The biggest shortage of physicians is for primary care internists. They have the quickest burn out rate. When the time comes, and I hope it’s a long time from now, you won’t have to wait long for an undertaker.
When a Blessing Becomes A Curse
- Thread starter TwoTankAmin
- Start date
OP
OP
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Do not let it this get out, but I am planning to live forever, or as close to it as I can get ...........
(Play it in HD)
(Play it in HD)
Problem with that is when my father had what resembled a minor stroke he couldn't get any priority to get him in in less than 3 months. He's 73 and had a serious episode which I explained to his Drs office. It's very frustrating especially when he wanted to go there because he's comfortable with his Dr that he's been seeing for 30 years plus. It's straight up BS if you ask me i don't care how much work you have, when somethings serious exceptions should be made.
I did take him to the ER originally but I wanted to follow it up with his Dr. so they could dive into it a bit deeper. In my head 3 months at his age might be the difference between life and death and I promise you if something happened to him in those 3 months because they couldn't see him I would personally hold them accountable.
I'm sure everyone feels the same about their loved ones. At his age I want to make sure he gets the best care possible in a reasonable amount of time. Our seniors and vets should get priority care in my opinion
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I agree with you. We always made room for emergency add-ons. It’s the only ethical thing to do.
I must be in a medical oasis. The only time either Linda or I had an issue with waiting was with a Dermatologist. Me many many years ago and Linda recently. We have one office locally.
Antonio, our family care physician is has us both on a visit schedule which is a price of our age. Neither of us have ever waited more than 5 minutes from check in to get in. The few times one of us has needed an unscheduled visit we have gone the same day. I have two specialists as does Linda. Both those offices are much the same though not equally efficient. All these physicians were selected after we test drove several offices.
We live between two hospitals, both managed by the administrators of a distant large hospital. Although I hear many horror stories about their ERs, the one recent time we needed to use it was not to bad. That might have more to do with my personality than their efficiency though. I have a very adverse reaction to any sign of incompetence at any level of a business from reception to management and all in between.
Antonio, our family care physician is has us both on a visit schedule which is a price of our age. Neither of us have ever waited more than 5 minutes from check in to get in. The few times one of us has needed an unscheduled visit we have gone the same day. I have two specialists as does Linda. Both those offices are much the same though not equally efficient. All these physicians were selected after we test drove several offices.
We live between two hospitals, both managed by the administrators of a distant large hospital. Although I hear many horror stories about their ERs, the one recent time we needed to use it was not to bad. That might have more to do with my personality than their efficiency though. I have a very adverse reaction to any sign of incompetence at any level of a business from reception to management and all in between.
The medical system in Australia is broken too. It's pathetic and is caused by state and federal governments not bothering to build infrastructure during the last 30 years. In the 1980s-90s I could call a doctor and get in on that day. Around the turn of the century I could call my doctor or any doctor and get in within a few days.
In 2006 I was exposed to asbestos and herbicide (glyphosate) contaminated dust and couldn't breath properly. I rang around the doctors asking for an emergency appointment and nobody would see me for at least a week. I ended up at a GP clinic 1km up the road, walked in said I needed help and collapsed on the floor. They rang the hospital and I ended up there.
In 2008 I had a stroke and spent 8 hours sitting in the hospital waiting room before a doctor came out to see me. He said I had a head ache and to take aspirin. He said if the pain persists to call my doctor. Well I didn't take aspirin because that makes strokes worse and I did call my doctor. It took 10 days before I could get in to see my GP and the headache had almost gone by then. The doctor at the hospital misdiagnosed and the stroke was confirmed a week later by a surgeon, another doctor and a nurse at a different hospital.
Since 2018 I had been unable to find a doctor that was taking on new patients, let alone one that bulk bills for pensioners.
In 2021 I found a GP but he charges $60 for 10 minutes and I can get in to see him in a day, sometimes less if needed. This is because he doesn't bulk bill. Most other doctors aren't taking on new patients or have a 2-3 month wait before you can get in to see them.
When I tried to get an appointment with a dermatologist a few weeks ago, they said the earliest appointment is in July. I said I needed something urgently because the skin was falling off my legs and I could see muscle tissue. They got me in a week later.
We have ambulances waiting outside hospitals for up to 12 hours before they can get emergency patients into the hospital, this is from lack of beds in the hospital. People are actually dying in ambulances because they can't get into a hospital bed for treatment.
People that normally see their local GP are actually going to hospitals for treatment just to get a prescription for medication because they can't get into their doctor.
All these issues are happening right around the country and the government aren't doing anything about it. Our medical system is going the way of the system in the USA where the rich can afford private medical care and the poor can't even get medical care. It's disgraceful. Come to Australia the lucky country. You will be lucky if you can find somewhere to live and lucky if you can find a doctor to treat you. If you get sick in Australia and end up in hospital, there's a very good chance you will contract a drug resistant bacterial infection while you are there. If you get sick in Australia, you may as well look online for medical care and drink snake oil because that's about all the medical care you can get now.
In 2006 I was exposed to asbestos and herbicide (glyphosate) contaminated dust and couldn't breath properly. I rang around the doctors asking for an emergency appointment and nobody would see me for at least a week. I ended up at a GP clinic 1km up the road, walked in said I needed help and collapsed on the floor. They rang the hospital and I ended up there.
In 2008 I had a stroke and spent 8 hours sitting in the hospital waiting room before a doctor came out to see me. He said I had a head ache and to take aspirin. He said if the pain persists to call my doctor. Well I didn't take aspirin because that makes strokes worse and I did call my doctor. It took 10 days before I could get in to see my GP and the headache had almost gone by then. The doctor at the hospital misdiagnosed and the stroke was confirmed a week later by a surgeon, another doctor and a nurse at a different hospital.
Since 2018 I had been unable to find a doctor that was taking on new patients, let alone one that bulk bills for pensioners.
In 2021 I found a GP but he charges $60 for 10 minutes and I can get in to see him in a day, sometimes less if needed. This is because he doesn't bulk bill. Most other doctors aren't taking on new patients or have a 2-3 month wait before you can get in to see them.
When I tried to get an appointment with a dermatologist a few weeks ago, they said the earliest appointment is in July. I said I needed something urgently because the skin was falling off my legs and I could see muscle tissue. They got me in a week later.
We have ambulances waiting outside hospitals for up to 12 hours before they can get emergency patients into the hospital, this is from lack of beds in the hospital. People are actually dying in ambulances because they can't get into a hospital bed for treatment.
People that normally see their local GP are actually going to hospitals for treatment just to get a prescription for medication because they can't get into their doctor.
All these issues are happening right around the country and the government aren't doing anything about it. Our medical system is going the way of the system in the USA where the rich can afford private medical care and the poor can't even get medical care. It's disgraceful. Come to Australia the lucky country. You will be lucky if you can find somewhere to live and lucky if you can find a doctor to treat you. If you get sick in Australia and end up in hospital, there's a very good chance you will contract a drug resistant bacterial infection while you are there. If you get sick in Australia, you may as well look online for medical care and drink snake oil because that's about all the medical care you can get now.
OP
OP
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I just got a new internal medicine doc. For the past 445 years or so my doc has been a few minute drive. The new one is 1 mins.
But since we are playing old folks poker:
45+ years smoking and my reward is C.O.P.D.
71 years of eating well but no so healthy --> Hi BP.
Repeat above and heart attack in Sep. 2019.
Spring 2022 diagnosed prostate cancer spent summer being radiated.
The above does not include wrist surgery, two cataract surgeries (20 + years apart), hip replacement, orthrocsopic knee surgery.
This year has been slow, only pneumonia and then I spent 6.5 hours in the ER Monday having a CO.O.P.D. flare up.
I feel sorry for anybody can raise me.
But since we are playing old folks poker:
45+ years smoking and my reward is C.O.P.D.
71 years of eating well but no so healthy --> Hi BP.
Repeat above and heart attack in Sep. 2019.
Spring 2022 diagnosed prostate cancer spent summer being radiated.
The above does not include wrist surgery, two cataract surgeries (20 + years apart), hip replacement, orthrocsopic knee surgery.
This year has been slow, only pneumonia and then I spent 6.5 hours in the ER Monday having a CO.O.P.D. flare up.
I feel sorry for anybody can raise me.
I cannot raise you, nor do I want to in truth. However, I have discovered as I age my former superior health has deteriorated in a steady progression. I have a mild form of Prostate Cancer, stage Gleason 6. My Doc has me on Finasteride which has lowered my PSA significantly from plus 4 to 1.1 last test. He likened it to removing swimming sharks and replacing them with minnows and told me the condition is unlikely to kill me before I die of other causes. Also a bladder issue that was "cured" by scraping. Might need the body work again.
I have no issue with these issues. I am a pragmatist about major health problems. My complaint with aging is the withering of stamina and strength. My previous two major projects, the pond system and the pond shack really highlighted these two areas. Work that should take a day now takes three and another one to recover. My previous normal day of 12 hours. (between occupation and homestead chores), is now less than six, sometimes much less.
I can lay no claim to a healthy lifestyle in my past. Physical sports that destroyed my knees, weakened my shoulders, and generally stressed any joint requiring movement. Lots of red meat, few vegies, (I always claimed if God wanted me to eat greens, I would have been born a cow), and lots of parties.
Despite the maladies I still get done what needs to be done. I am currently three years older than any male lifespan on my father's side of the family. As I said I am pragmatic about my elder life and accept that with each passing year I will get weaker in body. So long as my mind remains strong, I will be happy.
I have no issue with these issues. I am a pragmatist about major health problems. My complaint with aging is the withering of stamina and strength. My previous two major projects, the pond system and the pond shack really highlighted these two areas. Work that should take a day now takes three and another one to recover. My previous normal day of 12 hours. (between occupation and homestead chores), is now less than six, sometimes much less.
I can lay no claim to a healthy lifestyle in my past. Physical sports that destroyed my knees, weakened my shoulders, and generally stressed any joint requiring movement. Lots of red meat, few vegies, (I always claimed if God wanted me to eat greens, I would have been born a cow), and lots of parties.
Despite the maladies I still get done what needs to be done. I am currently three years older than any male lifespan on my father's side of the family. As I said I am pragmatic about my elder life and accept that with each passing year I will get weaker in body. So long as my mind remains strong, I will be happy.
You don't have to get weaker with age. Everyone starts losing muscle mass around the age of 30 ish but you can stop the loss and increase muscle mass by doing weight bearing exercises. If you do them regularly, you can actually build muscle mass back up and be strong and fit. There was an 80 year old granny on Doctor Oz and she did weights 3 times a week. She picked up Doctor Oz and carried him around the stage. She was about 4 ft tall but was strong and fit.
A normal amount of muscle mass is required for the body to function properly and for medications to work and not overdose you. Lack of muscle mass is why old people die.
OP
OP
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I have been keeping fish now for 24 years. When I started at age 51 despite being 140 lbs and 5'5" tall I could fill a pair of 5 gal. buckets with water and carry one in each hand the length of the house from a bathroom out to the screen terrace. I also used my bathroom as fish central for doing water changes. This involved 32 and 20 gal Rubbermaid garbage cans and a few 5 gal. buckets. The 5s were normally ppicked up and dumped into the buggers cans being empied with a pump.
Today I do not carry filled 5 gal buckets anythwere. When I am ready to dump the water from one into the bigger can I actually use a specimen box to scoop out about half before I life the rest and dump it in.
Over the years I ramped up tank numbers. So I was getting plenty of exercise. I can tell you one cannot stave off old age in terms of strength. Of course there are some exceptions on both sides of this.
Today I am a couple of inches shorter and pounds lighter. Gravity is not your friend. I am backing out of the hobby because I cannot keep up either strength or stamina-wise.
A number of my tanks have required I use a small folding ladder to be able to do weekly maint. I have escorted both of my parents through old age and death and watched how falling became a problem. Bones get broken. I am doing away with my bigger tanks because I know sooner or later I will wind up falling off of the ladder.
I also no longer work in the woods with my chain saws. I drive my car closer to the speed limit because mu reactions times are not what they used to be. Etc. Etc. No amount of will nor dedication will keep us from physically declining as we go deeper into the "golden years."
Three things I have gleaned from it all about old age and it can be explained by three sentences.
1. And you know that you're over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill. . Little Feat - Old folk's Boogie
2. Paraphrasing: Death is nature's way of telling us to slow down.
3. If you wake up in the morning and nothing hurts, you are probably dead.
Today I do not carry filled 5 gal buckets anythwere. When I am ready to dump the water from one into the bigger can I actually use a specimen box to scoop out about half before I life the rest and dump it in.
Over the years I ramped up tank numbers. So I was getting plenty of exercise. I can tell you one cannot stave off old age in terms of strength. Of course there are some exceptions on both sides of this.
Today I am a couple of inches shorter and pounds lighter. Gravity is not your friend. I am backing out of the hobby because I cannot keep up either strength or stamina-wise.
A number of my tanks have required I use a small folding ladder to be able to do weekly maint. I have escorted both of my parents through old age and death and watched how falling became a problem. Bones get broken. I am doing away with my bigger tanks because I know sooner or later I will wind up falling off of the ladder.
I also no longer work in the woods with my chain saws. I drive my car closer to the speed limit because mu reactions times are not what they used to be. Etc. Etc. No amount of will nor dedication will keep us from physically declining as we go deeper into the "golden years."
Three things I have gleaned from it all about old age and it can be explained by three sentences.
1. And you know that you're over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill. . Little Feat - Old folk's Boogie
2. Paraphrasing: Death is nature's way of telling us to slow down.
3. If you wake up in the morning and nothing hurts, you are probably dead.
Weight bearing exercise helps keep the muscles and bones stronger, and improves your balance so if you do fall, you have less chance of breaking something and you should be able to get back up by yourself. I can't do that part. If I go down, I'm staying down until someone picks me up
You can also lift one foot up and hold it off the ground 4-6 inches. Do that for 20-30 seconds on each leg and do it 10-20 times per day. It helps improve balance. You can hold onto a wall or rail while you do this (especially at the beginning) but it does help improve balance.
I am well and truly alive then, boy my body ache
Strength can be a relative thing, at least for me. I use a resistance system in place of weights. I use it half hour six days a week. My muscle mass is good but not what it was, hence I can lift less and for shorter periods of time. That is a natural regression that comes with age. I suppose the starting point of working out has some relevance too. If one starts building muscle late they will stronger. If one has used resistance from the start one will feel regression. This same frame also applies to coordination as well as speed. Sense athletes retire.
I am likely as strong as most 30 something’s but I am not strong for me.
I am likely as strong as most 30 something’s but I am not strong for me.
OP
OP
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I am just being a realist. For almost 20 years I have enjoyed breeding plecos. I have enjoyed upgrading the tanks for my clown loaches and watching them grow big. My altums are beautiful but their tanks used special parameter water and so is more work than if it help similar loads of other fish. I batch ro/di for them that gets stored . it is made in another building so must be carried into the main house where it is actually used.
Between the pneumonis and the recent C.O.P.D. flare up i did not do any tank works for well over a week and closer to two. This is not fair to the fish. I did not want to scale way back, I have really loved the area of the hobby on which I chose to concentrate. But, I am also a realist. So I sold off mostt of my breeding groups to folks who will keep on working with them.
But, if i cannot keep up with it all, as much as I do not want to, I have to dial it back, One of the things about which I have been most proud over the years is that I worked with some endangered or hard to find fish and I developed a good reputation for breeding healthy fish and selling them for fair prices. I not only do the happy fish dance when I get a spawn, but I also do it when a buyer reports back to me that the fish they got from me have spawned for them.
I do not so much mind the growing old thing escept that it means I have to be giving up something I love. The other part of it all was that I was able to support the weekend events clubs hosted where I would be a vendor. I always paid my way into the vendor room as an event sponsor. I also was able to donate to some conservation and research projects as well as some online fish sites. This was all made possible because of the fish with which I worked. I either donated some of the money from sales or donated fish to be auctioned and the proceeds went to an organization rather than me.
Over the years on forums and in person I sent a lot of folks to PlanetCatfish for the information there. That site is a great resource for a lot of fish keepers from beginners to pros. It is run by folks who donate their time. So I felt, since a lot of folks benefit but do not contribute for any number of reasons, that anything I could give would be helping to keep the place going for the benefit of all of us.
There is more to this growing old stuff than having to back off of my fish keeping activities. It also means I can no longer support some great places and causes. I have felt good over the years whenever I could help with a donation in some form or helping in others ways at times. To some extent, I had an ulterior motive in this respect. It made me happy. And the best part was because I was not a business per se, my name was never on the a lot of the sponsorships. I had friends with small fish businesseswho could benefit and whose name I would put as the sponsor instead. So I got to be double happy.
The above is something I have not talked about much. But now that the end of the era is finally here, I am doing so. I will miss being able to those things for sure. And maybe I can inspire somebody else to take up where I left off. It doesn't have to be the places to which I gave support, it just has to be to places which do good things hobby/conservation related and for fish keepers in general.
It will make you feel Happy!
Between the pneumonis and the recent C.O.P.D. flare up i did not do any tank works for well over a week and closer to two. This is not fair to the fish. I did not want to scale way back, I have really loved the area of the hobby on which I chose to concentrate. But, I am also a realist. So I sold off mostt of my breeding groups to folks who will keep on working with them.
But, if i cannot keep up with it all, as much as I do not want to, I have to dial it back, One of the things about which I have been most proud over the years is that I worked with some endangered or hard to find fish and I developed a good reputation for breeding healthy fish and selling them for fair prices. I not only do the happy fish dance when I get a spawn, but I also do it when a buyer reports back to me that the fish they got from me have spawned for them.
I do not so much mind the growing old thing escept that it means I have to be giving up something I love. The other part of it all was that I was able to support the weekend events clubs hosted where I would be a vendor. I always paid my way into the vendor room as an event sponsor. I also was able to donate to some conservation and research projects as well as some online fish sites. This was all made possible because of the fish with which I worked. I either donated some of the money from sales or donated fish to be auctioned and the proceeds went to an organization rather than me.
Over the years on forums and in person I sent a lot of folks to PlanetCatfish for the information there. That site is a great resource for a lot of fish keepers from beginners to pros. It is run by folks who donate their time. So I felt, since a lot of folks benefit but do not contribute for any number of reasons, that anything I could give would be helping to keep the place going for the benefit of all of us.
There is more to this growing old stuff than having to back off of my fish keeping activities. It also means I can no longer support some great places and causes. I have felt good over the years whenever I could help with a donation in some form or helping in others ways at times. To some extent, I had an ulterior motive in this respect. It made me happy. And the best part was because I was not a business per se, my name was never on the a lot of the sponsorships. I had friends with small fish businesseswho could benefit and whose name I would put as the sponsor instead. So I got to be double happy.
The above is something I have not talked about much. But now that the end of the era is finally here, I am doing so. I will miss being able to those things for sure. And maybe I can inspire somebody else to take up where I left off. It doesn't have to be the places to which I gave support, it just has to be to places which do good things hobby/conservation related and for fish keepers in general.
It will make you feel Happy!
Two tanks, perhaps you could consider an apprentice. Someone who would embrace your knowledge and be willing and wanting to learn. Then your legacy would live forward and as a benefit the necessity of backing off would be less pressing.
We did something along those lines several years back. It was gratifying beyond measure to watch the young couple grow a self sufficient homestead. It also let us stretch a few additional years of full on self sufficient lifestyle.
We did something along those lines several years back. It was gratifying beyond measure to watch the young couple grow a self sufficient homestead. It also let us stretch a few additional years of full on self sufficient lifestyle.
Arthritis plays a major factor in one's life in the senior years too.
Three in five adults age 50–80 (60%) reported ever being told by a health care professional that they have arthritis, with 30% reporting a diagnosis of osteoarthritis (i.e., “wear and tear,” “bone-on-bone,” or degenerative arthritis). Less commonly reported types of arthritis were rheumatoid arthritis (8%), gout or pseudogout (7%), or another kind of arthritis (5%). About three in ten older adults (29%) said a health care provider told them they had arthritis, but they were unsure what type.
Three in five adults age 50–80 (60%) reported ever being told by a health care professional that they have arthritis, with 30% reporting a diagnosis of osteoarthritis (i.e., “wear and tear,” “bone-on-bone,” or degenerative arthritis). Less commonly reported types of arthritis were rheumatoid arthritis (8%), gout or pseudogout (7%), or another kind of arthritis (5%). About three in ten older adults (29%) said a health care provider told them they had arthritis, but they were unsure what type.
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