Trees And Other Things

Doctors and Routine Physicals

Last visit to the doctor's office, this new PA (physician's assistant) tried to get me to start coming in 4 times a year, apparently just to do routine blood work and answer that endless stupid questionnaire. The results of the bloodwork have been fine recently. I don't know whether she took it upon herself to do this, or got instructions from the doctor.

I take only one Rx drug. It's related to low bone density, and I'd like to continue it. So they hold you hostage on appointments. I learned this long ago with both parents. But even their doctors never tried to schedule 4 appointments a year. Because of lack of communication between the two doctors I ended up with a year's worth of prescriptions, so I haven't been back for a year.

I joked about this before, but it's starting to make me angry. They scheduled 2 appointments in the interim without telling me. They did NOT charge for a no show (as far as I know). That would set my hair on fire. I don't know how many of these unnecessary visits Medicare and the medigap insurer will continue to cover. They must be making up some reasons for it. I know why they are doing it, and it is not related to health issues. So I believe, if I threaten to go somewhere else, I would win the battle. But I'd lose the war either way. It's always something.

Anyway, I scheduled an appointment for Oct 28th, then found out on Oct 11th, they had scheduled one for Oct 12th, without telling me. I opted for the earlier one.

(to be continued)

 

This is where I just say no. I take vegetarian calcium, D3 and K2 (4 and 7) for my starting to lose bone density. The drugs have side effects I am not prepared to take.
Even hubby has gotten off the appointment carousel. He only goes for his eye check up once a year because he has glaucoma. We are old. If we drop dead from a heart attack--good.
I was stacking hay with daughter this morning and nothing broke. Maybe my bones are not as bad as I thought.

 

Ugh, It raises my blood pressure just reading this. I freakin' HATE THAT "appointment hostage" thing for medication.

 

I wish I were more diligent about taking D and Calcium. I do fine for a few weeks then it just drops off the radar screen. Duh. I don't plan to change my routine because of anything either. ( Wait, I don't have a routine. )

 

K2 would be good as well, @Nancy Hart. That is one of the co-factors that "tells" your body to deposit the calcium in the bones and not other places...like arterial walls.

 

Thanks, @Don Alaska. I'll check out K2. Never heard of it as a supplement before. But I never heard of most of the things they take now. I'm still living back before anti-oxidants and free radicals came along.

 

K2 comes in several forms. The supplements you want is k2-4 and k2-7 to help D3 guide the absorbable calcium(not calcium carbonate) into your bones.

 

...the rest of the story (continued from #2776)

(10/12/22) Wed
Saw the regular doctor this time. He said 5 months was a long time for a groin pull to heal, but if it's getting better, even slowly, it should eventually heal. If it stops getting better, they would take a picture. This makes sense and I like the do nothing plan. Then he offered a steroid shot to reduce the pain.

There is NO pain unless you do things which are only a slight inconvenience to avoid doing. I already told him that. How you gonna know if things get better if there's no pain to see if it goes away? And suppose you overdo it because there is no pain to tell you, you overdid it? I declined.

There is probably a note on my folder, "Difficult Patient,". because I decline most of his recommendations.

Forgot to tell him about the broken toe. I did finally agree to a referral for a bone density scan (DEXA) which he has been recommending for years.

(10/14/22) Fri
Got in for a scan just 2 days later. The first one of these I had was by accident because I broke my wrist chasing a goat. It showed low bone density. I took Fosamax for a couple of years. The side effects of the drugs targeted specifically for low bone density are scary. They even tell you to take a break from them every 5 years. So I stopped taking Fosamax for good. A second scan, maybe 2-3 years later, showed no change. That was 10 years ago.

This Dr's specialty is geriatrics. He said when one of his older patients falls and breaks something and they spend some time in a wheelchair, that is usually the end of them, because they won't go to rehab. He reiterated that a broken bone would probably be what "gets me in the end." . Reminds me of an old Beatles song...

1963

 

K2 M-7 is the compromise. The higher the number the better it is, but the lower the number , the more absorbable and useful it is. K2 menaquinone-7 is the place where you get the optimum absorption and the optimum utilization. K-2 is a fairly recent discovery in vitamins. K-1 has been known for ages and is primarily involved in coagulation (quite complex and I won't go into it here unless someone is really interested). Your body can convert K-1 into K-2 under the right conditions, but it is safer for older folks to take it as a supplement. I have a friend who was experiencing all kinds of weird symptoms for several years. Her doctors just couldn't figure out what was happening. She finally found a smart physician who discovered that she had a pituitary tumor, another calcium related item, and when the tumor was removed (2 of her 4 pituitary glands were removed) and all her symptoms vanished. That just came to mind with the discussion of calcium and supplements...sorry.

 

Just when I start getting grumpy with doctors and their lack of skill, something like this reminds me that you can't know everything. Maybe it is just luck to come in contact with a doctor who happens to know the stuff needed for your case. Sometimes the best is to get your vitamin K from foods like kale, nettle, cruciferous vegetables...because they provide the most bio-available K. But we need to do that every day and sometimes it is inconvenient. It is impossible for doctors to know food AND pharma at the same time. That is why I like books.
I am always interested, Don.

 

WOW! Baby Beetles.

 

The sliding screen door on the front porch has started drooping again. Hits the floor on the closing side. You have to lift it to move it and it's heavy. I knew that would happen again.

One must remove the roller on the top of the door on the side it is drooping. Four carriage bolts with nuts must be unscrewed. Took it off. Adjusted it. Just need to put it back on. Nope.

I NEVER strip screws. If I had stripped a screw as a child, I would never have been allowed to forget it. "Remember back in 1959 when you stripped a screw?" . Last time one of the nuts would not go back on, but 3 was enough. This time none of the 4 would go back. Maybe they are soft steel? I tried WD-40 and Vaseline. Nope.

I will have to go buy 4 matching carriage bolts with nuts. Actually it looks like only the nuts are bad, but it's not worth the gamble. I know I'll have a hard time getting moving in the morning. So I shoved the door open again, removed a bolt and I'm off to Lowes. It closes at 10pm.

If I ever get this fixed I'll be back to square one.

 

But it is fall. You won't need it again till spring. We had a GS that would have torn through our screen door so we stored it in the basement till he died.

 

Is a GS animal, vegetable or mineral?

Ground Squirrel? One chewed a small hole through the screen last spring.

Raccoons and possums used to come onto the screened porch through the cat door at night, even at Christmas. It never gets very cold down here. So far they haven't chewed through the screen.