... and the hits just keep a comin' ....
last Thursday after dinner I had some strong stomach pains very similar to what I had last Sept. ... I went into RI Hosp ER and they did some tests ... an ultra sound of the gall bladder showed some sand, or 'sludge' ... they admitted me and had me take some sort of nuclear scan ... the gall bladder did not show up on the screen (and I KNOW I had one when I went in there!!!), so they diagnosed it as gall bladder disease ... They kept me in the hosp through the weekend, and performed the laparoscopic surgery on Monday, and released me on Tuesday ... the way I felt Mon and Tues, I can't believe they do this as out-patient surgery ... I still have considerable pain/discomfort from the gas they pump your stomach with to get at the gall bladder ... The doc also says that I will feel tired for a while due to the anesthesia ...
We are hoping that the GB may have been the cause for the chest pain I have been feeling ... we'll see ...
Other than that, things are fine ... ...
t.
PS ..... the doc says I will be out about 4 weeks ... If I start feeling better next week maybe I'll try to set up a cheapie website just to have a place to post some tunes ....
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 03-09-2005).]

Get well soon, old guy!

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

We're all in your corner Tony.

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...shboom

Hang in there Tony.
Once you get rid of all those surplus parts you don't need anymore, you can concentrate on making music
You gonna be ok. We will be praying about it. Trust in your Creator. He ain't done with you yet, he just getting you fixed up so you can do some big "STUFF"
Bebop

Did-ja' ever notice how young folks call this stage of our lives the "Golden Years?" I guess it's cause this is when all them doctors take out lots of your body parts and shove gold in their pockets.

Also noticed they always want you to take lots of nasty pills, then tell you to come back in two weeks for another check-up. What really is bad about this is if you don't make the appointment, they still want to bill you for not being there. When is the first time they called to see if the pills they prescribed were doing the job, or better yet, check up on your condition to see if the pill's side effects were a problem?

Picture this in your mind. The phone rings and your spouse answers the phone.
"Hello!"
"Is this Mrs Smith?"
"Yes."
"Is Mr Smith there?"
"Why no, he died two weeks ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. He didn't keep his appointment with Dr Jones yesterday, and as you know, the doctor's time is valuable. However, in light of your loss, we'll only bill you half the regular amount. Have a nice day!"

Ain't life grand! Get well quick Tony and stop all the lolly-gaggin' around the house.

Gary

Hang in there Tony. I'm getting a little better each day and you will too. I hope this is the last of your problems.

Tom

Tony, don't let it get ya down...shake it off and keep your mind on your music...this to shall pass, like the gas they pumped into your stomach....get well quick....

It happens! My mother and Father-in-law were both going to a noted neurologist in Lexington. Both were in nursing homes. Mrs. Gragg went into a coma and was hospitalized.
An associate from the neurology office was the one who made the rounds. We missed an appointment with all of the confusion and concern about the hospital stay.

We got a bill (full price) for the missed appointment. When I mentioned that a Dr. from their office was the one who was seeing her in the hospital, it didn't matter...it was still our responsibility to call to cancel the appointment.

A month later, DR. Gragg had an appointment.
The other Dr., who had also seen Mrs Gragg several days before in the hospital asked how she was...couldn't remember seeing her in the hospital just days before.

I've become pretty disgusted with the general level of medical care in the US. If I were to run my business like most physisians run theirs, I wouldn't have a business.

But then, there are always the good ones who show real compassion....sadly they're increasingly harder to find.

How sad...

Russ

Russ,

Unfortunately, you are right. A few years ago I had to wait 3 hours in a doctors office to see him. Despite the fact that my appointment time was 10:00 a.m., he didn't see me until 1 p.m.. Finally, after a 2 minute visit, a quick prescription, and see me in two weeks, he left the room.

When I returned home I typed up a bill for $400.00 and sent it to him. I charged him $100 per hour, my normal performance fee, plus $100 travel time and expenses. His office called a few days later and said "You don't really expect us to pay this bill do you?" To which I replied "I'll pay yours when you get around to paying mine." I changed doctors and never heard from them again.

Now, most of my medical care comes from the Veteran's Administration (VA), where the doctors are on a salary and take darned good care of you.

Cheers,

Gary

I'm so happy with my doctor. He's a thoughtful doctor and he listens to his patient's problems. Unfortunality he gives so much energie that he won't do it for a long time, I'm afraid. I guess in 5-10 years I have to look for a new doctor...


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Oh, Tony!!!

I'm hoping your feeling better guy! I feel your frustration, but just like gall stones, this too shall pass.

Feel better my friend!

Regards,
Al

We are all thinking of you Tony and I hope everything is good for you once you have recovered from your recent treatment. It would be great if it turns out that this was the cause of your health problems and is clear now.

I was very lucky to find some very good brain surgeons and neurologists a few years back. I was working on Synth Zone at home back in 2000 when I felt a weird fizzing sensation in my head. I remember thinking I should see a doctor if it persisted ( even though I was self employed with no health insurance at the time ). Well that was pretty much the last thought I had because it turned out I was having a major brain aneurysm and started having seizures and fell into a coma. I ended up at USC hospital in downtown LA with no insurance .... oh dear ... But they have so much experience with gunshot wounds they have plenty of experience with brain injuries and miraculously managed to patch me together.

So between their incredible surgery and the rehab treatment I received over the next couple of months at Los Ranchos Amigos my attitude towards doctors and surgeons has really changed ( which had never been very postitive before that ). I guess I was very lucky and my wife and a programmer friend made sure Synth Zone never went offline while all this was happening. When I came out of brain surgery and my coma I couldn't talk, but I did manage to scribble "Synth Zone" almost illegibly on a piece of paper. No-one else could read what I wrote but my wife could and assured me that everything was OK.

So there still are some very good medical people around fortunately. And I was at the mercy of the public health system.


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 03-11-2005).]

Nigel, OMG, That is an amazing story. We're all glad you recovered from that.

Do you now have health insurance?

Scary thing just happened in my area. There is a major contract battle going on between Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield here in New York (my health provider) and one of our top health providers who happens to own 3 of the areas TOP hospitals.
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/03/11/empire10.htm

The Hospitals have dropped Empire as the insurance company leaving thousands of doctors and patients without insurance coverage!!!!! Obviously this is a negotiation tactic, but I can't help but imagine the poor patients that are currently under hospital care that are NOT covered by insurance.

Where does this madness end?

Hey Nigel! I hope you have left this all behind you. I'm an absolute sensitive human and so I feel blue with every sad story I hear or read. So I like to hear that you've overcome your disease.


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Hi gang .... thnx for all the kind words and prayers .... I had sent my message on Wed, 3/9 and that night ended up with strong stomach pains again ..... I called the doc and he prescribed a different antibiotic .... he actually followed up 3 times that night to see how I was doing ... since I wasn't improving, he suggested I go back to the hospital, which I did ... I got out again today ... seems some fluid had developed at the surgical site which they first tried to treat with meds, but once it increased they stuck a needle in and drained it ... Another complication was a slight case of pneumonia and a slight collapse of the right lower lobe of the lung ... I have anti-bio's to take for the next week, and breathing exercises to do which should bring the lungs back to normal ... maybe I'll try some singing to expand the lungs ...
t.
PS: The most disappointing and frustrating part of this whole ordeal is that while in the hosp, as recent as last evening, I experienced that same damned chest pain I've been fighting with for the past year ... Of course, they found it was not cardiac, which is ALWAYS a good thing, but we are still no closer to finding out what it IS !!! ...
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 03-15-2005).]

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 03-15-2005).]

Nigel .... There is no doubt we've ALL had our share of illness, either our own or through a loved one, but MAN, yours had to be really scary ... so glad you are ok ....
t.