esrosedotblog

DEATH TRAPS

I have a life long rule.

Do not go to a hospital.

Explore every possible alternative including maiming and death before you do it.

Coupled with that is the redundant sounding second rule.

Do not have surgery for anything if there is any alternative at all. Any. Even suffering pain during a period of unaided physical recovery.

The latter is not redundant because so many surgeons are working outside the hospital these days.

There is a third one which is a little harder to parse but it involves no invasive diagnostic 'procedures' unless there is a logical and clear need.

For example, no colonoscopies unless there is a prior negative rectal bleeding test.

Here is the reason:

Hospital Error

Now, I know that I go against the grain on this but I am also, somewhat, in sync with another truism about today's health care system.

Hospital and private procedures are, for the most part, unnecessary ways for docs to get income in a declining payment climate.

Government and insurance companies are squeezing the docs so they make it up with unneeded procedures.

This is not paranoia.

An article in the LAT the other day talked about how Blue Cross is cutting payments yet again and how more procedures is the only solution for docs to maintain income.

I believe it.

Look.

We have a very conservative doc who doesn't over prescribe and has little incentive to squeeze the system.

He works alone in a low overhead business (he is right next to my dentist who does the same thing) and he doesn't believe in doing a lot of stuff just to do it.

He listens to me when I tell him how I feel.

Now, if I came up with blood in my bowel or a mole that kept increasing I would go get the thing handled. But not as a pre-emptive or prophylactic step.

It is too much like panning for gold.

Recognize that once you are on the treadmill, they won't let you off.

Diagnostics will always lead to some treatment whether it is needed or not.

Take responsibility for your own care.

Well, you do what you want.

That is my advice to myself.

Labels: health