APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) is holding its annual meeting this week, and today published the results of its latest findings on the number of people who die from MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and other HAIs (hospital acquired infections). These are superbug staph infections, usually acquired by hospital patients, but sometimes […]
MRSA: Killing More Americans everyday Read More »
You may have heard about the woman who died on the emergency room floor at Martin Luther King Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-13-911helpdenied_N.htm She was in great pain, writhing on the floor, yet the staff would ignore her, walk around her, step over her. Despite her obvious agony, and despite the fact that she
Making an End Run to Get the Help You Need Read More »
You see a surgeon, and she tells you you need surgery. You see an orthopedist and he tells you you need physical therapy. You see a chiropractor and she tells you you’ll need at least a dozen treatments. You see an oncologist and he tells you you’ll need chemotherapy or radiation. What’s wrong with these
Who Benefits from YOUR Medical Care? Read More »
It comes on in a rush, and it makes me feel like a Sweet-tart — you know, one of those candies that you bite into, it grabs the sour corners of your tongue, and it just dissolves…. The overwhelming dread and tears begin to descend, sometimes I just collapse. It takes a good cry to
SPTCL and Post-Traumatic Meltdown Read More »
Quite the exposé about oncologists and drug reimbursements is found in an article written by Alex Berenson in the New York Times. The crux of the story is that oncologists — cancer doctors — have the ability to profit from the drugs they prescribe for their patients. When they prescribe chemo, or any of the
Games Oncologists Play – and WE Pay Read More »
Ovarian Cancer is one of those topics I’ve blogged about previously, because my mother-in-law was diagnosed with it six months ago. Her diagnosis came after many months of complaints, mostly gastro-intestinal in nature. Despite her ongoing complaints, she was never diagnosed until she was hospitalized. At the age of 86, she underwent surgery (wrong, wrong
Ovarian Cancer, Condescension and Intuition Read More »
Julia Schopick, patient advocate and tell-it-like-it-is author, exposes a lack of objectivity in her three part series about research that gets published without disclosure. We patients are bombarded with news and information every day about health and medical research results. The points Julia makes can affect the care we receive, so it’s important for us
Medical Research: Is Objectivity Optional? Read More »
A few years ago I received an email forwarded from a friend asking me to sign a petition to notify my congress representatives about my feelings about a bill that requires insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour stay in the hospital for women who have had mastectomies. Even its moniker makes me shudder: Drive
Drive Thru Mastectomies and Politics Read More »
