The cyst removal..[ bad choices in healthcare]

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn I was newly out of college, living on my own, on a shoe string budget. The cyst suddenly appeared one day on my temple and seemed to grow quickly. My colleagues say you need to get that looked at. My GP after having stuck it with a needle said "I was able to extract a little fluid but you really need a surgeon". [Mistake #1:] I looked up a doctor in my insurance book that indicated he did 'in office procedures'. The doctors office was filled with elderly patients [Mistake #2] when he brought me back into his office I could see the examining table was an antique made of wood. It clearly had been restored and was a work of art. He then began. 1. Took some kind of paper sheet and cut a circle out. 2. Put that over my face so he could work on the cyst while I saw nothing 3. Gave me several injections to numb the area 4. Started cutting 5. Said "I would never attempted this if I knew about all these adhesions." (My thoughts at that point: What in gods name is an adhesion?) 6. A short while later he says "Oooppps". Then the activity about my face seem to intensify for a short period. I feel a warm liquid fill my ear canal. 7. He removes sheet and says you need to go to the hospital now - I'll follow you. 8. I'm sitting in the hall at the nearby hospital and people are obviously staring at the young fellow with the god awful stitching job sitting in the emergency room. 9. They move me to the OR. 10. The hotshot tumor surgeon removes the stitches and says what was in there? I put my finger in there It's so chewed up I cant tell. 11. The tumor surgeon neatly closes the site of the accident, clears my ear canal of blood and I'm sent home - I sleep for 18 hours nonstop. I must admit there was a time in my life that I felt god was having a little fun with me..

Another great read ray. i was crying when i read 6.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Collar Guy Another great read ray. i was crying when i read 6.

At least the "Ooops" wasn't during a vasectomy! Someday, I'll have to tell the story of not being adequately numbed - or maybe not. YMMV

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau At least the "Ooops" wasn't during a vasectomy! Someday, I'll have to tell the story of not being adequately numbed - or maybe not. YMMV

Bwaaa

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu If you haven't been subject to promotional mailings for skin cancer inspections, or hearing aid seminars, consider yourself lucky.

As one who as recently as last January underwent surgery for malignant melanoma I strongly disagree. I see a dermatologist twice a year now.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 As one who as recently as last January underwent surgery for malignant melanoma I strongly disagree. I see a dermatologist twice a year now.

Yeah, I've lost friends to melanoma and I DO see the dermatologist at least once/year. I agree that most of the time, it's a waste of money - until it's not.

I've heard so many things lately about how the guidelines for various "routine" checks are evolving (from pap smears to PSA/dig-rect (prostate exams), mammogram and others.) To the extent that it's a potential "waste of money" I guess I don't particularly consider that a good reason to change the rules. If there are greater risks (maybe x-ray doses - or possibly unneeded surgeries) then maybe we should talk about it. BUT if YOU are the one who has a potential life-threatening disease, YOU want to know about it. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think it's simple. YMMV

[O2Bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 As one who as recently as last January underwent surgery for malignant melanoma I strongly disagree. I see a dermatologist twice a year now.

DH had a spot on his forehead that turned out to be basal cell. His GP removed it and said nothing about screening. DH changed doctors the next year. The new guy said, "WHAT!? You're blonde and blue-eyed, had a BSC, and haven't been getting screened??" So DH went to a dermatologist. She spotted a tiny but suspicious freckle on his bicep, took it out for testing, and it turned out to be melanoma. Did a "shark-bite" surgery and the borders came out clean, so case closed on that it seems. He did screenings every 3 months for awhile, then every 6 months, now he's down to once a year. I started getting screened, too.

I hate to think what might have happened had that melanoma not been spotted!

[calico1597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu For other than skin tags... ie. brown age spots and basal cell carcinoma, see if your doctor will prescribe fluourocil or the brand equivalent. It's a salve, that over a few days, or sometimes weeks, will cause the skin to scale and slough off the skin layers, only leaving a temporary red skin. Less aggressive than the freezing method. And... as to the cost?... about $60 per tube, to clear the entire body, versus anywhere from $150 to $300 per spot at the dermatologist. Disclaimer: Fluorouracil - Drug Information - Chemocare

I have a tube of Fluorouracil in my medicine cabinet, expired in 2015, not used for several years. I am now on Medicare and have Humana for my drug plan. Fluorouracil is not covered by Humana and is priced at $425 on their website.