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Date Posted: 10:22:11 09/11/07 Tue
Author: Lynx
Subject: Lynx's Very Long Tale
In reply to: klutz 's message, "Re: Hey Klutz..." on 19:54:28 09/10/07 Mon

I need to preface my remarks with a few facts that some of you already know, so bear with me.

Mr. Lynx and I began using naturopathic medicine way back in the day, and it has always worked out well for us. Our use of alternative medical techniques increased when we moved to N. AZ 11 years ago, because this is sort of a mecca for alternative medicine, offering wide choices and even much acceptance among conventional doctors (not all). Many folks, especially older ones, move here just for that reason. For instance, our medical centers often offer classes in various alternative modalities. As for conventional allopathic medicine, I have always had what you might call very bad luck with it. On several occasions when I lived in OK, I came close to death because of misdiagnosis, mismedication, and once due to a surgical error. (Note to EJ: I have never sued a doctor or medical facility, even though I could have justifiably done so, because I am no fonder of our culture of litigation than you.) So, I'm just saying that alternative techniques have always worked well for us, and they are always our first choice. However, there are times when allopathic medicine is necessary, so I have a short list of criteria for that, and will use it if necessary.

Late last week, I came down with a cold, which quickly morphed into bronchitis. That was not a problem until I got a stomach virus on top of it. By Saturday night, I simply could not stop retching, so on Sunday morning I decided to go to the ER, thinking that I would get an anti-nausea shot, get rehydrated, perhaps spend a few minutes on a nebulizer, and then be on my merry way. And that's almost exactly what happened, until the end of my visit. The final routine test they did before releasing me was an EKG, which indicated that there is some damage to my heart. I know about this damage, I know when it occurred (years ago), and I have treated quite successfully in my own way. The problem was that the ER doctor had no previous EKG to establish that the heart damage was pre-existing. So, he said to me "I know you're not having a heart attack, and you know you're not having a heart attack, but I have to send you to the larger facility to determine that conclusively, for the purpose of covering my own ass." I appreciated his honesty, and I totally understood where he was coming from, so I agreed to go. In retrospect, I shouldn't have done that.

My first complaint is that my husband was not allowed to drive me to the other hospital (about a 15 minute drive). I was required to go by ambulance so that my heart could be monitored on the way. I would like to note at this point that my heart behaved like an angel throughout this ordeal; perfect heart rate, perfect blood pressure, perfect everything, even though I had largely been without food and sleep for a couple of days at that point. An added problem was that the ambulance guys apparently thought that I had come to the ER complaining of chest pains, which could not have been further from the truth, but everyone down the chain had this mistaken impression, too, even though I kept explaining to everyone that my problem was bronchitis/tummy crud, and that there was no heart problem at all. *sigh* So, I get checked into the other facility, installed on the cardiac floor, and assigned a cardiologist; we'll call him Dr. Jackass. Dr. Jackass made the immediate assumption that Mr. Lynx and I had the collective IQ of a dung beetle, which is never the way to get off on the right foot with us. When he learned that we were big adherents of herbal medicine, his attitude went from condescending to downright insulting. We were pissed, but we were thinking "let's just get through this as quickly as possible." Dr. Jackass told me that I must stay until the next morning, when I would have a chemically-induced stress test.

I will digress here to note some specific complaints. 1. I was being treated as a cardiac patient when there was no actual cardiac problem, and the actual illnesses I had were shunted to secondary status at best. 2. In the hospital, one hand never knows what the other is doing. For instance, they got my middle initial wrong on my paperwork, which can cause big problems. When we pointed it out, several times, they offered to fix it, but the problem persisted clear until I got my exit papers. 3. Even though my complete medical history was given to several people, I was given a drug that was specifically contraindicated by two of my medical conditions (thyroid tumor and chronic chicken pox virus). I was not given the drug information until after they had given me the drug. When I pointed out that the drug was not suitable for me, I got an apology, but it was still one of the prescriptions I was given when I finally left (not filled, of course.) 4. I was appalled at the sheer number of drugs they will shoot into a single human body at the same time. In allopathic medical philosophy, generally speaking, it is assumed that illnesses can be treated and cured only by the use of drugs. (This is true; look it up.) In my more naturalistic philosophy, generally speaking, all drugs are poison and should be used only when there is no other alternative. So all of the drugs I was given, many unneccessarily, were a big problem for me. The nurses kept saying things like "well, if you had a headache, why didn't you ask for a Tylenol. If you couldn't sleep, why didn't you ask for a sleeping pill?" Um. Because I just don't do things the drug way. 5. The food. When I received my first food tray for "cardiac patients," Mr. Lynx pointed at it with horror, because it contained both white bread and noodle products made with white flour. It's pretty solid science these days that white flour is synonymous with slow poison, and these products should never be served in a hospital. Mr. L. and I have used only whole grain products for years. Also, I was admonished several times for not eating enough food, it apparently being forgotten that I had a stomach virus, and therefore no appetite. I was very dismayed that they served beverages containing aspartame, aka ant poison, which I wouldn't consume on a bet. 6. I am a borderline type-2 diabetic. I don't obsess about it; I just eat sensibly and I do just fine. But they certainly do obsess about it in the hospital, taking my blood sugar reading constantly, still forgetting that I had had little to eat for a couple of days, and even unneccessarily giving me an insulin injection at one point. I grew ever more pissed off. 7. Even though they knew that I used herbal supplements, I was never asked for a list of the ones I take. When I offered to give them a list, it was treated as unimportant. This was very important, because certain herbs can have adverse interactions with certain drugs. 8. Mr. Lynx was required to leave at the end of visiting hours, when he would have preferred to stay with me in my room that night. He was upset about that, and I think that he should have been allowed to stay.

Well, there was lots of other BS, but this is running sort of long, so I'll cut to the chase. It was Mr. Lynx's intention to take me home directly after the stress test in the morning, because I was exhausted. When the nurse found out about that, she ran and called the doctor right away, and then informed us that we could not leave after the stress test, not until the results came in, and perhaps not then. We were totally fed up. Mr. Lynx told her to cancel the stress test; that we were checking out. She called the doctor up to our room immediately. He threatened us that if we checked out, it would be against medical advice, and that our insurance would not pay for it. Mr. Lynx said "Fine, then you'll be dealing with our attorneys." And, lo and behold, Dr. Jackass suddenly became Dr. Cooperative. We struck a deal. He agreed with me that I was in no imminent danger of any kind of coronary event. He agreed to discharge me with his blessing, on the condition that I make an appointment for a stress test with a cardiologist of my choice. So, I finally got to come home to recover from my bronchitis. What disappoints me is that I must have further tests which could lead to further procedures which are against my personal medical philosophy, and which I neither want nor consider myself to need. If I don't meet these conditions, I could lose my insurance. That's bullshit, folks. There should be more latitude for personal choice in health care than that.

Anywho, I intend to go to my mother-in-law's cardiologist, who works out of another facility and is a very jolly man who doesn't "talk down" to anyone, even my mother-in-law, who really does have the IQ of a dung beetle. ;-) I respect that some of you won't agree with me on some of this stuff.

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