Mass. Medical Society Meeting - Firearm Violence: Policy, Prevention,Public Health

[mibro]

should up with a news crew and a couple of signs "Doctor's errors kill 400,000 annually!!"

ask them what they think about that.

http://journals.lww.com/journalpati...idence_based_Estimate_of_Patient_Harms.2.aspx

Yeah, exactly. But that's OK because, um, we didn't mean to do it.

 

[wahsben]

The best thing to do is to try to avoid getting sick in the first place by eating properly, exercising and not doing stupid things. The medical field can be great in an emergency situation such as you stated but they also have a habit of over prescribing unnecessary drugs and in some cases even harmful drugs.Just reading some of the drugs contraindications sheets is enough to make you ill. Also there are arrogant doctors and staff that barge ahead with unnecessary medical procedures that can lead to complications and even death.
I worked in the medical field for over a decade and know people who've worked in it for over 40 years and there are many great people in it but there are also quite a number of medical personnel that I wouldn't want to have take care of me or anyone.

Then when you get sick, perhaps ill with a 104 temp and complicated diverticulitis resulting in an abscess needing surgical care due to rupture and secondary peritonitis, avoid the hospital because we are lethal, much more dangerous than guns and the Govt. Maybe that is a little exaggerated, but not to many here at NES.

 

[bill o]

then don't go to the hospital. don't see your doc. let me know how that works out for you. I assume you are healthy with a BMI in the non-overweight range with no medications or sleep apnea. I assume you don't smoke or drink or have a family history of any disease. I assume you have had routine bloodwork, including cholesterol. Never had surgery. etc. If not, you need to see us terribly lethal medical providers!

I think you can use medical care and still complain that medical care harms way too many people.

 

[bender73]

The best thing to do is to try to avoid getting sick in the first place by eating properly, exercising and not doing stupid things. The medical field can be great in an emergency situation such as you stated but they also have a habit of over prescribing unnecessary drugs and in some cases even harmful drugs.Just reading some of the drugs contraindications sheets is enough to make you ill. Also there are arrogant doctors and staff that barge ahead with unnecessary medical procedures that can lead to complications and even death.
I worked in the medical field for over a decade and know people who've worked in it for over 40 years and there are many great people in it but there are also quite a number of medical personnel that I wouldn't want to have take care of me or anyone.

What drugs do you know are harmful and why? What diagnosis were they used for and were there any other options? A blanket statement that "we use too many drugs" is just opinion with an N value of what? Someone you know? That is not justification for not using drugs. personally, the general public is more to blame and I get asked for drugs every day. From narcotics to antibiotics to SSRI antidepressants. I will not prescribe anything without a significant workup and I rarely give antibiotics. That said, most medical treatments are done for a reason and that reason is usually after other methods are exhausted. 15 years and 3,000 patients a year has given me plenty of expertise on this matter.

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Yeah, exactly. But that's OK because, um, we didn't mean to do it.

are you that obtuse?

 

[Duxprep]

What drugs do you know are harmful and why? What diagnosis were they used for and were there any other options? A blanket statement that "we use too many drugs" is just opinion with an N value of what? Someone you know? That is not justification for not using drugs. personally, the general public is more to blame and I get asked for drugs every day. From narcotics to antibiotics to SSRI antidepressants. I will not prescribe anything without a significant workup and I rarely give antibiotics. That said, most medical treatments are done for a reason and that reason is usually after other methods are exhausted. 15 years and 3,000 patients a year has given me plenty of expertise on this matter.

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are you that obtuse?

One could make the argument that ALL drugs are harmful to a certain extent as they are foreign to the human body perhaps with the exception of where a drug is replacing something that is missing (like dopamine) Greater than 60% of Americans are on prescription drugs:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...cans-than-ever-are-taking-prescription-drugs/

You don't think 60% is too high? Please....
You blame the general public because they ask for them? I'm sorry but that's just plain ignorant considering that every 8-10 Minutes there is a commercial for a drug saying ask your doctor. The blame lies with the multi-trillion dollar drug industry.

The most common drug prescribed is Zocor (Statin)
After looking at the documented side effects , tell me in Doctors terms this is not harmful to the human body
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6040/zocor-oral/details/list-sideeffects

The lions share of the of the other drugs prescribed are directly related to issues stemming from Obesity- an entirely curable circumstance. We treat the symptom rather than the cause. Slim your fat ass down and magically all your ailments disappear (without drugs) Instead people stay fat , treat symptoms with prescription meds and introduce other side effects.

Just the same - Kudos to you for thoroughly vetting your patients needs prior to prescribing meds. I hope that you focus on the root cause to cure aliments rather than treat symptoms. My experience on the planet has shown me that many do not take your careful approach. Doctors are just like everyone else, some good ones, some bad.

 

[bender73]

Doctors are just like everyone else, some good ones, some bad.

Very true.

I caution anything you read online, including WebMD. Statins have side-effects, but so does a cholesterol level of 1,000+ leading to acute myocardial infarction and me pushing on the chests of patients that would rather get obese, sit on the couch, and complain about our use of meds with a BP of 180/120 and vessels harder than rock candy. Oh, and few survive CPR.

I see it all daily and yes, some providers suck. That said, the general medical community acts in your best interest. Many RXs are over-used, yes. I also disagree with many diagnoses, including Fibromyalgia and ADHD. These 2 conditions lead to many medications that have tons of side-effects. Wanna know what a kid diagnosed with ADHD is at age 6? ...a kid

 

[daveyburt]

oh wait, who would you go to for that MRSA cellulitis that has settled in your mastoid process and began eroding bone making its way to your brain? just toss some bacitracin on it, you will be fine. .

I have a friend who's had abdominal pain with a physical show of protrusion on her right side. She's been to 6 doctors/specialists. Some recommended she get laparoscopy as it's more than likely a hernia. Nobody will approve her to have the surgery. They tell her to take pain killers. 4 months later, no service but the handing out of pain killers....and still in pain every day.

so, after all the expense/time/resources, that's all we're getting anyway is: put some butter on it - you'll be fine.
:/

 

[bender73]

I have a friend who's had abdominal pain with a physical show of protrusion on her right side. She's been to 6 doctors/specialists. Some recommended she get laparoscopy as it's more than likely a hernia. Nobody will approve her to have the surgery. They tell her to take pain killers. 4 months later, no service but the handing out of pain killers....and still in pain every day.

so, after all the expense/time/resources, that's all we're getting anyway is: put some butter on it - you'll be fine.
:/

Who is "nobody?"

Insurance company? Is this person insured?

 

[Drix]

Wait, if shootings aren't linked to diagnosable mental illness, why are you presenting a lecture called: “Evaluating the Risks for Gun Violence in Patients” by the Director, Forensic Psychiatry Service, McLean Hospital?

 

[wahsben]

There have been reports of too many antibiotics being administered. There have been reports of too many c-sections, too many X-Rays and CT's, prostate operations for cancer when it was slow growth. etc. Also the lawsuits against drug companies for dangerous drugs that the medical community has prescribed even when safety, efficacy and effectiveness were questionable. It sounds like you're in denial. Maybe you're good and conscientious but not every one is and if you believe they are you're not paying attention or you might be one of the arrogant ones.
What percentage of the general community act in our best interest and how many don't?
I had a doctor that said I had BPH but it was growing larger inwardly instead of outside like most. I checked with another Doctor and they did not question their diagnosis. I finally agreed to a TUNA because I was told it had a high success rate. It didn't in my case and made things worse. What did he want to do next? He wanted to install a device in my side that sent electrical impulses to my bladder because now all of a sudden it was my bladder that was the problem even though I'd asked him about that before. I had tried the drugs for prostate and bladder before the procedure and they didn't work.
A co-workers father also was seeing this doctor and had the TUNA or similar treatment but they have prostate cancer and this released the cancer throughout his body and his days are numbered.
I had a ganglion cyst on my hand that I left alone for about a year but every once in a while when I would turn my hand in a certain way I would get a shooting pain in my arm so I decided to have it removed.
I went to see a physician my GP had recommended but he said he didn't do this procedure and he made a recommendation. I went to see this Dr. and he said it would only involve soft tissue and that there would be no problems. I was supposed to only receive a block on my arm and be awake during this procedure.
Before the procedure I spoke with the Dr. and said if there are any complications I want you to stop and just drain it and close it up. He agreed. Well I was put out and when I woke up my hand and forearm up to my elbow was in a cast. The doctor had cut the tendon to take it out and I went through some torturous OT to get most of my mobility back in the hand.
When I talked to him about this and told him that if I had been awake I would have asked him to stop and drain it like I'd said before. His reply: " I don't think so." He's one of the arrogant ones.

What drugs do you know are harmful and why? What diagnosis were they used for and were there any other options? A blanket statement that "we use too many drugs" is just opinion with an N value of what? Someone you know? That is not justification for not using drugs. personally, the general public is more to blame and I get asked for drugs every day. From narcotics to antibiotics to SSRI antidepressants. I will not prescribe anything without a significant workup and I rarely give antibiotics. That said, most medical treatments are done for a reason and that reason is usually after other methods are exhausted. 15 years and 3,000 patients a year has given me plenty of expertise on this matter.

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are you that obtuse?

 

[Mass-diver]

What drugs do you know are harmful and why? What diagnosis were they used for and were there any other options? A blanket statement that "we use too many drugs" is just opinion with an N value of what? Someone you know? That is not justification for not using drugs. personally, the general public is more to blame and I get asked for drugs every day. From narcotics to antibiotics to SSRI antidepressants. I will not prescribe anything without a significant workup and I rarely give antibiotics. That said, most medical treatments are done for a reason and that reason is usually after other methods are exhausted. 15 years and 3,000 patients a year has given me plenty of expertise on this matter.

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are you that obtuse?

I've had the pleasure of working with a number of wonderful physicians over the years who genuinely care about there patients. However, I also have also know a couple drug reps. Let's not pretend that big pharm doesn't have a huge influence on what drugs are prescribed in the US. This is a known issue acknowledged by the vast majority of providers.

You sound like a good doctor otherwise, but seriously......

 

[bender73]

There have been reports of too many antibiotics being administered. There have been reports of too many c-sections, too many X-Rays and CT's, prostate operations for cancer when it was slow growth. etc. Also the lawsuits against drug companies for dangerous drugs that the medical community has prescribed even when safety, efficacy and effectiveness were questionable. It sounds like you're in denial. Maybe you're good and conscientious but not every one is and if you believe they are you're not paying attention or you might be one of the arrogant ones.
What percentage of the general community act in our best interest and how many don't?
I had a doctor that said I had BPH but it was growing larger inwardly instead of outside like most. I checked with another Doctor and they did not question their diagnosis. I finally agreed to a TUNA because I was told it had a high success rate. It didn't in my case and made things worse. What did he want to do next? He wanted to install a device in my side that sent electrical impulses to my bladder because now all of a sudden it was my bladder that was the problem even though I'd asked him about that before. I had tried the drugs for prostate and bladder before the procedure and they didn't work.
A co-workers father also was seeing this doctor and had the TUNA or similar treatment but they have prostate cancer and this released the cancer throughout his body and his days are numbered.
I had a ganglion cyst on my hand that I left alone for about a year but every once in a while when I would turn my hand in a certain way I would get a shooting pain in my arm so I decided to have it removed.
I went to see a physician my GP had recommended but he said he didn't do this procedure and he made a recommendation. I went to see this Dr. and he said it would only involve soft tissue and that there would be no problems. I was supposed to only receive a block on my arm and be awake during this procedure.
Before the procedure I spoke with the Dr. and said if there are any complications I want you to stop and just drain it and close it up. He agreed. Well I was put out and when I woke up my hand and forearm up to my elbow was in a cast. The doctor had cut the tendon to take it out and I went through some torturous OT to get most of my mobility back in the hand.
When I talked to him about this and told him that if I had been awake I would have asked him to stop and drain it like I'd said before. His reply: " I don't think so." He's one of the arrogant ones.

What reports are you referring to? I prescribe and order tests every day so I could explain but you seem to have you mind made up. Google medicine at its finest, well done. I rely on NEJM and the CDC.

So you did not have success. We cannot cure everything but for everyone without success, there is a larger percentage with a positive outcome. We measure outcomes overall. By the way, you cannot "release cancer." It is metastasis and there are many variables involved. It depends on age, age of diagnosis, stage, location, overall health, etc. No 2 patients are identical.

Ok, so you have a more invasive cyst. I am quite certain you were made aware that it could be something more invasive and you signed the release...which more than likely explained this.

I have many patients that think I am arrogant and the funny thing is those are the ones that think every provider is an arrogant. We still do our job and overall do it well.

In any case, you are someone that ignores a person that does this every day for 15 years and basis your entire opinion on hearsay, google, and personal experiences where the body did something different and the medical providers had to react accordingly.

It stinks. I hope you are doing better now.

 

[bender73]

I've had the pleasure of working with a number of wonderful physicians over the years who genuinely care about there patients. However, I also have also know a couple drug reps. Let's not pretend that big pharm doesn't have a huge influence on what drugs are prescribed in the US. This is a known issue acknowledged by the vast majority of providers.

You sound like a good doctor otherwise, but seriously......

Big pharm USED TO play a huge role with insurance companies. But, it never pushed me to a drug. I used to go to the Sox, Bruins, Celtics, golf, Four Seasons, etc. All free. All on the drug rep's dime. Nut, I would always prescribe what I felt was the best drug. I still took their gifts though. No more. That has been squashed. It is a good thing too because it was getting out of control.

 

[daveyburt]

Who is "nobody?"

Insurance company? Is this person insured?

"nobody" being anyone in her line of doctors/specialists who can approve to go forward with the procedure.

Privately insured.

She could have told herself to take something for the pain. No Dr. needed for that. So, thousands of dollars to live in pain and 'put some butter on it'. They feed her pills rather than 'take a peek' and possibly solve it....in the same breath in which they say 'we don't like to give out pills'.
hahaha

Not gunna derail the thread any further but will add my own Primary Care Dr.s words: "the last thing you want to do is to go to the hospital for any reason these days"
-Not meaning to pain with a broad brush - just my personal experiences.

 

[bender73]

"nobody" being anyone in her line of doctors/specialists who can approve the procedure.
Privately insured.

That makes no sense at all. need more facts. if a surgeon wants to do a surgery and it is his/her medical opinion it needs to be done, they do it. Insurance companies can decline payment if they disagree (sad but true). I can order an MRI and the insurance company might call me and say "no." I can argue with the MD/NP they hire to review cases and sometimes I win and the patient gets a test. Other times, they don't or have to pay $2000+ on their own.

It is bad now. Do you really want the Govt to take over your health? No friggin way.

 

[Mass-diver]

Big pharm USED TO play a huge role with insurance companies. But, it never pushed me to a drug. I used to go to the Sox, Bruins, Celtics, golf, Four Seasons, etc. All free. All on the drug rep's dime. Nut, I would always prescribe what I felt was the best drug. I still took their gifts though. No more. That has been squashed. It is a good thing too because it was getting out of control.

That's the company line right? It's all the past with the new rules.

Just to be clear, you thought (ethically) it was OK to accept free stuff from drug companies?

Worth a watch:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I

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That makes no sense at all. need more facts. if a surgeon wants to do a surgery and it is his/her medical opinion it needs to be done, they do it. Insurance companies can decline payment if they disagree (sad but true). I can order an MRI and the insurance company might call me and say "no." I can argue with the MD/NP they hire to review cases and sometimes I win and the patient gets a test. Other times, they don't or have to pay $2000+ on their own.

It is bad now. Do you really want the Govt to take over your health? No friggin way.

Huh? Surgeons certainly occasionally cancel elective surgery over insurance issues.

 

[wahsben]

The reports have been on TV about medical mistakes & excessive testing mentioned sometimes by the Dr.s of the news stations and medical shows and not just by the reporters . Also concerns of certain types of tests such as CT's and other tests being ordered too often. The lawsuits to do with drugs, surgical errors, some contraceptives for women etc. When you open up an area cancer is in it can & does spread. So you rely on medical journals & reports as your only source? It's not like they might be biased at all, now would they? Not only did I not have success in those instances but the doctors were unethical. If the one doctor thought it was my bladder or if they thought it was the bladder too they shouldn't have done the TUNA since it would still be ineffective and the other doctor broke their word to me and yet you ignore that. It was only a ganglion cyst and could have just been drained. It was not cancerous.
It's not google medicine it's personal experience along with working over a decade in the medical field and dealing with many different departments.

It sounds like you feel Dr.s can do no wrong. If you're a doctor I sure wouldn't want you for my doctor.

What reports are you referring to? I prescribe and order tests every day so I could explain but you seem to have you mind made up. Google medicine at its finest, well done. I rely on NEJM and the CDC.

So you did not have success. We cannot cure everything but for everyone without success, there is a larger percentage with a positive outcome. We measure outcomes overall. By the way, you cannot "release cancer." It is metastasis and there are many variables involved. It depends on age, age of diagnosis, stage, location, overall health, etc. No 2 patients are identical.

Ok, so you have a more invasive cyst. I am quite certain you were made aware that it could be something more invasive and you signed the release...which more than likely explained this.

I have many patients that think I am arrogant and the funny thing is those are the ones that think every provider is an arrogant. We still do our job and overall do it well.

In any case, you are someone that ignores a person that does this every day for 15 years and basis your entire opinion on hearsay, google, and personal experiences where the body did something different and the medical providers had to react accordingly.

It stinks. I hope you are doing better now.

 

[daveyburt]

just going by what I'm told, what' I've witnessed, and the frustration I've seen.

To your point, if the Dr. feels something is necessary, or is the next logical step in investigation/treatment, the Insurance Co. should have no way to deny. So, while the Dr.s may mean well, their hands are tied.

Funny how we keep paying more for insurance and get less service.

I do feel bad for the Dr.s who actually care. It must be very frustrating to 'not' be able to do what you know needs to be done.
I think I'd quit. Kinda defies the Hippocratic oath.

Thankfully, they can still lecture us about something that is outside their professional responsibility (topic of this thread).

 

[bender73]

That's the company line right? It's all the past with the new rules.

Just to be clear, you thought (ethically) it was OK to accept free stuff from drug companies?

Worth a watch:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I

- - - Updated - - -



Huh? Surgeons certainly occasionally cancel elective surgery over insurance issues.

No, I did not think it was ok to accept stuff, but it was sort of common. That does not make it right. When you're 25 and people hand you tickets to the Sox it is hard to refuse. One entered the profession and that was sort of how it was 10-15 years ago. Over time, we stopped and then the Wall Street Journal got involved and wrote an article. Free lunches and Sox tickets are nothing. Many businesses today do the same thing. Some people were getting trips to the islands, etc. It was insane. I have not seen a drug rep in years. Big pharm still rules in some ways. The whole system needs to be changed, but not Obamacare!

Surgeons may cancel "elective" procedures if the insurance company will not pay. What do you expect? I am not a surgeon, but I work a lot of hours, stay on call 3 nights a week, and have little kids. I would not perform a 4 hour surgery for free. I already take calls and help patients all the time when I am not on call. There reaches a point where you have to have a life too. Surgeons need to get paid to pay their malpractice, overhead, etc. Some surgeons in private practice are paying $60,000+ a year on malpractice. Add overhead and all the expenses of staff and you cannot operate for free. Remember, it is an ELECTIVE procedure. To the insurance company, you don't need it. You might have pain but that is not always a determining factor to those that write the checks for you.

 

[bender73]

just going by what I'm told, what' I've witnessed, and the frustration I've seen.

To your point, if the Dr. feels something is necessary, or is the next logical step in investigation/treatment, the Insurance Co. should have no way to deny. So, while the Dr.s may mean well, their hands are tied.

Funny how we keep paying more for insurance and get less service.

I do feel bad for the Dr.s who actually care. It must be very frustrating to 'not' be able to do what you know needs to be done.
I think I'd quit. Kinda defies the Hippocratic oath.

Thankfully, they can still lecture us about something that is outside their professional responsibility (topic of this thread).

Insurance companies are getting worse. I used to order MRIs 10 years ago and 99% of them were done. Today, I would say half are approved. In fairness, of 100 MRIs I order, maybe 5-10 lead to surgery and the rest simply provide an answer to what I suspected anyway. Would the MRI change the course of treatment in most cases? No. So, if I was a company paying $3000 per test with a 5-10% return then I would put some harder rules in place. Nowadays, we go with conservative measures for 6 weeks and then an MRI. Most of the time PT, OT, and time will resolve issues. Continued problems despite those measures may mean tears, etc.

 

[MachineHead]

Did anyone go to the meeting today?

 

[Mass-diver]

No, I did not think it was ok to accept stuff, but it was sort of common. That does not make it right. When you're 25 and people hand you tickets to the Sox it is hard to refuse. One entered the profession and that was sort of how it was 10-15 years ago. Over time, we stopped and then the Wall Street Journal got involved and wrote an article. Free lunches and Sox tickets are nothing. Many businesses today do the same thing. Some people were getting trips to the islands, etc. It was insane. I have not seen a drug rep in years. Big pharm still rules in some ways. The whole system needs to be changed, but not Obamacare!

Surgeons may cancel "elective" procedures if the insurance company will not pay. What do you expect? I am not a surgeon, but I work a lot of hours, stay on call 3 nights a week, and have little kids. I would not perform a 4 hour surgery for free. I already take calls and help patients all the time when I am not on call. There reaches a point where you have to have a life too. Surgeons need to get paid to pay their malpractice, overhead, etc. Some surgeons in private practice are paying $60,000+ a year on malpractice. Add overhead and all the expenses of staff and you cannot operate for free. Remember, it is an ELECTIVE procedure. To the insurance company, you don't need it. You might have pain but that is not always a determining factor to those that write the checks for you.

I don't think you understand what ELECTIVE means, it simply means a non-emergency procedure which your surgeon has told you need (versus cosmetic). You posted that if a surgeon feels a surgery needs to be done they will just do it, this is not always the case and is incorrect. I don't blame these doctors for doing so, I was just pointed out that what you posted was not accurate.

Still tons of reps around too, these days they try to jam evidence based practice down everyone's throat - but the "evidence" is all to often from studies they designed and funded.

Whole system is f'd - so you can see why non-medical people are suspicious.

 

[bill o]

just going by what I'm told, what' I've witnessed, and the frustration I've seen.

To your point, if the Dr. feels something is necessary, or is the next logical step in investigation/treatment, the Insurance Co. should have no way to deny....

A health plan that pays for anything any doctor wants is a plan that is not financially sustainable.

 

[bender73]

I don't think you understand what ELECTIVE means, it simply means a non-emergency procedure which your surgeon has told you need (versus cosmetic). You posted that if a surgeon feels a surgery needs to be done they will just do it, this is not always the case and is incorrect. I don't blame these doctors for doing so, I was just pointed out that what you posted was not accurate.

Still tons of reps around too, these days they try to jam evidence based practice down everyone's throat - but the "evidence" is all to often from studies they designed and funded.

Whole system is f'd - so you can see why non-medical people are suspicious.

I think I know what elective means since I did surgery! LOL First assist trauma and neurosurgery for 5 years.

You don't NEED an elective surgery. If you tear your rotator cuff there are surgical and non-surgical treatments and some elect to proceed with surgery. If you have a complete tear and your arm does not work then you can still elect not to have surgery, but normal people don't and that would always be covered.

Tons of reps with less power.

Whole system is a mess. The GOP will ruin it and the Libs will really ruin it. Tough situation.

 

[daveyburt]

A health plan that pays for anything any doctor wants is a plan that is not financially sustainable.

I was speaking within the context of my friends experience of; they know what to do next (quick lapro) but won't. They feed her pills while she spends her days in pain - taking pills she doesn't want to take.

She's done all the pre-testing but, the physical protrusion has subsided. They're just hoping it goes away because there's nothing 'visible' on scans anymore. But, the pain is there. Every day. They just say "We don't see anything that is causing pain"

Whereas, a couple slits, a scope, a snip, a couple stitches and, two days recovery would either solve, or illuminate the problem. - as one Dr suggested.

Again - my point - pay thru the ass and they essentially tell you to 'put some butter on it".
...and we wonder why ppl don't buy insurance and just go to the ER.

 

[Mass-diver]

I think I know what elective means since I did surgery! LOL First assist trauma and neurosurgery for 5 years.

You don't NEED an elective surgery. If you tear your rotator cuff there are surgical and non-surgical treatments and some elect to proceed with surgery. If you have a complete tear and your arm does not work then you can still elect not to have surgery, but normal people don't and that would always be covered.

Tons of reps with less power.

Whole system is a mess. The GOP will ruin it and the Libs will really ruin it. Tough situation.

Again, in the case of elective surgery, your surgeon has determined that you need surgery. You only need surgery when it is your best option to maintain (or reclaim) your health. In the case of rotator cuffs, bad tears NEED surgery unless you want your health to suffer. By the way you arm still "works" even with a complete tear.

Likewise, you won't die if you don't get your knee replaced, but you will eventually be in agony, unable to walk, work etc - therefore in the setting of your overall health your surgeon will tell you "need" surgery.

Not trying to split hairs here, it's ways interesting to read different takes, but to further clarify, what's first assist mean to you? To me you completed a surgical residency/fellowship and then as an attending assist other attemdings? You are a GP now? So you didn't like surgery?

 

[drgrant]

Re: the original post

It has the term "gun violence" in it so that automatically means its going to be a moonbat circle jerk.


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Again, in the case of elective surgery, your surgeon has determined that you need surgery. You only need surgery when it is your best option to maintain (or reclaim) your health. In the case of rotator cuffs, bad tears NEED surgery unless you want your health to suffer. By the way you arm still "works" even with a complete tear.

Likewise, you won't die if you don't get your knee replaced, but you will eventually be in agony, unable to walk, work etc - therefore in the setting of your overall health your surgeon will tell you "need" surgery.

Much like when I blew out my knee (ACL, meniscus, etc) I didn't need surgery to walk but there was no way that thing would have been normal again. You could tell it was all ****ed up. At least with the surgery it usually feels normal. Before there was not a single day where I didn't know it was ****ed up.

-Mike

 

[FrugalFannie]

Sure, people did fine and lived into the ripe old age of 40 with rare exceptions. I question the IQ of some people here. "Me like guns. Me shoot. Go bang. The Govt. is spying on me. Get the tin foil. Oh, and modern medicine is useless. Get me some leeches to go with my TV dinner and Budweiser." LOL

Bullshit. This is a dumbass "statistic" that is assumed to be true but it's very easily disproven. All you need to do is look at a census record that reported ages. Did people die in their 40s due to farming accidents? Sure. And its' also not true that people were getting married at 14 as a regular course. I ****ing hate people repeating this bullshit. Cause "oh modern medicine is so ****ing fantastic." How about all the people who die every year from properly taking prescribed medications? How about all the people who end up with "diabetes" because they take a cholesterol med and an anti depressant? What about all the off label uses for medications which end up causing more harm than good? Or hell, what about all the "listed side effects" for medications like "possible thoughts of suicide" in anti depressants? There's a freaking good idea - give a drug to a depressed person that has a high likelihood of causing them to have suicidal thoughts or psychotic tendencies. Or how about cancer treatments? Let's see what we can kill first, the disease or the patient.

 

[308rifleman]

Shootings in gun-free zones have reached epidemic proportions. Hmm, let's put our best minds together and figure out why that is . . .

Mexico is a gun free zone. Get caught in possession of one round of ammo without an almost-impossible-to-get license and it is a minimum of 5 years imprisonment. How well is that strict gun law working out for them?

 

[MachineHead]

Mass. Medical Society Meeting - Firearm Violence: Policy, Prevention,Public H...

It all comes down to this:

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2016/04/doctors-guns-questions

Healey flapped her bleeding heart liberal gums about guns at the MMS meeting.