective). I chose the drugs even though I've been on NSAID's of one sort or the other since November because of this pain and suspected arthritis. After reading up on it, however, I bet I'll eventually give in and go with the injection or surgery. I mean, obviously I'm no good at resting my fingers...
Monday, January 24, 2005
Prescription Coverage
More problems with medical stuff. ..
I got an email Wednesday from our HR guy/Accounting Manager saying that :
I got an email Wednesday from our HR guy/Accounting Manager saying that :
In late December or early January you should have received notification from Great West that they were changing prescription plan carriers – from Advance PCS to Express Scripts. Following the notification you should have received a new prescription card – you will be required to present this each time to have a prescription filled. If you have NOT received a new prescription card, please call 800-663-8081, follow the prompts for prescription information and request a new card(s). Please know that your old card will no longer be accepted by your pharmacy.Well, I was pretty sure I hadn't received this card, but I went home and looked for it on Friday. Nope, no card. So I called the number today and literally here's the phone tree I had to go through:
- Press 1 for English
- Press 1 if you are a Member
- Press 2 for Pharmacy questions
- Press 2 for Pharmacy benefits questions
- Wait while your call is being transfered
- Press 1 for English
- Press 3 for Benefits information
- Enter your Member ID followed by the # sign:
- Repeats Member ID
- Press 1 if this is correct
- Enter your birth date followed by the # sign:
- Press 1 if this is correct
- Wait while we process your request
- The last name associated with this Member ID is Steeve
- Press 1 if this is correct
- Press 1 for pharmacy benefits
- Press 2 for a different benefit type
- Press 0 to speak with patient care advocate
- Press 1 for English
- Press 1 if you are a Member
- Press 2 for Pharmacy questions
- Press 2 for Pharmacy benefit questions
Monday, January 10, 2005
Customer Service in the Medical Profession?
Saturday I went to the doctor (Dr. Fred Lim in Naperville, IL) for a follow-up appointment about a problem I've been having with my hands. He did some blood tests, and one came back slightly elevated and indicated that I may have rheumatoid arthritis, but another test that should have also been elevated was not. In the end he said he was uncomfortable making a diagnosis since the tests were so borderline (understandable). Instead, he wrote down the name and phone number of a specialist on his prescription pad and handed it to me. Since my last visit I had done some research and had some questions about the disease and the medication he had prescribed for me (Celebrex). The answers were prefaced with "because I'm not prepared to make a diagnosis", or were otherwise elementary and unhelpful and I left with no more information than I came in with -just a slip of paper with a name on it. It was clear he wanted to get on to the next patient, so my last question was: Where is this rheumatologist you are referring me to? His answer: "His last known address was somewhere in Naperville I think". Lovely.
So, today I lookup the phone number and it's still registered to the name Dr. Lim had given me -a good sign. It looks like this doctor works out of Edward Hospital in Naperville. Bonus. I try to make an appointment and the lady asks what insurance I have. "Great West" I say. Turns out they only take Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Medicare. Great.
So I call my insurance company and get the name of a specialist I can go to. There's 2 in the area, I call the one in Edwards Hospital. The first available appointment is February 11th. I'll run out of medication by then, but I schedule it -Dr. Lim said to call if I need a refill. The woman who scheduled the appointment asks me to bring in copies of any tests that my doctor performed and that reminds me -I need to call St. James Hospital, Dr. Lim hadn't received my records from my old doctor yet (it's been over a month since I faxed them the request for records transfer).
So I call St. James, press 1 for English, press 4 for records and get... Voicemail. I left a message. They'll get back to me within 24 hours. Bleh.
Next I call Dr. Lim's office to see what kind of hoops I'll have to jump through to get a copy of my tests for the specialist. I go through 5 minutes of "if this is an emergency hang up and dial 9-1-1", then press 1 for making an appointment, yada, yada. In the end none of the extensions fit, so I dial "0". She says I need to talk to a nurse, she'll put me back into the system where I should press "4". Okay, fine. I press "4", and what do I get? Voicemail. I left a message. They'll get back to me within 24 hours. I can't believe this.
I remember hearing an option on the phone for "refilling a prescription", which I need to do, but it says to call the pharmacy and have them request a refill. What if I want to go to a different pharmacy? (See last post about Osco.) I guess I'll ask the nurse when she calls me back.
UPDATE: St. James says that they were having problems finding my records, but they've been located and will be sent to my current doctor within the week.
Also, Dr. Lim's office called and said they could mail me my records, but that they only have the x-rays for my right hand. She called and asked Edward's hospital for the pictures of the left hand, but Edward's claimed they only had the right. If I have to go get nuked again so they have pics of the left hand I'll scream!
So, today I lookup the phone number and it's still registered to the name Dr. Lim had given me -a good sign. It looks like this doctor works out of Edward Hospital in Naperville. Bonus. I try to make an appointment and the lady asks what insurance I have. "Great West" I say. Turns out they only take Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Medicare. Great.
So I call my insurance company and get the name of a specialist I can go to. There's 2 in the area, I call the one in Edwards Hospital. The first available appointment is February 11th. I'll run out of medication by then, but I schedule it -Dr. Lim said to call if I need a refill. The woman who scheduled the appointment asks me to bring in copies of any tests that my doctor performed and that reminds me -I need to call St. James Hospital, Dr. Lim hadn't received my records from my old doctor yet (it's been over a month since I faxed them the request for records transfer).
So I call St. James, press 1 for English, press 4 for records and get... Voicemail. I left a message. They'll get back to me within 24 hours. Bleh.
Next I call Dr. Lim's office to see what kind of hoops I'll have to jump through to get a copy of my tests for the specialist. I go through 5 minutes of "if this is an emergency hang up and dial 9-1-1", then press 1 for making an appointment, yada, yada. In the end none of the extensions fit, so I dial "0". She says I need to talk to a nurse, she'll put me back into the system where I should press "4". Okay, fine. I press "4", and what do I get? Voicemail. I left a message. They'll get back to me within 24 hours. I can't believe this.
I remember hearing an option on the phone for "refilling a prescription", which I need to do, but it says to call the pharmacy and have them request a refill. What if I want to go to a different pharmacy? (See last post about Osco.) I guess I'll ask the nurse when she calls me back.
UPDATE: St. James says that they were having problems finding my records, but they've been located and will be sent to my current doctor within the week.
Also, Dr. Lim's office called and said they could mail me my records, but that they only have the x-rays for my right hand. She called and asked Edward's hospital for the pictures of the left hand, but Edward's claimed they only had the right. If I have to go get nuked again so they have pics of the left hand I'll scream!
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Is there crack in the flu shot?
I heard on the morning news that US Citizens are flocking to Canada to get flu shots. Am I missing something? I mean, I've never gotten one before. Maybe there's some high that you get off of it or something. I can't think of any other reason why you'd go so far out of your way to get a flu shot. I know they are a good precautionary measure for the young, the sick, and the elderly -but really... I've gotten the flu countless times -even when I was young!
My point -this is a big deal because A.) The flu shot has been so (over-)hyped in the past few years, and B.) Because there's an election and the candidates are using this as one more talking point in the war on error. -Who can be more wrong? Bush or Kerry? I'm getting tired of it all, and can't wait to cast my vote for the lesser of two evils. In fact, I suspect that if "The lesser of two evils" were put on a ballot rather than "Kerry" it would get at least the same number of votes (maybe more?).
Blah. Smarten up people! There's probably like 5% of the population who really should get flu shots. The rest of us just need to skip it this time around. I doubt you'll go through withdrawl. Just wash your hands more often, try not to touch your face, and stay away from sick people!
My point -this is a big deal because A.) The flu shot has been so (over-)hyped in the past few years, and B.) Because there's an election and the candidates are using this as one more talking point in the war on error. -Who can be more wrong? Bush or Kerry? I'm getting tired of it all, and can't wait to cast my vote for the lesser of two evils. In fact, I suspect that if "The lesser of two evils" were put on a ballot rather than "Kerry" it would get at least the same number of votes (maybe more?).
Blah. Smarten up people! There's probably like 5% of the population who really should get flu shots. The rest of us just need to skip it this time around. I doubt you'll go through withdrawl. Just wash your hands more often, try not to touch your face, and stay away from sick people!
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