For those of you who have been following the dramatic serial telenovella that my life has lately become, there is mixed news on that front. The good news first: I'm going back to work. I'll be able to do a little something about the economic deficit I've gotten into.
But the bad news far outweighs the good: I am no better now than when I first got sick. I just hope that I am in a better position to manage my symptoms, and we all know that hope is not a viable strategy when action is necessary. Please explain to me how this could possibly happen in the nation of "the world's best medical care"! But I cannot remain out of work any longer. Even if my house is made of the rough equivalent of bricks, the wolf is outside preparing to huff it and puff it and blow it all down - or at least me out of it. Whether or not my return to gainful employ succeeds depends on some of the following issues being resolved.
The title I chose for this post refers in part to the fact that the drugs prescribed to me by my doctors appear to work against each other. One counters the stated benefit of another, and in one case actually aggravates the original condition for which I am being treated. I was thinking — briefly — that if Obama were to achieve his planned digitization of our medical records, then just maybe my doctors would be able to better coordinate my care. But after Microsoft established technology centers in China and India — training them to do work formerly done by American programmers- I have no faith that such a system would be trustworthy. The hackers in these countries are already using the knowledge they have gained from the internals of how Windows and other software works against us. So if the Pentagon systems and those of their contractors aren't safe, why should I believe that my own records won't be abused in some manner? It's bad enough that my records aren't even safe from abuse at the hands of my own insurance company!
But that foul firm isn't the only problem I face. Another which directly affects my premise is that the system is out to realize Rep Alan Grayson dictum pronounced a few months ago regarding the Republicans' alleged health care reform plan. I got sick, but as I am not about to die quick! I'm wondering if just maybe [snark] they aren't trying to hasten the report of my demise [/snark].
Article comments
1 - jeannie danna
Realist,
I have just begun to read your article and I had to stop to make a couple of points to you.
We do not have the worlds' best medical care!
That's why reform is now coming to us in the form of this, starter bill.
2 - Realist
Did I forget to insert the [snark] tags???
3 - jeannie danna
Yes! I'm still reading this article and trying to comment as I read. It's going to be an article by the time I'm finished.
4 - jeannie danna
Realist,
Your article reads like a science fiction novel yet it's true.
Microsoft established technology centers in China and India â€" training them to do work formerly done by American programmers- I have no faith that such a system would be trustworthy.
The data bank is a good idea because then they would not keep repeating procedures and tests, unless necessary. Also, it could help eliminate fraud and wasteful spending on paper, record handling and storage.
What I want to know is why can't we bring these jobs back home to America where they originated to begin with?
I can't believe that Bill and Melinda Gates would sell us out like this; his mother was on the board of United Way and she instilled the ethics of charitable works into her son at a very young age.
Well, guess what, America needs jobs now!
and,
Why isn't the FDA broken in two?
"How can we expect one under funded and under manned agency to over-see and test all of our foods (too many different brands of them), and all of these pharmaceuticals that are now hidden in every product we use, from yogurt to shampoo, I'm just sick of it!"
Realist, please stop taking those samples and any that are not yet tested, even the ones that are tested are rammed through that tainted department so that they can rush to market.
Perhaps, if you could go up to Canada and get away from these quacks. Why we are being poisoned by the supposed caregivers in this country because of pharma kickbacks is beyond me.
We are sold a million brands of dog food now and still we are expected to live with just one type of health care, for-profit.
You know what surprises me the most? I didn't know Dr. Sanjay Gupta was from Buffalo! When he turned down the presidents' invitation to serve as Surgeon General, I couldnt believe my eyes.
:( sad
5 - John Wilson
It's criminally unfair to deny medical care and drugs to any American who has paid any taxes to build the Medical Universities and NIH laboratories that have made doctors and pharmas rich.
It's gross wealth re-distribution - to the most wealthy and privileged.
6 - Realist
"What I want to know is why can't we bring these jobs back home to America where they originated to begin with?"
Please, jeannie! $top $aying thing$ you $ort of under$tand! You know why those jobs will never come back here.
"I can't believe that Bill and Melinda Gates would sell us out like this; his mother was on the board of United Way and she instilled the ethics of charitable works into her son at a very young age."
What charitable actions Bill Gates has taken I attribute to the influence of his wife. He did little that I call charity until she started working on him. I have a lot of respect for her, and see her as being very similar in personality to Britain's last Queen Mum - staunch and principled. The Queen Mum insisted on staying near London during the Blitz when the Royals were advised to leave.
"Why isn't the FDA broken in two? "
Please, jeannie! $top $aying thing$ you $ort of under$tand! You know why that will never happen.
"Realist, please stop taking those samples and any that are not yet tested..."
Unfortunately, I have to take SOMETHING for my conditions, and I cannot legally prescribe for myself.
"Perhaps, if you could go up to Canada..."
Not as long as Stephen Harper remains Prime Minister! He is trying to privatize Canada's health care. Canadians would be foolish to allow him to so this.
"When [Dr. Sanjay Gupta] turned down the presidents' invitation to serve as Surgeon General..."
Please, jeannie! $top $aying thing$ you $ort of under$tand! You know why he did that: The government pay scale wouldn't cover his current income tax bill.
Oh - [/snark]
7 - jeannie danna
REALI$T,
$top u$ing Dollar $ign$ for e$$e$ !
:)Nite Reali$t & 2 think how much time I $pent on that comment!
8 - Realist
Good Night, Jeannie! ??€€? ??€€m?!
9 - jeannie danna
Reali$t,
?the#$%@ did U ju$t $A 2 me! {$nark, $nark!)
:)$ee U later!
10 - roger nowosielski
Realist,
I ain't no diagnostician, but I think it'd serve you well to listen to the entire show, the first three hours at least and check some of the website.
And Jeannie, this message is for you, too.
11 - jeannie danna
Roger,
Can you tell me what #8 says?
and...three hours! What about my John Trudell? Did you give him a listen?
12 - roger nowosielski
I haven't the faintest, but will give you a report of Trudell later today.
13 - jeannie danna
Waite, I want you to see his documentary first, it's only one hour long.
I will watch this tonight , right now I am writing an article, but you wouldn't know it looking at all the commenting I'm doing right now. I'm trying to multi-task...like you :)
14 - jeannie danna
Roger,
The link is broken, can you fix it?
15 - Realist
jeannie danna
I got through to the link just fine. It just requires registration.
As for what I put in #8, it was a message made of non-dollar symbols. But I picked unicode instead of the other two formats, and it's clear we don't support that font set on this blog. I'd rewrite it for you but I didn't save the link. Ergo, I'll just translate into Latin letters: Sweet Dreams.
16 - Realist
Roger -
Thanks for the hints, but the symptoms don't come close to matching.
17 - jeannie danna
Thank you for the sweet dreams comment. I had no idea what those symbols were, and I don't recall ever seeing them. unicode?
I'll try the link again, later.