Trust but Verify!

As promised in the last blog posting, here comes the first of many sharp curves on our health care road trip.

Most of us have grown up trusting modern medicine unconditionally. However, my experience of late with modern medicine has caused me to pause and reevaluate. Therefore, I am now adopting a not-so-new mantra popularized by a couple of past U.S. Presidential Aministrations: Trust but Verify!

How appropriate is this approach when it comes to the "buy in" on a physician's diagnosis. Let me give you a quick illustration and hopefully it will be instructive the next time you are handed a prescription.

For over two years, my youngest daugther was mis-diagnosed as clinically depressed. She went through more antidepressants than you can shake a stick at...and that deal truly was depressing. The upside is that this first of many comedies of error in her health care has transformed me into a better pharmacist and is "good copy" for many antecdotes to come. (By the way, all this will make sense when we talk about her real diagnosis made at the Mayo Clinic a few weeks ago. If interested, Google: POTS for more information).

So, to make a long story short, it wasn't depression, it was HYPOTHYROIDISM!!! Somebody neglected to do a simple lab test. Furthermore, you don't have to be a pharmacist to know that thyroid medicine is the BEST ANTIDEPRESSANT. It is the gas that run's our body's engine. Without it we bloat and put on weight, we get sluggish, our hair falls out, our nails are brittle, we are cold all the time, we sleep too much, and yes we actually become...depressed.

The names of the medicines needed for this type of depression are not Prozac or Paxil or Pristiq. Instead, they go by Synthroid or L-Thyroxine or Levoxyl or good ole' Armour Thyroid. I have a good idea of what I am talking about here. I sold Prozac for years and rubbed shoulders with some of the foremost experts in clinical depression that could be found anywhere. They taught me that it is as important to know what depression IS NOT as it is to know what IT IS!... I think that came out okay. Despite what you see on every direct to consumer on the latest and greatest antidepressant, everyone does NOT have depression.

So...go ahead, trust and verify that your doctor can reach for either a sample of Pristiq...or maybe better still, Synthroid. And remember...take as directed


Blake

"The pet monkey seemed like a good idea at the time"

That phrase probably means little to you. However, the words are of some significance when used around our house. In essence, it is symbolic that somebody amongst us made a bad decision and let us learn the all-important principle of of non-repitition when it comes to future said opportunities. The point is, what a great thing it is to be able to change direction, even in mid-stream on many of our intentions, even those on my little portion of the "Blogosphere River!"

The initial catalyst for my posts was my daughter, Michelle, as she has made her ghastly journey through the health care system...and regretfully there is nothing systematic about it. Last count, she has seen over 30 physicians over the past few years before finally getting a diagnosis (see previous blog post). If that wasn't enough, my son soon followed with his brutal share of health problems. Understandably, I wanted to land a punch on the cheek of medicine thru tongue in cheek verbage. It was random and emotional and soon, 3 followers were gracious enough to flatter me with their loyalty. Life is good!!! But all those good things must come to an end.

So, in the spirit of excellence in journalism (not that I would know), I want to change things up a bit and personally share in some of the highlights and mostly lowlights of our trip through the perfect storm...only in reverse. Please join us as we go backwards so we can do better forward...if that makes any sense. What is this prescription supposed to do for me, you ask? I have enough "tough pills to swallow" in life as it is...(notice the self promo tact here!)

Regretfully, the answer is not so obvious. Yes there will be stories. However, there is more to it. I am just not sure what that "more" is...yet. All I can ask is for you to stick with me in the next few months and I can help you becoming a better navigator when it comes to getting medical help. Not only Michelle, but our entire family is the vehicle to assist you in finding an alternate route when heading toward the doctor. So...please, get in, buckle up, and enjoy the ride! The first curve is coming up soon!

remember...take as directed.

Blake

I'll have Mayo on the side!

" Oh...This is how medicine is supposed to roll!" This is my departing thought as I leave frigid Rochester, Minnesota and the world renowned Mayo Clinic. Now that my daughter's 6 year health nightmare has ended, it might as well be 85 and sunny outside.

A week ago, we came here desperate and anxious knowing that this was the end of the line for family answers. There were no options remaining. We have despised the endless and brutal perfect storm for years. Without faith and hope (and not always present, I assure you) it nearly destroyed an otherwise very happy family unit. Never underestimate on how ghastly chronic illness can be...and it does not affect just the patient.

However, there are very few moments in life where expecations will not only be met, but exceeded. It happened here and the experience has been epic! We now have a very personal and real life example of the fact. We have answers.

I have stared at this page for days, knowing that I have no skill package that can adequately articulate our journey and more importantly our deepest feelings. I can only tell you that the weather cleared and we are happy with the forecast.

So...let me cut to the chase. If the "health wolf" is at the door, you do not have to answer it. You can move and answer it elsewhere. What I am trying to say is physicians really do care (You have to come to southeast Minnesota find them, though), they actually are good capitalists and put patients first and profits second...hope that didn't sound too cliche;they set politics and egos aside. And most of all...they can communicate with another doctor who might see things different or is better and smarter about what is going on with the patient. They even team up!The Nelson's woke up and now realize that the health care we have been receiving for years (with few exceptions) has been incredibly mediocre. None of us can afford this harsh reality.

Why, I ask myself, can't US medicine clue in on the Mayo method of integrated medicine. Integration...a big word for were are all on the same page on how to take care of a patient. It starts with listening...no bias approaches...no dismissive attitudes...I am not crazy or depressed...and no first question of "What insurance are we billing?"

Ok already, I will step off the soap box, before someones knocks me off. But...one more thought from the pharmacist filter. There was no talk of drug therapy until the last day of a week of appointments seeing a number of medical sub-specialty. How refreshing was that and how odd is that statement coming from a druggist? Now don't get me wrong, your prescription should include life changing medicine. Just don't forget to get an accurate diagnosis of what is wrong and what is NOT wrong with the you before the trip to the pharmacy. And...if your serious about your health, come to the Mayo Clinic and get your prescription filled!

Remember...take as directed and thanks to all at the Mayo

Blake

Lose the Christmas Letters...Please!

At this blessed time of the year nothing says "You are so cool and I am such a Loser" better than those truly obnoxius Christmas Letters!!! Now, I know that your intentions are mostly sincere and well meaning, but please, give it a rest!! Your seasonal bundles of joy that clog mailboxes come across as self serving and more nauseating than last week's egg nog! So today, in the true spirit of "Bah Humbug," I have decided these holiday notes just made Blake's "Things I Really Hate" List!! It is truly obnoxious!
Maybe all of the holiday cheer has clouded your judgement during this season of peace and eternal hope. Maybe your forgetting that your fortune of late has allowed you the luxury of jetting off to exotic places with family and friends that are truly happy and healthy!!!
However, let us not forget that most NOT sending our their annual "brag report" are too busy paying for the latest MRIs or that bag full of prescription meds. Merry Christmas to All of You!
I have a dear friend and will always be like a brother to me. Every Christmas he shares his pituresque lifestyle and from all outward appearances, his family hasn't a care in the world. Like many, he lives in a bubble of semi-ignorant bliss, but God bless him! I sincerely hope that the wolf never comes knocking at his door. But if that wiley predator shows teeth, I will empathize with my friend, knowing a bit about life's true struggle. I will fill sad and I will gladly fill his prescriptions for his pain and suffering. Then....I will send him my Christmas Letter!
To my sparse and loyal readers, have a great and meaningful Holiday Season and remember to...take as directed,

Blake

What's behind those TV drug ads?

A most warm and generous welcome to my loyal readers of late. I think I am up to 4...5 at the most. Any rate, I have been doing some thinking lately regarding my blog and its contents. As some of you may know, a good old fashion firing from pharmaceutical sales job a year ago (come the day before Thanksgiving) was the catalyst for me to put my thoughts to work. It also has motivated me (...I don't know if that is the right word or not) to write a book about the drug industry. It is an insiders guide, if you will, to what really happens behind those slick drug ads that interrupt an otherwise pleasant evening of watching television. I am approaching the subject as a former drug peddler/pharmacist/MBA kind-of-a-thing.

So, in the spirit of a "customercentric" feedback (that's a big word pharamceutical companies use to show that they are really fulfilling their customers needs), I am looking for some feedback. Would any of you take a little extra time and read over a chapter at each blog posting? I am doing a little of my own market research. If just one of you says, "Blake...knock yourself out!" I will do it. And if you like the content, I will seek a publisher and chase a dream I have had for some time.

Hope to hear from you soon and remember...take as directed!
Blake

I am a mean old man!

Have you tried to get anything done in health care lately? How did that last doctor's visit work out for you? Our family's experience with a follow up surgical procedure on my daughter last week was disaster. How about this week's wait time at your local pharmacy while Mr. Pharmacist was on the phone with your insurance company regarding a denied claim...for the 5th time?

Fear not, I have got your return ticket for your latest journey of frustration! Unfortunately it is not going to be all that fun when your ticket gets punched. Why? Well, it seems to me of late that if any one of us needs to reach Health Care Happyland, we must get grumpy...maybe even mean, or dare I say obnoxious. Yeah...that's the ticket!

We pharmacists are not programmed like that. Remember...we are usually social folks, accessible, and trustworthy with all that sensitive health information you share with us. So, it pains me (with a pain that oxycodone will not ease) to know that I have turned into a mean old man...dare I say even a jerk! To get my daughter proper pain relief in the hospital, I fired the nurse practioner that was pretendint to take care of her. I told her to stay out of her room and not to touch her...ever again! And it wouldn't hurt for her to work on your bedside manner. I told her that too. I didn't feel one bit guilty about it the confrontation. Of course, for all that trouble, she kicked my daughter out on the street with discharge orders in hand the next morning. We didn't get as much as a "nice havin ya here!"

What has happened to the days of yore when a patient's simple direct request was heard and appreciated and most importantly acted upon? Help me out hear readers with the grump factor or I will end up like those 2 old guy muppet characters yelling from the balcony in Sesame Street! When you have made a pharmacist mad, you know that that is serious stuff!

So as those bafoons in congress continue to debate about a national health care plan, go ahead get a little heated under that white collar of yours. Your advocacy with a little edge on the side will get health care providers attention and there is a good chance you will see results years before the US figures a decent health care plan

...take as directed.
blake and still grumpy

The Big Eye

On my fridge door hangs a magnet that states, "Everyone is entitled to my opinion!" As much as I would like it to be true in my life, the item has become rather iconic and reminds me that one must be careful in looking at the world through their own subjective"Big Eye."

In a bit of an "ah-ha" moment, it seems in my feeble attempt to make health care a little more pleasant via the blogosphere, I came off self serving and hippocritical. I have decided to be...well, let's say...less angry about the whole thing.

Now, thinking about the proposition for a moment, the question that begs to be asked is, "What makes me angry?" My answer: The "Big Eye" theory mentioned above. I know, it is not a particularly clever play on words...but EYE like the imagery. In other words, EYE get mad because most of the time, the world isn't how EYE see it. That patient in the pharmacy, the person in front of me at the bank, my boss, my job, my bank account, a doctor, my latest medical bill, my wife...whatever poison EYE choose invariably makes me angry. You can bank on it.

So, today I will fill your prescription for your "Big Eye." Choose not to be angry, because the world really isn't entitled to my opinion...or yours.

...take as directed,

Blake