Can you believe this shit?

LoQ wrote:

EricinNC wrote:You sound like a typical control freak doctor, terrified of being sued.

Doctors don't make the rules. I don't know whether mstevens likes the rules or not, but I do know that doctors have to live with the rules, the same as other health care professionals. That doesn't make him a control freak, just someone who works in a system he can't ignore.

I'm irritated frequently by that rule, but I also understand that when I ask for something, I may not get it from anyone besides the doctor, and the health care professional who denies me the information is only doing what they have to do. It's a stupid rule, but you can't blame the health care professional for it.

To hell that doctors do not make the rules. The medical profession has a very potent and powerful lobby in most states. Here in NC, the NC Medical Society is a very strong "doctor lobby" that has both strong influence on the NC state legislature, as well as on the NC Medical board that licenses and "disciplines" NC MDs.

To say that doctors do not have a strong hand, a very strong influence, on the making of laws related to medico-legal thing is the height of naivety and stupidity. Doctors are well organized, many contribute to their state doctor lobby, which in turn influences state legislatures. And sometimes even the US federal legislature.

Eric

EricinNC wrote:To say that doctors do not have a strong hand, a very strong influence, on the making of laws related to medico-legal thing is the height of naivety and stupidity.

Perhaps you are right about that. I do know that I have heard a lot more complaints than support from practicing physicians concerning the rules.

LoQ wrote:

EricinNC wrote:To say that doctors do not have a strong hand, a very strong influence, on the making of laws related to medico-legal thing is the height of naivety and stupidity.

Perhaps you are right about that. I do know that I have heard a lot more complaints than support from practicing physicians concerning the rules.

Both the doctors themselves plus the malpractice insurance industry that doctors pay out the wazoo for all have a very strong influence on state and even federal legislatures. The cumulative power of the "doctor lobby," ie; state medical societies plus the lobbies of the medical malpractice insurance defense companies is much, much more influential and powerful than patient and consumer funded lobbying.

This is part of the reason why I am so angry regarding doctors and the whole shebang. A lot of Americans complain about the low quality of the medical care they get, yet they dont stand up for themselves nor do they make themselves aware of what is going on.

Eric

Pugsy wrote:

idamtnboy wrote: I wish the tech who did the echo treadmill stress test hadn't said anything. Two days of fretting for no good reason just because the tech talked too much!!

This is why techs are advised to keep mouth shut. To avoid situations like this.

It may also be that:

• Many of the values can only be calculated post-scoring, which, in a very complicated record, may take 2 or 3 hours;
• The technician shift is ending, a lengthy conversation would end up being "off the clock", and I, for one, wouldn't be handing out freebies to somebody who had just called me a "f*ck face"; and
• I just know if I told someone that their NREMlight/NREMsustained Ratio had inverted because of their medication regimen, that there'd be another question...
  
  and another...
  
  and another...
  
  and...

NotMuffy wrote: [*]I just know if I told someone that their NREMlight/NREMsustained Ratio had inverted because of their medication regimen, that there'd be another question...

So I have to ask: What does that NREMlight/NREMsustained Ratio measure? And what's an inverted ratio indicate if there are no meds being taken?

My studies went along the same lines as the majority of the posters so far.

Morning after both of them (initial diagnosis and then titration a week later) the tech was very friendly and helpful, but didn't discuss anything but generalities about the test. E.G. he did tell me that I seemed to sleep poorly (which I did) but that they looked to have enough sleep time to get a reading. He did *not* explain what "enough sleep" was or what the readings were.

I can say that the sleep doc called within 6 hours and gave me the preliminary info, so I did not have to wait the full 1-2 weeks in either study.

Yes, and my experience was, besides getting woken up at 3:30am to be masked up (indication number one that something was found!), I was also told by tech (while being told he could not say anything!!! ) that I should look up/ask about hypopnea.......as I breathed too slowly or too shallowly or both while asleep during the test.

That, and he let me sleep longer past their usual "wake 'em up and send 'em home" time so they could just barely get the right amount of masked data to call it a complete test for insurances purposes.

Was very grateful to that tech for sharing, and for making sure I had results that would be enough time-wise!!!

And then my great sleep doc, on our first ever meeting, spent about an HOUR with me going over the test, the results, and answering any questions, and ordering exactly the machine he wanted for me so I did not have to fight for an APAP! He was thrilled when I showed him I bought the software and would bring my computer to office so we could mash some numbers!!

Kindness, respect, and sincerity, and lack of entitlement attitude really go a long way!!!

J

EricinNC wrote:... I dont talk to anyone offline the way I do here..

Of course you don't. You'd get thrown out of facilities and no one would see you. The real question, though, is why do you think it's okay to do it here?

Doing so has only alienated people who could have offered help.

Not very smart.

BernieRay wrote:

EricinNC wrote:... I dont talk to anyone offline the way I do here..

Of course you don't. You'd get thrown out of facilities and no one would see you. The real question, though, is why do you think it's okay to do it here?

Doing so has only alienated people who could have offered help.

Not very smart.

Well said BernieRay. I would venture to guess he fakes nice and polite, but the hostile and condescending attitude still comes through, thus why they don't go out of their way to help him.

Maybe the best help we could provide would be to find another planet for him to live on because he sure as heck isn't happy with this one!!!

Madalot wrote:...
Maybe the best help we could provide would be to find another planet for him to live on because he sure as heck isn't happy with this one!!!

I fear that would just make the aliens mad at us...

Madalot wrote:

BernieRay wrote:

EricinNC wrote:... I dont talk to anyone offline the way I do here..

Of course you don't. You'd get thrown out of facilities and no one would see you. The real question, though, is why do you think it's okay to do it here?

Doing so has only alienated people who could have offered help.

Not very smart.

Well said BernieRay. I would venture to guess he fakes nice and polite, but the hostile and condescending attitude still comes through, thus why they don't go out of their way to help him.

I admit oftentimes I do act nice and polite and its fake. Yeah, probably people can detect it. But that is immaterial, as most of the reason I act the way I do is because I feel sick most of the time and dont sleep well. And that causes me to be grouchy and irritable and stuff and just generally feel bad.

These medical people have a duty...a duty...to overlook the patient's personality and treat him. Any sleep physician knows if a patient is not sleeping well chronically, they are going to possibly be irritable and grouchy and not the friendliest person. If I were a medical person, I would take on a Immanuel Kant attitude towards my patients, as in "it is my duty, period, to help them." That is what medical people are for.

But most of them are just in it for the money, never heard of Immanuel Kant, most are jerks themselves and most could care less. So.....

Eric

BernieRay wrote:

Madalot wrote:...
Maybe the best help we could provide would be to find another planet for him to live on because he sure as heck isn't happy with this one!!!

I fear that would just make the aliens mad at us...

Yeah, probably not worth risking an intergalatic war over it. Darn...it was a good plan, but it had a major flaw.

Being a good medical person is like being in the military. Duty son, duty. Does not matter how you feel, if you are not being paid enough (or so you think) or if the patient(s) you dont like. You signed on and now you are in a position of major responsibility and have a huge DUTY to help them. Acceptance of responsibility is the number one rule of leadership, but most doctors are not leaders of men. Most are dweebs just in it to try and make a bunch of money.

They have a duty to help their patients and many dont follow that code.

Eric

EricinNC wrote:Being a good medical person is like being in the military. Duty son, duty. Does not matter how you feel, if you are not being paid enough (or so you think) or if the patient(s) you dont like. You signed on and now you are in a position of major responsibility and have a huge DUTY to help them. Acceptance of responsibility is the number one rule of leadership, but most doctors are not leaders of men. Most are dweebs just in it to try and make a bunch of money.

They have a duty to help their patients and many dont follow that code.

Eric

And you have a responsibility to not act like an entitled brat and not to treat other people like crap based on your perceptions of right and wrong. Classic "do as I say and not as I do" attitude. You expect everyone to behave a certain way, the way you deem correct and proper, yet you can't come close yourself.

This is getting boring and tiring....time to hit the old foe list....

Eric,

Since you didn't want to directly answer my previous question, here is another one that you can simply answer for yourself, in private. What do you want more - to be right, or to find some help?

It has been my experience that, the only time we can be both right and receive the help we need is to interact with others in a non-judgmental way where we allow them room to be human, where it is to their benefit to help us, and where their help isn't solicited through coercion.

I get that you're angry and I understand where you're coming from. In principal, I even agree with some of the things you've complained about. None of that matters. None of us consciously chose to have sleep apnea. But life isn't fair and no amount of complaining is ever going to make it so. And that is why my question regarding whether you want to be right or to find some help may be the most important thing that you will ever ask yourself.