KarmaGirl KarmaGirl

If you had a Blog....

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If you had a Blog....

from WinCustomize Forums

If you aren't familiar with the term "Blog", it is basically a way of easily posting articles to your website.  Many people are starting to do this as a way of expressing their interests and other things that they run into in their life.  An example of it Brad's (Frogboy) at: www.joeuser.com

So, this thread should be used as a "blog" of whatever you want to bitch about.....

So, I was thinking about what I would put in a blog if I had one (which I don't since I don't have my own web page).  And I decided that it would be my two current gripes in life:
1) the post office
2) the medical industry

OK, so the gripe about the post office.  Why do I have such a problem with them?  First, they have annoying ads trying to get people to continue to use the post office to mail things.  I can see why this is.  First, how many people still use the post office to ship things?  Why would you?  A trackable method with insurance through them costs as much if not more than UPS and it takes longer.  Do many people still write letters?  No, most people chat online now.  So, what ends up in your mail?  Bills (unless they are electronic), checks (unless you use auto-deposit) and JUNK....the equivalent of mail SPAM.

So, I mainly get 3 bills (which don't have an online payment option) and my husbands check in the mail (because he was lazy and never set up auto deposit) and piles of junk.  So, there are really 5 valid things a month that they need to deliver (3 bills + 2 paychecks).  But, can they do that?  Of course not!  My husbands check became MIA a week ago.  Yesterday we got an envelope in the mail from the post office.  It contained a shredded check half and a note that basically said "you're lucky that you get the rest of you mail because we process so much stuff that we don't care...have a nice day."  However, my junk mail was delivered unscathed.  Beautiful work.

OK, on to the medical industry.  I have had a long term illness since I was a teen.  I have a thyroid that has decided long ago that it wants to kill me.  At 18 I had my first operation on it followed by 90 billion Dr. visits and 10,000 gallons of blood being drawn.  I am an expert at thyroids now. 

So, about 5 months ago the thing decided that it wanted to make my life a living hell.  It decided that I really didn't like swallowing or that I didn't like being able to breathe while I sleep.  So, I call up the DR. and say that I need to be seen and why.  Sure, they can get me in as soon as possible.....which is 6 weeks later.  get to the appointment thinking that they will do something...which they did.  It was called "pass the buck to an endocrinologist".....5 weeks later.  So, 11 weeks after this things decides to kill me, I see the Endo.  I say "this is an evil thyroid that wants to kill me.  It needs to be eradicated immediately!"  They agree and set up a time to meet the surgeon....4 weeks later.  I tell the surgeon that I can't sleep more than 45 minutes at a time.  They say "This is bad..this needs to be removed immediately"....which is 5 weeks later. 

One week pre-op.....the surgery coordinator calls and informs me that me surgery has to be rescheduled..... At this point I am thinking that "home surgery" is the best idea.......They really don't care that it already took 5 months of suffering to get to that point.  That you had to schedule work around it, plus have your husband schedule work so that he can take you to the hospital or that you have to have your Mother in law schedule work so that she can watch your 4 year old so that she doesn't know that Mommy was in the hospital.  They simple don't care.  Why should they?  They know that people need to have this done and will wait since there is no other option.

Yet, they keep telling people that they should see Dr.s and make sure that they take care of themselves!  Hmmm...I *did* try to take care of myself....5 months ago!  

On the plus side, I have noticed that things work better now that I'm in an HMO.  Since the Dr. gets paid pretty much the same if they see you 1 time or 100 times a year, they seem to actually want to "fix" things instead of "waiting and seeing" what will happen.

So, hopefully, you will not see me from the 14th until about 2 weeks later.  (Unless the surgeon decides that golfing or something would be better than showing up for work.........)

signed,
Angie the ray of sunshine Hi! 
...and don't even get me started on the fact that my town decided to break tradition and have fireworks on the 3rd instead of the 4th (when fireworks *should* be).....

13,052 views 48 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top

ooohhh...now we have spelling *and* grammar assistance!

I have another thing that I would add to my blog (if I had one): Why not to have a corporation in Livonia, Michigan.  Well, first, Michigan has awful employment taxes.  I think they are almost the highest in the country.  But, we like Michigan, so we stick here (probably wouldn't recommend moving your business here until they get their act together and lower the taxes).  Our governor even sent us a letter about how great it is to see a tech company thriving in Michigan.  that's great- why don't you lower the taxes so that we can hire more people?  OK, well on to why Livonia in general is bad- their power structure is the worst I have ever seen.  Stardock has been out of power for 2 days.  I camped out here last night with my generator keeping the power on for the servers.  Called this morning to find out an ETA on when it will be restored- "hopefully" by MIDNIGHT!!!!!!!  That's just insane!!!  How do they expect tech companies to survive in a city that can't even keep power running?  It's not like this area isn't heavily populated, either.  It's just crazy.  And, we can expect at least 3 days this summer where they will blow something up and we'll send the office home due to no power.  gack...

Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top

BTW, Kona, an appendix is considered an emergency surgery (since it can rupture and kill you).  you can get treated quickly here for that type of operation too (though you will not get to hand pick a surgeon like you can for other operations.)  I used to live is a small town that you could go see a doctor at quickly.  Unfortunately, as I got older, I figured out that the "small town" doctors are usually the ones that can't cut it in the bigger cities.  Not very comforting when you think about it. 

I personally think that doctors should have to publish their GPA and where they interned on the wall by there degree.  I actually ask the GPA of my doctor.  I won't go to a specialist that didn't have a 3.0 higher.  Surgeons and family doctors need a 3.5 or higher.  (If you think about it, you will see the reasoning for that)

ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How someone handles themselves in the classroom and how they handle themselves in real life are two totally different subjects.

I don't care how well someone read a book, I care how well they cut.
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"If I had a blog, I'd blog it in the morning, I'd blog it in the evening, all over this laaaaanndd."
"I'd blog of danger, I'd blog of warning, I'd blog of love between my brothers and my sisters, aaaalll over this land."

with full apologies to PP&M



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Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
we like Michigan, so we stick here (probably wouldn't recommend moving your business here until they get their act together and lower the taxes). Our governor even sent us a letter about how great it is to see a tech company thriving in Michigan.


Michigan…bleh….You should move Stardock’s base of operations over to the next state, Ohio…. I have had some of the greatest times hanging out in Cleveland, especially hanging out at the flats, Cleveland rocks
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Oh Off topic sorry it must be the Bloggy Chow
Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think I tried Blog once, if I remember correctly, I didn't care fir it much.



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Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Move to New Mexico. I here its nice. Or Maryland. or maybe good old New York.

Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top

#28 by Doomgaze - 7/6/2003 7:53:41 AM
How someone handles themselves in the classroom and how they handle themselves in real life are two totally different subjects.

I don't care how well someone read a book, I care how well they cut.

But, if you think about it, where does a Doctor get their knowledge?  Through reference.  Surgeons also have to intern and get graded on the successes (or failures) during that time.  The best Doctors that I have seen have 3.0 and higher grade points (and I have seen *a lot* of doctors).  I think that you are basically right, but I think that Doctors are an exception to that rule. 

Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top
http://tr.cnet.com/enterprise/weblog/0-21105390-771.html

Here is a blog on how to find a job.

I guess blogs or the new 'thing' now. To have a blog with IT professionals looking for work and what they learn anlong the way can be really helpful.
Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I used to have a blog, then I decided to inflict my comments on an active forum much more satisfying that way

( hello slinky )
Reply #37 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Here's another topic that I would add to my blog- the telephone company.  To make a long story short, I had to use my wireless to call SBC about the fact that my land line was no longer working.  Though it was fun when they asked for a number to reach me and I gave them my wireless number and said: "That's my wireless through AT&T....which *always* works...."  I sometimes wonder why I even have a land line...it seems like the only people who call me on it are telemarketers..
Reply #38 from WinCustomize Forums Top
no landline here
just cell
why bother really?
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I had my land line for dial-up....but now I have satellite, so I really don't know why I keep it.  I guess I must be a glutton for punishment
Reply #41 from WinCustomize Forums Top
do yourself a favor my good friend and save some money by getting rid of that landline.

Personally I have no clue why the government dosen't go after qwest (our provider for telephone) for being a monopoly... after all they have every state west of the rockies and then some...
Reply #42 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you had a hammer...
Reply #43 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i can empathize with KarmaGirl (on the medical tangent). At the ripe oldage of 16, I had strep that decided to take a trip through my bloodstream, instead of staying put in my throat, then settle down in "Kidneyland"! By the time I had the first (of three) transplants, I knew every inch of I-80 between home (Moline, IL) and the University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics. BTW, I was diagnosd with End Stage Renal Disease thanksgiving weekend 1982. My transplant was on Feb. 5, 1986. As a result I can't stand doctors or hospitals. I've had enough blood drawn to completely transfuse a large adult. And I STILL have to go to the hospital once a month for lab work! I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Man, do I hate doctors! Then they have the audacity to charge several hundred dollars for a 5 min. exam! I know that all of this crap keeps me off of dialysis, but I still hate it.
Well, I hope things go well for you, KarmaGirl. TTFN > > >



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Reply #44 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You sound just like me.  My husband has to calm me down when I start ranting about doctors.  I have been sick for as long as I can remember.  I started having "arthritis" type problems when I was 11 years old and it has been a constant string of issues since then. (eventually was diagnosed with Lupus after I lost all my hair, but I don't think they are right.)  I keep thinking that I am a hypochondriac, but the Dr's keep running tests and finding things wrong with me that I never knew I had   Drives me nuts..maybe I am nuts... the only thing that I do know at this point is that my thyroid is evil...and I can see it (which is a good sign that it is bad) and the Dr said something like "doesn't that drive you crazy?" Doctors drive me nuts.  It almost seems like they try to make you sicker...
Reply #45 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Speaking of medical blogs, here’s a good one . I can surely empathize with Karma Girl as well.

I recently had my intro to the American medical profession (being the “furriner” that I is .

Back in January of 2k, I wound up in the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. They poked and prodded and x-rayed and all that good stuff, and when they couldn’t figure it out, they sent me home.

This January, the exact same kind of abdominal pain decided to come and hang out again, so back to the emergency room I went. More poking, prodding and x-rays and good stuff later, and as they couldn’t figure it out again, they decided to admit me.

I saw a general surgeon the very next day (yep, a whole 24 hours later), who wanted to cut me open and take a look-see what was going on, but he couldn’t do this, he said as the Urologist wanted to do some more tests.

More tests later, they put a stint in my kidney, under general anesthetic, because they said that it was enlarged and was not functioning properly (this was on day two).

On day three, the pain was worse and the morphine, while giving a nice floating feeling, was not helping for the pain at all, so the first doc got his wish and cut me open. He found that my appendix was perforated, and gangrenous, probably due to the fact that he had so wait three days for his shot at taking a look inside me, so out it came.

Got released from hospital on day 11. I might add at this point, that they didn’t let me eat anything at all until day 11 just before discharge.

Three days later, guess what? Kidney pain. Yep… kidney pain this time. Hadn’t had that before!

Back to the emergency room. Turns out that the stint was draining back into the kidney. Out it came, and a new and improved larger one went in, again under general anesthetic.

A couple of weeks later, the second stint was taken out, and that night, more kidney pain. Back to the emergency room again!!! This time, I was transferred to a different hospital on the Urologist’s orders. Next day, more surgery for yet a third stint. This time, he couldn’t get the stint into the kidney.

I saw him the next day, and he wanted to go in through my back to scope the kidney out. I’d be awake for this procedure. Then he wanted to stick a pipe in my back to drain the kidney into an external bag, and once the kidney had stabilized he wanted to schedule major reconstructive surgery. So…. I looks at wifey… wifey looks at me… we both looks at the good doctor and yell SECOND OPINION!!!!

I discharged myself from the hospital, then we went and got copies of all the medical records, x-rays, cat scans, etc, and go see another doctor.

The new Urologist takes one look at the stuff from two years ago, and all the new stuff, and shakes his head in shame at being in the same profession as the other quack. According to the new doc, none of the stuff (and we did have all the stuff), shows any sign of blockage in my kidney. So he sends me for a lasic renal scan. This turns out to be perfectly normal, and shows absolutely nothing wrong with either of my kidneys.

Go figure.

This is my first brush with the American medical profession. It will most definitely be my last!

So yeah, I surely do empathize with you Karma Girl. I have no idea how you managed to deal with all your life. I sincerely wish you only good things and good doctors in your future. It's about time for your luck to change for the better .
Reply #46 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Luckily, the surgeon that I am going to does one of these a week, so (hopefully) he knows what he is doing.  However, before this, I did ignore the doctors for a whole year (that probably wasn't too smart, huh?)

Isn't it amazing how long they will let you suffer?  "modern medicine"..yeah, right... I think I need to go to China from now on...

Reply #47 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i dont havea blog but one of those LJ thingies, all the rest of my friends got one so i decided tog et one too, well it is FREE. Im setting up my own blog though, i just need to muster up my server again, which is scattered in pieces across the floor

mmm doctors, i think i have visited them on one too many occassions, including getting hit by cars and electricuting myself
Reply #48 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Personally I have no clue why the government dosen't go after qwest (our provider for telephone) for being a monopoly... after all they have every state west of the rockies and then some...


qwest holds a bunch of big gov. contracts
*cough*
not that that has anything to do with it