LIVING WITH MCL

The year started out on a high note [for me], with Democrats taking control of congress, and Barack Obama taking the oath of office of President of the United States. Finally we would see policies that would advance the plight of the middle class. Tax  policy would no longer disproportionately burden working families, and we would finally get some reform in the health care arena. Or so we thought. It soon became evident nothing good was going to come from this, as our politics and politicians became more derisive, and the political right fought tooth and nail to ensure the new administration failed in every regard, even to the detriment of society. Then came the stock market crash in March, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its low of around 6,500. Jobs were being lost to the tune of 500,000 per month, and talk of another great depression was spreading. Things fortunately didn't get that bad, and they have recovered somewhat, but the underlying problems still persist. H...

While The Weather Channel says it's 41°F outside, the thermometer at the house says it's 38.8°F, and that's just too freakin' cold. And the sun hasn't even come up yet, so it's bound to get even a little colder. 40°F is typically the limit I've [arbitrarily] set for going out on a bike ride, but what's a person addicted to cycling to do, when the weather seems to be stuck in this unusually frigid [for southern California] range. I've only been on the bike once since last Sunday, and that was on Wednesday, when I went out for a short 30+ mile bike ride, but I didn't leave until about 8:15 AM, when the temperature finally rose to about 45°F. I ended up having to ride by myself, since the club usually leaves at 7 AM during the week, that is assuming anyone else was stupid enough to go out that early. I've actually had to resort to going to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday to ride the Expresso.net cycling machine, but that is hardly comparable or...

There is all sorts of information in various print media and on the internet about the positive effects of the antioxidants, particularly Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in green tea. But can you believe everything you read in print media, and/or on the internet? There are certainly plenty of people around making claims about the efficacy of green tea and EGCG, while at the same time trying to capitalize on the supposed efficacy by selling vitamins and supplements containing EGCG. The supposed reasoning being, if a little is good, then a lot is better. I for one don't subscribe to that theory, preferring to believe if you can't get it naturally, it's not worth getting. In fact I believe it was my mega-dosing on vitamin C, D, E and calcium which contributed to my contracting MCL in the first place. Now I refuse to take any medication, vitamin or supplement, even as benign as an aspirin, although I will admit to having taken an Advil or two, but that is about it. So in orde...

Why does obtaining health care, and buying health insurance [even Medicare] have to be such a daunting task in this country? Why are there so many different choices of health insurance? Why can't we just go to a doctor or hospital, and get the care we need without worrying about whether insurance will pay for it, or if not, how we're going to pay for it, and then having to worry about going bankrupt because we can't afford to pay for it ourselves? My wife is eligible for Medicare Parts A and B in February 2010. I thought that would make life a lot simpler for us, but after reading a great deal of literature, and scouring the internet for information concerning enrollment in Medicare, and purchasing a Medigap policy, to fill in the gaps for what Medicare doesn't cover, I discovered quite the contrary. First off as a little background, for those unaware, Medicare enrollment is open to everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions, on your 65th birthday, or after 29 month...

These are two terms that get bandied about quite often, and I might add incorrectly for the most part. I even recently received an email telling me that according to dictionary.com , they are synonymous. Well contrary to popular belief, not everything you read on the internet is true, especially when it comes to health care [and health care reform I would add]. Manifestations and symptoms, although related, are not the same thing. Symptoms are something that alert you to a problem, i.e. night sweats, bleeding that won't stop, fatigue, bone fractures [in the case of Multiple Myeloma], and manifestations enable the doctor to reach a proper diagnosis. Even more simply put, manifestations can be measured, symptoms cannot. For example, Increased bone fractures are a symptom of Multiple Myeloma, resulting from decreased bone density, which is confirmed through additional blood tests looking for abnormal amounts of plasma cells, and certain particular antibodies of Multiple Myeloma. Low p...

Well, we (the company I work for) passed our ISO 9001 re-registration and AS9100 surveillance audits today with flying colors. That alleviates a lot of stress for me, because it's the one aspect of my job I have never been real comfortable with (fortunately I do have a lot of help though). I'm a degreed metallurgist, and sort of inherited this quality thing, which even after 20+ years of dealing with it, I still haven't completely grasped. Couple that with the fact in my 30+ years in the aerospace industry, I have seen one iteration of quality standards after another come and go, so after awhile you tend to become a little jaded. At least the current standard has managed to stick around for 10+ years, and appears to be here to stay. Still, the paper work and minutia, which in most cases [at least IMO] adds little, if any value to the product, can sometimes be too much to bare. Regardless, it is a relief, to be done with it for another year, and now I can finally get back to...

If I don't go for a bike ride, it just pretty much ruins the rest of my day. I feel like I've missed out on something.  Which I did. I missed out on exercising, something I believe has been part and parcel to my longevity. I also missed out on the banter that goes on during the ride, and afterwards at the coffee shop. It just makes for a lousy day. Instead, I went to the gym to try and make up for it. I recently learned that cyclists tend to have low bone densities, and are more prone to osteoporosis as a result. So while load bearing exercises are vital for everyone, they are especially important for cyclists. That didn't really help at all. In fact, it may have made things even worse. I made the grave mistake of thinking about work, and thinking about a statement my boss made to me last Tuesday. As I was getting ready to leave work, I reminded Wayne (my boss) about the upcoming ISO re-registration and AS9100 surveillance audits to be performed this week, 12/7 thru 12/9, a...

Most of you know, when it comes to the US health care system, I am not a big fan. Notably, it discriminates against the less fortunate, and in many cases does not work in the best interest of the patient. I think the following article justifies many of my concerns, pointing out a huge flaw in the for-profit, fee-for-service health care model adhered to in the US, while highlighting the importance of being your own advocate, and approaching everything you do, especially regarding your health, with a bit of skepticism. CHICAGO (Reuters) - More than half of patients receiving abdominal CT scans, an advanced type of X-ray, got them for tests they did not need, exposing them to excess radiation that could raise the long-term risk of cancer, U.S. researchers said on Monday. ............................. The University of Wisconsin-Madison team led by Dr. Kristie Guite studied 978 CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis done on 500 patients that were sent to the university to be interpreted. They...