Canthook

At the doctor's office today, I overheard that the Gucci company is coming out with a product to compete with that awful white "A & D Ointment", used for diaper rash.

I say "awful", not because it doesn't work, but because once you get it on your finger, you can't get it off, no matter what. You can wash baby poo off. That A & D Ointment is worse than axle grease.

In any case, I hear the premium-priced diaper rash product is going to be called "Gucci Goo". Groans are optional.

To The Vet

Marie and Blondie went to the vet. We thought Marie was going to die. Then we got the bill. $329. Then I thought was going to die. Doxycycline for the dog runs $150. At 1800petmeds, it's $34.99. Human doxycycline from the cheap drugstore runs $15.99. Same stuff. Arrgh!

It turns out that Marie has Lyme Disease. They say that 1 pet in ten crossing their threshold this month has Lyme disease, so they're routinely testing every cat and dog.

They also said that Marie has hypothyroidism. I do, too. Another case where the veterinary med is the same as the human med. It's one of the generics that all drugstores have for $4.

And they want to give her prednisone, another $4 generic. Total bill, $329. Sheesh. A guy is a damned fool these days to go to med school. Got to veterinary school instead, avoid all the hassle of insurance companies, and you can charge a lot more.

I sure wish I knew, when I was 12, all I know now. Boy, I'd have been rich, famous, and loved.

I Went The Other Direction

Blondie went one direction, I went another. My new doctor is a physician's assistant. She asked intelligent questions, she asked questions intelligently, she was unafraid to say "No", she was unafraid to say, "Yes". That's good. I hate refer-ologists, doctors that examine you, say, "Uh, huh", and then send you to someone else. She's not afraid to actually treat patients. I discussed questions that would make some doctors blush a little; she didn't. Damn, she's good.

I learned a lot about medicine by marrying a top-notch RN. Em didn't just practice nursing, she wrote a book on pharmacology for nursing students. She would challenge doctors when their orders didn't seem to make sense, and she knew how to let doctors know that they didn't dare give a second-best effort. Then she got SLE, and I learned far more medicine, much more than I'd ever wanted to learn; as Mark Twain said of being tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail, if it weren't for the honor of the derned thing, I'd have druther walked.

She wanted to refer me to a endocrinologist, and she acknowledged that I had non-routine problems, and I needed someone good. She told me she was asking for the two best endocrinologists in the area, not that the others weren't competent with ordinary patients, but she said I'd be unhappy with the others, (and although she didn't say it, probably vice-versa as well.)

It's Been Frustrating

I have been so frustrated, trying to find someone who will work with me as a team to save my life. And I don't think it's exaggerating things, to say that my life is at stake. If a couple of problems are resolved, I'll be in very good shape; if they aren't, I'll be in very poor shape. And it is such a relief to think that maybe help is at hand.

It was sorta like this when I took Em to the University of Cincinnati. We were at wit's end, and suddenly, there was someone who knew lupus, knew how to make Em better. She and I walked out of his office, and didn't make it back to the car before we were both bawling. Finally, hope! And I felt like that today, as I walked out of the doctor's office. It's not fittin' and proper for me to do so, but I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and hug her.

That's what they do at the Special Olympics, though, when someone reaches the finish line. And I feel like I've been running the high hurdles, trying to find someone who can and will treat me.

The folks from Highmark have the "blue man" in their ads. Isn't blue the color you turn when you're gasping for breath and dying. Dumb ads. And that's not the only reason they're dumb. They should have someone saying, "Sometimes, it's not about being able to choose a doctor. Sometimes, it's about someone telling you which doctor can save your life. I don't need to have a gym membership included in my health insurance premiums. I don't need to pay for a newsletter to tell me what I can read online for free. I need to find someone who will treat me when I need to be treated, without months of waiting, someone who is a little smarter than a knapsack of rocks."

But then, that's not something Highmark is very good at doing - telling you, when you need someone especially good, who you especially need.

Other Bloggers On Related Topics:
A & D Ointment - blue man - doxycycline - dumb advertising - endocrinologist - Gucci - Highmark Blue Shield - hope - hypothyroid - lyme disease - Mark Twain - prednisone - Special Olympics - synthroid - Systemic Lupus Erythematosis - University of Cincinnati - veterinary costs