Health Care Happenings

Are you ready for “What’s Up Doc” Part IV?   You get to diagnosis a condition I give you and I’ll let you know the answer the following week.

Last week’s symptom:      Sadness plus fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, and/or muscle aches or stiffness

You’re Diagnoses:
• Depression
• Narrow down the possibilities:
        – Depression  –>  (sadness plus fatigue, weight gain, insomnia.)
        – Consider symptoms above and you may have:
                  * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome  –>   (muscle aches or stiffness.)
        – You as the physician with little time to see this patient must also  consider this first before pulling your prescription pad:
                   * Patient History?  Soldier, veteran, family member.  What medications is this patient currently taking? What doctors are seeing this patient?  Is this patient having a medication reaction to possibly an anti-cholesterol drug?
        – This case screams of drug reaction and the patient should physically bring to you all medications he is taking for a review. Giving this patient a script for an antidepressant is not the answer.
        – In the dawn of socialized medicine, patient teaching is the key to protect your patients. Bless you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be their teacher.
• My initial reaction would be depression based on the symptoms described, though the insomnia may be the ‘mcguffin’ since I recall that the opposite (lethargic, always drowsy/sleepy) is an indicator of depression. You are tricky, René! Can’t wait to see the answer.  
• Mood disorder, probably clinical depression, rule out bi-polar, rule out fibromyalgia syndrome.

The Answer:
          The Doctor Says:      Depression
          But It Could Be:        Hypothyroidism (Webster’s Definition: deficient activity of the thyroid gland; also: a resultant bodily condition characterized by lowered metabolic rate and general loss of vigor)

You all are good! You were spot on with ‘Depression.’ YOU ROCK!

          Now, for Symptom 4:      Headaches and/or ringing or aching ears, plus aching  back, neck, and/or teeth
          Your Diagnosis Is: ???????

Come back next week—same time next Wednesday, same place for the answer.   I’ll tell you more about what’s behind the answers these last few weeks.   See you then!

As you can imagine, MOAA is getting a lot of mail from members on every conceivable aspect of the national health reform debate, ranging from suspicions about the motives of politicians on one side or the other, to specific aspects of the plan that might affect them personally, to larger philosophical issues of what the country and taxpayers should be responsible for and what they can afford.

Any way you cut it, this issue is a big deal.  But it covers so much territory  (four bills of 1,000+ pages each so far, with more to come) that it’s nearly impossible to track every detail and chase down all the various assertions and allegations if doing that isn’t your full-time job.

And with MOAA’s limited staff, there’s no way we can assign anyone to spend 100% of their time on national health care reform.  So we have to focus our efforts to deliver the best value for our members’ dues buck.

On Monday, MOAA President VADM Norb Ryan sent a personal message to the membership to articulate MOAA’s priorities in this area.

That message also included a link to our Aug 7 Legislative Update item covering our latest assessment of the initiative’s potential implications for TRICARE beneficiaries under 65 and for TRICARE For Life beneficiaries over 65.

But there’s still a long way to go in the process, and we urge our members to protect their interests by using MOAA’s national health reform alert to inform their legislators of their views.

I recently read a study that indicated it costs americans about $147 billion each year in extra healthcare dollars for those who are overweight in our country.  I couldn’t recall the number but I believe it is at least that much in extra healthcare costs for those who smoke.  Now don’t get me wrong I am not going to say we should ban junk food or cigarettes but we do need to do something.

We can reform healthcare all we want but unless we as individuals take responsiblity and live healthier lives it will be meaningless.   I realize my marathon days are probably over but nightly walks have helped me and my dog shed some unwanted pounds.  I sometimes wonder how many doctors appointments and tests I have avoided by doing this. 

The worst part is that I didn’t start to this five years ago when my doctor told me I should lose a few pounds, I often asked myself why.  The answer hit me one day as I finished a scuba dive.  I ran out of air quicker than everyone else and had to cut my dive short.  As the others came up they told me about the sea turtles I just missed swimming with.  I thought to myself if I was in better shape I could have experienced it. 

I realized that neither my doctor nor I took the time to try and understand what makes me tick.  Together we should have found those motivating factors for me which is different for all of us.  Our healthcare system should provide the guidance for a healthier lifestyle and seek to understand us as individuals, but we as individuals are ultimately responsible for our own health.

Here we go with Part III of “What’s Up Doc.” You get to diagnosis a condition I give you and I’ll let you know the answer the following week.

Last week’s symptom:      Numbness on one side, headaches, dizziness, suddenly blurred vision, lack of balance or muscle coordination, and/or slurred speech.

You’re Diagnoses:
• Stroke or TIA
• Diagnosis a mini stroke or a small stroke….Could this be right?
• Possible onset of a Stroke
• Stroke! Get to the hospital ER as fast as possible. A few minutes can make a big difference.

The Answer:
     The Doctor Says: Vertigo, migraines, or an inner-ear disorder.

     But It Could Be: Stroke!

Wow! Everyone said ‘Stroke’—You all know your stuff.

          Now, for Symptom #3:      Sadness plus fatigue, weight gain,  insomnia, and/or muscle aches or stiffness

         Your Diagnosis Is: ???????

See you back here next Wednesday for the answer!