I'm more broken than you

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Bart-Sar will quail under the harsh internet gaze of the comely Dr. Boyle.

I hope.

sure it isn't lupus?

[Greg]

It's always lupus.

[Drunk Monk]

For the record, my spot of eczema is no where near as advanced as Bart-sar diabetic-leprosy.

And I didn’t get to see the glowing-skinned Dr Boyle. We just swapped emails. But the last time we met, she cut a mole off my cheek - cut my face with a knife - so maybe that’s good.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I dunno...sounds pretty hot to me.

[Greg]

Look, one day my entire outer surface will be one giant red blotch and I'll be able to pass for native American. At least the advancement of the red blotches is increasingly faster and faster.

Plus, I think I am currently suffering from Ketoacidosis. Yes, I spent the fall playing fast and loose with my diabetes and I'm currently paying the price.

[Drunk Monk]

Supercalifragilisticketoacidosis? 



Okay, sorry, just couldn’t resist that. What are your symptoms? 

[Greg]

I probably don't have it. But I've been nauseous for a week. My left leg feels numb. And my right eye hurts. Other than that, everything is groovy.

[Drunk Monk]

I've been nauseous since last November. 

I still have my tingle palms and my vision continues to decay.  My tinnitus is worse then ever, so bad that it's affecting my ability to hear.  My crepitus is so bad that Stacy can hear when I'm circling my shoulders.  And I won't even start on my arthritis.  

Though you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor....but you try and tell the young people of today that... and they won't believe ya.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I hope you both are feeling better soon.

[Drunk Monk]

Meh. It’s amazing what you can attenuate to - it’s been 2 decades of tinnitus now in my sinister ear. It makes me ponder people who lose a limb. Could be worse. Sometimes it bothers me that my maladies are Hidden for the most part - except for the eczema now and that’s just unsightly. Good thing I don’t wear ... knickers. 

Last week I missed my daily blood pressure med. I was feeling it by the afternoon and popped a half dose in the evening to get back on schedule, but it wasn’t until the next night until I felt normal again.

[Greg]

In the run up to my doctor visit weekend, where they will no doubt have to put me down, I had to do a blood test. It only took two emails to make sure that I was given the proper amount of tests. I'm still trying to train the nurse gate-keeper at my doctors office that just because there is a test in the system for me that that is not all the tests I need to take. It's a hassle.

Anyway. I did the blood tests today. From now on, I want all of my visits to Kaiser to be this efficient. 

From the time I took my number, through check-in, urine test, and blood drawing, the entire visit took less than two minutes. Swear to god. As I was pulling my number, they were calling my number to come to the front desk. As I was dropping of my urine sample, they called my number for blood drawing. Bim Bam Boom as the kids say.

Of course, I don't want to know the results of the tests. The results will be horrific. But at least the tests themselves took no time.

[Drunk Monk]

I’ve been with Kaiser for years. Not by choice, it’s a work benefit, but it’s been good overall. My GP is rather mediocre, but she’s a striking Indian woman with a husky voice. The specialists like the fresh faced Dr Boyle and my Kung Fu elder brother ophthalmologist are solid. As for tests, it’s cool if I can go away from lunchtime because then it’s packed. And having Alison voice their ads makes me feel better. The iPhone app is a little dumb.

But wait, this is about Greg. What are they looking for or is throw just the usual battery of annual things they can charge you for?

[Greg]

My blood tests are just part of the routine for a Diabetes check-up.

Side note. Getting them arranged is a pain in the ass. The doctor has to request them, but she can't put in a constant blanket request. Ie, they are always in the system. The only thing she can request like that is the A1c blood test. But there are about 5 more tests, she also likes to run to check my kidneys and iron levels and cholesterol level. So, when I know I have an appointment scheduled, I send her an email and she requests the tests. Well, that's how it is or should work. But no. The first couple of times, I went to to the blood lab and they only did one test, the A1c (A1c checks sugar levels in the blood steam, very important for the diabetic) When I show up for my appointment my doctor informs me that I didn't take enough tests. I have to fast again and go get more tests done. You have to fast for some of these tests. 

So, I learned to send an email to the doc before the tests to remind her. The only problem is that my email goes to the nurse gate keeper first. The nurse gatekeeper gets the email, sees there is one blood test in the system and tells me everything is good to go. Except for the fact not all of my tests have been ordered.

Now, I'm in the two email category. One to request the tests and a second to tell the nurse she needs to really talk to the doctor because not enough tests were ordered. Good times. 

This time the nurse on the second email said I didn't have to fast for these tests, though.

You always have to fast for the A1c.

I love Kaiser when I am not busy hating them.

[Drunk Monk]

I'm on that A1C train too, as you know.

I've not have any issue with special tests like that with Kaiser.  I did have an issue recently where the asked me why I hadn't refilled a script that was cancelled years ago because I had an allergic reaction to it.  It was a substitute clinician who got rather flustered when I clarified the situation, and all over email.  But other than that, Kaiser has been everything Allison has promised.

[King Bob]

I've been on Kaiser since I started this job and mostly like it. Having everything integrated is very nice. I particularly like the ease of getting to a specialist, and once you've seen them, you can contact them again directly. The web interface is good - much better than the Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation one that I use for my mother. And PAMF is shitty at record keeping. I have to tell them the correct pharmacy to use every time she gets a new medication. I've asked them to delete all the old ones from her record, but either they won't or they can't.